Chapter 18 - 13: Let’s Steal the Child

The moment he finished speaking.

Lin Yue fell into a long silence.

’What does he mean, steal the child?’

’Isn’t that what a kidnapper does...’

"Don’t get so worked up. There are other people here trying to get things done. What if you scare them?"

Xu De felt the confused stares from those around them and looked at the shocked Lin Yue with dissatisfaction.

Lin Yue could only stare back, bewildered.

"Shouldn’t you be more concerned about whether you’ve scared *me*?"

Lin Yue felt a little helpless, but she remained seated. However, she pushed her chair back, silently distancing herself from this ’dangerous character.’

Seeing this, Xu De added, "Don’t worry, what we’re doing is perfectly legal!"

Lin Yue slowly began to speak. "Let’s put aside whether it’s legal or not for a moment."

"I’m more confused about... why would you go through the trouble of stealing a child?"

After she spoke, she watched him with a puzzled expression.

The court had already ruled on the child’s custody. Wang Mei had been granted full custody. Even if Li Youcai and Liu Cui refused to hand over the child... she could later apply for police enforcement to get the child back.

No matter how you looked at it, stealing the child seemed completely unnecessary.

However...

"Do you think," Xu De suddenly countered, "that she can hold on to that custody with Wang Qiang under arrest?"

"Well..."

Lin Yue was silent for a moment before shaking her head. "No, she can’t."

"Why not?"

Xu De sat in his chair, not at all tense. He seemed completely relaxed, speaking with casual eloquence.

Before she could answer, he suddenly provided the answer himself.

"Because Li Youcai and Liu Cui believe that to Wang Mei, the child is nowhere near as important as Wang Qiang’s life-or-death crisis!"

This was a fact.

If Wang Qiang’s case continued to look hopeless, Wang Mei would, one hundred percent, trade custody for a change in their testimony.

In other words, winning the custody case was useless.

The main issue was still Wang Qiang’s case. If Xu De performed poorly, all of Lin Yue’s hard work would be for nothing, leaving her with only empty regrets.

This was also why she was willing to talk with him for so long. Their interests were already tightly bound together!

Just as Lin Yue was deep in thought, Xu De suddenly spoke again.

"But have you ever considered... why they would propose such a condition?"

"You have to remember, Li Erniu was their own flesh and blood, and they have a blood feud with Wang Qiang!"

"Theoretically, all they should want is for Wang Qiang to die!"

"But right now, they’re willing to let Wang Qiang off the hook just to get the child... Don’t you find that strange?"

The moment he said this, Lin Yue froze, her brow gradually knitting together.

’He’s right.’

The child was their grandson, but Li Erniu was their own flesh and blood, whom they had raised for thirty years.

Yet Wang Qiang had disemboweled him, and Li Youcai and Liu Cui showed no sign of grief. They were even using it as leverage to demand custody!

’If I were in their shoes,’ Lin Yue thought, ’I’d do whatever it took to make sure Wang Qiang paid with his life, even if it cost me my own!’

Why was that?

"Because of ignorance."

"Li Family Village is utterly benighted, and Li Youcai and Liu Cui are the most feudal of the feudal!"

Xu De didn’t waste any time and gave his answer decisively.

He crossed his right leg over his left, a cold smirk flashing across his face.

"Li Youcai and Liu Cui care about descendants, but all they really care about is the so-called ’continuation of the bloodline!’"

Let me put it this way.

The more ignorant people are, the more they have an almost fanatical obsession with ’carrying on the family line.’

This is something that younger generations, like those born in the 90s and 2000s, can understand quite well.

Some parents will ignore your current circumstances and force you to get married and have children to continue the bloodline. As for why...

Is there a throne to inherit?

Or a business empire to hand over?

There’s neither.

But they insist on this so-called ’carrying on the family line,’ even if it means interrupting your future career path. They demand that you immediately, without delay, bear a burden you cannot afford.

Wait until you’re in a better position to have kids? Not an option!

"Among them, the most fanatical..."

"They see children merely as tools for continuing the bloodline. While they may have feelings for them, those feelings are just a byproduct of ’carrying on the family line.’"

A look of calm indifference was in Xu De’s eyes.

From the moment Li Erniu died, he knew that Li Youcai and Liu Cui were this type of person.

After his explanation, Lin Yue understood instantly. The nagging sense that something was wrong with Li Youcai and Liu Cui now had an explanation in her mind.

A hint of astonishment flickered in her eyes as she spoke subconsciously:

"So, even though Li Erniu was their son, they aren’t heartbroken that he’s dead."

"Because the bloodline has continued, and they have a grandson?"

Xu De nodded. "Exactly."

"Li Youcai and Liu Cui are over sixty years old and can no longer have children. Their only son is dead, and they only have one grandson."

"If they lose this grandson... to them, it’s tantamount to having their family line wiped out!"

Even if the child was taken away by Wang Mei and lived a perfectly healthy life, in the minds of Li Youcai and Liu Cui, it would be no different from the child being dead and their line ending.

"In summary, we can draw a conclusion."

Xu De took a deep breath. He looked at Lin Yue and continued his explanation in a calm, unhurried, and clear manner:

"In the current ’Wang Qiang’ and ’Custody’ cases."

"Our primary need relates to the ’Wang Qiang Case,’ while Li Youcai’s need is the ’Custody Case.’"

Their needs were different.

This was also why Chen Wei, the lawyer from Yangteng Law Firm, believed they could achieve a win-win with Xu De, where each side gets what they want!

But that also brought them to a problem.

"Now that we understand their objective, let’s return to the initial question."

In an instant, Xu De’s gaze sharpened, bringing the conversation full circle.

"*Why do we need to steal the child!?*"

"Before I answer that, I have another question for you."

"Namely."

"*Why is it that, when both sides have something they desperately need, they’re the ones who dare to threaten us!?*"

The two questions hung in the air.

Lin Yue’s thoughts, which had just started to clear up, were now once again a tangled mess.

’He’s right.’

The other party wanted the child; without him, their family line would end.

On their side, Wang Mei didn’t want her father to die; if he did, she’d live in pain for the rest of her life.

Both sides had something to lose, and their needs weren’t small... so on what grounds did Li Youcai dare to threaten them?!

"Because of the urgency created by time."

Once again, Xu De didn’t mince words, giving his answer with decisive finality.

Lin Yue was taken aback. Her fine brows furrowed slightly in confusion as she looked at Xu De and asked:

"What urgency?"

"I mean that the two cases have different timelines, which leads to different levels of urgency in mindset and need."

Xu De, unswayed by her beauty, remained sharp-minded. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"The Wang Qiang case is imminent."

"Half a month... at most half a month. On November 9th, the trial begins. By then, it will likely be decided whether Wang Qiang lives or dies!"

"In contrast, what about the child custody issue?"

Wang Qiang was facing a life-or-death trial in just half a month. At that time, if he was sentenced to death and couldn’t appeal for a second hearing, he would really die!

The timeframe was only half a month!

But child custody...

"Even though the custody verdict came half a month before Wang Qiang’s trial, what is the actual enforcement period?"

Xu De countered, "Surely Lawyer Lin knows the answer to that."

Lin Yue paused.

She was a professional lawyer, so of course she knew what he meant.

Custody cases were a slow, drawn-out process.

First, after the court awarded custody to Wang Mei, it would give Li Youcai and Liu Cui a compliance period to execute the judgment—to hand over the child. Let’s say that’s one month.

After a month... what if the time was up and Li Youcai still refused to comply?

Then she could only apply for police enforcement. But... it usually took a year, or even two or three years, after the compliance period ended before the police would forcibly intervene and take the child!

Lin Yue was silent for a moment, then said drily, "Two... two or three years."

"I won’t say three years, or even two."

Xu De shook his head, directly comparing the two timelines.

"Let’s just assume enforcement happens after only one year!"

"That still gives Li Youcai a year. Only after a year will they experience the feeling of their ’family line being wiped out.’ But we..."

His voice grew low as he uttered a number that silenced the room.

"Only have fifteen days!"

Fifteen days versus one year.

Li Youcai wasn’t in a hurry, but Wang Mei was.

In business, the more desperate you are, the greater your perceived need, and the easier it is for others to control you, leading to things like last-minute price hikes!

"That is why, even though we both need something, they’re the ones who dare to threaten us!" Xu De said.

Lin Yue froze, then fell silent.

From the current perspective, it was a dead end.

The enforcement periods for the two cases were completely different. Unless Dongguo suddenly changed its laws, they would always be in a greater hurry than Li Youcai!

But that was obviously impossible.

"Hm? ...Lawyer Lin, have you zoned out again?"

Xu De, sitting beside her, raised an eyebrow and offered a gentle reminder.

Lin Yue snapped back to reality. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, sighed, and a look of desolation crossed her face as she shook her head.

"It’s nothing, I just feel like this case is a bit difficult..."

’Difficult?’

"Difficult in what way?" Xu De asked, surprised.

Lin Yue paused for a moment.

’He explained it all so clearly himself, and the timeline is impossible to change... How can he not see where the difficulty lies?’

"Never mind, we can talk about that later. In any case, let’s get back to the original question."

"Namely, *Why do I want to steal the child!*"

Xu De didn’t seem to care what she was thinking. He waved his hand dismissively, pulling the conversation back to its starting point.

"Because I’m going to..."

"Artificially create urgency!"