Chapter 132

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

When they confirmed that Tiancheng Advertising Model Company indeed had minor girls under sixteen who, under Ma Tiancheng's coercion and inducement, engaged in power-for-sex transactions, they had no hesitation in handing the evidence over to the criminal police in charge of the case.

The case continued to ferment afterward, with a very bad impact.

Tiancheng Advertising Model Company was sealed up, and dozens of minor girls were rescued.

Ma Tiancheng, Zhang Ji, and the other relevant personnel fell into the net of the law and were sanctioned by the law.

The collapse of Tiancheng Model Company did not affect the broadcast of advertisements.

Ding Sheng Decoration took advantage of this to make a big publicity push, successfully opened up the Capital City market, and established a branch company in BJ.

Lin Xiyu became a little famous again, drawing heated discussion from the general public.

People fear fame as pigs fear getting fat; the ancients truly did not deceive me.

On the last day of the end of August, the thing people worried about most still happened: the arrival of three uninvited guests broke the peaceful life.

——

After entering autumn, the weather gradually became a bit cooler; the female cousin went to the construction company Li Zhi introduced to discuss business, but with no customers coming to the door, the office was very deserted.

Lin Xiyu was bored to death alone, leaning against the chair, yawning and half-asleep.

"Thump."

The office door was suddenly pushed open hard from outside; the sharp sound made her heart tremble, and she abruptly opened her eyes.

"Mom, I told you I was right, didn't I? That girl Xiyu works here and has earned quite a bit of money."

The three people who walked in from outside all perked up when they saw her, their eyes full of shrewd calculation.

"Xiyu, Grandma's here; what are you standing there in a daze for?"

One of them, upon entering, without a word, naturally ordered her to work: "It's such a hot day; hurry up and pour a cup of water for your grandma."

"What are you people here for?"

Lin Xiyu saw the three people's pupils contract; although they had not seen each other for ten years, she recognized all three at a glance.

The white-haired, thin old woman was her grandmother; the man and woman who came with her were her paternal aunt and paternal uncle.

Looking at the three dark faces full of calculation, memories of the past involuntarily surged into her brain, giving her a very uncomfortable feeling.

"How can you talk like that, child?"

The paternal aunt was unreasonable and domineering: "This is your grandma; your grandma wants to see you—what reason do you need?"

"I have no grandma; my grandma died ten years ago."

Obviously, she underestimated the girl before her; the Lin Xiyu of now was no longer the ignorant child of ten years ago who could only let them bully her.

She held her spine straight, coldly looking at them; the hatred in her brows and eyes made people involuntarily feel timid.

"You dead girl, what nonsense are you spouting?"

The paternal aunt's voice suddenly rose several degrees to cover her own guilt: "Is there anyone who curses their own grandma like you? Your grandma is standing right here, and you dare to talk nonsense in broad daylight—aren't you afraid of being struck by thunder?"

"If Heaven had eyes, it should strike you..."

Lin Xiyu retorted impolitely: "When my father sacrificed himself, how did you treat my mother and me? Don't you yourselves know? Ask your own consciences—don't they hurt?"

"Eldest Brother has been gone ten years; those things are long past."

The paternal aunt continued shamelessly: "Why bring up those things now? Your grandma came this time not to catch up with you; your Second Uncle is in poor health and needs money for treatment. You, being sensible, hurry up and bring twenty thousand yuan, so we don't tear our faces and make a scene—no one will look good then."

"Truly laughable."

Lin Xiyu gave them a disdainful glance: "What does Second Uncle's illness have to do with me? He's not my biological father; why should I give him money for medical treatment?"

"Just because he is your Second Uncle."

The paternal aunt twisted logic and used emotional blackmail on her: "Family members may break bones but remain connected; as long as you bear the Lin surname, you cannot escape your ties to the Lin family."

"I can also not bear the Lin surname."

Lin Xiyu sneered: "Do you think a surname can trap me? I don't acknowledge him as my Second Uncle, so he isn't my Second Uncle. You'd better leave quickly; don't force me to chase you out with a broom."

"You unfilial daughter..."

The paternal uncle glared with both eyes, his vicious energy surging: "Rebellion against heaven! Do you dare hit your grandma?"

"If you keep refusing to leave, see if I dare or not?"

Lin Xiyu casually picked up a broom and stood up from the chair.

"Bastard!"

The paternal uncle, relying on his long years of field work and some brute strength, roared as he charged over: "You dare chase your grandma away? See if I don't beat you..."

Lin Xiyu was quick-eyed and quick-handed; she swung the broom hard and struck his knee.

"Thump."

The paternal uncle's knee went weak; head down, he fell flat on the ground.

"Ouch, it hurts to death."

He fell so hard his head spun, and for a good while he couldn't recover.

"You dead girl, you dare hit your paternal uncle?"

Seeing her most beloved youngest son beaten, the grandma's face instantly became hideous and terrifying.

"I did hit him; so what?"

Lin Xiyu was utterly unafraid: "If he's capable, let him hit me back? Ten years ago he was very capable, wasn't he? Snatching my father's pension and pushing me to the ground—how arrogant he was..."

"Ouch, I can't go on living."

Grandma saw she couldn't win the argument, sat down on the ground, and made a scene: "Pity my second son, he's down to his last breath, you heartless little wretch, you won't even pay for his treatment even though you have money."

"I have no money."

Lin Xiyu impatiently dug her ear.

"You have no money?"

Grandma shrieked at the top of her lungs: "You filmed an advertisement, how could you have no money?"

"That's right."

The young aunt chimed in from the side: "That star who filmed an ad for Younger sister air conditioners, a smile worth a million lives, one ad can earn a million."

"That's a star..."

Lin Xiyu didn't bother to explain.

Actually, the advertisement she filmed this time indeed had no fee.

After learning of Ma Tiancheng's misdeeds, she also wanted to contribute to saving minor girls, so she voluntarily offered to film for free, asking for not a cent of advertising fee.

"Eldest Brother, you died too early."

Seeing she was unmoved, the young aunt also sat on the ground, thick-skinned and wailing: "Once you're gone, no one can support this family anymore, Second Brother is sick and no one cares, without you, this family will scatter sooner or later."

"If you want to cry, go cry outside!"

Lin Xiyu's patience ran out; she used a clever trick to pull the mother and daughter up from the ground and drove them out.

The young uncle who shamelessly lay on the ground trying to extort a sum from her was also swept out the door with a broom by her.

To avoid the three women causing more trouble, she couldn't wait for her female cousin to return, locked the door, rode her bicycle, and rushed home in one breath.

—

Donghua Street No. 9 Courtyard.

"What? Your grandma came?"

Upon hearing the news, Grandma's face changed drastically: "That shameless old woman, she still has the face to come?"

"I'm really glad..."

Lin Xiyu, still fearful: "Fortunately she doesn't know my mom bought a house, otherwise who knows what kind of scene she'd make."

"The matter of your mom buying a house absolutely cannot be told to outsiders."

Grandma clutched her chest, breathing unevenly: "No matter who asks, insist it's rented, signed a long-term lease, rent must be paid every month."

"Grandma, let's go hide at Aunt Da's place for a while."

Lin Xiyu, fearing Grandma would get sick from anger, eyes showing worry: "Grandma and them know this address, they might come looking."

"You go, tell your Aunt..."

Grandma agreed in her heart: "Tell them to let her and your Uncle go hide at her maiden home, we're leaving now."

"Okay."

Lin Xiyu didn't want to waste time, turned and ran.

Upon hearing Lin Xiyu's grandma had come, she was like hearing the wolf was coming, fumbled to close the telephone booth, locked the door, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The movement was so nimble it left Lin Xiyu stunned.

Not long after Lin Xiyu helped Grandma leave Donghua Street, Grandma and the three indeed came to the door.

They lingered at Grandma's doorway until the middle of the night, but didn't see a single person.

Unable to find anyone, the young aunt was unwilling and urged Grandma to go make a scene at the Television Station.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Guben was woken by Li Yan's series of calls.

Grandma's family were all not home, no one answered the telephone booth, Li Yan could only call him.

"What? Xiyu's grandma actually ran to the Television Station?"

After hearing the details, Guben gained a new understanding of the old woman's shamelessness.

"Yes."

Li Yan was very helpless: "They sat all night at the Television Station's door last night, rushed in as soon as it opened in the morning, lay on the ground making a scene, and even alarmed the Station Director."

"I know."

Guben quickly calmed down and had an idea: "Use the interview to keep them steady first, I can get there soon."

"Okay."

Li Yan, having received assurance, quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Guben hung up the phone, without a moment's delay, rode his mountain bike out the door.

—

Television Station, first-floor Hall.

Lin Xiyu's grandma, disheveled, clutching her chest and wailing.

The young aunt told everyone who came about the family's grievances.

The young uncle squatted on the ground, wiping tears with his hand.

The three's affected performance made those who didn't know the situation think they really were quite pitiful.

"They are Lin Xiyu's family?"

"Is her grandma's family so poor? Clothes full of patches, like beggars."

"Lin Xiyu earned quite a bit from filming ads, right? Her grandma's family is so difficult, they don't help out a bit..."

"She looks like a likable young girl, never thought she'd be like this..."

"She's the Quancheng Image Ambassador, doesn't she care about her image at all."

"Just filmed a documentary and caused this trouble, the Station Director must have a headache."

Around 7 AM, staff on the early shift entered the door one after another.

Those unaware of the inside story, upon seeing the wretched state of the mother and her two children, mostly wore expressions of sympathy.

Li Yan and Cameraman, at the Station Director's behest, hurried over anxiously to conduct an on-site interview.

"We are Lin Xiyu's family; I am her paternal aunt, and this is her paternal grandmother..."

Upon seeing someone interviewing, the young aunt spoke with flying spittle, growing even more animated.

"You just said you came to find her because of her Second Uncle's illness?"

Li Yan, true to her calling as a Reporter, seized the key point right away: "In other words, before this, she didn't know her Second Uncle was ill. I have a question: his Second Uncle has been sick for more than a year, and you never told her before? Why didn't you contact her?"

"Uh."

The young aunt choked up, feeling a bit intimidated facing the Camera.

"She's unfilial, always angry at me."

Seeing things were going badly, the grandmother chimed in from the side: "I didn't want her to anger me to death, so I drove her out of the house."

"Right."

The young uncle, nursing a grudge against Lin Xiyu for whipping him with a broom, slandered her vehemently: "She's been willful and disobedient since childhood, disliked our family's poverty, unwilling to come to the Rural home; when she came once during New Year, she was picky and had no pleasant expression. My mother's heart ached with anger, drove her out, and forbade her from coming again."

—

"Ah, are they talking about Lin Xiyu?"

"Why does it feel like they're not talking about the same person?"

"She was actually like this when she was young."

"She herself is just a child from an ordinary family, yet she actually dislikes her rural relatives..."

"Too unbelievable."

The staff gathered around heard his accusation and all changed countenance.

"Old Woman..."

Li Yan's eyebrows knitted tightly: "What are your demands? Why did you come to the Television Station?"

"I want her to pay money to treat his Second Uncle's illness."

Hearing these words, the grandmother's cloudy old eyes instantly lit up: "Her Second Uncle is her father's younger brother; she can't ignore it."

"How much money do you want?"

Li Yan pretended to negotiate with her, seizing the opportunity to stall for time.

"50,000, no, 100,000..."

The grandmother secretly rejoiced, opening her mouth wide: "She must have earned a lot from filming Advertisements; 100,000 is just a drop in the bucket for her, but for us country folk, it's life-saving money."

"100,000? Isn't that too much?"

Li Yan silently retorted in her heart.

The Old Woman's heart is truly ruthless; opening her mouth for 100,000 — this is a real-life Zhou Bapi!

She really dares to open her mouth like that...

"Too much what?"

The grandmother stuck out her Neck and argued stubbornly: "Celebrities filming Advertisements earn one million per ad; even if she earns the least, can't she still get more than one-tenth?"

"Who told you that?"

Li Yan was a bit bewildered: "Which celebrity earns one million for filming one Advertisement?"

"What's-her-name, also from our Jinan."

The grandmother spoke righteously and confidently: "The one in that air conditioner Advertisement; they say her smile is worth a million lives, and we country folk have spread it everywhere."

"Rumors aren't necessarily believable."

Li Yan instinctively rebutted.

"No wind rises without a cause."

The grandmother was dissatisfied with her attitude: "You must not look down on us country folk just because we have little education; we still understand this bit of reasoning."

"I certainly wouldn't dare look down on you..."

Li Yan silently retorted another sentence in her heart.

Old Man, your skill at making a scene and acting shamelessly — I can't catch up even driving a car; who would dare look down on you?

"Comrade Reporter, we've already explained the situation clearly."

The young aunt, fearing the grandmother would say too much and expose a flaw, sneakily tugged at her sleeve: "When will you let her come over and give us the money?"

"Can you guarantee every word you say is true?"

How could Li Yan be easily fooled by her? She held the Microphone with a straight face, her expression very serious.

"True, everything we say is true."

Before coming, the young aunt had already planned it all: Second Brother's disability was real; he went to Shanxi to work as a Worker, and when a collapse happened while digging coal, one of his legs was crushed.

Although not as serious as they described, he also walks with a crutch and has lost his ability to work.

Even if the Reporter went to their home to investigate, they wouldn't be afraid.

At worst, they'd have someone lie in bed and say they were about to die; could they drag the person off the bed and send them to the Hospital for Inspection?