Chapter 164: Verbal Battle Against the Scholars
Old Man Nie, seeing that Nie Wenjie remained silent, raised his voice: “Wenjie, even if you won’t do it for my sake, think of our deceased parents! If your nephew gets arrested, they won’t rest in peace!”
Su He curled her lips. “Honestly, if you went down to ‘honor’ them, they’d probably rest easier.”
Old Man Nie: “…”
Furious, he snapped, “You little brat! Don’t meddle in adult matters! Push me hard enough and I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of your elders!”
Su He immediately dragged over Principal Chen, the old quail-like man beside her.
Old Man Nie had spoken in the S City dialect. Principal Chen, who had been quietly munching on a raw melon, looked confused. “Little Su, why are you pulling me?”
Su He jerked her chin toward the old man. “That guy says he’s going to discipline me on your behalf. You want to explain a few things to him?”
Principal Chen instantly puffed up, ready for battle. Time for me, the principal, to debate this mob of scholars!
He launched into a full lecture, citing classical texts, from Emperor Yao, Shun, and Yu to the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. He even quoted the saying: “It takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred to nurture people.” It felt less like a police station and more like a history classroom.
Though not everyone in the crowd could speak Mandarin, they understood enough to erupt in enthusiastic applause.
Old Man Nie was red-faced and breathless with frustration. Unfortunately, he could only respond in S City Dialect—completely unintelligible to Principal Chen, who simply acted like he hadn’t heard anything.
Su He decided it was the perfect moment to strike. She turned to Old Man Nie and said, “Your wife and your son and daughter-in-law destroyed scientific data—they deserve to be punished. If Professor Nie can offer a reasonable way to remedy the loss, maybe leniency is possible. But you occupied someone else’s property, took their salary, and slandered their name—why should they help you? If I were Professor Nie, I wouldn’t bother either. I’d let you all rot in jail and finally be rid of a bunch of leeches!”
Old Man Nie was still sharp enough to hear the underlying threat. He turned to Nie Wenjie. “Wenjie, are you trying to force me to sever ties with you?”
Nie Wenjie still said nothing.
Su He then asked one of the officers, “If they don’t come to an agreement, and if Professor Nie offers no solution, won’t the three of them be looking at decades in prison?”
The officer: “…”
We haven’t even fully investigated the case yet, and she’s already talking about sentencing?
Still, many of the station staff had heard about the Nie family and didn’t like what they’d done. But since the issue was largely moral, not legal, they couldn’t intervene—so the officer vaguely nodded in response.
That vague reply was enough to scare Yang Chunhua and the others out of their minds. Decades? That might as well be a life sentence!
Nie Dagang clung to Old Man Nie’s leg, crying, “Dad, I don’t want to go to prison! Please beg Auntie, we’ll agree to whatever terms she gives!”
Old Man Nie gritted his teeth. “Fine. Wenjie, if you get them to release my family, I’ll move out. From now on, we’re strangers!”
Su He smiled. “Words aren’t enough. I’ll draft a formal letter of severance. You’ll sign it and press your fingerprint.”
In truth, Su He didn’t know whether such a letter had any legal standing. She just wanted to scare them.
Borrowing pen and paper from the police station, she drafted the document. The main points were:
- Old Man Nie and Nie Wenjie formally sever all familial ties.
- Old Man Nie’s family must vacate Nie Wenjie’s home within two days.
If either point is violated, they will be held fully responsible for the destruction of the research data.
The letter was full of loopholes, but Old Man Nie’s family lacked the education or legal knowledge to see them. They shakily pressed their fingerprints.
The officers went through the motions, offered some criticism and education, and then released the detainees.
Once outside the station, Su He quietly advised Nie Wenjie, “Professor Nie, you should move any valuables to your office. Otherwise, they might ‘accidentally’ walk off with them.”
Nie Wenjie gave a bitter smile. “I don’t have any valuables left. They’ve already taken everything worth anything.”
Su He: “…”
She didn’t comment. After all, she wasn’t personally involved.
Nie Wenjie, however, explained on his own, “You probably think I’m too soft, don’t you? But my brother wasn’t wrong—he really did treat me well when we were kids. He helped me hide from our parents when I wanted to attend the girls’ school, even scraped together tuition for me.
I’ve always been grateful and wanted to repay him. I originally planned to leave with Xingzhi, but my brother begged me to stay, said the family couldn’t afford food and needed my salary to survive. Xingzhi didn’t want me to suffer with him, so I came back to teach in S City. But then… somehow, things just changed. They got greedier and more demanding, and now family has turned into enemies.”
Su He didn’t know what to say. When money gets involved, even blood ties can turn sour.
That’s why she protected her Su family, but made sure to keep them in check. She could be kind, but she wouldn’t let anyone take advantage of that kindness.
To shift the mood, she started chatting about Teacher Yuan’s recent escapades—how he’d run into a tree, for instance.
Nie Wenjie chuckled. “That bookworm? That sounds like him.”
From his tone and expression, Su He caught a rare glimpse of girlish shyness.
Indeed—men are boys until death, and even an eighty-year-old woman can have the heart of a girl.
Their conversation eventually circled back to the destroyed research data. Su He asked, “Professor Nie, why would you keep something so important at home?”
Nie Wenjie’s expression stiffened.
Su He: …Got it.
The “research data” was just a cover. What really needed hiding were probably the letters between her and Teacher Yuan.
So Su He tactfully changed the subject. “You were researching coated fabrics? Can you tell me more?”
Happy to change topics, Nie Wenjie launched into a lengthy technical explanation. Su He barely understood a word but made sure to look amazed and impressed at the right times.
When he was done, she stood up. “Professor Nie, since everything’s settled here, I’ll be going. Anything you want me to pass on to Teacher Yuan? Want to write him a letter?”
Nie Wenjie hesitated, tempted, but shook her head. “No, better not risk any unnecessary trouble. Just tell him I’m doing fine and that he should take care of his health.”
She handed Su He some cash and cloth coupons. “Use this to buy Xingzhi some clothes and a few local specialties from S City.”
She would’ve preferred to do it herself, but now wasn’t the time. It wasn’t about protecting herself, but about avoiding trouble for Teacher Yuan.
The money and coupons were from the paycheck she just received this morning—had she gotten them any later, Yang Chunhua would have taken them already.
Su He nodded. “Don’t worry, ma’am. I’ll handle it. If Teacher Yuan finds out the clothes are from you, he probably won’t even wear them—just hug them to sleep every night!”
Nie Wenjie: …This kid is great, except her mouth has no filter!
