Chapter 724 - 623: Part 3

"Haha! Let’s take our time; there’s no need to rush. It all depends on our own efforts, you know."

"Dad, how much money did that Bai Lihua embezzle? Is it enough for the death penalty?"

"He didn’t just embezzle funds; he also accepted bribes. The amounts were quite large, though we’ve already recovered some of it. His wife’s family is supposedly very wealthy and influential, and they want to help repay what he owes. If they actually pay it back, he might avoid capital punishment and get fifteen to twenty years at most. After three to five years, they could pull some strings, he’d get his sentence reduced for good behavior, and he could be out in less than a decade... But that’s just wishful thinking on his part, and what most people are guessing. In reality, it won’t be nearly that easy!"

Xiao Man nodded in understanding. Gu Shaojun had already said he wouldn’t let the Bai Family off the hook, so it would be strange if the Tang family didn’t kick them while they were down.

’Now that Bai Lihua is behind bars, he can forget about ever getting out.’

From the Tang Family’s perspective, Bai Lihua had to die. But in Xiao Man’s view, his death would be far from unjust. In both of her lives, he had been insufferably confident, probably believing himself to be some heaven-sent prodigy, a hundred times superior to Tang Qingyun! He wasn’t upset that Wu Xiaowen had married Tang Qingyun; he was upset that he hadn’t had the power back then, while Tang Qingyun did. ’By what right?’ And now, he openly disdained the Tang family, seducing and toying with Wu Xiaowen without a care in the world. What could the Tang family do besides quietly endure the shame?

’It had to be said, Wu Xiaowen was scum—a cracked egg just waiting for flies. But Bai Lihua’s actions alone were enough to warrant a death sentence.’

Xiao Man had focused on her studies and ignored the Bai Family, partly because she wanted to give Tang Qingyun and Tang Haocheng a shock and make them see Wu Xiaowen and Tang Yaxuan for the kind of people they truly were.

’If the Gu family hadn’t stepped in, she certainly wouldn’t have let the Bai Family have an easy time of it. Her methods would have been slower, not as clean and lethal as Gu Shaojun’s strikes. She would have likely let Bai Lihua or Bai Junfan climb and climb, only making her move once they’d reached a great height. The higher the climb, the more painful the fall—a fall painful enough to kill.’

That was why, from the moment she learned of the relationship between Yang Liu’er and Bai Junfan, Xiao Man had been scheming to pry her away from the Bai Family. Yang Liu’er was cannon fodder, but she was also a rebirth-er, which indicated she had profound karmic blessings. It was just as the Thousand-year-old Snake Lord had said: Heaven has its reasons for allowing rebirth.

A person like that brings blessings and good fortune wherever they go. Because she had used her past-life memories to warn Bai Junfan, Mr. Bai had avoided a fatal calamity. She absolutely could not be allowed to remain with the Bai Family.

Fortunately, the members of the Bai family played their part by ostracizing and pushing her out. With a little more persuasion from Xiao Man, who also casually sorted out her school enrollment, Yang Liu’er finally resolved to leave the Bai Family. As for her later moving in with the Lu Family and marrying Lu Jian Country—that was simply the fate between those two.

Speak of the devil. The next morning, Xiao Man got a call from Yang Liu’er. She wanted to meet that afternoon at a cold drink shop in the small park near the Medical College on Xiao Man’s way back to school.

When Xiao Man arrived at the cold drink shop, Yang Liu’er was already seated at a table, taking tiny sips of a mung bean slushie. Her eyes were squeezed shut in an expression of pure bliss. Spotting Xiao Man, she waved to the waitress. "Another shaved ice!"

Xiao Man pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing around. "No bodyguard, huh? You must have snuck out. And you’re eating something iced? You’ve got some nerve. Aren’t you afraid I’ll snitch?"

Yang Liu’er rolled her eyes at her. "We’re through if you snitch! It’s so hot today that this thing practically turns to boiling water in my mouth. It doesn’t satisfy my craving at all."

"Then take bigger bites. Here, have my shaved ice. That’s how you really satisfy a craving," Xiao Man deliberately provoked her.

"Get away, get away! Don’t you hurt my little girl!"

"And how do you know you’re having a girl?"

"Of course! When I was pregnant with Weiwei, it felt completely different. That’s why I’m positive this one is going to be my sweet little girl!"

She said it with such a straight face, as if she had actually given birth to Weiwei herself.

Xiao Man was defeated. Worried that Yang Liu’er would start talking about past and present lives again, she asked, "So, what did you want to see me about?"

Yang Liu’er huffed. "Can’t I see you just for fun?"

"Nope! You just used me as an excuse to sneak out for a cold drink, and then you’ll have Lu Jian Country blaming me. I’m not taking the fall for this!"

Yang Liu’er burst out laughing. "Look at you, so sharp. Don’t worry, I know my own body. I’m just taking a couple of sips for the taste, not actually eating it."

"So you really only came here for a taste to satisfy a craving?"

"Half and half. I’ve also been feeling a little down."

"If you’re feeling down, shouldn’t you talk to Lu Jian Country? What good am I?"

Yang Liu’er shook her head. "I can’t talk to him about this. No matter how understanding or doting a man is, he doesn’t want to hear another man’s name come from his wife’s lips."

"Who is it? You’ve found another man you like?"

Yang Liu’er glared at her. "What do you take me for, a player?"

Xiao Man was speechless. ’You’re the one who brought it up.’

Yang Liu’er stirred the slushie in her cup and let out a soft sigh. "It’s Bai Junfan. He called my office, and I happened to pick up. He asked me for money. Tell me, should I give it to him?"