Chapter 725 - 624: Let It End Here

Xiao Man frowned. "You have nothing to do with him anymore, so why are you giving him money? How much does he want?"

"He wants a hundred thousand, and I have it on hand. I’m married now. My heart is filled with only my family, my husband, and my children. I have absolutely no connection to him anymore. But when I think about how he used to take care of me and give me spending money... I’ll just consider it paying him back. A way to buy some peace of mind."

Yang Liu’er bit her lip. "I’m not the least bit surprised or upset that the Bai Family collapsed. I’ve been eating well and sleeping soundly, completely unaffected. I’m perfectly calm, inside and out. But when I heard him on the phone, he said he’s wandering around outside with not a penny to his name, like a beggar... I just... I don’t know how to describe this feeling. What kind of person was he? He was coddled and protected his whole life. Even when he was living at my house as my ’brother,’ my parents treated him like a young master. To be so down and out now... it’s truly hard to imagine what he’s become. Honestly, I can’t help but feel bad for him."

"Bai Junfan has become a wandering beggar? You believe him? He has a job, at a unit," Xiao Man said.

"Not anymore. He said he already left his unit. It’s like they say, people kick a man when he’s down. The Bai Family got into trouble, so he was fired."

"Is that what he told you? A unit needs a reason to fire someone. Why didn’t you ask him why he’s a homeless wanderer now? Only fugitives on the run from the law would hide and wander around like that!"

Yang Liu’er froze for a moment, her eyes filled with confusion. "Oh, right... Could he have been implicated because of the Bai Family? His unit fired him, the authorities were going to arrest him, so he ran?"

Xiao Man sneered. "You managed to graduate from college, didn’t you? You should have at least a basic understanding of our country’s laws. This isn’t ten years ago, and it’s certainly not ancient society. There’s no such thing as punishing a whole family for the crime of one person. The Bai Family’s downfall happened for two reasons. First, Bai Lihua abused his power for personal gain, taking bribes and engaging in corruption. Second, Bai Qingyue was swindled, lost a fortune in business, and had creditors knocking at her door. They had to sell off their family assets to fill the hole, and even their ancestral home is about to be seized to pay off debts. And just like that, the Bai Family is gone. Is that what you call ’the family fell, and everyone kicked them while they were down’? It’s entirely the Bai family’s own fault for not respecting themselves and digging their own graves, okay? If Bai Junfan had just worked honestly at his unit, none of this would have had anything to do with him. Who would go after him for debts? How could he possibly be implicated? So, Mrs. Lu, please use your head when you think about things and don’t just spout nonsense."

Yang Liu’er pouted. "Can’t I just say what’s on my mind? It’s called freedom of speech. Are you going to arrest me for it?"

Xiao Man shot her a disdainful look and went back to eating her ice.

Yang Liu’er spoke again. "But why exactly was he fired from his unit? He was young and promising, had received merits, and was being groomed for leadership. He was already a junior leader."

"What’s a junior leader? National law and military discipline are no joke. I’m not interested in the Bai Family’s affairs, but I’ve heard bits and pieces about Bai Junfan. I think I even mentioned some of it to you once, but you seemed pretty dismissive at the time."

"What did you say? People say you get pregnancy brain for three years. My memory isn’t what it used to be. Tell me again."

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. Do you remember that time Bai Junfan dragged you into his car at De Ren Hospital and almost took you away?"

"I remember that. That bastard! He wanted to hold me captive!" As Yang Liu’er recalled the incident, her expression soured. She bit her lip, her almond-shaped eyes wide with anger.

"It was right around that time. Under Bai Qingyue’s arrangement, Bai Junfan was planning to pursue Jun Ran, the eldest daughter of the Jun Family. He was putting on a good show—giving her flowers, bringing her nourishing congee. Madam Jun was very pleased, and both families were happy to see them together, already looking forward to an engagement. I told you about this, right? But then Bai Junfan went to the Northwest for a post and ended up in a serious relationship with his superior’s daughter, who also happens to be Jun Ran’s cousin. I think you knew about this too, didn’t you?"

Yang Liu’er lowered her eyes, a sudden wave of nausea washing over her. ’I did know. Bai Junfan sent me a letter with a bunch of photos of that superior’s daughter tucked inside. The woman looked strikingly similar to me—a seventy to eighty percent match. In one photo, Bai Junfan and that woman were posing together, his arm around her as they kissed...’

"Later on, I met that superior’s daughter’s younger sister at someone’s house. She’s also Jun Ran’s cousin and lives with the Jun Family. She was the one who spread the story about Bai Junfan. She said he was a total womanizer in the Northwest. After getting into a relationship with her sister, he was simultaneously flirting with several other superiors’ daughters at his unit. Those girls got so jealous they actually started fighting over him. Do you think their fathers wouldn’t get involved? Bai Junfan was just a junior leader, but those girls’ fathers were the real big shots. Any one of them could have made his life miserable. If they’d decided to team up and take him down, he would’ve been lucky to escape with his life. Getting kicked out of the unit was him getting off easy!"

Xiao Man wasn’t exactly misleading Yang Liu’er with these words. Bai Junfan really had been involved in such scandalous affairs. It was just that back then, Old Master Bai was still alive and well, so Bai Junfan was arrogant and confident, thinking no one in that place would dare to touch him.

The fact that he had now been punished for breaking the law and, on top of that, fired from his unit, naturally meant he had made an even bigger mistake. Bai Junfan wasn’t exactly inexperienced with the ways of the world; how could he have been caught so easily? He practiced Ancient Martial Arts and was currently cultivating, having likely already reached the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer. Even if he had committed murder or arson, he was more than capable of erasing all traces and escaping punishment. Yet, he was caught, severely punished, and expelled from his unit.

Xiao Man didn’t spell out the reasons behind it all. Yang Liu’er could guess whatever she wanted. As for how much sympathy she felt for Bai Junfan, that was a private matter. Perhaps Lu Jian Country would be concerned, but it was nobody else’s business.

Yang Liu’er sighed, pushing aside the slushie she had stirred into a cup of water. She propped her chin on her hands, her elbows resting on the table. Her long, thick, curly eyelashes fluttered upwards, her gaze shifted, and her eyes shone with their usual brightness. Her downcast, confused expression was gone.

"I got some news recently, and Lu Jian Country and I went to check it out. There’s an empty plot of land in the East City District, and a few farmhouse courtyards for sale. The location is excellent! The value will definitely soar within ten years. I want to buy that whole plot of land. The courtyards are a bit scattered, and I can’t take on that much myself. Do you want me to let you have them?"

Xiao Man was speechless. ’Why is she suddenly talking about this? What a huge leap in topic.’ "Isn’t Lu Jian Country a big boss? He’s rolling in dough. If you can’t handle it, just have him help you."

"Sigh, he’s not a big boss yet. He’s saved up some money, but I’ve seen how fast he spends it. There are always these strange, inexplicable expenses. Money disappears in bundles. If I didn’t trust him so much, I’d suspect he was keeping a mistress on the side. The changes in this life have been too great. Ever since he enrolled in school, he’s really thrown himself into being a student. He’s so dedicated to his books he even forgets to eat. Who knows, maybe he’ll change careers in this lifetime? Anyway, I’m determined to be rich, so it doesn’t matter if he’s a big boss or not. As long as he’s a faithful husband and a good father to my son, that’s all that matters!"

"You’ve got that right. You can do it. You’re already a strong, independent woman. If you keep this up, you’ll turn into the landlady from *Seventy-two Tenants*, with so much money your little brats won’t be able to spend it all in several lifetimes."

Yang Liu’er shot Xiao Man a glare. "What do you mean, landlady? That sounds so awful! You should call me a rich woman! No, since we’re so young and beautiful, it should be a ’rich lady’! My little brats, Weiwei and his sister, will be super-rich second-generation kids. All the wealth I create will be theirs. I’ll never let them suffer in the slightest or be wronged in any way!"

She paused for a moment, then said softly, "Yes, I’ve figured it out. Everything I have belongs to my children, and that includes my husband. They haven’t even had a chance to spend my money yet, so how can I just give it away to someone else without a second thought? I can’t! Back then, Bai Junfan gave me a passbook with a little over two thousand yuan in it, and I’ve given him fifty thousand in total since then. I’ve already paid him back many times over. Tomorrow, I’ll wire him another ten thousand. That will be the last time I help him. After that, our connection in this lifetime is over!"