Chapter 11: Li Guojun’s Fury! Ma Yulian Panics…

At these words, Ma Yulian’s face turned ashen with shock, and she hurriedly shot meaningful glances at Chen Dazhu and his son. In response, Chen Dazhu gave Chen Zhiyuan a discreet pinch—this child, how could he be so impatient!

But Ma Yulian’s silent signals came too late; Li Guojun had already caught onto the crucial words, which directly concerned the coveted factory job he’d had his eye on. Li Guojun seized Chen Zhiyuan’s wrist and, utterly astonished, began to question him.

“Chen Zhiyuan, what do you mean by that? What’s this about waiting for my father’s news? And what transfer certificate are you talking about?” Li Guojun was already on edge, addressing Chen Zhiyuan by his full name.

Realizing he’d said something he shouldn’t have, Chen Zhiyuan dared not meet his gaze. He shook free from Li Guojun’s grasp and stammered, “Don’t… don’t ask me!”

Meanwhile, Wang Xiuhua, still intent on ensuring Li Guojun took over Li Junsheng’s factory position, immediately pressed Li Junsheng for answers. “Dad, what’s going on? Speak up! Did you process the transfer certificate? You didn’t even talk to us about it. Who did you give the job to?”

She stared fixedly at Li Junsheng, hoping for a satisfactory reply. Before Li Junsheng could respond, Ma Yulian shoved Wang Xiuhua aside. “Why are you meddling? This isn’t your place to speak!” Indeed, one Li Guojun was difficult enough to deal with—now this tactless daughter-in-law was adding to the chaos.

Li Guojun, however, had already turned to confront Chen Dazhu and his son. “So that’s why you brought all these things today—turns out you came for my father’s job! Quite the cunning plan! Take your gifts and leave; there’s nothing to discuss here!”

He began to drive them out, but Ma Yulian grabbed his arm. “Guojun, what are you doing? Speak to them properly!”

Li Junsheng stood by, quietly savoring the spectacle. Now that Chen Zhiyuan had let the truth slip, how would Ma Yulian and Chen Dazhu handle their furious eldest son? Ma Yulian’s partiality toward outsiders was bound to create a rift between her and her eldest.

Li Guojun felt a surge of resentment as his own mother restrained him. How was he supposed to remain calm when his family’s prime job was being eyed by others? How could he not throw this father and son duo out?

Chen Dazhu remained silent, giving nothing away about whether he truly wanted the valuable factory job. Li Guojun could only turn to Li Junsheng. “Dad! Say something! They want your job at the factory. Don’t tell me you’ve really given them the transfer certificate?”

Li Junsheng noticed the barely concealed anger in his eldest son’s eyes, but he wasn’t afraid—Li Guojun’s fury, after all, was not really directed at him. With a troubled look, Li Junsheng avoided answering directly and instead spoke to Chen Dazhu. “Old Chen, your son has really put me in a tough spot! You both want my job at the factory—I’ve arranged it, but how could you say so openly in front of Guojun? I had planned to leave this job to Guojun, but Yulian insisted I transfer it to Zhiyuan.”

Here he turned to his eldest son, taking on a tone of weary resignation. “Guojun, you guessed right. I did transfer my job at the factory to Zhiyuan. Your Uncle Chen once saved your mother’s life, and she insisted on repaying that debt. I only did this to help your mother! Since you already know, there’s no point hiding it any longer. That’s just how it is.”

With that, Li Junsheng gave a heavy sigh and withdrew to one side, looking utterly defeated—a man too honest to defy his wife’s orders. Chen Dazhu frowned, realizing that Ma Yulian would have to bear the brunt of this mess, but he had no intention of defending her. Whatever discord broke out between mother and son was of no concern to him; getting his own son that coveted job was all that mattered. After all, the money had already changed hands!

He considered telling Li Guojun that they’d bought the job from Li Junsheng, but worried that if Li Guojun knew, he’d snatch the money back. In that case, even Ma Yulian might not be able to recover it—what a loss that would be! So Chen Dazhu kept his silence. Chen Zhiyuan wanted to mention the money, but Chen Dazhu gripped his wrist tightly to stop him, lest their thousand yuan be lost for good.

Li Guojun, upon hearing Li Junsheng’s words, exploded with rage, kicking aside the gifts that Chen Dazhu had brought. He knew from his father’s words that Ma Yulian was behind this, and, seeing his father still so spineless, he didn’t question Li Junsheng but instead turned his anger on Ma Yulian.

“Mom, have you lost your mind? Did you really give Dad’s job to Chen Zhiyuan just to repay some so-called debt? All these years, you’ve helped Chen Dazhu’s family plenty, even looked after his son. That debt was paid long ago! Why should Dad give up his job for them?”

Wang Xiuhua chimed in coldly, denouncing her mother-in-law. “Exactly, Mom. If you feel you owe them, repay them however you like, but leave Dad out of it—he doesn’t owe them anything!”

Li Junsheng stood aside, secretly savoring Ma Yulian’s panic and helplessness. She glanced at Chen Dazhu for help, but he acted as if he hadn’t seen her. This was the man she had always favored—sooner or later, Ma Yulian would be sold out by this father and son and still help them count their money!

“Mom, I want a straight answer—has the job already gone to Chen Zhiyuan?”

To placate her eldest, Ma Yulian hurriedly fabricated a story to soothe Li Guojun and his wife. “Guojun, your father didn’t explain clearly. Zhiyuan is only borrowing the job for a while so he can get married. He’ll return it afterward!” The same old excuse.

But Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua were not the gullible fools Li Junsheng had been in his past life. A so-called loan—who knew if it would ever be returned? Li Guojun even suspected his mother had been conned by Chen Dazhu and his son.

Furious, Li Guojun shouted, “No! My father’s job won’t be lent to him. Whether or not he gets married is none of our concern!”

Wang Xiuhua immediately turned to Li Junsheng. “Dad, you haven’t actually processed the transfer certificate yet, have you?”

Ma Yulian quickly shot Li Junsheng another look, urging him to help cover up the truth and placate their son and daughter-in-law. Li Junsheng saw her signal, but had no intention of indulging her any longer. Now that his daughter-in-law had asked directly, Li Junsheng dropped the act. He took the transfer certificate from his pocket, looking both innocent and helpless, and said, “Your mother and your Uncle Chen were in a hurry. The certificate was just processed today!”