Shu Lingchen leaned in to listen, then looked back at her with skepticism. “Will that… actually work?”
Shu Shu countered, “Aside from this, do you have a better explanation?”
Shu Lingchen: “…” No, he didn’t. He had no choice but to agree.
Suddenly, Shu Lingchen noticed Liu Tong standing nearby. A thought struck him, and his face paled with horror. He pulled Shu Shu to the side and whispered in a panic:
“We’re doomed! I think I just called you ‘Mom’ right in front of Uncle Liu Tong!”
His mother’s rebirth was about to be exposed!
Shu Shu remained perfectly calm. “Don’t worry. He’s a professional. Otherwise, how do you think he ended up appearing here?”
“You mean… he knows?!!”
Shu Shu didn’t deny it.
Shu Lingchen glanced at Liu Tong in disbelief. “Then how is he so calm?!”
Shu Shu repeated, “I told you, he’s a professional.”
In reality, unit 1701 wasn’t even under Shu Shu’s personal name. It was an asset under one of her sub-accounts. Shu Lingchen’s inheritance protection measures had been authorized through that very account. These professional managers earned bonuses with so many zeros that they only recognized the card and the service password. To them, being “professional” was a requirement for survival.
On the street opposite Yujing Garden, the Chu mother and daughter were waiting for Shu Lingchen with an intensity bordering on desperation. The moment they saw him approaching, Chu Mother stood up impatiently.
“Achen, how did it go? Can we go back now? My legs are numb from standing.”
Chu Mother felt certain of a positive outcome. Internally, she was already sneering; she was going to file such a heavy complaint against that security guard that he’d lose his job immediately.
However, the next second, Shu Lingchen spoke words that made their world collapse.
“Auntie Chu, Chuchu… that man wasn’t a scammer. The deed is real. The house belongs to him now.”
Chu Mother gasped: “What did you say?! Achen, isn’t the house yours?!”
Shu Lingchen lowered his head, not quite daring to look them in the eye. He recited the explanation Shu Shu had drilled into him:
“…Back when my mother was still alive, she borrowed a large sum of money and used the house as collateral with that man, Liu Tong. After all these years, the debt wasn’t repaid, so he came to reclaim the property. I only just found out myself.”
Chu Mother’s vision went dark, and her body swayed as if she were about to faint.
“Auntie Chu!” Shu Lingchen quickly caught her in concern. “Are you okay?”
Chu Mother slapped her thigh, a look of profound heartbreak on her face. Her luxury home! Her mansion![1]
Shu Lingchen felt a bit puzzled. “Auntie Chu, I’m the one who lost the house. Shouldn’t I be the most depressed one? Why are you… more emotional than me?”
She looked as though she was the one who had lost her life’s work.
Chu Lian stepped in to cover. “Achen, Mom is just feeling devastated for your sake.” Then, unwilling to give up, she asked with a trembling voice: “Is there really no way to get the house back?”
Shu Lingchen rubbed his nose and said, “No. He has the written proof. Even if we go to the police or the court, I’m the one in the wrong.”
Chu Lian recoiled as if struck by lightning.
“Auntie Chu, Chuchu, don’t worry about having no place to stay. I’ve rented an apartment outside.” Shu Lingchen patted his chest. “Even though it only has two rooms, it’s enough for the three of us. You two take the big room, and I’ll take the small one.”
“…”
Chu Lian forced a smile. She knew the kind of place Shu Lingchen rented—a dilapidated residential building with no elevator, tiny enough to feel like a cage. After getting used to the luxury of Yujing Garden, how could she possibly adapt to that?
Chu Lian managed a thin smile. “No need, Achen. Mom and I will just go back to our old house.”
Shu Lingchen immediately looked worried. “How can you do that? What if those debt collectors find you?”
Over the years, the Chu mother and daughter had frequently mentioned to Shu Lingchen that creditors were still looking for them. It was precisely because of this that Shu Lingchen couldn’t bear to let them leave.
At the mention of this, Chu Lian’s expression flickered unnaturally for a moment before she shook her head. “It’s fine, Achen. I asked the neighbors earlier; those people haven’t been around for a long time. They’ve probably given up. Achen, Mom and I have already troubled you so much. This time, please listen to me. If anything happens, I can always call you, right?”
“…Alright then.”
“I’ll see you there, at least.”
Shu Lingchen helped carry the two suitcases and hailed a taxi.
The Chu family’s old residence was also in an older residential block, but it was slightly better than Shu Lingchen’s place and much more spacious. Since the house had been empty for a long time, it was covered in a thick layer of dust.
Shu Lingchen took it upon himself to do all the cleaning, scrubbing the place until it was spotless. Finally, he ordered takeout for them. After the three finished eating, he took out the trash and left.
At the morning self-study, Shu Lingchen felt his skin crawl under Shu Shu’s intense stare. Using a propped-up textbook as cover, he whispered:
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Shu Shu asked, “What did you tell them yesterday?”
“Exactly what you told me to. I said the house was reclaimed due to a mortgage debt. Then Auntie Chu and Chuchu moved back to their old house.”
That smoothly? Shu Shu narrowed her eyes.
Looking at her son’s composed demeanor, there was no sign of him having been treated coldly by Chu Lian. Since she had reclaimed the house, Chu Lian should have no reason to keep stringing this “little idiot” along.
Something wasn’t right.
Before Shu Shu could figure it out, she heard Shu Lingchen let out a soft, sharp intake of breath. He instinctively clutched his arm as if he’d bumped a sore spot.
“What happened to you?”
Shu Lingchen stiffened, instinctively rubbing his nose. “Ah, nothing. What do you mean?”
Lying.
Shu Shu grabbed his wrist and shoved his school uniform sleeve up.
On the boy’s fair arm was a massive bruise, the center a deep, dark purple. Shu Shu’s heart skipped a beat at the sight.
She frowned. “How did you get this?”
Shu Lingchen hadn’t expected the sneak attack. His face flushed with panic. “It’s nothing. I just accidentally bumped into a wall.”
He tried to pull his hand back, but he couldn’t move it. His mother’s grip was surprisingly strong.
Shu Shu knew he was full of it the moment he spoke. This bruise was clearly caused by a strike from a hard, metal object.
Expressing no emotion, Shu Shu pressed her thumb directly onto the wound.
“Ow, ow, ow! Stop!” Shu Lingchen wailed.
Shu Shu said, “You call this ‘nothing’? IF IT’S NOTHING, WHY IS IT BLACK AND BLUE?”
Shu Lingchen: “…”
Shu Shu guessed: “Did the Chu mother and daughter hit you?”
“How could they?!”
Shu Shu then remembered her son was the “School Tyrant.” She slammed her hand on the desk. “SHU LINGCHEN, DID YOU GET INTO A FIGHT WITH SOMEONE?!”
The noise startled everyone in the classroom, and they all turned to look. The air went silent instantly.
Shu Lingchen immediately retorted: “I did not!”
He didn’t rub his nose. He wasn’t lying.
Shu Shu raised a hand to the class. “Sorry. Please continue.”
The students: “…”
Across the aisle, Pineapple Boy watched in disbelief, whispering to his cronies: “My god… it’s the first time I’ve seen Brother Chen get yelled at like a grandson and not dare to talk back!”
Shu Shu pressed him: “Then what happened to your arm?”
[1] IT’S NOT YOURS!!!