Chapter 553 - 552: Doesn’t Your Conscience Hurt?

"This is the place, right? Alright, I’ll pull over." Su Li slowed the car and gradually pulled to the side.

"I’ve really troubled you," Lin Huanzhu said, a little embarrassed.

"It’s no trouble at all. It was on my way. You’re being too polite," Su Li said, shaking her head.

Su Li had run into Lin Huanzhu near Pinjun, and had ended up bringing her straight to the company.

Pinjun had its own cafeteria, and the food was quite good. If you didn’t want the standard fare, you could also order individual dishes à la carte, and they were delicious too. Su Li had often eaten there when she worked at the office.

Su Li had already eaten lunch with Wu Sheng, so she didn’t eat again, simply letting Lin Huanzhu order for herself.

Lin Huanzhu knew that Su Li was one of Pinjun’s owners from the time she had helped them look for Little Tang Mo. So when Su Li led her inside, she glanced around with curiosity but didn’t say much.

Lin Huanzhu ate in the cafeteria while Su Li attended to some work matters. After making Lin Huanzhu wait for a bit, they left Pinjun an hour later.

Su Li had originally planned to work at Pinjun for half the day. However, since she was giving Lin Huanzhu a ride, she just brought her work home to do. It made no difference.

When Lin Huanzhu had mentioned the nursing home, Su Li hadn’t made the connection to Mrs. Tang. It wasn’t until Su Li pulled over, got out of the car, and saw Mrs. Tang and Tang Yuanxiao right there that she remembered this was the very nursing home where her ex-mother-in-law was staying.

The moment Su Li and Lin Huanzhu stepped out of the car, they came face to face with Mrs. Tang and Tang Yuanxiao.

Tang Yuanxiao was pushing Mrs. Tang’s wheelchair, having just exited the nursing home. He, too, spotted them right away.

Seeing the two women, Tang Yuanxiao’s face was filled with surprise.

But for Mrs. Tang, it was much more than just surprise.

Besides Su Li and Lin Huanzhu, the very first thing her eyes locked onto was the car.

The car Su Li was driving.

Mrs. Tang might not have understood much about the world, but she certainly knew how valuable a car was.

In Mrs. Tang’s mind, even a bicycle was an incredible possession. A car was an unattainable luxury, something she thought she’d never even touch in her entire life.

And yet... Su Li and Lin Huanzhu had just stepped out of a car.

Mrs. Tang knew very well that Lin Huanzhu only owned a bicycle; even her aunt didn’t have one. So, the car had to be Su Li’s?

’Su Li owns a car?!’

The realization made Mrs. Tang’s face twist into a sneer. ’Impossible,’ she wanted to scream, but she had seen it with her own eyes—Su Li had just gotten out of the driver’s seat!

’So, Su Li really does own a car?!’

’Su Li... How dare she! What right does she have to own a car!’

Flames of fury ignited in Mrs. Tang’s eyes. She stared at the chic and polished Su Li, who was now standing by the car and frowning back at her. The sight was absolutely blinding.

Tang Yuanxiao didn’t notice his mother’s simmering rage. After his initial surprise, he greeted them.

"Su Li, Xiao Lin, what are you two doing together?"

Lin Huanzhu gestured toward Su Li. "We ran into each other on the road, and Su Li offered to drive me back."

Su Li managed a tight smile for Tang Yuanxiao. "What a coincidence."

After everything that had happened, Su Li’s feelings for Tang Yuanxiao were complex, but she no longer harbored any resentment or grudges against him.

As for Mrs. Tang, however, Su Li couldn’t stand the sight of her.

In her past life and in this one, Su Li could never forgive the things Mrs. Tang had done to her—especially what she had done to Little Tang Mo.

Not wanting to look at Mrs. Tang, Su Li finished her perfunctory greeting and immediately turned to Lin Huanzhu.

"I’m going to head out."

Su Li gave Tang Yuanxiao a cursory nod and was about to get back into her car when Mrs. Tang’s voice suddenly cut through the air.

"Don’t you move!"

Her voice was loud and commanding.

Tang Yuanxiao immediately frowned. "Mom!"

Mrs. Tang seemed not to hear him. "Su Li, can’t you see me? Or are you afraid to look at me? I’m like this because of you! How can you see me and act like I’m not even here? Do you have no conscience?"

Mrs. Tang’s accusation made Su Li freeze. She stood with her hand on the car door and shot a cold glare back at her.

Mrs. Tang’s face contorted as she stared at Su Li and the car. "Is that your car? Or does it belong to some man?"

Tang Yuanxiao couldn’t stand it any longer. "Mom, that’s enough! Shut up!"

He began to push her wheelchair to turn back, but Mrs. Tang sensed his movement and immediately started thrashing. "Where are you taking me? Don’t push me!"

"Su Li, don’t you go anywhere! Give me money! Money!"

Mrs. Tang shoved Tang Yuanxiao aside and shrieked, "I wrote you so many letters and you ignored every single one! You shamelessly stole our family’s factory! I’m not letting you off the hook today!"

"Your factory?" Su Li scoffed.

"The Tang Family was supposed to have a share in it! You used the money Tangyuan sent home to start that factory, don’t think I don’t know!"

Mrs. Tang’s expression was frantic, her words spilling out in a rush. "Don’t you even think about leaving today! Tangyuan owes so much money. It’s one thing that you won’t help him pay it back, but how dare you drive a fancy car!"

"How dare you drive a car! Get out! That car belongs to my family!"

Su Li didn’t know what expression to wear in the face of such utterly ridiculous accusations.

’Why wouldn’t I have the right to drive? I earned every penny for this car through my own hard work. This is just... just...’

Tang Yuanxiao’s face was pale with fury. As he listened to his mother’s words grow more and more outrageous, he wished a hole would open up in the ground and swallow him.

"Mom, that’s enough!" He had thought that his mother had been behaving much better lately, that she had actually changed for the better. But the moment she saw Su Li, all her old habits came rushing back.

"Su Li, just go! Don’t listen to her," Tang Yuanxiao said hurriedly, trying to forcibly push his mother’s wheelchair away.

Mrs. Tang grew desperate. Pinned in her chair, she threw the purse in her hands straight at Su Li without a second thought.

"Go? She’s not going anywhere! Make her leave the car behind!"

"That car belongs to our family! If we had it, we wouldn’t still be in so much debt!"

The massive four-thousand-yuan debt they owed Qin Shanshan had been weighing on Mrs. Tang’s mind for a long time. To this day, they had only managed to pay back a tiny fraction of it. Looking at Tang Yuanxiao, she felt they would never be able to repay it in this lifetime. Seeing Su Li suddenly appear in a car was more than just a provocation; it was a slap in the face.

"Tangyuan, go get that car back! It’s ours!"

Mrs. Tang shrieked, starting to bite and claw at Tang Yuanxiao. Her tantrum instantly attracted onlookers, but she was too far gone to care.

Tang Yuanxiao’s face was a mask of agony and humiliation. Even as his mother bit him, he didn’t let go of the wheelchair, determined to push her away. But she struggled so violently that she tumbled out of the chair and onto the ground.

Lin Huanzhu, who had been standing to the side, saw the look on Tang Yuanxiao’s face and couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She rushed forward to help.

Lin Huanzhu was strong, and with Tang Yuanxiao helping, they managed to lift Mrs. Tang back into the wheelchair.

"Don’t move, Auntie," Lin Huanzhu said, taking off her own jacket and unhesitatingly using it to tie Mrs. Tang to the wheelchair.

"I’ll take her back inside. You should go... say goodbye to Su Li," Lin Huanzhu said softly. Ignoring Mrs. Tang’s continued screaming, she quickly pushed the wheelchair back into the nursing home.

His mother’s teeth marks were still visible on his hand. He clenched his fists so tightly the veins bulged on his skin.

He stood frozen to the spot, listening as his mother’s furious curses faded into the distance. Finally, he lifted his head and looked at Su Li.

Su Li was already looking at him. Their gazes met.

Su Li wanted to laugh, but all she could manage was a slight, bitter twist of her lips.