"Big Cousin, is there any news on Huzi? Did you see Xiaoqing yesterday?" a simply dressed woman with a tired face and yellowish hair asked anxiously.

It was none other than Su Qing's aunt, a relative not too distant on his mother's side; she's one of those women who hold up half the sky in her family.

Behind the woman were a man and a stylishly dressed young woman; one could say the whole family had come out in force, except for the one who got caught.

"Aunt, have you seen my cousin? I haven't seen him in ages. I heard he's making big money now. I saw him in a video, and he looks really handsome!" the young woman asked curiously, her face painted with delicate makeup. If you didn't know better, you'd think she was here to tour, completely unaffected by the grim situation at hand. This was indeed her distant cousin, Lin Shanshan, whom she had only met a few times.

Well, as the saying goes, those who achieve big things don't worry about the small stuff. People who can sweep in and clear debts once a year must have some unique skills, right?

To be honest, for someone who racks up six or seven thousand annually, whether the waters are deep or not, most people can't handle it. And their priorities are different from normal people; while her own brother is still locked up, she has the leisure to care about a distant cousin.

Of course, if she were like a normal person, she wouldn't have borrowed repeatedly, becoming a small internet loan expert. Such a person, addicted to spending beyond means without the ability to clean up the mess, clearly lacks self-control. By this age, you could say her life is almost wasted.

If this habit doesn't change, winning five million in the lottery wouldn't improve her life.

Hearing this, Su Qing's aunt couldn't help but glance at the mother and daughter duo and sigh: "I saw him!"

"Then... what did Xiaoqing say? Is there a way?"

"Yeah, yeah, our cousin is so capable, maybe he can help me out!" Lin Shanshan also got a bit excited.

Currently, she had nearly 100,000 in online loans and a dowry of 100,000. It seemed like a debt of 200,000, but if she could cover the 100,000 and pay off the loans, she would have no external debt and could perhaps still get married, without needing to return that dowry.

In her view, 100,000 is nothing; it would be as easy for her cousin as 10 bucks. Since she's having such a hard time, wouldn't it be reasonable to ask for his help?

She hadn't even noticed that the Su Hongye family had lent them 10,000 yesterday; she thought it was only right to ask her cousin for money, preferably having her parents do the asking, as it carried more weight.

Borrowing money from those around them is a survival skill for gamblers and online loan borrowers. Without this skill, they wouldn't owe much, but borrowing repeatedly, they drive away all their friends, yet they themselves don't see this as their fault.

Gamblers think it's just bad luck this time; online borrowers believe they deserve it, arguing they're just using the money temporarily, intending to repay.

Hearing this, Su Qing's aunt couldn't help but say: "You are something else. Yesterday, when Xiaoqing heard it was me who brought you to their house, he spoke with such a tone that I almost got blamed. You're no stranger to the fact that my relationship with his mom is... Anyway, Xiaoqing promised to inquire for us, though the chances of help aren't great."

Saying this, she pulled Su Qing's aunt aside and whispered, "What were you thinking, asking his family for money? The one who got caught also involves someone from a different province in my family. You're now asking for help and money, wearing them down."

Upon hearing this, her expression soured: "We're all family, no need to be like this, right? It's not like we're not going to repay them. Besides, does their family even need the money now?"

She initially wanted the Su Hongye family to give around a hundred thousand to fill their financial hole, but when they handed over ten thousand, she felt annoyed, though she hadn't shown it.

"It's not about the money. Don't you know your family's situation? If you were truly struggling, I'd say nothing, but look at Huzi and Shanshan. You shouldn't indulge them like this time after time; gambling is a bottomless pit!" Su Qing's aunt said.

Indeed, back home, everyone knew that the Lin family's children were pampered. If she had known it would come to this, she wouldn't have brought them; at least then, Su Qing wouldn't have spoken in such a tone the day before.

"Big cousin, they're still children. What can I do as their mother? I can't just watch them get caught one by one over money, can I?"

"You... alright, I've said my piece. Think it over—for now, I'll visit my nephew's family."

There was nothing more to be said without a direct confrontation. Such families really shouldn't be involved with. At that moment, Zhou Hong finally understood why her sister's family had reacted as they did yesterday.

Honestly, she hadn't expected them to request help and money. In Zhou Hong's view, her sister's family was doing well, and she, as the older sister, hadn't benefited yet. So why was anyone else coming?

If it weren't for this situation, she had planned to borrow some money for her son's wedding. Given the current state, she hesitated to ask now, feeling some regret since the day before.

Once Zhou Hong left, Lin Shanshan quickly stepped forward: "Mom, how did it go? Is my cousin coming today?"

Looking at her daughter, Su Qing's aunt Ju Xiu couldn't help but sigh: "He should be!"

"Great, I'll wait and see!"

On the other side, Su Qing was in a little office with both Li Zijun and Du Qiang present.

"Busy guy, you've been showing up quite a bit lately?" Du Qiang greeted him with a mocking smile.

"Get lost, I'm upset. Sister Jun, aren't you out today? No cases?" Su Qing snapped, turning to ask Li Zijun, who was sipping water.

"There's no way I have nothing going on. I'm helping the Zhao team with a task during lunch, just taking a little break now. What's troubling you? Feeling down, are you?" Li Zijun chuckled.

Since she reported her concerns to her mentor, she had been taken off the case, and she felt much more relaxed.

Even though her aunt had been calling her parents non-stop, it didn't affect her because after being intimidated by Su Qing yesterday, they quieted down quite a bit, amusingly making things more relaxing for her. Chaos outside wouldn't disturb her peace—she liked everything just fine.

"What's bothering you? Sister Jun, please don't tease me. I've got troubles, two of them. Yesterday, we were hit with a 10,000 coin bomb at home. Today, I'm here to find information and make someone give up. If I flatly reject them, my parents will be caught in the middle." Su Qing said helplessly, recounting last night's incident.

Although their hometowns were very close, Su Qing and Li Zijun didn't have any shared relatives; their families didn't overlap, so upon hearing of Su Qing's two troubles, Li Zijun felt relieved. The happiness of people thrives on the misfortune of others—as long as she wasn't the one in the worst shape.

"What are you planning to do? Just brush it off or check inside?"

Hearing this, Su Qing waved his hand: "No need. I know the nature of this case; it's just a formality. If they're not key players and are willing to pay, I could offer some advice, perhaps even post bail. But if they don't pay and are central figures, then I'm backing off. I can't foot the bill, can I?"

Listening, Li Zijun nodded: "As long as you're aware. I shouldn't venture there; they're unreasonable and maddening. So, when are you planning to go?"

"I definitely have to go. But for convenience, I'm coming to find Brother Qiang!"

"Find me?"

"Yeah, Brother Qiang. They don't know you. Please back me up, keep a stern face, and don't grin foolishly!"

Du Qiang: "No way, I'd be better off staying out of it!"

Li Zijun: ...

Su Qing: ...

"Don't mess around, Brother Qiang!"

"Who started it? When you need something, you call me Brother Qiang. When you don't, I'm just Qiangzi. Just using me when it's convenient and ignoring me later. What kind of person are you?" Du Qiang lounged in his chair, feigning arrogance.

"Come on, Brother Qiang, Qiangzi, strong man, 'A-Zhen fell in love with A-Qiang'..."

Du Qiang: "Get lost! Keep singing, and I'll slap you!"

Li Zijun: "Don't you dare!!"

Du Qiang: ...

Indeed, siblings will always be siblings, truly a family, and I'm just an onlooker.

...

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