When Su Xiaobai arrived at the hospital, Su Lingfeng was still in the emergency room, and her uncle, Liang Yuanyu, and aunt, Zhang Mei, were sitting on the sofa outside, both looking extremely anxious.
As soon as they heard the sound of high heels tapping rapidly on the floor, Liang Yuanyu and Zhang Mei both looked up. When they saw that it was Su Xiaobai, their expressions finally softened a bit.
"Uncle, Aunt, what's wrong with my dad?" Su Xiaobai asked, her gaze fixed on the red light outside the emergency room. Her heart was nearly in her throat.
Zhang Mei took her hand and comforted her, "Su Bai, don't be too anxious. Luckily, we brought him to the hospital early. Let's wait here for a bit. Sit down first." She guided Su Xiaobai to the sofa. Still looking uneasy, Su Xiaobai looked up at Liang Yuanyu.
Liang Yuanyu knew that Su Xiaobai couldn't be kept in the dark, especially since the situation had become so serious. She would eventually find out. He was thinking about how to phrase everything clearly and explain what had happened.
It turned out that Su Miao's company had run into trouble. They were found to have falsified accounts and were suspected of tax evasion. The authorities had begun an in-depth investigation, and somehow they discovered that many of the projects the company had undertaken in recent years were in violation of regulations. If it hadn't been for someone using connections to cover things up, it would have been impossible for such a large company, with billions of funds, to have escaped scrutiny.
At first, it seemed like this alone could have been dealt with, but the rumors kept spreading and gaining more traction. Someone even started naming names, accusing the people who had helped cover things up, and it was directly linked to Su Lingfeng, even though he had been retired for many years and had always been diligent. The scandal completely destroyed his reputation, and in a fit of anger, he relapsed and fainted. Thankfully, the housekeeper had been about to clean the room and found Su Lingfeng in time, or he might not have survived.
"Then what about Su Miao?" Su Xiaobai immediately pulled out her phone and tried to call Su Miao. However, the call never went through, and it stayed in the "out of service area" state.
Seeing this, Liang Yuanyu sighed, "Don't bother calling. Your aunt and I have tried dozens of times. This boy refuses to answer his phone."
"Then I'll call the company." Su Xiaobai said, dialing the company's number, but the line was disconnected and the number was no longer in service, which completely dashed her hopes.
Liang Yuanyu couldn't bear to keep her in the dark any longer, so he told Su Xiaobai the truth. After the company ran into trouble, the authorities had shut it down. Many of the mid- and senior-level managers were called in for questioning, but neither Su Miao nor Chen Xingran, the two responsible parties, could be reached. From the looks of it, everyone suspected they had fled.
Su Xiaobai bit her finger, completely disregarding the warning from Qiao Nan earlier. She only snapped back to reality after she had bitten hard enough to draw blood. Even then, she mumbled, "How did this perfectly fine company get into trouble? I don't believe Su Miao could do something like this. There's something wrong with the whole situation. If it was really tax evasion, why is it only being discovered now? How could such a large amount be hidden for so long? Someone must be framing him."
The more she spoke, the angrier she became, her delicate face flushed with rage. Liang Yuanyu and Zhang Mei exchanged looks, their hearts aching for the girl, who had to bear such a heavy blow in such a short time.
Liang Yuanyu, as her uncle, had to calm Su Xiaobai down. "Su Bai, no matter if someone framed him or if there are other reasons behind this, the fact is, something has happened. Someone has leaked this, and it's growing bigger by the minute. This means the person behind it wants to throw us off balance. Now that Su Miao is in trouble, and your dad's condition is critical, you cannot panic. You need to stay calm. The more flustered you are, the more you're playing into someone's hands."
Although Liang Yuanyu was just a university professor, he had experienced his fair share of intrigue and scheming in his youth, so he was very familiar with these tactics. He had even come to believe that Su Miao's situation was a result of someone pulling the strings behind the scenes. Even though Su Miao's company had issues, it shouldn't have been a major problem. Someone had likely blown things out of proportion, and a minor issue had been turned into something much larger. With a little push from the right people, it could easily spiral out of control.
The three of them were anxiously waiting outside when the emergency room door finally opened. They rushed forward, and the doctor gave them a slight nod. Su Xiaobai finally relaxed a little. Thankfully, her grandfather had not suffered anything serious, or she would have been even more panicked than before.
What her uncle had said earlier was true. She couldn't panic. The priority now was to figure out how to contact Su Miao, and it was better to do so without anyone knowing. Everyone was desperately trying to find him, and for some, Su Miao was nothing more than a target—someone they wanted to destroy as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, Su Xiaobai remembered the dog fighting event from a few days ago, as well as what Li De and Cheng Dongdong had mentioned about the grudges between Su Miao and Deng Ping. She had also heard that Deng Ping had strong connections in Mingzhu City, and perhaps he was the one behind Su Miao's troubles. Especially considering that Su Miao had been involved in the dog fighting event, it was likely a combination of old and new grievances that served as motivation for someone to target him.
Su Miao's business had been booming in recent years, which naturally made him a target for envy and jealousy. Not everyone in his company could be trusted, and if even a few key people, especially in the finance department, had developed ulterior motives, it was easy for them to be manipulated. With the help of people on the outside, they could ruin the entire company.
It wasn't that Su Xiaobai watched too many business dramas, but this situation made it impossible for her not to think this way.
Although Su Lingfeng had passed the danger period, he was still in a coma and would need to stay in the hospital for further observation. Su Xiaobai had no idea how she would explain the current situation to him once he woke up.
As soon as Su Lingfeng was settled in his hospital room, a few people from the court arrived, along with officials from other departments, to speak with Su Xiaobai and gather information. They asked her to cooperate with their investigation, and Su Xiaobai knew she had to comply. She answered the questions in a routine manner, and fortunately, they didn't press her too hard. First, based on the investigation, it was clear that Su Miao's sister had nothing to do with the company's problems. Second, the investigators were somewhat intimidated by Su Xiaobai's demeanor and didn't want to make things harder for a beautiful woman, especially when she was already facing such a difficult situation. They didn't want to make things worse for her.
In the past few days, Su Xiaobai had spent a lot of time at the court and law offices, gathering information. In fact, the situation was much more serious than she had initially realized. Su Miao's company was now completely bankrupt and had even gone into debt after the stock rights were cleared. Despite the fact that no one could find Su Miao, the creditors didn't give up on trying to recover the money. A few days later, the court issued a subpoena to the Su family.
It turned out that Su Miao's bank accounts were empty, and the cars he owned were registered under other people's names, so the court had no right to seize the cars. Even the antique collection room in Su Miao's house was a fraud—it was full of replicas and had no genuine antiques. The expensive wines and other valuables were also gone. Su Xiaobai was left utterly bewildered. While the court couldn't freeze the Su family's assets, they had found nothing of value from Su Miao's belongings. It was as if Su Miao had known someone would come to freeze his assets, and he had made arrangements ahead of time, leaving himself a way out.
Not everyone is unaware of the hidden motives behind this situation.
Su Xiaobai clearly remembered that most of the items in Su Miao's collection room were authentic, especially the painting by Tang Yin, which was certainly not a replica. Not to mention the numerous Ming and Qing-era vases and jars.
This only made Su Xiaobai believe even more that Su Miao had been aware of the impending storm all along. But why hadn't he prepared for it in advance? Perhaps it was because there hadn't been enough time, or maybe there had been no way to stop it. In that case, the only option left was to try and undermine his opponents in the most drastic way possible.
However, the fact that the company had been sealed was still a major blow to Su Miao. Su Xiaobai's greater concern was whether her grandfather would worsen when he found out that Su Miao had run away. Given Su Lingfeng's strong-willed character, he had always upheld the belief that if you hadn't done anything wrong, you should face the investigation with your head held high. Time would prove everything.
But Su Xiaobai disagreed with this view. Her grandfather's mentality was rooted in old-fashioned thinking. Right now, it was clear someone was trying to harm her son—and to harm the Su family.
She had initially thought that after her divorce from Fang Cheng, she would start a new life. But now, at such a critical moment, the Su family was hit with such a huge crisis. Su Xiaobai had been running around different places for days, and she had lost a considerable amount of weight.
The day after the incident at the Su family, Fang Cheng found out about it and specifically called Su Xiaobai to ask if she needed any help. If they hadn't been divorced, Su Xiaobai might have accepted his offer calmly. But now, after the divorce, accepting help from her ex-husband made her feel uneasy. She didn't want any further entanglements with him, so she politely declined his offer.
Over the past few days, Su Xiaobai had been assessing her own assets. The Su residence couldn't be sold, so she sold her two small cars. With the savings her grandfather had accumulated over the years and the dowry her mother had left her, she was able to raise a total of just over three million yuan. But there was still a debt of more than seven million yuan, and she had no wealthy friends to turn to. Desperately sweating over the situation, she suddenly thought of Li De. Although her relationship with him wasn't that deep, the current situation was so grim that she felt she had to at least try.
Su Xiaobai didn't try to hide anything and explained her family's situation to Li De. Li De was initially stunned. He couldn't believe that Su Miao's older sister was his high school classmate and even his desk mate. After the shock wore off, Li De quickly and generously offered to lend her the remaining seven million yuan. Su Xiaobai didn't even know how to express her gratitude. She thanked him repeatedly on the phone. The next morning, she went to Li De's company to meet him.
Li De was someone who kept his promises. Within three days, the funds were transferred directly into Su Xiaobai's account, allowing her to fill in the gap in her finances.
While she was feeling relieved, she received a call from Li De asking her out for dinner. Originally, it was supposed to be Su Xiaobai who would treat, but now Li De insisted on paying. Su Xiaobai didn't want to let him pay, but when she saw that the restaurant was the Peace Hotel, and noticed that Li De had purposely ordered a feast with expensive food, drinks, and alcohol—likely costing close to ten thousand yuan—she knew she couldn't turn him down. So, she reluctantly allowed him to treat.
It was a strange coincidence that as Su Xiaobai and Li De chatted about their high school days, a large private dining room next to theirs was filled with people drinking and celebrating. Among them were some prominent figures from Mingzhu City, with the most attention-grabbing one being Deng Ping, sitting at the head of the table. Next to him sat Gan Xin, who had just arrived in Mingzhu a few days ago.
Su Xiaobai couldn't help but wonder if there were two dangerous figures sitting in that room as well—figures who would never leave this private room alive.