In the end, Guo Dabao fainted from sheer terror. For the rest of his life, he would be incarcerated, and even if he were to be released, he would be saddled with an insurmountable debt.
Knowing there was no escape, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
Seeing this, Zhouzhou hurried over and asked, "Uncle Feng, if he has no money, how will he compensate ?"
"I will compensate," said Guo Zhaodi, who had been silent until now. Her expression was pained. "What he owes you, I will repay."
Zhouzhou looked at her and suddenly asked, "Did you deceive us?"
Guo Zhaodi was taken aback, not understanding her question, and instinctively shook her head.
"Did you curse ?" Zhouzhou continued.
Of course not.
"Then why should you repay ?" Zhouzhou tilted her head in confusion.
Guo Zhaodi was montarily stunned by her question and instinctively replied, "It's my duty."
She then realized what was happening and let out a bitter laugh.
Since childhood, her family had drilled into her that as the elder sister, she had to take care of her younger brother, let him eat first, and give him the best things, and even after marriage, she had to bring benefits to him from her in-laws.
She had to bear the consequences of his mistakes because she was the elder sister.
But why? They were both human beings; she was just unlucky to be born a few years earlier.
At this mont, Guo Dabao's eyes lit up, and he crawled towards her, clutching her leg. "Sister, you must save . Take my place in prison. I am the only male heir of our family. Without , our family line will end!"
Ye Lingfeng scoffed disdainfully, "Genes like these need not be passed on."
His words cut deep. So what if the family line ended? It would be one less scourge on the world.
Zhouzhou nodded in agreent. Besides, he was never ant to have children.
Hearing his self-righteous plea, Guo Zhaodi gasped and suddenly rembered the insurance matter. She instinctively stepped back, her eyes filled with fear.
No, she had her own family to take care of. She could not go to prison for him.
Moreover, she now saw clearly that they had never considered her as family.
Her na itself spoke volus. (Notes: her first na "Zhaodi" has the similar pronunciation with the phrase "attracting a younger brother". The na is usually given by parents who favour boys over girls, they na their daughter "Zhaodi", hoping the next child would be a son. It's pretty common in specific area in China, especially in rural region where patriarchal attitudes are deeply rooted.)
With a bitter smile, Guo Zhaodi laughed sadly.
Lawyer Feng adjusted his glasses and said, "This is Guo Dabao's responsibility. There are no such things as substitutes for imprisonnt according to the law. The financial obligations he must bear do not require your involvent. As far as I know, he owns a property that can be auctioned to compensate."
Guo Zhaodi rembered that she had bought that house with her own money, but only Guo Dabao's na was on the deed.
Shaking her head, she chose to say no more.
Zhouzhou sighed, walked over to her, and patted her leg. "Auntie, don't be afraid. Without them, your life will get better."
She could see that Guo Zhaodi was timid but not a bad person.
Mrs. Guo and Guo Dabao had victimized her.
Without them, it would be a blessing for her.
Guo Zhaodi seed to realize this too, her gaze complex but ultimately relieved.
Guo Dabao's expression changed drastically when he realized she would not take his place in prison. He cursed, "You worthless thing! You shouldn't have been born, you money-loser!"
"You are the real money-loser!" Zhouzhou glared at him impatiently. "If you want money, earn it yourself. Depending on others, who are really useless?"
She then shook her tiny fist at him, "If you dare to curse again, I will hit you!"
Guo Dabao instinctively shrank back, fear evident in his eyes.
Zhouzhou snorted, waved her small hand, and commanded, "Second Uncle, arrest him!"
Suppressing a laugh, Qin Xu stepped forward and took Guo Dabao away.
Guo Dabao resisted, his curses turning to pleas, but no one paid him any mind.
With the compensation assured, Zhouzhou yawned, rubbed her eyes, and stretched out her chubby hand, "Daddy, carry ."
She was sleepy.
Just as Qin Lie stepped forward, a long leg reached her first, and Ye Lingfeng scooped her up.
Ye Lingfeng held Zhouzhou and glanced provocatively at Qin Lie.
Zhouzhou did not mind. To her, both Daddy Qin and Daddy Ye were her dads. She rested her head on his shoulder and quickly fell asleep.
In less than a minute, her even breathing filled the room.
It was indeed late.
Qin Lie, not wanting to argue, went to get the car and took Zhouzhou ho.
Back ho, Grandpa and Grandma Qin were still in the living room. Seeing them return, they heaved a sigh of relief.
"Is everything okay?" Grandma Qin whispered, seeing Zhouzhou asleep.
Qin Lie shook his head, "Everything is fine. Our little money-grubber made quite a bit of money."
Of course, she wouldn't have gone through all that for nothing.
Grandma Qin saw nothing wrong with this and urged, "Take Zhouzhou to bed. Don't worry about the online issues; your father has handled everything. There will be no negative news."
Guo Dabao's incident wouldn't have been significant, but with Qin Lie involved, the buzz increased quickly.
So rival companies seized the opportunity to stir trouble, attempting to affect Qin's stock price.
Thinking of these people, a look of contempt crossed Grandma Qin's face. Cowards, always scheming behind the scenes, no wonder they had made no progress over the years.
"All right," Qin Lie nodded, aware of the situation but unconcerned. Nothing was more important than his little girl.
Ye Lingfeng greeted Grandpa and Grandma Qin before taking Zhouzhou upstairs, placing her on the bed, and tucking a corner of the quilt into her hand.
Zhouzhou, sensing it, rolled over, wrapping herself into a snug bundle, and continued sleeping.
Watching her soft, adorable form, Ye Lingfeng couldn't help but smile.
At that mont, his phone buzzed. His expression darkened as he read the ssage. He exchanged a glance with Qin Lie, and without a word, they walked outside.
"I have to leave for a few days. Take care of Zhouzhou."
"All right," Qin Lie replied, knowing he had a mission. He didn't ask further questions.
After a long look at the door, Ye Lingfeng left decisively.
It was ti to discuss early retirent. He now had a family to take care of and wanted to spend more ti with his daughter.
Otherwise, she would only rember Qin Lie, which was irritating.
But before retiring, he needed to deal with so unruly elents.
Outside, a car waited. Ye Lingfeng got in silently, and the vehicle soon vanished into the night.
Zhouzhou, sensing sothing, stirred and sat up abruptly. "rit, grant rit to the Sharp Tongue Daddy to protect him."
Ancestral Master, counting his rits, quickly covered his golden arm and exclaid, "No!"
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