Chapter 78: Heard the Sound of Your Heartbreaking

Chen Baozhu frowned. “You kneel down to take the money—what, do you think I’m handing out New Year’s money to my grandson?”

Qiu Qianjin hurriedly stood up and took the fifty yuan with tears in his eyes. “Thank you, Comrade Chen Baozhu.”

Seeing his frail and pitiful appearance, so different from the other men who had married into her family, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy.

With that thought in mind, Chen Baozhu reached out to take his hand. “Jin Daqiu, from today on, you’re mine. Come home with me. We’ve got plenty of good food. I promise it won’t take long before you’re all fair and chubby.”

Qianjin took a step back in terror. If President Chen could force women into marriage, then maybe his daughter was planning to do the same to decent, innocent men?

“What’s wrong? You don’t want to come home with me?” Chen Baozhu’s eyebrows shot up, her face full of thick displeasure. “Didn’t you agree to be a live-in son-in-law for our family?”

“Wait…” Qianjin felt his brain was starting to overheat from all the thinking. In desperation, he dropped to his knees again. “Comrade Chen Baozhu, wait. My sister told me, if you want to marry a woman, you have to properly pursue her. Don’t you want to experience the joy of being courted by a man?”

Chen Baozhu froze, a look of longing spreading across her face.

In all her years, she had never once been pursued by a man. Now, looking at the little stick figure kneeling in front of her, she felt a tiny sweetness rise in her chest.

He really was different from other men.

She immediately pulled Qianjin up. “If you have something to say, say it standing up. No more kneeling. I’ll take your advice. So, how are you planning to court me?”

Qianjin looked like he was about to cry. How was he supposed to know how to do that?

“Um… how about we go watch a movie tomorrow?”

Chen Baozhu, well aware of her appearance, knew her past husbands never wanted to be seen with her in public. This was the first time someone had offered to go to the movies with her. She grinned so wide that her entire body shook.

With a thick slap, her large hand smacked Qianjin on the back so hard he nearly coughed up blood.

“Alright! I’ll prepare two pork knuckles for tomorrow. We’ll eat while we watch!”

Qianjin swallowed hard. Damn it, why was he starting to feel a little… excited?

Chen Baozhu left for home in high spirits. Just as she arrived, she saw President Chen entertaining some familiar uncles in the house.

“Where have you been goofing off this time?” President Chen frowned. “You still haven’t given me a grandson. After all the money I’ve poured into you…”

Chen Baozhu didn’t like being nagged by her father. “Soon! I’ve met a good man this time. Just wait—you’ll be holding your grandson before you know it.”

“Who did you meet this time?”

“Just a good man, alright? You’ve got guests. I won’t disturb you.” She stepped out the door, then stepped back in again. “Dad, make sure to keep an eye on Xiue. Don’t let her keep mocking me for not having any men chasing after me.”

She said those petty words as if they were grand declarations, nearly causing President Chen to hurl a slipper in her direction.

He forced an awkward laugh to the guests. “Please excuse my daughter. She’s just been spoiled rotten.”

That night, Qiu Yinuo snuck out and hid inside her dimensional space, quietly observing the Chen household.

3224 saw her and hurried over, tumbling as it ran.

“Host, I see you’re troubled. Do you want to talk about it? Let me help carry your burden.”

Qiu Yinuo kicked it. “Get lost, don’t disturb my business.”

“Qiu Yinuo, it’s illegal to kick a panda. What good thing is this? Let me see too.”

As Qiu Yinuo observed, she replied, “If Dabao comes in, help me tell him that I’ve been dealing with the issues related to the President of the Cultural Association. Tell him not to worry; I should be back in a few days.”

3224 asked angrily, “Are you using me as a delivery person?”

“A delivery person doesn’t have such a big temper as you.”

“If you want me to help deliver, then tie up a system.”

Qiu Yinuo snorted, “Is your system a piece of rotten cabbage? Trying to give it to anyone you see.”

3224 was so mad it nearly spewed blood. “You’re the rotten cabbage.”

After waiting for a few days without any progress, Qiu Yinuo visibly grew frustrated.

Every day, guests would come to visit President Chen, often staying for hours. Since President Chen rarely left his home after stepping down from the cultural association, there was no chance of catching him in the act, and thus no solid evidence of wrongdoing could be found.

Day after day, Qiu Yinuo could see that every time Qiu Qianjin came back, he looked particularly worn out. “Sis, I still haven’t made any progress. If you don’t find anything soon, I really can’t hold on much longer.”

“???”

His eyes turned red. “She keeps throwing money at me. You don’t know how hard it is to turn her down every time. If this keeps up, I…” He pulled a Shanghai-brand wristwatch from his pocket along with several crisp fifty-yuan notes and slammed them on the table. “Tell me—what man could resist this kind of temptation? It’s just too hard.”

The thought of handing over all that loot made his heart ache.

Qiu Yinuo reached out to ruffle his hair. “You’ve had it rough. Once this is over, I’ll buy you a watch too. No big deal.”

Back when she had money, she didn’t even spare a glance at Rolex or Patek Philippe.

“You’re giving me false hope again. Why do you love making empty promises so much?”

“Just answer me. Do you want it or not?”

Qianjin gritted his teeth. “I want it.”

“Good. Then here’s the final move.”

“You’re going to get her drunk. People speak the truth when they’re drunk—maybe she’ll let slip where they’re keeping the girls.”

Two days later, Qianjin came back with the answer, panting as he ran to report. “It’s sick—they’re actually locking the girls up inside the house!”

Qiu Yinuo suddenly understood. No wonder they hadn’t found anything despite watching the place for days.

“Did you write the report yet? Hurry up and file it. If we wait any longer, I might lose my last shred of dignity.”

But Qiu Yinuo shook her head. “I’ve decided to hand the evidence over to President Chen’s political enemies. It’ll be safer if someone else acts. We’ll just wait for the mantis to catch the cicada—then swoop in as the oriole behind.”

“…” When it came to being ruthless, no one could match his sister.

“Why don’t we just report it ourselves?”

“I found out during my investigation that the Chen family has backers. If we file a report, they’ll probably get tipped off. But if we send the evidence to their rivals, I bet no one wants to see the Chen family fall more than them.”

“It might delay things by a couple of days.”

They anonymously submitted the evidence to the Chen family’s political opponents, and the siblings began their anxious wait.

On the first day, nothing happened.

On the second day, still nothing.

But on the third day, things at the Chen household suddenly grew noisy.

By the afternoon, word had spread through the neighborhood—The president of the Cultural Association had been taken down.

On the fourth day, the siblings went to the police station.

When Qianjin handed over the stolen items, he looked like he was about to cry.

So many nice things—and none of them were his in the end. “Sis, I’m heartbroken.”

Qiu Yinuo responded with a cool, unbothered tone, “Mm, I can hear your heart shattering. How tragic.”