The booming sound of the door closing felt like it was smashing into Zhan Jiayi's heart.
She immediately picked up her phone to call Old Zhou, unsure what Xie Huibing was going on about, wanting to verify Xie Huibing's words.
But Old Zhou's phone went straight to voicemail, and after a while, it was turned off.
Zhan Jiayi realized that Old Zhou had likely been lying to her for the past month.
How could this be?
Old Zhou had always been loyal to the Xie Corporation; he hadn't betrayed them even during their most difficult times. To defect when there was a chance to turn things around was something she couldn't believe.
...
Susu rested at home for a full month, completing her confinement period after the miscarriage, and her body had fully recovered.
Tianyi no longer had any reason to forcefully keep her at home and prevent her from going out.
She also couldn't stay idle any longer and had returned to work at the studio.
After such a long time without drawing design drafts, she felt her grip on the pen had become a little rusty.
She was focused on drawing a design in her office when her phone rang. She initially intended to silence it without answering, but seeing it was Zhan Jiayi calling, she picked up.
"Are you still in the hospital? Are you feeling better?"
"I'm feeling better," Zhan Jiayi said, her voice very anxious. "Susu, can you contact President Qin? I just called his mobile, and no one answered."
"He's been a bit busy lately. It seems the group has a lot of meetings, so he's probably in a meeting and hasn't checked his phone," Susu explained, then asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen with the Xie Corporation's restructuring you were talking about?"
"I've been in the hospital, so I'm not clear about the specific situation. But today, the second daughter of Zhendong came to my ward and made a scene, saying the Xie Corporation's restructuring had taken a turn for the worse. I don't know if it's true or not. I just wanted to ask if President Qin knows anything?"
Susu found it a bit strange. Although Zhan Jiayi was hospitalized, she should have some confidantes in the Xie Corporation. How could she not even know her own group's situation?
"Tianyi is usually in meetings for half the day. How about I ask Guinan to find out? Didn't he help you with a lawsuit?"
Zhan Jiayi realized she was too flustered and had forgotten about Guinan.
He was a lawyer and usually quite familiar with the court. Asking him to find out would clarify everything.
She immediately said, "If you hadn't reminded me, I would have forgotten. I'll contact Guinan myself."
Susu wanted to say more, but Zhan Jiayi had already hung up in a hurry.
"What is going on?" Susu muttered to herself, holding her phone.
Tianyi had also been going out early and returning late recently, likely very busy.
When she asked, he explained that since An Jing wasn't at the group, his workload had increased.
It seemed normal enough, so she didn't think much of it and continued to focus on her designs.
...
While waiting for Guinan's reply, Zhan Jiayi kept calling Old Zhou's phone, which remained switched off.
This wait was like torture. Watching the seconds tick by, the thought of the Xie Corporation being destroyed made her heart ache.
She had thought she could do something for the tragically deceased Zhendong, to bring solace to his spirit.
But in the end, it was all for nothing?
After three to four hours, Guinan finally called her back.
"How is it? What did the people at the court say?"
Guinan's tone was dejected. "I asked my contacts at the court, and they said they hadn't heard of your Xie Corporation's vice president seeking help. Moreover, moreover, someone within the court had likely been bought off by the Huangfu Group. My contact didn't say it explicitly, but that's the gist of it."
"It's over, everything is over," Zhan Jiayi slumped onto the hospital bed.
Guinan also hated to see such a result, unable to believe that the lawsuit he had painstakingly won had ultimately been lost.
"Why is this happening? Why didn't you handle this restructuring properly, and now you're in the hospital..."
Before he could finish his question, she had already hung up.
At this moment, Zhan Jiayi just wanted to find Old Zhou and demand an explanation, why he had been deceiving her for the past month!
She tried to get out of bed herself, but the slightest movement of her waist still caused intense pain.
Just then, her younger brother came to deliver food. Seeing her trying to get out of bed, he quickly put down the lunchbox and rushed to stop her, saying, "Sister, you can't move around on your own yet. Have you forgotten what the doctor said? Even after being discharged, you need to rest for another two months."
"No, I can't stay in this ward anymore. I have to go to the group and get answers from Old Zhou!" Zhan Jiayi forcefully pushed him away, determined to leave the ward as if her life depended on it.
Zhan Zhipeng could only use brute force to hold her back while calling for a doctor, pleading, "Sister, if you fracture yourself again, it will be even harder to recover! Please don't make Mom, Dad, and me worry anymore!"
"But if I don't go to the group now, everything will be over!"
"If you want to go, I'll go with you! But not like this. I'll tell the doctor, and we'll use a wheelchair to take you." Seeing her overly agitated, Zhan Zhipeng could only agree to placate her.
But she couldn't wait another minute.
Zhan Zhipeng reminded her, "If you try to walk on your own, you might not even make it out of this room before you collapse!"
With that, Zhan Zhipeng stopped blocking her and showed a hint of anger.
As Zhan Jiayi put one foot on the ground, she felt her waist unable to straighten at all. She couldn't help but calm down and slumped back onto the hospital bed.
Regaining her composure, she looked at Zhan Zhipeng and said, "I'm sorry, I was too impatient. Can you take me there in a wheelchair?"
Zhan Zhipeng nodded helplessly, but he had some words he'd wanted to say for a long time.
"Sister, stop meddling in the Xie family's affairs. Brother-in-law is gone, and the remaining members of the Xie family won't be grateful to you. They'll fight for any good fortune, but blame you for any mistakes. You've even sold your own house. If you continue like this, you won't be able to fill the financial holes even if you go bankrupt."
"I know what I'm doing. Don't worry, I won't drag you and Mom and Dad down."
"That's not what I meant..."
Before Zhan Zhipeng could finish speaking, the doctor arrived, asking what was happening.
He had no choice but to hold back his remaining words and explain Zhan Jiayi's condition to the doctor, asking if they could use a wheelchair to take her out for a bit.
The doctor asked Zhan Jiayi to lie back down on the hospital bed and examined her. He said she could go out in an emergency, but she had to be careful outside, especially around the fracture site in her waist, and avoid further injury.
Zhan Zhipeng promised the doctor he would take good care of Zhan Jiayi and then found a wheelchair to rent from the hospital.
They took a taxi to the entrance of the Xie Corporation building and found the main gate tightly shut. Looking through the floor-to-ceiling glass from the first floor, the lobby was completely empty.
Zhan Jiayi asked Zhan Zhipeng to try pushing the small glass door on the side, which could still be opened.
As soon as they entered, a security guard popped out, asking, "What are you doing here? You can't just enter this place..."
As the security guard spoke, he recognized Zhan Jiayi in the wheelchair and quickly changed his tone, "Director Zhan, why, why are you here?"
Zhan Jiayi put on the demeanor of the acting chairperson she once was and asked, "Where are the people from the group? Where has the lobby receptionist gone?"