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On Yan Yan's birthday, the sun hung in the sky like a fireball, making people's skin burn.

Gao Shuhua stood at the school gate, fanning herself with her hand, sweat streaming down her temples.

She glanced at her watch; there were still five minutes until school ended.

Now that Gao Shuhua has discovered Cui Ye's secret, she feels constantly agitated and panicked, as if the person beside her has turned into a devil.

However, she never thought about why Cui Ye had changed like this, perhaps because she never understood Cui Ye at all.

"Mom!" Yan Yan's voice came from behind.

Gao Shuhua turned around and saw her son, leaning on a cane, limping towards her with a bright smile on his face.

"Why did you come out early?" Gao Shuhua quickly went to greet her.

She wanted to help her son but was afraid of hurting his pride, so she hesitated for a moment with her hand in mid-air.

"My teacher knew it was my birthday today, so she gave me special permission to leave five minutes early." Yan Yan looked up, her forehead beaded with sweat. "Is Dad here?"

Gao Shuhua's expression stiffened for a moment, "Your dad is still busy, but..."

She paused, then said, "Your uncle's family will come to your house to celebrate your birthday."

Yan Yan's eyes lit up. "Captain Cui is coming? That's great! He said he'd teach me a new game!"

Looking at her son's excited expression, Gao Shuhua felt a lump in her throat.

She forced a smile. "Let's go! We need to hurry back and get ready."

When I got home, Cui Wei and his family of three had already arrived.

As soon as Gao Shuhua entered the door, she smelled the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen and heard Cui Ye's hearty laughter.

"Yan Yan's back!" Cui Ye poked his head out of the kitchen, wearing an apron, with a few chicken feathers stuck in his hair, and holding a spatula in his hand. "Happy birthday, little guy!"

Yan Yan cheered and, forgetting all about her crutches, hopped on one foot toward the kitchen.

Gao Shuhua quickly supported him, "Be careful!"

Cui Wei walked over from the living room, holding a beautifully packaged box. "Yan Yan, look what your uncle bought you! The latest game cartridge!"

"Wow!" Yan Yan took the gift and eagerly opened it. "This is it! I've always wanted this!"

Cui Ye wiped his hands, came out of the kitchen, and said with a smile, "What a coincidence, I already bought him the same cassette tape! It seems we're on the same page."

Cui Wei's expression was somewhat subtle. "Yes! What a coincidence."

Cui Ye patted Yan Yan on the shoulder, "Yan Yan, I have another gift for you."

"What is Daddy?"

Just then, a deliveryman arrived and brought a large box.

After Cui Ye signed for receipt, he took out a brand new mountain bike.

"How's it going, Yan Yan? Once your leg is better, I can teach you to ride!"

"Thank you dad."

Yan Yan's eyes widened, too excited to speak.

Gao Shuhua stood aside, feeling somewhat saddened as she thought about Yan Yan's illness.

Gao Shuhua said softly, "Cui Ye, Yan Yan's legs can't handle riding, can they?"

“It will definitely get better!” Cui Ye interrupted her, his voice firm. “As long as I’m here, I will find the best doctor to help Yan Yan get better.”

"..."

Suddenly, Cui Ye squatted down, looking directly into Yan Yan's eyes. "Do you believe your father?"

"Mmm." Yan Yan nodded vigorously, her eyes shining.

Gao Shuhua felt even more tightness in her chest.

She turned and walked towards the kitchen. "I'll go help Jiawen prepare dinner."

In the kitchen, Qiu Jiawen was chopping vegetables. When she saw Gao Shuhua come in, she smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I'll take care of the kitchen today. You can keep Yan Yan company."

Gao Shuhua picked up a bunch of greens and started washing them. "It's alright! Let the men go play with the kids."

Qiu Jiawen looked at Gao Shuhua's profile and asked cautiously, "Sister-in-law, are you... alright?"

The water from the tap was flowing freely. Gao Shuhua stared at the water and suddenly said, "Jiawen, don't you think our family is in a really bad situation?"

Qiu Jiawen paused for a moment, then said, "Try to think positively! Things will get better."

Gao Shuhua turned off the water, shook the water droplets off her hands, and said hesitantly, "Sigh! I hope so!"

Then Cui Wei and Cui Ye took the two children downstairs to play.

More than an hour later, the food was ready.

The men also returned with their children, who were covered in sweat from playing.

Yan Yan's face was beaming with a happy smile as she was held in Cui Ye's arms, with a newly bought toy in her hand.

"Wash your hands and get ready for dinner!" Gao Shuhua called out.

The table was laden with a sumptuous spread of dishes, most of which were prepared by Cui Ye.

Everyone sat together, and the atmosphere was lively.

"Come on, Yan Yan, make a wish!" Cui Ye pushed the cake with candles in front of Yan Yan.

The candlelight illuminated Yan Yan's youthful face. He closed his eyes, made a wish earnestly, and then blew out all the candles in one breath.

"Happy birthday!" everyone shouted in unison.

Cui Wei took out his camera. "Come on, let's take a family photo!"

Everyone stood together, with Yan Yan sitting in the middle and Cui Wei standing behind him, his hand naturally resting on his nephew's shoulder.

Gao Shuhua stood next to Cui Ye, but her smile seemed somewhat forced.

"One, two, three, cheese!"

The moment the flash went off, Gao Shuhua's gaze involuntarily fell on Cui Ye and Yan Yan.

Cui Ye's recent behavior gradually clarified the doubts in Cui Wei's mind. He overheard Cui Ye and Yan Yan's conversation at Cui Ye's doorstep and felt very uncomfortable.

Before even entering his home, Cui Wei drove to the seaside, his mind replaying various past clues, and he increasingly felt that his younger brother, Cui Ye, was no ordinary person.

Cui Wei packed up his fishing gear and went to find his father-in-law to go fishing, hoping he could give him some pointers, as he wanted to catch a fish that was well hidden.

The father-in-law said that if you want to hook up with this kind of person, you can't take the initiative to find them; you have to wait for them to show up on their own.

As expected, Cui Wei, having received the reminder, showed a thoughtful expression.

……

That night, Cui Ye went out alone.

Gao Shuhua knew exactly what he was going to do. She stood in the kitchen, suppressing her emotions, and Cui's mother clearly noticed something was wrong.

The night was as dark as ink, and the wall clock pointed to 11:45.

Gao Shuhua stood in the kitchen, her fingers tightly gripping the dishcloth, her knuckles turning white.

The dripping sound of the faucet was particularly jarring in the quiet room.

"Shuhua, still not asleep?" Cui's mother's voice came from behind, startling Gao Shuhua so much that she almost dropped the bowl.

Gao Shuhua forced a smile. "Mom, I'll tidy up the kitchen a bit more."

Cui's mother's sharp eyes swept across her face, as if she could see through her thoughts.

"Cui Ye went out again so late?"

Water droplets slid down the edge of the stainless steel sink. Gao Shuhua stared at the droplet, her throat tightening.

"Yes, he said a friend needs to see him urgently." "An urgent matter in the middle of the night?" Mrs. Cui scoffed, picking up a rag to wipe the already clean stove. "What's been going on with you two lately?"

A layer of cold sweat seeped out on Gao Shuhua's back.

She turned to turn off the tap, avoiding her mother-in-law's gaze.

"It's nothing, I've probably just been too busy lately."

Suddenly, Cui's mother grabbed her hand. "Shuhua, I've lived most of my life. I can see through anything."

The kitchen light bulb flickered suddenly, and Gao Shuhua's heart almost stopped.

……

Meanwhile, under Cui Ye's arrangement, Chai Jing once again created a false alarm sound.

Inside Uncle Yi's luxurious villa, a piercing alarm suddenly blared through the night sky.

"What happened?!" Uncle Yi jumped up from the sofa, smashing his teacup on the floor, scattering shards of porcelain everywhere.

The sixty-something-year-old loan shark leader had a weathered face and hawk-like eyes.

"Uncle Yi, it sounds like the safe alarm is going off!"

Uncle Yi's face instantly turned ashen.

"Liu Qinglong!" he shouted upstairs, "Call the safe dealer right now!"

"Yes, Uncle Yi." Frantic footsteps came from upstairs, and a tall, thin man stumbled down. "They've already hit him, and they said they'll send someone to check right away!"

Uncle Yi took out his asthma inhaler from his pocket, took a deep breath, and frowned.

"Why does this broken box keep having problems lately?"

However, Uncle Yi and Liu Qinglong were unaware that the owner of the safe shop had already been killed and hidden by One-Ear.

One Ear answered the phone under the guise of his cousin, and then Suning impersonated a repairman to come and inspect the safe.

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang.

Liu Qinglong led in a repairman in uniform, who was naturally Su Ning in disguise.

With Suning's strong mental fortitude, it was perfectly natural for him to ask, "Boss, I heard your safe has malfunctioned again?"

Uncle Yi sized up Su Ning, but his gaze was wary.

"I only bought this broken box three months ago, so why has it been constantly alarming lately?"

Su Ning squatted in front of the safe, expertly inspecting it while shaking his head and sighing.

“Mr. Yi, this is an older model; the sensors are extremely sensitive.” He tapped the safe’s exterior. “Judging from the sound, the motherboard might be burnt out.”

"What do you mean?" Uncle Yi's breathing became rapid, and he took out the spray and inhaled again.

"It means it needs to be replaced! But don't worry, it's still under warranty, you just need to pay the difference."

"How much?" Uncle Yi interrupted him.

"Three thousand eight," Suning announced, adding, "It can be replaced tonight, so it won't delay your use tomorrow."

Uncle Yi stared at the safe for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Are you guys up to something?"

Su Ning immediately put on a wronged expression, "Boss, what are you saying! We're a small business, we rely on repeat customers to make a living!"

"..."

Suning pulled a stack of crumpled receipts from his toolbox. "Look! We just replaced the same model for Mr. Li at Jubaoge last week, and he's very satisfied."

Uncle Yi's breathing became heavier and heavier, and he raised the spray bottle in his hand again.

"Alright! Liu Qinglong, give me the money."

"Yes, Uncle Yi."

It was precisely Su Ning's greedy attitude that completely dispelled Uncle Yi and the others' suspicions.

As Su Ning passed by Uncle Yi, she quickly stole the asthma inhaler.

Uncle Yi waved his hand impatiently, "Hurry up and get new ones! Liu Qinglong, keep an eye on them."

"Yes, Uncle Yi!"

Then Liu Qinglong and a group of thugs went to the door to exchange the safe. It was One-Ear who received them. He acted relaxed and natural throughout the process, without arousing any suspicion from Liu Qinglong and his men. This criminal group was practically a trump card.

Soon, Cui Ye received a message from One-Ear and finally smiled, indicating that their plan was going very smoothly.

It turns out that before this, Cui Ye had already secretly found out that the real loan shark was Uncle Yi, and all the large IOUs were in his safe.

If you don't know the password, it's very difficult to open it without being detected.

In order to obtain these IOUs, Cui Ye took over the safe shop as a preparation for the future.

He then instructed Chai Jing to approach the servants in Uncle Yi's flower room to learn about the situation, and discovered that Uncle Yi suffered from asthma and could not handle flowers.

The reason the greenhouse wasn't demolished is said to be because he missed his deceased wife.

In addition, Cui Ye also asked Chai Jing to record the alarm sound in advance.

Once all the groundwork is laid, Uncle Yi will agree to change the safe.

In return, they could exchange it for a safe that they had already tampered with.

Considering that Uncle Yi suffers from asthma, Cui Ye decided to use this illness to distract the people around the house.

He sneaked in when they weren't looking, opened the safe, and took the IOU.

With these IOUs, they can buy them back at a discount.

After arranging the next steps, Cui Ye sent One Ear out first, while he called Su Ning alone from inside the room to report the situation.

Of course, this behavior also aroused suspicion in One Ear, who worried that Cui Ye and Su Ning might plot against him.

After all, the relationship between Chai Jing and Su Ning was easy to detect, and this suspicion foreshadowed what would happen next.

At this moment, Cui Ye was convinced of One-Ear's greed and neuroticism. "Su Ning, your feeling is right! This One-Ear really is a lunatic."

"I suspect that One-Ear might kidnap Gao Shuhua and Yan Yan next, and then use them to threaten you into submission." Su Ning told Cui Ye about One-Ear's next move.

"This..." As expected, Cui Ye revealed a complicated expression.

You should know that the crimes he committed during this period could have resulted in the death penalty, but the appearance of One-Ear has given him hope of receiving a lighter sentence.

If the design had been perfected, perhaps he could have remained uninvolved like Suning.

Su Ning, standing to the side, looked at the conflicted Cui Ye and advised him, "Cui Ye, if you are worried about the danger to Gao Shuhua and Yan Yan, I can arrange for them to hide in advance."

“No need! Since One-Ear has revealed his greed, let him be the scapegoat. Letting him successfully tie up Gao Shuhua and Yan Yan will also make him relax.”

"Alright! But I'll have someone keep an eye on One-Ear, and when the time is right, I'll tell Cui Wei where One-Ear is hiding."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it! I'm getting paid too."

At this moment, Cui Wei directly discussed the division of spoils with Su Ning, saying, "Su Ning, this time I want three million."

“Okay.” Su Ning smiled nonchalantly and agreed.

After successfully obtaining the ledger, Su Ning dismissed Chai Jing and went into hiding again.

The next task was left to Cui Ye and One-Ear, but Chai Jing and Jiang Si were instructed to keep a close eye on One-Ear and find out where he had hidden Gao Shuhua and Yan Yan.

……

(End of this chapter)