Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire-Chapter 562 - 545: The Gambling God’s Big Explosion

The summer night sky was beautiful, and Lu Jiaxin enjoyed walking under such a night scene.

As the two walked and chatted, Nie Zhan asked, "Jiaxin, I heard Sister-in-law came to find you today, what did she say to you?"

Lu Jiaxin jokingly replied, "How do you know Sister Shimeng came to find me? What, did you have someone spy on me?"

Nie Zhan was taken aback by the accusation which he could not afford to shoulder, "No, Brother Feng told me. He said Sister-in-law has been in a bad mood recently and that she had lunch with you today."

"Sister-in-law said she wanted a divorce."

Nie Zhan exclaimed in shock, "What did you say? Sister-in-law wants a divorce."

Seeing his shocked expression, Lu Jiaxin indignantly said, "After three children, she’s expected to have more, regardless of whether Shimeng’s body can take it. Are they treating their daughter-in-law as a childbearing tool?"

Nie Zhan, seeing her anger, tried to console her, "The older generation believes that more children bring more blessings. Sigh, Brother Feng talked to them but it was useless, he’s also powerless."

Lu Jiaxin scornfully remarked, "Powerless? Because of that, Shimeng has to endure the pain of childbirth again, as well as the burden of raising the children. And what about him? Instead of helping to share the burden, he complains about the home atmosphere and seeks comfort with a mistress."

Nie Zhan knew about Hu Zhifeng’s mistresses, but found it a delicate topic to comment on to avoid saying the wrong thing and getting scolded, "Jiaxin, Sister-in-law didn’t really mention divorce, did she?"

It was too surprising earlier, but upon calming down, it seemed impossible. Not to mention the Zong Family’s business was declining and needed Hu Family’s support, but also considering Sister-in-law adored her three children, it was unlikely she would divorce.

Lu Jiaxin snorted coldly, "No, she didn’t. She came to ask for the address of the doctor who helped me with my physical condition in the past. After three children, her health has been affected, and to have a fourth, she needs to recuperate first."

Nie Zhan promptly inquired, "So did you give it to her?"

Lu Jiaxin suspiciously asked, "Why are you so unconcerned about this matter?"

Nie Zhan, imposing outside but very sincere to her, said, "Sister-in-law had a few arguments with Brother Feng recently, and she came looking for you... Jiaxin, you’re used to being independent; if it were you in this situation, you’d definitely leave."

Great, he’s worried I might encourage Shimeng to get a divorce. Not even thirty years from now, unless it’s someone very close to me, and then if domestic violence or drugs/gambling issues are involved, otherwise, I wouldn’t advise someone to get a divorce.

Lu Jiaxin feigned indignation, "Do you see me as someone who likes to stir up trouble?"

Nie Zhan quickly denied it and then explained, "You regard Sister-in-law as your own sister, and now she is being forced to have a fourth child; of course, you’d feel sorry for her. But Jiaxin, it’s not good for us to get involved in other people’s family affairs."

It mainly stemmed from the fact that Yu Meitong had Nie Zhan’s support when she broke off her engagement with Lu Jiaxin, and he provided a lot of help then. Now, with Shimeng facing this distress, he was worried that Jiaxin, on impulse, might offer advice again.

Lu Jiaxin rolled her eyes dramatically, "Meitong’s situation is different from Sister Shimeng’s. Sister Meitong wasn’t married and had no children; she’s a jewelry designer and doesn’t need to pin her whole life on a worthless man. She thought it through herself and wanted a divorce; of course, I supported her. Shimeng has been married into the Hu Family for eleven years and has grown accustomed to life as a full-time homemaker, plus with three children, she would not consider divorce."

"Sister Shimeng herself has never thought about divorce; how could I possibly advise her to divorce? I’m not out to make enemies with the Hu Family."

If the person involved doesn’t think about divorce, and you persuade Shimeng to do so, if she really does, she might end up hating you. Therefore, one shouldn’t interfere with such private emotional matters.

"Jiaxin, I’m sorry, it was a misunderstanding on my part."

Lu Jiaxin glanced at him, "Shi Xinyu wants to call off her engagement with Tao Yong. I know she’ll regret it but I didn’t say anything. First, I knew it wouldn’t make a difference; second, I believe that adults should be responsible for their own actions."

"She regretted it and came back to the harbor looking for you to speak well of her to Tao Yong, knowing you wouldn’t care she turned to me. I refused her at that time. With her temperament, even if they made up, it would only be temporary, and they would eventually break up. Later, I asked for your help to persuade because Sister Shimeng and Meitong insisted on interceding, and I couldn’t let them lose face."

Nie Zhan kept apologizing. Mainly because he has been friends with Hu Zhifeng for so many years, he really didn’t want these issues to drive them apart. He sincerely valued the few friends he had and cherished them deeply.

Lu Jiaxin knew his thoughts and wasn’t angry, so she brought up Nie Manlin, "Sister Shimeng is only 32 this year, and she feels her health has declined and doesn’t want to have more children. Your mom is 52 this year, why is she being so reckless?"

At 35, it is already considered high-risk pregnancy, and there are dangers involved in childbirth, let alone at 52. The probability of complications and concurrent diseases during pregnancy greatly increases, and a single mishap can be life-threatening. Besides, the chance of distress, asphyxia, and deformities in the fetus during pregnancy is also several times higher.

Nie Zhan fell silent for a moment, then said, "She’s already in the hospital for a pregnancy preservation."

Lu Jiaxin didn’t know about this. Mainly because Nie Zhan didn’t like Nie Manlin, Lu Jiaxin also tended not to mention such love-addled thoughts, and today she only thought of her when they were discussing having children. She hadn’t expected that Nie Manlin would need hospitalization for pregnancy preservation so soon; truly, she couldn’t fathom what Nie Manlin was after.

"Last week she called me and asked me to transfer one million to her, but I refused," Nie Zhan said. "If you don’t have the money then don’t have a baby, there’s no reason for me to support it."

Now she’s asking him for money for pregnancy preservation—give her that, and given his mom’s nature, she would expect him to shell out for the child’s expenses later as well. Every year, the company and he personally donate upwards of ten million to charity. He’d rather donate that money than spend it on half-siblings.

Lu Jiaxin felt at a loss for words, "What happened after that?"

"My great aunt transferred one million to her, but she will need to pay it back in the future."

"Does she have money to pay back? It won’t end up being transferred to you in the end."

This wasn’t something Nie Zhan was worried about. He said, "Before my great-grandmother passed away, she divided her private savings in half, giving one portion to my great aunt and the other to her. But given my mom’s nature, my grandfather feared she couldn’t manage it and held onto it for her. However, after my grandfather passes away those things will definitely go to her."

"When my great-grandmother got married, her family’s business was doing very well, and her dowry was very generous. She also saved up a lot of valuable things over the years, all of which are quite valuable."

His grandfather’s private collection is also quite considerable, and it would likely be divided among the four brothers eventually, but the portion left by the great-grandmother wouldn’t change.

Lu Jiaxin commented, "When you get your hands on that collection, if you give it to your mom, it will be squandered quickly. You’re her son, and if she ends up in a bad way, you’ll definitely take care of her."

If it were an ordinary person dealing with deadbeat parents, they’d probably just pay the minimum support required or even flee to another province to work, preventing the parents from finding them. But as public figures, for the sake of their reputation, they can’t just abandon them. Like that female singer from Bay Island, not only did her mother embezzle all her money but also spread rumors about her drug use, leading to a massive career slump. After a few quiet years and a successful comeback, her mother, having squandered all the money, came back asking for alimony—and a high amount at that. As a public figure who cares about her reputation, she had no choice but to compromise and pay alimony.

Nie Zhan found her words very logical and nodded, "I’ll look for an opportunity to talk to my grandfather about it."

After finishing their walk and returning to the living room, Nie Zhan suddenly asked, "How’s the box office for ’Gambling God’ now that it’s been released for over a month?"

Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "Tian Pengyu called me a couple of days ago. The box office has reached 28 million. By the time it finishes screening, it should hit three or three and a half million!"

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