Chapter 699: Xu Ling’s Plea

“Mom, what are you doing here?”

When Xu Shaochen returned home, he saw his mother, Li Xiaoli, sitting on the sofa chatting with the sisters Liu Rushuang and Du Ruyan.

Xu Ling sat beside them, her eyes red.

“What? Am I not allowed to be here?” Li Xiaoli responded in an irritated tone, clearly not in a good mood.

Xu Shaochen was slightly taken aback. “Mom, of course you can be here. But, did I make you mad?”

“You didn’t make me mad. So, explain this to me. What’s going on? What do you plan to do? You idiot!”

Li Xiaoli pointed at the bellies of the Liu sisters and glared at Xu Shaochen furiously, her face dark and angry.

As a woman herself, she couldn’t tolerate her son’s carefree and womanizing ways.

Xu Shaochen finally realized what was happening, breaking into a cold sweat. Damn, how could he forget about this?

Thank goodness there were only three women here; otherwise, things would have gotten completely out of hand.

“Auntie, don’t blame Shaochen. We’re all willingly by his side.”

“Yeah, Auntie, just think of how happy you’ll be when a bunch of grandchildren are calling you grandma.”

The three women, Liu Rushuang, Liu Ruxu, and Du Ruyan, all chimed in to defend Xu Shaochen.

“Sigh, what a pity you girls are such good women, only to be stuck with a jerk like him.”

Li Xiaoli sighed heavily, turning her furious gaze back to Xu Shaochen.

Xu Shaochen was speechless. Hearing that, he wondered—am I still her actual son? Meanwhile, the three women were laughing mischievously at his discomfort.

It was the first time they had seen Xu Shaochen get scolded so mercilessly.

Helpless, Xu Shaochen shook his head and cast his gaze toward Xu Ling.

“Thud!”

As soon as Xu Ling noticed Xu Shaochen looking at her, she knelt on the ground without hesitation, bursting into tears as she begged:

“Shaochen, I was wrong before. It was all my fault. Please, I beg you, don’t hold a grudge against me. Only you can help me now!”

“You should stand up first before we talk,” Xu Shaochen said, frowning slightly.

Li Xiaoli hurried over to help Xu Ling up. “Lingling, stand up. Be good. How can a sister kneel in front of her brother? Stand up and talk properly.”

“No, I won’t stand. If you don’t agree to help me, I’ll kneel here forever!”

Xu Ling’s expression turned stubborn as she glared at Xu Shaochen decisively.

“Then keep kneeling. When you’ve thought it through and are ready to talk normally, we can discuss whether I’ll help or not.”

Xu Shaochen’s tone was indifferent. He wasn’t going to be swayed by such kneeling tactics.

“What kind of attitude is that?!” Li Xiaoli gave him an angry glare.

Feeling helpless, Xu Shaochen replied to Xu Ling, “If you don’t get up, I won’t help you.”

Only then did Xu Ling stand up. Her face was filled with an expression of pitiful helplessness as she looked at Xu Shaochen.

Xu Shaochen could tell that she wasn’t putting on an act. Her emotions were completely genuine.

“I’m telling you now. You must help your sister this time, no matter what.”

Li Xiaoli had already made the decision for him.

“Mom, if she has something to say, she could’ve come on her own. Why did you come with her? The train ride’s crowded, and you get motion sickness too.”

Xu Shaochen looked at Li Xiaoli, feeling a little helpless. When it came to his mother, there was simply nothing he could do.

However, seeing how lively and energetic she looked now, completely different from the past, he felt truly happy for her.

“Lingling knelt in front of me and explained everything as soon as she came into the house. She still calls me ‘Aunt.’ How could I not come with her?”

When Xu Shaochen heard this, his brows furrowed. At first, he had thought his mother was tricked by Xu Ling into coming to Jiangzhou.

After all, Xu Ling had a history of pulling stunts like that.

But now it seemed like she had genuinely changed—choosing to sincerely ask for help instead of relying on sneaky tricks.

With that thought, Xu Shaochen’s gaze softened as he asked, “So, what’s going on that made you cry and kneel?”

“Sigh, it’s your Second Uncle. He’s gotten himself into trouble again… conned into a pyramid scheme.”

Li Xiaoli sighed deeply, stepping in front of Xu Ling to explain the situation.

As it turns out, Xu Shaochen’s Second Uncle, Xu Gui, and Xu Ling’s father, had recently been duped into joining a pyramid scheme.

In a frenzy, he had started buying all kinds of so-called financial products sold by the scammers. He had spent all the family’s savings and was now borrowing money from relatives, even trying to drag his family into the scheme.

Because of this, Xu Ling’s family was now utterly humiliated. They couldn’t even face their relatives. Xu Ling’s mother was so furious, she was talking about divorcing her father and had returned to her parents’ home.

After hearing all of this, Xu Shaochen had mixed feelings. He didn’t know what to say.

In the past, Xu Gui had always boasted about how clever he was and how well he was doing. He’d smugly show off, proud that he wasn’t easily fooled.

He had always insisted he’d never be tricked in his life. Who would have thought he’d end up brainwashed by a pyramid scheme, ruining his family like this?

All Xu Shaochen could think was: Pyramid schemes really ruin lives!

Previously, he had thought such things were distant problems, only ever appearing on the news.

He never imagined that one day it would happen so close to home.

“Shaochen, I’m begging you now. Please, you must help me. If you don’t, our family is finished.”

“I know I was wrong before. I truly regret my actions. If you’re willing to help us, I’ll do anything to repay you—whatever you ask.”

Seeing that Xu Shaochen wasn’t speaking, Xu Ling panicked, thinking that he might refuse to help. She immediately begged him even more earnestly.

“Where is he right now?”

Xu Shaochen finally asked.

Xu Ling visibly relaxed and replied eagerly, “He’s in Jiangzhou, right here in Jiangzhou! My father mentioned it before. There aren’t many people involved—it’s a small group with about twenty or so members.”

“Do you know exactly where he is?” Xu Shaochen asked again.

“I… I haven’t been able to contact him for days.” Xu Ling stammered, clearly embarrassed.

Xu Shaochen sighed and said, “Call him, and tell him you’ve decided to join his so-called money-making venture.”

“Right, right! How could I forget that?”

Xu Ling’s eyes lit up instantly. She quickly took out her Phone and called Xu Gui, putting it on speaker.

“Hello, Dad…”

“Lingling, you don’t need to say anything more. You just don’t understand. Once I make it big, I’ll bring you a better life. Then, you’ll see that everything I’ve done is right.”

Xu Gui interrupted her impatiently after just a few words.

“Dad, listen to me. I’ve thought about it seriously. I’ve looked into the project thoroughly, and I think I misunderstood it before. I want to join you now. Let’s work together as father and daughter to make a fortune.”

“Oh, by the way, I’ve also convinced two of my former colleagues. They’re ready to invest too.”

Afraid that her father would hang up, Xu Ling spoke rapidly, even making up two colleagues as bait.