The Divorced Wife of the Richest Man is Reborn

Chapter 119

Sister-in-law Liu Xiuying was born in 1948 and is now 43 years old.

She had previously worked at the frontier in Qinghai and was reportedly known as an "Iron Girl" among the educated youth.

She and Yan Jun were originally sent abroad on official business - she went for accounting studies while Yan Jun was a visiting philosopher.

After their visas expired, no one knew exactly how they managed to stay in America, though they hadn't obtained green cards.

However, everyone who knew her said she was particularly wealthy and her children were very successful.

Liu Xiuying smiled and said, "I heard Yan Zhao is currently a small police precinct chief?"

"Yes," Chen Meilan replied.

"He should be due for a promotion, but our father isn't the type to pull strings for Third Brother, right?" Liu Xiuying added.

"I suppose so," Chen Meilan answered ambiguously.

Liu Xiuying said casually, "Leave this matter to me. I guarantee Third Brother will get promoted soon. By the way, I'm coming back to China soon on a business trip, and I'll be visiting Xiping City. I'll buy you some American cosmetics, some English books for the children, and I heard your daughter likes music - how about I get her a violin?"

"Oh, you shouldn't - wouldn't that be too much trouble?" Chen Meilan said.

Chen Meilan felt uncomfortable with this sister-in-law whom she barely knew being so enthusiastic, not only offering to help with Yan Zhao's promotion and raise but also wanting to buy gifts.

"It's settled then, goodbye," Liu Xiuying said and hung up.

Yan Zhao grabbed the mobile phone, wanting to ask about them giving the land certificate to Wang Gebi, but since the international call didn't show the caller ID, he had to put the phone down.

After hanging up, Chen Meilan wasn't done with her interrogation and said, "Chief Yan, tell me, if Yu Xiaoqiao personally brought you some ointment, would you use it? Would you accept it?"

Yan Zhao was about to answer when, coincidentally, the landline by the bed rang. After answering, he got up immediately: "There's a case at the bureau, I need to go back to work overtime."

This left Chen Meilan unable to employ either her carrot or stick approach.

He got lucky, escaping for now.

But sooner or later, Chen Meilan would need to have a proper talk with Yan Zhao about Yu Xiaoqiao - they needed to reach a conclusion.

However, Yan Zhao had been very busy lately, leaving early and returning late. By the time he got home, Chen Meilan would be asleep, so naturally, there was no time to discuss that issue.

Half a month passed, and on another Saturday, Yan Peiheng called, asking Chen Meilan to bring the children to the Guoguang Hotel. According to him, Commander Chao had a well-maintained old Gongzi brand air rifle that used lead pellets.

Although the country hadn't banned air rifles in the 1990s, those using lead pellets were no longer allowed to be manufactured. Having such a gun would allow Little Lang to practice shooting at home.

Taking someone's gun was like taking their treasure.

Yan Zhao had arranged a meal at the Guoguang Hotel for Yan Peiheng to treat Commander Chao as thanks for the gun.

They were eating now, and after the meal, they would be leaving for a business trip to the Henan Military Region, so they asked Chen Meilan to come personally to collect the gun.

Little Lang was brooding, unaware of how much hope his grandfather had placed in him. However, he was excited about getting a gun, sitting in the back with a smile like a cherub from a New Year's painting.

Little Wang and Yuanyuan were having a disagreement today because Yuanyuan had become good friends with Zheng Beibei recently. Little Wang disliked Deputy Director Zheng and consequently disliked Zheng Beibei, so he wasn't happy about Yuanyuan being so close to her.

"Zheng Beibei's grandfather is quite nice, and he's friends with our grandfather," Yuanyuan argued reasonably.

Little Wang gave a cold laugh: "Nice my foot! Zheng Beibei's grandfather just likes to brown-nose, and he looks down on us - does he think we can't tell? Zheng Beibei used to always say bad things about you too. I forbid you from being friends with her."

He could see the contempt in Deputy Director Zheng's eyes when looking at him, which made Little Wang very angry.

Unfortunately, Yuanyuan was a bit naive and didn't understand these things.

It was normal for children to make different friends from day to day.

Yuanyuan was particularly troubled by her brother always interfering with her friendships.

They parked at the entrance of the Guoguang Hotel, where Chen Meilan had to wait.

Little Lang stood there brooding, lost in his own world.

Little Wang and Yuanyuan were still sulking - unlike adults, even small differences in opinion were huge matters to children.

Suddenly, Little Wang spotted Deputy Director Zheng wearing casual clothes and a baseball cap, head lowered, slipping into the hotel through a side entrance near a gift shop.

The boy always felt Deputy Director Zheng wasn't a good person, though he couldn't explain why. His curiosity got the better of him, and he followed him inside.

About half an hour later, Yan Peiheng and Commander Chao finally came out of the restaurant.

Commander Chao's air rifle was in a box. Seeing that Little Lang wasn't even as tall as his thigh, he doubted and asked Yan Peiheng, "Him? Can he handle a gun?"

"Let me put it this way - given time, he'll be better than either of us," Yan Peiheng said with a smile.

This was quite an exaggeration, but as old comrades, Commander Chao didn't want to discourage Yan Peiheng, so he just said, "I look forward to seeing that!"

The two elderly men were about to leave when Commander Chao had one more thing to tell Yan Peiheng: "Zheng Yong is a good man. That Yu Xiaoqiao he recommended sounds just as excellent as your daughter-in-law. Give her company more consideration - if nothing else works out, let her take over Factory 291."

This was the power of connections - Commander Chao had never met Yu Xiaoqiao, but with Deputy Director Zheng's recommendation and their trust in him, she could secure the factory.

"Alright then, see you in the capital," Yan Peiheng said.

Chen Meilan hadn't been particularly worried until now, but today she suddenly felt anxious.

Factory 291 was about to fall into Yu Xiaoqiao's hands - what was Yan Zhao doing? He had Deputy Director Zheng's pager number, so why hadn't he handled this yet?

Could it be that he actually wanted to see Factory 291 end up in Yu Xiaoqiao's hands, becoming Deputy Director Zheng's cash cow?

Since her reincarnation, Chen Meilan felt she had done more than enough - working hard to repair the relationship between father and son, and now both Little Wang and Little Lang were excellent children. But Yan Zhao's performance was far too disappointing.

Just then, Little Wang suddenly burst out of the hotel's main entrance, grinning with a flushed face, shouting, "Yuanyuan, come with me! I've got something good to show you, really good!"

The two elderly men were about to leave but turned back when they heard Little Wang's shouting.

Yan Peiheng scolded Little Wang: "What's all this shouting about?"

Little Wang looked up at his grandfather, growing even more excited: "Grandpa, quick, come with me upstairs!"

The elderly man had to leave for his business trip and had no time for Little Wang's antics, so he said, "Don't mess around, go home with your mother."

"Grandpa, trust me, there's something interesting to see upstairs." As he spoke, Little Wang started pushing and bumping, trying to get Yan Peiheng to go upstairs.

Yan Peiheng found the child's behavior annoying and gave him a light smack on the bottom.

While Chen Meilan occasionally spanked the children herself, she didn't like others hitting them, so she pulled Little Wang away, intending to force him into the car since he was being so disruptive.

However, at that moment, a shouting voice suddenly came from the hotel lobby: "Let go of me! Xiong Xiangdang, Ma Bo, do you have a death wish?"

It was Deputy Director Zheng's voice.

Little Wang immediately stopped struggling and broke free from Chen Meilan, shouting, "Here comes the show, everyone look!"

Yan Peiheng and Commander Chao, who were about to get in their car, turned around to see several police officers in olive-green uniforms and wide-brimmed caps forcing Deputy Director Zheng out with his arms twisted behind his back.

Good heavens, it was an arrest scene!

"Xiong Xiangdang, do you still want that promotion?" Deputy Director Zheng first questioned the officer on his left.

Then he turned to the right and asked, "Ma Bo, your family's from Ankang, right? Do you still want your parents to have a good life?"

Two police officers were restraining one person, with Deputy Director Zheng in front and Yu Xiaoqiao behind, though both were fully dressed.

Chen Meilan's eyes lit up instantly as she understood. Today, Deputy Director Zheng and Yu Xiaoqiao had arranged to meet at the Guoguang Hotel, which happened to be under Jindong District's jurisdiction. Yan Zhao must be here to catch them in the act of prostitution.

Moreover, it was Yan Zhao who had arranged the dinner meeting between Yan Peiheng and Commander Chao.

When arranging the dinner, he must have planned to let the two senior leaders witness Deputy Director Zheng's true nature.

Two groups of people, one prostitution sting operation - it was killing two birds with one stone.

That dark-hearted, dark-faced man might be whatever else, but when it came to executing his duties, he struck hard and showed no mercy.

When he did strike, he would leave lawbreakers with no way out.

Of course, Deputy Director Zheng wasn't easy to deal with either. Someone clever enough to engage in such affairs must have considered all angles.

So despite being handcuffed behind his back, he wasn't anxious or flustered at all. Instead, he shouted loudly, "I was meeting with Comrade Yu Xiaoqiao at the hotel to discuss business. Yan Zhao, you're overstepping your authority and framing your superior. Just you wait."

Just as they stepped out, they ran into Yan Peiheng and Commander Chao, both former superiors of Deputy Director Zheng. Surely now he would panic.

But no, he didn't panic at all. Instead, upon seeing Commander Chao, he acted as if he'd found his savior. With his neck twisted and veins bulging from struggle, he screamed desperately, "Uncle Chao, look what Yan Zhao is doing! I was discussing work with a female colleague at the hotel, and he just barged in and arrested us. He's framing me!"

Commander Chao exchanged a glance with Yan Peiheng.

Times had changed, and hotels had become common meeting places. It was said that many people conducted business meetings in hotels.

Moreover, Deputy Director Zheng had been consistently undermining Yan Zhao among the leadership, speaking ill of him behind his back, saying he was insubordinate, stubborn, carried out work willfully, and always looked for ways to catch leaders making mistakes.

Deputy Director Zheng also had an ace up his sleeve, something he had never mentioned to anyone before, but once revealed, could save himself.

That's why Yan Zhao had spent two weeks planning to catch him in the act of soliciting prostitution today.

But at this moment, Deputy Director Zheng showed no fear. He jumped and struggled, shouting, "Commander Chao, I have liver and kidney problems. I can show you my medical report if you don't believe me. I was really just discussing work with Yu Xiaoqiao."

At this point, not only were the children dumbfounded.

Ma Bo and Xiong Xiangdang were the first to break down the door earlier, and they had caught Deputy Director Zheng in the act of undoing his pants. But now they were hesitant - liver and kidney dysfunction meant impotence, right? How could an impotent man solicit prostitution?

This was the largest hotel in Xiping City, luxuriously decorated and located opposite the People's Mall, in an extremely busy area.

In an instant, quite a crowd had gathered.

When Xiong Xiangdang and Ma Bo hesitated and loosened their grip, the handcuffed Deputy Director Zheng rushed straight toward Commander Chao.

"Uncle Chao, this was about Project 291. I was discussing business matters with Yu Xiaoqiao." True to his reputation as someone who thrived in the Public Security Bureau, Deputy Director Zheng now turned fiercely toward Yan Zhao: "I was concerned about veterans' affairs, but this dog Yan Zhao has ulterior motives. He's retaliating against me!"

"You shouldn't have arranged to meet at a hotel," Commander Chao said, clearly believing Deputy Director Zheng.

With the leader believing him, Deputy Director Zheng immediately smiled: "Yes, yes, I should have known Yan Zhao was such a selfish, narrow-minded person. I really shouldn't have met at the hotel. I'll be more careful next time..."

From Chen Meilan's perspective, this cunning old fox of a Deputy Director was about to slip away again.

Xiong Xiangdang and Ma Bo exchanged glances, and Ma Bo slapped himself across the face.

To catch this big tiger Deputy Director Zheng, they had spent an entire week checking phone records, wiretapping, and planning the arrest.

Ma Bo had been too hasty, entering too early. If they had waited five more minutes, they could have caught the two with their clothes off.

When a man and woman meet in a hotel room, being caught dressed versus undressed leads to completely different consequences.

If both parties claim they were discussing business, there's nothing you can do about it.

So with one misstep, not only would they fail to catch the big tiger, but they would likely face retaliation from Deputy Director Zheng from now on.

Deputy Director Zheng now stood beside Commander Chao, coldly sweeping his gaze across the Jindong Branch Bureau police officers, even managing a smirk. For him, it was lucky, incredibly lucky, that he hadn't taken off his pants yet.

As for the Jindong Branch Bureau police officers, they would have to wait and see what happened to them from now on.

Not only would they be passed over for promotions and raises, but once Deputy Director Zheng was promoted to the provincial department, he would surely take revenge on these blind dogs.

Yan Zhao was holding a small purse, Yu Xiaoqiao's, and had been searching through it while walking at the back. Just then, he suddenly said, "Does discussing work require Indian God Oil?"

Though his voice wasn't loud, it carried clearly. Yan Zhao, with his crew cut and crisp police uniform, drew everyone's attention with that single sentence.

Deputy Director Zheng, hands raised high and wearing handcuffs, froze for a moment.

Commander Chao and Yan Peiheng exchanged glances: "What's Indian God Oil?"

Yan Zhao approached Deputy Director Zheng slowly with the small purse, held up a tube of ointment, first looking at Chen Meilan, waiting until she had hurriedly pushed all the children into the car, then began reading the instructions on the tube word by word: "One spray enlarges and thickens, treats erectile dysfunction, impotence, premature ejaculation, can last 50 minutes without... When using, please apply to the..."

His voice wasn't loud but carried clearly.

By now, the crowd had become so dense that water couldn't flow through.

Despite the vulgar words, Yan Zhao continued reading each character methodically until Commander Chao waved his hand saying, "Enough, Director Yan, stop reading."

If he continued reading, Commander Chao would want to dig a hole and crawl into it.

"Is Indian God Oil really that effective?" someone asked.

Another person said, "He must be a leader, look at that belt - it's police issue. A high-ranking police official needs medicine to sleep with women?"

At this moment, not only did Deputy Director Zheng not know where to put his face, but Yu Xiaoqiao simply crouched down and buried her head between her knees.

The most embarrassed were Yan Peiheng and Commander Chao.

Just recently, Commander Chao had told Chen Meilan to be mindful of the army's influence and discipline.

But his comrade's son, Zheng Yong, whom he treated like his own son, at his age and with his organ dysfunction, was still soliciting prostitutes. Not just that, but he needed to use Indian God Oil?

What had the world come to, what had people become, how could the army have produced such a degenerate as Deputy Director Zheng?

The farce ended with Commander Chao's loud and crisp slap.

That slap left Deputy Director Zheng's ears ringing from the moment he was detained at the Jindong Branch Bureau holding cell, through his time in the detention center, right up until he received his disciplinary action at headquarters.

Of course, the impact of this incident was enormous.

On a small scale, Little Wang finally proved to Yuanyuan that Zheng Beibei's grandfather wasn't a good person, so lately he had been particularly proud around Yuanyuan.

As for Zheng Beibei's family, forget about going abroad - because the incident was so shameful, after a few days, her parents quietly changed the little girl's name, arranged a transfer, and moved Zheng Beibei to another school.

On a larger scale, a city-level public security leader soliciting prostitution was scandalous enough, but as the investigation deepened, Yan Zhao had also managed to catch the honeytrap gang. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter - at first they tried to deny everything, but Yan Xishan had done great service for the Public Security Bureau this time because he had done the ideological work, and a female member of the team turned informant, confessing and revealing everything they had done.

According to this female witness, they had run honeytraps across the country, defrauding people of at least a million yuan.

In 1991, this qualified as a major fraud case.

The masterminds of the honeytrap team, including Yu Xiaoqiao and another man, were sentenced to twenty years.

The others received sentences ranging from three to five years - in short, they were all convicted.

As for Deputy Director Zheng, being a leader in the city bureau and his father having been a high-ranking military leader, he was currently detained but hadn't been questioned yet.

Of course, the case was being suppressed and hadn't been announced publicly.

...

Today was the day of Yu Xiaoqiao's sentencing, and Xiong Dapao had been waiting for Yan Zhao at the entrance of Yanguan Village.

The arrest of Yu Xiaoqiao came as a bolt from the blue for Xiong Dapao. After all, she was his fiancée who had already been introduced to his parents, and their engagement banquet had even been booked at the Guoguang Hotel. Who would have thought that one morning, his fiancée would suddenly make headlines in the social news section, and for honey-trapping of all things?

His life had certainly been full of ups and downs.

When the incident first occurred, Xiong Dapao had actively tried to rescue Yu Xiaoqiao, hoping to pay the fine and get her released first. However, as the case deepened, he realized that Yu Xiaoqiao was beyond his ability to save.

Though he didn't speak of it, his heart was riddled with wounds.

Xiong Dapao had developed a smoking habit, chain-smoking one cigarette after another, constantly puffing away.

When he saw Yan Zhao's Passat appear, Xiong Dapao honked his horn, got out of his car, and asked first, "Boss, how many years did she get?"

"Twenty years," Yan Zhao said.

Xiong Dapao nodded, "Alright, you can go home now."

Though he appeared calm on the surface, Xiong Dapao had lost at least forty pounds during this period. He looked like a skeleton, with a cigarette constantly in his hand, his fingers stained yellow from smoking.

"Try to look on the bright side. One of these days, I'll have my wife introduce you to someone nice," Yan Zhao said as he watched his comrade leave.

"No thanks, I'm done looking. I've been hurt enough," Xiong Dapao waved his hand.

"Keep looking, you'll find the right one," Yan Zhao tried to console him.

But this statement hit Xiong Dapao hard. He turned to stare at Yan Zhao and said, "The right one? I lost her ten years ago, damn it."

He flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, got in his car, slammed the door shut, and drove away.

As Yan Zhao turned around, he met Chen Meilan, whose voice carried a hint of worry: "Has Manager Xiong finally left?"

"Yes, let's go home," Yan Zhao said.

Chen Meilan had just heard Yan Zhao say he would have her introduce someone to Xiong Dapao.

She had also heard Xiong Dapao say he had lost the best one ten years ago.

She knew, of course, that Xiong Dapao was referring to her, and she knew that Yan Zhao knew this too.

But none of that mattered now. What mattered was still Yu Xiaoqiao.

Yan Zhao had been busy lately, so Chen Meilan hadn't discussed it with him. Now that Yu Xiaoqiao's sentence had been announced and Deputy Director Zheng's case was essentially settled, Chen Meilan needed to return to their previous conversation: "Chief Yan, let's have a proper talk. Let's suppose, if Yu Xiaoqiao had personally delivered the rheumatism ointment to the police station, would you have accepted it?"

Recently, Chen Meilan had been preparing Chinese medicine, stewing it every evening and keeping it in a thermos for Yan Zhao to apply when he got home. The weather had just changed today, and now the wind was rising from the ground, blowing eerily.

Yan Zhao squeezed his wrist and entered the courtyard. He saw the rifle that Commander Chao had given him mounted in the yard, with a target board five meters away. Feeling the urge to try it, he picked up the rifle and aimed at the target to test its feel.

Chen Meilan followed behind him, still waiting for an answer.

"Yes," he actually said.

This answer was what Chen Meilan had expected.

Well, she had been smiling just moments ago, but now Chen Meilan's expression finally changed, letting out a cold laugh:

"Then she would definitely ask you for a small favor the next day, and after you helped her, she'd thank you with a dinner invitation a few days later. This would happen again and again, and soon you'd become the next Deputy Director Zheng."

Just then, Yan Zhao fired a shot with a bang. It was nighttime, and under the lights, the bullet silently hit the bullseye.

He was surprised to find that his hands no longer had that numbing sensation that made it difficult to hold the gun in this changing weather, nor did they shake anymore. That feeling of precise control over the weapon had completely returned.

This was certainly thanks to Chen Meilan's Chinese medicine.

He hadn't noticed Chen Meilan's anger until he turned and saw her cold smile, finally realizing his wife was upset.

He naturally had to explain: "I would accept it, yes, but only if I didn't consider her a criminal."

"Then when she asks you for favors, nothing too excessive, you'd surely help her out, and when she invites you to dinner..."

"We could go together, couldn't we?" Yan Zhao said.

Chen Meilan's words carried a double meaning as she stormed into the house: "I'm afraid you wouldn't want me to accompany you when the time comes."

This was typical of Yan Zhao - once he realized his wife was angry, he would look for chores to do. Right now, with rain threatening and leaves scattered all over the courtyard by the wind, he grabbed a broom and started sweeping, even though it was late at night.

That evening, all three children were huddled under one blanket, watching "The Legend of the Condor Heroes."

The two younger ones had fallen asleep, and Little Wang had just turned off the VCR and was quietly climbing down from the bed to return to his own room. He had actually overheard his parents' argument earlier, and guessing that Chen Meilan must be quite angry since her room was dark, he said to Yan Zhao: "Mom's angry, isn't she?"

"She'll be fine soon," Yan Zhao said confidently, believing as always that there was no problem that couldn't be solved by doing some housework.

Little Wang went to return the video tape and tried pushing the door, but surprisingly, his mother had locked it from the inside.

After pushing twice without success, the little fellow said, "Dad, you've been locked out."

The boy had never seen his father and new mother fight before, and knowing Chen Meilan's good nature, he was sure she would forgive his father. So not only was he not worried, he seemed almost gleeful, saying, "Dad, come sleep with me, we can talk about 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes.'" The children's current favorite was the Condor Heroes, and though the younger ones were asleep, his enthusiasm hadn't waned, and he wanted to spend the night chatting with his father.

Yan Zhao finally realized that Chen Meilan was truly angry. He picked up Little Wang, turned him around, and motioned for him to return to his own bedroom, then knocked on the door: "Meilan, open up."

...

Since she remained silent, he added, "Alright, I'll change my answer - I won't go to dinner. That should be fine, right?"

Regarding Yu Xiaoqiao, the correct answer should have been to not accept any medicine at all.

Because it was very possible that what Yu Xiaoqiao called rheumatism ointment might actually have been Indian oil in the box.

To Chen Meilan, Yan Zhao was the most sexually active man she had ever known, and he was also a police officer - how could he have so little vigilance?

She wasn't really concerned about whether he would be unfaithful, but she worried that if he became involved in a scandal, it would embarrass the children.

When it came to 'romantic scandals,' this wasn't something that could be resolved with just a lecture, because it involved a man's basic instincts. Chen Meilan not only refused to let Yan Zhao in tonight but was even considering never sharing a bed with him again.

This was the first time Chen Meilan had lost her temper since getting married.

She remained silent, kept the door locked, and went to bed alone.

Little Wang, now at his own bedroom door, was still saying, "Dad, come sleep with me?"

Yan Zhao tried the window next, only to find she had locked that too, so he knocked hard twice: "Chen Meilan, open the door."

"Come on, Dad, it's just one night, sleep with me," Little Wang called out louder.

His raised voice woke up Little Lang and Yuanyuan, who peered out their window. Yuanyuan called out loudly, "Brother, what's happening outside?"

Little Wang, ever the troublemaker, shouted back, "Dad and Mom had a fight, and now Dad can finally sleep with me..."

With a bang, Chen Meilan yanked open the door and yelled, "Yan Wangqi, go to bed!" Then to Yuanyuan, she said, "Nothing's wrong, go to sleep, you need to wake up early tomorrow."

That's the problem with having many children - you can't even have a proper argument.

But this didn't mean she would forgive Yan Zhao.

There were two vats in the bedroom with lids on them. Chen Meilan grabbed a blanket and threw it at Yan Zhao: "Make your bed on the vat and sleep there. I'm getting old, my health isn't good, and I don't like sleeping with others anymore."

So even though he was back in the bedroom, he didn't have the privilege of sleeping in the bed?

But Chief Yan, who could handle someone like Deputy Director Zheng, wasn't going to accept this. Sleep on a vat? How could that be possible?

He put the blanket back on the bed and said, "Explanations are useless. Next time, if something like this happens again, I'll prove to you with actions how I'll handle it."

Next time?

Chen Meilan thought angrily, if there really is a next time, I'll have to divorce you.

But before she could argue further, her mobile phone rang.

Seeing an unlisted number, she guessed it was her sister-in-law Liu Xiuying calling.

When she answered, it really was her.

Liu Xiuying truly understood the art of conversation, getting straight to the point: "Meilan, I've bought everything - the violin for your daughter, English books for both children, and the cosmetics. I'll be heading back to China soon. Oh, by the way, I recently spoke with one of my former senior leaders back home who I'm quite close with, asking him to promote Yan Zhao. He should have been promoted by now, right?"

Yan Zhao was indeed about to be promoted, but that was because he had arrested Deputy Director Zheng and solved the honeytrap case.

However, Chen Meilan simply replied, "Soon."

"That's all thanks to your elder brother's former leader, Zheng Yong's help. Our father is just an old fool who only knows how to sacrifice himself and his family for work, but Zheng Yong is different - he's particularly skilled at navigating official circles. Meilan, the reason why I had Zheng Yong help your third brother was to show you that your elder brother and I are different from your father. We genuinely want what's best for you and your husband, and we're willing to help you both. Can you feel my sincerity?"

Sincerity?

Perhaps Liu Xiuying had indeed spoken to Deputy Director Zheng about helping Yan Zhao get promoted.

But as the saying goes, unsolicited favors are rarely without ulterior motives. Chen Meilan didn't feel any sincerity from her sister-in-law.

Moreover, she had to deliver a ruthless counter: "Sister-in-law, are you perhaps not up to date with the news from abroad? Zheng Yong was recently arrested for soliciting prostitutes, and it was actually Yan Zhao who arrested him."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

After quite a while, came an exclamation: "How is that possible?"

Wasn't Zheng Yong supposed to be so street-smart and smooth? How could he get caught for prostitution?

Clearly, the sister-in-law had ulterior motives for returning to China, and those motives involved Chen Meilan. She wanted something from Chen Meilan, but Zheng Yong's arrest had thrown a wrench in her plans. Her first attempt at goodwill had failed to bring her closer to Chen Meilan.

Now the sister-in-law was at a loss for words.

Chen Meilan wasn't in a hurry and asked in return: "By the way, sister-in-law, what's the real reason for your visit?"

"It's a business trip," Liu Xiuying said.

Since it seemed Liu Xiuying hadn't come specifically to see her, Chen Meilan got straight to the point: "You must know about Wang Gebi's arrest, right?"

The sister-in-law had been in frequent contact with Mi Lan, so she must know about Wang Gebi and Mi De's family's arrest.

There was silence on the other end.

Chen Meilan continued: "The land certificates for mother's temple property - you and elder brother gave them to Wang Gebi, didn't you?"

Just then, Yan Zhao came over, and she put the phone on speaker.

She wanted to listen together with Yan Zhao to hear how her sister-in-law would explain this unconscionable act.

Chen Meilan expected her sister-in-law to either deny it outright or simply claim she had never seen the land certificates.

But to her surprise, Liu Xiuying sighed and actually said, "I suppose so." Then she continued, "But your elder brother and I had our reasons. We were forced into it, and after we went abroad, we raised three children who are more outstanding than any child you've ever met. You'll understand once I bring Jim back to China and you meet the children!"

After a pause, she added, "The children we've raised will prove that we didn't make a mistake back then!"