Chapter 151: The Trap

Seeing the two large dogs lying close to Su Zheng on the ground, Chen Xiong’s eyes flashed with furious anger.

Damn it, could those two gatekeeping beasts have eaten so much that their brains turned to mush? Even a piece of trash could scare you like this into such a state!

"Jianguo, it’s this late, and yet you let this good-for-nothing smash the gate and break into a private residence. Do you want to eat prison food that badly?!"

He glared fiercely at Chen Jianguo again and barked.

"Big brother, I... I just wanted to know why Mother suddenly decided to settle abroad!"

Chen Jianguo hesitated for a moment before asking with determination.

"Hehe... Is there something wrong with your brain? If you want to know, call and ask her yourself. Since you don't know, could I possibly know? It's useless to ask me; call the old lady yourself, alright? Well, I'm going to sleep, so scram at once!"

Chen Xiong rebuked indignantly, a trace of impatience written all on his face.

"But..." Chen Jianguo was at a loss for words, yet he was unwilling to leave just like that.

"But what?! If you have matters to discuss, talk about it tomorrow!"

Chen Xiong directly cut him off and then ordered the servants to close the gates.

"Wait!"

Su Zheng spoke up. He gave Chen Xiong a calm glance and then stepped right through the gates. "You can go to sleep whenever you want. The ancestral residence doesn't belong to you alone; we can come whenever we please, and you don't have the authority to chase us away!"

After saying this, he signaled Chen Muxue and his parents-in-law to come in as well, while calmly addressing Chen Xiong:

"Debts must be repaid. The fifteen million you owe me from the antique shop has yet to be settled. What, are you trying to default on it?!"

"You...!" Chen Xiong was choked for words. Seeing Su Zheng and the others enter the ancestral residence, he could not help but grow anxious and furious, becoming somewhat flustered for a moment.

Deep down, he was extremely worried that Su Zheng's family would discover the old lady's true condition.

Ever since her last fainting spell, Old Lady Chen had been bedridden. Over the past few days, she had even suffered from periods of mental confusion, and it was clear she did not have much time left.

Because of the authentic Lanting Xu calligraphy, Chen Xiong had recently been driven to a dead end by the Feng family. After conspiring with his daughter Chen Wenli, he decided to make a bold move while the old lady still had a breath left in her, forcing her to draw up a will so they could seize all of Chen family's assets.

However, Old Lady Chen had already grown utterly disappointed in their family and stubbornly refused to sign the will. Day and night, she obsessively cried out to see Chen Muxue. If these people were allowed to see Old Lady Chen right now, all their previous efforts would be completely wasted!

"Dad! Just let them come in. Grandma merely went abroad, she isn't dead. If certain people want to come to the ancestral residence to make a scene, just let them. You can document it all, and after you truly become the head of the family, you can settle accounts with them slowly!"

At this moment, Chen Wenli walked out from the main hall. She cast a disdainful glare at Su Zheng and the others before looking at Chen Xiong with a deeply meaningful gaze.

"Hmph, that makes sense. Once I become the head of the family, I won't let off a single person who came here to cause trouble tonight, hmph!"

Chen Xiong understood his daughter's intent and glared resentfully at Chen Jianguo.

"This... Big brother, look... is this really necessary?!"

Chen Jianguo's spirit faltered. Since Chen Xiong had already been designated by the old lady as the future helmsman of the family, hearing Chen Xiong's words made his heart pound with anxiety, terrified that he would face reckoning in the future.

"Shut up! Hmph!" Chen Xiong put on an arrogant front once more and turned to re-enter the main hall with Chen Wenli.

"Oh dear, you are just too reckless. If the old lady finds out that we forced our way into the ancestral residence tonight, there's no telling how she'll punish us. Why don't we just leave and come back tomorrow?"

Chen Jianguo blamed Su Zheng for breaking the gate, fearing they would be punished by the old lady.

"It's fine. I'll take the blame for whatever happens. Let's go inside too!" Su Zheng said calmly and indifferently. He took Chen Muxue's hand and led the way into the ancestral hall.

Chen Jianguo and his wife exchanged glances. Things had already reached this point, so they could only bite the bullet and follow them inside.

Chen Xiong and Chen Wenli were nowhere to be seen. The main hall appeared empty, and the servants were absent as well. Su Zheng cast a glance around the surroundings; nothing had changed since his last visit to the ancestral residence.

"Su Zheng, do you think Grandma really went abroad? Why does it always feel so unlikely to me?"

Chen Muxue asked Su Zheng with a frown.

"It's hard to say for sure yet. But since we're already inside, there's no need to rush. As long as the old lady is still here, we will definitely get to see her!"

Su Zheng said placidly.

Just as they were speaking, they spotted a figure dressed like a doctor walking hurriedly out of the courtyard.

"Huh?" Chen Muxue froze, a sudden thought flashing through her mind. Was the old lady ill? If so, why hadn't anyone informed the rest of the family?!

Without hesitation, she gave chase outside.

Chen Jianguo and his wife followed closely behind, a lingering sense of foreboding weighing on their minds.

Su Zheng watched the doctor coldly, frowning slightly as he walked.

"Stop right there! Are you a doctor? Who on earth are you here to treat at this time of night?!"

Chen Muxue demanded in a crisp, cold voice.

"No... I'm not treating anyone. I'm just here visiting a friend."

The man looked somewhat flustered, then quickened his pace to move forward again.

"You still want to run! What on earth is going on here, speak up!" Chen Jianguo blocked the man's path in a single step and shouted anxiously.

"What... what do you want? I... I don't know anything!"

The doctor-like man looked terrified and shouted loudly in panic.

"Spoke up already! Who the hell are you here to treat in the middle of the night? Tell me right now!" Chen Jianguo, in his anxiety, grabbed the man by the collar and barked aggressively, a fierce look in his eyes.

"Ah! Someone is beating people up! Assault! Help, someone help!"

The man dressed as a doctor let out a sudden, shrill scream, his voice echoing far out into the night sky!

"Uh..." Chen Jianguo was left in a daze. He hadn't even used any force, so why was this jerk screaming like a slaughtered pig? Was this bastard out of his mind?!

"Dad! Let go of him quickly! Oh!" Chen Muxue recovered her wits somewhat, dimly sensing that something was amiss. Seeing this scene, she hurriedly signaled her father to let go.

"Snap!"

At that very moment, numerous lights illuminated the courtyard, and Chen Xiong walked out unhurriedly from the shadows.

"Well, well, Jianguo, you really something else. Taking advantage of the fact that the old lady isn't home, you actually dared to run to the ancestral residence to commit assault and beat people up. Let me tell you, you are finished today!"

He pointed straight at the dumbfounded Chen Jianguo and rebuked him harshly.

At the same time, he motioned to someone filming from afar through a window to step out, and then continued with a mocking smirk at Chen Jianguo:

"Hehe... I've already filmed the entire process of you assaulting someone. Come dawn, I'll report this to the authorities and hand the footage over. By then, you probably won't be able to avoid spending a few years in a prison cell!"

"B-Big brother, I didn't..."

Chen Jianguo instinctively released his grip, looking with sheer panic at Chen Xiong's sinister grin, completely at a loss as to what to do.