Chapter 133: 90: A Family by the Spring Chapter 133 Grandmother Causes a Scene at the Television Station, Guben Steps Forward to Tes

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"I can guarantee it too."

Little Uncle, mindful of the money split, followed her urging and said, "What we said is all true..."

"He's lying!"

Before his words fell, a sharp shout cut him off.

Guben held the evidence and walked into the hall.

Thank goodness, he's finally here!

Seeing him, Li Yan quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Guben raised the kraft paper bag in his hand and said righteously, "I can prove everything they said is lies, not a word of truth."

"Who are you?"

"What right do you have to meddle in our family affairs?"

"The Lin family's business is none of an outsider's concern..."

Hearing this, the three grandmothers panicked, three venomous gazes falling on him at once.

"I am Xiyu's fiancé."

Guben's gaze was cold and stern: "I have the right to represent her in handling any matter."

"She's only eighteen, so young to have a fiancé?"

Little Uncle lifted his eyelids and expressed suspicion with great jealousy.

In the village he was considered an early marriage, not marrying until twenty-three, only able to afford a wife after Eldest Brother sacrificed himself.

This kid looks young, about eighteen or nineteen, yet he managed to snag a niece as fresh as a flower.

Though the dead girl beat him painfully, hateful and detestable, it cannot be denied she is still very pretty; in the countryside she could fetch at least 3000 yuan in bride price.

"Fiancé?"

Grandmother and he were truly mother and son, thinking alike: "Without my consent as grandmother, what engagement did she arrange? You want to marry my granddaughter, where's the bride price? No bride price, no deal."

"You still want a bride price?"

Guben laughed in anger; the old woman's shamelessness once again refreshed her bottom line.

"I am her grandmother."

Grandmother put on the airs of an elder, speaking righteously: "Without my approval, your private engagement is not accepted by outsiders; our entire Lin family will not recognize your relationship."

"Your approval? Is it necessary?"

Guben dismissed her with contempt and asked coldly: "I truly doubt that Xiyu's father was a martyr who defended home and country, his daughter a hero of righteous deeds; with their noble moral character, how could they have selfish, greedy relatives like you?"

"Where are we selfish?"

Little Aunt stiffened her neck and slandered: "It's that girl Xiyu who disregards kinship and ignores her second uncle."

"The evidence is here, and you still dare to reverse black and white?"

Guben's eyes were like frost: "I ask you one last time? Facing the camera, before all the television station staff, dare you guarantee by your personality that every word you say is true? Is Xiyu really kicked out of the house because of her willful personality, disliking rural poverty, with no contact for ten years?"

"That's how it is..."

"He is an ungrateful girl."

"She dislikes our poverty and doesn't want to associate with us."

The three stubbornly refused to yield, thinking that as long as they held their ground, outsiders could do nothing to them.

"Good, very good..."

Guben's eyes were deep, smiling meaningfully: "Seeing as you are Xiyu's relatives, I have already given you your last chance; you brought this on yourselves and refuse to repent."

"Hiss."

Little Uncle's heart trembled; meeting his sharp gaze, he shuddered in fear.

"Sister Yan."

Guben took a paper document from the kraft paper bag and handed it to Li Yan: "Please read this certificate in front of everyone..."

"Okay."

Li Yan took the certificate, skimmed it roughly; even as a reporter accustomed to all kinds of friction between people, the content refreshed her worldview.

She raised her head and glanced at the three who claimed to be Lin Xiyu's relatives; the contempt in her eyes was obvious.

The certificate was written by the officer in charge of distributing pensions, stamped with the office's special seal, making it impossible not to believe.

Once she finished reading the certificate word for word, the situation changed instantly.

"What? So she's the Xiyu they abandoned."

"Such a young child, how could they be so heartless to do such a thing."

"No wonder Xiyu doesn't recognize them; if it were me, I wouldn't either."

"Stealing the pension of an orphan and widow, such a vile thing, could they really do it?"

"So shameless, and they still dare to cause a scene."

"People like this should be exposed so everyone can see their true colors."

—

"My son's pension, why can't I, as his mother, receive it?"

Grandmother's old face turned red, she stiffened her neck and argued stubbornly; even now, she still refused to admit she was wrong.

"You can certainly take......."

Guben's eyes were cold and stern: "But not all of it. You bullied an orphan and a widow, and stole all the pension—that's wrong."

"A young girl......."

Grandma looked disgusted: "Why should we give her money?"

"Didn't you say she's your granddaughter?"

Guben deliberately set a trap for her, using her own words against her: "She's from the Lin family, why can't she get a share of the pension?"

"Once a granddaughter grows up and marries, she belongs to another family."

Grandma fell for it and blurted out: "Can I still count on her to support me in my old age? Her future children won't bear my surname either. My son's pension—how could it go to an outsider?"

"So you're saying......"

Guben seized her weakness and refuted her: "Xiyu is already betrothed to me; she's one of our Gu family now and has severed ties with your Lin family. You can't use emotional blackmail on her anymore, forcing her to support you and pay for her second uncle's medical bills."

——

"You're twisting the truth. Xiyu is my granddaughter; she's a Lin, so she should pay for her second uncle's treatment."

"Now you're saying she's your granddaughter again? Weren't you refusing to give her money and not expecting her to support you?"

"Even if I don't give her money, she still has to support you."

Grandma was an uneducated country woman who only knew how to make a scene; how could she outargue Guben? A few words and he had her completely flustered, so angry she spoke without thinking.

"I have another piece of evidence to prove that after the pension was stolen, they lived not in poverty but in great wealth in their rural hometown—one could say they lacked nothing."

Guben disdained a war of words and took another stack of photographs from the kraft paper bag, handing them to Li Yan and gesturing for her to pass them around so everyone present could witness the three's shamelessness with their own eyes.

The photos were taken not long ago, dated the day after he had taken Lin Xiyu to see her grandparents and left the Military District Compound.

His Eldest Brother, Fu Zheng, acting on Grandpa's instructions, personally drove to the countryside to investigate and gather evidence.

The photos showed Lin Xiyu's grandmother's family living in a newly built house, wearing brand-new clothes, living quite comfortably—by local rural standards, a household with a very high standard of living—completely different from their current ragged, beggar-like appearance.

Worth mentioning is that one of the photos showed the very person all three had claimed was at death's door and needed medical treatment: Lin Xiyu's second uncle.

He was stinking drunk, leaning on a cane as he came out the door, unsteady on his feet, nearly falling headfirst into the river ditch at the doorway.

Fortunately, Fu Zheng kindly helped him up, averting a tragedy.

Fu Zheng also learned many things about the Lin family from him and gained a deep understanding of their situation.

——

"This is too absurd!"

"My worldview is shattered."

"How can there be such shameless people?"

"I'm impressed by their skill at reversing black and white."

The television station staff erupted in an uproar upon seeing the photos; faced with the facts and evidence, even those who had wanted to watch the drama unfold had nothing to say in rebuttal.

——

"Even if we live well in the countryside, can we live better than her?"

Grandma was unwilling to give up, throwing away all dignity, and started making a scene again: "How much money did she make from filming advertisements? You all know."

"I can prove that Xiyu didn't receive a single cent in advertising fees."

Guben was confident: "Don't believe me? You can sue and let the court investigate whether she has any property under her name—a check will reveal all."

"Believe you? Fat chance."

Grandma wouldn't believe it: "She didn't make a cent from advertisements? You're trying to fool ghosts!"

"I've also heard a little about this matter."

Li Yan stepped forward to testify: "The advertisement Xiyu filmed this time has some inside details that can't be spoken of openly, but anyone with eyes can see what's going on. She's also done a good deed of heroic intervention. This child's character is beyond reproach—she's excellent in both studies and conduct, a praiseworthy good child."

"The advertisement she filmed is related to Tiancheng Advertising Model Company, right?"

"Seems like it; I've heard that too."

"It was published in the newspapers—many underage girls were rescued."

"Lin Xiyu is something else; she's got guts, daring to dance with wolves, filming an advertisement right under Ma Tiancheng's nose while investigating him."

"It's not really related to her; the truly powerful behind-the-scenes boss is someone else."

——

Li Yan's testimony once again sparked heated discussion among the staff. Those with quick minds, when mentioning the word "boss," cast ambiguous little glances, repeatedly looking at Guben.

Guben was tall and handsome, sunny and attractive.

Although his aura was powerful now, giving people a sense of extreme oppression, his handsome features still made people unable to help being attracted to him, falling into obsession.

Love at first sight—perhaps this is what that feeling is.

——

"Old lady, stop making a scene and go home."

"You're in the wrong; if you keep making a scene, you won't get anyth......."

"Xiyu hasn't argued with you. Even if you sue them, stealing the pension is bad enough, but now you want to extort them again—you've gone too far."

"Hurry up and leave; don't waste our time. If it weren't for your age, security would have come and thrown you out long ago."

The truth came to light, and the onlookers lost interest in watching the show. The staff gathered in the hall scattered in a rush, and in an instant the place was empty.

"Sister Yan."

Guben was meticulous and guarded against future trouble: "Trouble you security guards to keep the evidence. Make me a copy of today's video recording."

"No problem, leave it to me."

Li Yan readily agreed, then thought for a moment and added: "By the way, the renovation of Wangfu Pool is finished. Since you're here, call Xiyu, and we'll go together again to film the renovation."

"Alright."

Guben had no objection: "I'll tell Xiyu to come over."

"She has a pager?"

Li Yan raised an eyebrow: "Why didn't you give me the phone number?"

"No, she doesn't have one."

Guben explained with a smile: "It's her female cousin who has one. I left a message with her, asking Xiyu to call me back."

"You should get her one too."

Li Yan pretended to be displeased: "Without a pager, staying in touch is such trouble. If something comes up, you can't find her."

"I've mentioned it to her..."

Guben touched his nose and smiled awkwardly: "She doesn't want one. She says having a pager means being tied down. She works at a company, and even slacking off a bit isn't possible."

"You still don't understand a girl's mind."

Li Yan teased with a smile: "She says that because she doesn't want you to spend money. As her boyfriend, you should be more proactive—just buy one for her and see if she's willing..."

"Sister Yan is right..."

Guben listened very humbly to the lesson.

"I'll go find Director Du."

Li Yan was very satisfied with his attitude: "Remember to tell Xiyu to come quickly. 9 AM, we'll meet at Wangfu Pool."

"Got it."

Guben made an OK hand gesture to show he had heard.

—

The two talked to themselves, treating the three Lin family members as if they were air.

Grandma tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice—she failed to extort a huge sum, was exposed on the spot, and lost all face.

The security guard rudely came to drive them away, threatening to call the police if they didn't leave.

Hearing about the police, the three were frightened and slunk out the door.

"You, wait a moment."

Guben rode his mountain bike past the three and deliberately stopped.

"Is there something else?"

The young uncle was very wary of this hard-to-provoke boy.

"In the future, if you need anything, you can come find me."

Guben was skilled at manipulating hearts, nipping any unpredictable hidden danger in the bud: "I am Xiyu's fiancé. Whatever the matter, I can make decisions for her."

"Are you that kind?"

The young uncle didn't believe him: "You're not trying to scheme against us again, are you?"

"If I really wanted to scheme against you..."

Guben pointed at the television station's door, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes: "Do you think you can walk out of this door smoothly?"

"What do you want to do?"

The young uncle trembled with fright, his voice shaking too.

"I don't want to do anything..."

Guben warned in a low voice: "I just want to tell you to put away those twisted thoughts and stop causing trouble."

"I can help you arrange a decent job in the city, but the premise is that you must stop harassing Xiyu. None of you Lin family members are to appear before her and her mother again from now on."

—

"You can help us arrange work in the city?"

The young uncle and young aunt's hearts stirred, their gazes instantly turning eager.

"Limited to one person."

Guben's scrutinizing gaze swept over the two, and he smiled meaningfully: "Or, do you think that among the younger generation, the smartest, most promising child could also..."

"Mom, you decide on this matter."

The young uncle, fearing the quota would be snatched away, spoke first: "My Lin Zhixue studies best and is more promising than Second Brother's children."

"My Yang Dagang isn't bad either."

The young aunt, unwilling to be left behind, volunteered: "Quick-witted, clever with words, good at handling things..."