Chapter 2: The End of the Line

Of course, Zhong Xiao wasn’t so reckless as to strike Du Huacheng as well.

After all, he was still her father.

True, this father of hers was worthless and despicable, weak to the point of spinelessness, always favoring the stepmother, stepsister, and stepbrothers, even conspiring with them to have her sent down to the countryside.

But right now, she couldn’t afford to be rash.

She could fall out with Yang Yuehe, but she could not, under any circumstances, burn her bridges with Du Huacheng.

After all, most of the Zhong family’s assets, as well as her household registration booklet, her letter of introduction, and—most importantly—the marriage contract her mother and grandfather had arranged for her before their deaths, were all still in Du Huacheng’s hands.

In this moment, Zhong Xiao stared at Du Huacheng. Though rage threatened to consume her, she forced it all down.

Under the astonished gaze of everyone present, Zhong Xiao suddenly burst into tears.

“Daddy, you have to stand up for me! Wuwuwu… Yesterday… yesterday I saw Zhou Yongxin, that scoundrel, getting all tangled up with Du Ying’er! The two of them making eyes at each other—there’s definitely something going on, Daddy!”

At these words, the three who had just been slapped and scolded by Zhong Xiao—Zhou Yongxin, Yang Yuehe, and Du Ying’er—were instantly dumbfounded.

The anger and shock on their faces faded, replaced by fear.

Du Ying’er immediately looked at Zhou Yongxin, but he dared not meet her gaze. He only felt regretful—how could he have been so careless as to let Zhong Xiao see? No wonder she was so furious today; so that’s what it was…

Off to the side, Yang Yuehe finally let out a silent sigh of relief.

She had feared that Zhong Xiao had discovered something else, something truly threatening, and had come to settle accounts with them. But so it was only this.

Such a trivial matter—Yang Yuehe was confident she could smooth it over.

She turned to Du Ying’er and scolded, “Ying’er! Explain yourself properly! Is what Xiao Xiao’s saying true? Did you really get tangled up with your future brother-in-law? How could you do such a thing?”

Du Ying’er sulked, glancing at Zhou Yongxin, but he refused to look at her. Annoyed, she pouted and refused to speak.

No matter how Yang Yuehe signaled her with her eyes, Du Ying’er would not explain.

She and Brother Yongxin had already been hiding their relationship with great difficulty. Perhaps it would be better if Zhong Xiao found out sooner, perhaps then she could fulfill her wish to be with Brother Yongxin.

But clearly, Zhou Yongxin did not feel the same.

He could not risk exposure yet, not when Zhong Xiao still did not fully trust him, not when she still hadn’t handed him the family heirloom.

That item was worth several times more than all the Zhong family’s other assets put together!

He had to get his hands on it; only then would he be set for life.

So Zhou Yongxin stepped forward to explain:

“Xiao Xiao, you’re really mistaken. Ying’er and I—how could we possibly be what you think? Ying’er is your sister, and that makes her my sister too. How could I possibly do anything inappropriate with my own sister? Don’t you think so?”

Forgetting the slap he’d just received, Zhou Yongxin stepped forward and gazed at her with deep affection.

“Xiao Xiao, my feelings for you are as true as the sun and moon. You have to believe me!”

Zhou Yongxin had a pair of eyes that always seemed sincere and soulful—charming eyes that could appear devoted to even a stray dog.

In her past life, Zhong Xiao had been deceived by that very look and his honeyed words. She had torn up her original engagement and decided to stay with this scoundrel.

She never imagined he would trick her into eloping, only to take her to the countryside instead.

Zhong Xiao knew, at this point, Zhou Yongxin was already entangled with Du Ying’er, and had even gotten her pregnant.

That was why Du Ying’er was so desperate—she wanted to push Zhong Xiao down the stairs, to break her leg, so she could take Zhong Xiao’s letter of introduction and replace her at the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University, avoiding the rural assignment.

Indeed, in her previous life, Du Ying’er had succeeded. Zhong Xiao had broken her leg and lain in bed for over a month.

But this time…

Zhong Xiao shifted her body silently.

Apart from the injury on her forehead, she seemed unharmed.

Perhaps her rebirth had quietly altered the course of events.

Zhong Xiao sneered inwardly, the fury in her chest swelling like a tidal wave, her hands clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh.

Now, however, she was calm.

Had this been ten years ago—if she had known in advance what these people truly were and what filth they had done—her fiery temper as the capital’s heiress would have exploded, and it would have been much more than two slaps.

But after ten years of hardship in the countryside, she was no longer naive or foolish.

She knew well enough that these people were far from easy to deal with.

They had managed to keep up a perfect act for years without revealing a single flaw, and in the end, had the cunning and connections to bribe everyone around her into tormenting her.

Clearly, their scheming was anything but simple.

And so, nothing could be rushed.

The outburst just now had been satisfying, but the true pleasure would come with victory, when her plans bore fruit.

For now, she cried aggrievedly to Du Huacheng:

“Daddy, Du Ying’er did it on purpose—she pushed me down the stairs so I’d break my hand or foot, so she could replace me at work and send me to the countryside instead! Daddy, I won’t go—I’d rather die than be sent away!”

At these words, everyone present was stunned.

Yang Yuehe’s composure almost cracked, her hands fluttering anxiously as she searched for something to say, but found no words.

She was frantic—how did this wretched girl find out?

The plan was still in its early stages; they hadn’t even begun to act!

Du Huacheng shot Yang Yuehe a quick, uneasy glance, then hurried to reassure Zhong Xiao.

“Xiao Xiao, how could that be? Your sister would never do such a thing. You two haven’t gotten along since childhood, but she’s still your sister! Family doesn’t plot against family.”

He sat by the bedside, reaching out to pat Zhong Xiao on the back to calm her.

But before he could touch her, Zhong Xiao leapt up in a fit of rage.

“She’s no family of mine! She pushed me down the stairs and tried to kill me!” Zhong Xiao glared venomously at Du Ying’er, sobbing and cursing through her tears. “You venomous wretch, you’ve eaten, drunk, and lived off the Zhong family for years, yet you turned out to be a shameless, rotten-hearted beast! All you ever think about is taking what belongs to the Zhong family—aren’t you afraid of dying and going to hell, having your tongue and limbs cut off?”

Though her words were aimed at Du Ying’er, it was Du Huacheng and Yang Yuehe whose faces turned white as sheets.

Especially Du Huacheng, whose expression was so ugly it was as if he’d been dunked in swill, lips pressed into a grim line, eyes heavy as he stared at Zhong Xiao.

Du Huacheng was a son-in-law who had married into the Zhong family.

He had been an ordinary laborer, doing manual work at the Zhong household, when he fell in love at first sight with the then-young heiress, Zhong Rui.

After years of persistent pursuit, Zhong Rui finally agreed to marry him.

That changed his life forever.

When Zhong Xiao was barely a year old, Zhong Rui died of a sudden illness. Zhong Xiao had always suspected Yang Yuehe was responsible.

After all, Yang Yuehe’s eldest daughter, Du Ying’er, was only a year younger than Zhong Xiao.

Less than half a year after Zhong Rui’s death, Zhong Xiao’s grandfather—a man who had dominated the Hong Kong business world for years—was so stricken with grief that he followed his daughter in death.

Within a month, Du Huacheng had moved Yang Yuehe and Du Ying’er into the Zhong residence.

They had lived off the Zhong family ever since.

Later, Yang Yuehe even bore Du Huacheng two sons: Du Changlin and Du Changgong.

All their food, clothes, and expenses came from the Zhong family’s wealth.

A few years ago, when the authorities began their asset reckoning, Du Huacheng secretly sold off all the Zhong family’s property and moved the proceeds to Hong Kong. In her previous life, Zhong Xiao had been completely unaware.

All the money was in Du Huacheng’s hands; the only thing left with Zhong Xiao was a family heirloom her grandfather had entrusted to the care of his most trusted aide when she was still a child.

Last year, as the reckonings intensified, that aide visited the Zhong family to return the heirloom to Zhong Xiao, telling her he was leaving Guangdong and that she should seek him in Hong Kong if she ever needed help.

Unfortunately, Zhong Xiao then confided in Zhou Yongxin, not knowing his intentions were anything but pure.

He feigned a desire to elope, only to take her to the countryside and then abscond with her family heirloom.

At this thought, Zhong Xiao turned her gaze sharply to Zhou Yongxin.

“Zhou Yongxin, swear to me! If you’ve done anything shameful with Du Ying’er, may your organs rot, may you be plagued by disease, die a violent death, your body torn to pieces, and be reborn as a beast, never to know salvation!”

Zhou Yongxin’s face paled with panic.

But seeing the terrifying redness in Zhong Xiao’s eyes, and thinking of the family heirloom she’d mentioned to him, he steeled himself.

“I, Zhou Yongxin, swear that in this life, I will love only Zhong Xiao. If I am ever unfaithful, may I die a miserable death, my body destroyed, my line ended forever!”