Chapter 65: Utter Nonsense

Because the door to Chen Xin’s home had been damaged, the officers from the local police station helped her find someone to replace it with a new one. She still had the receipt, which could serve as evidence for a compensation claim.

Just as the new door was installed, the elderly couple from the Liu family hurried over, arm in arm. Tear stains still marked Grandma Liu’s face.

“Who told the old man?” Chen Xin thought to herself that this was bad news. She quickly went out to greet them, leading the couple inside to sit down and pouring them each a cup of hot water.

“Grandma Liu, what brings you here?”

“I heard about it from people at home. Xin, this is my son’s fault. Whatever the damages, let him pay for it.”

“Oh, it’s really not just about the door.” Chen Xin frowned and exchanged a few words with the officer beside her, saying she’d go to the police station later.

The officer, who knew about Chen Xin’s relationship with the Liu family, nodded and didn’t make things difficult for her. Before leaving, he tried to comfort the elderly couple, telling them that their children’s affairs should be left to the children, and that they shouldn’t get too involved and risk harming their own health.

This was exactly what Chen Xin meant as well.

“Sister-in-law and Brother Liu, after all, are your son and daughter-in-law. It’s normal for them to have their own thoughts. Not to mention them—even the neighbors who don’t know the truth are probably whispering behind my back, wondering what kind of spell I’ve put on you two. I only called the police because her mother was truly beyond reason; if I hadn’t, she would have been impossible to handle. But as for your daughter-in-law, I bear no ill will toward her, so you can rest assured. If there’s ever a chance to truly rein in her mother, that would be a good thing. Otherwise, I worry that Chunyan and Brother Liu might end up turning against each other completely. After all, they’re siblings; aside from you two, they’re the closest in the world.”

“That’s exactly right.” Grandma Liu wiped her tears, taking Chen Xin’s hand. “If I hadn’t thought that whatever squabbles happened between brother and sister were a family matter, I would never have allowed that foolish woman to do what she did today. Don’t worry, Xin, Grandma Liu will stand up for you in this. Either Liu Jianmin divorces, or he leaves with his wife—I’ll act as if I never had this son.”

Grandma Liu had seen things clearly now. She and her husband had their own pensions and social security, as well as a loving daughter and son-in-law. If their elder son wanted to care for them, fine; if not, it didn’t matter—they no longer relied on him.

Grandpa Liu sighed. “The day after tomorrow, your grandma and I will go out for a trip. Do whatever you need to do; don’t mind our reputation. It’s better to have no in-laws than to have ones like these.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than there came a knock at the door. Chen Xin went to check and saw that it was Liu Jianmin, who had just rushed over from work.

“Are my parents here?” Liu Jianmin’s brows were tightly furrowed. The first thing he said wasn’t to ask after Chen Xin, but to ask if his parents were there, as though he was afraid she might have spirited them away.

“They’re here. Come in.” Chen Xin’s expression was cool as she opened the door for him.

As she was about to close the door, she saw Yi Bai arriving on his motorcycle.

“Officer Yi, what brings you here?” Chen Xin opened the door wide, letting Yi Bai park his bike in the courtyard, as it was inconvenient to leave it on the sidewalk outside.

“I just got to the station and heard about this. Since I was out on business, I thought I’d stop by. On my way, I called Zhou Hao—he’s in a meeting and said he’ll come over after. We’ll have lunch at your place.”

Chen Xin nodded, understanding. She said nothing more.

With Yi Bai to help console and talk things through with the elderly couple, Chen Xin took the opportunity to go to the police station to give her statement and buy some groceries on the way back.

Liu Jianmin left with her but walked in silence the whole way. Chen Xin couldn’t be bothered with him. She was the innocent party here—why should she be the one to console him? This incident had shown her a glaring flaw in Liu Jianmin’s character—he simply wasn’t a responsible man.

When they arrived at the police station, Liu Jianmin suddenly spoke, saying he wanted to talk.

“Talk about what? There’s nothing to talk about,” Chen Xin said, turning to face him. “From beginning to end, I’ve done nothing to wrong your family, and there are no interests at stake. Do you really think your suspicions entitle you to cut me off from the rest of your family? You’re giving yourself far too much credit.”

“It’s not that—my wife didn’t mean it.”

“Did you even check your conscience before saying that?” Chen Xin sneered. “She didn’t mean to break down my door? Everyone saw it, and I wasn’t even home. Honestly, if it weren’t for the sake of Grandpa and Grandma Liu, I could have charged her with breaking and entering.”

That would be a very different charge indeed, and Liu Jianmin’s face changed at her words.

“They didn’t…”

“Didn’t what? Didn’t break down my door? Didn’t make a scene? Didn’t try to ambush me first thing in the morning? Didn’t slander and lie without shame?”

Chen Xin stepped closer, her eyes full of disgust. “Liu Jianmin, don’t pretend you’re the victim here—you disgust me!”

Chen Xin did not lower her voice as she spoke. Everyone coming and going in the station noticed them, and many stopped in their tracks, eager to watch the drama unfold.

“Chen Xin.” Zhou Hao arrived just as Chen Xin was close to losing control. He called her name, which helped her rein in her temper a bit. “This must be Comrade Liu Jianmin?”

Zhou Hao had parked his military vehicle outside the police station, still in uniform.

“What brings you here?” Chen Xin asked, surprised; she’d expected Zhou Hao to go straight to her home.

“I spoke with Officer Yi Bai on the way over. Given the situation of outsiders harassing the child of a fallen hero, I thought it warranted my attention.”

With that, Zhou Hao had reframed the entire incident. Liu Jianmin wanted to protest, but he didn’t know what to say. He worked in the defense industry, in research, and with the current transition to civilian work, if they were officially branded for this kind of trouble, both he and his wife would be forced out. If local employers learned the reason for their transfer, who would want to hire them?

“By the way, I’d like to ask if it’s possible to have Zhang Zhang stay at the military district’s kindergarten for a week. Once this matter is resolved, I’ll bring him back. If someone can break down my door in broad daylight, who knows what could happen at night when the street is empty? If someone broke in and killed us, who would hear our cries for justice?”

The onlookers, hearing this, were in an uproar. Breaking and entering in broad daylight—this was a major story!

Zhou Hao, sensing the mood was ripe, gently nudged Chen Xin to go inside, leaving the crowd outside to let their imaginations run wild.

Once they were inside, they could hear Liu Jianmin’s mother-in-law still making a scene, accusing Liu Chunyan of conspiring with outsiders to steal her daughter’s property and harm her nephew.

“Just listen to her—slandering others, always accusing first. With people like this, what’s the point of reasoning? Take it straight to court. Is there any value in arguing with someone like that?” Chen Xin sneered, showing Liu Jianmin no mercy.