Chapter 36: The Jia Family Collapses, Yi Zhonghai Gives Up All Hope

"Qin Huairu! Mrs. Jia! Open the door! Open the door immediately!"

The courtyard was once again jolted awake in the dead of night by urgent knocking and shouting. Having only just drifted off after a nightmare, Qin Huairu was startled bolt upright in bed.

She threw on some clothes and opened the door to find a stranger standing there in the uniform of the factory security department. Her heart sank.

"You... who are you?"

"I am from the Rolling Mill's security department. Your son, Bang Geng, is in trouble!" the officer said concisely.

"Bang Geng?!"

Qin Huairu's mind went blank, a dull buzzing filling her ears. "What... what happened to him?"

"He tried to rob Dr. Chen from our factory on the road just now and was caught red-handed! He’s passed out from shock. You family members need to go over there right away! Dr. Chen said this is a serious matter and must be reported to the police!"

Robbery? Police?

These two words hit Qin Huairu like a bolt of lightning, leaving her stunned. She staggered back two steps, clutching the doorframe to keep from collapsing.

The neighbors were also roused, peeking out one by one. Upon hearing the news, their jaws dropped in disbelief.

"What? Bang Geng committed robbery?"

"My goodness, has that boy lost his mind? It hasn't been long since he slashed the factory director's car tires, and Mrs. Jia had to take the fall for him just to get him out. Now he's robbing a doctor?"

"It's over now. The Jia family is completely finished!"

Xu Damou, hiding in his room, was so excited he nearly jumped for joy. Robbery! That was a felony! That little brat Bang Geng wouldn't escape this without being skinned alive!

The three neighborhood committee elders—Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui—rushed out in their robes. Their reactions were vastly different: Liu Haizhong was gloating, Yan Bugui was indifferent, and Yi Zhonghai’s face was ashen. He knew the Jia family was doomed, and with it, his plans to rely on them for his retirement had completely collapsed.

"Where is he?" Qin Huairu finally regained her voice, asking in a hoarse whisper.

"On the path just outside the factory grounds. You should get there quickly!"

With that, the security officer rode off on his bicycle to report back. Qin Huairu collapsed to the ground, all strength drained from her body. Her mind echoed with what Bang Geng had told her the previous night: "Once I kill him, everything will be fine." She had thought he was just venting his anger, but now she realized he had actually gone through with it! It was her—she hadn't stopped her son! She had personally pushed him into the abyss!

"My son!"

Mrs. Jia came rushing out of the house. Though she was mentally unstable, the name "Bang Geng" had cut through the fog. When she pieced together what had happened from the neighbors' whispers, her last remaining thread of sanity snapped.

"Ah—!"

She let out an inhuman shriek, rolled her eyes back, and fell straight backward.

"Mom!"

"Mrs. Jia has fainted!"

Chaos erupted in the courtyard. Watching her mother-in-law passed out, her two daughters crying in terror, and thinking of her son's uncertain fate, Qin Huairu felt as though the sky had truly fallen.

Finally, Yi Zhonghai stepped forward. He sighed and said to the others, "Enough, stop watching. Sha Zhu, go find a flatbed cart and take Mrs. Jia to the hospital. Qin Huairu, you go see Bang Geng. Everyone else, go back to sleep." His voice was heavy with exhaustion and helplessness. He no longer wanted to deal with the Jia family's mess; he only wanted to know how he could distance himself from this hopeless household.

Though Sha Zhu hated Bang Geng for being a troublemaker, he felt a pang of pity seeing Qin Huairu's pathetic state. He fetched the cart, and with the help of a few workers, they loaded Mrs. Jia onto it and hurried toward the hospital. Supported by several older women, Qin Huairu stumbled and scrambled toward the scene of the incident. When she saw Bang Geng lying on the ground, his eyes vacant, saliva drooling from his lips, looking like a complete simpleton, she could no longer hold on. Her vision went black, and she fainted.

...

The next day, the news spread throughout the entire rolling mill. Factory doctor Chen Mo had been brave and fearless, subduing a robber with his bare hands! And that robber was none other than the brat who had slashed the director's tires a while back!

In an instant, Chen Mo’s reputation in the factory reached unprecedented heights. The workers looked at him not just with awe, but with genuine admiration. This Dr. Chen was not only a skilled physician but also a capable fighter; he was truly a man of both literary and martial talent!

Factory Director Yang even personally called the security department, ordering them to "handle the matter strictly, with zero tolerance," and requested an award for Chen Mo as an "Outstanding Individual for Heroic Acts."

When Deputy Director Li heard the news, he was so angry he smashed his cup in his office. He had been counting on Chen Mo to be his ally in dealing with Yang Weiguo. Instead, Chen Mo had become the star in Yang Weiguo’s eyes and a hero to the entire factory. Was he just doing the legwork for someone else? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, feeling as though he had been played by Chen Mo.

"Chen Mo... you just wait!" he growled through gritted teeth.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo was in the infirmary, leisurely sipping tea brewed for him by Lin Wanqing.

[Ding! Detected that the target 'Bang Geng' has suffered significant mental and reputational damage. The beastly behavior has been severely punished!]

[Reward Issued: Disciplinary Points +800! Physical Enhancement Serum (Intermediate) x1!]

Chen Mo looked at the rewards on the system interface, feeling quite satisfied. This Bang Geng might be a little animal, but he was certainly a generous contributor of disciplinary points. As for the fate of the Jia family, he felt no sympathy. Those who suffer are often the architects of their own misery.

At noon, Sha Zhu arrived at the infirmary with a dark expression. His clothes were wrinkled and stained, and his face was etched with exhaustion.

"Chen Mo, Sister Qin asked me to come find you," he said gruffly, his usual arrogance replaced by helplessness. "Bang Geng... he seems to have become a fool. He doesn't talk, doesn't eat, just sits there blankly, and sometimes starts screaming and having spasms. The doctors at the hospital can't find anything wrong. Sister Qin wants... she wants to ask if you could take a look."

After speaking, Sha Zhu felt his face burning. One moment the boy was trying to kill you, and the next you’re groveling to ask the victim to save him. It was a shameful thing to do. He had braced himself for a flat refusal or even a humiliating lecture from Chen Mo.

However, Chen Mo’s reaction once again defied his expectations. Chen Mo put down his teacup, looked at him, and said calmly, "Sure."