Shao Guangrong’s mother nearly called him a pig-head.

Shao Guangrong remained unbothered, “If I happened to witness it, how could I not testify?”

Even with his family, Shao Guangrong stuck to the same story he told at the police station, being very cautious.

His mother was angry, “You’re talking nonsense! What do you mean you ‘happened to witness it’? What were you doing there late at night? You’re dating that girl, that’s why you’re taking responsibility. You’re just showing off, playing hero!”

“Who said that? She’s only 17, she’s not my girlfriend.”

Though she would be in the future.

But he absolutely couldn’t admit that now.

Shao Guangrong hadn’t expected his family to learn about You Li’s existence at such an unfortunate time.

His mother wasn’t so easily fooled:

“You think I don’t know? She works as a sales clerk at the clothing store, right? You troublemaker, I’ve been telling you to get married first – how can you establish yourself without settling down? But you never listen! Now you’re getting worse, at your age, going after young girls! These young girls nowadays are too calculating, they’ve got you wrapped around their finger.”

Shao Guangrong found these words distasteful.

The way his mother spoke made him sound like some ancient lecher.

Shao Guangrong didn’t think he was that old – he was born in ’62, while Zhou Cheng and Kang Wei were born in ’63. He was just a year older than them, only 24 this year!

Yes, he was 7 years older than Little You… but it’s not like he chose the age gap, right?

“Where did you hear this from? Was it from Tong Lili? She’s just bitter because our matchmaking didn’t work out, always trying to cause trouble.”

“Tong Lili is already married, you think she still cares about you? If you’re not dating that young girl, why are you so concerned? You better explain this clearly!”

Mother Shao had plenty of experience arguing with her son and wasn’t easily deceived.

Shao Guangrong maintained a serious expression, “Well, do you know which store Little You works at? You know Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend Xia Xiaolan, right? It’s her family’s store. Little You just started working there recently, and she’s not just killing time – she’s about to start working at a real estate company in Peng City. Sister-in-law Xiaolan thinks highly of Little You. If not for my sake, then for Sister-in-law Xiaolan’s sake, shouldn’t I look out for her?”

Mother Shao’s attention was successfully diverted.

She knew the store belonged to Xia Xiaolan’s family.

But a real estate company in Peng City?

That was news to her.

Shao Guangrong spoke vaguely, “Sister-in-law Xiaolan has quite a few businesses, Kang Wei and I both have shares in them. We’re good friends privately, so I need to look after her affairs both professionally and personally… Remember how unfair my uncle was before, almost letting others steal Sister-in-law Xiaolan’s property? I felt so embarrassed when I found out. This situation came up at just the right time for me to show where I stand.”

Mother Shao was half-convinced.

When you accept someone’s favors, you become obligated to them.

The Shao family vaguely knew that Shao Guangrong had income from Peng City.

Shao Guangrong couldn’t keep everything from his family – he needed to prove his good judgment in choosing friends, showing that his childhood friends wouldn’t leave him out of good opportunities. Besides, if Shao Guangrong didn’t explain the situation to his family, they would question where his money came from.

The Shao family had high hopes for their only son, worried that he might be taking improper money from his work position.

Shao Guangrong’s shares in the building materials store had been reduced from 12% to 4%, but the dividends were still terrifyingly high for someone on a regular salary. That was with just two stores – now they had expanded to four stores, and by year’s end, Shao Guangrong estimated he would receive over a hundred thousand.

Currently, regulations on civil servants investing in businesses aren’t strict, with unclear accounts everywhere. The Shao family didn’t see his shares in the building materials store as a problem.

That was Kang Wei and Xia Xiaolan looking after him, and when Shao Guangrong brought up Xia Xiaolan, his mother had nothing more to say.

Mother Shao wasn’t happy about him dating a sales clerk.

But if Shao Guangrong were to follow Zhou Cheng’s example and find someone as capable as Xia Xiaolan, Mother Shao’s feelings would likely be even more complicated:

“You say Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend even has a real estate company in Peng City? That’s quite impressive. Can Zhou Cheng keep his wife in check? And what about the Zhou family – with a daughter-in-law who has everything, will she still be obedient and filial?”

Shao Guangrong rolled his eyes:

“You’re worrying about nothing!”

Who’s controlling whom?

In Shao Guangrong’s view, Zhou Cheng was quite happy being managed by Xia Xiaolan – he was even afraid she wouldn’t manage him enough.

As for the Zhou family – they were quite reasonable, and what did they have to be unhappy about? If it weren’t for Xia Xiaolan’s capability, who would look after Zhou Yi abroad? Just for the effort Xia Xiaolan spent on Zhou Yi, the Zhou family should be grateful to her!

Shao Guangrong finally escaped his mother’s interrogation.

He wasn’t afraid of anyone else’s questioning.

Even when Shao Limin called from Shang City to inquire about the matter, Shao Guangrong brushed him off with a few words, and even turned it around to ask why Shao Limin hadn’t helped last time.

Shao Limin couldn’t argue with his twisted logic and cursed at him angrily:

“What do you know!”

“I know that you can’t be heartless in life, only taking advantages without giving back. You can’t sustain a business that way, and you won’t go far in officialdom either!”

“Get lost—”

“Uncle, I won’t. I just want to ask how things turned out with the Erqi Plaza in Shang City… Hello? Uncle?!”

Beep beep beep.

The phone line went dead.

Shao Limin had hung up on him.

This was how Shao Guangrong divided and conquered – no one in the Shao family could stop him, and he was determined to handle You Li’s situation.

A week later, You Li was temporarily released from the police station.

She couldn’t leave Beijing yet, but the police station’s willingness to release her showed that her statement held up and could withstand investigation.

At most, You Li’s case would be considered excessive self-defense. Conversely, the police would pursue Qiao Quanbing for intentional injury – since the incident, You Li’s mother remained in a coma, and as time passed, doctors said the chances of her waking up were becoming increasingly slim.

If the police station didn’t release You Li, who would take care of her mother?

The Women’s Federation had made several visits regarding this case, refusing to tolerate domestic violence – did being married mean a man could beat and kill his wife at will?

The wife was already paralyzed and bedridden, completely defenseless.

If the daughter hadn’t happened to come home, wouldn’t she have been beaten to death?

This was Beijing, not some remote mountain region. If women’s rights couldn’t be protected in the capital, how much worse would women’s situations be in places the Women’s Federation couldn’t reach?

Shao Guangrong went to the police station to pick up You Li.

After spending several days in the police station, the autumn sun was harsh, and she could barely open her eyes.

She had become nothing but skin and bones.

Her chest had shrunk, her bottom was no longer perky, and her face had lost its glow.

If Shao Guangrong was only attracted by her appearance, he should have turned and left right then – Little You after several days in the police station had no beauty left to admire.

But Shao Guangrong showed no intention of leaving.

The weather in Beijing changed quickly in autumn. You Li had only been in the police station for a few days, but by the time she came out, the leaves on both sides of the main street had almost all fallen, and the weather had turned cold. Shao Guangrong draped a coat over her:

“Didn’t I tell you? As long as you don’t give up, nothing bad will happen. If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up… Quick, get in the car, I’ll take you to the hospital.”