Chapter 34 A Miserable Family
It was night and the city had just started to light up.
Beside Yunwu Lake, along Binhe Boulevard, Qiu Luo and his family were speeding around in their newly acquired car.
Inside the vehicle was a picture of familial bliss. A beautiful melody wafted through from the car's audio system as Qiu Luo steered the car along the boulevard. His son-in-law, Chu Wen-Fei, was riding shotgun while his wife and daughter were seated in the backseat. Their eyes radiated happiness as they enjoyed their night out.
"Dad, how does it feel? Driving a million yuan luxury car sure feels different, right?
"When Wen-Fei fixes the Maserati, we can take that out for a spin." Qiu Mu-Ying said smugly.
When his wife mentioned the Maserati, Chu Wen-Fei could not help feeling nervous.
It was strange. He had tried many methods, but he could never get the car to start. After his failures, he had called his uncle, Chu Yue, to ask him for the key. But, unexpectedly, his uncle knew nothing about the Maserati.
Therefore, Chu Wen-Fei was flummoxed.
Chu Yue had been working as his father's right hand man and was privy to many secrets. If the former knew nothing about the car, then perhaps his father had never sent him the car?
"Wen-Fei, why are you keeping quiet? When are you going to fix the Maserati?"
"When the time comes, you can drive the Maserati with Ying-Ying. And your father will drive this Phaeton with me. When we go out for our family outings, we will be driving two million-yuan luxury cars. That will make us look really good, right?" The more Wang Qiao-Yu thought about the cars, the happier she became. Her vanity had been thoroughly satisfied.
"Soon, mom," Chu Wen-Fei said perfunctorily and smiled a guilty smile.
"But Qiao-Yu, I heard this car was given to Mu-Cheng by a mysterious tycoon? How come it's ours now?" Just then, Qiu Luo interrupted the conversation with a question.
Wang Qiao-Yu snorted and said, "Because you have a capable wife."
"But I have to say, your niece and that Ye Fan are idiots. They can't even protect their properties. Ying-Ying and I made up some nonsense, and convinced your father to let us have the gifts."
"On top of this car, we also have a jade hairpin that used to belong to European royalty. It's worth a lot."
Wang Qiao-Yu felt rather smug when she recounted the events that had happened at the Qiu's family house.
"Ai, mom, look. Isn't that Qiu Mu-Cheng and her trash at the bus stop?" When Qiu Mu-Ying spotted her cousin and Ye Fan by the roadside, she started to point and yell at the couple. "Damn, it's really them?"
"Haha, honey, let's drive over there and have a chat with them."
As the Qius in the car chatted among themselves, the luxury car did a sudden about-turn and a magnificent drift that seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever. Then it stopped in front of Qiu Mu-Cheng and Ye Fan.
Qiu Mu-Cheng would wait for a bus at this spot, everyday after work. So when she saw a car stop in front of her, she looked confused for a moment. Then the window rolled down to reveal Wang Qiao-Yu and Qiu Mu-Ying sitting in the backseat.
"Eh, isn't this Mu-Cheng?"
"What are you doing? Waiting for a bus? Why don't you take a cab instead?"
"Mom, do you even have to ask? Cabs are probably too expensive for Mu-Cheng." "Yes yes yes, I almost forgot. Mu-Cheng has to take care of three freeloaders, and one of them is a useless live-in son-in-law. No wonder she has to live frugally."
Both mother and daughter performed a duet that was filled with their smugness and ridicule for their less well-off relatives.
When the people around them heard the contents of the conversation, they looked strangely at Ye Fan and his wife. After all, nowadays, being a live-in son-in-law was nothing to be proud of. "Ying-Ying, why don't we let Mu-Cheng and Ye Fan come on board? We can drive them to their destination, and help them save some money?" Wang Qiao-Yu continued to mock the couple.
But Qiu Mu-Ying put on a look of disdain and said: "Mom, we can't do that. This is a million-yuan luxury car. Only people like us can sit in it. People who take public transport will only dirty our car if we let them in. I bet the stains will be hard to remove." 'You are right." The discourse between mother and daughter had a tone of superiority, as if they were at a much higher level than Qiu Mu-Cheng and Ye Fan.
"Mu-Cheng, it can't be helped then. You should continue to wait for your bus here. We will continue with our car trip to the lake."
"Oh yeah, sitting in a million-yuan luxury car sure feels different. I have to thank you for giving such a splendid car to our family."
"Haha~"
After saying their piece, Wang Qiao-Yu and her family departed in a roar of laughter.
And Qiu Mu-Cheng was left fuming at the bus stop.
"My aunt and her family are too outrageous."
"How could they use the company car for a pleasure trip?"
"Grandfather designated this car for company use. It's not just for their family."
Qiu Mu-Cheng got herself so worked up that her eyes had already turned bloodshot. The events today had made her very unhappy.
Those gifts were hers by right. How could her relatives just take them away? Who gave them that right?
"Mu-Cheng, don't get agitated. Maybe this could be a blessing in disguise?"
While Ye Fan and his wife were waiting for their bus, Wang Qiao-Yu and her family had already reached Yunwu Lake.
"Haha~"
"As expected of a million-yuan luxury car. It sure is a different driving experience."
As the Phaeton sped along the road, the deep rumble of its engine sounded like the growl of a wild beast. Its luxurious accessories provided an opulent driving experience and, as it raced without a care in the world, it drew admiring glances from the passerbys.
"Haha-" "This is life, eh?" "This is life~"
Wang Qiao-Yu and her family were enjoying their first ride on board a millionyuan luxury car, so it was only natural that their egos had become overly inflated, as if they had already reached the pinnacle of their lives.
"Dad, the traffic cops!"
"Quick, reduce your speed. Reduce your speed!"
"It's already 160!"
"You will be caught!"
But while Wang Qiao-Yu and her family were floating on cloud nine, the sharp-eyed Chu Wen-Fei managed to spot the road block ahead of them and so he desperately warned Qiu Luo to reduce speed. Just after Ye Fan and his wife had reached home, Qiu Mu-Cheng received a call from the Qiu's family house.
"What?"
"Auntie Qiao-Yu and her family have been arrested?"
"The four of them are all detained!"
"How did this happen? They were cruising around Yunwu lake just a moment ago?"
When Qiu Mu-Cheng heard the news, she was so shocked that she cried out involuntarily.
She could not help but think that life was unpredictable indeed, and one could never predict when misfortune would visit.
Someone who had been driving a millionyuan luxury car and looking down on the rest of the world from the pinnacle of life, was suddenly thrown into the public security bureau with the rest of his family?
The stark contrast between the two pictures caused Qiu Mu-Cheng to think that life was full of unpredictabilities indeed, and that good things were just as fleeting as illusions.
Ye Fan who was watching TV at that moment, overheard Qiu Mu-Cheng's end of the conversation, and an enigmatic smile suddenly appeared on his face.
Very quickly, Qiu Mu-Cheng ended the call, and Ye Fan asked her for details.
"Uncle Guang didn't say much. He just told me that Uncle Luo will call me in a while, and to answer the questions truthfully."
"What do you think Uncle Luo did this time? Why did they arrest him again?"
"It's probably nothing," Ye Fan said consolingly. "You go take a rest. I will answer the phone call."
And very soon, the phone rang. When Ye Fan answered the call, he could hear Wang Qiao-Yu's piercing shrieks coming from the other end of the line.
"Qiu Mu-Cheng, you are a harbinger of misfortune! We are all in trouble because of you!"
"How dare you accept a stolen car? And you even lent it to us? You were obviously trying to get us in trouble!"
"Quick, tell the police officer. That car belongs to you. We only borrowed it and know nothing about it. It has nothing to do with us."
"You hear that?"
Wang Qiao-Yu said viciously.
But Ye Fan looked confused and he asked: "Auntie, speak slower. What car? We don't have a car in our family. Mu-Cheng takes public transport when she goes to and leaves work. Auntie, are you getting confused because of your menopause?"
"Shit, Ye Fan, you freaking liar! Stop acting. Don't tell me you know nothing about that Phaeton?" When she heard Ye Fan's voice, Qiu Mu-Ying lost control and started yelling at him.
"Oh, Phaeton. Now, I remember." Suddenly, Ye Fan put on a tone of realization. "That's the car your mother got her hands on today. It's worth a million. And your family did not even pay a single cent for it. That is awesome. She is truly a formidable woman. Congratulations."
"Screw your congratulations. Ye Fan, I am warning you. The police officer is listening. Don't talk nonsense!" Qiu Mu-Ying shrieked in anger. Her family was on the brink of insanity already.
"I am not talking nonsense. Doesn't the Phaeton belong to your family? I just saw you guys cruising around in it tonight. I really envy you all."
"What? Are you going to give us a millionyuan luxury car like that? I am afraid we are not worthy of a car like that. So Mu-Ying, tell your mother that we appreciate the thought, but you had better keep the million-yuan car for yourself. You all look good when you take the car out for a spin, right?"
On the sofa, Ye Fan had his legs crossed as he spoke leisurely into the receiver.
On the other end of the line, Wang Qiao-Yu and her family went into a fit of rage when they heard Ye Fan's words.
"Ye Fan, you bastard. Are you going to keep on spouting nonsense? I am going tear your mouth off!"
"We didn't buy the car-"
Wang Qiao-Yu and her daughter were both screaming.
"Right right right. You didn't buy it. Since you did not spend a single cent on it, we can't say you bought it. You obtained it." Ye Fan was making the situation more and more complicated. When the Qius saw the terrible expression on the face of the police officer sitting in front of them, they nearly wet themselves.
They were about to continue screaming at
Ye Fan, when the police officer slammed the table angrily.
"Enough!"
"You are a family of car thieves, and you are trying to bully an honest man into taking the blame for you?"
"You people are the parasites of society!
You deserve to be punished!"
"Officer, we really did not steal the car? We are innocent-" Qiu Luo said pleadingly. Meanwhile, his family was so frightened that their bodies started trembling.
"You are still not going to confess? He has already said, you did not pay a single cent for that million-yuan car. If you didn't steal it, don't tell me you picked it up off the street?"
"You are still refusing to confess?"
He had heard Ye Fan's words clearly. He was reasonably sure that this family had stolen the car.
"Officer, please do not believe that bastard's nonsense."
"He's just a useless piece of trash. He's jealous of our family's good fortune. That's why he's slandering us."
Wang Qiao-Yu howled, """'That car belongs to his family. If it's stolen, then they were the ones who stole it. This has nothing to do with us."
Meanwhile, the other Qius were about to burst into tears. What went wrong? A moment ago, they had been cruising around in their car, and then the police had arrested them. Now, they were all detained along with the car. Within the span of a few days, Qiu Luo had already been in the public security bureau twice. It was a great loss of face for him.
If this story got out, he might not be able to hold on to his position as general manager.
And, tomorrow, they had an appointment with the Shen family at Yunjing Hotel. If they let Shen Jiu-Yi wait in vain, then his anger would surely be terrible.
"It's all your fault, you stupid bitch."
"If you did not get us the car and insist on going out for a spin, we would not get arrested!"
"You stupid bitch! You have ruined me!" The more Qiu Luo thought about the incident, the angrier he got. Finally, he slapped his wife to the floor.