Chapter 701: Every Family Has Its Troubles

The battle started without warning.

It ended just as quickly.

In just a few minutes, several key members of the bespectacled man’s group were lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

As for those who had been duped and tricked, none of them dared to make a move. They all stood obediently, not daring to budge.

Some of them, in fact, realized they might have been cheated.

But there was a sunk-cost problem involved.

They had already invested so much energy and money into this so-called ‘project’.

If they left now, all the funds and effort they had spent would be wasted.

So, they became unwilling to accept it, deceiving themselves, and eventually sinking deeper.

It’s like a lottery. Someone tells you the top prize in the box is 100 yuan, and you spend 10 trying to win, but you get nothing.

At that moment, you can’t just walk away because then the 10 yuan you spent would feel wasted.

So, you start convincing yourself to keep trying, maybe a few more times. Who knows? You might win the 100 yuan.

Then, not only would you break even, but you’d also profit.

Some in this group shared that exact mentality.

They weren’t like Xu Gui, who just got swept in recently, full of passion.

Otherwise, when the bespectacled man made his move, they too would’ve charged in without hesitation.

Of course, part of the group had this mindset, but others had just given up entirely.

They had been deceived for so long that when they finally realized the truth, it was already too late. They no longer knew what to do, so they just muddled through day by day.

Soon, the Police arrived, arresting everyone for investigation.

Xu Shaochen firmly claimed this was a scam group, and the Police had to consider his words carefully.

Whether it could be legally defined as a scam, even Xu Shaochen wasn’t sure.

By the time they finished making statements at the Police station, it was already midday.

Just that morning, Xu Gui, who had been shouting about getting rich, was now sitting on the sofa, dejected, like an eggplant hit by frost.

There were even a few clear red marks on his face.

Xu Shaochen noticed Du Ruyan teasing the puppy, with a curious look on her face.

Cuddling the little puppy, she leaned close to Xu Shaochen and whispered, ‘Auntie really gave him a beating. It was brutal.’

Xu Shaochen glanced over at his mother, whose face was grim, and he shivered, recalling the terror of being ‘disciplined’ with bamboo shoots during his childhood.

However, he thought his mom had become much more confident and assertive now.

In the past, she would never have done more than scold him lightly, and she had always been very kind to relatives like Xu Gui, even when they mocked or ridiculed her.

Turns out, having money changes everything.

Now that she didn’t need to worry about making ends meet, her whole demeanor had transformed, becoming more forceful when dealing with things.

In Xu Shaochen’s view, this was a good thing. He had originally worried his mom’s usual kindness would leave her vulnerable once they moved back to their hometown.

But now, it seemed he had been worrying for nothing.

“Look at what you’ve been up to all day. You’ve turned this family into a mess! Lingling was crying and kneeling, begging me just now, then she knelt again and asked Shaochen for help. Don’t you feel any shame?”

Li Xiaoli’s constant nagging echoed as she scolded Xu Gui.

In the past, the ever-self-righteous Xu Gui would have argued back, but now he just kept his head down, not daring to utter a word.

He probably felt pretty guilty for the things he had done recently after regaining his senses.

Because he wasn’t too deeply involved, he acted most fanatically initially, but a firm hand could ‘wake’ him up.

The truly troublesome ones were those who had been completely brainwashed. No matter what you did to them, even using every trick available, it was useless. Those people were essentially lost.

After lunch, Xu Ling took Xu Gui and left, saying she needed to fetch her mother from her parents’ house.

When she left, Xu Ling knelt and kowtowed to Xu Shaochen, no matter how much he tried to stop her.

“Their family’s probably not going to have any peace.”

Li Xiaoli sighed.

Xu Shaochen understood why his mom said that.

Xu Gui had a particularly domineering and sharp-tongued wife.

With all the family funds squandered by Xu Gui, there’s no way his wife would forgive him easily.

Even if she forgave him and came back, fights would likely break out every few days.

“Every family has its troubles,” Xu Shaochen casually remarked, grabbing the little puppy by its scruff and lifting it into his arms to play with it.

Furry and chubby—it would be a waste not to rub such an adorable creature!

After all, it might grow too big to lift soon.

Li Xiaoli rolled her eyes when she heard him say that. She responded bluntly, “What about the troubles in your own family? How are you going to deal with them?”

Xu Shaochen’s expression froze. He wished he could slap himself at that moment.

Why did you have to say something so stupid? Now you’ve shot yourself in the foot.

“Aw, Mom, don’t worry about it. This is young people’s business; you wouldn’t understand,” Xu Shaochen said helplessly.

Li Xiaoli snorted, “I’ve never seen any other young person as reckless as you.”

Xu Shaochen suddenly felt a bit nostalgic for the old days when his mom was gentle, timid, and less assertive.

Of course, he was just joking. In truth, he was happy to see his mom becoming more positive and confident.

“Well, they don’t have the skills to back it up! Who else can say they have such a handsome son like you!”

Xu Shaochen complimented himself while throwing in a little flattery for his mom.

Li Xiaoli couldn’t help but smile and shook her head, then she said in a serious tone: “Shaochen, seriously. You’re not a kid anymore. I hope you handle things properly and don’t regret your actions. You owe it to such a good girl.”

“Mom, I know. Don’t worry.” Xu Shaochen threw the puppy into her arms, trying to divert her attention.

Sure enough, after she had the puppy in her arms, Li Xiaoli stopped nagging him.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was evening.

As more women walked into the living room, Li Xiaoli smiled on the surface but secretly glared at Xu Shaochen.

This little rascal… What on earth has he been up to? Does he think he’s some kind of emperor?

She had thought there were only Liu Rushuang, Liu Ruxu, and Du Ruyan. Now, she finally realized she had severely underestimated her son’s romantic escapades.

“Ahem…I’ll go give the puppy a bath. You ladies chat for a bit.”

Feeling a chill down his spine, Xu Shaochen coughed twice and scooped up the puppy, dashing to the bathroom, intending to lie low for a while.

“Woof woof… whimper~”

The puppy’s little chubby legs flailed in the air as it struggled, clearly protesting—it didn’t want a bath at all.