Chapter 373: Don't twist black and white here

The next day after work, returning home, Xia Xi saw a large box in the living room and asked Zhangyi about it.

Zhangyi said, "It's a delivery; I signed for it."

Xia Xi hadn't bought anything recently, so it must be Xu Yanfeng's; she glanced at the label and sure enough it was his, an international delivery.

Xu Yanfeng hadn't come home yet.

Xia Xi didn't open the delivery box, moved it to stand by the cabinet, her hand brushed dust, she went to the bathroom to wash, just squeezed out hand soap when Zi Heng called from the living room, "Mom, your phone is vibrating."

After seeing a client in the afternoon, her phone hadn't yet resumed ringing; Xia Xi's hands were covered in foam, she faced outward and shouted, "Help me check whose call this is."

Zi Heng ran over with the phone: "It's Auntie."

Thinking something might have happened to Xia Xuan, Xia Xi quickly rinsed her foam-covered hands under the faucet, grabbed a few paper towels to dry the water droplets, took the phone from Zi Heng, and swiftly pressed answer.

On Xia Yue's end, something was up—shouting, male and female voices mixed together; she moved away from the noise's center and said, "Chen Songbai's parents suddenly showed up, both unreasonable and refusing to leave; Mom is really angry."

Xia Xi frowned: "What do they mean?"

"They came to force Xia Xuan to divorce Chen Songbai." Xia Yue was also fuming, "Why don't they talk to their own son instead of bullying our Xia Xuan?"

Still on the call, Xia Xi quickly grabbed her car keys, took the phone from her ear, and told Zhangyi, "Zhangyi, I'm heading out; I'm not sure when I'll be back."

After saying that hurriedly, Xia Xi slipped on her sports shoes, opened the door and ran out, putting the phone back to her ear: "Take good care of Xia Xuan, don't let her confront those two directly; I'll talk more when I get there. Also, call Chen Songbai—his own parents—tell him to sort it out himself!"

The incident where Xia Xuan's heart disease relapsed due to anger from her mother-in-law, sending her to the hospital for surgery, still makes Xia Xi feel uneasy when she thinks back; Xia Xuan's heart can't take any more strain. Those two have no sense of morality; when they get ruthless, they say whatever nasty things—Xia Xuan is no match for them.

She got into the driver's seat, tossed her phone onto the passenger seat, pressed the accelerator, and drove out of the underground garage.

Preoccupied with the situation there, Xia Xi forgot to turn on the air conditioning; with the outdoor temperature nearing forty degrees, she was drenched in sweat within minutes, only realizing it at a red light when she hastily switched on the car's AC.

The cold air blew out with a whoosh, but she felt no coolness at all.

Worried that Xia Yue's tone was too mild and Chen Songbai wouldn't grasp the seriousness, Xia Xi glanced at the red-light countdown—still about forty seconds—and dialed Chen Songbai's number.

As soon as the call connected, Xia Xi didn't waste words, commanding, "Get to Xia Xuan's place right now; if anything happens to her, I won't let this go!"

She spoke without mercy, and Chen Songbai, already used to it, replied, "I just got a call from my older sister and have already left the company."

Xia Xi had nothing more to say and hung up directly.

The red light hadn't ended yet; she irritably tapped the steering wheel with her fingertips, one beat after another, the rhythm irregular. After waiting a bit longer, the green light came on, the car ahead moved, and Xia Xi followed behind.

Rushing and dawdling, she arrived at Su Jinru's home; stepping out of the elevator into the hallway, she could already hear Chen Songbai's mother's loud voice.

"I never agreed to this marriage from the start; Xia Xuan is like tofu slag—she falls apart at a touch, can't carry on the family line, and has made my son a sinner of the old Chen clan!"

Another voice was Su Jinru's; even though she was angry, she didn't utter a single harsh word: "Can you talk sense? It's your son who cheated, doing something wrong to our Xia Xuan."

"What cheating, speaking so harshly—it's just to blame your daughter for being a hen that can't lay eggs; we're thinking of the Chen family, not wanting to cut off the ancestral line! If your daughter were truly sensible, she'd hurry up and divorce!"

The front door was opened from outside.

Xia Xi walked in without changing her shoes, calmly scanned the living room; the atmosphere was tense, Chen Songbai's parents' faces flushed and necks thick, Su Jinru was supported by Xia Yue, both angry and aggrieved.

Fortunately, Xia Xuan wasn't here; she should be in her room.

The soundproofing in this apartment isn't great; even if Xia Xuan hid in her room, with Chen Songbai's parents speaking so loudly, she couldn't possibly not hear them.

Chen Songbai's workplace is far from here; he hasn't arrived yet.

Xia Xi frowned, stepping slowly to the center of the living room.

Miao Cuixia looked at the sudden newcomer, knowing she was Xia Xuan's second sister, having met her before; she paused, then spoke just as bluntly: "You came at a good time—persuade your sister not to mooch off our place."

"Auntie, I don't know who stirred you up to come cause trouble, but I need to tell you the real situation." Xia Xi gave a fake smile, "It's your son Chen Songbai, begging and pleading, refusing to divorce our Xia Xuan, kneeling to ask her for another chance—it's not our Xia Xuan clinging to you; you've got it wrong."

"What did you say?" Chenfu glared at her.

"I'm saying, instead of bullying Xia Xuan here, you'd better save your energy to go back and properly persuade your son." Xia Xi glanced at her watch, "Not going back is fine anyway—your son will be here soon, we're all gathered, so let's lay it all out and see who's really clinging to whom. If you keep making a scene here and don't care about losing face, I'll throw the doors open, call the neighbors over to watch the show; you're unreasonable, but there are plenty of reasonable people. Anyone hearing it will instantly know who's really in the wrong—don't twist black and white with just a few words here."

Chenfu had never suffered such anger; he pointed at her nose and shouted, "You shameless woman, saying who's unreasonable—believe it or not, I'll beat you..."

Xia Yue jumped in front of Xia Xi, frightened that Chenfu might strike her.

Xia Xi pulled her sister aside, her sharp gaze locking onto Chenfu without fear: "Go ahead and hit me. If you dare, I'll call the police right away; I don't mind if you get detained. Nowadays it's a society ruled by law, not whoever is barbaric who prevails."

Chenfu's fingers trembled, cowed by her stare and words; he could only utter threats, not actually strike.

Miao Cuixia kept cursing and swearing until Chen Songbai appeared, drenched in sweat, at which point she stopped.

"Dad, Mom, how did you find your way here?" Chen Songbai's face fell; he already felt guilty toward Xia Xuan, eager for her forgiveness, but his parents' arrival and commotion left his heart cold, feeling reconciliation hopeless.

Miao Cuixia seemed to have found a pillar, gripping Chen Songbai's arm tightly; he's tall, so to speak to her she had to crane her neck: "Son, you've finally come—tell me, do you want to break it off, stop hanging yourself on this Xia Xuan tree?"

Although Chen Songbai rushed over anxiously, he wasn't yet dazed; he and Xia Xuan had problems, but he hadn't mentioned them to his parents, and Xia Xuan and her family would never say—how did the old couple find out?

"I ask you, why are you coming to look for Xiao Xuan?! Who sent you!"

"Who are you talking to, shouting like that?" Chenfu couldn't move anyone else, but he still had the confidence to discipline his son, immediately slapping his forehead: "I'm just asking you—are you divorcing this marriage or not?"

"No divorce." Chen Songbai hesitated not a second, "I'd rather die than divorce."

Chenfu's face turned dark as iron, and he dealt another slap.

With just this one son, when they married Chenfu had tried every dissuasion to no avail, harboring a faint hope that perhaps Xia Xuan's health wasn't that poor and she could bear children. Now he's given up all hope, only wishing they'd split quickly so as not to hinder Chen Songbai from finding someone else.

Chen Songbai's ears rang from the blows, yet he clung to his decision, refusing to divorce.

Miao Cuixia was both angry and anxious, pounding his arm with fierce blows, one after another, scolding him as an unfilial son: "Are you not planning to take responsibility for Jia Jia? She's a pure, innocent girl who's never even dated, and you've taken advantage of her..."

"Who told you?!" Chen Songbai's face changed.