136: The ultimate slap in the face—the Su family meeting

Saturday at 3:00 PM, in the living room of the Su Family Old Residence, sunlight streamed through the dusty windows, falling on the mottled mahogany table. A stack of documents lay on the table. Mr. Xie sat in the main seat, a black USB drive pinched between his fingers. Beside him sat Su Mingyu, Zhu Li, and Wu Fei. Xiao Mi hid in Wu Fei's arms, clutching a Ragdoll cat plush toy.

Su Daqiang, Su Mingzhe, and Su Mingcheng sat opposite them. Su Daqiang wore a freshly washed shirt and had even specially combed his hair; Su Mingzhe had just flown back from America, his suit was rumpled, and fatigue showed in his eyes; Su Mingcheng, meanwhile, had his hands in his pockets, swaying sloppily. He glanced at the documents on the table from time to time, his face full of disdain: "Mr. Xie, why did you insist on calling us here? I have plans to go drinking with friends."

Mr. Xie ignored him, first nodding to Su Mingyu: "Mingyu, you go first. Everything you want to know will have an answer today."

Su Mingyu took a deep breath and looked at Su Daqiang: "Dad, you previously said you wanted to tour Europe, buy an expensive burial plot, and privately rent out the old residence. Every time you asked me for money, claiming you had none. Was that true?"

Su Daqiang's eyes darted around: "I... that was my old illness acting up, I needed money for treatment! Things aren't easy for Mingzhe and Mingcheng either, so I could only ask you..."

"For treatment?" Mr. Xie slammed a stack of bank statements onto the table, pointing at the text 'Balance: 50,000 Yuan'. "These are the statements for the bank card under your name. Last year, Mingyu gave you 30,000 for retirement, plus the 20,000 you hid away—that's 50,000 in total. How could you have no money? And this—" He took out his phone and played a recording. It was a conversation between Su Daqiang and a health supplement salesman: "That girl Mingyu has money. I'll swindle a bit more to keep for my travels, and Mingcheng can take some to pay off his gambling debts..."

As soon as the recording played, Su Daqiang's face instantly turned red. He tried to snatch the phone, but Mr. Xie held it down: "And about privately renting the old residence—you told the agent to report a price 2,000 lower so you could pocket the difference. You told the tenant 6,000 when the actual market price is 8,000. Here are the agent's testimony and the contract. Do you want to take a look?"

Su Daqiang hung his head, unable to say another word. Su Mingzhe hurriedly tried to smooth things over: "Dad was just confused for a moment. Mingyu, don't take it to heart. When I said I wanted to support Dad, I meant it. It's just that the rent in America is too high, it's really..."

"Really can't produce the money?" Mr. Xie interrupted him, pulling out a rubber check and bank statements. "Last year, you promised to buy Dad a house for 200,000 and wrote this rubber check, which has yet to be cashed. Meanwhile, in your American account, a 30,000 USD bonus just went in last month, and you even transferred 10,000 to Su Minglan to buy a bag. It's written clearly on these statements. Do you dare say you have no money?"

Su Mingzhe's face turned pale instantly. He reached out, wanting to tear up the statements: "This is fake! I was just helping a friend buy it on their behalf!"

"On their behalf?" Mr. Xie pulled out screenshots of WeChat chats. It was a conversation between Su Mingzhe and Su Minglan: "I'm not actually going to buy a house for Dad. I'll wait for Mingyu to pay so I can reap the benefits, then I'll buy you another bag." The timestamp was from last month. Su Mingzhe completely lost his confidence and slumped into his chair.

Seeing this, Su Mingcheng tried to sneak out the door, but Zhu Li called him out: "Su Mingcheng, don't you leave! When are you going to pay back the 50,000 in gambling debts you owe me, the 2,000 in printing fees, and the 10,000 of my salary you misappropriated?"

Su Mingcheng turned back, his face full of impatience: "I'm already divorced from you. That money was for joint marital expenses. Why should I have to pay it back?"

"Joint marital expenses?" Mr. Xie took out a 'leeching ledger' and a recording pen. "This is your record of leeching from 2020 until now. You asked your parents for 120,000 and Mingyu for 80,000, all used for gambling. And this recording—" He clicked play, and Su Mingcheng's voice came out: "That idiot Zhu Li, she even thinks I'm good for helping me pay my gambling debts. Once she's no longer useful, I'll divorce her and find someone rich..."

Before the recording finished, Su Mingcheng fell to his knees with a thud: "I was wrong! I won't gamble anymore! Mingyu, Zhu Li, please give me another chance!"

Su Daqiang also followed suit, pleading: "Mingyu, Dad knows he was wrong. I'll never ask you for money again. Please don't abandon me..."

Su Mingzhe also nodded hurriedly: "Mingyu, I will definitely support Dad properly from now on and never brag again..."

The three women watched the disgraceful display of the three men before them, completely disappointed. Su Mingyu stood up, her voice calm yet firm: "From today on, I will not give you another cent. I own one-fourth of the old residence. In the future, the rental income will be donated to a nursing home; I won't let you squander it anymore."

Zhu Li also stood up: "Su Mingcheng, the 62,000 you owe me, I will get it back through the court. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other."

Wu Fei held Xiao Mi, her eyes cold: "Su Mingzhe, I've already signed the divorce agreement. I get custody of Xiao Mi. You must pay 3,000 in child support every month—not a cent less—otherwise, I'll go to your company and make a scene."

Xiao Mi also said softly: "Grandpa, Daddy, Uncle, you always lie to Mommy and Auntie. I don't want to see you ever again."

The three men of the Su Family panicked completely. Su Daqiang cried as he grabbed Su Mingyu's hand: "Mingyu, you can't just ignore your father! I only have you as my daughter!"

Mr. Xie pulled Su Daqiang's hand away, his tone cold as ice: "You never considered their feelings. Mingyu was pushed by you until she didn't dare come home; Zhu Li was deceived by you until she almost lost her job; Wu Fei was drained of her savings by you. Now you know how to regret? It's too late."

He took out a folder filled with all the grievances the three women had suffered over the years: a photo of Mingyu's acceptance letter being torn up in her childhood, bank transfer records of Zhu Li paying off Su Mingcheng's gambling debts, and medical records of Wu Fei taking Xiao Mi to the doctor alone. "These were all caused by you. Now, it's time for you to pay the price."

Mr. Xie looked toward the door as two police officers walked in: "Su Mingcheng, someone reported you for unpaid gambling debts. Come with us." As Su Mingcheng was being taken away, he was still shouting, "I was wrong!"

Next, community staff members arrived and handed Su Daqiang a rectification notice: "Your private rental of the old residence violates joint property regulations. You are required to rectify this within three days, or we will forcibly reclaim the house."

Su Mingzhe received a call from his company's HR, their tone serious: "Su Mingzhe, someone reported you for misappropriating family funds and making false promises. The company has decided to suspend you pending investigation. Please return to the country as soon as possible to cooperate."

Watching the chaos before them, the three women finally breathed a sigh of relief. The weight that had pressed on their hearts for years finally lifted. Mr. Xie stood up and said to them, "Let's go. The matters here should come to an end."

Walking out of the Su Family Old Residence, the sunlight was just right. Xiao Mi pulled Mr. Xie's hand and said with a smile, "Uncle, do we never have to come here again?"

Mr. Xie knelt down and rubbed her head: "That's right. We're never coming back. Let's go get something delicious."

Su Mingyu, Zhu Li, and Wu Fei looked at the backs of Mr. Xie and Xiao Mi and smiled at each other. Their eyes no longer held the previous exhaustion and grievance, only relief and anticipation for the future. They knew that from today on, the shadow of the Su Family would no longer loom over them, and Mr. Xie would lead them toward a better life.

That evening, Mr. Xie treated them to dinner at a cozy restaurant. Xiao Mi sat in the middle, chattering away. Su Mingyu raised her glass: "Thank you, Mr. Xie. If it weren't for you, we might still be entangled in the Su Family's affairs, never able to get out."

Zhu Li and Wu Fei also raised their glasses: "Thank you for finally letting us be ourselves."

Mr. Xie smiled and raised his glass: "No need for thanks. You deserve to be treated well. No matter what happens in the future, I'll be here."

The glasses clinked together with a crisp sound, as if marking a full stop for the past and opening a new chapter for the future. As the night deepened, the restaurant's lights were warm and yellow, reflecting the smiles on everyone's faces, exceptionally heartwarming.