Chapter 529
“Not going to be sentenced too severely? Where did you get the idea that he’d be lightly punished? Even if someone loses a few hundred, it’s still their own choice to gamble, but who could have fooled him into losing for two entire months?” Grandma Wang asked, her voice filled with anger.
Zhang Xiyue flinched at her grandmother’s harsh words, a strong sense of resentment bubbling inside her. Why was it always her who had to bear the blame for everything? She never got any of the good things, but whenever something went wrong, she was always dragged into it.
If it weren’t for her brother’s mess, the Zhang family wouldn’t have a future in the Beijing compound. She decided right then that, if not for the trouble her brother had caused, she wouldn’t care about the reckless brat.
With this thought, Zhang Xiyue cast a quick glance at the police officers standing by, then pulled her grandmother aside.
“Grandma, I know you’re angry about what my brother has done, but the third generation of our Zhang family only has him left as a man. Are you really going to abandon him? If he dies, we will lose everything. There won’t even be a chance to regret it later,” Zhang Xiyue said, her voice low and pleading.
Grandma Wang’s eyes flickered with pain, torn by the dilemma, but after a moment of silence, her expression hardened with resolve.
“Since ancient times, it’s been said that the emperor’s crimes are no different from the common people’s. We’re in a new society now. Are we going to act even worse than the old society?” She looked at her granddaughter with a sense of deep disappointment.
Zhang Xiyue’s face turned pale as she could no longer maintain her calm expression. The scorn in her grandmother’s words was too much to bear. But under the harsh gaze, she couldn’t summon the courage to argue back. In the end, she pursed her lips and said nothing more.
Grandma Wang wiped away the tear that almost escaped from her eye and returned to Grandpa Zhang’s side.
“Anyway, we’ll go see Hanyu first. We need to hear his side of the story,” Grandma Wang suggested.
Grandpa Zhang sighed deeply, trying to maintain his composure. “Alright, then, let’s have Chief Deputy Cheng take us inside.” He said, directing the request toward the officer standing nearby.
The middle-aged officer didn’t decline and nodded, leading them toward the detention cells.
At this time, Zhang Hanyu had only just been brought in. He was still emboldened by the fact that no one had given him a harsh interrogation yet, likely due to the Zhang family’s reputation. He was still bouncing around, shouting.
“Let me out of here! My grandpa is an old general! How dare you arrest me!”
As soon as Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Wang entered the back room, they heard the arrogant shouting.
Could her brother really be this stupid? Zhang Xiyue’s head felt like it was ringing. She was so furious, her teeth nearly ground together.
“This little bastard! Let me show him what I think of him today!” Grandpa Zhang growled, his face twisted in anger. He pulled off his belt and, taking three quick steps, stormed toward the room where Zhang Hanyu was locked up.
When Zhang Hanyu heard the footsteps, he thought it was the police coming to talk to him. He raised his chin smugly, expecting some sort of communication, only to be greeted by the sight of his grandparents, looking every bit like they were ready to punish him.
Terrified, he immediately jumped up from the small bed.
“Grandpa, Grandma, what are you doing here? Don’t believe what anyone else has said about me! I’m innocent! I swear I’m innocent!” Zhang Hanyu quickly dropped the smug attitude and tried to put on an act, pretending to be a victim.
“You little bastard! Still trying to put on a show here? You’ve disgraced the Zhang family enough already!” Grandpa Zhang snapped, his belt pointing toward Zhang Hanyu as he scolded.
Without waiting for Zhang Hanyu to argue, Grandpa Zhang turned to Chief Deputy Cheng. “Open the door. I need to go in and educate this unfilial grandson properly.”
Zhang Hanyu was startled by his grandfather’s words, quickly protesting, “Grandpa, I’ve already been arrested. What good will beating me do now? If you want to punish me, at least wait until I’m released.”