Liu Xiliang asked, "Where did you get my mother’s belongings?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "That’s not for you to worry about. Do you want to take a closer look at the diary’s content, and then we’ll talk?"

Liu Ximing said, "No need to look. What’s recorded inside is our family matters, unrelated to my mother’s death..."

"How do you know it’s unrelated without looking? How about this, Mr. Li, you give them a brief explanation."

Li Chengbo said, "According to the evidence we’ve gathered, before Ms. Jiang Ailian committed suicide, she had repeatedly called you brothers, and you both chose not to answer. It was precisely your cold violence that led her to utter despair with life..."

Liu Ximing interrupted Li Chengbo, "Watch your words. If you use these unfounded things to slander us, I will reserve the right to pursue action."

Xu Chunliang said, "Pursue what? I know you’re a lawyer, you understand the law, you might win in court, but you’ve already been sentenced to the extreme penalty in the court of morality. I’m puzzled. You both, one a lawyer, one a journalist, received higher education and seem respectable in society, how can you do such things that defy humanity?"

Liu Xiliang said, "You need to be responsible for your words and actions."

Xu Chunliang said, "If I dare to say it, of course, I’ll be responsible. One must never go against their conscience. Your mother raised you both with great hardship, gave you higher education, set you up in life. What did you give her? If she had any hope in you, she wouldn’t have come here to buy a retirement home. She was your real mother! She called you on New Year’s Eve, asking you to come home for dinner; you ignored her, just thinking about her small savings, forcing her to cancel the house purchase. On New Year’s Day, she came here alone, desolate. She didn’t initially intend to take the ultimate step, hoping one of you would wish her a Happy New Year, pay her a visit, and even that you couldn’t do. Even worse, when she called you, you didn’t even pick up."

Upon hearing this, Ding Si, enraged, said, "Animals! You’re not even human!" Although he’s mixed in the underworld, he’s very filial, and loathes unfilial children the most.

Liu Ximing said, "Watch your language."

"Watch my ass, file a complaint against me if you have the guts!" Ding Si stood up, glaring, ready to roll up his sleeves and start a fight.

Liu Ximing and Liu Xiliang had already inquired beforehand; the site of their mother’s suicide was contracted by Dingli Construction. Ding Si was notorious in Dongzhou. Despite being a lawyer, Liu Ximing didn’t dare to confront someone like him head-on, so from the start, their target was the Huayuan Group, not Ding Si.

Li Chengbo said, "Calm down, everyone, calm down. Arguing doesn’t help resolve the issue."

Liu Xiliang said, "Don’t think you can make us yield with some unfounded materials. Our family matters are none of your concern. My mother died at the Huayuan Group’s construction site. Instead of seeking justice for us, your Hu Shan Town Government is teaming up with them to suppress us. You’re a local protective umbrella. If you don’t give us a fair result, I will expose your actions to the public."

Xu Chunliang said, "Then go public! I have to warn you, if you dare spread false news, we will definitely pursue it to the end."

Liu Xiliang pointed his thumb at Xu Chunliang, "You’re tough, you’re bold, but we journalists will never bow to any evil forces!"

Liu Ximing said, "Xiliang, don’t act rashly. We are law-abiding citizens, and what we are demanding are normal requests. Since the Hu Shan Town Government won’t stand up for us, we can go to higher authorities. I don’t believe there’s no place to reason, I don’t believe our mother can die in vain."

Ding Si said, "Your mother was driven to her death by you two unfilial sons!"

Liu Xiliang pointed at Ding Si, "Say that again!"

"Your mother was driven to her death by you two unfilial sons!" Ding Si took a step forward, unafraid.

Liu Xiliang angrily charged at him.

Ding Si continued to curse relentlessly, "Heartless creatures, you’re animals..."

Liu Xiliang punched Ding Si in the face.

Liu Xiliang is impulsive by nature, having inherited his father’s violent temper. Honestly, though his punch was loud, it lacked strength.

Liu Ximing couldn’t stop him in time. He had just reminded his brother to stay calm. He realized Xu Chunliang seemed to be deliberately provoking their anger.

Liu Xiliang ultimately couldn’t control himself. When he threw the punch, Liu Ximing knew they were caught in a trap.

Liu Xiliang’s not-so-heavy punch somehow sent the burly Ding Si reeling to the ground, clutching his nose and letting out an earth-shattering scream.

Li Chengbo turned his face away, barely suppressing a laugh. Was Ding Si acting?

From the beginning, Li Chengbo didn’t understand why Xu Chunliang had brought Ding Si over. Now, he kind of understood. Ding Si’s appearance was meant to provoke the Liu Brothers. Liu Ximing is a lawyer, knowledgeable about the law, and not easily provoked.

But Liu Xiliang is different; he fell into the trap.

After throwing the punch, Liu Xiliang immediately regretted it.

Xu Chunliang shouted angrily, "What do you take this place for, Mr. Li? Arrest him!"

Li Chengbo had brought his subordinates with him; it was Xu Chunliang’s request, saying he was worried the Liu Brothers might cause trouble and needed sufficient police presence. Li Chengbo personally thought the likelihood was slim, but since the request was made, he had to cooperate, and now it has indeed come in handy, fully proving the foresight of Vice Mayor Xu Chunliang.

Li Chengbo has been in police work for many years; he’s seen it all. At a glance, he knew the Liu Brothers had been set up. But reality is so cruel; knowing you’re caught in a trap, once you’re in, there’s no place to reason.

At Li Chengbo’s command, four subordinates came in and detained the Liu Brothers.

Liu Xiliang was a bit scared now and shouted, "I’m going to report you for entrapment!"

Even Li Chengbo was furious, pointing at Liu Xiliang’s nose and said, "You’d better be careful with your words; defaming state officials can get you jailed."

Xu Chunliang said, "President Ding, you’d better get a medical examination. If the assault is confirmed, the assailant will definitely go to jail."

Liu Ximing said, "I didn’t hit anyone, on what grounds are you detaining me?"

Li Chengbo said, "We’re not detaining you, we’re asking you to come back to assist with the investigation. You two brothers are something else, coming to our Hu Shan Town Government to beat people. Do you really think this place is outside the law?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Mr. Li, be polite to Lawyer Liu, we must respect the facts. We can’t wrong a good person, nor can we let any bad person go."

Ding Si got up from the ground, holding his nose, "Should I go get a medical examination now?" Blood was dripping from between his fingers.

Li Chengbo was a bit puzzled. Logically, Liu Xiliang’s punch shouldn’t have been that heavy. He arranged for an officer to accompany Ding Si to get a medical examination.

The results of Ding Si’s medical examination came back quickly: his nasal bone was fractured, meeting the standard for a minor injury of the second degree.

Upon receiving this news at the police station, Liu Xiliang was instantly thrown into disarray. Liu Ximing told him that the usual resolution in such a case is to compensate between 50,000 to 80,000 yuan, in hopes of gaining the victim’s forgiveness, but Ding Si is not short of money.

If Ding Si doesn’t let go of this case and insists on pursuing criminal charges, Liu Xiliang not only faces jail time but could even lose his job.

Liu Xiliang painfully grabbed his hair with both hands, "Brother, I didn’t even hit him hard with that punch, then how did his nasal bone fracture?"

"The medical examination result can’t be wrong." Liu Ximing silently cursed this fool; a single punch put them completely on the defensive.

Liu Xiliang said, "You saw everything. They deliberately provoked me; it was a trap set on purpose for me to fall into."

"Now you understand, but what were you thinking then? How can I justify this to you?"

Liu Xiliang said, "Brother, you have to help me. If you don’t help me, I’m done for."

"How do you expect me to help you? You’re certain to lose if this goes to court. The only option now is to negotiate with them. They’ll definitely set conditions and force us to make concessions."

Liu Xiliang said, "These people are so devious. They are colluding with each other, covering everything up."

Liu Ximing said, "What’s the use of saying all that crap? How come you never mentioned that the old lady has a habit of keeping a diary?"

"I didn’t know either. Why would she, a retired worker with only a high school education, keep a diary in her free time?"

Liu Ximing said, "I’ve seen the diary, and it’s very unfavorable for us, along with that letter. If it goes public, don’t expect us to ever be able to live normally in society."

"Is it that serious?"

Liu Ximing nodded and said, "Xiliang, why didn’t you answer mom’s call?"

Liu Xiliang looked at him surprised, "Why are you accusing me? You didn’t answer either!"

"I left my phone in the car."

"I had my phone on silent."

The two brothers looked at each other, both knowing that the other was lying. They now realized that if they carried the guilt of having caused their mother’s death, they might never find peace in their lives.

After a long silence, Liu Ximing finally broke it, "We should let mom and dad rest in peace soon."

Liu Xiliang nodded. He just wanted all of this to end quickly. Being held at the police station now, he feared that if this matter wasn’t handled well, all his hard work could go to waste.

Liu Xiliang whispered, "Maybe you should go talk to Ding Si."

Liu Ximing said, "What good would talking to him do?"

"Brother, do you have the heart to watch me get prosecuted? In this world, you are my only family..." At this point, Liu Xiliang felt a sudden sourness in his heart, followed by an unbearable pain. He tried to control it but ultimately couldn’t, and burst into tears in front of Liu Ximing.

Liu Ximing was startled by his crying, thinking at first he was scared, but quickly realized his brother was feeling guilty.

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