At the same time, the door to the hospital room was knocked, and a nurse walked in, handing a letter to the Liu family.
"What is this?" Mrs. Liu asked.
Luis opened the envelope, revealing a court summons.
"What does it say?" Mrs. Liu, who was illiterate, leaned in to look but couldn't understand a word.
"It's a court summons. Zuri is really suing us."
"She really sued us?" Mrs. Liu's eyes widened in disbelief.
Rhea cried out, "Mom, we're in trouble. Zuri presented evidence, we're done for."
The video and the chain of evidence were enough to utterly crush them, leaving them with no chance of winning.
Mother and son moved forward, watching the video together, hearing the neighbors' interviews, and seeing the receipts and other evidence.
The online support they had gained by playing the victim instantly vanished. The support they had once enjoyed turned into overwhelming hatred for their deceit.
[The Liu family is shameless. People like them should go to hell.]
[I can't believe it! How can anyone be so shameless? It was just a bowl of noodles, yet they repaid with servitude and then accused the benefactor of being ungrateful. This is infuriating.]
[Who's the ungrateful one here? Isn't it the Liu family? How thick-skinned must they be to say such things and play the victim in front of everyone?]
[If I were Zuri, I wouldn't give them a penny either. Do they think she's an ATM?]
[Greed will be their downfall. I used to feel sorry for them, but now I realize I was just naive and blind.]
[Gross, gross, gross... This is disgusting. How can such people exist? Heaven, take them away! They're polluting the air.]
[The saying "those who are pitiful must have something detestable about them" is spot on.]
The entire internet turned against the Liu family, their reputation completely ruined.
Social media influencers, eager to ride the wave, started digging into the Liu family's history. It was soon revealed that Mrs. Liu was an uneducated woman, Mr. Liu was an alcoholic and a gambler with no skills.
Of their two children, one was a studious and obedient child but adept at deception, and the other was spoiled by their parents, having dropped out of school early and doing nothing at home.
This time, the Liu family was truly panicking, even Mr. Liu, who could hardly speak on his hospital bed, was worried.
Mrs. Liu said, "What are we afraid of? We have money. As long as we have money, they can't do anything to us."
Luis nodded, "Mom's right. I need to transfer that money out quickly."
Rhea wasn't as optimistic. She had a feeling that Zuri's revenge had just begun, and more was yet to come.
"Damn it! Why can't I transfer the money?" Luis cursed.
"What's wrong, son?" Mrs. Liu asked anxiously.
"I can't transfer the money."
"Is there something wrong with the bank card? Try a different one," Mrs. Liu suggested.
Rhea's premonition grew stronger upon hearing this.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
The door to the hospital room was knocked again. This time, it was pushed open before anyone inside could respond. Several uniformed police officers entered the room, looking at the group.
"Who is Luis?" one of the officers asked.
Mrs. Liu instinctively stood in front of her son.
The officer's gaze accurately landed on Luis. "We received reports from the public. Luis, you are suspected of charity fraud involving a significant amount of money. We need to take you in for questioning."
Luis panicked and grabbed Mrs. Liu's hand, "It's not my fault! The charity donations were her idea. If you need to arrest someone, arrest her!" He pointed at Rhea, who was almost fuming with anger.
Mrs. Liu nodded along, "Yes, yes, our Junsheng is still young and doesn't understand these things. She did everything; it's not my son's fault."
"Mom!" Rhea couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was her mother really going to sacrifice her to save her son?
Lying in bed, Mr. Liu suddenly struggled to speak, "It's him, take... take him."
Mr. Liu pointed at Luis.
Mrs. Liu stared at her husband in shock, "Husband, what are you talking about?"
"Dad, how can you be so biased?" Luis was furious, glaring at his father.
Rhea's eyes reddened as she looked at her frail father, feeling a warm sense of gratitude.
The police officers looked at the family of four, expressionless due to their professional training.
"You both need to come with us," one officer said decisively, preparing to take both Luis and Rhea away for investigation.
Mrs. Liu blocked the officers, "If you take them away, will they be able to come back?"
"It depends on the investigation results. If found guilty, they will be detained," an officer replied.
"How long will they be detained?" Mrs. Liu asked.
"For an amount as large as over three million, if convicted, the sentence could be more than ten years," the officer said.
Luis's face turned pale at the thought of ten years in prison.
"My son is still so young," Mrs. Liu protested.
The officer coughed slightly, "Your son is an adult."
"Mom, I don't want to go to jail," Luis clung to Mrs. Liu's arm desperately.
Mrs. Liu, looking at the son she had doted on for over a decade, turned to the officers, "Please, let these two children go. They are still young and don't know any better. I am the one who instructed them to do everything. If you must arrest someone, arrest me."
Rhea spoke up, "This is your fault to begin with. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this situation. You went to the reporters and caused all this trouble. If anyone deserves to go to jail, it's you."
Luis nodded in agreement, "That's right. We only did what Mom told us to."
Hearing her daughter speak so harshly didn't hurt Mrs. Liu as much as her son's immediate betrayal, which left her heartbroken, though she couldn't blame him.
In the end, the police took all three of them away. Due to the unified statements from the three and Mr. Liu's agreement, all the charges were pinned on Mrs. Liu, leaving her to bear the brunt of the punishment alone.
Given the siblings' ages, they were released after a few days of detention. However, all the money they had was confiscated. Mr. Liu, unable to afford his hospital bills, was discharged and sent home. The family returned to their shabby residence in the western suburbs, dejected.
Upon arriving, they were greeted by the pointing fingers and disdainful comments of their neighbors.
Facing their poverty-stricken home, her brother's curses, her father's frail condition, and the hefty medical bills, Rhea saw nothing but darkness in her future.
"Ding dong..."
Her phone beeped, signaling a message from Windsor Academy.
[Due to Rhea's poor conduct and lack of virtue, which are incompatible with our school's standards, she is hereby expelled.]
With a clatter, her phone fell to the ground.
Rhea felt darkness encroaching on her vision.
This was Zuri's revenge, her relentless revenge.
She wanted to destroy them, to destroy her completely!