Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 303 The Cage I Built Myself
The moment Wang Chun'an heard Zhao Yuju say that the robber had been caught, he showed a disbelieving expression.

This expression wasn't one of trust in Wang Chengpeng, or the belief that he couldn't possibly have done such a thing; rather, it reflected a lack of trust in the matter itself.

As Zhao Yuju pressed him aggressively, Wang Chun'an repeatedly looked back anxiously, glancing repeatedly at his room.

However, since everyone was present, he couldn't go back to check, so he paced anxiously in place, his mind completely elsewhere from the exciting drama.

Taking a deep breath, Yue Zhiyong felt an even greater admiration for Wang Chengpeng.

Before coming, he had prepared to risk everything, but he did not expect things to be so simple. They didn't even need to act for more than a few minutes before the real criminals revealed themselves.

The culprit is definitely Wang Chun'an, and the money is very likely stored in his room.

However, due to his previous agreement with Wang Chengpeng, Yue Zhiyong did not carry out the arrest directly, but instead continued to watch the show.

To be honest, this family drama is much more entertaining than the scenes in those novels.

For this reason, Wang Zhong always referred to himself as Comrade Wang, rather than by his real name, Wang Chengpeng.

Faced with Wang Zhong's pleas for leniency, Zhao Yuju, unaware that he was trying to reduce Wang Chun'an's punishment, mistakenly thought he was favoring Wang Chengpeng. She immediately objected, shouting at the top of her lungs:

"Comrade Wang, what's going on with you?"

“I know your family has a good relationship with Wang Chengpeng, but you can’t favor him because of personal feelings and take it upon yourself to reduce his punishment.”

“If you continue to abuse your power and break the law like this, I’m going to report you to the police station.”

It was at this moment that Aunt He, who had been watching the commotion from the sidelines, spoke up to offer advice:
“Aunt Zhao, I think you’ve misunderstood. Comrade Wang isn’t that kind of person.”

"Comrade Wang is, after all, your own grandson. Even if you don't care about the monk, you should at least give him a lighter punishment."

At this moment, Wang Degong also spoke up to plead for her, saying, "Yes, old woman."

“Wang Chengpeng is our own son, we’ll help him if we can.”

"He might have just acted impulsively without thinking things through; there's absolutely no need to send him to jail."

Despite the scattered pleas from the crowd, Zhao Yuju refused to listen and continued to shout at the top of her lungs:
"It is precisely because he is my own grandson that I cannot watch him go astray."

"If we just let him off so easily this time, how will he ever learn his lesson? Next time, he might even dare to steal equipment from the sugar factory, stealing thousands upon thousands of pieces?"

"He who steals a needle when young will steal gold when old."

"I believe you understand such a simple principle without me having to teach it to you."

"Don't think that my demand for severe punishment is a bit inhumane. It's because I love my grandson so much that I made this decision to help him reform himself and start anew as soon as possible."

“If it were someone else, I would probably have given them a lighter sentence out of consideration for our fellow villagers.”

Zhao Yuju spoke with righteous indignation, causing those who were initially wavering to turn against her. Instead of pleading for Wang Chengpeng, they imitated Zhao Yuju and demanded that Wang Chengpeng be punished more severely.

Looking at the excited crowd, Yue Zhiyong and Wang Zhong seemed to have realized something, and a chill ran down their spines.

Why did Wang Chengpeng make them cooperate with him and wait for some more time? This was tantamount to not giving the real criminals a way out.

Moreover, the sharpest blade that pierced Wang Chun'an's chest came from his most beloved family member.

However, in an instant, they felt that this matter was not Wang Chengpeng's fault at all.

If Zhao Yuju had taken the opportunity to let Wang Chengpeng go when Wang Zhong was persuading her, she would have also let Wang Chun'an go.

Even if some irreversible consequences were caused, it was caused by Zhao Yuju and the others themselves.

Wang Chengpeng did nothing wrong. The people who were actually trying Wang Chun'an and planning to send him to jail were Zhao Yuju and her ilk.

Although they felt things had progressed to the point where they were almost there, they hadn't taken any action yet because they hadn't heard Wang Chengpeng give the signal; they were still waiting.

It was at this moment that Wang Chengpeng, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up and asked Wang Degong:

"Grandpa, the person we're arresting now is your own grandson. Don't you want to show him any mercy?"

Faced with Wang Chengpeng's pleading eyes, Wang Degong hesitated and struggled, finally only sighing and saying:
“Cheng Peng, I want to help you too, but this time you really are too disappointing, actually doing something as outrageous as robbing your grandmother.”

"Besides, what your grandma said is right. If you don't learn a lesson, who knows what kind of things you might do in the future."

"Don't be fooled by our current stern and impartial attitude; we're actually helping you and giving you a chance to start anew."

Upon hearing Wang Degong's words, Wang Chengpeng looked at Wang Jinshan expressionlessly and spoke again:

"Uncle, do you think so too?"

Wang Jinshan did not reply, but turned away and stopped looking at Wang Chengpeng, taking his silence as his answer.

Nodding slightly, Wang Chengpeng then looked at Wang Xia'an and asked:
"Cousin, do you also think the robbers should be sent to the police station and receive the punishment they deserve?"

Awesome, that's so awesome! You finally got what you deserved?
Wang Xia'an felt completely relaxed and almost shouted out in excitement.

With so many people watching, he could only feign modesty and say:
“Cousin, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but you’ve seen the situation. Going in for a few years of further study is good for you. Don’t be ungrateful.”

"Don't worry, I'll make time to visit you after you go in."

Without speaking, Wang Chengpeng looked at the last person, Wang Chun'an, the culprit behind this incident, and asked again:
"Cousin, tell me, do you also think the robbers should be sent to prison to receive the punishment they deserve?"

Even if he has repented and returned every penny of the stolen money.

Although he was somewhat confused about the current situation, Wang Chun'an breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, he was very uneasy and restless when he committed the atrocity of robbing his grandmother who had been so kind to him.

However, this guilt turned into a strange sense of relief after Wang Chengpeng was made a scapegoat.

He had long disliked Wang Chengpeng's arrogant attitude, and now he had become his scapegoat.
Not only do you not have to take any responsibility, but you can also get an extra three thousand yuan for no reason. You can't find such a good thing even with a lantern.

Thinking this through, Wang Chun'an said with absolute certainty:

"Repent? That's nothing but a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken; it's all ill intentions."

“I only believe that prison is the only place where people can truly repent. Cousin, just accept your rehabilitation in peace.”

"Don't worry, I'm not a heartless person. I'll bring you some corn buns when I come to visit." Hearing this, Yue Zhiyong and Wang Zhong felt like slapping themselves hard.

They had previously thought Wang Chengpeng's actions were a little cruel, but seeing what this whole family did to him, they realized that this was truly cruel.

Especially what Wang Chun'an said—he's a real criminal, how could he have the audacity to do such a thing?
With a slight upturn of his lips, Wang Chengpeng had finally achieved his goal of getting involved.

He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, as if he had resigned himself to his fate.

However, the next time, as everyone's shocked gazes turned away, the handcuffs that were originally on Wang Chengpeng's hands were directly opened, and instead, Wang Chengpeng grabbed them in his hands.

Before anyone could figure out what was going on, Wang Chengpeng had already handcuffed Wang Chun'an's wrists and said righteously:

"Cousin, congratulations, you've been arrested."

"Wang Zhong, go and search Wang Chun'an's room."

"Yue Zhiyong, you stand guard at the door and don't let anyone unimportant in."

"The net of Heaven is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it. It's time to punish those who truly deserve it!"

Wang Chengpeng appears to be a harmless young man, but his aura has changed, and he exudes a terrifying pressure that makes it impossible for people to look directly at him.

Today's events have ultimately dealt a blow to Wang Chengpeng, and his current state shows that he is not as calm as he appears.

Wang Chengpeng's words gave Yue Zhiyong and Wang Zhong the feeling of facing the police station chief directly. Not only did their bodies instinctively follow Wang Chengpeng's orders, but they also gave a firm and resounding reply:

"Yes!"

When Wang Zhong rushed in to search Wang Chun'an's room, everyone belatedly realized that things seemed to have taken a turn for the worse.

The others were fine; after all, they were just there to watch the drama unfold. It didn't concern them, so they kept quiet and even applauded the exciting spectacle that had taken place that day.

Only Wang Degong and his family stood there dumbfounded, completely stunned.

Wang Chun'an struggled even harder, shouting, "Wang Chengpeng, what are you doing? Why are you handcuffing me?"

"How dare you do such a thing, you vicious bandit?"

"Everyone, come help me! This vicious thug is kidnapping me! He's kidnapping me!"

"Comrade Wang, Comrade Yue, don't just stand there, hurry up and save me."

Ignoring the handcuffs on his hands, Wang Chun'an ran into the house.

He had heard Wang Chengpeng's order clearly and knew that he absolutely could not let Wang Zhong search his room.

Otherwise, once the stolen three thousand yuan is recovered, he will truly be doomed.

But if he could think of something, how could Wang Chengpeng not have thought of it?
The reason Yue Zhiyong was made to block the door was because Wang Chun'an had only jumped around a couple of times when Yue Zhiyong used a standard grappling technique to subdue him and pin him to the ground, rendering him unable to move.

The next moment, Zhao Yuju's screams echoed throughout the heavens and earth:
"Hey Yue Zhiyong, what are you doing? Let go of my grandson right now!"

However, no matter how much she kicked and hit, Yue Zhiyong was like an iron tower, not moving an inch, and held Wang Chun'an firmly to the ground.

But before Zhao Yuju could vent her anger for long, Wang Zhong walked out of Wang Chun'an's room.

Compared to when he went in penniless, Wang Zhong was now holding a large handful of ten-yuan notes, which looked to be at least several hundred.

"Report: We have successfully recovered the stolen 3,000 yuan from Wang Chun'an's room. What I have in my hand now is only a portion of it."

Wang Zhong's voice was powerful and resonant, yet it exploded in everyone's hearts like a thunderclap.

Zhao Yuju immediately lost her balance and stumbled to the ground, muttering as she did so:

"Impossible, how could Chun'an steal my money?"

"It's a scam! This is all a scam you set up. You conspired to frame Chun'an with this money."

However, Zhao Yuju's rebuttal seemed so weak and powerless to everyone. They weren't blind; couldn't they tell whether Wang Zhong could hide that much money?
Perhaps the reversal of events was too exaggerated, Wang Degong really couldn't hold back. He felt a blackout before his eyes and fainted instantly, and the scene immediately turned into chaos.

It was at this moment that Wang Zhong shouted again, "Caught red-handed, we are now taking Wang Chun'an back. Please do us a favor."

"As for Comrade Wang, he was just putting on a show for us to find the real culprit."

"If it weren't for Comrade Wang's cooperation, we might not have been able to catch Wang Chun'an, the robber, so quickly."

Ignoring everything else, Zhao Yuju went straight to Wang Chun'an and pleaded with him through her begging eyes:

"Chun'an, tell Grandma right now that you couldn't possibly have stolen my money."

With a muffled groan, Wang Chun'an confessed without being asked, "I did indeed rob this money."

At this point, Wang Chun'an's voice became hysterical, and he roared at Zhao Yuju:
"Why? Why are you treating me like this? It's clearly my job, but it was given to Wang Xia'an?"

"That's not all. After spending three thousand yuan on Wang Xia'an, you're planning to spend another three thousand yuan."

"I have a share of all this money, why should he get to use it all?"

"And what's more, you dared to curse at me when I was looking for the bracelet last time?"

"Why should all the things belonging to our Wang family be sold to fill the hole left by Wang Xia'an? I refuse to accept this! I refuse to accept this!"

Upon hearing Wang Chun'an's righteous and assertive rebuke, Zhao Yuju stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

She deeply regretted not having taught Wang Chun'an properly, and even tried to teach him by example what it meant to prioritize self-interest.

If Wang Chun'an hadn't valued profit so much and had paid even a little more attention to family ties, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

"Alright, we've said what we needed to say. Now it's time to take Wang Chun'an back to close the case."

Too lazy to get involved in Zhao Yuju's mess, Yue Zhiyong was about to leave with Wang Chun'an when Zhao Yuju stopped him, saying:
"No, you can't take my grandson away."

"Even if he did steal the money, a minor punishment is enough to serve as a warning; there's no need to involve the police station."

At this point, Zhao Yuju seemed to just realize something and said:
"We're not reporting it to the police anymore. The money wasn't stolen; it was just a joke I played on everyone."

(End of this chapter)