A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1265 Exposing the Truth, Zhao Meilan Backs Down! (Please Subscribe!)

Hua Shier frowned slightly upon hearing what the reporter said:
So you mean to ignore the facts?

The reporter noticed the change in Hua Shier's expression and quickly explained:
"Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Su. What I mean is that your mother's matter happened a long time ago. After that, you and Ms. Zhao Meilan went through more than 20 years of marriage and raised three children together. I think it's a bit far-fetched to force this matter to be linked to the division of property in a divorce!"

After the reporter said this, some onlookers felt that what he said was wrong, but many others felt that it made sense and started discussing it.

In their view, if Su's mother wanted a divorce because of Zhao Meilan's death, it wouldn't have been unreasonable for her to call the police and file a lawsuit.

But more than 20 years have passed, and the statute of limitations for criminal cases has expired. It is indeed a bit unreasonable for you to use this reason to refuse to divide the property in a divorce now.

Another passerby with some legal knowledge supported the reporter and loudly proclaimed:

“In your case, legally it is considered an understanding of past conflicts. Now you are using these old issues to oppose the division of property. Even if you go to court, the court will hardly support you.”

Zhao Meilan perked up immediately upon hearing this:

"Su Daqiang, did you hear that? So many people can't stand it anymore, and they all think I'm right!"

The cameraman immediately gave Hua Shier a close-up shot, trying to capture the details of his expression and see how he would react.

Hua Shier smiled and said to the reporter;
“I agree with your logic, but who said that I made Zhao Meilan leave with nothing because of my mother's situation? I was just paying respects to my mother in front of so many people and telling her the good news of my divorce to comfort her soul in heaven!”

After he finished speaking, he reached into his pocket and took out a folded mediation agreement from the storage space.

Hua Shier opened the mediation agreement and then called out to the cameraman:
"Come on, take a picture of this divorce agreement. Reporter, you should also take a look. It clearly states that Zhao Meilan voluntarily left with nothing, and there's her signature at the bottom!"

Zhao Meilan called out:
"This one doesn't count; you threatened me into signing this!"

Hua Twelve scoffed:
"Are you ignorant about the law? Do you think the law is a joke? You think a legally binding agreement is invalid just because you say it is?"

Zhao Meilan stood with her hands on her hips, craning her neck like a fighting rooster:
"You threatened me to sign that, and you also concealed marital assets!"

The reporter quickly tried to smooth things over:

"Mr. Su, since you have already allowed us to film the mediation, could we please clarify Ms. Zhao Meilan's accusations against you point by point? I believe everyone can see clearly and can judge the matter for you two. How does that sound?"

Hua nodded.
"Fine, then you tell me. I can't explain it to this woman!"

Zhao Meilan wanted to say something more, but the interview assistant pulled her back and persuaded her to stop.

The female reporter was clearly well-prepared, and had all her questions ready.

"First, Ms. Zhao Meilan questioned your concealment of marital assets. Do you have any explanation for this?"

Hua Twelve was amused:
"I'm also puzzled by this. All three of my kids are here, as you can see. Those two boys are very close to their mother. If you ask them, they certainly won't lie!"

"There are still quite a few old neighbors here. You can interview them to see who manages our family's money. I have to hand over all my salary and bonuses every month. How could I possibly hide anything from them?"

The reporter immediately began interviewing the people around him. These neighbors living in Tongdeli all testified to Hua Shier, saying that Old Su was penniless. One of the older men even told a true story that happened to Su Daqiang:

"A few years ago, society was still quite chaotic. One night, Old Su came home late because he was organizing books. It was already nine or ten o'clock at night when he got home. He was robbed by a robber as soon as he entered Tongde Lane. In the end, Old Su was penniless, with only a cigarette butt in his pocket!"

"The robber even asked him why he had a cigarette butt in his pocket. Old Su said his wife wouldn't give him money to buy cigarettes, and he still had a third of the cigarette left. If he was careful, he could smoke it again tomorrow!"

"Even the robbers couldn't stand it anymore. They threw two cigarettes at Old Su before leaving, cursing as they went. They'd never seen a wife like that before; she was even more ruthless than the robbers!"

The reporter asked curiously:
"Since it happened at night, how did you know about it?"

The older brother laughed heartily and said:
"Isn't it just a coincidence? The robber didn't get any business with Old Su, so he went to commit crimes elsewhere. As a result, he was caught red-handed by Uncle Hat. During the interrogation, he confessed to this incident. The next day, Uncle Hat came to Old Su's house to take a statement. All the long-time residents in this area should have heard about it!"

When the man said that, everyone around burst into laughter, and many long-time residents nodded in agreement.

Zhao Meilan argued vehemently, "What's wrong with that? Smoking is bad for your health and wastes money. What's wrong with me not letting him smoke?"

Hua Twelve directly retorted:
"Then why do you buy several cartons of cigarettes for your brother and your dad, and even buy them good cigarettes to smoke!"

Zhao Meilan was speechless and could only grit her teeth and spit out a curse:
"You ungrateful wretch! I'm being nice to you and you're still not happy!"

Hua Shier sneered and then said to the reporter:

"And you can ask the three children if there's any possibility that I've hidden any assets. Don't laugh at me, but back around Chinese New Year, I left behind twenty yuan of my bonus, and Zhao Meilan made me kneel in front of the children and then slapped me across the face!"

"For the sake of my family and my three children so they can have a good New Year, I gritted my teeth and endured it. Tell me, where would I get the money to hide my assets!"

The reporter then interviewed the three children. Although Su Mingzhe and Su Mingcheng were unwilling to speak ill of Zhao Meilan, the facts were as they were, and they both nodded in agreement with Hua Shier's statement.

Su Mingyu directly stood up for Hua Twelve:

"Which working man doesn't carry some money in his pocket for emergencies? My dad didn't even have money to fix a flat tire on his bicycle. I remember several times when my dad got a flat tire, he had to push his bicycle home!"

Zhao Meilan glared at her daughter and snorted coldly. She had long known that her daughter was not on her side.

The reporter hadn't expected Hua Shier to be in such a miserable state, but she still said:
“Mr. Su, Ms. Zhao Meilan communicated with us in advance and expressed her demands. What she meant by concealing assets was not your salary and bonuses, but mainly your royalties and copyright issues related to your literary creations!”

"I heard that you are Mei Changsu, the author of the wildly popular novel 'Ghost Blows Out the Light.' You must have received a lot in royalties. Could you explain this to everyone?"

The reporter's words immediately stirred up the crowd. Many of them had been following the newspaper and only then realized that Su Daqiang in front of them was actually the author of the novel.

Hua Twelve laughed heartily, then suddenly realized:
"So that's why you're jealous, Zhao Meilan, because you see me making money!"

He faced the microphone and camera, smiling, and said:
"My situation with Zhao Meilan is rather complicated, and many people may not be aware of it. Although it's true that family scandals shouldn't be aired in public, things have come to this point, and if I don't clarify things, it will seem like I'm in the wrong. So let's talk about it!"

"I divorced Zhao Meilan because I discovered she had transferred the family's assets!"

“We were married for over twenty years. I was frugal and reluctant to spend money on myself. I handed over all my salary and bonuses to Zhao Meilan. But just before my divorce, our family’s total savings amounted to only a little over a thousand yuan!”

When he said that, everyone around him felt it was unbelievable. The couple earned wages and didn't spend much money. They had only saved a little over a thousand yuan in more than twenty years. That was too little.

Hua Shier chuckled: "Where did all that money go? Zhao Meilan lent it all to her brother without my permission. Besides, the money she lent to her brother was all from my salary and bonuses. What about her own salary? She sends money to her family every month. You all be the judge, isn't this considered transferring marital property?"

Zhao Meilan pointed at Hua Shier and cursed, "You're talking nonsense! A woman marries a man for food and clothing. Of course I'm going to spend your money to marry you. You still want my money? Su Daqiang, do you have any shame?!"

Even the reporters couldn't stand it anymore:
"Ms. Zhao, that's not how it works. You are husband and wife, and according to the law, your salary and bonuses are considered joint property of the couple. You cannot give them away to others without my permission!"

Zhao Meilan tilted her head back and said, "That's ridiculous! Reporter Bian, you're the one I brought here. How can you side with him!"

The reporter looked a little unwell, and her assistant kept coughing and giving Zhao Meilan a meaningful look, which finally calmed her down.

Hua Shier continued:
"According to Article 21 of the Supreme People's Court's 93 Opinions on Property Division, the party who conceals, transfers, sells, or damages property should receive a smaller share or no share at all. It was based on this clause that I made Zhao Meilan leave with nothing. Is that alright?"

"it is good!"

The guy who was telling the story to the reporter earlier clapped and cheered:

"Old Su, we've had enough of your wife a long time ago. She's been too harsh on you. It's been a long time since we stopped her!"

Other long-time neighbors also expressed their support, clearly indicating that Zhao Meilan was not very popular in Tongdeli.

Su Mingzhe and Su Mingcheng blushed as red as monkey bottoms. Their parents' commotion made them feel ashamed. Only Su Mingyu was indignant, sharing Hua Shier's indignation.

The reporter nodded:
"Mr. Su, let's talk about your novel's revenue and copyright issues!"

Hua Twelve frowned slightly:
"Reporter, didn't you hear me clearly? Zhao Meilan transferred assets during the marriage, so she is the party at fault. Therefore, she is to leave with nothing. What about the copyright? Does that have no impact on this?"

The reporter smiled awkwardly: "Mr. Su, you can't say that. If that novel was written during your marriage, then the income and copyright of the novel should also be considered marital property!"

Hua Shier's eyes narrowed: "Reporter Bian, I have a feeling you're targeting me!"

The reporter quickly waved his hand: "Don't misunderstand, Mr. Su. We reporters raise questions from an objective standpoint. There is indeed such a question about this matter!"

Zhao Meilan called out:
"The reporter is right. Su Daqiang's 'light lamp' thing was written before the divorce. He wrote it every night, and I saw it!"

When Su Mingzhe first heard that his father was writing a novel, he didn't understand what was going on. He secretly asked Su Mingcheng and learned that his father's tomb raiding novel was a huge hit in the Jiangnan region and had made a lot of money. He found it unbelievable that his father had such an ability.

While they were still in a daze, the reporter held out a microphone to them:
"You are the children of Mr. Su and Ms. Zhao. I'd like to interview you. Do you know whether Mr. Su's novels were written during his marriage to Ms. Zhao?"

Su Mingzhe and Su Mingcheng both told the truth that they had never seen Hua Shier write a novel before.

Su Mingyu then said directly:

“I know that when my parents were getting a divorce, my uncle came to my house and vandalized it. He was arrested by the man in the hat and was to be detained. My dad needed to issue a letter of forgiveness before he could be released, otherwise he would be sentenced to prison!”

“My mom went to my dad’s workplace and made a scene because of this. My dad got angry and quit his job. After they divorced, my dad said he wanted to find something to make money, so he started writing novels. I can prove that this novel has nothing to do with my mom!”

Zhao Meilan angrily pointed at Su Mingyu and cursed:
"You ungrateful wretch! If I had known you would turn out like this, I would have aborted you before you were even born!"

Hua Shier shouted, "Zhao Meilan, if you insult my daughter again, believe me, I'll slap you across the face!"

He addressed the surroundings:

“I’m not afraid of you laughing at me. All the old neighbors know that Zhao Meilan favors boys over girls and treats Mingyu badly. But what you don’t know is that there’s another reason why Zhao Meilan treats Mingyu badly. She got together with another man, and he wanted to take her to Shanghai. But when they were about to leave, she found out she was pregnant!”

"After that man found out, he left without saying a word. At that time, Zhao Meilan was pregnant with our Mingyu!"

His words immediately caused an uproar among the surrounding neighbors, who were amazed by the juicy gossip.

The cameraman filmed Hua Shier for a while, and then Zhao Meilan for a while.

Zhao Meilan was so angry that the veins on her forehead bulged, and her face looked like a vengeful ghost.
"Su Daqiang, you're not human! You're making up lies, spouting nonsense, and spouting blatant lies!"

Hua Twelve shouted loudly:

"Zhao Meilan, think this through. Your diary is locked in a tin box under the bed. Do you want me to take that box out now, smash it open, and see what you wrote in your diary? See what that man's name is, and let Reporter Bian expose him for you. Let's see which shameless man is seducing a married man!"

Zhao Meilan's voice abruptly stopped. Her expression tense, her face changing several times, and then she suddenly turned and left.

"I don't want it anymore, I don't want anything!"

She knew that once the diary was revealed, she would be finished. It would reveal her extramarital affair and transfer of assets, which would mean she wouldn't be able to work anymore and her life would be completely ruined. She was also afraid of being gossiped about by acquaintances!
The reporter and her assistant called her several times, but Zhao Meilan pretended not to hear them and squeezed through the crowd to run out of Tongdeli.

The three siblings, Su Mingzhe, Su Mingcheng, and Su Mingyu, all looked incredulous; this was the first time they had ever heard of such a thing.

Su Mingzhe and Su Mingcheng didn't believe their mother could do such a thing, but it seemed to be true, so they were both shocked and stunned on the spot!
Su Mingyu felt even more sorry for her father. It turned out that her father had endured more suffering than she had all these years!

As soon as Zhao Meilan left, the reporter felt awkward. He hurriedly ended the interview, said goodbye to Hua Shier, and left with his entourage.

Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, the onlookers dispersed one after another, and many old neighbors comforted Hua Shier as they left.

In the interview vehicle outside Tongdeli, the assistant pulled Zhao Meilan aside and said:
"Cousin, why don't you try harder? We're really close relatives. With my connection, when the show airs, how could they not side with you!"

Zhao Meilan simply shook her head, her attitude firm:

"I don't want it anymore. If my mom doesn't agree, let her go ask for it herself!"

The assistant sighed, "Alright then, it was my aunt who asked me to do this anyway. If you're not happy about it, then forget it!"

After sending Zhao Meilan back, the assistant said to the reporter:
"Xiao Bian, you don't need to worry about my side. Let's focus on the ratings. Just air it however we need to."

Reporter Bian said, "No, if we air it normally, the ratings will definitely be limited. If we're going to do it, we'll do something big. We'll go back and edit it, cut out all the parts that are good for Su Daqiang, and make it look like he's achieved success and become a famous writer, so he's abandoned his first wife. The ratings will definitely explode!"

The cameraman was dumbfounded: "Can you really do this?"

"Why not? The tape is in our hands. As long as we don't hand it over, we can do whatever we want. Besides, this will benefit Sister Liu's cousin. If she achieves good results, you'll get a bonus, and I'll get a permanent position. It's settled then!"

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