Chapter 49: Chapter 49

Chapter 49 : The Parents’ Stern Lesson

“Mom, don’t listen to their nonsense, I just…”

Before Ye Feng could finish, a sharp slap landed on his face. Liu Mei, tears in her eyes, looked at him incredulously. “Xiao Feng, there’s no one else here. Tell me, what did you do with that 80,000 yuan?”

Ye Feng struggled to speak, knowing he couldn’t avoid the truth any longer. “I… I invested it.”

“Did you make any profit?”

“I lost it… lost all of it,” Ye Feng choked out.

“All 80,000?”

“There’s a few thousand left.”

“So, when you said you borrowed a few thousand for herbs before, it was actually for the 80,000 yuan you borrowed?” Liu Mei narrowed her eyes.

Ye Feng nodded, unable to articulate his usual defenses in front of his mother.

“What kind of investment made you lost you so much?”

“I… hoarded game equipment,” Ye Feng mumbled.

“Game equipment? You used 80,000 yuan for game equipment?” Liu Mei was in disbelief.

Another slap struck Ye Feng’s face.

“We’ll discuss this with your father when we get home. Now, pack up and let’s go.” Liu Mei was almost fainting with anger. Ye Feng didn’t dare resist, fearing his actions might prematurely bring about the illness from his previous life.

From the other side of the glass, Lin Xiaowan pulled Su Lin’s attention to Ye Feng’s situation. “Su Lin… Ye Feng’s mother slapped him.”

Su Lin nodded, “I see it, Xiaowan.”

“Ye Feng’s usual arrogance is gone. It’s so satisfying to see. It’s a pity Xiaoyu isn’t here; she’d be thrilled,” Lin Xiaowan said with a smile.

Su Lin agreed, “Xiaoyu is still at the hospital with her dad. Xiaowan, I didn’t know you had such a devilish side. After this, Ye Feng can’t just walk away unscathed.”

Lin Xiaowan justified her actions, “It’s for his own good. At 18, he’s already capable of swindling 80,000 yuan. Imagine what he could do in college or in society. Telling his mom ensures he gets a proper lesson. It’s a good thing for him.”

“You’re right,” Su Lin concurred.

As they sat down in the restaurant, Su Lin passed the menu to Lin Xiaowan, “You choose, Xiaowan.”

Her face lit up with excitement, “Waitress, we’ll have two of your specialty barbecues, and what other dishes do you have?”

“We have a variety of side dishes and appetizers along with our barbecue.”

“Then let’s have a bit of everything.”

“Of course~!!!”

Once the waitress left, Lin Xiaowan, still bubbling with excitement, asked, “So, Su Lin, where shall we go this afternoon?”

Su Lin was momentarily stumped, “I had planned to spend the day at the amusement park. Escape room in the morning, other attractions in the afternoon. But we left early, and I haven’t thought of where to go next.”

Lin Xiaowan initially felt disappointed but then suggested, “If we have nowhere to go this afternoon, let’s visit Xiao Yu’s dad.”

Su Lin shook his head, “Xiaoyu’s dad is recuperating and preparing for surgery. Our visit won’t be much help. We should rather call her and go out together this afternoon.”

Lin Xiaowan looked at Su Lin suspiciously, “Su Lin, are you hiding something?”

Su Lin, surprised, replied, “What are you thinking, Xiaowan? Do I look that obvious?”

Lin Xiaowan shook her head, “Not obvious, but I feel like you’re up to something. Are you planning to buy something?”

Su Lin shook his head again, “Let’s wait until we meet Xiaoyu. Otherwise, I’ll have to explain it twice, which is a bit troublesome.”

“Hmm, seems like it’s something big.”

“Let’s enjoy our barbecue first,” Su Lin suggested as their food arrived.

Meanwhile, Ye Feng was having a far less pleasant time. Liu Mei drove him home in an electric tricycle and urgently called his father, Ye Weimin, back from work.

“What happened, wife? Why the urgency to call me home? Is business so good that you need help?” Ye Weimin asked as he arrived.

Liu Mei, tears streaming down, pointed at Ye Feng and cried out, “Ask your precious son what he did. Let him tell you.”

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Ye Weimin turned to Ye Feng, “What happened?”

“I… I don’t know how to say it,” Ye Feng stammered, his usual bravado gone in front of his father.

Liu Mei broke down, “Do you know what your son did? He tricked Xiao Yu from the Xia family out of the 80,000 yuan they needed for a kidney transplant. Eighty thousand! That’s more than our two years’ salary. Your son…”

Ye Weimin was stunned. He couldn’t believe his son had committed such an act.

“It wasn’t trickery, I borrowed it,” Ye Feng insisted, trying to justify himself.

“You still argue? Your classmates said you had no intention of returning it without a threat of police involvement. You need to discipline your son, Ye Weimin. He’s already swindling money at such a young age. What will he become when he grows up?”

Ye Weimin turned to his son, “So, the 100,000 yuan you talked about for investing in stocks was a lie? The inside information was also fake? You used it to pay back the borrowed money, didn’t you?”

“I…”

“Answer me, yes or no!” Ye Weimin roared.

“Yes…”

“Still making excuses now? You show no remorse!” Ye Weimin exclaimed.

“Please, Dad, I…”

Another slap followed.

“Old Ye, don’t use your hand, use the rolling pin,” Liu Mei suggested, producing the household implement.

Ye Feng panicked as his father took the rolling pin, “Dad… Dad…”

“Aow~!!!” came Ye Feng’s cry of pain.