The engagement is over, but the black-bellied president won't let go

Xiao Yichen listened, clenching his hands into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. "Dad must have been wronged, did you say what it was about?" He asked cryptically.

Xiao Yiyang said: "It is said that the case that my father was involved in is related to a major economic crime. Someone reported that he had engaged in improper behavior during the investigation, but this is just a report and there is no solid evidence yet."

Leng Ruofei quickly walked to Xiao Yiyang and gently held his arm, "Yiyang, is there any other way?"

Xiao Yiyang took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "It's not the right time yet. After all, it just happened. I don't think even their leaders know the inside story. In a few days, there may be rumors. Mom, brother, don't worry. If it's really like what Uncle Li said, I believe that Dad is just going to cooperate with the investigation and will be back in a few days."

After hearing what Xiao Yiyang said, Qin Lan calmed down a little. On the way back, her chest was swollen and there was a lot of air stuck in her lungs, which could neither go up nor down.

For a moment, the family fell into deep silence. The atmosphere in the room was so oppressive that it was almost suffocating, as if even the air had become heavy.

In the following days, Qin Lan seemed to be in an invisible cage, and her inner anxiety was like an indispellable cloud that always enveloped her. Every day, she spent her time in restlessness, and her desire for good news from the Public Security Bureau was like a raging fire burning in her heart, scorching every nerve in her body.

The morning sun shone through the gaps in the curtains, dappling onto Qin Lan's face, but she was unaware of it. She just sat blankly in a corner of the sofa, staring blankly ahead, with the image of her husband, Xiao Zhengchun, constantly appearing in her mind. She twisted her hands tightly together, her knuckles turning white from excessive force.

As the days passed, Qin Lan's phone remained silent, without even a single call from the Public Security Bureau. The families of the Public Security Bureau leaders who had once been on good terms with their family also seemed to have disappeared, with no one calling to greet them or reveal any news. This indifference and alienation made Qin Lan's heart grow colder.

However, the landline phone at home kept ringing during this period, and the callers were all relatives. I don't know who started it, saying that they were afraid that their phones were being monitored, so they all called the landline. Every time the phone rang suddenly, the sharp sound was like a heavy hammer, mercilessly hitting Qin Lan's already fragile heart.

"Sister-in-law, I heard that my eldest brother received a large sum of money from others, more than one million yuan, which is an astonishing amount! My husband has a distant cousin who works in that department in the city. His cousin told him secretly." A relative's anxious and somewhat mysterious voice came from the other end of the line.

Qin Lan's hand holding the microphone began to tremble involuntarily, and her voice trembled with anger and disbelief: "Impossible! Don't talk nonsense, Lao Xiao is not that kind of person! Don't you know what my family's financial conditions are like? We only have this one house. What's more, my second brother's business is so big, your eldest brother has nothing better to do than to take other people's money!" Her voice was almost a roar, and her eyes were bloodshot with excitement.

"Oh, sister-in-law, this is what everyone is saying. They say he helped others do a lot of things that they shouldn't have done, and now he's been investigated. This is no small matter." There was clearly a hint of gloating in the relative's words, and the tone seemed as if he was waiting to see a joke.

Qin Lan was so angry that her face turned blue instantly, veins on her forehead popped out, and she retorted loudly: "It's all nonsense! I know Lao Xiao best! Okay, you heard these rumors, if you can help, fight back, if you can't help, don't spread them. I'll thank you on behalf of your brother!" After that, she hung up the phone with an angry "click", her whole body shaking with anger.

But before she could recover from her anger, the annoying ringtone of the landline phone rang again.

"Sister, I heard that my brother-in-law was arrested by the higher-ups? Oh my God, how could such a thing happen when he is about to retire... Hey, sister, don't blame me for not telling you, I heard that my brother-in-law has several female confidantes outside, you didn't know? It is said that the financial leader in their bureau is a woman, she has always been single, and she is very beautiful..." This time it was the voice of a distant cousin. As if she was afraid of being heard by others, she lowered her voice, but she spoke vividly and with details.

Qin Lan felt her head buzzing, and her eyes went dark, as if the whole world was collapsing in an instant. She almost used all her strength to say, "Don't talk nonsense! It's not true! Xiaofeng, don't you know what kind of person your brother-in-law is? He never goes around women, and he always opens the door when his female subordinates report to him. I don't allow you to slander him like this!" There was despair and determination in her voice, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Okay, okay, sister, I know you feel bad. Your brother-in-law is in such a high position, isn't it normal for such a situation to happen? We, as his wives, are the last to know. I'm telling you in advance so that you can be mentally prepared and not hurt yourself..." Xiaofeng's voice was still coming from the receiver, with a tone that seemed concerned but was actually gossip.

"Xiao Feng, thank you very much! I believe your brother-in-law, he is not that kind of person! Don't worry, I'm fine." Qin Lan suppressed the anger and pain in her heart, tried her best to keep her voice calm, and then hung up the phone angrily.

However, this was just the beginning. Phone calls came one after another, and all kinds of unbearable rumors continued to impact Qin Lan's heart like a surging tide.

"I heard that Lao Xiao has a villa in the best location in Fuyang, and he has a woman and children in it..."

"Sister, my son's colleagues said that Lao Xiao lost a lot of money in a business with others, but he didn't dare to tell his family. He took money from outside and secretly paid it back..."

"Logically speaking, your second son is so rich, Lao Xiao definitely didn't do it for money this time. I think he must have done something he shouldn't have done. If he doesn't handle this job error well, it's a crime..."

"Big sister, you have to take care of yourself. Are your three children implicated? Your Xiaoye is abroad, right? I heard that Lao Xiao is in big trouble this time, and it involves foreign affairs..."

……

Every phone call, every rumor, was like a sharp knife, ruthlessly cutting Qin Lan's heart. Her face became paler and paler, her eyes became more and more empty, and she seemed to have lost her soul.

In the past few days, Qin Lan became extremely anxious whenever she heard the phone ring, as if her head was about to explode. The ringing sound was infinitely amplified in her ears, deafening like thunder. She covered her ears in pain, holding back tears, her body trembling constantly, and she muttered to herself: "What people say is really scary!"

The ordinary ringtone was like a curse, causing her heart to beat faster and her breathing to quicken. Every time the ringtone rang, she felt a sense of fear and helplessness, as if the ringtone heralded the coming of another nightmare.

Leng Ruofei has been silently taking care of Qin Lan at home. She looked at her mother-in-law's increasingly haggard face, her heart full of heartache and worry. Whenever Qin Lan sat in front of the window absent-mindedly, staring blankly into the distance, Leng Ruofei would gently walk over and put a warm coat on her. The gentle movement seemed to be afraid of disturbing her mother-in-law's fragile thoughts. When Qin Lan silently shed tears and her tears soaked the handkerchief in her hand, Leng Ruofei would promptly hand her a warm tissue, look at her mother-in-law with concerned eyes, and give her silent comfort. And when Qin Lan lost her appetite due to anxiety and pain, Leng Ruofei would patiently sit beside her and persuade her to eat a few bites. The gentle words soothed Qin Lan's wounded heart like a spring breeze.

Leng Ruofei didn't believe anything those relatives said. She said to Qin Lan firmly, "Mom, you can stop a thousand hands, but you can't stop a thousand mouths. Don't believe anything they say now. It's impossible for the investigators to reveal a single detail of the case, so how could such a thing be spread? These are just rumors spread by the common people. You can't take them seriously!"

Qin Lan felt a warm current in her heart after hearing this, and was deeply moved. She leaned in Leng Ruofei's arms, and finally could no longer suppress her inner grief. Tears burst out like a river bursting its banks, and she cried, "Ruofei, what on earth is going on? Why are there so many ugly words?" Her voice was full of despair and helplessness, and her tears soaked Leng Ruofei's clothes.

Leng Ruofei patted Qin Lan's back gently, as if comforting a wounded child, and said, "Mom, don't think too much, your health is important. Those people just like to gossip, and we can't be influenced by them. No one will care about other people's families, only ourselves. When the wall falls, everyone pushes it down. This is the bad nature of human beings. Don't worry, Mom, Yi Yang and Big Brother are here, you take care of your health, and leave everything to them." Her voice was firm and powerful, trying to bring a glimmer of hope and courage to Qin Lan.

Qin Lan nodded seriously, with a firmness in her eyes: "Ruofei, you are right, I can't fall. I can't cause trouble for your father, Yi Chen and Yi Yang. I have unplugged the phone line and I won't answer anyone's calls." Although her voice was weak, it was full of determination.

Leng Ruofei curled up the corners of her mouth and revealed a warm smile: "Yes, Mom, let's go, I made shrimp soup noodles, let's go eat noodles. I made it according to the phone, please give me some comments on how it tastes. After you are full, you can have a good sleep." She gently helped Qin Lan up, her movements soft and cautious.

"Rufei, good boy, you have been at home with me these days. Is it okay for you not to go to the studio?" Qin Lan felt bad, her eyes full of guilt and gratitude.