C34

Lin Xuan turned to Pei Qiuyu and said, "Honey, let's head home."

"Oh, okay." Pei Qiuyu was momentarily dazed, still processing the events.

Lee Moxiang's face was alight with happiness, her gaze upon Lin Xuan no longer tinged with disdain but filled with admiration.

Her son-in-law had truly made her proud!

Master Hu had even instructed his men to line up in two rows for a formal send-off.

The elderly men and women crowded around, eager to make amends. "Auntie Li's son-in-law, we were wrong earlier. We had no idea you were so formidable. You're truly a young talent, the very picture of promise!"

"Absolutely, so accomplished for your age!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Our son-in-laws can't hold a candle to you!"

"And, could you speak on our behalf? Ask Master Hu to refund our money, too. That's the savings Auntie set aside for her son's wedding!"

"That's your grandfather's life savings!"

Lin Xuan's brow furrowed. Who are you calling 'your grandfather'?

"You want my help?" Lin Xuan asked icily.

"Ah, yes, please! We're begging you!" they pleaded desperately.

Lin Xuan let out a cold laugh. "You weren't saying that before."

"Hehe, weren't we just blind? Please, show us some leniency!"

Lin Xuan, stone-faced, replied, "You show no respect for your age. Without a lesson, you'll just repeat your mistakes."

"This...!!"

"You have your own sons-in-law. Why not ask them for help?"

With that, Lin Xuan turned and walked away.

The crowd tried to follow but were blocked by Master Hu's men.

"Step aside!"

"Delay Mr. Lin, and we'll break your legs!"

The onlookers were stunned, filled with regret.

Some fainted right there, while others slapped themselves in the face, cursing their own loose tongues.

Now they'd lost everything, even their nest eggs. If only they had a son-in-law like Lin Xuan. Now, they were truly ruined!

Master Hu personally arranged for a car to take Lin Xuan and his family home.

On the drive, Lee Moxiang asked Lin Xuan with a beaming smile, "My dear son-in-law, when did you get to know Master Hu? He treated you with such deference, almost as if he was scared of you."

Lin Xuan chuckled. "How could I possibly know someone of his caliber? I simply made a call to an old classmate of mine."

"That classmate happens to be a lawyer. He's got some dirt on Master Hu, who's scared of getting exposed, hence the courtesy towards me."

"Oh, a lawyer..."

Upon hearing this, Lee Moxiang's face fell with disappointment.

"Here I was thinking you had some real clout, but it's just this."

"Let me tell you," Lee Moxiang murmured, "Master Hu is the type who wouldn't blink an eye at murder. You'd do well not to cross him again!"

"Mom, I got it," Lin Xuan replied, grinning.

"You're still so naive," Lee Moxiang sighed, shaking her head.

The flicker of hope that had sparked in her was swiftly doused.

It appeared that her good-for-nothing son-in-law hadn't changed a bit, no progress at all.

Lee Moxiang shook her head again, but at least she had recouped her investment and made an extra two hundred thousand yuan, which brought her some joy.

In any case, Lin Xuan had managed to score a point in her book, softening her stance towards him ever so slightly.

"By the way, hand over the business card Master Hu gave you. You don't seriously think he wants to be friends, do you?" Lee Moxiang prodded.

With a smile, Lin Xuan fished out the business card from his pocket and passed it to Lee Moxiang.

"What's this?"

Lee Moxiang immediately noticed that Lin Xuan had also pulled out half a bank card from his pocket.

She snatched the card from him.

"Look at this, given to you by Master Hu, right? Were you planning to pocket it secretly?"

"Mom, it's not what you think..."

This was the black gold card Wang Baifa had given him.

"What do you mean it's not? Qiuyu, did you see this? He's trying to stash away money behind your back!"

"I'll hold onto this money for you."

Though the card seemed unusual, Lee Moxiang didn't dwell on it.

Pei Qiuyu interjected, "Mom, that's not fair."

"What do you mean 'not fair'? I'm your mother!"

Feeling rather pleased, Lee Moxiang declared, "Since I have this much money on me, I'll stop by the bank to deposit it later when I get out of the car."

"I'll swing by the market since it's on the way. I'm making braised pork ribs today—Qiuyu's absolute favorite when I cook them!"

"Mom, we should come with you," Pei Qiuyu offered.

"No need!"

Lee Moxiang instructed the driver to pull over. Clutching her money, she cheerfully dashed off to the bank.

As soon as she stepped out, Pei Qiuyu questioned, "Lin Xuan, how could you accept Master Hu's card?"

"It's not his card," Lin Xuan admitted honestly.

"Then whose is it?"

"It was given to me by... Wang Baifa."

"He wanted me to set up an account for you so he could deposit money directly. This way, it avoids confusion with the company's finances and makes it easier to explain to the Pei family," Lin Xuan fabricated smoothly.

Pei Qiuyu thought Lin Xuan's explanation sounded reasonable.

Her cousins were indeed quite money-hungry.

Unclear accounts could indeed become troublesome.

Pei Qiuyu nodded, "Director Wang is thorough, but I have no connection with Y Corporation anymore."

"It's fine, my wife. They'll come back to you, begging," Lin Xuan reassured her.

"Or, if you'd like, I could start a company for you."

Pei Qiuyu was annoyed: "Lin Xuan, don't get ahead of yourself just because Master Hu treats you well. You're not that big a deal!"

"You know your true worth. Staying grounded is more valuable than anything else."

"Understood, my wife," Lin Xuan responded with a grin.

"Lin Xuan, you should aspire to be like Director Wang. Learn from him, got it?"

"Absolutely, my wife."

Pei Qiuyu smiled, shaking her head. Her husband was a good man, albeit a bit of a blowhard at times.

But she chalked it up to the aftereffects of Lin Xuan's recent recovery—it was forgivable.

Pei Qiuyu and Lin Xuan switched to their own vehicle where they had parked earlier.

While driving, Pei Qiuyu mentioned, "I need to stop by the office to manage some transition details."

"Even though Grandma kicked me out of the company, I believe in seeing things through to the end. I need to wrap things up properly."

"Honey, you truly are one of a kind," Lin Xuan said, giving her a thumbs up.

"Enough with the compliments; I've got to figure out my next move."

Pei Qiuyu let out a sigh, "I had hoped to leverage Shih Manli's network to apply for jobs at other companies."

"But now that you've managed to upset her friend Qiu Jiaming, it looks like that plan's probably dead in the water. Time to brainstorm a new strategy."

Lin Xuan chuckled, "Don't stress about it too much, Honey. Fortune favors the kind-hearted, and to be honest, I never pegged Shih Manli as all that upright."

"She's just well-connected. Back in our college days, we were close, and she was always good to me," Pei Qiuyu clarified.

...

Meanwhile, Lee Moxiang was at the bank to make a deposit.

After taking a number and waiting in line for quite a while, her number was finally called. She promptly approached the counter and sat down.

"Sweetie, could you help me deposit this money?" Lee Moxiang asked the teller politely.

As soon as the teller took the card from her hand, her face went pale.

The teller eyed the special emblem on the black gold card nervously and gulped.

Looking up at Lee Moxiang, she inquired, "Ma'am, is this your card?"

"Absolutely, it's mine!" Lee Moxiang replied with a smile.

"...Please hold on for a moment!"

The teller quickly stood up with the card and dashed to the manager's office.

"Manager, we've got a situation! A big one!"

The general manager, distracted by his game, barely glanced up and asked, "What's the big deal?"

"Take a look at this!"

The teller handed over the black gold card.

Upon seeing it, the manager instantly perked up, knocking over his teacup in the process and leaping up from the scalding spill.

This is a freaking... custom supreme black gold card!!

The minimum deposit for this card is a billion!!!

The teller then said, "An aunty just came in with this card."

"She's got a black gold card and she's queuing up? I asked her if it was hers, and she confirmed it, but she clearly had no clue that it's a custom black card!"

This supreme black gold card is a limited edition released worldwide, and its holders are individuals of exceptional status. Yet, here in the modest city of A City, an ordinary-looking aunt is in possession of such an elite, custom-made black card, and she's even waiting in line with a number?

"What does this aunt look like?" the manager inquired.

"She's dressed very simply, not at all like someone wealthy," the teller replied promptly.

With a sharp slap on the desk, the manager exclaimed, "Come on, take me to see her!"

"The police have been on the lookout for fraudsters lately. It's quite possible she's one of them!"