It seemed Zhao Jianhua had already figured out how to deal with her, and people were like this, still not letting that woman go.
It served that woman right for always being a homewrecker, stealing other people's husbands. Her misfortune was heaven's way of seeing justice done!
But Zhang Yuyun thought again, why had she never known that Zhao Jianhua knew someone named Bai Chengyi?
This person wasn't in the group's business dealings, nor had she ever heard Zhao Jianhua mention him. It seemed she would have to go to the group tomorrow to ask Xia Ming.
...
Zhan Jiayi returned to her parents' home and stayed in her room, constantly browsing the news online about the Xie family's troubles.
Her parents kept calling her out for dinner, but she didn't respond.
It felt like a dream. Zhendong and Lian Ma were gone just like that, and the Xie Corporation had gone bankrupt. In the end, she had nothing.
"Go call your sister again. She hasn't come out. If she doesn't, break down the door. I'm worried something might have happened to her inside," Mother Zhan said to Zhan Zhipeng.
Zhan Zhipeng nodded, then went to Zhan Jiayi's door and knocked, saying, "Sis, come out and eat something."
He waited for a while, but there was still no answer from inside. Just as he was about to kick the door open,
the door opened from the inside. Zhan Jiayi, with red eyes, said to him, "Don't bother me anymore. Tell Mom and Dad I won't do anything foolish."
"Okay."
"Oh, and accompany me to the Xie family's cemetery tomorrow."
"Okay..." Before Zhan Zhipeng could finish, she closed the door again.
Actually, their parents had heard what she said without him needing to relay it. They had no appetite for dinner and sighed.
...
That evening, upon returning home, Susu told Tianyi about picking up Zhan Jiayi that day.
"It's understandable to be sad. As long as she didn't do anything impulsive, that's good," Tianyi said, putting his arm around her and kissing her cheek.
Susu quickly pushed him away and asked, "What are you doing? I still need to check Xiao Xingxing's homework."
"Don't check it. He can do it himself," Tianyi said, then hugged her tightly, intending to pin her down.
Susu resisted him, saying, "Xiao Xingxing just told me that the teacher needs a parent's signature."
Tianyi let her go, feeling disappointed. "Alright. I just thought that since the person you were worried about is fine, maybe we should celebrate and be happy together."
"There are many ways to be happy," Susu said with a smile.
Tianyi retorted, "Don't you like me touching you? If that's the case, I'll never touch you again."
"It would be good if you could actually do that," Susu said, seeing through his act. She gracefully got up to check Xiao Xingxing's homework.
She went into Xiao Xingxing's room and saw him diligently doing his homework, not needing her supervision or guidance.
She sat aside and sighed, thinking that this child was truly a born scholar with strong self-care abilities. No wonder Tianyi planned to send him abroad in a couple of years.
But when she thought that Xiao Xingxing would only be twelve in two years and would still need to take medication long-term, she felt reluctant to send him abroad alone.
"Mom, I'm done. This needs a signature," Xiao Xingxing placed his homework book in front of her.
She looked it over, couldn't find any mistakes, and signed it.
She understood from Tianyi that he intended to put great effort into grooming Xiao Xingxing as the heir of Ao Xiang, so he also wanted her to train Xiao Xingxing more.
"Mom, what are you thinking about? Aren't you going to sleep yet? I'm going to sleep," Xiao Xingxing said as he packed his schoolbag.
Susu placed her hand on Xiao Xingxing's shoulder and said, "How about I tell you a bedtime story until you fall asleep?"
"Mom, do you think I'm still like Tiantian and the others? I'm grown up now, I don't listen to those childish stories anymore," Xiao Xingxing said, turning off the desk lamp, looking very sleepy.
"Okay, then get some sleep early," Susu said, quickly kissing his forehead. "Goodnight."
"Mom, you can't kiss me. Men and women should not touch each other," Xiao Xingxing said with disdain.
Susu looked at him with disdain and said, "You're a child who thinks he's so grown up. Mom can't even kiss you. By the way, if your dad wants to send you to a school abroad, would you want to go?"
Xiao Xingxing thought seriously for a moment and replied, "Yes, I want to go. I can broaden my horizons and learn more knowledge."
"Don't you have any reluctance, you child?"
Xiao Xingxing said, "Transportation and communication are developed now. We can contact each other and meet anytime."
"Alright, we'll talk about it when you're older," Susu said, turning off the room light for him so he could sleep earlier.
Lying on the bed, Xiao Xingxing didn't fall asleep immediately. He was thinking about what Uncle Xiao had said about Xiaoxiao and her biological father living abroad.
If he could go abroad to study, he could go find Xiaoxiao himself and see if she was doing well. A smile appeared on his face.
Susu returned to the bedroom and found the light very dim, with only a small wall lamp on. Tianyi was already lying on the bed, seemingly asleep.
She quietly lay down beside Tianyi and whispered, "Are you really asleep?"
Tianyi, with his back to her, grunted.
Susu chuckled and hugged him from behind. "Why are you angry again?"
"Let go. I said I'd never touch you again, and I meant it," Tianyi said sternly.
"Fine, if you don't touch me, I can touch you, can't I?" As she spoke, one of her hands roamed all over Tianyi.
Tianyi grabbed her hand. "Do you know the consequences of your actions?"
"Are you afraid I'll eat you up?" Susu continued to provoke him.
Tianyi suddenly flipped over and pinned her down, letting out a tiger's roar. He roared a couple of times and said, "Then I'll eat you now!"
Susu burst into laughter, amused. "King, please don't."
They laughed and tumbled on the bed...
...
The next day, Zhang Yuyun had someone summon Xia Ming to her office.
Xia Ming thought she was calling him about his resignation request. He approached her and said, "Manager Zhang, thank you for your continuous care for me and my family. But my mother is seriously ill, and I want to take care of her personally, which is why I am resigning."
Zhang Yuyun said politely, "You are such a filial son. But it's such a shame to lose such a good job. Why not hire someone to take care of her? What do you think?"
"I wouldn't be at ease with someone else taking care of her," Xia Ming said.
"Yes, that's true. Alright, I understand why you want to resign. Let me consider it again," Zhang Yuyun said, looking at him. "However, I didn't call you here today for this."
Xia Ming was surprised and asked, "Manager Zhang, is there something else?"
Zhang Yuyun stared into his eyes and asked, "Do you know someone named Bai Chengyi?"
A hint of panic flashed in Xia Ming's eyes. In that moment, he was like a startled bird, but he quickly tried to cover it up.
Zhang Yuyun had already seen his reaction and said, "You know this person, don't you?"
"No, I don't," Xia Ming denied. "Who is this person? I've never heard of him."
"He's been arrested by the police. They say Old Zhao instructed him to frame someone," Zhang Yuyun continued to probe him. "The police came to our house yesterday to inquire about this matter."
Xia Ming forced a casual smile and said, "Then he must be a friend of Manager Zhao. I don't know him at all."