Perhaps sensing something off in his mood, his aunt looked awkward as well. Along with his indifferent attitude and the faint sense of pressure around him, it made his aunt feel like she was sitting on needles, with her back prickling and something stuck in her throat.

After staying for a while, she left. Despite the family of three repeatedly asking her to stay, they couldn't keep the flustered aunt around. Finally, they all escorted her to the entrance of the community, and Old Su personally hailed a cab and paid the fare in advance. Only then did the family return home.

"Son, this is my fault. You and your dad had already said, but I..."

As soon as they entered the house, the atmosphere among the three of them turned a bit heavy. Zhou Hui knew she was at fault and couldn't help but speak up.

His mom, though rebellious and a bit headstrong—even the family dog had to give her some respect—was undeniably a reasonable woman, especially when it came to major matters.

Despite a few minor quirks, her values were still aligned correctly, and with Old Su overseeing things, their family had been able to live in relative peace for years.

Even Su Qing and Su He, the brother and sister, were brought up quite well. Not perfect, but at least they could distinguish right from wrong.

They had a knack for adapting to different situations, and whether it was him or Su He, traces of their parents could be seen in both of them.

Upon hearing this, Old Su felt sympathetic seeing his wife in such a state and frowned as he scolded, "Alright now, boy, you can't blame your mom for this. Who'd have thought they'd show up at our door borrowing money? I was there too—sure, your mom was the one who spoke up to lend the money, but I'm involved too.

Besides, it's not like your dad isn't making money. We didn't use your money to lend out. Know your limits, kid. If you make your mom feel bad, just watch if I don't give you a hard time."

Old Su, the indulgent husband, officially came online.

No wonder his mom could keep getting younger. Even with two kids, what did it matter? The family didn't want for anything: they lived in a small house, drove a small car, played a bit of mahjong, had no car loan, no debts, and her husband pampered her—she didn't even have to cook.

Originally, they thought that with Su Qing graduating, getting married, buying a house and car, things at home would get tight. But who'd have thought their crooked tree of a son would stand tall on his own?

It's fair to say that his mom Zhou Hui has led a smooth life without much hardship. Although their family wasn't very wealthy, her life was much happier than someone like Mother Wen's.

"Dad, I'm not blaming mom. I know damn well that just now, given the situation, you had no choice but to give money, didn't you?" Su Qing said with a bitter smile.

He knew, of course he knew. Old Su knew too. But it was precisely because they knew that it felt suffocating. It wasn't about the amount of money, but clearly being taken advantage of doesn't sit well with anyone.

If family truly needed help with an emergency, it wouldn't even need to be a serious illness—something like petty theft requiring bail, he'd still be quick to help if asked.

But there's an old saying: "Help in a crisis, not poverty," especially when it comes to gambling debts. You just can't lend for such things—gamblers don't end up in good places.

At most, their family had personalities that were too distinct, but his aunt's family, you could say, was downright toxic.

With a family like that, don't even mention others—even their own wealth would be gone within a few years, leaving nothing but bitter tea.

Not because of anything else, but one spendthrift in the family is already hard to salvage. Their family has four, so how could things be good?

Zhuge Liang couldn't even help one spendthrift. Helping four would be a death sentence, which is why his tone was so indifferent, even intentionally applying a bit of pressure.

The purpose wasn't to embarrass his aunt, but to use her to tell his other aunt's family to stay away in the future. "Keep your face to yourselves—our family doesn't collect rubbish."

Moreover, he'd heard that his cousin had already been divorced and the other family was demanding back the betrothal gifts. Honestly, he felt a bit happy for the guy. He wasn't a saint, just a normal person, and managing just his own affairs is already good enough. As for saving the world? Sorry, but my moral standards aren't that high, nor do I have the ethics for it.

When people come borrowing money, if his family were the same as before, they'd at least have an excuse like buying a house or marriage—just excuses. But with their current situation, people know his family isn't hurting for money. They come asking, and Old Su and his mom really can't turn them down easily. It's understandable.

"Forget it, lent it means it's gone. Let's consider this thousand yuan lost, because it's certainly not coming back. Besides, let's say it silences them for a while—at least until they return it, they probably won't approach us again.

But if they do ask again, Dad, no matter what, you can't lend again. It's not the money I mind—it's that feeling of obviously being swindled. You get me?" Su Qing said softly.

Hearing this, Old Su nodded. He couldn't deny this was indeed his son—a chip off the old block. When they lent the money, he had the same thought. After all, at that point, refusing simply wasn't an option.

"Don't worry—I know what I'm doing. No matter how tough they have it from now on, I won't lend again."

Seeing this, Zhou Hui couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "It's gone? No... there's no way, once they..."

Before she could finish, without even waiting for Su Qing to speak, Old Su wrapped an arm around his wife and said with a bitter smile:

"You're still expecting them to repay the money? Take a look at their situation. Old Lou may not be very capable, but the teardown of their old place gave them at least a million; yet over the years, have they moved into a new building? No, they actually returned to their ancestral home. What's that tell you? Their hole is too big to fill.

On top of that, in recent years Old Lou hasn't been making much money, just using up savings. Not only is he out of cash, but deeply in debt. More crucially, even if they had money, they wouldn't necessarily repay. Putting aside his character, look at his two kids—do you think they'd leave him with any savings?"

Old Su made a valid point. After all, without some savings, how could they manage to pay off so many loans their daughter took, while also covering their son's gambling debts?

They've managed so far, indicating that they had a solid foundation—better than Ding Qiang's family, at least.

Then again, no foundation is thick enough to withstand such wastefulness, let alone both son and daughter squandering together while the parents start giving up.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hui immediately lamented, "Oh no, my money! The money for buying my grandson toys is gone for good, huh? It's really never coming back?"

Upon hearing this, the father and son exchanged a smile but remained silent, which made Zhou Hui feel even more upset.

Father and son exchanged a look and nodded, thinking that this would serve as a good lesson for his mom, and thankfully, it wasn't too much money.

"About the police station... what's your plan?"

Once Zhou Hui calmed down a bit and went to sulk in the bedroom, Old Su finally asked.

Hearing this, Su Qing chuckled and said, "What else can I do? I'll go take a look tomorrow and see my 'all-powerful' cousin. At least pretend to show up.

Moreover, I might see my aunt and the others. If handling it openly doesn't work, I must warn her discreetly, otherwise, I can't swallow this anger."

That night, Su Qing stayed at home, lying on his bed spread-eagle.

...

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