Xiao Wenyao had been keeping an eye on his wife, but he didn't notice the small paper package on the floor. Just as he was about to stand up and pour Jian Hongmei a glass of water, his phone rang.
Looking at the screen, it was Zhao Secretary, probably with some results.
He glanced at his wife and was about to go outside the ward to take the call when Jian Hongmei said, "Just answer it here, I want to know too."
Xiao Wenyao sighed and put the call on speakerphone.
"Mr. Xiao." Zhao Secretary's voice came through the phone.
"How did the investigation go? Do you have any results?"
Zhao Secretary paused for a few seconds, seeming to mentally prepare himself before speaking, "Aunt Zhang recalls that this morning when she was stewing fish soup, the Young Lady came to the kitchen and... and asked Aunt Zhang to go out and get a delivery for her. But when Aunt Zhang went out, there was no delivery. When she told the Young Lady, the Young Lady just said she might have been mistaken and went back to her room..."
Hearing this, Xiao Wenyao had a bad feeling.
Then he heard Zhao Secretary continue, "We searched the entire villa, every nook and cranny, but found no suspicious clues, except in the Young Lady's room... On her dressing table, we found some very small white granules that don't look like makeup, but more like crushed pills. We've sent them for testing."
Jian Hongmei closed her eyes as tears streamed out again. Xiao Wenyao collapsed into a chair, stunned speechless.
Lowering his gaze, he suddenly noticed the small white paper package on the floor.
Without thinking, he bent down and picked it up, remnants of white powder still clinging to the paper.
This afternoon, apart from the nurses coming in to give Jian Hongmei an IV drip, only he and Xiao Jianren had been in this ward. It was clear whose package this was.
"Mr. Xiao, are you alright? The results aren't confirmed yet, it might not have been the Young Lady..."
But Xiao Wenyao had no more doubts. He picked up his phone and said weakly, "I understand... Give Aunt Zhang an extra half-year's salary as compensation and let her leave."
"Mr. Xiao..." Zhao Secretary sighed on the other end but replied, "Understood."
The call hung up. Xiao Wenyao sat dazed in the chair, covering his face as he wept and laughed.
So from last night until this whole day, Xiao Jianren's obedience and understanding had all been an act, a performance for him!
Hah, what a warm family atmosphere, what an obedient and caring daughter, it was all fake!
Struck by a thought, he suddenly picked up his phone and called Zhao Secretary again. Zhao Secretary sounded bewildered when he answered.
"Mr. Xiao? Any other instructions?"
"Xiao, let me ask you, while my wife and I were abroad these past few days, how was the Young Lady at the company? Did she make any sacrifices for the company's future development...?"
At this moment, Xiao Wenyao still clung to a shred of hope that Xiao Jianren had only done all this because she didn't want them to have another child, and that everything else was true.
But Zhao Secretary didn't know why Mr. Xiao was asking this - shouldn't he know what his own daughter was like?
So Zhao Secretary's reply shattered Xiao Wenyao's illusion, "The Young Lady... she basically did nothing at the company. Apart from sleeping in her office all day and playing games, all the work was handled by me, unless there were documents that needed her signature. But she didn't even read them carefully before signing."
Hearing this, Xiao Wenyao understood everything. She didn't manage any work at the company, but after leaving the office she could still attend social events to discuss cooperation?
"Hahaha..." Xiao Wenyao laughed bitterly at his own naive fantasies. He had known what his daughter was like for over twenty years, how could he have been deceived by those few lies?
What a terrible joke!
Xiao Jianren, who had just finished ordering dinner from a restaurant, returned to the ward and reported to Xiao Wenyao, unaware of anything, "Dad, I've ordered the food. It'll be delivered in twenty minutes."
Suddenly sensing the tense atmosphere, her voice grew softer, "Dad, Mom, what's wrong?"
No one answered her. The ward was deathly silent.
Xiao Jianren felt uneasy, the oppressive atmosphere stifling her breath. She wanted to flee this place immediately.
"Why did you do this?" Xiao Wenyao's weary voice came after a long silence.
Xiao Jianren froze, her heart skipping a beat. Had she been found out? No, impossible, she had been flawless!
Steadying herself, she calmly said, "Dad, what are you talking about? I didn't do anything!"
But the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her.
"Nothing? Hah, you did nothing? Then what is this?" Xiao Wenyao stood up from the chair, holding up the small paper package he had picked up from the floor, anger and disappointment etched on his face.
Seeing the package, Xiao Jianren's heart sank. Instinctively, she reached into her pocket but found nothing. Now she was truly panicked.
"Dad, no, listen to my explanation. It must be Aunt Zhang, trying to frame me. She must have slipped the drug package into my pocket when I wasn't paying attention. This isn't mine, you have to believe me!"
Xiao Wenyao felt even more disappointed and scoffed coldly, "Hmph, Xiao Jianren, even now you're still lying to me. I didn't say what this was, how did you know it was a drug package?"
Xiao Jianren: Damn! Blunder, why did I incriminate myself? What do I do now?
"Dad!" Xiao Jianren wanted to argue further, but Jian Hongmei cut her off sharply.
"Get out, get out of here! You killed my son, I don't have a daughter like you. Get out of the Xiao family immediately, I never want to see you again! Get out!"
Jian Hongmei, grieving the loss of her child, exploded with emotion. She hurled pillows, water cups from the bedside table, anything she could grab at Xiao Jianren.
The needle for her IV drip tore out, blood starting to flow freely. Xiao Wenyao, concerned for his wife's health, immediately embraced her and gently comforted her.
"Mei Mei, don't hurt yourself. I'll handle this. Just focus on recovering, don't think about anything else, okay?"
"Wah wah wah, my child is gone, killed by my own daughter. Wah wah wah, why is my life so miserable..."
Jian Hongmei buried her head in Xiao Wenyao's embrace, weeping uncontrollably.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Jianren suddenly didn't want to struggle anymore. As if abandoning all restraint, she burst into maniacal laughter.
"Hahaha... I just wanted to get rid of that little bastard. What can you do to me? From the moment you gave up on Nan, you should have expected this consequence!"
"Hahaha... do you know why? I had to help Nan protect what's his. You insisted on letting a little bastard steal it. Hahaha, one comes, I'll get rid of one. Go ahead, let's see who outlasts who! Hahaha!"
