Chapter 40: Seeking Humiliation

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In the afternoon, Tan Li hurried home from the hospital, her enormous belly leading the way. She had spent nearly the entire day there, tending to Xia Yu’s emotions while waiting for the rumors to die down. Instead, as the day wore on, the reports online had not disappeared at all. If anything, they had only grown more heated.

She rushed home, eager to demand why Xia Rui had not suppressed the news, but before she could say a word, Old Madam Xia summoned her into the room.

“Explain this to me. What exactly is going on?” Xia Rui slapped the several pages of Shen Yi’s diary onto the table and made Tan Li look at them.

Tan Li was no stranger to Shen Yi’s belongings. She had always known everything about Shen Yi, and years ago, partly to vent her resentment and partly to keep certain secrets hidden, she had personally destroyed those belongings.

The moment she saw Shen Yi’s handwriting, her face went deathly pale.

She had burned whatever needed burning and thrown away whatever needed throwing away. How could these things possibly have appeared here?

“What do you mean, what’s going on? How should I know?” Fear far outweighed confusion in Tan Li’s eyes. She hurriedly reached for the papers, but she had forgotten one thing: since they were in Xia Rui’s hands, how could he not have read them? And Xia Rui had no intention of giving her the opportunity to snatch them away.

Now that the diary had appeared, could more things surface as well? Would Xia Rui discover and expose the lies she had told him years ago, and the fact that she had caused Shen Yi to suffer a massive hemorrhage, simply because the diary had resurfaced?

No. Absolutely not!

Tan Li could not bear to imagine it. Her terror intensified until, overcome by guilt, she did not even dare look Xia Rui in the eye. Her guilty expression immediately deepened the suspicions of both Xia Rui and his mother.

If she had nothing to hide, why was she acting so guilty?

“Did you hide these pages? Otherwise, how could they have ended up in Yu’s diary? Back then, I handed all of Shen Yi’s belongings over to you to deal with!”

“In Yu’s possession? That’s impossible! Besides, what good would it do me to hide these things?” Faced with Xia Rui’s furious questioning, Tan Li burst into tears, aggrieved. Yet there was no way to explain the matter. She had indeed destroyed the belongings, but in the end they had appeared among her own daughter’s things. No matter how she looked at it, something was terribly wrong.

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“What good would it do you? You clearly told me that Shen Yi’s diary contained many things that should never have been recorded and that it could become leverage against me. Otherwise, why would I have handed it over to you to dispose of? Tell me, what good would keeping it have done you?” Xia Rui flung the yellowed pages into Tan Li’s face without the slightest courtesy. Her reaction had just confirmed his suspicions. He had never imagined that the woman who had slept beside him for so many years had been holding something back from him all along.

“You think I deliberately kept the diary so I could threaten you? Xia Rui, you’re heartless! I’ve devoted myself to you wholeheartedly all these years, and this is how you repay me—with suspicion?” Tan Li felt she had been wronged beyond endurance. She collapsed onto the sofa and began sobbing loudly, completely abandoning any concern for appearances.

Old Madam Xia stared at her belly, her heart tightening the instant Tan Li fell onto the sofa.

“That’s enough, enough. She’s carrying a child. Don’t upset her like this!” Afraid that Xia Rui might frighten Tan Li into harming herself or the baby, Old Madam Xia hurriedly ordered the servants to help Tan Li back to her room.

Xia Rusheng watched quietly from upstairs, the corners of her lips curling once more. She had heard every word of Xia Rui and Tan Li’s quarrel. All she had wanted was to clear herself of suspicion and then turn the tables on Xia Yu. She had never expected the trust between that married couple to be so fragile—or that they would provide her with such an entertaining spectacle free of charge.

Once a crisis of trust arose between two people, the crack could only grow wider. Xia Rui was already in the midst of utter turmoil, and Xia Rusheng believed that this time, it would be difficult for him to truly forgive Tan Li from the bottom of his heart. After all, the matter concerned him personally.

Sure enough, after Xia Rui stormed out of the room, he immediately ordered the servants to move his belongings into the guest room. Tan Li made a terrible scene inside, but he did not go in to look at her. Instead, his anger only mounted. It was not until he saw Xia Rusheng that the fury in his eyes eased somewhat.

“Rusheng, you—”

Before Xia Rui could finish, Xia Rusheng calmly turned and went back into her room, giving him no chance to say anything else. Xia Rui had just started after her when the doorbell rang. Shen Ruo and Zhang Biting entered reluctantly, followed by a large group of people.

The man behind Zhang Biting immediately bowed and scraped when he saw Xia Rui. “Chairman Xia, I’m truly sorry. My daughter was being immature. I promise I’ll teach her a proper lesson this time!”

“Yes, Chairman Xia. Young people can be thoughtless, and children are bound to quarrel now and then. Our Ruo was only playing around with Miss Xia. There must be some misunderstanding,” said the man behind Shen Ruo.

He was Shen Ruo’s father, Shen Tao. He and Xia Rui had numerous business dealings and knew each other well, their relationship quite amicable. Unlike Zhang Biting’s father, he did not look like a bootlicker.

Xia Rui badly wanted to use the opportunity to vent his anger, but he did not wish to lower himself. Thus, he said, “Whether this is a misunderstanding or not, we can discuss it carefully later. My daughter, Rusheng, is the victim of this incident. I hope Chairman Zhang and Chairman Shen will make their positions clear.”

“It was that damned—”

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“Shut up!”

The instant Shen Ruo began to protest, Shen Tao roared her into silence. He had not wanted to come and apologize either. Shen Ruo had already told him what had happened. Although he did not entirely believe her account, seeing the injuries on his daughter’s legs had convinced him that she was the true victim. If Feng Yuan had not used underhanded methods to force him here, why would Shen Tao ever have swallowed such undeserved humiliation?

“Go and apologize to Miss Xia!”

Though Shen Tao could not bear to see his daughter suffer, he had no choice but to issue the order sternly. Tears welled in Shen Ruo’s eyes, but she could only obey.

Her father had already told her that Miss Xia had not only the Lin family as her support, but also the S&Y Group behind her. The chairman of S&Y Group had abruptly suspended every cooperation project involving the Shen family the previous night. His sole purpose was to force them to come and apologize. When one lived beneath another’s roof, one had no choice but to bow. For the sake of the Shen family, she would have to endure this humiliation whether she wanted to or not.

Zhang Biting followed behind Shen Ruo. The two of them walked one after the other toward Xia Rusheng’s door, but before they could enter, they heard Xia Rusheng let out a shriek.

“Ah!”

It sounded as though she had been badly frightened.

Xia Rui rushed into the room. When he saw the panic and fear in his daughter’s eyes as she stared at Shen Ruo and Zhang Biting, he pushed the two girls aside without a word and slammed the door shut.

“Don’t be afraid, Rusheng. They won’t dare hurt you again. Daddy is here.” Xia Rui put his arms around Xia Rusheng and comforted her gently, assuming that the violent incident had left a psychological scar.

He had no idea that Xia Rusheng, leaning against him, wore a faint smile of triumph at the corner of her lips. Then she deliberately lowered her voice and spoke through trembling sobs.

“I don’t want to see them. I never want to see their faces again. Tell them to leave!”

“All right, all right. Daddy will make them leave. But they came today to apologize to you. If they leave, how will they apologize?” Seeing Rusheng’s condition, Xia Rui found himself in a difficult position. Was he really supposed to make the two girls stand outside the door and apologize?

“I don’t believe they truly came to apologize. If they were sincere, they would hold a press conference and apologize publicly. Otherwise, I won’t accept it. Make them leave right now!”

Xia Rui’s face stiffened at her words. While he was momentarily stunned, Xia Rusheng climbed onto the bed and pulled the quilt over her head.

Her meaning was perfectly clear: It was not impossible for her to forgive them. They simply had to hold a press conference and apologize publicly.

Now, leave. You are not welcome here.