Chapter 72: Melancholy

Xiao Zhao recalled the conversation he had with Old Master Jiang about the shares before his departure, a sense of melancholy washing over him.

It turned out that in his father’s eyes, his own and his sister Miaomiao’s position were not as important as those shares.

Even more heartbreaking was the fact that his father had cruelly asked him, his own son, to harm his sister.

“You are truly unworthy of being a father!” Xiao Zhao shook his head, his eyes filled with disappointment and sorrow, staring directly at the person in front of him.

“As for the shares, don’t even dream about it. Let’s just say, you underestimate Mother. She added a clause to the shares she left me: my shares can only be transferred to my descendants. If I intend to transfer the shares to others, or if I die without descendants, these shares will be directly donated to society.” Xiao Zhao explained calmly.

Hearing this, Xiao Lin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He never expected that Jiang Ronghua had left such a provision. It seemed that getting those twenty percent of the shares was no longer possible, but at least he could get some money, right?

So, he boldly said to Xiao Zhao, “Fine, forget about the shares. You have to transfer twelve percent of the share dividends to my account every month.” As if it were a matter of course.

“So, in your eyes, Miaomiao and I are not as important as money, are we?” Xiao Zhao looked at his father, unable to comprehend why his father would treat them this way.

Xiao Lin remained silent, but his expression revealed that he clearly agreed with this statement.

Xiao Zhao shook his head with a bitter smile, filled with helplessness and disappointment. He asked again, “Father, I’ll ask you one more time, if I don’t agree, will you really show the video to Miaomiao?”

Xiao Lin nodded firmly, indicating that if Xiao Zhao didn’t meet his demands, he would not hesitate to show the video to Xiao Miaomiao, making her hate Xiao Zhao.

Faced with this threat, Xiao Zhao felt a wave of despair.

He realized that there was no way to change his father’s decision, so he dialed Xiao Miaomiao’s number.

However, the other end of the line remained unanswered. He kept trying to call, and finally, on the fourth attempt, Xiao Miaomiao picked up the phone.

“Xiao Zhao, are you sick? Are you deaf? Or do you have memory problems? I told you not to contact me again!” Xiao Miaomiao shouted angrily into the phone, her voice filled with impatience.

If she wasn’t worried that someone might have an urgent matter to discuss with her, she would have turned off her phone long ago. No, she would add him to her blacklist later.

“I’m sorry, I disturbed you, but can you let me finish what I have to say? Just this once.” Xiao Zhao pleaded.

Hearing his humble tone, Xiao Miaomiao couldn’t believe her ears. Was this the same Xiao Zhao who had always been annoyed by her?

“I’ll give you three minutes. Once you’re done, I’ll blacklist you, and we’ll be strangers from now on.” Xiao Miaomiao said impatiently.

She no longer expected to gain recognition from this brother. After all, they had always had conflicts and misunderstandings since they were young. Every time they met, it was like a war, with mutual harm.

However, Xiao Zhao’s attitude seemed different this time. His voice carried a hint of helplessness and regret, which made Xiao Miaomiao feel confused.

Xiao Zhao naturally heard the reluctance in Xiao Miaomiao’s voice, but he still continued to explain, “Okay, I’ll make it short.”

Xiao Zhao looked up, trying to hold back his tears, and looked at his father, who couldn’t believe his ears, and said to Xiao Miaomiao, “When Mother passed away, you were three years old. I thought you were the one who killed her. I choked you, and if it weren’t for the Jiang family protecting you, you might have been choked to death by me. Father has a video of me choking you, and he’s using it to threaten me. If I don’t give him twelve percent of the share dividends, he’ll show the video to you.”

Xiao Zhao’s eyes were filled with apology and regret, “I’m sorry, I’m confessing to you not to seek your forgiveness, and I know I dare not expect your forgiveness anymore.”

“I can’t transfer the shares to you, but I’ll give you the money, okay? Just consider it as atonement for my sins.” Xiao Zhao confessed.

Xiao Miaomiao couldn’t help but laugh when she heard this. She knew that her father had wanted to kill her as soon as she was born, which was already heartbreaking enough. She never expected that the brother she had wanted to cherish since she was ten years old had tried to choke her to death when she was only three.

Was Xiao Miaomiao heartbroken? It seemed that there wasn’t much sadness in her heart. Perhaps this meant that her feelings for Xiao Zhao had faded, and she no longer cared about him as much as she used to.

She chuckled coldly and said, “No wonder you’ve always disliked me. It turns out you’re just like Xiao Lin, wishing I was dead!”

Xiao Zhao’s face turned pale, and he quickly explained, “I… I’m sorry, Miaomiao, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have blamed Mother’s death on you.” His voice was filled with regret and self-reproach.

However, Xiao Miaomiao remained unmoved, and continued to sarcastically say, “What good does sorry do? If a simple sorry could solve everything, then what would the police be for? I even started to wonder what kind of grudge I have with your Xiao family. Did I dig up your ancestral grave in my previous life? That’s why I was reborn into your family, so that you could despise me, hate me, and wish I would die sooner?”

Her words revealed a deep sense of melancholy and helplessness.

Xiao Miaomiao laughed self-deprecatingly, and then said, “If it weren’t for Grandpa and the others protecting me, I would have become a small grave next to Mother’s, wouldn’t I? It’s really funny to think about!”

Xiao Zhao was speechless, his face filled with pain.

He understood that no matter how much he made amends, he couldn’t undo the mistakes he had made in the past.

Xiao Miaomiao’s heart was unmoved, as if what Xiao Zhao said had nothing to do with her.

She said calmly, “It’s hard for you to see me alive and well, jumping around, isn’t it? You must be thinking, ‘Why hasn’t Xiao Miaomiao died yet?'”

“I didn’t.” Xiao Zhao retorted, “When I left before, I regretted it. The way I’ve been treating you all these years is because I’ve been avoiding facing you.” After all, he had almost choked Xiao Miaomiao to death.

“Xiao Zhao, forget it. Don’t talk about compensation or anything. I don’t need it. From the way you’ve always shown affection to Xiao Yu’yan and been cold to me, I’ve already let you go. I don’t care about you at all.”

“Mother’s death was partly my fault. If it weren’t for me, Mother’s body wouldn’t have been so weak after giving birth to me, and she wouldn’t have died so early.” Xiao Miaomiao said sadly.

“A life for a life, we’re even. We have nothing to do with each other from now on. Don’t give me any money. The thing I lack the least is money. Unlike Xiao Lin, he tries so hard to get what he wants, but I don’t care at all.” Xiao Miaomiao said sarcastically, then hung up the phone and blacklisted Xiao Zhao’s contact.