Courtyard House: I fish in the heavens, a professional bird abuser.

"Mom! No! I didn't!"

Qin Huairu was terrified. She desperately tried to dodge while screaming and crying, "That old man...he came to talk to me about the medical expenses for Bang Geng! He...he lent me money! Really! Old man, please tell me!"

"Stop! Madam Jia! Calm down!"

Yi Zhonghai was also startled by Jia Zhangshi's madness and quickly stepped forward to stop them, trying to separate the two.

He forced himself to remain calm and, addressing the onlookers, especially the pale-faced, trembling woman whose eyes pierced him and Qin Huairu like knives, he loudly explained:

"Don't misunderstand! Don't listen to Sha Zhu's nonsense! I'm just worried because Bang Geng is badly injured and can't afford the medical expenses!"

That's why I called Huai Ru out in the middle of the night and lent her the fifty yuan I had saved up over the years to help her out of her predicament!

I was worried about attracting attention during the day and it getting out, so I wanted to find a quiet place for her! Who knew the cellar lid would suddenly close! It was purely an accident! It was a misunderstanding!

His explanation sounded reasonable, sincere, and full of "public-spiritedness" and "thorough consideration."

Under normal circumstances, this might fool quite a few people.

Unfortunately, at this moment, under the shocking revelation of "cheating" and the visual impact of the two men crawling out of the cellar in a disheveled state, and surrounded by the lingering echo of Sha Zhu's angry roar of "solid evidence," it all seemed so pale and powerless, even... a futile attempt to cover up the truth!

"Oh? Need money urgently?"

A slow, deliberate voice, clearly mocking, poured down like ice water.

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to it.

He Yuanchao had somehow walked to the edge of the crowd. He crossed his arms and leaned against a pillar, the moonlight outlining his tall and aloof profile.

He wore an undisguised mocking smile, his gaze sweeping over Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu like a cold probe.

"Sir, what you just said... is quite interesting."

He Yuanchao's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly overwhelmed all the noise, carrying a penetrating power: "Lending money to a neighbor in an emergency is a good thing! It's upright, public-spirited, and deserves praise! He deserves a big red flower!"

His tone abruptly shifted, becoming incredibly sharp: "But if it's a good thing, why act like thieves, sneaking around in the dead of night? And specifically choosing... a dark, secluded cellar where a man and a woman are alone?"

He Yuanzhao took a step forward, his gaze fixed on Yi Zhonghai, whose face was growing increasingly grim. His voice suddenly rose, booming like thunder:

"Can't I borrow it during the day?! Wouldn't borrowing it in front of everyone better demonstrate your noble character and willingness to help those in need?!"

Or perhaps...

He deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze sweeping meaningfully between Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu.

Finally, the voice landed on Jia Dongxu, who had been dragged out of the house by Jia Zhangshi, slumped in a broken rattan chair, his face ashen, staring at Qin Huairu with venomous eyes. The voice carried a chilling pity mixed with a ruthless malice:

"Or is it that your request for money... is actually a pretext for something else entirely? Using the guise of giving money to do something so despicable?!"

"Poor thing... Comrade Jia Dongxu, look at your wife, and then look at you, you good old man... Tsk tsk tsk... Is this bright green hat comfortable to wear? I'm afraid... there's more than one, isn't there?"

boom!!!

He Yuanchao's words were like pouring a bucket of boiling gasoline on a raging fire!

"He Yuanchao! You're spouting nonsense! You're slandering me!!"

Yi Zhonghai was so angry that he trembled violently. He pointed at He Yuanchao, his vision blurred, and he almost fainted!

His carefully crafted excuse was shattered by He Yuanchao's few words, and he was even slapped with an even more vicious and irrefutable "green hat"!

"I didn't! He Yuanchao, you're lying! You'll die a horrible death!"

Qin Huairu was struck dumb, overwhelmed by humiliation and fear, she screamed and tears streamed down her face like a burst dam.

He Yuanchao's last sentence, "More than one hat,"

It was like a venomous snake burrowing into her heart, causing her to involuntarily glance at Sha Zhu beside her, whose face was bruised, and who looked anxious and bewildered... This subtle action, in the eyes of those who were paying attention, confirmed a certain suspicion!

"Ah—!!! Yi Zhonghai! Qin Huairu! You two adulterers!!"

Madam Jia Zhang has gone completely mad! He Yuanchao's words were like poisoned knives, utterly destroying her last shred of sanity!

Instead of attacking Qin Huairu, she turned her gun on Yi Zhonghai like a madwoman!

"You old beast! You hypocrite! You lecherous old bastard! I'll scratch you to death!!"

Jia Zhangshi's ten withered fingers, carrying years of resentment and the ruthlessness of a shrew, lashed out at Yi Zhonghai's still relatively well-preserved old face like a storm!

"Sizzle! Sizzle!"

"ah--!"

Caught off guard, Yi Zhonghai suddenly had several crisscrossing, deep bloodstains on his face!

The searing pain made him scream in agony!

He tried to resist and push away the madwoman, but Jia Zhangshi's strength at this moment was astonishing. She was like a mad tiger, clinging to him and tearing at him!

His half-new Zhongshan suit was torn in several places, leaving him in a sorry state!

"Mom! Mom, stop! It's not what you think! Uncle really did lend me money!" Qin Huairu cried and tried to break up the fight, but Jia Zhangshi slapped her hard across the face!

"Snapped!"

Crisp and clear!

"Get out of here! You bitch! I'll deal with you later!" Jia Zhangshi didn't even glance at the stunned Qin Huairu, and continued to attack Yi Zhonghai frantically.

"Old Yi!" An older woman screamed as she watched her husband being humiliated and scratched by Jia Zhangshi. Her heart ached, and she rushed forward to help, but was pushed to the side by the chaotic crowd.

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous! Jia Zhangshi! Stop right there!"

Liu Haizhong was overjoyed to see Yi Zhonghai being beaten so badly!

But on the surface, he still had to maintain the dignity of the "second uncle," baring his belly and shouting sternly, while deliberately moving his feet slowly, showing no intention of actually stopping him. Instead, he took the opportunity to stir up trouble among the surrounding neighbors:

"Everyone saw it! What kind of behavior is this! Yi Zhonghai, as the manager, secretly met with a married woman in the cellar in the middle of the night, and after being caught, he tried to make excuses! Although Jia Zhangshi's behavior was excessive, it was also understandable!"

This is a serious breach of the ethical standards of our entire institution! It must be dealt with severely!

I suggest that a full-scale meeting be convened immediately to dismiss Mr. Yi Zhonghai from his post! This morally corrupt scourge should be removed from the leadership!

Yan Bugui immediately followed suit, adding insult to injury: "Old Liu is right! Old Yi, you've really disappointed us! You always act all high and mighty, but behind our backs... sigh! You can know a person's face but not their heart!"

"We can all work together to figure out Bang Geng's medical expenses. How could you... how could you do this? Isn't this taking advantage of someone in distress? It's despicable!"

"I didn't! I'm innocent! I just wanted to borrow money! Borrow money!" Yi Zhonghai desperately tried to defend himself against Jia Zhangshi's frantic scratching, his voice trembling with tears.

He felt as if he had fallen into an abyss, surrounded by hands that wanted to kick him while he was down and cold, mocking eyes.

"The old man is innocent! He really lent money to Sister Qin!" Sha Zhu finally recovered from the series of blows. Seeing Yi Zhonghai being besieged like this, his protective instincts and his reckless sense of loyalty once again took over.

He roared and was about to rush forward to help Yi Zhonghai pull Jia Zhangshi away.

"Innocence? Sha Zhu, what proof do you have that I'm innocent?"

Before He Yuanchao could speak, Yan Jiecheng, who had long disliked Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai, was the first to jump out and pointed at Sha Zhu's nose, saying, "Your own behind is not clean! You're always calling her Sister Qin this and Sister Qin that, and you deliver lunch boxes to people in the middle of the night, more diligently than you serve your own mother!"

Who knows if you and Qin Huairu had something going on? That kid Banggeng looks a lot like you when you were little!

"I think the relationship between the three of you is a complete mess! You, idiot Zhu, are coming out to testify for Yi Zhonghai? Who do you think you are? You're a suspect yourself! What qualifications do you have to testify?!"

"Yan Jiecheng! You son of a bitch! You're talking nonsense!" Sha Zhu was hit where it hurt and instantly flew into a rage, turning around to pounce on Yan Jiecheng.