Chapter 43: Fighting Over a Partner

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Fighting Over a Partner

"Liu Lang, is what this little tramp is saying true?!" Aunt Liu, her face livid with rage, directly confronted Liu Lang.

Zheng Hai shot Liu Lang a threatening glance.

He silently mouthed the words: ’If you don’t agree to this marriage, then your brother can get ready for prison. He was doing business with me on the black market, remember? And all those kickbacks? He’s spent every last cent.’

Liu Lang closed his eyes for a moment, then apologized to Aunt Liu. "Aunt Liu, it’s true. I’m sorry, but I can no longer marry Comrade Liu Xiangju. I cannot disobey my parents’ orders."

"Well now! You really have the nerve to say that!" Aunt Liu was livid.

She glanced around, looking for something to hit Liu Lang with again.

Of course, Su Wan wasn’t about to let Zheng Zhizhi and Zheng Hai take advantage of the situation so easily.

She stepped forward, took Aunt Liu by the arm, and said, "Aunt Liu, hitting him won’t solve anything. I think we should make Liu Lang write an apology letter to Xiangju, pay five hundred yuan in compensation, and promise never to bother her again." ℴ

"What do you think?" she prompted, hinting that Aunt Liu should focus on tangible compensation and not be blinded by her anger.

Aunt Liu immediately came to her senses and patted the back of Su Wan’s hand gratefully.

’Her opinion of Su Wan improved even more.’

"Liu Lang, do you agree to these terms or not?" Aunt Liu demanded, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him.

Zheng Zhizhi shot Liu Lang a subtle glare.

Liu Lang lowered his gaze. "I agree."

The moment he finished speaking, Zheng Zhizhi couldn’t stop herself from blurting out, "No! I don’t agree."

"You little tramp, you’re not even married to Liu Lang and you’re already trying to run his life? Let me tell you, this compensation is from his family. I haven’t even mentioned what your Zheng Family owes us yet!" Aunt Liu was not one to be trifled with, and she immediately demanded that Liu Lang pay up.

With that, she shut Zheng Zhizhi down.

Zheng Zhizhi’s face flushed with anger. "You can’t..."

As if he had come prepared, Liu Lang pulled a thick envelope from his pocket and handed it to Aunt Liu right in front of Zheng Zhizhi.

"Aunt Liu, there are three hundred yuan here. As for the remaining two hundred, I will go to the bank with my passbook to withdraw the money, and then I will personally come to your home to apologize and deliver the rest."

"I will write the letter of apology in front of our superiors. I will never bother Comrade Liu Xiangju again, and I am truly sorry for the damage this has caused to her reputation." Liu Lang not only offered money but also showed a sincere attitude, which slowly began to quell Aunt Liu’s anger.

’She had initially approved of him because she thought the young man had a promising future. He seemed honest and good-natured, and she believed that at the very least, he wouldn’t bully Xiangju.’

’Who could have imagined all this drama would erupt right before the wedding.’

’Luckily, there was five hundred yuan in compensation and an apology to be made before his superiors. With that five hundred yuan as a dowry, Xiangju could find someone much better.’

As Aunt Liu mulled this over, she felt a deeper sense of gratitude toward Su Wan.

She gave Su Wan’s hand a light pat, then shot an angry snort at Zheng Zhizhi. After rolling her eyes in disgust, she turned to Master Ji. "Sir, our business with Liu Lang is settled. But I’ve heard that Zheng Zhizhi stole items that Battalion Commander Lu sent to Wanwan. Isn’t there going to be any punishment for her?"

Su Wan was deeply moved. With Aunt Liu backing her up, she also turned her gaze to Master Ji.

Lu Zhengchuan, feeling a little put out, quickly jumped in to state, "We’ve spent this whole time investigating the things Zheng Zhizhi took."

"My sister didn’t take the things, I did." Zheng Hai, who had been listening from the side, felt things were taking a bad turn. When he saw the pleading, frightened look in Zheng Zhizhi’s eyes and the stern expression on Master Ji’s face, his heart sank. He was terrified these officers were about to declare his sister guilty on the spot.

Zheng Hai’s words drew Master Ji’s attention. "Oh? You’re saying you’re the one who took the items? What evidence can you provide?"

"Are you officials nuts? I’ve already confessed, and you’re still asking for evidence? I know what was taken. I’m the one who intercepted the mailman. I personally took the package from him, then had my sister give what was left to Zhang Yun, who finally passed it on to Su Wan."

"Isn’t that enough to prove I did it?"

"Zheng Hai!" Lu Zhengchuan was so furious he was grinding his teeth. He couldn’t stop himself from kicking him again.

Zheng Hai sneered, still defiant. "What? I’m your brother. Can’t I take some of your money to spend?"

"Zheng Hai, there’s no need to cover for Zheng Zhizhi. I know you only did this because she told you to." Su Wan didn’t know the specifics of how they had swapped the mail and taken the valuables, but since Zheng Hai was admitting to it now, he likely wasn’t lying about his own actions. He was just deliberately twisting the chain of events to help clear Zheng Zhizhi of suspicion.

Su Wan’s gaze fell upon Zheng Zhizhi.

Noticing the look, Zheng Zhizhi immediately lowered her head, looking aggrieved as she wiped at her eyes. "Su Wan, I know you resent the fact that Brother Lu and I grew up together, but you can’t just make baseless accusations against me. You claim my brother is lying—do you have any proof?"

"You should know, I’ve been under investigation by the army for almost a week, and even they haven’t been able to reach that conclusion. By what right do you get to slander me?"

Zheng Zhizhi looked incredibly aggrieved.

’Su Wan was certain in her heart that Zheng Zhizhi was absolutely the mastermind behind all of this.’

’It was just that the entire Zheng family seemed to be under her spell, doting on her endlessly.’

’The Zheng family would agree to almost any request she made.’

"Wanwan." Aunt Liu tugged on Su Wan’s sleeve and reminded her in a low voice, "The military operates based on evidence. Without proof, your suspicions are useless. You’ll just leave a bad impression on the higher-ups."

Su Wan pressed her lips together. She couldn’t deny that Aunt Liu was right.

Su Wan glanced up at Master Ji and nodded. "Sir, my apologies. I spoke out of turn. I have faith in the results of the army’s investigation."

Master Ji’s expression was composed as he reassured her, "Don’t worry, Comrade Su Wan. The investigation is taking this long precisely because we want to give you a proper resolution. As for the final outcome, we still need to coordinate with the Yang County police."

"Once the case is closed, we will recover the money and items that were taken."

"Please be patient a little longer. Items like the red watch are currently being held as evidence and can only be returned once the case is concluded."

"Sir, I understand. Thank you for all your hard work."

Now that the army had made its position clear, Su Wan certainly wasn’t going to press the matter further. She stopped paying Zheng Zhizhi any mind at all.

There was no point in arguing with her in front of a superior officer.

’In any case, Zheng Hai from the Zheng family is definitely done for this time. Once he’s in prison, I won’t have to worry about him suddenly trying to hurt anyone.’

’Still, I have to find a way to warn my third brother to be on guard against the rest of the Zheng family.’

’He’s the only one at home who takes what I say seriously.’

With both matters concluded, Aunt Liu pulled away Liu Xiangju, who still seemed to want a word with Liu Lang, and headed home. She still had to handle the cancellation of the wedding banquet.

Because no definitive evidence of her stealing the money and valuables could be found, Zheng Zhizhi was released from custody, though she was currently forbidden from leaving the base.

Liu Lang led her away.

Zheng Hai was led away under guard, clearly headed for a lengthy interrogation.

Before he left, he shot Su Wan an unreadable smile. "Su Wan, Lu Zhengchuan, you two will definitely come begging me for help one day."