Jiang Family Villa.
It was renovated from the old Jiang family residence, and it had always been home to the old master and Jiang Tao's family.
Before seven in the morning, six cars were already parked outside the gate.
Several paternal uncles and aunts were chatting in the living room, laughing and talking with Liu Zhiru.
Jiang Tao, with bloodshot eyes and a groggy appearance, walked down from upstairs.
He grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Do old people really wake up so early?"
"You're going to the hospital at eight, and they're already here at six-thirty!"
The relatives present urged, "This is a major matter, Taozi, you need to take it seriously."
"What's the hurry? He's just a good-for-nothing son-in-law."
Jiang Tao snorted disdainfully, "When you get to the hospital today, go straight into Zheng Xiumei's ward!"
"Just wait for that good-for-nothing to kneel and beg for mercy."
"Jiang Tao," Liu Zhiru asked, her eyes slightly dazed, "if he pays back the money, are we still going to cause trouble?"
"Second Aunt, are you stupid?"
Jiang Tao sneered, "Our goal is to force him to divorce. As long as our cousin marries Mr. Xu, we'll have all the money in the world!"
"Besides, do you really expect that punk Li Zhonglou to be able to pay the money back?"
"But what if something happens to someone..." Liu Zhiru's eyes flickered with hesitation.
Yesterday, she was instigated by Ji Shan to go to the hospital, but after returning, she kept thinking something was wrong.
Fortunately, she didn't enter the ward. Otherwise, if someone had really died, wouldn't she go to jail?
Although she detested Li Zhonglou, she never thought about really harming her mother to death.
"There is no 'what if.' People like them, mother and son, are waste of food even if they are alive!" Jiang Tao's eyes were venomous, with a sharp glint.
He hadn't had time to trouble Li Zhonglou these past few days because he had to handle a major event.
As a result, Tian Lingli and Ji Shan both failed.
But that was because he himself wasn't there.
Today, Li Zhonglou could not escape his grasp.
Imagining the scene of him kneeling at his feet begging for mercy, Jiang Tao couldn't help but feel immense satisfaction.
"Jiang Tao, you can't even protect yourself, yet you want to harm others!" Just then, Li Zhonglou's deep and resonant voice suddenly echoed from outside the door.
Everyone stood up, their faces filled with surprise.
Jiang Tao's pupils contracted sharply.
Li Zhonglou, carrying a hiking backpack, pushed the door open and scanned the crowd.
"You still have the nerve to come back? The old master strictly forbids a thief like you, who steals and snatches, from appearing here again!" Jiang Tao cursed with a sinister expression.
What people feared most was their plans being disrupted.
He and Li Zhonglou were supposed to meet at the hospital. He would infuriate Zheng Xiumei to death, and Li Zhonglou would make a move and get arrested, thrown into jail.
Everything was perfect and logical.
But...
Li Zhonglou suddenly appearing before him caught him off guard.
"I've come to collect a debt," Li Zhonglou said, taking off his backpack and sitting on the sofa, squinting.
What Xu Lie said was indeed correct.
These people gathered here with the intention of using his mother's life to force him.
Jiang Tao deserved to die!
"Did I hear that right?"
Jiang Tao was stunned, then burst into unrestrained laughter, "Haven't seen you for a few days, did you have an accident and lose your mind?"
"What debt does the Jiang family owe you? Is it the one dollar and thirty cents for buying cabbage?"
Wow!
The crowd burst into uproarious laughter.
Everyone knew that Li Zhonglou had been a househusband for three years, going to the wet market every day.
This kind of weak, useless good-for-nothing dared to come to the Jiang family villa to demand a debt.
It was simply preposterous.
"Li Zhonglou, stop being so mysterious. That bag of yours is filled with money, isn't it?"
Liu Zhiru said with a cold face, "I've changed my mind now. I don't want the money anymore. I just want you to divorce my daughter."
"Since you're here, hurry up and sign the divorce agreement, so we don't have to make another trip to the hospital."
"It's not worth wasting everyone's time on you."
Li Zhonglou's backpack was bulging, possibly really filled with money.
If he paid back the money, she wouldn't be able to demand a divorce anymore.
It was better to follow Jiang Tao's advice and strike first.
"That's right, do you think a mere thirty-five thousand yuan can buy Jiang Yuxin's happiness?"
"We can't let this piece of rotten rat spoil the future of our Jiang family..."
"If you don't sign the divorce agreement today, you're not leaving this house!"
Everyone clamored and threatened.
Li Zhonglou looked at these enthusiastic Jiang family relatives, his eyes spitting with cold light.
If it weren't for Jiang Yuxin's sake, with his personality, he wouldn't let any of these trash who aided and abetted evil go.
Never mind!
Li Zhonglou couldn't be bothered to argue with them. His anger subsided, and he said calmly, "Noisy!"
"If you have the energy, think about how to save Jiang Tao."
"What do you mean?" Jiang Tao's face turned sinister, his eyes trembling threateningly, "If you don't sign, we'll go to the hospital."
"See if your mother's heart can last for ten seconds!"
"You think about it again..."
Li Zhonglou's behavior was extremely strange.
He appeared at his home before he could bring people to the hospital.
Fearless, what trick was he playing?
*Screech!*
Before he could finish speaking, Li Zhonglou gently unzipped the bag beside him with his left hand.
A redwood box appeared before everyone's eyes. As the wooden box opened.
Jiang Tao's eyes suddenly turned fearful, and his voice abruptly stopped.
The jade incense burner!
How could this be possible?
Didn't this thing get sold to Lu Yunxu yesterday?
How did it end up in Li Zhonglou's hands?
Could it be...
No, who was Lu Yunxu? How could he have any connection with Li Zhonglou?
If they were really connected, would he still need to be a live-in son-in-law for the Jiang family?
It was likely a coincidence. Perhaps Lu Yunxu resold the incense burner, and Li Zhonglou happened to pick it up.
Coupled with Li Zhonglou's earlier words about not being able to protect himself and coming to collect a debt, a bad feeling began to stir in his heart.
He was filled with unease.
But he knew very well that he absolutely could not show any abnormality at this moment.
He could only brace himself and sternly question, "Li Zhonglou, you truly haven't given up your wicked intentions. This is Grandpa's jade incense burner. How did it get into your hands?"
A few people also recognized the jade incense burner.
"This... this is indeed the old master's item. I've seen it twice. What does he mean by this?"
"Did this brat steal something again and come to show off in front of us? Is he crazy?"
"Call the police and arrest him!"
...
The crowd erupted into chaos.
"Family shame should not be spread. Don't call the police. Detain him first, and we'll deal with him when Grandpa wakes up," Jiang Tao stopped the commotion.
He menacingly incited the crowd to attack Li Zhonglou.
As Li Zhonglou's gaze swept over the men approaching him, his eyes flashed with brilliance.
He said with an unruffled expression, "A bunch of fools!"
"You're being used as a pawn by Jiang Tao without realizing it, aiding and abetting evil."
"With you in the Jiang family, how can it not perish!"
Saying that, he met Jiang Tao's gaze and said word by word, "To repay gambling debts, you have repeatedly replaced Grandpa Jiang's treasured possessions with fakes."
"You sell them on the market. Calling you a spendthrift is putting it mildly!"
Li Zhonglou's words were decisive and powerful.
They made everyone's heart tremble.
Their gazes involuntarily shifted to Jiang Tao.
"You... you're talking nonsense. What evidence do you have to say I stole it?" Jiang Tao's forehead was covered in cold sweat under the scorching gazes of so many people.
He didn't believe Li Zhonglou could produce solid evidence.
"You want evidence? I'll oblige you!"
Li Zhonglou calmly took out his phone, "The jade incense burner I borrowed from a friend, you're very familiar with it, aren't you?"
He clicked on a video.
It was the scene of Jiang Tao trading with Lu Yunxu, filmed by Xu Lie.
Silence!
In an instant, the entire living room was filled only with the sound of the video.
Everyone was stunned, at a loss.