Chapter 37: Turning the Tables

With a thunderous, ear-splitting crash, the entire mirror shattered. Although Xia Rusheng managed to dodge the impact, her right arm was inevitably sliced by the flying glass.

She felt no pain, however. Compared to the suffering she and Xiaxia had endured, this was nothing.

"You crazy woman!" Shen Rou shrieked, her voice raspy from terror and completely swallowed by the sound of the splintering glass.

The commotion was substantial, and since Xia Rusheng had intentionally turned off the faucet, it was loud enough to alert everyone, even those on the floor below.

"Xiaxia? Are you in there? Xiaxia!" A moment later, Lin Yichen’s voice came from the other side of the door. Upon finding it locked from the inside, he immediately called for help to break it down. Having spoken with him before going to the restroom, Lin Yichen instinctively assumed something had happened to her when he heard the massive crash.

Shen Rou and Zhang Biting were still frozen in shock. In that brief window, Xia Rusheng picked up a shard of glass, made several shallow cuts on the back of her own hand, and then kicked the wooden club toward Shen Rou.

When Lin Yichen burst through the door, this was the scene that greeted him: three women sprawled on the floor, all soaked, surrounded by jagged glass. A heavy wooden club lay in front of Shen Rou, while blood-stained glass shards were scattered around Xia Rusheng.

"Xiaxia, what happened?" Lin Yichen’s face turned ashen. He saw her curled up beneath the vanity, her hands covered in blood and lacerations, shivering violently while gazing at the other two women with terror in her eyes. "Xiaxia, look at me. Did someone bully you?"

The situation was self-evident. The members of the Xia family immediately locked their glares onto Shen Rou and Zhang Biting. Xia Rui, in particular, looked so furious his eyes seemed ready to pop from their sockets.

"Uncle Xia, it’s not what you think! It was Xiaxia who bullied us! It was her! She hit me with the club and splashed water on us! She really did!" Shen Rou was the first to snap back, crying and shouting her defense. She felt that Xiaxia was far too good an actress; clearly, she and Zhang Biting were the victims, yet in this current state, Xiaxia appeared to be the one who had suffered.

Xia Rusheng offered no retort. She merely sobbed quietly, burying her face deep into Lin Yichen’s chest, trembling so violently she seemed unable to utter a single word. Unlike the belligerent, sharp-tongued display of the other two, she looked every bit the victim.

"Xiaxia bullied you? She, alone, bullied the two of you? A fragile girl bullied two women armed with a club? If she bullied you, how did she end up soaked and covered in blood? Shen Rou! Zhang Biting! You two just wait!" Lin Yichen took off his coat to wrap around Xia Rusheng and carried her out of the restroom. Before leaving, Xia Rusheng didn't forget to grab her handbag, keeping her face buried in his chest the entire time.

Inside the restroom, Shen Rou and Zhang Biting continued their desperate pleas, but no one believed them. Though Xia Rui was trembling with rage, there was little he could do to the two girls; he could only summon a driver to take them home.

Back at the Xia residence, Xia Rui went straight upstairs to check on Xia Rusheng, only to be blocked at the door by Lin Yichen.

"Uncle Xia, I think you know very well why Xiaxia was harassed by Shen Rou and her friend today."

Xia Rui’s face, already grim, paled further. Shen Rou and Zhang Biting were Xia Yu’s best friends; he feared this had everything to do with her.

"Xia Yu is still in the hospital, and she’s injured so badly, I really can't—"

"Are you suggesting, Uncle Xia, that this should just be dropped?"

"Of course not! Tomorrow, I will have the Shen and Zhang families come to apologize to Xiaxia!" Xia Rui thought this was a perfect resolution, but Lin Yichen let out a disdainful scoff.

"Do you really think an apology is enough? I see you still don't understand why Xiaxia calls you 'Chairman Xia' instead of 'Father'."

Because he was simply unworthy of the title.

Xia Rui took a deep breath. That final remark pierced his heart like a nail, leaving him breathless for a moment. What was he supposed to do?

"How is Xiaxia?" Grandma Xia had just returned from the hospital and, seeing Lin Yichen, stopped to ask.

"Her wounds have been treated. She just fell asleep." Lin Yichen showed no emotion in front of the old woman, then helped her walk downstairs.

"Don't worry. Grandma will handle this for Xiaxia, but you need to do me a favor first." Grandma Xia had Lin Yichen sit down, her expression grave. "I don't want a word of what happened at the banquet to leak out, especially the photos and videos. Xia Yu will be of age in a few months; I cannot have any negative press surrounding her before then. Think of her reputation."

Lin Yichen understood she was referring to the unflattering photos of Xia Yu. The reporters at the banquet were all personal acquaintances; he was the only one with the influence to prevent the footage from surfacing.

"I understand, Grandma. I’ll take care of it."

Knowing the severity of the situation, Lin Yichen did not linger. Grandma Xia was pleased with the future grandson-in-law's compliance; she would give him his due in return.

"Rui, find a way to make Shen Rou, Zhang Biting, and Xia Yu come to apologize to Xiaxia in person!"

"Mother, I don't think Xia Yu orchestrated this. She didn't even know Xiaxia was going to visit the hospital. Besides, given her temperament, how could she possibly apologize to Xiaxia?" Xia Rui found the request difficult. He knew his younger daughter well—spoiled, headstrong, and always at odds with Xiaxia. Asking her to lower her head was harder than reaching the heavens.

Grandma Xia shook her head in frustration. She took Xia Rui’s hand and said earnestly, "Rui, this isn't the time to debate right and wrong. Making them apologize isn't for Xiaxia’s sake—it’s to give the Lin family a proper explanation. Xiaxia just got engaged, and for this to happen now... what will the elder Lin think? Don't forget, she is not just your daughter, but the future granddaughter-in-law of the Lin family. If we want that land deal to go through, we need the Lin family’s support."

Xia Rui stood frozen for a moment before nodding in realization. After changing his clothes, he drove back to the hospital.

At the corner of the third-floor landing, Xia Rusheng had been hiding there ever since Lin Yichen went downstairs. She had heard every word of the conversation between Xia Rui and his mother. Power and status truly were everything; they were enough to make the Xia family compromise time and again.

She didn't care for the apologies of those three. What she wanted was the complete and total ruin of Xia Yu.