Chapter 3186: Chunshu Lane's Bitter Summer 29

Jin Xiumei could not accept Jin Chen's frankness.

She stood at the entrance, the rag in her hand already twisted out of shape by her grip, "You're crazy… you really are crazy."

She so wanted Jin Chen to become a normal person who wouldn't cause her trouble; as his aunt, she could tolerate his silence, tolerate his quirks she couldn't understand. But she could not tolerate… Jin Chen actually dating a man.

"I don't agree!! I've worked so hard to raise you this much……" Jin Xiumei's tone was extremely harsh, "You'd better cut ties with that person! Otherwise… where am I supposed to put this face? How will Yueyue ever manage as a person?"

Zhang Yue stood in the corner, and besides being shocked, she involuntarily recalled the day Chenshu brother bought her a watermelon, casually saying that sentence; surely he cared a lot about her brother, otherwise how could he remember such a small detail?

Jin Chen lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the living room floor, "Then don't accept it, Aunt."

"You don't have to force yourself to accept it; anyway… I'll be leaving Lingcheng soon."

Jin Xiumei stared blankly at Jin Chen, the corner of her mouth twitching, as if she didn't understand what he was saying; in a Dazed, she seemed to see back then the sister who, without hesitation, wanted to escape the family that still needed support, and the brother who left with Jin Chen's mother, that calm yet resolute demeanor, as if it made her heart turn cold.

"No! You're leaving? Where are you going?" Jin Xiumei said sharply, her voice turning piercing, "Is it that man? Did he lead you astray? We're a family! How am I supposed to face your deceased father?"

"Family……" Jin Chen's pupils shifted slightly, looking at the family photo hanging on the wall, that photo was taken when he was thirteen, he had looked forward to it for a long time, but in the end… ah, Zhang Guobo simply wouldn't agree, not wanting outsiders to see a joke.

Jin Chen's gaze fell back on Jin Xiumei, "Is it bad for me to leave here? Didn't Aunt earlier not let me attend university, also wanting to keep me trapped here?"

He felt a tearing sensation inside, for a few seconds trembling on the verge of breaking, then suddenly a sense of pleasure welled up, almost cruel pleasure.

Jin Chen suddenly said, "After I leave, you can quickly take Zhang Yue to a new apartment, no need to worry about me finding out, isn't that good, Aunt?"

Jin Xiumei's anger, which had filled her belly, suddenly stopped, her lips twitched violently, and she looked at Jin Chen with utter astonishment.

She staggered back half a step, her lower back hitting the edge of the cabinet, "You… what did you say? What apartment?"

Jin Chen stepped back a few steps, reached the door handle behind him, and pulled the door open a crack.

He stood sideways in that slit of light, his brows and eyes drawn by the hallway light into an indifferent expression, lowering his gaze to look at Jin Xiumei's bloodless face, "We are not a family."

The door was opened, then closed, the latch snapping into the strike plate.

Jin Xiumei stood in the Living Room, dazedly raising her hand to wipe her face, although it was late summer to early autumn weather, she actually felt a chill.

Jin Chen knew about those three hundred thousand…… When did he find out? How did he find out?

Zhang Yue was frightened stupid. She vaguely sensed those things she had never thought about before, she grabbed Jin Xiumei's arm, her voice trembling, "Mom, what is Brother saying?"

"Is it you who didn't let him go to university? You didn't say his condition was poor and his grades bad, so that's why he didn't study? What does changing apartments mean? What three hundred thousand? Ah……"

A slap landed on her face.

Zhang Yue's face was slapped to one side, a burning pain spreading from her cheek, her ears ringing, "... Mom?"

"Shut up!" Jin Xiumei's chest heaved violently, her voice sharp and stern, she grabbed Zhang Yue's shoulder and said, "I'm doing this all for you! I'm doing it for you! What's there to ask!"

Zhang Yue covered her face, Tears spilling out, her shoulders trembling, unable to utter a word.

——

Zhang Kailue was detained for two weeks.

Or it was Zhang Guobo, worn out from running around pulling strings, giving gifts, entertaining guests and speaking kindly, that managed to get him released a few days early, then drove him to the home near Jiangbei North Station; Xu Hong had already booked a table at a small restaurant downstairs, saying she wanted to dispel bad luck for her son.

The three of them sat in the restaurant, ordering a table full of dishes. Not having seen each other for two weeks, Xu Hong felt her son had lost a lot of weight, she hugged his shoulders and felt up and down several times, "He's wasted away in there, surely he hasn't been eating or sleeping well, those people really are something, kids don't understand things, locking them up this long……"

Zhang Kailue buried his head in eating rice, his mouth full, mumbling his responses.

At the neighboring table, Wen Anhe lowered his head to eat dumplings; hearing Xu Hong's words, he lifted his head to glance at that big fat kid, really couldn't hold back, nearly bursting into laughter and choking on the dumplings, he covered his mouth and coughed a few times, laughing so hard his shoulders shook.

Zhang Guobo looked over, seeing Wen Anhe was an unfamiliar young man, he frowned and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Wen Anhe swallowed the dumpling in his mouth, unhurriedly wiped the corner of his mouth, raised his eyes to look at Zhang Guobo, a gentle smile on his face, appearing harmless, "You must be Jin Chen's uncle by marriage, right?"

Zhang Guobo immediately became alert, put down his chopsticks, sized him up from head to toe, "Who are you?"

Wen Anhe didn't pick up on his cue, just said to himself, "I heard that the area around Chunshu Lane is lively these days. Jin Chen and his aunt said something about still having money in hand, tens of thousands, even over ten thousand."

As soon as Xu Hong heard, she forgot all her grievances, left only naked greed, "I knew that lunatic still had money! Wasn't it said before that he had over ninety thousand? He definitely still has! That madman, how much can he spend?"

Zhang Guobo couldn't hold back either.

The abacus in his heart clacked away, if there really were over ten thousand, what use would that lunatic have keeping it in hand? Better to take it over, after all he's also a member of the old Zhang family, the money should belong to the old Zhang family's control.

The more he thought, the less he could stay seated, not even bothering with the few dishes still not served, he hurriedly paid the bill, and Zhang Guobo took Xu Hong and Zhang Kailue away.

Wen Anhe watched their retreating backs, unhurriedly ate another dumpling, then took out his phone and sent a message to Chenshu: "Done!"

Zhang Guobo never expected that, having just picked up Zhang Kailue from the detention center that morning, he arrived at Chunshu Lane in the afternoon to find exactly this scene.

In the courtyard of Building Three, several white vehicles were parked, like government cars from some judicial department, with several uniformed staff standing downstairs, and there were police.

The courtyard was filled with onlooking neighbors, gathered in twos and threes, whispering and pointing. An old man holding a tea cup stood by the courtyard wall, tilting his head to look; several young women carrying babies stood behind the crowd, tiptoeing to peek.

"What's going on…… that looks like the Zhang couple……"

"Yeah, what trouble has that Jin Chen kid gotten into again?"

"Look at that car, that's a government vehicle…… hey you say it's also strange, how the Zhang family has been visited by authorities every few days lately."

Zhang Guobo also really wanted to know.

He realized something was off, his steps halted, he was about to turn and leave, but just as he turned around, a police officer stopped him, "Mr. Zhang Guobo, right? Please come upstairs to cooperate with the investigation."

Xu Hong's face also turned pale, her grip on Zhang Kailue's arm tightened again and again, "Officer, what happened?"

Immediately after, the police said, "The complainant Jin Chen filed a report regarding the malicious occupation of designated guardianship and support funds."

Zhang Guobo and Xu Hong's faces changed at the same time. They were in a Dazed state being taken upstairs, their steps weak, Zhang Kailue was so frightened by all those police that he dared not speak, shrinking behind Xu Hong, not daring to breathe.

Upstairs, in Jin Xiumei's Living Room, the atmosphere was solemn.

On the Sofa, Jin Chen's slightly long hair was neatly swept behind his ears, his expression very calm, showing no emotion. Chenshu sat beside him, always holding his hand, palm to palm, thumb lightly rubbing the back of his hand.

Behind the sofa stood a man in a suit, about forty years old, wearing thin-framed glasses, holding documents, observing everyone present without changing expression.

Jin Xiumei was questioned by judicial staff, her face alternating between pale and flushed, her answers confused, at times saying she didn't know about any money, at times saying it was a household matter and no need to bother the government.

She never imagined Jin Chen would file a report, thinking he was just venting anger, thinking he was still that child who would swallow his grievances.

Zhang Yue sat in the corner, already knowing about the so-called three hundred thousand, wanting to cry yet feeling guilty, her eye sockets red, head lowered, not speaking.

The door opened, everyone turned toward the sound, and there was Zhang Guobo and the two others being brought upstairs.

Jin Xiumei saw Xu Hong, puzzled, asking, "Sister-in-law, what……"

"Zhang Yue." Jin Chen suddenly spoke, cutting off her words.

Zhang Yue lifted her head in confusion, "Brother?"

"Go to the room." Jin Chen said.

Zhang Yue stared for a moment, she looked at Jin Chen, then at Zhang Jianguo and Xu Hong who had been brought in, then shook her head, her voice trembling but firm: "No, brother."

"I'm already an adult, I... sorry, I don't want to be kept in the dark by you anymore."

Zhang Yue lowered her head again, tears fell.

Chenshu worried that Jin Chen's emotions would fluctuate too much, so before coming he had let him take a calming medicine in advance, his feelings had been diluted, his current state was still relatively stable. But he still kept holding Jin Chen's hand, not letting go.

All relevant personnel had arrived. The judicial staff, after confirming the people and their identities, then flipped open the document in front of them, cleared their throat, and spoke.

"The uncle of the party, Jin Chen, left eight hundred thousand yuan in designated guardianship support fees ten years ago, of which five hundred thousand yuan was privately transferred by his aunt's husband Zhang Jianguo to the widow Xu Hong, constituting malicious misappropriation. The party is now an adult, has full civil capacity, and has already filed a lawsuit with the court for restitution of unjust enrichment or damages for infringement."

The living room fell silent for several seconds.

"What?!"