The security guard explained to her over the phone, "I'm sorry, Ms. Zhan. Those ladies just now said they knew you, and one of them even claimed to be Mr. Xie's wife. That's why we didn't dare to stop them. I've seen her come here with Mr. Xie a few times before..."
The more Zhan Jiayi listened, the angrier she became. She interrupted him, "Don't you know this house is mine now? I'm the owner here! From now on, whoever comes looking for me, except for Mr. Xie, you must inform me first. Only if I allow it can you let them in!"
"Okay, okay, I understand. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the security guard apologized profusely.
Zhan Jiayi initially wanted the property management to fire the security guard to vent her anger, but she thought about living alone here and decided it was better to make friends.
"It's fine, just be more careful next time."
The security guard on the other end felt he had made a mistake and thanked her profusely.
After hanging up the phone, she felt a lingering sting on the side of her face that had been hit.
She checked the time difference between Lancheng and overseas, then deliberately slapped her already bruised face several times.
Looking in the mirror, she made sure it was as red and swollen as possible. She then dabbed some water under her eyes to make it look like she had just been crying.
She sat on the living room sofa, her phone's front-facing camera pointed at the messy scene, and made a video call to Xie Zhendong.
He answered shortly after she dialed.
He had just returned to his hotel not long ago and was alone in his room, troubled by Xie Qining's affairs.
As soon as the call connected, he saw Zhan Jiayi on his screen, looking extremely pitiful.
Before he could speak, Zhan Jiayi said with a choked voice, "Zhendong, I shouldn't be bothering you at this hour. But there's something I must tell you."
"What happened to your face? What happened at your place?" Xie Zhendong asked with concern.
Zhan Jiayi tried to hold back her tears and said, "Your wife came here with someone today... I know I was wrong, no matter how much she insulted me or hit me... it's alright..."
"She had someone hit you too?" Xie Zhendong couldn't listen anymore.
"It wasn't too bad, she didn't hit me hard. It doesn't hurt."
Zhan Jiayi's forced bravery made her seem even more pitiable.
Xie Zhendong couldn't go back right away. He said, "Just bear with it for now. Don't confront her directly. I'll talk to her about this when I get back."
"Don't worry, I won't argue with her. I'll move out as soon as possible. We... let's just forget it... after all, she's still your wife."
"You're not allowed to go anywhere now. We'll discuss everything when I return." He hadn't expected Feng Rou to discover his affair with Zhan Jiayi at this time.
"Okay, I'll listen to you," Zhan Jiayi said hesitantly to the video call. "Um, um, does your wife still not know about Qining's situation? I accidentally mentioned it when I was begging her for mercy today. Will this make things difficult for you?"
Xie Zhendong rubbed his temples and said, "If she knows, she knows. It doesn't matter much anymore."
Seeing his troubled and pained expression, Zhan Jiayi was sure he was already fed up with the difficulties in getting Xie Qining acquitted.
Zhan Jiayi didn't dare to say more. "It's nighttime where you are. Get some rest early. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Xie Zhendong truly had no mood for anything else right now.
Zhan Jiayi put down her phone and leaned back on the sofa, placing her hands on her abdomen. Thinking about how she had almost scared the child in her womb today, she gnashed her teeth in hatred for Feng Rou.
An old woman still wanted to compete with her for a man. How delusional. She had done everything she could, and now she just had to wait and watch Feng Rou become overwhelmed with anxiety and fall into an abyss of eternal damnation because of her son.
...
Shasha was playing with her child when the housekeeper suddenly came to tell her that Feng Rou was back and urgently called her to the room.
Her heart skipped a beat, thinking it was probably about Xie Qining's case.
Ever since Gu Susu had caught her with leverage over her child, she could only stay home and accompany her child, not thinking about anything else.
This, however, had given her a few days of truly peaceful living, and her heart had calmed down considerably.
She went to Feng Rou's room. Before she could speak, she could already sense Feng Rou's agitated temper.
"Mom, did you need me for something?"
"Tell me, what serious crime did Qining commit over there? It's a very serious matter, isn't it?" Feng Rou said with a tone of certainty. "Your father-in-law went abroad for Qining's case. How long do you intend to hide it from me?"
Shasha knew the matter could no longer be concealed. It seemed Xie Zhendong himself had told Feng Rou.
She had heard that the group's overseas project had already been successfully signed, so there was no point in hiding it.
"Yes, Qining actually committed the serious crime of kidnapping and extortion. It won't be easy to get him completely acquitted," Shasha said calmly. "However, with Dad helping him over there, it should be fine."
Shasha's words confirmed that Zhan Jiayi had not lied. Feng Rou collapsed onto the chair and blamed her, "Qining is in such serious trouble, how could you hide it from me?"
"It was Dad's idea. The project hadn't been finalized yet, and he was afraid Qining's case would affect the overseas project. So Dad told me not to make a fuss when I returned. Also, the old lady is old, and knowing the truth might be too much for her to bear," Shasha explained softly, lowering her head.
Feng Rou became restless and said, "No, I have to go abroad immediately to see what's wrong with Qining. He's never suffered like this since he was a child. Being locked up over there, even in a detention center, would be very painful."
"How about I accompany you?" Shasha was also worried that Xie Qining couldn't endure the hardship and would tell the truth about everything. If he said it was to get revenge for her, the Xie family would surely blame her.
Feng Rou was annoyed with her and said, "No need. Your going won't be of any use. Oh, and continue to keep this from the old lady, understand?"
"I know," Shasha reminded her. "Mom, shouldn't you inform Dad before you go?"
"You don't need to tell me that. I know," Feng Rou said impatiently, waving her hand to signal her to leave.
Shasha quietly left Feng Rou's room. In her heart, she felt that Feng Rou going over there would also be of no use.
She had been staying in the Xie family for quite some time and knew that although her mother-in-law was a lady from a prominent family, she didn't have much intelligence. Apart from doting on her son excessively, she was incapable of handling matters.
If Feng Rou informed Xie Zhendong in advance, Xie Zhendong would likely not let her go. Besides causing trouble, she wouldn't be able to help much.
...
After receiving Zhan Jiayi's call, Xie Zhendong knew that Feng Rou would inevitably contact him.
He could even guess what Feng Rou would say to him.
Just as he lay down on the bed, Feng Rou's call came through.
She spoke directly, "I've booked my ticket for tomorrow. I'm coming over to help you save our son."
"Cancel the ticket. Your coming is useless," Xie Zhendong's voice was very cold.