Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 422: Submitting Precious Research Documents

Su Yijia understood that when they complained about their hardship, it was probably genuine. But their suffering had nothing to do with her.

"Since I bought this house, it belongs to me. I don’t like others touching my things. If you really think you can’t live anymore, then return the amount I paid for this house plus the money I spent on renovations. I’ll move out immediately, and you can divide the house however you like or rent it out as you please."

Her voice was cold enough to freeze over.

The auntie who had spoken earlier glared at Su Yijia with increasing resentment. "Isn’t that the same as forcing us to our deaths? If we could afford to buy this house, we would have already done so."

"..."

Su Yijia’s head pounded in frustration. She finally understood. These people weren’t incapable of understanding her words; they had already made up their minds about what would happen when they came here. No matter how they were refused, they had already planned their responses.

Their intention was clear: since her family had money and a big house, they should be forced to carve it up into small, cramped rooms and rent it out at a cheap rate. If they didn’t, it would be labeled as a "capitalist practice," and they’d be blamed for driving these people to desperation. Moreover, these people believed they were being reasonable—they weren’t asking for it for free, after all, they said they’d pay rent.

They had decided in advance that logic and laws didn’t apply. Their belief was simple: since they were suffering, they were justified, and others were obliged to help them.

"Take her away too. Interrogate her well," the leader ordered, fed up.

Another security guard approached the woman, who panicked and protested. "Why are you arresting me?! Are you saying we’re not allowed to speak the truth?"

"Speak the truth, my foot!" the leader cursed, furious. "You came into someone else’s home, forcing them to tear their house apart and rent it to you. If they don’t agree, you start making a scene. Sending you to the police is completely justified! If you think you’re so righteous, explain it to the police. As long as the house belongs to the Su or Qin family, it has nothing to do with you. If you come back here causing trouble again, I’ll have you arrested again."

A few months ago, if they’d made such a scene, Su Yijia and Qin Kaize would have been reprimanded, maybe even sent to a labor camp for re-education. But things were different now. The environment was more relaxed, and private property was recognized. If someone had bought a house, they had the right to live in it without interference.

Especially since Comrade Qin had valuable resources. Anyone who tried to cause trouble now would be viewed with suspicion and investigated thoroughly, potentially even arrested as a threat.

The aunties and elderly women, who had been so confident earlier, quickly quieted down, looking like scolded children. Their faces darkened, and they fled without saying another word.

Once they had left, the officials turned their attention to Qin Kaize, but before they could speak, their gazes shifted to Grandpa Lin, Grandma Lin, and Su Yijia, who had been standing nearby.

"We’ll go pack our things," Grandpa Lin and Grandma Lin said sensibly, aware of the sensitive nature of Qin Kaize’s work.

Su Yijia didn’t feel excluded from the situation and was about to follow them to the main hall, but Qin Kaize grabbed her hand firmly. He looked at the officials and said earnestly, "Comrade Su is my wife. Not only is she aware of this matter, but she also helped me study the documents. We confirmed their authenticity together before I contacted the team."

The twenty or so officials were visibly startled, their eyes darting between Su Yijia and Qin Kaize. "How long did you two study them?" one finally asked.

"Ten days," Qin Kaize replied.

"Ten days! This is a crucial matter, and you waited ten days to report it? What if someone with ill intentions found out and targeted you?" one of the leaders angrily scolded.

"It was my fault," Su Yijia quickly took the blame. "We received the documents just before the Lunar New Year, and I wanted to spend the holiday with my husband. It was our first New Year’s together, and I didn’t want him to be too busy. Besides, if someone else had delivered the documents or escorted us to Jingdu, too many hands would have been involved. The safest option was for us to handle it ourselves."

She admitted that part of their decision not to report it immediately was because they wanted to celebrate the New Year with their families. After all, it was the first time they’d been able to take Grandpa Xia and Grandma Zhou out of the farm, and they had just learned about her pregnancy. Everyone wanted to enjoy the holiday, knowing that submitting the documents would lead to long-term research projects that would prevent them from returning home for years.

They also wanted to blur the timeline so that any investigation wouldn’t be too straightforward, giving them time to make the necessary arrangements.

The leader nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. Where are the documents now?"

Without waiting for Qin Kaize’s response, the leader took out a file from his briefcase. The document bore an official seal and a red stamp, authorizing him to take the research materials.

Qin Kaize glanced at Su Yijia, who nodded. "I’ll go get them."

The officials expected that such crucial documents were stored somewhere secure within their luggage. But they were surprised when they saw her head to the empty east wing and close the door behind her. They immediately assumed that she had kept the documents on her person, thinking it was safer for a woman to carry them, as no one would expect it or get close enough to risk suspicion.

However, they had no idea that all Su Yijia was doing was retrieving them from her personal space.