Chapter 14: Li Guojun Leaves Home in Anger! Another Certificate Required?

Li Junsheng stood aside, utterly stunned by Ma Yulian’s shamelessness! Was this really how she pinned the blame on the eldest? Wasn’t this just twisting words to suit her own argument? Even Li Guojun looked at his mother as if he were meeting her for the first time—he’d never expected she could say such things.

Chen Dazhu crossed his hands in front of him, pretending deaf and dumb, while Chen Zhiyuan glared at Li Guojun with murderous eyes, as if he wanted to tear him apart right then and there. Of all things, Chen Zhiyuan couldn’t stand people talking about his mother running away and leaving him behind. Li Guojun had brought it up again and again, enough for Chen Zhiyuan to bear a lifelong grudge.

At this moment, Chen Zhiyuan brooded darkly: You dare say I was raised by my mother and abandoned by her? Then I’ll make sure your own mother doesn’t want you either!

“So, the job Dad meant for me gets handed over to an outsider, and I’m the one who needs to reflect on myself? Fine, just perfect!” Li Guojun was so disappointed in Ma Yulian he didn’t even bother calling her ‘Mom’ anymore.

Li Junsheng watched all this unfold. In his past life, hadn’t he been treated the same way? He saw Li Guojun fix Ma Yulian with a hard look, then, right in front of her, rammed his shoulder into hers before yanking open the front door. He paid no mind to the curious neighbors gathered outside, nor did he care about his wife. He just stomped out.

Wang Xiuhua hurried after him, calling, “Guojun, where are you going? Wait for me!” Before leaving, she shot Ma Yulian a sidelong glance, discreetly picked up a few scraps of paper with writing on them, and couldn’t help but mutter, “I’ve never met anyone so clueless. With a mother-in-law like her, Guojun and I are truly unlucky.”

Having vented her frustration, Wang Xiuhua rushed after Li Guojun. Now that he’d left, she certainly couldn’t stay in this house—who knew if her mother-in-law might turn on her next!

“If you want to leave, then just leave!” Ma Yulian shouted as she shook her disheveled hair, her tone so fierce the neighbors at the door dared not utter another word.

Once Li Guojun and his wife had left, Ma Yulian immediately turned her wrath on Li Junsheng. Hands on her hips, her brows arched angrily, she berated him, “Useless! This is all your fault. Couldn’t you have just played along with me and told the eldest the paperwork wasn’t ready yet?”

“If you hadn’t pulled out the document, would your son have made such a scene? What’s the use of that head on your shoulders—just for show? Couldn’t you give me the paperwork privately?”

She reached out to pinch Li Junsheng, but he sidestepped her grasp. He wasn’t about to put up with her anymore. If you traced the root of the trouble, wasn’t it all caused by Chen Dazhu and his son?

He retorted coldly, “Blame me? Chen Dazhu shows up unannounced, and Guojun and his wife aren’t fools. And Zhiyuan couldn’t keep his mouth shut—he exposed everything right in front of Guojun. How was I supposed to hide it?”

Ma Yulian’s face twisted with anger. She knew perfectly well this wasn’t Li Junsheng’s fault. She just wanted someone docile to vent her temper on.

Some of the neighbors, watching the scene, couldn’t bear her unreasonable behavior and spoke up for Li Junsheng.

“Come on, sister-in-law, don’t push him too far. Li’s willingness to transfer the job to Chen Zhiyuan is already more than generous!”

“That’s right. If you ask me, you shouldn’t have played the good Samaritan. Now look—your own son’s turned against you for an outsider. Is it worth wounding the heart of the one who’ll care for you in old age?”

Under the pressure of the neighbors, Chen Dazhu had no choice but to step in and play the peacemaker. “Ah, what a mess. Yulian, Old Li, I was out of line today, and I shouldn’t have let Zhiyuan speak out of turn. I’ll make it up to Guojun another day—apologize properly and earn his forgiveness. I don’t want to see any discord between you.”

Li Junsheng said nothing but sneered inwardly. Chen Dazhu’s so-called apology was just another form of moral blackmail—he’d act humble because he was the elder, and if Guojun didn’t forgive him, people would criticize Guojun for being unfilial. Li Junsheng knew this man’s tricks all too well.

But Ma Yulian was all magnanimity. She waved at Chen Dazhu, saying, “No need, Old Chen. Guojun’s spoiled by me—he’s the one who’s out of line. I’ll discipline him and have him apologize to you. How could I let you, as his elder, say sorry to him?”

Chen Dazhu chuckled, shooed the neighbors away, and closed the door to the Li home. Things were easier to discuss behind closed doors.

Chen Zhiyuan, unconcerned with Ma Yulian’s spat with Li Guojun, couldn’t wait to ask, “Uncle Li, if the paperwork is ready, can I take over your job tomorrow?”

Li Junsheng shook his head nonchalantly and pointed at the shredded paper on the floor. “You need that paperwork to take over my job. But now it’s torn to pieces, and some bits are missing. It won’t work—you’ll have to get a new one, or Personnel won’t accept it.”

Chen Zhiyuan’s face fell at those words. He turned away and muttered a curse under his breath, thinking Li Junsheng wouldn’t hear it.

Seeing Chen Zhiyuan’s frustration, Li Junsheng felt a surge of satisfaction. The job wasn’t even his yet, and he was already acting so cocky. With that attitude, who knew how many people he’d offend at the factory? With that temper, even the workshop supervisor would be hard to please. Li Junsheng was curious to see—if Chen Zhiyuan entered the factory with such swagger only to be thrown out in disgrace, would he still be so arrogant?

Chen Dazhu’s face also darkened when he realized the paperwork had to be redone. But he quickly composed himself, speaking mildly to Li Junsheng. “Sorry to trouble you again, Old Li. What a fuss—could you please help us one more time?”

Ma Yulian, still seething, quickly chimed in, “That’s right! Li Junsheng, you already took Old Chen’s money, you can’t back out now. As for Guojun, just ignore him. He thinks he’s grown wings—daring to talk back to me! I’m not so old that I can’t handle him. If he has the guts, let him never come home again. I’d like to see how he manages without us.”

Li Junsheng narrowed his eyes, studying Ma Yulian. She really didn’t care about appearances when she turned ruthless. In his past life, he’d never seen such a rift between Ma Yulian and Guojun. Yet here she was, insisting he redo the paperwork for someone else’s son. This woman was truly heartless.

But how could Li Junsheng let them get their way so easily?

“Old Chen, I can help you redo the paperwork,” he said solemnly, “but you’ll need to pay a bit more. Otherwise, it won’t be so easy to arrange.”