My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 528: The Feast of Joy and the Feast of Confession

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The annual meeting was held in an indoor venue of over a thousand square meters, with hundreds of tables neatly arranged, each fully occupied. The tables were laden with all sorts of delicacies, high-end red wines, and top-quality white wines, creating an extremely luxurious scene.

Zhang Lei stood on the stage, looking down. The Ye family sat together, along with the Lou, Ding, Chen, Yu, He, Han, and Su families, among others. His nearly one hundred wives' families, their relatives and friends, plus Zhang Lei's wives and sons, made for a lively and bustling scene.

Looking at the crowd below the stage, Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Today we are all gathered here, and you are all our family. We don't get to see each other often, so let's take this opportunity to reconnect and enjoy ourselves."

As soon as he finished speaking, a round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

Soon, Zhang Lei stepped down from the stage and led Ye Shuqin from table to table, toasting everyone. Ye Shuqin wore a smile, but her heart was in her throat. No one else noticed, but she knew in her heart that this banquet was anything but a cause for celebration. Yet Zhang Lei, contrary to his usual behavior, greeted everyone with a smile.

A month ago, when Ye Shuqin saw the documents her son had received, her heart sank to the bottom. The children of her eldest brothers, Ye Jianjun, Ye Jianlin, and Ye Jianjiang, had all committed numerous illegal and disorderly acts. She had explicitly warned her three brothers to control their children and quickly make amends for their past mistakes. But she also knew that everything she had done could not escape Zhang Lei's notice.

She prayed anxiously, hoping that Zhang Lei would take the initiative to find her or directly question the Ye family, but Zhang Lei remained unusually calm and did nothing.

Ye Shuqin accompanied Zhang Lei, toasting at each table, her smile almost frozen. Zhang Lei looked at the diverse crowd before him, some familiar, some strangers—there were simply too many. As the saying goes, when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Those at Zhang Lei's table were the elders of the fifteen wives who had first settled in Beijing. They showered him with praise, and Zhang Lei smiled and nodded in return.

After a few rounds of drinks, most people were full and began to visit each other, chatting and catching up.

Seeing the lively scene, Zhang Lei's eldest son, Zhang Chengyu, slowly walked to his side. Zhang Lei glanced at his son, nodded, and then led Zhang Chengyu back onto the stage.

Looking at the sea of ​​people below the stage, Zhang Lei patted the microphone and asked with a smile, "Has everyone eaten and drunk their fill?"

The crowd cheered in response, "We've eaten and drunk our fill!"

Many people were already quite tipsy. Zhang Lei tapped the table, still smiling, and said, "Yes, in the past few years, some of you have come to Australia to do business, some to work in the government, and we have people from all walks of life."

The crowd below the stage continued to praise him, saying that all of this was thanks to Zhang Lei and the Zhang family.

Just then, Zhang Lei slammed his fist on the table and roared angrily, "You've eaten and drunk your fill, yet you're still not satisfied. You want to squeeze every last drop of blood and sweat from the people!"

This angry shout silenced the entire room instantly. Someone's wine glass trembled and fell to the ground.

Zhang Lei's sharp gaze swept across the audience as he continued, "Your lives were dozens, even hundreds of times better than they are now. In the eyes of ordinary people, you were unattainable, but what have you done? Embezzlement, corruption, extortion, rape, and plunder!"

After speaking, Zhang Lei gestured to his eldest son, Zhang Chengyu. Zhang Chengyu understood and immediately arranged for people to distribute stacks of documents to each table.

After all the materials were distributed, Zhang Lei said, "Take a good look at them, look carefully, and see the good deeds you or your family members have done."

After speaking, Zhang Lei fell silent, sat on the podium, and quietly watched everyone flip through the documents.

Soon, the scene erupted in uproar. An elderly person, witnessing the heinous act of their children and grandchildren, trembled so badly they could barely hold the documents, exclaiming in shock, "How could this be? How could this happen?"

Ye Zhenshan looked at the documents in his hand, then turned to his son Ye Shouhe and roared, "Where are your three good-for-nothing sons? Bring them here!"

Ye Jianjun, Ye Jianlin, and Ye Jianjiang, who were sitting at the next table, were pale-faced and frightened. They immediately ran to Ye Zhenshan and knelt down.

Ye Jianjiang tried to deny it: "Dad, Grandpa, I really don't know, it was them..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Zhenshan interrupted him sharply: "Don't you know? They are your sons, my great-grandsons. How could you not know what they did? The father is to blame for the son's misbehavior. Do you think you can escape responsibility?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Jianjiang silently lowered his head. The moment Sun Qiuyue saw the information, she felt as if the sky had fallen. As Ye Jianjiang's wife and the mother of three children, she never imagined things would turn out this way.

A similar scene was playing out at every table. Everyone thought they were being discreet, relying on their connection to the Zhang family—practically royalty in Australia—and believing no one could control them. The arrogance and greed of the suddenly wealthy were on full display at this moment.

Zhang Lei sat on the podium, closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment. Feeling that the time was almost up, he slowly stood up.

He looked at the crowd below the stage and said, "You've all seen the documents. As the saying goes, even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, but I believe that knowingly breaking the law is an even greater crime. The life you have today is all because you are my wife's family. I can provide you with a comfortable material life, but you shouldn't have taken it all for granted."

"I asked Yu'er before what was most important, and he told me, 'It's hard to stick to your original aspirations.' I think he's absolutely right. 'It's easy to say 'It's hard to stick to your original aspirations,' but it's incredibly difficult to do. Have you ever thought about what you were like before you came here, and what you're like now?"

"You've eaten your fill today, perhaps even to the point of being stuffed. Let me tell you, if I can let you eat your fill today, I can overturn this table tomorrow and leave you with nothing to eat. This country is not the private domain of any one person, family, or group."

"Starting today, I'm giving you one month to clean up all the messes and disgraceful deeds you've committed, to make amends where necessary, and to pay compensation where required. After one month, I will send someone to verify your actions. If you fail to do so, please leave Australia and never again act under the Zhang family's name."

"From now on, if I find anyone continuing to do these despicable things, don't blame me, Zhang Lei, for being ruthless. What I can give you, I can also take back."

Zhang Lei's words struck everyone like a hammer blow. What everyone had initially thought would be a joyous family dinner turned out to be a trap, a trial.

Zhang Lei then left with his family.