The father and daughter were forced into a narrow alley by two men on their way home.
Seeing the two tall men in balaclavas in front of them, Xu's father's legs turned to jelly.
He stammered, "What do you want? I don't have any money on me."
The two men said nothing and swung their steel pipes at him. The neighborhood was old and dilapidated, and the surveillance cameras on the street couldn't capture this area.
Xu's father reacted quickly and used Xu Zhaodi as a shield against a steel pipe. The blow landed directly on her head, and Xu Zhaodi's eyes rolled back as she fainted.
One man kicked Xu's father in the back of his knee, sending him to the ground with a thud. The man then raised his steel pipe and beat him all over his body.
The other man checked Xu Zhaodi's breathing and shook his head at his companion. He then picked up Xu's father's new mobile phone and smashed it to pieces. Together, they beat Xu's father until he was half dead.
Seeing that they had done enough, the two men quickly left the scene. Only after they were gone did Xu's father slowly get up. He spat out a mouthful of blood, having lost two teeth.
"Damn it, I'll find out who did this."
He reached out and nudged Xu Zhaodi beside him, "Stop pretending to be dead and get up. Do you want me to carry you? If you don't get up, I'll leave you here."
As Xu Zhaodi vaguely felt someone shaking her, she wondered if it was Ye Chuan. Why was he so rough? Her head was killing her, and she wondered who dared to hit her.
She opened her eyes to see a large, dark, and rough face. Xu Zhaodi was startled. Who was this person? How dare he take liberties with her.
Her hand reacted faster than her mind, and she slapped him. Although the force was not great, it thoroughly angered Xu's father. He had just been beaten up for no reason and was looking for an outlet for his anger.
He forcefully slapped Xu Zhaodi across the face, making her feel as though her face was about to split. Her chin ached, and her ears were buzzing.
"You little brat, how dare you hit your father? You've really gone too far."
Xu Zhaodi was completely stunned. Her father? Her biological father had become refined and cultured after decades of her filial piety. How could he be this shabby and disheveled?
Her adoptive father had died long ago, and her father-in-law, from a prominent family, was extremely well-mannered. Who was playing this joke on her, and what was the purpose of kidnapping her here?
Xu's father then kicked Xu Zhaodi hard in the stomach several times, sending her flying a considerable distance.
"What are you pretending for? A sparrow will always be a sparrow. Do you think living in a phoenix's nest for a few years makes you a phoenix? How dare you look down on me and hit me? You must be tired of living. I'll beat you to death and drag you to feed the dogs."
Xu Zhaodi was truly terrified that she would die at the hands of this lunatic. "I'll give you as much money as you want, just stop hitting me. My husband is very rich."
She was dizzy from the beating, her whole body in unbearable pain. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, and Xu's father didn't hear her clearly.
"What are you mumbling about? Speak up. Didn't the Zhong family feed you enough?" As he spoke, he kicked Xu Zhaodi several more times.
Xu Zhaodi fainted. Just then, a few uncles on their way home passed by. "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing here?"
"How can you hit a child? Can't you talk things through properly?"
"What business is it of yours if I hit my child? You old man, don't meddle in other people's affairs."
"Are you making any sense? Look at how you've beaten the child."
"It's none of your business how she's beaten. Why don't you take her home and raise her yourself?"
His shameless behavior deterred the onlookers. After all, no family was wealthy enough to raise another person's child.
"We can't control you, but the police can. If you keep hitting her, I'll call the police."
"Such a busybody," Xu's father spat, then picked up Xu Zhaodi and headed home.
When Xu's mother opened the door, she saw her husband and daughter both injured.
"Oh dear, come in and sit down. What happened? I'll get some medicinal wine to rub for you. What's wrong with the child? Why is he holding her? Is she seriously injured?"
Xu's mother still felt pity for her daughter, as she was flesh and blood. After not seeing her for so many years, she missed her.
Xu's father immediately slapped Xu's mother across the face. Xu's mother's ears buzzed, and she stood there stunned. Although Xu's father had a bad temper, he had never hit her without reason before. He used to take his anger out on the original host.
"Hurry up and get the medicinal wine, what are you standing there for? It hurts like hell. It must be that old bastard Zhong who sent people to do this.
They have money! You can't fight against power. It's all your fault, you wretched woman, for stirring up trouble. You didn't get any benefits, and you got me beaten up."
Xu's mother wiped away her tears and went into the room to get the medicinal wine she had prepared. After applying it all over Xu's father, Xu Zhaodi still hadn't woken up.
Xu's mother's face was filled with worry. After hesitating, she said, "Da Fu's father, let's take the child to the hospital. If she keeps fainting like this, there might be a problem."
"Do you have money? She's just a little girl, why take her to the doctor? If she doesn't wake up, dig a grave in the field and bury her. That way, we'll save food."
"Zhaodi is our biological daughter, how can you say that?"
"No matter how close she is, she's still just a daughter. Besides, all the family's money was taken by that ungrateful wretch. What do we have to treat her with? Don't be ungrateful. Go and make food, I'm starving."
Xu's mother dejectedly brought the cold dishes to the stove to reheat and called her son out for dinner. While the family was halfway through their meal, Xu Zhaodi woke up.
Xu's mother rushed forward to check. "My child, are you alright?"
Xu Zhaodi looked at the cramped and dilapidated house, and her own short limbs. Her memories flooded back. This was her biological parents' old house.
Endless grievances and disgust welled up in her heart. She had been reborn. But why was she with the Xu family and not the Zhong family? The memories in her head were extremely chaotic.
She clearly remembered being a glamorous socialite with children just a moment ago, and in the next second, she had become Zhong Qingyun as a child.
The pain all over her body reminded her that this was not a dream. But this was truly unscientific.
She didn't deny that Zhong Qingyun had suffered a lot for her, but since she had already endured that suffering, why should she have to go through it again?
Looking at the ugly and somewhat fawning woman in front of her, she didn't want to admit that this was her mother at all.
Yes, she was Zhong Qingyun now, the eldest daughter of the Zhong family. She had to go back to the Zhong family and switch back quickly.
"You are not my mother. I am the eldest daughter of the Zhong family. Hurry up and send me back. My biological parents will not treat you unfairly. They will give you a lot of money."
She knew Xu's father was greedy for money, and as long as there was money, everything could be settled. This time, she could legitimately enjoy the wealth of the Zhong family.
As she thought about it, she couldn't help but laugh. Her laughter coincided with Xu's father's.
"Did you get hurt and go crazy? They have already brought their eldest daughter back home. You've lived a good life for a few years and now you don't want to recognize your biological parents?"
"How can that be? How can that be? I don't believe it, I am the eldest daughter of the Zhong family."
"I think you've been dreaming too much and have completely forgotten what happened today. You have no relationship with the Zhong family anymore. They didn't want you after raising you for a few years. You're useless, otherwise, we could have enjoyed some comfort too."