124: Daqiang is a swindler who believes in health supplements and tries to scam people; his three sons cause trouble again, only to be thwarted by the rest of the group.

At eleven o'clock on Monday morning, the square outside the lobby of Zhongcheng Group was so sunny the ground felt scorching hot. Employees passing by clutched cold drinks and walked quickly. Su Daqiang, however, was bundled in a thick wool coat, holding a red cloth bag printed with the words 'Prolong Life and Increase Longevity,' a corner of which revealed a half-exposed handwritten payment QR code. Waving a crumpled health product flyer, he blocked the revolving door of the office building. Seeing Su Mingyu come out with new energy project documents, he immediately rushed over as if grabbing a lifeline and seized her wrist.

'Mingyu! You finally came out!' Su Daqiang's voice was shrill and urgent as he shoved the flyer in her Face — the bold characters 'Ganoderma Spore Powder, 8800 yuan per box, three courses cure chronic asthma' were particularly jarring. 'Professor Zhang said this is a secret recipe from the Qing Dynasty palace! Many retired senior officials are pulling strings to buy it! Three courses cost exactly 26,400 yuan. You pay 20,000, Zhu Li pays 4,000, Wu Fei pays 2,400. That'll cover it!'

Su Mingyu's wrist ached from his grip. Frowning, she tried to pull free. 'Dad, this is a product with no certifications! I checked up on this 'Professor Zhang.' He's a fraud without a medical license. He was reported last year for selling fake health products! Your regular asthma medicine only costs a little over three hundred yuan per box. There's no need to buy this!'

'A fraud? *You're* the liar!' Su Daqiang sat down on the ground. The red cloth bag fell aside, spilling out a half-opened box of 'miracle medicine' and a yellowed receipt — it read 'Deposit of 500 yuan received, remaining balance to be paid by Su Mingyu, Zhu Li, Wu Fei.' 'Mingzhe even asked around for me in America! This medicine is sold out in the Chinese community there! Mingcheng said if I buy the full course, they'll give me a free imported massage chair, and he can help me move it home! If you don't buy it, you're unfilial!'

As soon as the words were out, Su Mingzhe and Su Mingcheng emerged from the shade of a nearby tree. Su Mingzhe wore a pilled plaid shirt and carried a worn-out briefcase, pretending to be mature as he advised, 'Mingyu, think how awful Dad's asthma attacks are. Don't skimp on this money. My rent in the U.S. just went up by 800 dollars, and I still have credit card debt to pay off. I really can't afford it. Zhu Li is an audit supervisor now, with a monthly salary over eight thousand. Wu Fei gets three thousand a month from renting out her place. Let them shoulder more. We're all family.'

Su Mingcheng, hands in his pockets, chimed in nonchalantly, 'Exactly! I went to the store yesterday. That massage chair is Japanese imported, worth over five thousand! If you don't buy it, I'll go cause a scene at 'Hengtong Electronics,' your project partner! I'll tell them you're so stingy you won't even pay for your own father's life-saving medicine, so they won't dare work with you!'

The two of them performed their duet. More and more employees and clients gathered around, some pulling out phones to take pictures. Su Mingyu was clutching her documents so tightly they were almost crumpled. Just as she was about to pull out her phone to call Xie Hui, Zhu Li's voice suddenly rang out. 'Su Mingcheng, don't you go too far! When I divorced you, I didn't even ask for the 2000 yuan you owed me for printing audit reports! Why should I pay 4000 for fake health products?'

She held a printed fee invoice. Behind her were Wu Fei and Xiao Mi. Zhu Li had received a WeChat from Su Daqiang in the morning saying, 'Mingyu is being unfilial, come and talk some sense into her.' Afraid Su Mingyu would be taken advantage of, she dragged Wu Fei — who had just dropped Xiao Mi off at art class — along. They arrived just in time to witness this scene.

'You, an outsider, stay out of it!' Su Daqiang glared at Zhu Li. 'I'm talking to my daughter, it's none of your business!'

Wu Fei couldn't hold back either. She stepped forward, shielding Xiao Mi tightly behind her. 'Dad, I checked the manufacturer of this health product. They don't even have a food production license! Su Mingzhe, you have 53,000 dollars in your U.S. account. Last week, you transferred 12,000 to your sister to buy a designer bag! How can you say you have no money? The rent money from my place is for Xiao Mi's interest class fees. I can't touch a single cent!'

Xiao Mi, hiding in Wu Fei's arms, tugged at her mother's clothes and whispered, 'Mommy, Grandpa was on the phone with Grandpa Zhang yesterday. He said, 'After I get the money, I'll keep 1000 as a kickback, and give the massage chair to Uncle Mingcheng.' Uncle said Grandpa's cloth bag still has a lot of cash inside, saved from selling scrap last time.'

Su Daqiang's Face instantly turned pale. He hurriedly hid the red cloth bag behind his back, muttering, 'Children shouldn't talk nonsense! What cash?'

'Whether there is or not, the evidence will tell,' Xie Hui's voice came from outside the crowd. He carried a black briefcase, followed by a uniformed market supervision officer — Comrade Li, who had received a citizen's complaint yesterday and gone to verify the health product store. He held an investigation report and a copy of a fake ID card.

Xie Hui parted the crowd and walked up, nodding first to Comrade Li. 'Please explain the verification findings to Mr. Su.'

Comrade Li opened the investigation report and pointed to the 'Illegal Facts' section, reading aloud. 'Mr. Su Daqiang, the 'Ganoderma Spore Powder' in your possession lacks health food approval documentation and is an uncertified product. The seller's so-called 'Professor Zhang' uses a forged ID card. His real identity is Zhang Wei, an unemployed person. We also discovered that you agreed with the seller on a '10% kickback for facilitating the transaction.' Here is a screenshot of the chat log from that time.'

Su Daqiang's hands began to tremble instantly. He tried to snatch the investigation report, but Comrade Li dodged. 'You're lying! I know nothing about any kickback!'

'Whether you knew or not, let's listen to the recording to be clear.' Xie Hui took out his phone from the briefcase and played a recording — captured yesterday using 'Time Stop' — of Su Daqiang talking with the seller inside the health product store. 'That girl Mingyu cares about her Face. If I make a scene at her company, she'll definitely pay up. Mingzhe will help hype up how popular this medicine is overseas. Mingcheng will help threaten her. This is sure to work! Then I'll take a 2,640 kickback, give the massage chair to Mingcheng, and you'll make a profit too...'

The calculating voice in the recording was clear and grating. The surrounding murmurs instantly erupted. 'So he was in cahoots with the scammer to cheat money! And taking a kickback!' 'Director Su is so pitiful, her family is always trying to swindle her!'

Su Daqiang's Face flushed a deep purplish-red. He tried to grab the phone, but Xie Hui sidestepped and restrained his wrist. Su Mingzhe hurriedly tried to smooth things over. 'Mr. Xie, this is a family matter. Please don't interfere! I genuinely thought this medicine would be good for Dad's asthma. It wasn't intentional fraud.'

'Good for Dad?' Xie Hui pulled a bank statement from his briefcase and tossed it in front of Su Mingzhe. 'You just bought a 21,000-dollar laptop in the U.S. last week, and now you claim your rent went up and you're broke? This statement shows the 'Electronics purchase: 21,000 USD' record, and your transfer of 12,000 dollars to Su Minglan for a bag. Would you like to read it out loud for everyone?'

The statement was thrust before Su Mingzhe. His head sank lower and lower, his voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz. 'I... that laptop was necessary for work...'

'Necessary for work?' Xie Hui produced another screenshot of a WeChat chat between Su Mingzhe and Su Minglan. 'Dad wants Mingyu to buy the health products. I'll just say I'm broke. After she buys them, I can borrow Dad's massage chair to use, save myself from buying one.' The timestamp on the screenshot was from yesterday. Su Mingzhe's Face completely drained of color.

Seeing the situation, Su Mingcheng tried to sneak out of the crowd, but Xie Hui grabbed his arm. 'Where do you think you're going? Did you forget the call you made to the loan shark yesterday, saying, 'Once I get the massage chair, I'll pawn it for 15,000, add it to the 95,000 to pay off the gambling debt'?'

Xie Hui tapped his phone to play another recording. Su Mingcheng's voice, mixed with background noise from a gambling den, came through. 'My dad will definitely force my sister to pay up. Once I pawn the massage chair, I'll gamble a couple more rounds. Maybe I can clear all my debts...'

Before the recording finished, Su Mingcheng's legs gave way. He slumped to the ground with a thud. 'I was wrong! I won't gamble anymore! I'll go work at a construction site right now to pay it back!'

The onlookers now understood completely. Someone couldn't help but shout, 'This family is too selfish! They rely entirely on swindling their daughter and ex-daughter-in-law to get by!' 'Director Su, don't indulge them. Call the police!'

Su Daqiang had no Face left to stay. He scrambled up, grabbed his red cloth bag, and ran towards an alley. Su Mingzhe and Su Mingcheng hurriedly followed, nearly crashing into a roadside trash can as they fled. Watching theirdisheveled retreating figures, Su Mingyu let out a sigh of relief. She grabbed Xie Hui's arm, her voice still trembling slightly. 'Thank you, Mr. Xie. I'm always troubling you.'

'No need to be so formal.' Xie Hui fished out a bottle of hot white fungus soup from his bag and handed it to her. 'You must have been too busy with the project to eat. Have something warm to soothe your throat first. I've spoken with General Manager Meng. Security will increase patrols at the lobby entrance from now on. If anyone from the Su Family comes to cause trouble again, they'll be stopped directly.'

Zhu Li and Wu Fei also walked over. Zhu Li held the printing fee invoice. 'Mr. Xie, this is the invoice for the printing fees Su Mingcheng owes me. If he dares to harass me again, I'll take this to court to sue him for the debt.'

Wu Fei added, 'Regarding Su Mingzhe, the lawyer said the divorce paperwork can be finalized tomorrow. If he dares to delay child support payments in the future, I'll apply for enforcement directly. Xiao Mi was so scared earlier she wouldn't let go of my clothes. Shall we take her to the park to blow bubbles and relax?'

Xie Hui nodded. He pulled out three small porcelain bottles from his bag and handed one to each of them. 'These are nine flower jade dew pills. You had a scare today. Take one to calm your nerves. I've spoken with the park manager. Let's go now.'

Hearing 'blow bubbles,' Xiao Mi immediately peeked out from Wu Fei's arms, her eyes sparkling. 'Uncle, I want big bubbles! And I want to play hide-and-seek with you!'

Xie Hui smiled and patted her head. 'Okay, whatever Xiao Mi says.'

In the afternoon park, sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. Xiao Mi ran ahead, holding a bubble machine, colorful bubbles floating in the air. Xie Hui followed behind, picking up dropped bubble solution for her. Su Mingyu sat on a picnic blanket, reviewing the latest reports for the new energy project — General Manager Meng had just messaged that the project had secured government subsidies and would start turning a profit next month. Zhu Li sat beside her, talking about the listed company audit project she had just landed, her eyes full of drive. Wu Fei held her phone, taking pictures of Xiao Mi chasing bubbles, a long-absent relaxed smile on her lips.

'If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to focus on the project at all,' Su Mingyu handed Xie Hui a bottle of iced cola. 'I was always tied up in knots with family matters before. Now I can finally work in peace.'

Zhu Li also smiled and said, 'The firm notified me last week. I'll be officially promoted to supervisor next month, and I'll get to lead my own audit team. It's all thanks to you for shielding me from Su Mingcheng's pestering.'

Wu Fei walked over, holding a freshly bought cotton candy. 'I've settled it with the lawyer. After the divorce, Xiao Mi's custody goes to me. Su Mingzhe must pay 3,000 in child support every month, not a cent less, and it must be transferred on time.'

After playing hide-and-seek with Xiao Mi, Xie Hui walked over and handed each of them a vanilla ice cream cone. 'Hearing you say that makes me happy for you. Whatever happens in the future, we'll Face it together.'

In the evening, Xie Hui had reserved a private kitchen restaurant specializing in light flavors. Warm yellow light spilled onto the dining table. Xiao Mi sat next to Xie Hui, eating strawberry cake, her Face smudged. She handed him a drawing she made. 'Uncle, this is for you. It's you blowing bubbles with me. There are lots of little suns in the sky.'

Xie Hui took the drawing. His fingertips touched the crayon marks on the paper, warming his heart. 'Thank you, Xiao Mi. It's very beautiful. Uncle will keep it safe.'

Su Mingyu placed a piece of steamed sea bass on Xie Hui's plate. 'You helped us expose the scam today. This fish is fresh and has few bones. Have more.'

Zhu Li served Xie Hui a bowl of winter melon meatball soup. 'This soup is light and nourishes the stomach. You must be tired from running around all day. Have some to restore your energy.'

Looking at the scene before her, Wu Fei smiled and said, 'Xiao Mi told me today she wants Uncle to come play at our house often. She says Uncle is more reliable than Daddy, and he plays bubbles with her.'

Xie Hui raised his glass, smiling. 'Come on, let's make a toast! To never being bothered by those awful Su Family matters again, and to our lives getting better and better!'

'Cheers!' Four glasses clinked together. Xiao Mi also raised her juice cup, chiming in with her childish voice, 'Cheers! Want to blow bubbles with Uncle, Mommy, and Aunties!'

When they parted ways, Xie Hui saw each of them home. When he dropped Su Mingyu off at her building, she took a handmade embroidered car sachet from her bag. It was filled with dried mint, with a small sun pattern embroidered on the front. 'Mr. Xie, I made this over the weekend. Mint can refresh you. It might be useful when you're driving. I've always been troubling you. Consider this a small token of my appreciation.'

Xie Hui accepted the sachet. The faint scent of mint lingered at his nose, and the fabric felt soft to the touch. 'I like it very much. Thank you. If you ever need anything, just call me anytime.'

Su Mingyu's Face instantly flushed red. She turned and quickly walked into the apartment building. After a few steps, she looked back and waved at Xie Hui. The streetlight's glow fell on her Face, like a layer of soft, fuzzy sugar.

On the drive home, Xie Hui touched the pocket over his chest — inside were Xiao Mi's drawing and the mint sachet. He glanced at the briefcase in the passenger seat, containing today's recordings, bank statements, and investigation reports. These weren't cold objects; they were marks of his protection for the three female leads, proof of them gradually shedding the shadows of their original families. He knew the three Su men might still be unwilling, but as long as he was there, no one could make them suffer injustice again. The night deepened. The car drove smoothly under the streetlights. A smile lingered on Xie Hui's lips — theRefreshing journey in the 'all is well world' continued. He was already looking forward to the day he would see them completelyRemove their burdens and shine brightly.