After teasing Lin Ruoxi, Xue Rui was in a fine mood and went back out to the yard to play with Da Huang.

Inside the house, Lin Ruoxi was counting the huge sum of money. Each stack contained a hundred bills. She grabbed fifty thousand yuan and ran out to the yard.

"Classmate... Classmate Xue, you gave me too much. It’s five hundred yuan per mu, so for five mu over twenty years, it should be fifty thousand."

Xue Rui shook his head. "Land prices will go up in the future. A hundred thousand is just right. I’m not taking advantage of you."

"But..."

Lin Ruoxi knew Xue Rui was helping her. ’He’s obviously the son of a wealthy family. What would he want with rural land?’

’He’s probably just looking for an excuse to support me.’

Watching Xue Rui play with Da Huang, she bit her lip, a million things on the tip of her tongue.

At that moment, a crowd had gathered outside the yard, pointing and murmuring at the BMW 730.

Some of the younger men reached out, tentatively stroking the car’s finish.

A luxury car worth over a million yuan parked in front of a rundown mud-brick house was, in itself, a recipe for massive gossip.

Someone called out to Ren Jun in the yard. Dressed as impressively as he was, he clearly looked like the car’s owner.

"Hey man, how much did this car cost?" a young man asked.

"Not much. Just over a million," Ren Jun said with a grin.

’I really made the right call coming here today,’ he suddenly thought. ’Not only did I get a beautiful niece, but I’m also getting all these looks of admiration. I couldn’t be happier.’

"Over a million!"

The young man gasped. He knew BMWs were expensive, but he hadn’t imagined it would be *this* expensive.

"Are you a relative of Xixi’s? What brings you to her home?"

"I’m Xixi’s uncle," Ren Jun said with a completely straight face.

He had well and truly accepted this niece, saying it without batting an eye. He completely failed to notice that the old woman beside him was scowling.

"A bunch of scoundrels, the lot of them," the old woman muttered.

As Ren Jun shamelessly made his declaration, Xue Rui’s eyes widened. He whispered:

"Uncle, no matter who asks, just say Lin Ruoxi is your niece."

"You think I need you to tell me? Xixi *is* my niece."

That was what Ren Jun was thinking anyway.

But he had no idea what a monumental stir his words were causing in the village.

"Hey! Did you hear? Xixi’s mother’s family is here! Looks like they’ve come to claim her, and they drove a car worth over a million yuan!"

News like this spread through the small village like wildfire.

The crowd in front of Lin Ruoxi’s house grew larger and larger.

"Uh..." Ren Jun was only just now realizing how shocking his statement had been.

What kind of stories would the contrast between a luxury car and a dilapidated house inspire?

How many people would it lead to imagining a drama about a long-lost heiress who had been stranded in the countryside for years?

Lin Ruoxi stood there, clutching the thick wad of cash, her expression completely dazed.

"Look at the money in Xixi’s hands. It must be compensation from her uncle," an old woman said.

Xue Rui watched everyone’s reaction with great interest. He was very satisfied.

In truth, this whole dramatic scene wasn’t part of his plan.

But since the reception was so good, he might as well just go with the flow and keep the act going.

"Cousin, you’ve suffered for so many years. Please, come home with me, won’t you?"

Xue Rui pulled Lin Ruoxi into a hug. With his back to the crowd, he rubbed his eyes hard, thinking of every sad thing that had ever happened to him, and finally managed to squeeze out a few tears.

’There was a convenient gap in Lin Ruoxi’s history: her mother’s origins were unknown. A family that would sell their own daughter must have been desperately poor.’

’But after all these years, the villagers would just assume that Lin Ruoxi’s maternal family had suddenly struck it rich and had come looking for their long-lost daughter.’

"The poor girl has finally seen the end of her suffering. This is wonderful..."

Some of the older villagers, seeing what they thought was a family reunion, couldn’t control their emotions and began to wipe away tears.

Ren Jun felt a prickle in his nose. The atmosphere was so emotionally charged that it would be wrong for him not to hug someone.

He opened his arms. "Come here, let your uncle give you a hug."

But just then, Xue Rui spun around with Lin Ruoxi still in his arms, neatly dodging him. Ren Jun’s arms were already wide open; how could he possibly pull them back with everyone watching?

So, Ren Jun wrapped his arms around the old woman next to him, putting on a show. "Oh, you’ve worked so hard, raising Xixi all these years..."

Lin Ruoxi’s mind went blank. She couldn’t fathom how the situation had escalated to this.

’I’m sure that Xue Rui and I are just classmates. There’s no way they’re from my mother’s side of the family.’

She struggled to break free from Xue Rui’s embrace, but a tiny voice whispered in her ear:

"So many people are watching. How do you plan to explain this?"

’I shouldn’t have called him Uncle.’

Only then did the slow-to-react Lin Ruoxi realize her mistake. Why had she, in her confusion, followed Xue Rui’s lead and called Ren Jun "Uncle"?

Just then, however, an impatient woman’s voice drifted over from next door. "Xixi, how come you didn’t come to pick fruit this morning? Aren’t you on vacation?"

The woman looked surprised when she saw the crowd.

"Who’s that?" Xue Rui asked quietly.

Lin Ruoxi instinctively lowered her voice. "That’s Aunt Zhang Guihua."

"Pay her back and get the IOU," Xue Rui instructed, loosening his embrace at the opportune moment.

Lin Ruoxi nodded, pulled two stacks from the cash she was holding, and handed them directly to Zhang Guihua without counting.

"Aunt Zhang, this is to pay you back. Um... could I have the IOU now?" Lin Ruoxi pleaded in a low voice.

Xue Rui shook his head. ’With so many people watching,’ he thought, ’she should be shouting it out for everyone to hear.’

"The IOU?"

Zhang Guihua had been about to ask what the crowd was gawking at, but then Lin Ruoxi handed her twenty thousand yuan.

"Wasn’t the IOU for thirty thousand? This is only twenty thousand. It’s not enough," Zhang Guihua screeched.

The color instantly drained from Lin Ruoxi’s face. It felt as if she’d been plunged into ice water. She couldn’t hear what anyone around her was saying; the world was spinning, and a deep chill wracked her body.

’What Xue Rui said was true. She’s really going back on her word.’ It was the only thought in her mind.

Xue Rui stepped up behind Lin Ruoxi and gently took her wrist. "Louder. Tell everyone how you’ve been wronged."

Xue Rui’s hand was warm, as if pulling her out of the icy water. She instantly felt a great sense of relief.

’Even though Xue Rui always teases me, he’s always on my side when it counts.’

As if borrowing strength from his touch, Lin Ruoxi called out in a clear voice:

"You said one day of work would count for 30 yuan! With that, plus what I’ve already paid you and the money from last year’s land, I only owe you 19,600!"

"Thirty yuan a day? That’s just outright bullying!" Ren Jun said through gritted teeth.

"I’m telling you, Guihua, you’ve gone too far! Are you trying to bleed her dry because she’s all alone?" a villager cursed bluntly.

"You shameless woman! A wife who married into this village, and you bring nothing but shame upon us!" an old man shouted, banging his cane on the ground.

Zhang Guihua never expected Lin Ruoxi would actually dare to expose her in front of so many people.

She screeched in a piercing voice, "Who saw her pay me back? I haven’t even charged her interest yet! That little bit of work she did can count as the interest. What business is it of any of you!"

That’s how shrews are, always thinking that whoever shouts the loudest must be in the right.

"I..." Tears streamed down Lin Ruoxi’s face.

She felt so wronged. ’I’m the one who’s right, so why can’t I ever win an argument?’

"Give her the thirty thousand," Xue Rui said, his voice dripping with contempt. "Consider the extra ten thousand a tip for feeding a dog."

"Young man, it’s true you have money, but right is right. You can’t give her that money!" a middle-aged man interjected.

"Where’s Xixi’s uncle? Hurry up and stop your nephew!"

A mocking glint flashed in Xue Rui’s eyes. ’Me? Take a loss?’

’Whoever scammed Lin Ruoxi, I’ll make them pay it back double!’