"Dad was right, you're an ungrateful wretch."
Xia Wanfu shook her hand away. Her voice remained shrill, but tears welled up in her eyes.
Her heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.
Xia Wantang glanced back at her, noticing that the sharp edges and fangs she once possessed seemed to have dulled.
But it no longer mattered. Even if Xia Linfeng and Han Wenjuan were kneeling before her now, begging for forgiveness and repentance.
She would never forgive them. No matter what they did, it could not reclaim what she had lost.
Xia Wanfu watched her leave without looking back.
Eventually, her vision blurred with tears.
At this moment, her heart was torn and conflicted. Recalling her experience last night, Xia Wantang had indeed suffered terribly.
However, the Xia family had raised her for so many years. Even if her parents had undeniably made mistakes, she shouldn't have sent them to jail.
She had done all she could. She truly didn't know what else to do.
She withdrew her gaze, got into her car, and prepared to go to the police station to see Xia Linfeng and Han Wenjuan.
She was granted an easy visit and saw the two of them locked up in the detention center.
The moment she saw them, Xia Wanfu broke down into uncontrollable sobs. But separated by the cell bars, they could only speak and could not touch each other.
Han Wenjuan and Xia Linfeng looked much older, their former air of noble elegance completely gone.
Xia Linfeng's first question was, "How's the company?"
Seeing his eager gaze, Xia Wanfu shook her head, her voice choked with sobs, barely able to speak.
"I... I can't... I really... don't know what... what to do..."
Xia Linfeng was so anxious he almost bared his teeth. Restrained by the presence of a guard, he could only grit his teeth and lower his voice.
"Find a way! No matter what, save the company. Go find your Uncle Du. No matter the cost, you must save the company."
Looking at his bloodshot, desperate eyes, Xia Wanfu suddenly understood the meaning behind his words.
No matter the cost. Was it the same cost as Xia Wantang's?
Seeing Xia Wanfu staring at him blankly, Xia Linfeng impatiently urged,
"Did you understand? Why are you spacing out? No matter what, you must save the company."
Xia Wanfu bit her lip, remaining silent, feeling deeply uncomfortable.
Xia Linfeng gnashed his teeth in agitation and asked again, "Where's your brother? Did he go to the company?"
With him gone, it was only right for his brother to handle the company's affairs.
Times were different now, not like usual when he held a nominal position, working sporadically.
Xia Wanfu didn't speak, just sat there with tears in her eyes, her chest feeling as if it were weighed down by two heavy stones.
Xia Linfeng seemed to have many things to say. He added, "The person who slept with Xia Wantang that night is called Ling Yucheng. He's very powerful. Find a way to gain his favor."
Han Wenjuan had been impatient for a while. She snatched the communication device from Xia Linfeng's hand and said urgently, "Protect yourself above all else..."
Xia Linfeng immediately snatched it back, his volume instinctively rising, and said, "You must save the company, you must..."
The situation was becoming uncontrollable, and the person guarding nearby immediately ended the conversation.
Xia Wanfu put down the receiver and watched the two being led away, feeling a deep sadness.
Xia Linfeng and Han Wenjuan kept looking back. One's eyes held only urgent pleas, while the other's were filled with worry.
"Xia Wanfu, is that you? Please come over here to discuss your parents' case..."
Xia Wanfu glanced at the police officer who had appeared beside her at some point, subtly wiped her eyes, and nodded slightly.
Faced with such conclusive evidence, Xia Wanfu had nothing to say.
When asked by the police officer if she intended to appeal, Xia Wanfu nodded without hesitation.
She asked, "What's the minimum sentence my parents will get?"
Perhaps seeing her as a young girl with red eyes and looking quite pitiful,
The police officer kindly said, "For their type of case, it's considered attempted crime. They'll likely get at least one to three years..."
Xia Wanfu wasn't in the mood to listen to the rest. After thanking him, she left the police station.
Getting into her car, she stared blankly ahead, contemplating whether to follow Xia Linfeng's advice and save the company at all costs.
But she truly didn't want to. Was there really no other way besides selling herself?
Just then, her phone rang, startling her.
The incoming call was from her brother.
Hearing the urgent ringing, her heart began to pound wildly. A sense of foreboding washed over her.
Xia Yichen would not call her unless something was wrong.
She pressed the answer button and heard his anxious voice on the other end.
"Come back quickly, something's happened. Our house is going to be repossessed to cover the company's debts..."
Xia Wanfu's heart leaped. Panic seized her. She started the car and sped away.
Her hands were sweating on the steering wheel the entire way.
Without their house, without their company, what would they do?
What could they do?
Why had it come to this?
If only that accident hadn't happened that night, and Xia Wantang had been taken by Du Jiasheng.
Then none of this would have happened.
Unfortunately, there were no 'if onlys' in the world. If there were, she would have stopped her father from investing in that project that ruined the company.
Upon returning to the residential area, she saw a crowd gathered in front of the villa.
Xia Yichen had already been forced out. He could only watch helplessly as people entered the villa and acted with impunity.
Everything valuable in the villa was to be used to pay off debts.
Seeing Xia Wanfu arrive, he looked at her as if she were a lifeline. His eyes lit up, and he frantically said, "You're finally back. Quickly tell them you have a way to pay the money, hurry."
He thought that Xia Wanfu had gone out last night and would surely succeed.
At the very least, she could sleep with Du Jiasheng, and then the company would be saved.
Xia Wanfu stood there powerlessly. Facing Xia Yichen's hopeful gaze, she averted her eyes, unable to bear it.
"Can you pay? Even after this villa is used to settle the debts, there's still a shortfall... The company has already declared bankruptcy..."
"How much is the shortfall?"
Xia Wanfu's face turned pale, her legs felt weak.
"Not much, a few hundred thousand. Although this villa was bought years ago, housing prices have surged so rapidly now..."
In the end, Xia Wanfu had to forfeit the family's few cars to barely clear the debts.
They were left with almost nothing.
She had only a few thousand yuan left to her name. Now, she deeply regretted spending that fifty thousand yuan so carelessly.
The debt collectors had given them three days to vacate the villa, or face consequences.
Inside, only clothes, shoes, and furniture that couldn't be moved remained.
Xia Yichen was throwing a tantrum, cursing her uselessness and saying she shouldn't have sacrificed his cars.
Xia Wanfu remained silent, her face pale, and went upstairs.
She still had many designer bags, shoes, and clothes, some of which were unused and all kept in good condition.
Selling these as second-hand items could fetch a considerable amount of money.