"Manager Zhan, they've all left," the security guard said. "The bank will auction this place off tomorrow."
"What! Who authorized them to auction it!" Zhan Jiayi exclaimed indignantly.
"I'm not sure about that. This is my last month here. After the building is auctioned, a new owner will come, and I'll be unemployed," the security guard sighed and returned to the security room.
Zhan Jiayi pounded the armrests of her wheelchair and shouted, "Where is Old Zhou? Where are those shareholders from the Xie family? Call them all here for a meeting!"
"Sister, Sister!" Zhan Zhipeng tried to placate her. "They won't come to a meeting anymore. Let's go back to the hospital."
"If they don't come, won't you go find them!" Zhan Jiayi roared uncontrollably.
"Sister! While you were away, after they finished carving up the Xie Group, they all scattered! No one will listen to you, and even fewer will listen to me!" Zhan Zhipeng knelt before her wheelchair and said, "Be realistic, okay? Only by auctioning off this building and the Xie family mansion can we repay all the debts. Otherwise, even killing our entire family wouldn't fill such a huge deficit!"
Zhan Jiayi stared at him blankly, suddenly realizing something, and asked, "What do you mean 'our entire family'? Did someone threaten you and Mom and Dad? What exactly happened at home?"
"Nothing, everything's fine at home," Zhan Zhipeng said, avoiding her gaze. "I'll push you back to the hospital..."
Susu pressed the stop button on the wheelchair, preventing him from pushing it, and pressed further, "What happened at home? Are Mom and Dad okay?"
"They're fine..."
"Don't hide it from me. If you don't tell me, I'm not leaving!" Susu stared at him.
Zhan Zhipeng said helplessly, "They're really fine. They were just scared recently. Someone broke their window in the middle of the night and threw a box of dead mice inside."
"Didn't you call the police?"
"Of course, I called the police," Zhan Zhipeng said. "The police caught a few thugs, but they only admitted it was a prank and were only detained for a few days. Just yesterday, when Mom went out to buy groceries, someone suddenly let their dog bite her, scaring her so much she couldn't sleep all night. I went to find that person, but he apologized to me, saying the dog leash had come loose. But could such a coincidence happen? Someone is warning us!"
Zhan Jiayi gasped and asked, "How is Mom today? Is she feeling any better?"
"I gave her some sleep-aid supplements, and she's resting at home," Zhan Zhipeng said. "Sister, I'm begging you. The Xie family's power is gone. Don't cause any more trouble. If you feel you owe brother-in-law something, you've done a lot, and you almost lost your life. Isn't that enough? Do you want Mom and Dad to also..."
He couldn't finish his sentence, only hoping that their family would no longer live in fear.
Zhan Jiayi finally understood and calmed down, no longer angry. She said, "Don't rush to send me back to the hospital. Tomorrow, this place will no longer belong to the Xie family. I want to look around again."
Zhan Zhipeng nodded and asked where she wanted to go.
"Push me to the top-floor office area," Zhan Jiayi said calmly.
She had brushed with death, and now she discovered that those people still wanted to harm her family.
She had no trump cards left to contend with the Huangfu Group, nor could she continue to burden her family.
I'm sorry, Zhendong...
Taking the elevator, Zhan Zhipeng pushed her to the top-floor office area.
She wanted to see Xie Zhendong's former office again, the place where he had spent the most time.
As they stepped out of the elevator and headed towards the CEO's office, they suddenly heard suppressed sobbing sounds.
Zhan Jiayi exclaimed in shock, "Who!"
At that moment, the faint whimpering stopped, and they saw someone walking out from behind the partition of the public office area.
Upon seeing Old Zhou, Zhan Jiayi couldn't believe her eyes. But she quickly regained her composure and sternly demanded, "Why? Why did you deceive me! The Xie Group could have been saved, but you! You seemed so loyal, but you were bought off by the Huangfu Group, weren't you? How much did they give you!"
If she hadn't been inconvenienced by her mobility, she would have rushed forward and slapped Old Zhou several times!
Old Zhou's eyes were still red, filled with shame. He slowly walked to Zhan Jiayi's wheelchair and knelt down with a thud, slapping himself several times.
"Manager Zhan, I didn't do it for their money! I truly had no other choice! You can scold me harshly!"
But Zhan Jiayi couldn't bring herself to scold him. What was the use of scolding him? Nothing could be salvaged!
She didn't want to see such a person anymore. Ignoring him, she said to Zhan Zhipeng, "I want to sit in the CEO's office."
Zhan Zhipeng pushed her towards the office. Old Zhou sat slumped on the ground, his conscience troubled, and cried out towards their retreating backs, "They threatened my family! My grandson was almost in danger! I'm not afraid, but I can't endanger my family..."
Zhan Jiayi didn't look back. After entering the office, she had Zhan Zhipeng close the door, her mood sinking to its lowest ebb.
Even she couldn't bear to hear about her parents being frightened, let alone Old Zhou.
Knowing the reason, she forgave Old Zhou, but she couldn't forgive herself for failing to save the Xie Group.
She sat at this desk again, faintly seeing Xie Zhendong's busy figure.
She had finally met a man who truly loved her, only to be separated by death. She could no longer hold back and buried her face on the desk, sobbing uncontrollably.
Zhan Zhipeng stood silently to the side, allowing her to vent her grief.
When her sobs gradually subsided, Zhan Zhipeng softly said, "Sister, let's go."
Zhan Jiayi hummed in response, her voice thick with tears. As they left the CEO's office, Old Zhou was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he had left before them.
Originally, Zhan Jiayi had wanted to tell him that she understood and no longer blamed him. She would tell him if they had a chance to meet again in the future.
Back at the hospital, lying in bed, she felt as if she had lost her purpose in life, like a soulless husk, only still worried about her family.
She thought that after settling her family, perhaps she should just follow Zhendong.
Just then, her phone rang. It was Qin Tianyi finally calling back.
Zhan Jiayi weakly answered, "Hello."
Tianyi asked, "Did you need me for something?"
"The Huangfu Group used the restructuring of the Xie Group to achieve its goals. The Xie Group is completely finished."
"Didn't you have someone contact the court to stop them from proceeding smoothly..."
"Old Zhou betrayed me, betrayed the Xie family," Zhan Jiayi's voice was filled with despair.
Tianyi sounded slightly surprised and detected her unusual mood. He said, "Recently, Ao Xiang has also encountered some trouble. I regret that I couldn't help you."
"I am very grateful to you and Susu, but the Huangfu Group is far more terrifying than we anticipated," Zhan Jiayi warned him. "They threatened the families of me and Old Zhou. If you help me this time, you might have offended them as well. You should be careful too."
"Okay, I understand."