Chapter 220 - 219: Ashen-Faced (Fifth Update)
Mr. Gu opened his mouth, wanting to argue that Gu Ruhe wasn’t that kind of person, but his voice ultimately faded away in his throat.
He didn’t even know what kind of person Gu Ruhe was anymore, so how could he assure anyone, how could he persuade them?
Indeed.
Mr. Gu suddenly felt very powerless.
As soon as Gu Ruhai heard this, he felt enlightened, as if the seeds of suspicion in his heart were now supported by others, making it seem not so hard to accept.
Gu Ruhai called out to the outside of the house: "Third Brother, come here for a second."
"Okay."
Gu Ruhe suddenly felt a jolt in his heart for some reason.
A very bad feeling surged in his heart.
Could it be that Big Brother has figured something out?
It shouldn’t be.
In this play, it’s not only him but also Xiao Xue. If someone were to be suspected, it might be possible, but Xiao Xue has always been proud, disdainful of money. For his sake, Xiao Xue had lowered her proud head this time and set aside her dignity.
Xiao Xue’s presence was the most classic part of this play.
Gu Ruhe believed there wouldn’t be any problem.
Because even Xiao Xue didn’t know there was more to it; she genuinely thought it was about him misappropriating public funds to handle Gu Xiaomin’s schooling and promotion issues.
So it’s impossible.
At most, they’ll just ask a few questions.
Gu Ruhe felt reassured.
He quickly walked into the room.
"Big Brother, Dad, what’s the matter?"
The humility in his tone was evident, which made Gu Xiaoqing feel disdainful inside.
Gu Ruhe had always been smooth sailing in his life, with the only mishap and blemish probably being having a mistress.
The mistress people talked about in later years.
This mistress was capable, a saleswoman in Gu Ruhe’s supply and marketing cooperative, living in town, and divorced. But being young and beautiful, she captured Gu Ruhe’s affection. It’s said that in the past, Gu Ruhe spent quite a few bucks on her, but no one knew exactly where the money came from.
Gu Xiaoqing thought disdainfully, this matter should be related to that mistress.
Anyway, Gu Xiaoqing didn’t believe this matter was real.
Nor did he believe Gu Ruhe wouldn’t be able to handle this mess.
Otherwise, how did Gu Ruhe spend money on the mistress back then?
Those funds were some sort of grey income from various channels. As an accountant, Gu Ruhe managed many such connections; even the payment from the food factory needed Gu Ruhe’s signature. Without a bit of gratitude, how could you get him to approve any payments?
"Sit down."
Gu Ruhai now felt stifled and uneasy as he looked at Gu Ruhe; one troublesome family member after another.
"Third Uncle, my dad said you misappropriated a sum of public funds, is it ten thousand yuan?"
Gu Xiaoqing asked seriously.
Gu Ruhe wanted to curse inside. Why did Big Brother talk about this to the child? Doesn’t this make him lose face?
His expression wasn’t too good as he murmured: "Big Brother, Xiaoqing is just a child, how could you tell her about this?"
"In our family, Xiaoqing is in charge; if you need money, it has to go through her hands."
Gu Ruhai knew how to dodge.
Who knows anything, anyway?
Gu Ruhe had no choice but to put on a humble face and say to Gu Xiaoqing: "Xiaoqing, Third Uncle was wrong this time; it’s just that Third Uncle had no other option. If that money wasn’t covered, Third Uncle would have to go to jail."
A child, what harm could it do? The more pitiful he made himself sound, the easier to deal with. He didn’t believe a child could do anything to him.
Gu Xiaoqing didn’t say anything; she just continued to ask: "Third Uncle, it’s ten thousand yuan, right? So where did you spend it?"
Gu Ruhe was taken aback; he hadn’t expected Gu Xiaoqing to ask this.
But he had already thought of an excuse, so he wasn’t afraid.
"It’s ten thousand yuan. This amount was spent on Gu Xiaomin’s high school sponsorship fee."
This was the most legitimate excuse, and no one could say anything about it.
Even when Xiao Xue heard about it, her voice had significantly lowered.
Gu Xiaoqing smiled, "Third Uncle, are you sure all the ten thousand yuan was spent on the sponsorship fee, and not elsewhere?"
Gu Ruhe nodded, "Yes, how could I remember it wrong? It was all spent on the sponsorship fee. Your third aunt and I earn three hundred yuan a month; we don’t need to spend it elsewhere."
He spoke with confidence.
Gu Xiaoqing nodded and smiled at Gu Ruhai, "Dad, Third Uncle isn’t telling the truth. We can’t help with this; we can’t provide the money."
It was like a thunderclap, leaving Gu Ruhe thoroughly stunned. How could she say he wasn’t telling the truth?
He hurriedly grabbed Gu Xiaoqing, saying: "Xiaoqing, you can’t make baseless accusations, you’re not leaving your Third Uncle to die, are you?"
Gu Ruhai was calm, knowing his daughter wouldn’t make baseless accusations. If she dared to say this, there must be a reason.
Mr. Gu angrily remarked: "Third son, is there something you’re not telling us? If you don’t want our help, then fine, leave."
This time, Mr. Gu wasn’t stupid either. He understood what kind of person his granddaughter was; she wasn’t soft but hard-hearted. However, if you didn’t provoke her, she wouldn’t harm you, nor was she heartless.
At least after all the things the two elders did, she was still willing to accept them, which was proof.
So Mr. Gu sided with Gu Ruhai on this.
In a moment of panic, Gu Ruhe stiffened his neck and said, "Gu Xiaoqing, you can’t falsely accuse me. How did I not tell the truth? I’m at a dead end, coming here to ask for help. If you don’t want to help, just say it directly; no need to wrongly accuse me."
This was an accusation that Gu Xiaoqing didn’t want to help.
Xiao Xue immediately walked in from outside.
This time, the two of them had a united front and had to stand together.
She said to Gu Xiaoqing, "Xiaoqing, you cannot wrongly accuse your Third Uncle. We’ve been pushed to this extent, and your Third Uncle’s only hope is with you. You can’t just stand by and watch."
These words were meant to tug at the heartstrings.
Gu Xiaoqing laughed, pointing at Gu Ruhe and asking, "Third Uncle, don’t take us for fools. We may not live here, but the highest high school sponsorship fee in the county for three years is only three thousand yuan. How could your family need ten thousand for Gu Xiaomin? What sense does that make? Explain it to me.
We don’t intend to stand by and do nothing, but we can’t provide money for just anything. If Third Uncle can’t explain clearly how the money was spent today, then sorry, we don’t have the money to plug this unclear gap."
On hearing these words, Gu Ruhai was startled, and his expression turned unpleasant.
Gu Ruhe was also ashen-faced.
He truly didn’t expect anyone to know the actual amount of the county high school’s sponsorship fee. This was all managed through internal connections; the average person really didn’t know. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)