Huang Xiaojuan turned to her mother, “Mom, just say the compensation money doesn’t exist, that it was borrowed from the family. What could happen?”
“What could happen?” her mother glared. “That’s faking a statement. Do you want to drag your brother with you to jail? Don’t even think about it.”
Huang Xiaojun frowned deeply and pondered for a while before saying again, “Xiaojuan cannot go to jail; our family can’t afford this embarrassment.” He sighed and continued, “Xiaojuan, we need to get our story straight. Nobody can afford to make a mistake. If you really get caught, don’t blame me for not helping you.”
Huang Xiaojuan nodded hastily, and the family carefully planned what to say if the police came to inquire. They went over the details of the loan—when and where it was made, how much was borrowed…
“Just write a promissory note, and then no one, not even the police, will be able to trace it. A promissory note can’t be fake, right?” her mother finally said.
Huang Xiaojuan’s first reaction was to object. Her brother frowned and said, “Write a promissory note? We’re siblings, it’s normal to lend money, right?”
“That’s too much money to lend on a verbal promise. Without a promissory note, it looks even more suspicious,” their mother argued. She glanced coldly at Huang Xiaojuan and scoffed, “The few hundred yuan you borrowed from Qiming before, didn’t he always make you write a promissory note?”
Huang Xiaojuan’s face heated up under her mother’s gaze, feeling embarrassed.
“Maybe we shouldn’t. This is not only faking statement, but also forging evidence. The police are not fools. If they catch even a hint of doubt and start interrogating us, we could all end up in jail,” her brother began to hesitate, and his wife firmly said, “Forget it, forget it. The report is just about the passbook, not the compensation, right? What if that girl doesn’t even bring up the compensation? Xiaojuan will be fine.”
Huang Xiaojuan panicked. Xia Mian was already fixated on the compensation money before; now that she desperately needed money, there was no way she would let it go. The matter of the compensation must never get to the police!
“Let’s write the promissory note.” After weighing her options, Huang Xiaojuan said through gritted teeth.
Once the matter was settled, the Huang family quickly drove the mother and son away, using the excuse of appearing cooperative to make a good impression on the police.
Left with no choice, Huang Xiaojuan and Xuanxuan had to leave. It took them two buses and almost three hours to return to the Huagang Family Compound. All the while, she mulled over the narrative she would tell the police and imagined how she would handle Xia Mian once she resolved the situation with the authorities. One moment she was serious, the next laughing; Xuanxuan, nestling in her lap, asked curiously, “Mom, are you crazy?”
That’s how a crazy woman in grandma’s apartment building was—crying one moment, laughing the next.
Huang Xiaojuan glared at him, “You’re the crazy one. Mom is thinking!”
Overall, though, she was in a good mood, especially when she recalled her brother’s reassurance:
“Don’t worry, we’ll cooperate fully with you. With this promissory note, our story is seamless. Maybe we can even counter-sue that girl for framing.”
“By then, not only will the passbook be yours, but that girl will be at your mercy too. After all, once she’s been through this, with her own parents are gone—who else will take care of her?”
Although her brother wasn’t fully aware of the details, his comment reminded Huang Xiaojuan of something important—With Xia Mian’s weakness in her hands and the passbook secured, she could definitely push to have her sent away.
Since Xia Mian was so keen on calling the police over every small thing, Huang Xiaojuan thought it was time she tasted her own medicine. Although Xia Mian was too young to be jailed, even a stint in a juvenile detention center would make people shun her. Who would believe that damn girl after that?
With confidence in her heart, Huang Xiaojuan was no longer apprehensive about returning home during a busy time. She planned to catch up on Xia Mian’s latest situation from the neighbors and perhaps even restore her image in the process.
However, when Huang Xiaojuan entered the compound with a feigned look of apprehension and fear, she didn’t receive the sympathy she expected. She heard Xia Mian’s name mentioned frequently, but not with disdain or disgust; rather, Xia Mian was praised as if she had saved some important person.
Huang Xiaojuan’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Who did Xia Mian save?”
“Oh, isn’t that Huang Xiaojuan…” Sister Wang chuckled, “Your family’s Xia Mian has really made something of herself. She saved Dr. Ning’s nephew!”
“Ah, right, you wouldn’t know since you weren’t here, but a few days ago, Dr. Ning’s stepmother actually sent someone to kill him for his inheritance. Do you know how rich Dr. Ning’s family is? Their assets are worth tens of millions!”
“Dr. Ning’s sister married well too, so she’s also very wealthy,” someone excitedly added, “Dr. Ning’s sister said that Xia Mian is their lifesaver, and they don’t even know how to begin repaying her. Do you think they’ll give her a lot of money?”
“Probably,” another person glanced at Huang Xiaojuan and laughed, “But Sister Wang, you got it wrong. Xia Mian isn’t from the Zhang family, and there’s quite a feud between those two families, too.” She turned to Huang Xiaojuan with obvious schadenfreude, “You guys shouldn’t count on getting any benefits from her!”
“Benefits?” Engineer Li’s wife, a frank rural woman, scoffed, “They still hope to get benefits? Even if Xia Mian agrees, we wouldn’t. After causing so much harm, they still expect to reap benefits…” She spat in disgust towards Huang Xiaojuan, “Living in the same compound with such scum, I can hardly breathe. Too disgusting!”
As the neighbors chatted, a black sedan drove past them, different from the VW Santanas they usually saw. The crowd immediately got excited, “Ah, that’s a Mercedes! I’ve only heard about it but never seen one. They say it’s an imported car worth millions!”
“That’s Teacher Mi’s grandson-in-law! Hey, forget about this nonsense,” someone advised. “Hurry, I heard he’s a very rich person; I want to see what he looks like.”
The crowd surged towards block 18. Huang Xiaojuan, her mind in turmoil, hurriedly followed. Just as she reached the building, the door of the imported car opened, and a tall man with a slick, clean-cut appearance stepped out. His commanding presence quieted the onlooking neighbors as Dr. Ning also emerged from the back seat. Previously, they thought Dr. Ning was quite unapproachable, but standing next to this man, his brother-in-law, not only did he not seem out of place, but his stature and demeanor appeared even more impressive.
When Dr. Ning’s sister and nephew stepped out of the car, the onlookers couldn’t help but marvel at how attractive the family was.
If Xia Mian were there, she would probably understand their feelings—it was like modern-day girls seeing a pop idol group. Even without performing, just their looks could brighten anyone’s day.
Huang Xiaojuan, who was still confused at first, now understood—if she could establish a relationship with this family, the benefits could be enormous!
However, faced with such a prestigious family, she dared not act rashly—at least, she must figure out exactly what that girl Xia Mian had done. Looking around, it was clear that many were eager to ingratiate themselves with Dr. Ning. These people didn’t think highly of her; if she dared to take action without careful planning, she would surely be sabotaged.
Huang Xiaojuan didn’t believe that a mere troublemaker like Xia Mian could have saved anyone. She suspected it must have been a fluke, and she was determined to prevent Xia Mian from exploiting this favor for personal gain. Her sister, Huang Xiaoxia, was more likely to succeed.
As Teacher Mi’s family of idol group eventually entered the building, the crowd finally had a moment to “care” about Huang Xiaojuan.
“Oh, Xiao Huang is back so soon!” Sister Zhao from upstairs said sarcastically. “Aren’t you scared of the thugs anymore?”
“Why should she be scared? Those thugs are all under their family’s thumb.”
Huang Xiaojuan’s heart skipped a beat, but then she heard Li Xinmei laugh and say, “This is her home, why wouldn’t she come back? Xiaojuan, you must be exhausted from the trip. Hurry back and rest!”
Many laughed upon hearing this. Huang Xiaojuan saw them exchanging amused looks and felt like they were hiding something from her. Not wanting to endure their mockery, she quickly grabbed her luggage and pulled her son upstairs.
But when she tried to enter her house, she couldn’t open the door!
Growing frustrated, she double-checked the floor—it was right above Teacher Mi’s floor, and definitely her apartment. Why couldn’t she open the door?
“Oh, that’s right,” Li Xinmei called from downstairs, “Xiaojuan, your lock has been changed! The old key won’t work.”
Huang Xiaojuan was already on edge, and when she heard that the locks had been changed, she snapped, “Why on earth would the lock change?!”
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Thanks for the chapter ❣️
Thank you!
She really is brainless, how could they succeed in the past life?
because everyone else have negative IQ xD
Please update more!
Well, they didn’t really as they were defeated by the ML in the end. Also, in the original timeline their opponents were an abused 4 year old boy and a naive 16 year old girl.