Chapter 209

It's impossible to keep grandmother's collapse a secret.

Su Jinru knew the hotel where grandmother and Xia Xi had gone together; she called Xia Xi's phone but no one answered, then she called the hotel and learned what had happened.

"Where… which hospital?" Su Jinru clenched the pants on her leg, her vision went dark in waves, she felt dizzy, and a buzzing rang in her head.

The person on the other end of the phone was Aunt Lin, who told her the name of the hospital.

Su Jinru felt as if water had filled her ears, she couldn't hear clearly, so she had to ask again.

Aunt Lin understood her feelings, sighed, and patiently repeated it.

Tears welled up, Su Jinru covered her mouth, her trembling lips unable to make a sound.

Aunt Lin softly comforted her: "I went to the hospital with Xi Xi to send the elderly lady there; the doctor said it's not serious, once she wakes up she just needs gradual care, just avoid further stimulation. I'm not clear about the hotel matter either; wait for Xi Xi to tell you."

Su Jinru let her hand drop helplessly, her phone slipped to the floor, she lowered her head, and tears pattered onto her leg, leaving a dark stain on her grayish pants.

Xia Xuan had been staying by her side, frightened by her appearance, she reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, anxiously asking: "Mom, what's wrong? Grandma and older sister still haven't come back?"

Su Jinru's eyes were blurred with tears, she kept murmuring: "How could this be, how could this be..."

Xia Xuan didn't understand: "What do you mean?"

Su Jinru turned sideways, gripped her shoulder, and helplessly said: "Xuanxuan, how could this be?"

Xia Xuan's face went pale; she didn't know anything, she just shook her head.

Half an hour later, Su Jinru and Xia Xuan rushed to the hospital.

Grandmother was still sleeping; the two of them made no noise, quietly keeping her company in the ward. Outside the ward, Xia Yue and Xia Xi, the two sisters, one sat and the other leaned against the wall.

Xia Xi lowered her head, her disheveled hair covering her facial expression so no one could see; she had one arm wrapped around the other, her figure looking especially frail in the long hallway.

Suddenly, a ringtone sounded.

Xia Xi's body trembled; she was now a little afraid of hearing her phone ring, fearing another piece of bad news.

Her phone was charging on the chair; Xia Yue picked it up and handed it to her.

Xia Xi slowly took it, saw that the call was from Xu Yanfeng, and her eyelashes fluttered; the three words "Xu Yanfeng" pulled her out of the suffocating confined space, giving her a breath of relief.

She unplugged the power bank, put it back, and walked aside to answer.

"I sent you a message, why didn't you reply?" Xu Yanfeng's voice was clear and moist, as if it could cleanse the stagnant turbidity in her chest.

Xia Xi tilted her head back, took a breath, forced a smile onto her lips, her tone showing no hint of abnormal emotion: "My phone died; I just plugged the power bank into the stool to charge, I didn't hear the notification."

It wasn't really a lie, so saying it caused her no psychological burden.

"What did you send me?" Xia Xi asked.

"Just asking what you're doing."

"I'm..."

Xia Xi had just spoken two words when a nurse pushing a cart passed by, knocked open a ward door, and reminded the patient inside: "Patient in room 305, it's time to change the dressing."

Xia Xi opened her mouth, got stuck, instinctively covered the phone's earpiece, but it was in vain—Xu Yanfeng had already heard. His tone slowed: "You're in... the hospital? What happened to you?"

Xia Xi covered her eyes, a flicker of regret crossing her weary face; she should have taken the call in the stairwell. Her throat tightened, and she said: "It's not me, it's my grandmother who's hospitalized. Taking advantage of the weekend, I went back to my hometown to see her."

She didn't mention anything else; Xu Yanfeng was on a business trip abroad, separated by time zone and great distance, he was still busy, and she shouldn't bother him with these matters.

Xu Yanfeng had met Xia Xi's grandmother before, a kind and smiling old lady: "So sudden, I hadn't heard you mention it before. How is grandmother's condition? Is it serious?"

"Not serious, just a minor ailment; she was sent to the hospital and woke up right away, now she's sleeping." Xia Xi forced a smile, though he couldn't see it, "Everyone else is at home, and I can't really help anyway."

Xu Yanfeng: "Remember to eat on time, and call me if anything comes up."

"You too."

Just as Xia Xi finished speaking, someone on the phone called Xu Yanfeng, addressing him as "Young General Manager Xu," probably a subordinate seeking him; Xia Xi hurriedly said: "Go ahead and get busy, I won't disturb you, we'll touch base later."

Xu Yanfeng said a single "good," and she immediately hung up, afraid that even a second's delay would leak her true emotions.

Xia Xi brushed back her hair and turned back, seeing Su Jinru emerge from the ward, her face worn and exhausted.

Mother and daughter faced each other; Xia Xi gathered her thoughts, since things had come to this, further concealment was pointless—she needed to know the truth to plan ahead. She took Su Jinru's hand, had her sit on the plastic chair beside Xia Yue, then knelt before her, gripping both of her hands and resting them on her knees, and asked in an even tone: "Mom, tell me, did you transfer the hotel into Dad's name?"

Su Jinru shook her head in terror, denying outright: "I didn't."

Although she tolerated Xia Chenggang in every way, she knew some things could be compromised and others could not. Xia Chenggang often asked her for money to get by, and she never refused; but Peishan Grand Hotel was different—even if the grandmother had handed the hotel to her, in her heart the hotel still belonged to the grandmother, and without her nod she could never give it to anyone.

Xia Xi saw that Su Jinru didn't look like she was lying, and she had no reason to lie either; she didn't know where the problem lay: "But the fact is, the hotel was transferred by Dad to a boss surnamed Wu. Mr. Wu came today just to take over the hotel, telling us to finish the handover within a week."

Su Jinru suddenly gripped her hand tightly, shaking her head desperately to explain: "I really didn't. Peishan Grand Hotel was entrusted to me by your grandmother; I know how important it is to her, how could I give it to your father?"

Xia Yue rubbed her back, signaling her not to get agitated: "Mom, we all believe you. Think again carefully—did you sign any agreement or such documents?"

Su Jinru instinctively wanted to say no, but as the words reached her lips, something flashed in her mind, her whole body shuddered, her eyes stared wide, and she shook her head in disbelief: "It shouldn't be, it shouldn't..."

"Did you remember something?" Xia Xi stared intently at her face.

Su Jinru looked at her eldest daughter, then at her younger daughter, stamping her feet in anxiety: "No, no." She refused to admit she had been deceived by her husband, only wanting to overturn her suspicion.

Xia Xi closed her eyes, then opened them again, urging Su Jinru to wake up: "Mom, don't you understand yet? Dad only cares about himself; he's never considered us. He dumped a mess and hid away, ignoring Grandma's old age, ignoring Xuanxuan's heart condition, and never thinking how helpless you are in this situation."

Su Jinru finally trembled as she spoke: "On New Year's Eve, Dad gave me a document, saying it was an insurance policy that needed my signature; I was so sleepy then I signed without checking the content."

Xia Xi pushed herself up using her knees and slowly stood; that must be the agreement to transfer the hotel.

The truth came to light, and all the places that had seemed strange before now had reasonable explanations—

Why was Xia Chenggang always absent-minded? Why did he get angry when she stopped Mom from drinking? Why did he answer a call nervously and furtively, avoiding everyone, going so far away, and coming back with an even worse complexion…?

It's a pity we didn't investigate thoroughly back then; now it's too late to judge.

"It's my fault." Su Jinru clutched her own throat, her face turning deep red, feeling breathless, she bent her back: "It's all my fault—I lost the hotel, I harmed your grandmother."

"Mom, don't say that—the one who made the mistake is Dad." Xia Yue looked at her like that, heartbroken and tearing up.

Xia Xi's fingers felt icy, that chill instantly spreading through her body; she formed the worst suspicion—Xia Chenggang had set his sights on the hotel—so how much of the family's property remains?

One must know the hotel isn't that easy to get hold of; otherwise Xia Chenggang wouldn't have gone to such lengths to set a trap while Su Jinru was not thinking clearly. Compared to the hotel, wouldn't savings be easier to get? That is their marital joint property, over which he has disposal rights.