Chapter 1050: A Strange Uncle

Just as Su Li was about to step out, Su Bing emerged from the kitchen, his tone as stingy as ever. “Make sure to return the change to me. Don’t go wasting money.”

Su Li pursed his lips and muttered under his breath to Su Le, “Big Brother is so petty. Let’s go.” With that, he grabbed Su Le’s hand and led her out the door to buy soy sauce.

On their way back, Su Li, ever the childish one, bounced along the pavement with a lollipop between his lips, pulling Su Le along like a carefree little boy.

Su Le couldn’t help but think how immature her second brother was. She herself had no interest in sweets–Big Brother had warned against frivolous spending, but Su Li, weak-willed as ever, had succumbed to temptation.

Ignoring her reluctance, he swiftly unwrapped another lollipop and popped it into her mouth. “Little sister, just say you wanted it.”

Su Le puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. Her second brother was truly the worst! But then, the sweet, rich flavor spread across her tongue, and she found herself absentmindedly enjoying it.

Fine, she’d cover for him this time.

But just as she was savoring the treat, she noticed something peculiar–a man standing diagonally ahead of them. He was dressed in an expensive suit, his hair meticulously styled, but oddly enough, he wore a carelessly placed face mask, as though trying to stay inconspicuous.

Su Le tugged at Su Li’s sleeve and whispered, “Brother, there’s a weird uncle over there. I’m scared. Let’s go home quickly.”

Su Li followed her gaze and spotted the man. The moment their eyes met, the man took a step forward and addressed them. “Hey, kids, do you know which street the Xu family lives on?”

Su Li blinked, momentarily caught off guard. The man seemed well-mannered, so he pointed ahead. “Fulin Road. But why are you looking for the Xu family? Are you… Xu Sheng’s dad?”

The man smiled warmly and nodded. “You’re quite sharp. Yes, I am. Are you friends with Xu Sheng?”

Su Li hesitated. “Friends? I guess you could say that. But Uncle, I have to tell you, you really need to visit him more. Do you know what Auntie Huang Fei does to him? She practically tortures him! She forces him to study all day, every day. She’s always running off somewhere and doesn’t even care whether he eats or if he’s sick. She’s awful! She even slapped him at the hospital last time. And the worst part? She never lets him go outside. Ever. She locks him up like some kind of prisoner! If this keeps up, she’s going to break him!”

The more Su Li spoke, the deeper the furrow in the man’s brow became. He had always assumed that his son was simply a bookworm by nature. He had no idea that it was all because of Huang Fei’s relentless oppression. With a solemn nod, he said, “Thank you for telling me this. Goodbye, kids.”

Before leaving, he cast one last glance at Su Le, who instinctively shrank behind Su Li. He withdrew his gaze.

Now was not the time to get close to them. He had far more pressing matters to deal with at home.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode away.

Meanwhile, at the police station, the editor-in-chief of Education Daily and its senior management had been summoned.

Huang Fei sat among them, still dazed, unable to comprehend how she had ended up here. She had tried to pry some information from Sun Qi earlier, but the journalist had completely ignored her.

It was infuriating! How was she supposed to explain this to her husband?

Captain He arrived and tossed a newspaper onto the table in front of her, his voice low and commanding. “Huang Fei, according to Education Daily journalist Sun Qi, this article was written under your instructions. Is this true or not?”

Huang Fei froze, momentarily stunned. She turned to Sun Qi, but the woman deliberately avoided her gaze. The editor-in-chief of Education Daily stood up and announced, “Then it’s confirmed–you were the one who instigated this. Sun Qi may be young, but she knows better than to publish something like this without reason. Ms. Huang Fei, you bear full responsibility for this, and you owe our publication an explanation.”

Sun Qi, worthless as she was, still represented Education Daily. Right now, the priority was damage control. If they didn’t push all the blame onto someone else, the entire editorial team could face an overhaul.

The editor-in-chief regretted his oversight. At the time, he had thought this scandalous piece would be far more sensational than simply covering Gu Zi’s achievement as the province’s top student. He had never expected Gu Zi to be such a formidable force–nor did he anticipate that her husband’s vast network of powerful connections would rise to her defense.

The newspaper had no choice but to make amends. And Huang Fei? She was the perfect scapegoat. Even the Sun family had silently given their approval.

As Huang Fei listened to their accusations, her mind went blank. She had yet to fully process it–she had been sold out. By Sun Qi, no less!

At that moment, Gu Zi and Su Shen arrived. The moment she stepped into the interrogation room, her eyes landed on Huang Fei’s pallid face. A cold smile played on her lips.

Oh? Since when had Huang Fei and Sun Qi joined forces against her? And to think she had initially dismissed the idea. But seeing them here now, it was crystal clear–this entire smear campaign had been their handiwork.