Chapter 210: All came to nothing

Su Jinru called Xia Chenggang with her smashed-screen phone; she really wanted to confront him, asking why he did this.

After nearly thirty years of marriage, she had given him her all, wholeheartedly, with no secrets. She asked herself, she had no regrets toward him; what kind of mindset drove him to do such a lunatic act?

Isn't it fine for a family to live peacefully and happily?

Su Jinru simply couldn't understand; she wanted an answer.

But Xia Chenggang's phone was unreachable, always off.

Su Jinru kept calling, as if competing with herself or venting her grief and anger; the mechanical voice reminded her many times that the user was powered off, yet she tirelessly dialed again.

Not only her; the whole family took turns calling Xia Chenggang, without exception, no one could get through.

The police were also looking for him, with no news so far; they couldn't find his ticket information, he might have taken a black car to flee to a remote area, or perhaps he never left Qianlin, hiding in some obscure corner.

The old lady woke up; whoever spoke to her, she ignored. Her formerly spirited face now looked like a plant drained of water, almost withered; those eyes that used to be bright became cloudy, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She had lost all vitality.

Su Jinru sat on the chair beside the hospital bed, both hands wrapped around the old lady's wrinkled hand, forehead pressed against it, choking: "Mom, I'm sorry, it's my fault for trusting Xia Chenggang. Hit me, scold me, don't hold it in and hurt yourself."

The old lady's finger twitched, pulling her hand away; Su Jinru didn't dodge, waiting for the slap. But she waited a long time; the old lady placed her hand on Su Jinru's head, gently patting twice, her withered mouth moving, voice hoarse almost inaudible: "Your eyes are swollen from crying."

Su Jinru raised her hand, covering the back of the old lady's hand with her palm: "Mom..."

The old lady could no longer speak; she felt something being drawn from her body, perhaps her soul, leaving only a shell lying here.

The next day, Xia Yue urged Xia Xi to buy a ticket back to Nancheng; someone needed to look after the house.

Everything was in chaos; Xia Xi no longer had the heart to study, firmly deciding to stay and keep them company.

She called the counselor to ask for leave, citing family matters, and got three days off.

After completing the grandmother's discharge procedures and returning home, Xia Xi never dared to voice her suspicions; she settled the grandmother in, feeling she could delay no longer.

The families of the injured workers couldn't get fair compensation and would come to cause trouble; the police could handle it once or twice, but couldn't guard here constantly. The household couldn't withstand harm; only she and her elder sister could barely hold on.

But she felt she could barely hold on herself.

Xia Xi went to Su Jinru's bedroom; she sat dazed on the edge of the bed, hunched, shoulders slumped, a lost look.

Hearing footsteps approaching from afar, Su Jinru slowly lifted her head; in just one day she seemed to have aged ten years, bloodshot veins covering her eyes, swollen eye sockets, skin like dry bark.

"Xi Xi, listen to your sister and go back to school." Su Jinru didn't want to cry anymore; crying solved nothing, she pressed the base of her palm against her eyelids, forcing herself to stay alert and advise: "You're still in school; if you fall behind, what then? You can't keep staying home."

"I've already asked the counselor for leave." Xia Xi said, "I'm in the second semester of senior year; the coursework isn't that heavy, taking a few days off won't matter; I'll return once the household situation stabilizes."

Su Jinru didn't know when this situation would stabilize; unable to persuade her, she sighed.

Xia Xi sat beside her; the mattress sank slightly, she braced her hands on it, fingers tightening, the sheet gathered into wrinkles; she pondered for a long time, some questions hard to voice.

Su Jinru saw she had something to say, moved her mouth, hoarse: "Say what you want to say."

What else could she not bear? Her husband had fled, the hotel was gone, her mother lay ill—each matter weighed on her heart.

Xia Xi licked her lips, still silent.

Su Jinru knew the temperaments of her three daughters: Xia Xi was bold, optimistic, resolute, rarely hesitant or indecisive; she usually spoke her mind, often teased by Xia Yue: "Your mouth runs ahead while your brain lags behind." Su Jinru had thought nothing could be worse than now, but Xia Xi's reaction shattered her feigned calm, making her heart race.

"Speak." Su Jinru held her breath.

Xia Xi's eyelids fluttered, she forced out: "I don't know how much savings we have, who holds them; better check. I'm worried Dad..." She even didn't want to call him "Dad" anymore: "I'm worried he took it."

Upon her reminder, Su Jinru thought of the money.

Yes, the hotel had been seized by Xia Chenggang through various means; how could he not take the money...

Su Jinru's mind felt like being pricked by needles, pain making cold sweat break out.

She staggered to the cabinet, knelt, pulled out the key from the hidden drawer, inserted it into the wall-mounted safe, turned the main lock, entered the password, opened the secondary lock; the safe door popped open. What met her eyes: her stored gold jewelry and several stacks of cash were gone.

Her trembling hand reached in; inside was a mustard-yellow nylon bag where she kept important items; she picked up the bag, no need to open it—by feel she knew it was empty.

Still, she unzipped it, gripped the bottom, turned it upside down, shook hard; nothing fell out.

Nothing, nothing at all.

Seeing this, Xia Xi closed her eyes, her face expressionless; no need to ask further.

The worst suspicion was confirmed: Xia Chenggang truly lived up to her "expectations" of him—he not only vanished but also took all the family's money.

Only a few useless empty shells remained in the safe.

Su Jinru still couldn't believe it; she frantically called everyone to verify, facts slapping her face again and again—Xia Chenggang, without her knowledge, had transferred all assets, leaving her not a cent.

Over these years, the savings the old lady and she had painstakingly earned from running the hotel had all turned to nothing.

Su Jinru was like a deflated hydrogen balloon, slumped on the ground, her eyes utterly devoid of luster.

No one in the household could sleep; after a few bites of the bought food, they lost appetite.

The families of the injured workers called from time to time, wailing, screaming, cursing emotionally broken; finally they asked her when the compensation would arrive—3.5 million, not a cent less.

One person is 3.5 million; three people were injured.

The hotel could no longer operate normally; a "temporarily closed" sign hung on the door. When it would reopen, nobody knew.

Perhaps the next time the doors open for business, the sign won't read "Peishan Grand Hotel," and the boss will have changed.

Su Jinru's phone rang again; she now dreaded the ringtone, each ring making her tremble all over, nerves taut, already a conditioned reflex.

Even when the phone didn't ring, she sometimes heard phantom sounds—voices of the injured workers' families weeping and insulting, the old man's voice, the child's voice, the man's voice, the woman's voice, all intertwined.

It made her suffer terribly.

Xia Xi took Su Jinru's phone, preparing to turn it off, but noticed the number on the screen looked odd. She furrowed her brows, compelled by intuition, and answered the call.

She didn't speak first; the other side remained silent.

Xia Xi was sure someone was there, because she heard breathing; she matched endurance with the person on the line, seeing who would break first.

After a long while, a familiar voice came through the earpiece, laden with deep fatigue and pain: "Jinru, it's me."

It was Xia Chenggang.

Xia Xi's nails dug into her palm, restraining the urge to shout; her throat rolled, along with the veins on her neck pulsing, a deep hollow formed in her collarbone.

"Where are you now?" Her voice sounded calm, to steady Xia Chenggang.