Chapter 172: Chapter 161 Accused_2 Chapter 172: Chapter 161 Accused_2 Ding Jing’s arrest was bound to implicate Lu Hongjun. Without her as his backer, his days in the department store were not going to be easy anymore.
Lu Jiajie had already resigned and was working for himself, so this matter didn’t affect him much. Seeing Ma Lili anxious, he said, “What are you worrying about? You’re a full-time employee, and you’ve done nothing wrong. Even if there’s a new general manager, they can’t just fire you.”
“They can’t fire me, but they can definitely make things difficult for me.”
Lu Jiajie, out of patience, said, “If you’re worried about people making things difficult for you, just resign. Anyway, you don’t earn that much in a month, better stay at home and focus on taking care of the children.”
Ma Lili naturally didn’t want to, and seeing his attitude, she didn’t dare to keep talking about her own situation. Instead, she brought up the matter of Lu Hongjun, “If Ding Jing implicates Third Uncle, wouldn’t he end up in prison too?”
Lu Jiajie said solemnly, “Don’t talk nonsense. My Third Uncle has been careful and prudent all his life; he would never do anything illegal or undisciplined. Even if she makes false accusations, they’ll eventually clear his name.”
He knew very well what Lu Hongjun was capable of. If Lu wanted to make money, he would never abuse his position for personal gain; that would leave too much evidence behind.
Ma Lili thought about Lu Hongjun’s conduct and character, and nodded slightly. Frowning, she said, “Even if he hates Ding Jing, he shouldn’t have used this method, right? If Third Uncle goes to prison, it will affect her college admissions and job prospects.”
Lu Jiajie fell silent for a moment before saying, “Jiaxin went to Hong Kong before she reported Ding Jing.”
He guessed that Jiaxin’s trip to Hong Kong was probably to settle her household registration. With a Hong Kong registration, even if Third Uncle went to prison, it wouldn’t affect her.
A bitter taste arose in Lu Jiajie’s heart. He had always felt indignant on behalf of Lu Jiaxin and even had people watch Zhao Siyi to get revenge for her. But he had never expected her to investigate Ding Jing behind everyone’s back, gather evidence, find a way out, and then report her using her real name. Keeping all this from him was a clear sign of distrust.
Ma Lili was first stunned, then said, “No wonder she reported Ding Jing; she had already found a way out. But no matter what, Third Uncle raised her, and yet she’s going to send him to jail, that’s too cruel.”
It wasn’t just cruel; it was terrifying. If she didn’t even care about her own father’s fate, what was there that she wouldn’t dare to do? Thinking this, Ma Lili decided she would no longer let her children associate with Lu Jiaxin.
Following Ding Jing’s arrest, Lu Hongjun naturally didn’t escape either; the next morning, he too was taken away by people in uniform. After receiving the news, Lu Jiajie immediately went to Radiance Road to find Lu Jiaxin.
“Third Uncle has been arrested, just an hour ago.”
Lu Jiaxin didn’t even lift her eyelids as she asked, “What are you telling me this for?”
Lu Jiajie was angry and his tone turned harsh, “Your dad has been taken away; he might end up in prison, how can you act like nothing happened?”
Lu Jiaxin looked up at him with a cold expression and asked, “And what do you think I should do? Cry my eyes out and be full of regrets? Sorry, I have none of that.”
Lu Jiajie was furious, yelling, “Lu Jiaxin, that’s your dad, your own father. No matter his faults, he brought you into this world and raised you until now.”
Seeing her silent, Lu Jiajie grew even angrier, “Lu Jiaxin, it’s okay to be upset behind closed doors, but why did you go and report him? Do you really want to see him in jail to be happy?”
Lu Jiaxin found his accusations laughable and asked, “Did I report Lu Hongjun?”
She had guessed that people would blame her for reporting, and because of this, she had unplugged the phone since yesterday afternoon. But she hadn’t expected that the first one to come over and scold her would be Lu Jiajie.
“A couple is considered one, you reported Ding Jing; how could Third Uncle escape? ”
Lu Jiaxin said coldly, “Are you suggesting that Ding Jing’s taking bribes was with Lu Hongjun’s consent? Otherwise, why couldn’t he get away? If he’s corrupt, isn’t getting arrested what he deserves?”
“Lu Jiaxin, that’s your dad, how can you be so heartless?”
Hearing these words, Lu Jiaxin almost laughed. She didn’t explain, just said indifferently, “So I’m heartless, so what?”
Lu Jiajie left in anger.
Lu Jiaxin didn’t regret her actions, but being accused by Lu Jiajie still affected her mood; she only had a few bites for lunch.
Qian Xiaoxiao, not knowing how to comfort people, had Xue Mao bring Xiao Qiu back from Xiushui Street.
Once she saw Xiao Qiu, she said, “Lu Jiajie just came over and started berating Sister Xin. You should go and comfort her!”
Xiao Qiu was straightforward. Upon seeing Lu Jiaxin, she said, “Aunt, Xiaoxiao and Xue Mao said Fifth Uncle scolded you and that you didn’t eat your lunch.”
“No, I just lost my appetite; I’ll eat when I get hungry later.”
Xiao Qiu didn’t believe her and said, “Aunt, I think you did nothing wrong. That woman nearly got you killed, it’s only right for you to seek revenge. Besides, you didn’t slander her; she really did take bribes.”
Lu Jiaxin was somewhat surprised, “Is that really what you think?”
Xiao Qiu did indeed feel that way, “Yes. Should she be the only one allowed to harm others without others retaliating? Then there would be no justice in this world. Not only do I think so, but my parents also think you did nothing wrong. If anyone’s to blame, it’s Third Granduncle. If it weren’t for him marrying that evil woman, if it weren’t for his favoritism, none of this would have happened.”
Lu Jiaxin felt much better. She changed the subject, “Xiao Qiu, I’m going to Hong Kong next month. How about you manage the clothing store while I’m gone?”
The topic changed so quickly, Xiao Qiu was momentarily at a loss.
“You’ve sold clothes for a while now; you should be fine.”
Xiao Qiu collected herself and responded, “Aunt, I can help watch the store, but I don’t know anything about stocking up, and my parents don’t either.”
Seeing that she didn’t refuse, Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “How to stock up, negotiate prices, deal with after-sales—these are things you can learn from your Fifth Uncle. It’s not difficult; with interest, you’ll quickly learn.”
“Will Fifth Uncle teach me?”
“Of course, he will.” Lu Jiaxin said. Lu Jiajie had many shortcomings, but he was loyal and generous towards his relatives. If Xiao Qiu wanted to learn, he would surely teach her everything he knew.
“Then I’ll give it a try.”