Chapter 1171

The next day, Ye Chen went out and bought several sandalwood jewelry boxes to hold the pills he planned to give everyone that evening.

After all, they were seen as life-saving divine pills by everyone, so they deserved decent packaging.

On his way back home after buying the jewelry boxes, Ye Chen received a call from Chen Zekai.

As soon as the call connected, Chen Zekai excitedly said: "Young Master! The case of illegal fundraising by the old residence's owner has been judged this morning!"

"Oh?" Ye Chen hurriedly asked: "How so?"

Chen Zekai hurriedly replied: "It's like this—he was sentenced to life imprisonment, all his assets were confiscated to repay the defendant's debts, so now all his assets will enter the judicial auction process, including the old residence you've been watching."

"Excellent!" Ye Chen immediately instructed: "Old Chen, help me register my name—I want to participate!"

Chen Zekai said: "Young Master, rest assured—I've already registered under my own name as a driver. Since that residence was once lived in by you and your parents, if your name appeared on the bidder list, I feared someone might deduce your identity, so I took the liberty to act on my own—please don't blame me!"

Ye Chen sighed: "That was my oversight—then let's participate in the auction under your driver's name. No matter what, we must win that residence."

Chen Zekai laughed: "Young Master, you needn't worry—the old residence has long been listed as a protected building under demolition ban, so it hardly has any market value, hence the starting bid is only 880,000. I doubt anyone will compete with you, and even if they do, once the price reaches two or three million, you'll surely win it steadily."

"Good." Ye Chen relaxed and asked: "When does the auction start?"

Chen Zekai replied: "Tentatively set for next Monday at 10 a. m."

Ye Chen then asked: "Then, will the auction be held at the court or online?"

Chen Zekai explained: "Nowadays, judicial auctions are basically conducted online—open and transparent. I've already had someone register and pay the deposit. When next Monday at 10 a. m. arrives, you can start bidding on the judicial auction website."

"Good!" Ye Chen smiled slightly and praised: "Old Chen, you've handled this very well—thank you for your hard work."

Chen Zekai hurriedly said: "Young Master, you're too polite—these small matters are trivial."

Ye Chen sighed: "To you, it's trivial, but to me, it means too much."

After saying that, Ye Chen couldn't help but feel a surge of melancholy.

Although his parents have been gone for nearly twenty years, every time he thinks of them, he still feels heartbroken.

……

Meanwhile, at the Du family residence.

Du Haiqing, who had long been preoccupied with Ye Changying's old residence, also learned from the old steward that the residence was about to be auctioned.

She immediately exclaimed excitedly to the old steward: "Uncle Wang, please trouble yourself to register my name—I want to participate in this auction!"

The old steward nodded and said: "Very well, Second Miss—I'll arrange for someone to register you right away."

Du Haiqing said: "Then thank you, Uncle Wang, for handling these matters—I'll go back to my room to make a phone call."

The old steward immediately replied: "Very well, Second Miss."

Du Haiqing hurried back to her room, took out her phone, and called Su Guodao.

She knew Su Guodao had already gone to Australia, but these past two days she hadn't been able to reach him.

Su Guodao, meanwhile, had become utterly despondent, feeling utterly disgraced, and had not taken the initiative to contact Du Haiqing or their children.

At this moment, Su Guodao was sitting at the villa entrance, right beside the seaside cliff, staring blankly at the sea below.

In the days since arriving in Australia, his mood had remained low—not only because his wife Du Haiqing wanted to divorce him, but also because, after the scandal broke, his image in everyone's eyes had been completely overturned.

Now, public opinion of him could barely be described as the worst man in China in recent years—without equal.

For he not only cheated on his wife outside and fathered an illegitimate daughter,

but also smuggled his illegitimate daughter home disguised as a bodyguard, placing her right under his wife and children's noses;

even more outrageous, he directed his illegitimate daughter to commit serious crimes overseas!

This is not even the end of it.

What makes the world despise him most is that, to avoid the scandal's exposure, he actually colluded with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to have his own biological daughter killed.

What is this?

This is a beast who cheated within marriage, deceived everyone, used his illegitimate daughter as a tool of slaughter, and killed his own daughter for his own benefit.

One could even say that if a person bears so many sins in one body, he might not even be worthy of being called a beast.

That is—worse than a beast!

Although Su Guodao knows all this is the fault of his old man Su Chengfeng, who dumped the blame on him to escape responsibility,

he also clearly understands that once these charges stick to him, he can never wash them off.

Every time he thinks of this, Su Guodao grits his teeth in hatred.

Because he even has a premonition that he may spend his entire life unable to shake off these infamous names.

Su Guodao is indeed not someone who seeks fame through deceit, but what he fears most is that once he bears these infamous names, will he still have a chance to inherit the Su family?

After all, while he himself can break the pot and not care about infamy, the Su family cannot.

He fears that when the time comes for the old man to transfer authority, he will be deemed too disreputable and refused the highest authority over the Su family.

If that happens, his half-life of effort will have been utterly wasted.

Just thinking of this makes Su Guodao's teeth itch with hatred!

"Why?! Why should I bear the blame for the old man's own doing?! Why should the old man have made my daughter's whereabouts unknown, her life or death uncertain, yet blame me for bringing upon myself ten thousand calamities?!"

Unable to contain himself, he cursed aloud, then absentmindedly picked up a bottle of vodka, more than half drunk, and hurled it violently into the surging sea below.

At that very moment, his phone suddenly rang.

And the name flashing on the screen made him start.

"Wife?" Su Guodao first felt puzzled, then hastily grabbed the phone, pressed answer, and blurted: "Wife! You finally agreed to call me!"

Du Haiqing on the other end said in a flat tone: "Su Guodao, I'm calling to discuss the divorce—you're currently in Australia and can't return soon, so why not entrust a lawyer to handle the relevant procedures?"

Su Guodao never expected that Du Haiqing's call was actually to discuss divorce with him, and instantly felt a surge of anger rise from his heart.

He couldn't help but coldly say: "Du Haiqing, as long as we haven't divorced, we're still husband and wife. You went to Jin Ling during our marriage without my consent—I didn't stop you nor blame you, which was already giving you plenty of face."

"But you're in Jin Ling, yet you call me to bring up divorce—aren't you being a bit excessive? Don't you care at all about the affection we've shared for over twenty years of marriage?!"