Chapter 70: Not Entirely Impossible
Su He looked at Liu Qiuju, her gaze sharp and cold. “You’re publicly beating a child—one of the nation’s future pillars—and you’ve even accused him of theft. That’s not just a domestic issue anymore.
As a journalist from the broadcasting station, I have both the right and the obligation to intervene.
I’ve heard that the local station has been cracking down hard on child abuse lately. Let’s go have a little visit there, shall we?”
Su He was obviously bluffing a bit, invoking authority she didn’t technically wield. But most people were instinctively wary of the local authorities—especially those with guilty consciences.
Sure enough, Liu Qiuju’s expression turned flustered. Impatiently, she muttered, “Fine, fine, just my luck to run into such a nosy busybody. I’ll stop hitting him, alright?!”
She then shoved the boy, saying, “Hurry home! Stop making a fool of yourself in public!”
Su He stepped in front of her. “The money hasn’t been found. How can this matter be considered settled? We’re still going to the station.”
Liu Qiuju gritted her teeth. “I just remembered—I put the money somewhere else. It wasn’t Tie Zhu who took it.”
Su He smiled faintly, half amused. “Wow, what a coincidence! You suddenly remembered after I said we should report this?
Didn’t come to mind when you were beating him a moment ago. Sounds like you falsely accused him on purpose, didn’t you?”
Liu Qiuju’s face flushed pale, and cold sweat began to bead on her forehead. Su He, sharp as ever, immediately picked up on it.
She’d struck a nerve.
She was actually impressed with herself—her intuition seemed downright prophetic today.
Tie Zhu suddenly looked up at Liu Qiuju, his gaze sharp and ominous. “This house belonged to my parents?”
The reason he’d tolerated everything up to this point was because Liu Qiuju and her husband had “taken him in.” Even though he’d grown up under abuse, they had at least given him a place to live.
But if the house actually belonged to his parents… that changed everything.
They hadn’t taken him in out of familial love, but for the chance to legally seize the property one day.
In truth, Tie Zhu didn’t care that much about the house. If they had treated him decently, he might’ve even given it to them freely.
But they’d mistreated him constantly, smeared his reputation, and tried to kick him out.
Liu Qiuju was visibly shaken by Tie Zhu’s look. She stammered, “What nonsense are you spouting?! This is our house—mine and your uncle’s!”
Su He chuckled. “Yours? Then why don’t you show everyone the property certificate?”
Liu Qiuju was practically seething now. She didn’t care anymore that Su He was a reporter—she lunged to scratch her face.
Before Su He could react, Tie Zhu stretched out a foot and tripped Liu Qiuju flat on her face.
By this time, a few “helpful” (read: drama-loving) bystanders had already reported the incident. Officers from the local station quickly arrived.
They brought Liu Qiuju, Tie Zhu, and Su He in for questioning.
Su He wanted to protest, I was just a bystander eating melon seeds! Why am I being dragged along?!
What she didn’t know was that the officers already knew she was a reporter—one with a knack for writing popular human-interest stories. Naturally, they wanted her there. Who knows, she might write another article and make them look good.
Liu Qiuju, the typical bully-who-feared-the-strong, quickly confessed under pressure.
The house did belong to Tie Zhu’s parents. They’d lent it to Liu Qiuju and her husband when they moved out of town for work.
Even worse, Liu Qiuju’s husband, Tian Wanchun, wasn’t even Tie Zhu’s real uncle—just a distant cousin several times removed.
They’d taken Tie Zhu in not out of kindness, but because they were afraid the house might be reclaimed if he ended up in an orphanage.
Worried that he’d fight for the property when he grew up, they constantly tried to tarnish his reputation, setting the stage to one day kick him out for “bad behavior.”
At that moment, Tian Wanchun rushed in after hearing the news.
Unlike his wife, he was a bit craftier. He claimed they were only keeping the house in trust for Tie Zhu until he came of age.
As for the abuse? That was just “tough love”—“beating the iron to make it steel,” so to speak.
The officers found themselves in a difficult position. Though they could tell Tian Wanchun was lying through his teeth, there was little legal recourse.
There were no official laws protecting minors yet, and in this era, parents beating children wasn’t even seen as a serious offense.
In the end, the officers told the couple, “You can stay in the house while Tie Zhu is still a minor. But you must act as proper guardians—no more abuse. Once he comes of age, you’ll have to return the house to him.”
Tian Wanchun immediately swore, “From now on, I’ll treat Tie Zhu like my own son. He won’t suffer a bit more under my roof…”
But before he could finish, Tie Zhu cut him off and looked directly at the officers. “Is it true that only a legal guardian can live in my house? If I appoint someone else as my guardian, do they have to move out?”
The officer paused, then nodded. “That’s correct. But can you find someone else willing to take on that responsibility?”
Tie Zhu raised a finger and pointed at Su He. “I want her to be my guardian.”
Su He: “…”
I was just here for the drama!
Besides, I’m an eighteen-year-old girl. Me, your guardian? That’s not even appropriate!
She was just about to refuse when Tie Zhu added, “If you agree to be my guardian, I’ll give you the house when I turn eighteen. I’ll write a statement to prove it!”
Su He: “…”
Well… when you put it like that… maybe it’s not entirely impossible.
