Chapter 195 - 194: A Bolt from the Blue! Xu Zhao Yu Has Gone Mad

Chapter 195: Chapter 194: A Bolt from the Blue! Xu Zhao Yu Has Gone Mad

It had been eighteen years since the incident, but every time Xu Zhao Yu thought about it, a layer of cold sweat would inexplicably break out on her back.

A clear conscience fears no midnight knock.

The Meng family might not care that she wasn’t of the Xu family’s bloodline, but they would absolutely never tolerate Meng Shuyan not being a child of the Meng family. If they ever found out that Meng Shuyan was actually the son of her biological brother, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But Xu Zhao Yu had no choice. Her biological father held a powerful secret over her head. If she didn’t agree to his demands, the old man would definitely shout it from the rooftops, letting everyone know her deepest, darkest secret.

"Heh heh, you managed to get into the Xu family, and that’s all thanks to me." The old man grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth. "Your brother didn’t have your kind of good luck. If you hadn’t been born first back then, he would have been the one to enter the Xu family."

Xu Zhao Yu took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Yes, I am very grateful to you."

She had indeed known for a long time that she wasn’t a child of the Xu family. It was the year she finished her high school entrance exams when this old man first showed up at her door. At the time, she absolutely refused to believe that she could be the daughter of this foul-breathed old man. How could she not be the rightful daughter of the Xu family?

But with the evidence laid bare before her, Xu Zhao Yu had no choice but to believe it.

From that day on, she worked even harder to please the Xu family members, doing everything in her power to ensure she remained the center of their attention. Yet, she lived in constant fear. What if, one day, the Xu family’s biological son returned?

The mere thought of it made Xu Zhao Yu even angrier. "Why didn’t you do a more thorough job back then? If he hadn’t come back with his daughter, Shuyan wouldn’t be in this situation today!"

"I’m not an idiot. I switched the babies, which means I can deny it to the bitter end and just say it was a mistake." The old man sneered. "If I killed him, that would be a criminal offense. Don’t you get that?"

Xu Zhao Yu found it utterly ridiculous. He was lecturing her about the law at a time like this?

"I raised that brat until he was seven or eight years old. I treated him well enough. Who knew the kid would actually manage to survive until today?" The old man scoffed. "But you’ve done a good job, too. You’ve kept the Xu family wrapped around your little finger. Even though that little bastard came back, your status hasn’t been affected."

Naturally, Xu Zhao Yu wouldn’t publicly admit that Old Sir Xu had stripped her of her power within the Xu Group. Suppressing her anger, she retorted, "And who do you think Meng Shuyan takes after? How could he constantly do such brainless—"

Her words were cut off by a vicious slap.

SLAP!

A clear handprint quickly appeared on Xu Zhao Yu’s face. The pain brought tears to her eyes. Clutching her cheek, she seethed with anger but didn’t dare say a word.

"Pfft! Shuyan is of my own blood! You’re just a married daughter—nothing but spilled water! What right do you have to talk about him like that?" The old man cursed. "I’ll say it again: nothing bad can happen to my grandson. Otherwise, your brother won’t let you off the hook either!"

Forcing her tears back, Xu Zhao Yu slowly exhaled. "Fine, I understand. Hurry up and leave Jianghuai. Do you really want them to find out?"

The old man was shrewd; he knew perfectly well what was most important. "If it weren’t for my grandson, why would I have even come to Jianghuai? The money you gave me is more than enough for me to live comfortably in the Southern Region."

"Then you should also be clear on one thing," Xu Zhao Yu said coldly. "Without me, you wouldn’t be living so carefree. If you keep pushing me, I’ll drag you down with me."

The old man’s gaze faltered slightly. The ferocity on his face was instantly replaced by a fawning expression. "Daughter, why don’t you send your old man a little more money?"

Anything that could be solved with money wasn’t a problem for Xu Zhao Yu. "Fine," she said indifferently. "Just as long as you don’t cause any trouble in the Southern Region."

"Oh, right, daughter. A while ago, I ran into an archaeological team. There were Jiuzhou people as well as Southern Region people." The old man spoke with great animation. "They went to Seri, saying they were going to investigate some ruins related to Emperor Xuanwu."

"Emperor Xuanwu?" Xu Zhao Yu found it laughable. "You know about Emperor Xuanwu?"

"The Empress who brought chaos to Jiuzhou—who doesn’t know about her? I attended a few days of school, you know." The old man said proudly. "I reckon that archaeological team is just a bunch of idiots, probably squandering public funds. Seri is the very center of the Southern Region. What could Emperor Xuanwu have possibly left there? Are they suggesting she actually traveled to the central part of the Southern Region back in the day?"

Xu Zhao Yu had absolutely no interest in the four-hundred-year-old history of the Xuan Dynasty. Growing impatient, she snapped, "She’s been dead for centuries. What does it matter to us whether she went to the central Southern Region or not? Just leave!"

The old man tactfully stopped talking. Before leaving, he heavily emphasized, "Remember, my grandson is not to be harmed!"

TAP, TAP, TAP...

The footsteps echoed through the unfinished building before finally fading into silence.

Xu Zhao Yu closed her eyes, and the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over. She had to be a daughter of the Xu family! She always was, and she always would be! No one could change that!

Meanwhile, at Jianghuai First Hospital.

Late into the night, the hospital ward was in total chaos.

"What? Zhao Yu ran out?" Old Madam Xu’s voice abruptly pitched higher. "Why weren’t you watching her? She has a heart condition! What if something happens to her?"

The caregivers exchanged helpless looks. "Old Madam, we..."

"Enough. I don’t want to hear your excuses," Old Madam Xu interrupted. "I just want to see Zhao Yu!"

Just then, Meng Baizhou rushed over. "Mom, Zhao Yu is missing?"

"Yes. Who knows if that child ran off to the police station." Old Madam Xu was both angry and frantic. "She just woke up. What if she faints again?"

Meng Baizhou comforted her. "Mom, don’t worry. I’ll go look for her right now."

Right at that moment, Xu Zhao Yu returned, looking utterly defeated and crestfallen.

"Zhao Yu!" Old Madam Xu immediately stepped forward. "What happened? Your face..."

Xu Zhao Yu’s entire face was red and swollen, clearly bearing the marks of recent tears. Not daring to let the Xu and Meng families see that she had been slapped by someone else, she had slapped herself a few more times to cover up the original handprint. This way, she could also play the victim.

Meng Baizhou furrowed his brows and asked softly, "What’s wrong?"

"Bai Zhou!" Grasping him like a lifeline, Xu Zhao Yu asked frantically, "Have you talked to Changying? Can we settle this privately? We can compensate her ten times the value of her calligraphy—will she accept that?"

"Zhao Yu, you just woke up. There are a lot of things you still don’t know," Meng Baizhou said calmly. "The police already stated that it wasn’t Changying who reported the case. Trying to settle it privately with her is useless."

Only then did Xu Zhao Yu remember the previous events. She froze for a moment before pressing further, "Then... what about Chairman Meng?"

Meng Baizhou fell silent for a moment before replying slowly, "Chairman Meng has been fired. He is currently under investigation."