Chapter 30: Official Lawsuit

Chen Fanshi wasn’t a fool. Even if they were family, walls have ears.

Yuhuang’s secret could never be exposed.

“Alright, alright, Yufeng, stop this. I won’t stay for dinner. I’m leaving now,” Chen Fanshi said, then turned to Ma Lin. “Director Ma, my daughter has a bad temper. Please don’t take it personally.”

But while Chen Fanshi wanted to put out the fire, Ma Lin had no intention of letting it slide. She truly hadn’t known that Zhang Yanli had been hiding Yuhuang’s real age. However, given their decades-long friendship, she naturally trusted Zhang Yanli. So she stated firmly, “Since you don’t understand the law, let me clarify it for you. If a military spouse is caught in an extramarital affair, she will be sentenced to up to three years in prison.”

Chen Yufeng immediately turned to Chen Fanshi. “Dad, tell me—what year was Yuhuang born?”

“Yufeng!” Chen Fanshi attempted to assert his authority as a father, scolding, “Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Spreading false accusations carries legal consequences,” Ma Lin reiterated.

Chen Yufeng raised her hands and said, “Dad, when you gave me child support, Aunt Zhang falsely accused me of extortion. Director Ma personally came to gather evidence against me—no legal consequences for that. But when I speak the truth and you cover it up, Director Ma won’t even investigate and just claims I’m slandering someone? Do you really think I won’t sue you?”

“Director Ma, let’s go. This child must have lost her mind…”

Zhao Fangzheng and Wang Shuya, both already dressed and observing from the side, exchanged looks. Han Chao stood next to Zhao Fangzheng, his expression unreadable. If the argument continued, Yuhuang’s real age would soon be exposed.

And just then, Zhang Yanli arrived.

Since they all lived in the same compound and Chen Fanshi was present, she sensed something was off the moment she reached the courtyard.

Upon entering, the first thing she did was look at Chen Fanshi. “Why are you here?”

Still fuming, Chen Fanshi turned to Zhang Yanli and demanded, “Did you report Yufeng?”

Did she think life was too easy and wanted to dig her own grave?

Zhang Yanli had arrived with the intention of retrieving her money while also getting Mimi to acknowledge Ma Jinfeng as her godmother.

The sight of Chen Fanshi immediately made her realize things wouldn’t go as planned. But since Ma Lin was also there, she had to stick to her story. “That thirty thousand yuan was from selling my ex-husband’s house. Why did you give it to Yufeng?”

At first, Chen Fanshi had been angry at his daughter. But now, his fury was directed at Zhang Yanli. He pointed a shaking finger at her forehead, his face flushed with anger. “You fool!”

Ma Lin also spoke up. “Yanli, Chen Fanshi wrote a receipt stating that money was child support for his daughter and ex-wife.”

Second marriages are always complicated. At this moment, Zhang Yanli was completely dumbfounded. She hated Chen Fanshi to the core, wishing she could tear him apart.

But she couldn’t argue with him in front of Ma Lin. So she quickly changed her tone and said, “Forget it then. I won’t pursue this matter anymore. Linjie, let’s go.”

Trying to slip away at the first sign of trouble?

Ma Lin was ready to leave, but there was no way Chen Yufeng would let them go so easily.

“Aunt Yanli, my dad said Yuhuang was born in 1972 and that he divorced my mom because of him. Director Ma claims I’m making things up. Can you confirm—am I lying?”

Zhang Yanli’s gaze turned sharp as knives, and she glared at Chen Fanshi.

Chen Fanshi met her stare. At this moment, both husband and wife were filled with suspicion. Each thought the other had leaked their secret—both looked as if they wanted to strangle each other.

But in the end, Chen Fanshi relented. “Let’s go. If there’s no evidence, there’s no point in discussing it.”

Ma Lin walked up to Zhang Yanli and added, “Comrade Chen Yufeng, that’s impossible. In 1972, Yanli’s ex-husband was still alive. As a military spouse, she could not have been pregnant with your father’s child. I can vouch for her. If any evidence proves otherwise, I will personally revoke all of her military benefits and file charges under military law. I mean what I say!”

Zhang Yanli’s mind went blank again. Though she had been careful all these years, what if someone really exposed the truth?

“Yufeng, we’re family. Let’s not argue anymore, okay?” she pleaded.

Chen Yufeng, of course, didn’t press further. After all, Ma Lin was a senior colonel, and there was no solid evidence to prove anything.

She just needed Ma Lin to take a stance. As for Chen Yuhuang’s matter, there’s no such thing as an impenetrable wall—sooner or later, the truth would come to light.

What she needed was for Zhang Yanli to be wary and not cause her trouble in the future.

“If that day ever comes, I hope Director Ma will keep her word,” she said. “And if I’m wrong, I will apologize to Aunt Zhang.”

Mimi, who was already upset with her mother, jumped in, saying, “Mom, you have to believe Grandma Ma! She’s a woman with four stars on her shoulders. Whatever she says is always right!”

Ma Lin lowered her head to look at Mimi, pressing her lips into a smile as she responded gently, “Yes, Grandma always keeps her word.”

When they had arrived, Ma Lin had been lofty and imposing, Chen Fanshi had been beaming with joy, and Zhang Yanli had been as elated as a villager delivering a pig to the People’s Liberation Army.

But now, as they left, they were all crestfallen—like defeated roosters.

The couple both got into Ma Lin’s car.

Chen Fanshi sat in the front, while the two women sat in the back. As soon as Ma Lin got in, she asked Zhang Yanli, “There’s no problem with Yuhuang’s birth date, right? Chen Yufeng was just making things up, wasn’t she?”

“No problem at all. He was born in ‘74. I gave birth to him in Tianjin.” Zhang Yanli stared out the window as she lied.

Ma Lin asked again, “You and Chen Fanshi only got together after he divorced Yufeng’s mother, right?”

Lies always need a mix of truth and falsehood to be convincing.

Chen Fanshi’s divorce was in February 1974, and Chen Yuhuang’s registered birth year was August 1974—no matter how you looked at it, the timelines overlapped.

“His wife in the countryside wasn’t educated. It was a marriage of convenience, and they had no real feelings for each other. By the time we got together, they were already separated, even if they hadn’t officially divorced yet,” Zhang Yanli stammered.

Ma Lin’s tone immediately turned stern. “That still doesn’t make it right. If a man is still legally married when he starts a relationship with you, then he’s cheating, and you are immoral. That is destroying someone else’s marriage.”

“Linjie, I know I was wrong,” Zhang Yanli quickly admitted.

By now, the car had already driven out of the senior officer’s residential compound.

Ma Lin glanced back and said, “I’ll find time to apologize to Chen Yufeng. From now on, if you and Chen Fanshi have any issues, deal with them privately. Stop showing up at people’s doors causing a scene. You’re a businesswoman, and I’m a director-level official. Being scolded to our faces by a young woman who could be our daughter—it’s embarrassing. You may not care about your reputation, but I do.”

This was utterly humiliating.

Moreover, Ma Lin realized that Han Chao and his wife weren’t as Zhang Yanli had described. They were actually a perfectly normal family.

Today, she had truly lost face.

Zhang Yanli hurriedly said, “Linjie, don’t be angry. I’ll stay away from Yufeng from now on, okay?”

She turned to glare at Chen Fanshi, seething with resentment—hating him for embarrassing her, for writing that receipt for Chen Yufeng, for ruining her chances of securing Ma Jinfeng’s favor.

Now, she could only continue running her little wholesale market in Daqingshan, making small profits.

Back home, the couple had an explosive argument.

Chen Fanshi couldn’t understand Zhang Yanli. Back when she was secretly pregnant, she would sneak off to Anyang County to see him—gentle, understanding, and full of ideas to help him make money in the city. She was nothing like Zhou Yafang, who was uneducated and timid.

He had truly loved her—that’s why he had abandoned Zhou Yafang for her.

But now, she was sharp-tongued, materialistic, and constantly scheming against his daughter.

He even started to feel that Zhou Yafang might have been the better choice.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yanli was even contemplating divorce.

Of course, she wanted both the house and the wholesale market.

She had gone through so much—an unwed pregnancy, countless schemes to steal this man from Zhou Yafang—and now she just wanted to cast him aside.

But even that was wishful thinking.

Even the wholesale market was slipping from her grasp.

In the town, when people ate hotpot, they used copper pots—charcoal placed inside, heating the broth while they ate.

At home, they hadn’t yet gotten a copper pot, so everything had to be cooked in one big pot and brought to the table.

After setting the hotpot on the table, Chen Yufeng told Han Chao to watch over the two girls while they ate. Then she stepped out and dropped her lawsuit into the mailbox.

She had done her research—military law cases weren’t filed directly in person. Instead, they had to be submitted by mail.

Once the court accepted the case, a lawyer would be assigned to contact her.

On her way back, Mrs. Bao stopped her.

“That Chen Yuhuang—I used to work in the canteen, and I saw him all the time when he was little. He looked five years old when he was only three. I always thought that was odd. Turns out I was right.”

“Just don’t go spreading it around,” Chen Yufeng said deliberately. “My dad and Aunt Zhang are trying really hard to keep it under wraps.”

But so what if they were?

There’s no such thing as an impenetrable wall. The rumors were already out.

Zhang Yanli was a businesswoman. In the business world, it was inevitable to make enemies. Even if Chen Yufeng didn’t sue her, someone else eventually would.

Her stomach growled with hunger as she laughed and walked back into the courtyard.

Tiantian couldn’t handle spicy food well, but Mimi loved it. At the moment, her mouth was ringed red from the chili oil, excitedly telling her dad how amazing Grandma Ma was.

To Mimi, Ma Lin was someone to admire without question.

Han Chao didn’t argue, just listened with a warm smile.

Suddenly, Mimi asked, “Dad, Grandma Ma doesn’t just drive—she can ride a motorcycle too! Can you teach me to ride a motorcycle tomorrow?”

Chen Yufeng blurted out, “Absolutely not.”

In the book, Mimi had died in a motorcycle accident.

“Why not? I like it! I want to learn!” Mimi insisted.

Chen Yufeng panicked and scolded her daughter, “If you dare learn that, I’ll tie you to my waist again!”

Being tied to her mother’s waist was the worst punishment for Mimi. She turned to her dad, eyes blinking, and complained, “Dad, look! I was being so good, but Mom keeps threatening to tie me up. She even tied me up the day you came home!”

“You’re a girl. You can’t always be running off to climb trees, jump into rivers, or fight with boys,” Chen Yufeng lectured. “You’re smaller and weaker. When Dad’s here, it’s fine, but if he’s not, you’ll be at a disadvantage.”

This damn man—he never changed diapers, never cleaned up after them, but now he was surrounded by three women, basking in their affection.

Sitting there among them, he looked just like a foolish young emperor from an opera, doted on by his concubines.

He was actually aware of the problem but still said, “Han Mi, when I’m not around, if Zhao Wu bullies you, just endure it for now. Keep a record of it, and we’ll settle the score when I return.”

His attitude was reasonable, and Chen Yufeng was about to nod in agreement.

But then he added, “Girls can learn to ride motorcycles. When you turn 18, I’ll teach you.”

Chen Yufeng was so furious that she let out a sharp breath. Meanwhile, Mimi was overjoyed, picking a piece of soft potato from the hot pot, dipping it in sauce, blowing on it, and then putting it into her mouth. “I listen to my dad.”

Even Tiantian chimed in, saying, “Mom, Dad is right.”

“Then you can sleep with your dad tonight. I’ll sleep alone,” Chen Yufeng said angrily.

After seven years with her, the two little girls had betrayed her so quickly. Chen Yufeng decided to teach them a lesson.

“No way.” The quickest to switch sides was still Mimi. “I only want to sleep with Mom.”

Han Chao put down his chopsticks and said, “You girls go take a bath first.” Seeing that Chen Yufeng was about to clean up the dishes, he added, “I need to go to Commander Xu’s house to check on Mom’s situation.”

This weekend, Wang Guoguo was coming. Before that, Han Chao wanted to ask about Commander Xu’s daughter’s situation in detail.

It would be best to clarify everything beforehand and clear his mother’s name.

Chen Yufeng also put down her chopsticks. “I won’t lock the gate. I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Han Chao’s body suddenly stiffened, and he said in a hoarse voice, “If you don’t want to, it’s okay. I’ll wait until you do.”

Chen Yufeng suddenly realized this damn man had misunderstood. She was talking about the courtyard gate, but what was he thinking?

But the fact that he hadn’t made a move all this time—was he really waiting for her to be willing?

Does a woman need to announce it with drums and gongs when she’s ready?

“Hurry up and go. I won’t lock the courtyard gate. Come back early.” She suppressed her laughter and said.

This damn man—he probably hadn’t been with a woman for too many years. Just like her, he had grown used to it and no longer had those thoughts. That was fine. After all, they were like siblings, like family, like comrades-in-arms.

Even closer than a married couple.

“Brother, be careful on the road,” she said.

The two daughters waved their hands along with their mother. “Bye, Dad!”

…

There are no small matters in the military, and the military district hadn’t recruited new soldiers for three years.

The sudden influx of recruits had exposed many management issues.

Recently, in the Third Battalion of the Fifth Regiment, an issue arose—several nights in a row, pornographic magazines had been found in the new recruits’ camp. While not as dangerous as flammable and explosive materials, the fact that Ma Shangbei had already been caught raised concerns—where did these magazines come from?

And if they could smuggle in magazines, what about matches? Lighters? In a place where bullets fly without warning, such security breaches were unacceptable.

New recruits were no different from wild animals before proper training. If a criminal case were to occur, even the instructors wouldn’t be safe.

When Han Chao arrived to see Xu Yongyi, he found him discussing this matter with Xu Qing from the Third Battalion.

Only after Han Chao entered did Xu Yongyi dismiss Xu Qing.

“It’s late. Is there an emergency?” Commander Xu asked.

Han Chao, who always reported official matters, suddenly asked a personal question, which startled Commander Xu.

He asked, “Sir, I heard that your daughter was murdered?”

Commander Xu frowned and asked, “Why are you suddenly asking this?”

Han Chao admitted, “Director Ma came to my house today. You know her temper, but she was surprisingly gentle with my daughter. I was just curious, so I wanted to ask.”

He wanted to understand the situation first and solve the problem if possible.

Wang Guoguo had a blood clot in her brain. If she ran into Ma Lin and Commander Xu, the stress and anger might cause her to collapse.

Xu Yongyi was silent for a long time before suddenly opening his hands. His veins bulged, and his voice choked with emotion. “When we found my child, she was covered in wounds, her body bloodied, her head swollen beyond recognition, and her face full of cuts…”

She had once been a delicate, jade-like little girl—only eight months old, just learning to crawl, always crawling around curiously. But when they found her, she was unrecognizable.

This matter had nothing to do with Wang Guoguo or Han Chao, so he remained calm.

But seeing the usually refined and composed Commander Xu suddenly choke up in grief, even he was stunned.

Of course, putting himself in Xu Yongyi’s shoes—if his daughter suffered such a fate,

Han Chao would grab a brick and smash the culprit to death, one hit at a time.