Philanthropist of the Year

Oh?

Before the police could speak, a lazy voice rang out.

Lin Mo's slender fingers tapped absentmindedly on the table, making light knocking sounds, as if providing an accompaniment to Lin Shulan's excuses.

Since when did I get such an elderly and shameless younger sister?

He didn't even look at Lin Shulan; his gaze drifted out the window, his tone full of mockery.

Remember, my name is on the property deed. Stop making those ridiculous excuses. Instead of wasting time on this, you might as well wash your backside clean and prepare to spend a peaceful New Year behind bars.

Lin Mo's words were piercing, yet delivered with a careless nonchalance.

Lin Shulan trembled with anger, her chest heaving violently, almost ready to lash out on the spot.

But when she turned her head and saw her son, Liu Zihao, sitting beside her, his slightly swollen face was entirely drained of color, his eyes filled with terror and panic.

Just before Lin Mo came in, the police had spoken even more bluntly.

Once a criminal case was filed, even if it was just a detention, it would leave a lifelong stain on his record.

For a college student with a stained record, his degree, graduation, civil service exams, and entering a good company... all his bright future prospects would vanish like bubbles.

Her son's future was her absolute bottom line.

The withdrawn nephew whom she could once manipulate and scold at will had, at some unknown point, become the person who held her fate by the throat.

This intense sense of disparity and humiliation almost swallowed her rationality.

Lin Shulan took several deep breaths, forcefully suppressing the surging hatred and reluctance in her heart. When she spoke again, her voice carried a humble and hoarse tone that even she found unfamiliar.

She turned to Lin Mo, forcing a smile that was uglier than crying.

Lin Mo... Xiao Mo...

She probed, using a nickname she hadn't called him in many years.

It is your aunt's fault. I was momentarily possessed by greed. Can you... can you just forgive us this once?

As she spoke, she even tried to grab Lin Mo's hand, but he subtly avoided it.

This was all my idea. It has nothing to do with Zihao. He is still a student, he is your cousin, you cannot ruin him!

Lin Mo finally withdrew his gaze and looked at her.

He didn't speak, just watched quietly. His eyes were as calm as a deep pool of water, yet they made Lin Shulan feel as if she had been seen through from the inside out, leaving all her feigned pleading and inner calculations with nowhere to hide.

Lin Shulan grew increasingly panicked under his stare, and her voice grew softer and softer.

Just as she was about to break, Lin Mo suddenly smiled.

Forgive you?

He leaned forward slightly, crossed his hands on the table, and looked at her leisurely.

It is not impossible.

Lin Shulan's eyes lit up, as if clutching at a lifeline.

However, Lin Mo leaned back in his chair, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table, making a rhythmic clicking sound. Every beat felt like it was stepping on Lin Shulan's heartbeat.

He spoke slowly. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly echoed throughout the room.

My letter of forgiveness is not that easy to get.

Though he said that, it also meant there was room for negotiation.

Lin Shulan looked troubled, but she gritted her teeth and said, Tell me, what do you want me to do to sign this letter of forgiveness? I will kneel down for you, alright?

Saying so, she was about to kneel down from her chair.

With a thud.

Her knees collided solidly with the cold floor tiles, the sound exceptionally abrupt in the quiet room.

Lin Mo didn't even bat an eyelid. He just quietly watched her complete this entire sequence of actions until she looked up with a face full of humiliation and anticipation, only then did he let out a faint sneer.

He finally looked at her properly, You think kneeling down will make me sign the letter of forgiveness? Do you think you are the Empress Dowager or the Queen Mother of the West? Are your knees really worth that much?

Lin Shulan's expression froze instantly.

Fifty thousand yuan, not a penny less.

Lin Mo tapped heavily on the table with his finger. As for why it is this amount, I think, even though you are getting old, your memory should not be that bad, right?

A mocking tone, icy eyes.

Fifty thousand yuan...

This number was like a thunderbolt, instantly splitting open Lin Shulan's dusty memories.

That black-and-white funeral, the hollow-eyed teenage boy holding his parents' urns, and herself, holding a fake IOU, self-righteously taking that blood-and-tear-stained compensation money from the boy's hands.

In an instant, the intentionally forgotten scene surfaced with absolute clarity before her eyes.

Shame and anger intertwined and surged into her heart. She suddenly stood up from the ground, her fists hidden under the table clenched tightly, her nails almost embedding into her palms.

But this arrogance only burned for a few seconds before helplessly extinguishing.

Lin Shulan loosened her hands, her voice as hoarse as a broken bellows.

Fine, I agree.

Do not be in such a hurry to agree, this is just the appetizer.

Lin Mo's gaze passed over her and cast outside the door. Aren't Lin Yucheng and the others waiting outside? When you go out later, you, and your good son, will kowtow and apologize to me in front of everyone.

He paused and added word by word, As for what you are apologizing for, I do not think I need to teach you what to say, do I?

Lin Mo's words were like a percussion drill, directly boring several large holes into Lin Shulan's heart.

Beside her, Liu Zihao could no longer listen to this. He abruptly stood up and slammed his hands fiercely on the table, letting out a loud bang.

Enough! Lin Mo! That is your fucking aunt!

Lin Mo finally deigned to move his gaze away from Lin Shulan. He glanced at Liu Zihao, his eyes as calm as if looking at an ignorant fool.

Oh, so you still know she is my aunt?

Lin Mo smiled. Then when your mother held a fake IOU and forced me at my parents' funeral back then, why didn't you say she was my aunt? Or are you saying you didn't spend a single penny of that fifty thousand yuan? That new game console you bought back then, wasn't it fun to play?

Liu Zihao's face instantly flushed the color of pig liver. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Lin Mo turned his head and looked at Lin Shulan again.

Or, did you think today's matter would just end like this? Lin Mo's gaze fell back onto Lin Shulan, carrying a scrutinizing coldness.

The police present all became background props. Old Bai gave them a look, signaling them not to intervene.

As long as the victim's emotional venting didn't go overboard, they had no reason to stop it.

Old Bai picked up his phone and sent the details of the situation here to the group chat.

Liu Zheng's reply was almost instantaneous: Let him be, do not interfere. The fact that he didn't crush those people to death on the spot already counts as having noble moral character! You have to understand, for someone with power far exceeding that of ordinary people, as long as they do not actively commit evil, they should be rated as the Great Samaritan of the Year in our books.