Chapter 42: Silly Zhu Dies Inside, Yi 中海 Makes a Heroic Sacrifice to Save Himself

The heavy accusation of "harboring a criminal" weighed upon Yi Zhonghai's heart like a massive mountain.

He opened his mouth, only to realize he could not refute a single word.

Chen Mo was right; according to the law, this matter called for the police.

However, once the police were involved, he, Yi Zhonghai the First Head, could not escape culpability either.

With lax governance and complicit indulgence, the reputation and status he had accumulated over decades would be destroyed in an instant.

As he looked at Chen Mo's calm face, he felt the terror of this young man for the very first time.

This was not a negotiation; this was a palace coup!

"We cannot call the police! Absolutely not!" Yi Zhonghai shouted out almost desperately.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and mustered his last shred of authority to shout at the people in the courtyard: "Family scandals should not be aired in public! This matter will be resolved right here in our courtyard!"

With that, he turned to Liu Haichang and Yan Bugui, "Second Head, Third Head, let the three of us hold a tribunal today and clean up this ugly mess thoroughly!"

Liu Haichai had initially wanted to blow the matter out of proportion to watch Yi Zhonghai make a fool of himself.

On second thought, however, if the police really came and uncovered something else that implicated him as well, the losses would outweigh the gains.

He grunted, which served as his tacit consent.

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses and spoke slowly, "I agree to a resolution within the courtyard. However, the economic and reputational damages caused must be calculated clearly."

A makeshift plenary courtyard meeting was hastily convened in the chaotic, dead of night.

Xu Damao was pulled up from the ground by a few workers. Bruised, battered, and covered in blood, he looked utterly wretched.

Silly Zhu, on the other hand, sat blankly on a small wooden stool like a puppet drained of its soul, his eyes hollow and unresponsive to anything around him.

Qin Huairu knelt in the center of the courtyard, still weeping incessantly, repeating those few pale and feeble defenses over and over.

"Enough! Stop crying!" Yi Zhonghai slammed the table fiercely, cutting off her sobs.

Looking at the woman in whom he had once placed high hopes, his eyes were filled with disappointment and disgust.

In order to appease Chen Mo and protect himself, he knew he had to deal a ruthless blow to Qin Huairu today.

Cutting off one's wrist to save one's life!

"Qin Huairu! You met with Xu Damao in the middle of the night with the intent of engaging in a sordid transaction. You were caught red-handed with indisputable evidence! You have ruined the morals of our entire courtyard! You are utterly shameless!"

Yi Zhonghai raised his voice high, every word striking Qin Huairu like a whip.

Qin Huairu raised her head in disbelief, looking at the "First Head" who used to protect her at every turn, only for him to now attack her with the most vicious words.

"After deliberation among the three of us heads, we have decided upon the following punishments!"

"First! You will immediately return those fifty yuan to Xu Damao!"

"Second! A fine of twenty yuan! As punishment for corrupting our family morals, this money will be used as the courtyard's public fund!"

"Third! Your previous punishment of cleaning the public areas for three months is doubled! Extended to six months!"

A twenty-yuan fine!

Qin Huairu's vision went completely dark.

Where on earth was she supposed to find twenty yuan?

Right now, she had nothing on her except the fifty yuan Xu Damao had given her!

"As for Xu Damao!" Yi Zhonghai turned to Xu Damao next. "You acted on base desires and harbored illicit motives, making you no better! You are also fined twenty yuan! Furthermore, you will cover the medical expenses for the injuries Silly Zhu inflicted on you yourself! Consider this matter settled between you two!"

Xu Damao covered his face, wanting to argue, but seeing Silly Zhu's murderous glare, he swallowed his words back down.

Losing money to avert disaster was still better than getting beaten up again.

Having dealt with the two of them, Yi Zhonghai finally cast his gaze toward Silly Zhu, who had remained silent from the very beginning.

Watching Silly Zhu's lifeless expression, he sighed inwardly.

This chess piece was completely ruined.

He stood up, walked over to Chen Mo, lowered his posture, and asked cautiously, "Comrade Chen Mo, this disciplinary outcome... do you find it acceptable?"

Chen Mo nodded.

"Acceptable."

What he wanted was never to send anyone to prison; what he wanted was to break their spirit.

Now, Qin Huairu's reputation in the courtyard was thoroughly ruined, and things between her and Silly Zhu were completely over.

To protect himself, Yi Zhonghai had personally severed his support for the Jia family.

His objectives had all been achieved.

The meeting adjourned amidst a chorus of sighs.

Qin Huairu collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud, and no one went to help her up.

She returned the fifty yuan to Xu Damao, and then, under the supervision of Third Head Yan Bugui, she wrote an IOU for twenty yuan.

She had lost.

She had lost utterly and completely, left with nothing.

She had lost her reputation, her last remaining support, and now carried a mountain of debt.

She raised her head, glaring at Chen Mo with eyes filled with venom and hatred.

It was all his fault!

It was this devil!

Silly Zhu stood up unsteadily. Instead of going home, he walked over to the water tap in the courtyard, turned the valve, and let the freezing tap water wash over his face repeatedly.

He wanted to sober up.

Yet the more sober he became, the more his heart ached.

He remembered how many times he had fought with Xu Damao for Qin Huairu's sake.

He remembered how many times he had given the meat from his lunchbox to her family for Qin Huairu's sake.

He remembered how he had sold his parents' heirlooms for Qin Huairu's sake.

He remembered how he had turned against his own biological sister for Qin Huairu's sake.

After giving so much, what had he gotten in return?

He got to watch her clutching those fifty yuan bills beneath another man's bed.

"Hehe... hehehe..."

Silly Zhu suddenly started laughing, a sound harsher and more agonizing than weeping.

He laughed at his own foolishness, his own stupidity, and his status as the number one fool under heaven!

He Yushui walked out of the room holding a dry towel.

She walked up behind Silly Zhu, said nothing, and simply handed the towel to him.

Silly Zhu took the towel and wiped his face indiscriminately.

"I told you long ago that her family is a bottomless pit, but you refused to believe me," He Yushui said calmly. "Do you believe it now?"

Silly Zhu did not answer, burying his face in the towel instead as his shoulders heaved violently.

Suppressed sobs, resembling the whimpers of a trapped beast, echoed from beneath the towel.

[Ding! Detected that punitive targets 'Qin Huairu' and 'Silly Zhu' have suffered devastating mental blows and reputational damage. The beasts have reaped what they sowed!]

[Rewards issued: Penalty Points +500! 'Calming Incense' formula!]

Watching the system prompt on the interface, Chen Mo turned around and walked back into his room.

Just as he closed the door, he heard violent pounding on his door from outside.

It was Silly Zhu.

Like a mad beast with bloodshot eyes, he hammered desperately against Chen Mo's door.

"Chen Mo! You bastard! Get the hell out here!"