51: I, Su Chen, was forced to chat across servers.

To ease the tension, Su Chen stood up and ladled a bowl of soup.

He tried his best to control his trembling hands to keep the soup from spilling, slowly placing it in front of Auntie Lin.

"Auntie, please have some soup."

"Thank you!"

Seeing that Su Chen was still a bit nervous and noting her mother's attitude, Xia Weiyu's brow furrowed slightly.

"Mom, didn't I explain it to you? Xiao Kai was just talking nonsense earlier. Why are you still acting like this?"

Lin Qiaozhu snorted coldly. "Like this? How am I acting?

Su Chen, was it?"

"Yes, Auntie can just call me Xiao Chen."

"Let me ask you, how am I acting? Is my attitude towards you bad?"

Under the pressure of her powerful aura, Su Chen replied:

"Theoretically... no."

Lin Qiaozhu gave a gentle smile. "See, even Su Chen says no. You're wrongly accusing your mother, you know."

Xia Weiyu corrected her, "We're just ordinary friends."

"Ordinary? Friends?"

Su Chen sat down with an awkward smile. For some reason, he suddenly felt the pressure intensify when Lin Qiaozhu said those few words.

Xia Weiyu had a headache. She had just brought Su Chen back for a meal; what was wrong with her mother?

Other families weren't this strict when looking at a potential Son-in-law. If she kept this up, how could Su Chen ever come back?

"Weiyu, didn't you say you had something to tell me when you came back tonight?

Speak up!"

...Lin Qiaozhu continued eating. She didn't even need to ask to know.

Wasn't she just going to introduce her Son-in-law and her grandson!

Thinking about how she had already become a grandmother, she really wanted to give each of them a slap. Especially this Su Chen—he was truly a piece of work!

How old is my daughter? How could he treat her so cheaply!

When she had just returned to the village entrance, Grandma Li had stopped her and told her everything she had seen at the village entrance during the day.

Grandma Li said that when Weiyu returned, she was carrying a child!

A child! She already had a big, fat boy, and as her mother, she didn't even know. What kind of nonsense was this?

She had thought Grandma Li was joking at first. After all, the woman was already senile and often talked nonsense—a while back, she even claimed a sow had climbed a tree.

She hadn't taken it seriously, but looking at the current situation, could it be fake?

If they were really just ordinary friends, why was Su Chen so nervous?

To think I became a grandmother without even knowing it?

How could she trust her daughter to a man like this?

What's wrong with glaring at him a few times? If her father were still alive, a rotten man like this would have been kicked out immediately.

What a sin. When did it happen? Last year?

Last year during winter break, Xia Weiyu said something about working in a factory. Her belly must have been too big to hide!

A year. It's been a whole year, and she's only telling me now!

Facing a man who bullied her daughter like this, what was wrong with glaring at him or being fierce? Not hitting him was already giving my daughter Face!

Lin Qiaozhu glared at Su Chen again and questioned:

"Didn't you come back because you have something important to tell me?

I'm listening. Go ahead and speak. Su Chen, you tell me!"

Su Chen felt a bit ashamed. Had he made a mistake by taking it upon himself to pay off Xia Weiyu's debt? Auntie Lin seemed quite dissatisfied.

It was just a matter of debt repayment, just a few simple words. Why did he have to be the one to say it?

He was still a bit flustered. Even when he was pinching the Rakshasa Empress's Face, he hadn't been this flustered.

He hadn't expected to feel so oppressed facing her mother. Is this the power of a mother-in-law?

Seeing Su Chen remain silent for so long, Lin Qiaozhu's long-suppressed anger was becoming hard to contain. A grown man, yet so hesitant.

You did something so ridiculous, yet you don't dare to own up to it!

You did the deed, but you don't want to take responsibility for my daughter, is that it?

No, she couldn't be soft. She had to let Su Chen know that the Xia Family had someone to back them up and wasn't to be bullied!

Otherwise, if she acted submissively now, wouldn't her daughter be bullied to death by him in the future?

Lin Qiaozhu glared at Su Chen and said coldly, "You were the one who did this!"

"Yes... I did it."

"Bang!"

Lin Qiaozhu slapped her hand on the table, startling everyone into dropping their chopsticks.

"You... aren't you going to explain?"

Explain? Explain what?

Explain that he took it upon himself to pay off their debt?

Su Chen was confused. Shouldn't she be happy that he paid the debt? Even if she wasn't happy, she shouldn't be angry.

It seemed he really had been a bit abrupt. He shouldn't have taken it upon himself to pay Xia Weiyu's debt just for the lottery ticket.

Indeed, thinking carefully, from another perspective, it was a bit sudden. Three million was not a small amount for them.

Ordinary people couldn't earn that much in a lifetime. Auntie Lin probably didn't want to owe a stranger any favors.

It was understandable; he had been reckless.

Wait, why was Auntie Lin staring at Xia Weiyu?

I see. Is she blaming Xia Weiyu for letting him pay the money on her own initiative?

I get it, I get it!

I understand what Auntie Lin is asking. She wants me to take full responsibility, and that's what she wants me to explain.

To prove that Xia Weiyu didn't force or trick me into paying her back.

Taking the blame for this explanation was fine. After all, he was still an outsider; he couldn't let their family have a fallout.

That would just be making things difficult for Xia Weiyu!

Su Chen cleared his thoughts and said calmly:

"Auntie, I have nothing to explain. I did this on my own initiative!

Weiyu didn't know beforehand; she only found out afterward. She even cried for quite a while because of this. It was indeed my negligence."

"So you admit it!"

Lin Qiaozhu felt ten thousand regrets; she felt like dying.

Usually, she only thought about making money to pay off the debt and ease the family's burden.

But she had neglected the most basic guidance. She had paid too little attention to Weiyu. Her daughter had too little experience—she had definitely been tricked!

Although she didn't know the specifics, what this bastard Su Chen said was so clear.

Just that phrase 'beforehand,' 'afterward,' and 'crying for quite a while' explained everything!

In other words, was Weiyu drunk at the time? Was she forced? Her crying was understandable.

Su Chen is truly a piece of work, treating my daughter so cheaply!

No, I can't cry. Now is not the time for tears. I have to stand up for my daughter!

I have to let this brat know that the Xia Family has someone who can call the shots and back her up!

"Since you admit to it, are you here today because you want to take responsibility for the consequences?"

Su Chen nodded. "That's right.

Auntie, this was indeed an impulse on my part. The fault lies with me.

You can punish or scold me however you like; I'll accept it all!"

"At least you're somewhat of a man!"

Lin Qiaozhu nodded. Although he was at fault first, the deed was done, so it had to be this way.

All she could do now was try her best to fight for Xia Weiyu and her grandson.

"Weiyu, what about you? Can you forgive Su Chen's moment of impulse?

It's okay, Mom is here. Tell Mom whatever is on your mind! Don't be afraid."

Xia Weiyu pondered. She also realized she needed to say a few words now; otherwise, her mother would keep being so fierce that Su Chen wouldn't even be able to eat.

Besides, shouldn't you be happy Su Chen paid off our debt? Why this attitude?

"Mom, although Su Chen acted on his own, it's already happened, and I've accepted it.

Su Chen is a very good person. I don't blame him."

Lin Qiaozhu nodded. Since things had reached this point, there wasn't much more to say. This Su Chen could be considered a man.

If it were one of those heartless ones, they would have run away long ago instead of waiting until the child was older and the conditions were right to come and talk.

"Then Su Chen, what do you plan to do next?"

Su Chen was puzzled. What do next? What else was there for him to do?

Oh... was it about accepting the IOU Xia Weiyu wrote?

"Auntie, it's the same thing I said before. When I did this, I already anticipated the consequences."

"If you anticipated the consequences, why did you still do it..."

"Because!"

"Because I just want to fulfill the responsibility a man should have."