Chapter 607: Reporting
Chapter 607: Reporting
An elderly woman rushed into the house as soon as the door opened, and upon seeing Tang Sufen's injuries, she angrily scolded, "Old Lu, how could you hit your wife?"
Lu Hongjun replied, "She stole two antiques I bought at the flea market and sold them for 5,000 yuan. She gave all the money to her eldest son. Don't I have the right to be angry?"
For the sake of their reputation, although there had been a commotion, they did not tell anyone about it. Tang Sufen would never divulge such information either, as it would tarnish her son's reputation and cause people to view him as a thief.
The elderly woman paused, looking at Tang Sufen and asking, "Sufen, is what he said true?"
If she had indeed stolen from Old Lu and sold his belongings to support her son, how could they continue living here?
Tang Sufen's head was still throbbing painfully, and it took her a moment to process his accusation. However, she couldn't admit to it, as it would cause the neighbors to look down on her. "I clearly remember you agreeing to it. Why are you going back on your word now?"
Lu Hongjun angrily retorted, "Those two items were meant to be passed down to Gou Dan and Gou Sheng. Why would I agree to let you sell them? Tang Sufen, you're nothing but a thief."
Hearing the commotion, several neighbors gathered, their gazes toward Tang Sufen filled with disdain. One of them, who had come out of curiosity, said upon hearing Lu Hongjun's words, "Old Lu, you better keep the house deed safe. Don't let her steal that and sell it too, or you'll end up on the streets."
An elderly woman who disliked Tang Sufen spoke up, "This house was bought by Old Lu's daughter, and it's under her name. If Tang Sufen dares to sell it, she'll be arrested and taken straight to the police station!"
As the neighbors continued to gossip, Tang Sufen's head began to pound. "All of you, get out! This is a private matter between me and Old Lu. We'll handle it ourselves."
Not wanting to become a laughingstock, Lu Hongjun asked the neighbors to leave.
Tang Sufen endured the pain in her body and asked, "Old Lu, if I've done something wrong, just tell me. Why are you so angry?"
Lu Hongjun calmed down and realized he had overreacted. He still needed Tang Sufen to persuade Huang Xiaoyu. "I lost my temper, but you shouldn't have told Huang Xiaoyu that I gave Jiaxin many antiques. Now she believes it, and she's forcing me to send her to Hongcheng. She even threatened to report me if I don't comply."
Tang Sufen was shocked to hear that her daughter was using such baseless claims to pressure Lu Hongjun. "Old Lu, I didn't tell her about this..."
"If you didn't, then how does she know about it? According to her, she overheard our conversation. Tang Sufen, you made this up, and now you need to fix it. If she goes through with her threat and reports me, don't blame me for turning against you."
Tang Sufen quickly agreed.
In the evening, Lu Hongjun went to find Lu Jiaguang, once again asking him to call Lu Jiaxin. With no other choice, Lu Jiaguang brought him to the study and repeated, "Uncle San, Jiaxin won't get involved in this matter. You should stop thinking about it."
"If I go to jail, won't that shame her as well?"
Lu Jiaguang fell silent for a moment before speaking. "When Jiaxin asked you if those items were obtained illegally, you assured her that you bought them with your own salary. If you had been honest with her from the beginning, she would have handled this matter, and you wouldn't be facing threats from the Huang family now."
Lu Hongjun replied with a stern face, "What's the use of talking about this now? We need to find a solution."
Lu Jiaguang sighed. "Uncle San, don't you understand even now? Jiaxin promised to take care of you in your old age so that no one could accuse her of neglecting family. But since you've committed a crime, if she doesn't get involved, it will be seen as upholding justice and adhering to the law. She won't be criticized; instead, she'll be praised for her integrity."
Seeing Lu Hongjun's dark expression, Lu Jiaguang knew that he wasn't ignorant but simply unwilling to accept the truth. "Today, Huang Xiaoyu is using those antiques to threaten Jiaxin into sending her to Hongcheng. If her demands are met, she'll continue to extort Jiaxin for a million or even ten million once she's there... This matter has nothing to do with Jiaxin. She won't give in to Huang Xiaoyu's threats."
That was why Lu Jiaguang wouldn't make that call, as he knew Lu Jiaxin would likely cut ties with them if he did.
Lu Hongjun fell silent for a moment before speaking. "But if she gets those items, she won't be able to escape blame if the authorities investigate."
Lu Jiaguang's expression turned grim. "She doesn't know that you obtained those items illegally. If an investigation is carried out, she can simply return the items and deny any knowledge of their origin."
He didn't mention that it was thanks to Lu Jiaxin that Lu Hongjun had escaped trouble the last time. He feared that if he did, they wouldn't be able to extricate themselves from the Huang family's mess. With Tang Sufen's thievery, Huang JianShe and Huang JianYe's unscrupulous behavior, and Huang Xiaoyu's shamelessness, Lu Jiaguang worried that his uncle's continued association with them would bring trouble to his own family.
Seeing that Lu Hongjun wanted to say more, Lu Jiaguang shook his head. "Uncle San, even if this matter becomes public, it won't affect Jiaxin much. In Hongcheng, people only care if you have money. They don't look down on those who have served time in prison. In Jiaxin's case, no one will even pay attention."
Lu Hongjun was desperate to avoid prison, which was why he was so anxious. "Jiaguang, I'm an old man. If I go to jail, I'll die there."
Lu Jiaguang countered, "Then what do you want me to do? Should I send Huang Xiaoyu to Hongcheng? I don't have that ability."
Fortunately, he had refused to take the antiques earlier. Lu Jiaxin accepting them wouldn't have any impact, but if he took them now, it would be like holding a hot potato. If the truth came out, he wouldn't be able to wash his hands of it. Once again, he was grateful for his lack of greed, as it had saved not only his own future but also that of his children.
In her desperation to go to Hongcheng, Huang Xiaoyu was willing to stoop to seducing an old man. This time, she thought she had a foolproof plan. But when Lu Jiaxin refused, Huang Xiaoyu fell apart, and despite Tang Sufen's attempts to stop her, she ran off to report Lu Hongjun. It wasn't an anonymous report; she went directly to the Supervisory Committee and reported Lu Hongjun by name.
Coincidentally, the person who received her report was the same newcomer, Guo Qingqing, who had handled her case before.
Driven by revenge, Huang Xiaoyu claimed that Lu Jiaxin had gone to Hongcheng and sold the antiques Lu Hongjun had given her, using the proceeds to start a business.
Determined to see Lu Hongjun in prison and Lu Jiaxin ruined, Huang Xiaoyu said, "Each of those antiques is a national treasure. Because of the greed of this father-daughter pair, they have been lost to a foreign land."
Guo Qingqing had originally suspected that Lu Jiaxin's business capital had come from Lu Hongjun's bribery and corruption, but the truth turned out to be even worse. Taking Huang Xiaoyu's statement, she immediately found her superior and requested an immediate investigation into Lu Hongjun.
Given that it was a real-name report and the reporter was the stepdaughter of the accused, the case would undoubtedly be taken seriously. Her superior agreed to launch an investigation and also reported it to higher authorities.
Lu Hongjun had previously been certain that the matter couldn't be traced back to him because the two people who had handled the transaction were no longer alive. He believed that an investigation starting from the bottom wouldn't reach him. However, now that he had been directly reported, it would be much easier to investigate him.
(End of Chapter)
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