Chapter 20: The Sacrifice of Zhong Xiao

Zhou Yongxin felt that something was off.

If it really had been a rock thrown in from outside by a child, hitting him on the head, it would’ve been far more than just a bit painful. It might have left a huge dent in his skull. Yet, the room was empty—no one was here. There was no explanation at all for where the rock had come from.

Zhou Yongxin glanced around. Recalling that sharp, chilling gaze from before, he felt a wave of discomfort wash over him.

“Yinger, let’s go out for now. If I’m right about the time, Zhong Xiao might be back soon.”

Du Yinger pouted as she left Zhong Xiao’s room. Zhou Yongxin lingered, rummaging around a bit more, muttering under his breath, “That wretched girl, where did she hide it… I’ve searched so many times and still can’t find it…”

Zhong Xiao froze.

So many times?

That meant Zhou Yongxin had been in her room searching for things on multiple occasions, taking advantage of her absence or when she wasn’t paying attention.

A surge of hatred welled up in Zhong Xiao’s heart.

After a while, once Zhou Yongxin finally left her room and the house grew quiet, Zhong Xiao emerged from the wardrobe. She lingered in her room for a few more moments before opening the door, making deliberate noise as she descended to the first floor.

As expected, a door on the second floor—Du Yinger’s room—creaked open, and someone slipped out, moving stealthily. Then Zhong Xiao saw Zhou Yongxin coming down the stairs.

“Xiaoxiao, you’re back? Did you get the medicine?”

Zhong Xiao frowned and asked deliberately, “Why are you coming down from the second floor?”

Zhou Yongxin replied, “I figured you’d be back soon, so I was in your room waiting for you.”

Hearing Zhong Xiao’s voice, Yang Yuehe and Du Huacheng also came down from the third floor. Yang Yuehe hurried down, anxiety plain on her face.

“Did you get the medicine?”

Without expression, Zhong Xiao tossed over a few white tablets.

“What’s this?” Yang Yuehe asked.

“Rat poison—the kind that kills you instantly.”

At that moment, Du Yinger emerged from the bedroom, fixing Zhong Xiao with a cold stare.

Yang Yuehe grew anxious. “Xiaoxiao, what kind of medicine is this, really?”

“It’s painkillers. Aspirin,” Zhong Xiao replied.

Yang Yuehe eyed the pills skeptically, turning them over in her palm, uncertain if they really were just painkillers. What if Zhong Xiao had poisoned them?

Zhong Xiao stared at her. “You don’t really think it’s rat poison, do you? If I really wanted to kill Du Yinger, I’d be going down with her. Is her life worth trading mine for?”

Only then did Yang Yuehe relax a little, waving Du Yinger down from upstairs. “Come on, Yinger, take the painkillers. You’ll feel better.”

But Du Yinger, every word deliberate, pointed at Zhong Xiao and declared, “I’m not taking anything from this venomous woman! Dad, Mom, listen to me—she’s going to bring disaster on the whole family. If we don’t send her away immediately, we’ll all be doomed!”

At these words, everyone’s expressions shifted.

Zhou Yongxin gave Du Yinger a subtle nod, encouraging her to keep up the act.

Yang Yuehe was baffled, not understanding why her daughter was suddenly behaving this way. After all, they still didn’t have enough evidence and needed to keep up appearances before Zhong Xiao a while longer.

Du Huacheng, however, grew wary, focusing on her words about “disaster upon the family.” He was the first to speak. “Yinger, what do you mean? Why would disaster befall our family?”

Du Yinger, wincing with pain but refusing to take the tablets Zhong Xiao brought, slowly descended the stairs and sat at the dining table, fixing her gaze on Zhong Xiao.

“When I was unconscious the other day, at the Temple of a Thousand Spirits, I overheard what Master Xuanming said!”

“Master Xuanming said our family is about to face catastrophe—there’s no escaping it.”

“He said the Zhong family’s fortune has run out. Unless someone makes a sacrifice to atone, we’ll all be struck down by heaven’s wrath.”

Du Huacheng’s face darkened.

Du Yinger was clearly leveraging Du Huacheng’s belief in Master Xuanming. Still, he was puzzled. “Then why didn’t Master Xuanming tell me this?”

Du Yinger, parroting the script Zhou Yongxin had taught her, replied, “Because Master Xuanming said the Zhong family’s downfall is fate—destined. He can’t reveal heaven’s secrets. I only heard it because I was half-conscious, overhearing him mutter about how unfortunate it was.”

“So, if we want to save our family, the only way is to offer someone as a sacrifice!”

As she finished, Du Yinger watched Zhong Xiao warily.

All eyes turned to Zhong Xiao, who smiled faintly.

“So, little sister, you’re suggesting I should be the sacrifice?”

Du Yinger let out a short laugh. “Obviously! Master Xuanming said it’s the Zhong family that’s doomed. Of all of us here, you’re the only one with the surname Zhong! Of course, you should shoulder your family’s misfortune!”

Zhong Xiao looked around the room.

Du Huacheng avoided her gaze, lost in thought. Yang Yuehe frowned but remained silent. Zhou Yongxin said nothing.

Zhong Xiao began, “Yang Yuehe, for twenty years you’ve eaten the Zhong family’s food, worn their clothes and jewelry, lived in their house—which of these isn’t thanks to the Zhong family?”

“Your title outside isn’t Mrs. Du, but the second wife of the Zhong family’s son-in-law.”

“Du Yinger, from your very first breath, the milk you drank was provided by the Zhong family. Everything you’ve used, worn, or eaten all these years—didn’t it come from the Zhong family?”

“Father,” Zhong Xiao nearly gagged at the word, “everything you have now, you owe to the Zhong family. Without them, you’d be nothing but a homeless laborer, picking up odd jobs wherever you could.”

As expected, Du Huacheng slammed the table and shot to his feet. “Zhong Xiao! Where do you get the nerve to talk to me like that?”

Zhong Xiao stood as well. “Where do you get the nerve to live off the Zhong family for a lifetime, taking and taking, and now you want to seize everything for yourself?”

Nothing enraged Du Huacheng more than being accused of living off the Zhong family. Now he was livid, barely restraining himself from striking her.

Zhong Xiao watched the fury in his eyes, inwardly satisfied.

Du Huacheng sneered. “The Zhong family was something once, but times have changed! Now, everyone wants to tear the old capitalists down!”

“From today on, the Zhong family is finished in Yue City! I, Du Huacheng, will rid the world of you, the last remnant of the Zhong family!”

“You call yourself the Zhong family’s heiress? Fine! You can bear the Zhong family’s sins alone! From now on, you do what you want as their heiress, but I am no longer part of the Zhong family! I am the eldest legitimate son of the Du family!”

Zhong Xiao’s eyes shimmered with a broken light. “Father, are you abandoning me?”

Du Huacheng snorted coldly. “Don’t pin this on me! You’ve brought this on yourself, refusing to recognize me as your father!”

“You’re the only one here with the surname Zhong—go wherever you please! Don’t stay in this house!”

Zhong Xiao pressed him again. “So, Du, you want to sever all ties with me as your daughter, is that it?”