Chapter 78: You Must Be Lonely

Hu Minxing thought something had happened to her again. As he called her, he pounded on the door.

Hearing the commotion, Zhang Xiluo answered the phone, realizing only then that Hu Minxing was right outside. She opened the door, apologetic. “Sorry, Uncle Hu. I was sleeping too deeply.”

“No need to apologize. I was just worried something happened to you. Your parents entrusted you to me, and yet I haven’t taken good care of you.” Hu Minxing was still blaming himself for her miscarriage. “If your parents knew, how much it would pain them!”

“That won’t happen. You’ve taken great care of me, Uncle Hu. That was just an accident.” Zhang Xiluo didn’t elaborate, accepting the dinner Hu Minxing had brought her. “Would you like to eat with me?”

“You go ahead. I still have things to do. Your parents will be coming in a few days—I need to prepare.”

“Thank you for all your hard work, Uncle Hu.”

After seeing Hu Minxing off, Zhang Xiluo sat down in the dining room to eat. As she scrolled through her social feed, she came across Lin Yiming’s latest post.

He seemed to be doing well; his café business was thriving, and he’d posted many words of gratitude to her. Only then did she remember Lin Yiming’s New Year greetings—she hadn’t even looked at them.

Lin Yiming had wished her a happy new year and good health, attaching a red envelope of 888. When it expired, he sent it again, and kept doing so until today.

When Zhang Xiluo finally accepted the red envelope, Lin Yiming messaged her almost immediately.

“Sis, you’re finally willing to talk to me.”

“I never ignored you, just had some things happen.” Zhang Xiluo brushed it off with a single sentence. “You doing well lately?”

“I’m good, just worried you’d shut me out. That thing was Zhou Yao’s doing—I have evidence,” Lin Yiming said, reminding Zhang Xiluo of something she’d nearly forgotten.

“Sis, I’ve sent you the evidence. If you need anything, just tell me.” Lin Yiming had firmly chosen to help her. In the days she’d left Longcheng, he’d been investigating her kidnapping.

Looking at it this way, aside from that scumbag, everyone else seemed to be a righteous hero.

She never would have imagined that even Li Mingye turned out to be such a hopeless romantic!

Lin Yiming had a recording of Zhuo Tongtong, proving it was Zhou Yao who’d arranged for Gao Sihai to kidnap her.

But merely an audio recording wasn’t enough to convict Zhou Yao. She could easily refute the evidence, claiming Zhuo Tongtong was slandering her.

“For now, this is enough. Thank you.” Zhang Xiluo didn’t want to drag Lin Yiming into this any further, urging him to stay out of Zhou Yao’s business.

She already had quite a bit of evidence of Zhou Yao’s misdeeds, but none of it was conclusive or damning enough. Taking her down would require a longer game.

Because of an incident in her uncle’s family, her parents had delayed their trip and would come see her a few days later.

Her uncle worked at the Longcheng Audit Bureau and had been set up—photos surfaced of him at an upscale banquet, looking intimate with a woman.

Her parents stayed in Longcheng to investigate, determined to clear her uncle’s name.

None of this had happened in her previous life. Zhang Xiluo felt that her rebirth had shifted the trajectory of fate, leading to many unexpected events.

For instance, Su Jianhao—a man she’d never met before in her previous life—had repeatedly expressed a desire to date her. After being rejected, he revealed his true colors, turning hostile and nasty.

Zhang Xiluo had mentioned to Hu Minxing not to let Su Jianhao deliver things to her. She thought there was something off about him. She’d never even brought up the matter of the sweet potatoes, yet he seemed to know.

She suspected he knew Zhou Yao, or perhaps was helping her.

One day, as Zhang Xiluo was sunbathing in the courtyard, Su Jianhao suddenly appeared—he’d climbed over the wall.

“Miss Zhang, I know I can’t compare to your ex-husband or your new lover, but I do have my own advantages. I’m young, and in certain ways, I could leave you completely satisfied.”

“Get out!” Zhang Xiluo was stunned by his words, then immediately stood and snapped in disgust. “Su Jianhao, get out right now!”

“Don’t act so high and mighty. You’re not short of money and you keep seducing men all over—aren’t you just insatiable? Come on, let me satisfy you right now!”

With that, Su Jianhao strode over and grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip.

“Daylight isn’t suitable for this sort of thing. Let’s take it inside.” He yanked her up from the chair, dragging her toward the house.

“Let go of me! I’ll scream for help!” Zhang Xiluo struggled and shouted for help, but Su Jianhao wasn’t fazed—he seemed almost excited.

“No one lives here. Scream all you want.” He dragged her inside. She couldn’t break free, so she kicked him hard in the knee. The pain made him loosen his grip slightly.

Taking the chance, Zhang Xiluo wrenched her hand away and ran desperately toward the house. She had just opened the door when Su Jianhao caught up to her, grabbed her hair, and yanked her inside.

“You really don’t know what’s good for you!” Su Jianhao slapped her hard across the face. Her vision blurred, her ears rang, and her legs buckled as she collapsed to the floor.

He crouched down, yanking her hair to force her head up. “If it weren’t for your looks and that bit of money, I wouldn’t bother with you.”

“How much do you want?” Zhang Xiluo, regaining some clarity, stared at him coldly, uncertain whether he’d always been this good at pretending or if her wealth had truly driven him mad.

Hu Minxing had even said he was a good young man. The staff at the guesthouse had praised him as well.

“The more the better. But I also want to see what it’s like with a rich woman like you.” Su Jianhao’s hand slid down her face, moving lower.

A wave of nausea overtook her, and she dry-heaved.

He slapped her again, so hard the world went black and she nearly fainted.

At that moment, Su Jianhao’s phone rang. He released her, stepping aside to answer.

Zhang Xiluo tried to escape, inching slowly toward the door.

“Relax, everything’s under control. And don’t forget what you promised me!” Su Jianhao said smugly over the phone, glancing back at Zhang Xiluo. “I’ll send you the photos in a bit.”

“Good, that’s perfect.”

Zhang Xiluo stopped moving, the voice on the other end sounding vaguely familiar. She strained to hear, but the call was already over.

Su Jianhao was pleased with her apparent compliance. If she dared to run, he’d break her legs on the spot.

“Transfer the money, using your own card.” Su Jianhao tossed her phone at her. “Don’t try anything stupid, or I’ll rape you and then kill you.”

Clutching her phone, Zhang Xiluo’s heart skipped a beat—his words put her on high alert.

“You know Zhou Yao, don’t you?” she probed as she opened her banking app. “She’s the one who told you to use my card. You were there the day she pushed me, weren’t you?”

Su Jianhao was startled but didn’t admit anything. “Zhou Yao? She’s a sweet, innocent girl! Everyone at the guesthouse knows her. She pushed you? That can’t be.”

“If you want money, tell me the truth. Otherwise, you can rape and kill me first,” Zhang Xiluo said, tossing her phone at him. “I’ve already lost my child—there’s nothing left for me to live for.”