Qiao Xia was unpopular in the office and envied by many. With such an incident, there were plenty of women who fanned the flames and reveled in the drama, their competitive nature no different there than anywhere else, and even more daunting in a group.
For a time, Qiao Xia felt the scorn of thousands, an agony beyond words.
Barely making it to the end of the workday, Qiao Xia finally collapsed, the world going dark as she fainted on the street.
When she awoke, she found herself in a hospital, with Meng Qian by her side.
Meng Qian had been nearby when Qiao Xia collapsed and had yelled for help to take her to the hospital. Tomorrow was Saturday, a good opportunity to rest and hide away for two days from the biting comments at the office, which hurt too much.
"Xiaxia, are you just going to let them bully you like this? They've taken over your house, your sister snatched your fiancé, your uncle's family has taken over your company. Are you going to let them get away with it? Fight back, those things are rightfully yours. They've not only taken them but also hurt you so much, how can you bear it?"
"I can't get the shares back. Over the years, uncle transferred all the stocks. I was young and didn't understand things. When he told me to sign, I signed. But that ancestral home, I must get it back."
Qiao Xia had previously called Qiao Guang: "Uncle, I want to come home tomorrow, there's something I need to talk to you about."
"Xiao Xia, about Xiao Lan..."
Qiao Xia hung up the phone. Her uncle had fulfilled his duty to raise her, but she feared she might lose her temper and say nasty things if she continued.
The next day, Qiao Xia arrived at the ancestral home in the afternoon.
The villa, located in a bustling area yet tranquil, looked somewhat like it was from the Republican era from the outside, but the interior had been renovated luxuriously. The saga of this house had spread far and wide in City A, and some businessmen had offered a high price for it, but Qiao Guang was unwilling to sell. He also couldn't sell; the names on the property deed were Grandpa Qiao and Father Qiao.
Qiao Guang seemed very awkward. The villa was spotless, and the servants were bustling around, apparently in preparation for a party.
"Xiao Xia, we could have talked over the phone instead of you making a special trip here."
"Uncle, it's not clear over the phone, so I came in person."
"What is there to talk about? It's not just about your sister and Li Hui, is it? While her actions were wrong, if you hadn't spread her scandals first, she wouldn't have lied. In the end, it's still your fault." Lv Mengxi was protecting her daughter.
"What did I do wrong? Ah Hui and I truly loved each other. She and Ah Hui had no feelings left. Does she intend to drag Ah Hui down for a lifetime?" Qiao Lan's voice was sharp and mocking.
Qiao Xia really wanted to laugh at this so-called invincible talk of true love.
Does true love give you the right to hurt others without remorse?
She liked Li Hui and was grateful to him. After her parents died, she was raised by her uncle, yet always felt like an outsider.
She had always thought that Li Hui would give her a home.
Li Hui had also been the most profound comfort and longing for Qiao Xia during her solitary midnights.
Who would have thought that things would change so suddenly?
Caught completely off guard.
Although Qiao Guang felt the situation was unscrupulous, in the matters of young people, who can say for sure? In the end, he favored his daughter, as Qiao Xia was not his biological child.
"I always knew Xiao Xia was the most understanding."
Qiao Xia said, "Speaking of understanding, there are some matters I should also discuss with you, uncle."
"Tell me what it is, and if your uncle can agree, I certainly will."
"The forty-five percent of Qiao's shares, you should give them back to me now." Qiao Xia looked at Qiao Guang with an intense gaze, and she did not miss the transformation from joy to rage on his face.
Before Qiao Guang could speak, Lv Mengxi couldn't sit still anymore: "Why should we give you forty-five percent of the shares? You've been eating and drinking at our house all these years, we haven't even charged you for it, and you have the cheek to ask for Qiao's shares. In all these years, what have you done for Qiao's?"
Qiao Xia laughed, her beauty radiant: "Why should I? Simply because I am the legitimate heir of Qiao's, because Qiao's was built from scratch by my parents, and because all these years, you've merely been holding it in trust for me. You think just because you've lived in a rented house for ten years, it becomes yours?"