It's already 2026, how can we still talk about having many children and having many blessings?

Gu Wanqing?

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Phew! Finally, it's not an acquaintance anymore, and it's a rich woman.

He only glanced at it and didn't disturb it.

He knew this was a circle he couldn't fit into.

Hey, you're a stranger, coming to this rich neighborhood and claiming that the child born to a wealthy woman is yours?

It would be strange if he didn't get beaten to death.

People at this level have countless ways to kill you if they want to.

Even just getting close would likely result in a warning and being driven away.

He drove away and returned to Mingxiu Community half an hour later.

Now that he has money, he feels he should persuade Xiang Nan to live and get the surgery.

When I got back to the entrance of the residential area, the fruit shop was closed. When I went downstairs, I saw an ambulance parked there.

It wasn't an emergency vehicle, it was... a hearse.

Several people in white coats were walking out of the building entrance, pushing a stretcher.

The stretcher was covered with a white sheet.

Beneath the white cloth was the silhouette of a person.

Chen Mo stood rooted to the spot, his feet seemingly nailed to the ground.

Xiang Jianguo followed behind the stretcher.

Lin Xiaoyu stood at the entrance of the building, holding her child, leaning against the wall.

Xiang Tong was the last to walk out.

The moment she saw Chen Mo, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Brother Mo..."

"Waaah, I tried to persuade him to use the dowry to go to the hospital, but he refused and went inside. I thought he was fine."

"Dad called him just now, but he didn't respond. When we went inside, we found...we found he had been drinking and taking sleeping pills. How come I didn't know he had hidden so many sleeping pills..."

Xiang Tong couldn't continue speaking; she buried her face in his chest, her shoulders trembling violently.

Chen Mo held her close, unable to say anything.

He wondered if Xiang Nan could survive longer through sheer willpower if he didn't come.

But he knew that for someone like Xiang Nan, the thing he feared most in this life was not death, but being a burden to others and owing favors.

"Let's go." Chen Mo patted Xiang Tong on the back. "Let's take Brother Nan home."

For the next three days, he was busy running around, helping out as Xiang Nan's brother-in-law.

They took the ashes back to their hometown in the south for burial and even invited a Taoist priest.

Chen Mo posted the obituary in the university group chat.

Many students have come over.

On the third day at noon, the last guest was seen off.

Xiang Jianguo said that he still had some things to do in the village for the time being, so he wouldn't go to Ningcheng.

Chen Mo drove Xiang Tong and her daughter Lin Xiaoyu back to Mingxiu Residential Area.

Lin Xiaoyu stood in the living room, looking at the wedding photo on the wall.

In the photo, Xiang Nan is wearing a military uniform, while she is wearing a wedding dress.

"If I hadn't given birth to this child, would Xiang Nan have been able to recover properly?"

Lin Xiaoyu muttered to herself.

"Sister-in-law, please accept my condolences."

Lin Xiaoyu nodded. "I'm fine."

She touched the glass of the photo frame, her fingers resting on Xiang Nan's face.

Chen Mo sighed.

He knew that Lin Xiaoyu was the one suffering the most.

Because she was hiding too many secrets.

Her child, a daughter, was conceived through artificial insemination at the hospital without Xiang Nan's knowledge.

Because of pregnancy and childbirth, Xiang Nan missed the best recovery period.

He carried the child and went to the balcony.

At this moment, Xiang Tong walked over.

"Brother Mo, my brother's gone, so we don't need to pretend anymore. Give me your bank account number, and I'll pay you back."

Chen Mo pondered for a moment.

"Xiaotong, is there still a mortgage on this house?"

Xiang Tong was stunned for a moment.

"Yes, this is a second-hand house that my brother bought before he got injured. He bought it specifically for his wedding. The total price was 600,000 yuan, with a down payment of 250,000 yuan. Now the loan is 2,300 yuan per month."

"Okay, don't return the money to me yet. Wait a bit, go and complete the loan repayment procedures. I'll make up the difference for you, and you can pay me back slowly later to avoid having to pay bank interest."

Xiang Tong looked at him, her eyes gradually reddening.

"Brother Mo, why... are you so good to our family?"

"Don't overthink it. Brother Nan just left, and you expect me to break my promise? What if he comes back looking for me?"

"So, for the next while, we'll have to keep up the act. I'll act as your sister-in-law's uncle to help her and the child, so that your sister-in-law can finally move on."

Chen Mo gestured for her to look at Lin Xiaoyu.

Xiang Tong immediately understood.

She stared at him intently for a long while.

Then she suddenly stepped forward, cupped his face in her hands, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his lips.

It was very forceful, without regard for anything else.

Chen Mo was stunned.

Xiang Tong let go of him, took a step back, her eyes full of shyness.

"Brother Mo, you can keep acting, but I don't want to act anymore. I want to play for real. When you don't want to act anymore, just tell me, and I'll leave."

Chen Mo wanted to say, "Xiang Tong, I'm not doing this for you, but for my daughter. She can't live without her mother."

But this is a secret that can never be told.

"Okay, let's call your sister-in-law and go to the bank."

They called Lin Xiaoyu over, saying they were going to pay off the loan, which surprised Lin Xiaoyu greatly.

"Chen Mo, no need, I'll figure it out myself."

"Sister-in-law, I'm your brother-in-law now, and Xiaotong and I are really together. Besides, a few hundred thousand is just a drop in the ocean for me. Let's go, stop talking nonsense."

"Yes, sister-in-law, let's go." Xiang Tong pulled Lin Xiaoyu out.

The lending bank is the Mingxiu branch of Ningcheng Rural Commercial Bank, which is located diagonally opposite the entrance of the residential area.

I took out a mortgage three years ago when I bought a house in the south. The principal was 350,000 yuan, with a term of 20 years. After three years of repayments, I still have more than 320,000 yuan of principal left.

Xiang Tong walked to the window and said she wanted to pay off her mortgage early.

The teller looked up at her, then at Chen Mo and Lin Xiaoyu behind her.

"Early repayment? Have you made an appointment?"

"No, we want to do it today."

"We can't process it today." The teller turned her phone face down on the table. "Early repayment requires an appointment a month in advance; that's the rule."

Xiang Tong was taken aback. "But we didn't know about this rule..."

"Now that you know, go back and wait for our notification."

The teller reached for the phone that was tucked away, indicating that the conversation was over.

Chen Mo glanced at him.

The mind-reading ability was triggered, and a line of text appeared above the teller's head.

[Another one trying to prepay their loan. The credit limit for this month was already used up. The bank manager said prepayment doesn't make money, so delay as long as possible. If they get impatient, they'll charge another penalty; the last one paid eight thousand.]

Chen Mo understood.

It's not a rule, it's just a matter of dragging out the collection of late payment penalties.

"Wait a minute." Chen Mo pulled Xiang Tong back a step and stood in front of the window himself. "You said we need to book a month in advance, right?"

"right."

"Alright." Chen Mo calmly took out his phone, opened the calculator, and said, "Our loan principal is 320,000 yuan, and assuming an annual interest rate of 5%, if you delay for a month, the interest for that month will be more than 1,300 yuan."

"In addition, there will be a penalty fee that you will charge later. I have inquired and found that your bank's penalty fee for early repayment is 1.5% of the remaining principal, which is 4,800 yuan."

"If you delay for another month, we'll have to pay an extra six thousand."

"Now tell me, is this 'regulation' issued by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, or by your branch?"

The teller's expression changed.

He stared at Chen Mo, his lips moving slightly.

Without waiting for his reply, Chen Mo flipped his phone to the call screen and pressed "12378".

Complaint hotline of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.

"You can keep delaying. I'll call right now and ask which regulation stipulates that early loan repayment requires a month's advance notice."

"By the way, has your branch really used up its prepayment quota for this month, or is it just that the branch manager said you can delay it as long as possible?"