Chapter 40: When parents love their children, they plan for their long-term future (Part Two)

Shuisheng clenched his fists. Judging from the various accounts given by the three people before him, the truth was indeed that Ni Ximei had taken out the insurance policy after learning of her terminal illness, and then intentionally died in combat. Doing so was not the righteous path.

As parents caught in such dire financial straits, resorting to extraordinary means to secure a safeguard for their family was, to a certain extent, understandable. As for bearing any infamy or acting against one's conscience and morality—painful though it might be—under the pressure of expediency, compromises had to be made.

By doing this, she would be reviled and condemned by society, and she would suffer mental torment for the rest of her days, especially given her personality.

Yet, because of this, her husband and children could survive.

Nothing was more important than their survival. She had already poured every ounce of her love into them.

The relationship between them was by no means as callous as it appeared on the surface; on the contrary, it was profoundly deep.

Shuisheng believed that the slap landing on her face caused Chen Tao more heartbreak than ten thousand blows to his own chest.

However, neither she nor he had any choice.

When parents love their children, they plan for their long-term future.

Even if she had to descend into the hell of her own conscience, she would ensure her children could face a bright and beautiful light.

Although Shuisheng did not know who his parents were or where they were, he could fully understand this profound affection.

He gathered his thoughts and decided to help secure that financial safeguard for Ni Ximei's family.

Perhaps the means were not entirely upright, but as long as the purpose was righteous, he was willing to forge ahead without hesitation.

"From my perspective, Inspector Ni had no reason to go to such elaborate lengths for her family," he said slowly. "Captain Yan, we all witnessed the couple's arguments, saw Chen Tao strike her in public, and heard them angrily talk about getting a divorce. I felt their relationship was genuinely terrible and that they could no longer live together. Inspector Ni blamed her miserable life on her husband's incompetence. From a motivational standpoint, she had no motive to go through such trouble to leave her husband a generous payout."

"What if they were putting on a joint act, faking the whole thing?" Manager Liang asked.

"All assumptions must be premised on evidence. They quarreled in public, threw blows, talked about divorce, and angrily dragged away a sick child, scraping the child's legs until they bled. This is the evidence everyone saw. If you managers claim they were faking it, then produce evidence that their relationship was actually good," Shuisheng retorted.

"Knowing she had a terminal illness, yet intentionally omitting it when taking out the policy—no matter how you spin it, that's intentional insurance fraud," Manager Wu said.

"Then that raises a question: your signatures are both on the policy. When you signed it, why didn't you raise this issue? Once signed, the policy became effective. Even if issues are uncovered now and you want to hold someone accountable, what use is it?" Shuisheng countered.

"Of course it's useful; this is insurance fraud! She is an Awakened one and can hide her true physical symptoms outwardly. When we signed the policy, she appeared completely healthy, and we were deceived! Who would have expected an inspection officer from the Yan Garden's security team to commit such a shameless act of fraud!" Manager Wu grew anxious.

"Let's set aside the reasons for a moment and look only at the result. If you sign a policy and then refuse to honor it, do you two managers intend to drag your company's reputation through the mud?" Shuisheng asked.

The two managers wilted. Put that way, were the two of them simply forced to swallow this bitter pill?

"If we take you to court, we won't necessarily lose—even with the backing of the Yan family's vast wealth and power." After a long silence, Manager Wu spat out a harsh threat, "I almost forgot, although you're not a resident of Yan Garden, since you live here, you're bound to speak in their favor."

He grabbed the insurance policy and the diagnostic report. "We have evidence—sufficient evidence. We are going to sue her! Her husband and those two sick children can just wait to go to court!"

With that, the two men angrily stuffed the evidence into their bags and turned to leave.

Deputy Director Li shook his head helplessly.

"Director Li, what should we do? If they really file a lawsuit..." Yan Ning asked with a heavy heart.

"It's a toss-up, fifty-fifty. Having the medical records in hand is their advantage. But the fact that they also signed the policy is the Chen family's advantage," Deputy Director Li said. "Ni Ximei was simply taking a gamble; anyway, a family like theirs has nothing left to lose. Sometimes the courts will take actual circumstances and practical hardships into account."

"No, that's not it," Shuisheng blurted out suddenly.

"Huh?" Deputy Director Li and Yan Ning turned their gazes toward him simultaneously.

"Inspector Ni is absolutely not the type of person to commit insurance fraud." Shuisheng had only just figured it out. Despite their brief interaction, Ni Ximei's character had left a deep impression on him; she was not someone who would take a crooked path, no matter how destitute her situation.

For no logical reason, he simply trusted her that much.

"If you can find out whether Chen Tao has contacted numerous media reporters, her true purpose becomes obvious."

"Media reporters?" Deputy Director Li and Yan Ning were completely baffled.

Suddenly, Yan Ning gasped aloud, "Could it be..."

He hurriedly picked up his phone, dialed Yan Tong's number, and switched it to speakerphone: "Captain Yan, has Ni Ximei's family been in contact with reporters?"

"Yes, ever since Chen Tao received the insurance company's allegation of fraud, he has been continuously contacting reporters," Yan Tong replied. "My team members are tailing him, though I'm not sure what he's planning."

"I understand." Yan Ning hung up the phone and turned to Shuisheng. "You mean Ni Ximei intended to use the legal dispute with the insurance company to draw media and journalistic attention to her family's plight, thereby prompting society at large to extend a helping hand?"

"It's already obvious, isn't it?" Shuisheng said. "In recent years, haven't there been many similar cases where impoverished families, unable to survive any longer, appeal to society for help, and only after gaining public attention do their lives improve slightly?"

"Alright, I'll report this to the eldest miss immediately. To ensure her family receives society-wide assistance, the Yan family will certainly not lag behind others in generating public awareness." Yan Ning and the other official hurried away.

After they left, Building 19 returned to tranquility.

Shuisheng sat on the sofa, burying his face in his hands, still deeply immersed in the meticulous arrangements made by Ni Ximei and her husband.

With such a mother and such a father, those two sick children would surely pull through. The accumulated merits of their parents' benevolence, perseverance, and integrity would ultimately be bestowed upon them.

To be honest, the act she and her husband put on was truly magnificent; not a single onlooker at the time had suspected a thing.

He wondered how many times they had rehearsed it in private. Did they continuously practice and rehearse, meticulously planning every single movement, expression, and detail?

The phrase he had thought of earlier echoed once more in his mind: *When parents love their children, they plan for their long-term future...*

What about his own parents?

Where did I come from? Who are my parents? Where are they?

They must have been living in hardship, driven to utter desperation, before abandoning their child by the seaside... Are they still alive?

Or perhaps, had they made provisions for him, just like Inspector Ni?

Could they possibly have some connection to the elderly master of the Yan family?

That stubborn old codger, you just up and left without making things clear... What harm would it have been to say a few more words in your will?

With these thoughts, Shuisheng found tears streaming down his face before he even realized it.