"You just said that the money was all paid in, and now you say it was spent on personal relationships. You're contradicting yourself. Do you think they will believe you?" Cui Lanzhi said sarcastically.
"Get out of here." Old Mrs. Cui jumped up angrily.
Cui Lanzhi stood up and said, "Don't worry, I will leave. I don't want to come at all."
She stood up, and Cui Zhiyuan followed suit, his expression cold. "Lanzhi and I have been your disliked children since we were young, and we no longer expect your love and pampering. We are both middle-aged, and both siblings have experienced failed marriages and hardships in life. We have long since lost interest in so-called family ties."
"Although the past is over, it doesn't mean it never existed. What you did, Mom and Dad, and what my eldest brother and his wife did, have been engraved in my heart for twenty years."
"I won't mention it in front of the younger generation, to save your dignity."
"I believe I have done my best for you and have never owed you anything. I have already repaid you for your kindness in raising me."
"Don't use this grace of giving birth to me to kidnap me. I am no longer the Cui Zhiyuan of twenty years ago. In the past, I cared too much about you as my parents, the parents who gave birth to me and raised me, and that's why I did something that I will regret for the rest of my life."
"Brother and the others are behind bars because they chose the wrong path. It's your upbringing that's flawed. They have to bear the consequences of their punishment and retribution themselves. I won't interfere, and I don't have the ability to do so."
"The only thing I can do is to provide some financial support so that they can live more comfortably in there."
After saying that, Cui Zhiyuan took out two envelopes from his briefcase. Both envelopes were filled with thick money. He handed the large envelope to Cui Wendong and said, "Wendong, here are 20,000 yuan. You can use 10,000 yuan to buy a house, get married, or start a business. The other 10,000 yuan can be used for other things. It's up to you to decide how to arrange it."
"Second Uncle..."
Cui Wendong did not take the envelope, looking a little conflicted.
"Take it. Don't follow the same path as your father and your brother."
Cui Zhiyuan pressed the envelope into his hands and patiently spoke to his nephew, who hadn't taken the wrong path. "There are more than just military and political paths in this world. Now that this door is closed, another window will open. As long as you have a dream in your heart, stick to your principles, aren't afraid of hardship and hard work, and strive to improve yourself, you will always find a path that suits you and your future will not be poor and destitute."
"Thank you for your teachings, second uncle." Cui Wendong thanked him and accepted the money he gave him.
Cui Zhiyuan handed another small envelope to Cui Pan'er, "Pan'er, these two thousand yuan are your dowry prepared by your second uncle, so keep it safe."
"Thank you, second uncle." Cui Pan'er was happy to see that she also had some.
Cui Zhiyuan didn't give the two elders any money, but only gave the brother and sister some. He left after saying, "Lanzhi, let's go."
"Zhiyuan."
Old man Cui, who had been silent the whole time, quickly stood up and called out to him. Seeing him stop and turn around, he hesitated for half a second before speaking: "Zhiyuan, it's Dad's fault. I apologize to you, but you can't just ignore the situation at home now."
"What do you want me to take care of?" Cui Zhiyuan asked directly, pointing out their thoughts: "Let me take all of you abroad?"
Old Man Cui was indeed thinking this way. He thought about how he had just been nice to his grandchildren, using them as a sentimental tool. "It's not good for Wendong and Pan'er to set up a stall outside. It's not honorable. Wenhao will be released in a little over a year. Now he has a criminal record and can't find a job. I guess he can only set up a stall to sell goods in the future. They will never get ahead if they continue like this."
"You sent your eldest brother, third brother, and Wenhao down the path of politics. Have they ever made it?"
Without waiting for his reply, Cui Zhiyuan sneered and said, "I heard that the past ten years have been a time of great glory. You've been high and mighty, complacent, and so arrogant that you've forgotten who you are. Is this what you consider to be successful?"
Before going abroad, Cui Zhiyuan did not agree with his parents and brothers going into politics. He understood their personalities and knew that they were naturally good at scheming. Such people would sooner or later go astray and end up behind bars.
"Your elder brother and the others have already been sentenced, so why are you making sarcastic remarks like that?" Old Mrs. Cui looked unhappy.
"I don't mean to be sarcastic. I can't write two characters for Cui with one stroke of the pen. Their jail records have left a criminal record, ruining their future and reputation. It also brings shame to me as their brother."
"But if you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?"
"You don't have to tell me that making money by setting up a street stall is shameful or dishonorable. I'm also a businessman abroad. Like Wen Dong and the others, I started out by setting up a street stall. The hardships and sufferings I've endured far exceed his by a hundred times."
"I've never felt ashamed of setting up a stall to do business. We don't steal or rob, we're honest and aboveboard. Every penny we earn is the result of our hard work and can withstand any investigation. It's a million times cleaner than the dirty money that big brothers and their gangs get through corruption and abuse of power, and I feel at ease using it myself."
"As for arranging for you to go abroad, I haven't considered it, and I won't arrange it."
"I've already paid you alimony, and I don't owe you anything anymore. As for the mess left by my eldest brother, third brother, and eldest sister's families, it's not my turn to clean up, and I won't do it."
Seeing him say such a decisive thing, Old Man Cui's face turned pale: "Zhiyuan, why are you so cold-blooded and ruthless now?"
"You taught me."
Cui Zhiyuan only replied with four words.
Old Man Cui's heart sank, and he clutched his chest, looking very distressed. "In the final analysis, you are blaming us and putting the blame on us for your divorce from Gong Wantang."
"I've never blamed anyone for my divorce from Wan Tang. I only blame myself. I was wronged by her, felt guilty towards her, and let her down. It has nothing to do with anyone else."
"I haven't blamed you. I've just been through a lot, seen through it all, and figured it out. I won't force it anymore."
"Actually, there's nothing wrong with being cold-blooded and ruthless. If I had understood and figured it out sooner, my family and marriage wouldn't have failed, and they wouldn't have suffered, and we wouldn't have been separated."
"I still say that I don't owe you anything. I have done my best for you and for all of Heaven and Earth. The only thing I haven't done for them is mother and daughter."
"Thank you for telling me about Wan Tang's life and Ling Long's situation. The money I gave to Wen Dong and Pan Er today is a token of my gratitude."
"I hope we won't have any further contact, and you shouldn't come to me to ask for anything. I'm an M citizen now, and I've already made a will. Everything under my name is left to my children, and will all belong to Linglong and Siwei in the future. My wife, stepdaughter, parents, and other blood relatives will not have any inheritance rights."
After Cui Zhiyuan finished speaking, he turned around and left without looking at his parents' dark faces.
Cui Lanzhi, who was still waiting at the door, heard her second brother's words, gave her parents a sarcastic smile, and left without looking back.
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