Chapter 26: The Birth of the "Victims' Alliance"

Everyone was stunned and looked toward the source of the voice.

A woman limped over as fast as she could, leaning on a stick. It was none other than Wang Cuifen! She had clearly come to Zhou Susu’s place to sponge off her again, only to arrive just in time to witness the "spectacle" of the Zhang family being dragged away by the patrol guards.

Wang Cuifen’s eyes darted around, and a "brilliant" idea instantly took shape. Ignoring her own daughter, Zhou Susu, she dashed straight to Old Lady Zhang, who was currently being held by the guards. She flopped down onto her knees with a loud thud and threw her arms around the old woman’s leg, which was still dripping with foot-washing water.

Then, she began her "Oscar-worthy" performance.

"Oh, my dear in-law! How could they bully you like this!" She wailed in a heart-wrenching, soul-stirring display. "I told you, that daughter of mine is a cold-blooded, ungrateful wretch! She would kick her own mother out, so of course she’d do the same to you! We… we are truly two peas in a pod, both suffering the same fate!"

This maneuver left everyone present completely bewildered. What was going on? Were the wicked mother and the wicked grandmother actually bonding?

Old Lady Zhang, who had been struggling, was taken aback by the sudden embrace. But being a seasoned troublemaker, she quickly grasped Wang Cuifen’s intent. She was trying to form an alliance to take down Zhou Susu! Great! The enemy of my enemy is my friend. A glint of "dramatic flair" flashed in Old Lady Zhang’s eyes. She grabbed Wang Cuifen’s hand and wept bitterly.

"Oh, my dear in-law! Thank goodness you’re here! You must seek justice for us! We just wanted to see our granddaughter, and your good-for-nothing daughter splashed me with foot-washing water without a word! She even had your son-in-law beat us to within an inch of our lives! Our old bones are practically falling apart!"

The two old hags, one clutching a leg and the other clasping a hand, began their "performance" under the gaze of the crowd. They wailed in harmony, playing the victim as if they were the most innocent, pitiful people on earth. Meanwhile, Zhou Susu and Lu Zhan were painted as the "unfilial children" and "vicious couple" who had conspired to oppress the elderly.

This bizarre turn of events left Officer Liu from the security department and the two guards completely at a loss. They stood there holding the Zhang family, unsure whether to stay or go, trapped in an incredibly awkward situation.

Zhou Susu watched this "annual soap opera" unfold and felt a mix of anger and amusement. It was unbelievable. Truly unbelievable. How had she never realized her own mother had the potential to be an undercover agent or a socialite? She had managed to find "allies" and stage a tearful reunion on the spot!

Now, one nightmare was bad enough, but two had teamed up to form a "Victim’s Alliance" in front of everyone. Officer Liu and the young guards were practically petrified. In all their years of handling family disputes, they had never seen anything so theatrical. These two old women were wasted; they should have been professional actors.

"Um… Ms. Wang, is it?" Officer Liu cleared his throat, trying to interrupt the moving "reunion." "We need to take these people to the security office for investigation. Please let go."

"I won't!" Wang Cuifen tightened her grip, snot and tears streaming down her face as she accused them. "You can’t take her! She’s my in-law! She’s an old woman—if something happens to her while you have her, can you take responsibility for that?!"

"Exactly!" Old Lady Zhang howled along. "I’m an old woman! I didn’t do anything; I just wanted to see my granddaughter, and now you’re dragging me off! Is there no law? Is there no justice left in this world?"

The two worked in perfect sync. Their core strategy was simple: make a scene. As long as they caused enough of a commotion to muddy the waters, they could transform from perpetrators into victims.

"Everyone, judge for yourselves!" Wang Cuifen began her "touring speech" to the onlookers. She pointed at the indifferent Zhou Susu and said with feigned heartbreak, "Look at this! This is the daughter I raised! Now that she’s climbed the social ladder and has money, she looks down on her poor relatives! As her mother, I only asked for a little help, and she kicked me out! My in-law just wanted to see her granddaughter, and she splashed her with foot-washing water and had her husband beat us! Tell me, is there a more heartless daughter and granddaughter-in-law in the world?!"

She delivered her lines with such conviction that she painted herself as a poor mother abandoned by a social-climbing daughter. Old Lady Zhang immediately picked up the cue.

"My poor granddaughter! She lost her parents early, and now she’s stuck with such a vicious stepmother!" She slapped her thighs and wailed, "You didn't see it—the child was so terrified she had a fit! She was convulsing! This isn't raising a child; this is trying to kill her!"

One attacked Zhou Susu for being "unfilial," and the other for being "cruel." With these two heavy labels and their superb acting, they managed to fool the newcomers who hadn't seen the beginning of the incident.

"Listening to them, it does seem a bit excessive…"
"Regardless, they are elders. Hitting them is always wrong."
"What happened with the child? Was she really scared into a fit by Zhou Susu?"

Public opinion began to shift subtly. Lu Zhan’s brow furrowed in frustration. He was least equipped to handle such shameless antics. Just as he was about to speak, a look from Zhou Susu stopped him. She gave a slight shake of her head. She knew that with people like these, the more you reasoned, the more aggressive they became. If you talked about the law, they talked about human decency. If you talked about decency, they talked about filial piety. If you talked about filial piety, they would just roll on the ground and throw a tantrum. It was a dead-end loop.

Therefore, you couldn't rush. You had to let them finish their show. Only after they had played all their cards and finished their performance would she strike.

As expected, when Wang Cuifen and Old Lady Zhang saw no one was refuting them, they grew even bolder. They moved from attacking Zhou Susu to attacking the entire Lu family.

"They say the people in this military compound are cultured and civilized! I think not! Using their rank to bully the weak! It’s an abuse of power!"