Chapter 69: Knowing

Xiao Zhao stared at Old Master Jiang with wide eyes, unable to believe what he was hearing. How could he know? He knew everything!

No wonder someone had come to check on him when everyone else was asleep. If no one had come, he might have really strangled Xiao Miaomiao…

“Just like your father, you’re both heartless. He wanted to suffocate Miaomiao and replace her with his illegitimate daughter.”

“And you believed your stepmother’s lies, thinking your sister killed your mother, so you attacked her. At that time, I was gambling on your conscience, but you didn’t hesitate at all. You only released your grip when the person checking on Miaomiao opened the door.” Old Master Jiang stared at Xiao Zhao, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger.

“Miaomiao actually cared about you, her brother. Even seeing you getting along well with your stepmother and her family, she still wanted to be close to you. But you were so cruel, pushing her away again and again, making her feel incredibly heartbroken and disappointed.” Old Master Jiang sighed deeply, as if he had lost all hope in Xiao Zhao.

“Because we were afraid of making Miaomiao sad, we didn’t tell her any of this. After all, we didn’t tell her anything about the Xiao family, and she forgot a lot of things after she got a fever when her mother passed away. It was only later when she reviewed some documents that she found out.” Old Master Jiang’s voice choked with emotion.

Xiao Zhao listened quietly, a sharp pain piercing his heart. It turned out that Miaomiao had been carrying so much pain and secrets, and he knew nothing about it.

“She desperately wanted to find her brother, the one she shared the same father with. She said she wanted to take care of you in her mother’s place. She was only ten years old at that time, and at such a young age, she said she would take care of you. But how could I bear to let her go back to the Xiao family and suffer? So I insisted that she finish university before going back, or wait until you came looking for her before letting her go back with you.” Old Master Jiang’s voice was filled with helplessness and sorrow.

Xiao Zhao’s heart clenched when he heard this. He remembered his past indifference and hurt towards Miaomiao, and he couldn’t help but kneel down in pain.

“How ridiculous! She waited for you for eight years, and you never once looked for her, not even a word of concern. On the contrary, you showered your little sister, born from an affair, with love.” Old Master Jiang’s words were like a sharp blade, piercing deeply into Xiao Zhao’s heart.

Xiao Zhao lowered his head, tears streaming down his face. He finally realized that it was all because of him. He had even blamed his own sister for everything and even tried to kill her.

He felt immense self-blame and regret, unable to forgive himself for the mistakes he had made.

Old Master Jiang reached out to take the documents handed to him by the housekeeper, then threw them casually, landing directly on Xiao Zhao.

“Read these yourself!” Old Master Jiang said coldly, “Your father’s betrayal of your mother, and the murder of Miaomiao, are all recorded clearly.”

Xiao Zhao glanced at the scattered documents on the floor, then looked up at Old Master Jiang, his eyes filled with disbelief and anger.

Old Master Jiang snorted coldly, “I kept all of this, just waiting for you to come and see it, so you can know what your good father has done. And you, you blind and foolish fool, if you have any conscience at all, then repent properly!”

Xiao Zhao looked at the documents on the floor, afraid to even look at them.

Old Master Jiang sneered, his gaze cold as he looked at Xiao Zhao, “I promised your mother that I wouldn’t pursue the past, so I spared that dog, Xiao Lin. But I didn’t expect you to be unrepentant, repeatedly hurting Miaomiao. Now that you’ve come, I don’t need to hold back anymore.”

Jiang’s tone suddenly became sharp, warning, “From today onwards, whether it’s you or anyone from the Xiao family, if you dare to interfere with Miaomiao’s affairs, or dare to harm a single hair on her head, I will make you regret coming into this world.”

Old Master Jiang looked at Xiao Zhao, his voice serious, “This is a society ruled by law, I won’t kill them, but I have plenty of ways to make them live worse than death.”

“Oh, who is this? Grandpa, why are you letting him kneel on the floor like that? No sincerity at all.” Jiang Lin looked at his cousin kneeling on the floor, saying gently, while scattering the thumbtacks in his hand around where Xiao Zhao was kneeling. His voice held a hint of mockery and disdain.

“Xiao Zhao, see? Next time you kneel, kneel on the tacks, that way it looks more sincere. The carpet in my house is too soft, you kneel on it and my grandpa won’t feel sorry for you.” Jiang Lin smiled coldly at him, his eyes revealing a hint of indifference and sarcasm.

Old Master Jiang saw his grandson’s first move was to use tacks, he understood that he was standing up for Miaomiao. He frowned and said softly, “Xiao Lin, be mindful, don’t go too far, lest you dirty the carpet in my house.” While his tone was serious, a hint of indulgence flashed in his eyes.

Jiang Lin nodded with a smile, replying, “Grandpa, I’m just joking, I’m just making him get out of the way. This is Miaomiao’s favorite carpet, I wouldn’t let him dirty it.”

When he mentioned Miaomiao, his face softened with tenderness and concern, a stark contrast to his previous coldness.

“I’m going back to my room to rest, you can have him leave.”

Old Master Jiang looked at Xiao Zhao, his eyes filled with disappointment and decisiveness.

He sighed deeply, then said firmly, “Xiao Zhao, don’t come to the Jiang family anymore, we don’t welcome you. Ever since you were cold and heartless towards your sister, and even called your stepmother ‘Mom,’ we’ve had no relationship.”

Xiao Zhao listened silently, a surge of complex emotions welling up inside him. He knew that his past actions had disappointed Old Master Jiang deeply, but he didn’t expect Old Master Jiang to be so resolute in cutting off ties with him.

Then, Old Master Jiang continued, “The shares your mother left you are enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life. Don’t listen to Xiao Lin and transfer the shares to him.”

“Your shares can only be held by you. If you have an accident or transfer the shares, unless it’s to your children, it will be automatically considered as you giving them up, and they will be donated in their entirety.”

Xiao Zhao was surprised to hear this, his eyes widening as he looked up at Old Master Jiang. He never knew about these regulations, no wonder his father had never asked him to transfer the shares to himself. It turned out there were such restrictions and consequences.

Old Master Jiang’s voice held a hint of helplessness and regret, “This is the last advice I can give you.” With that, he turned slowly and walked towards his room, leaving Xiao Zhao standing there, lost in thought.

Xiao Zhao felt a heavy weight in his heart, realizing the extent of the hurt he had caused Miaomiao and his maternal family with his past actions.