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Chapter 383: 176 Hunting (Second Watch)_2

Three days had passed, and she had not seen Zhu Xiangxiang’s face, nor talked to her on the phone. Xiangxiang only said that her heart was broken and she never wanted to return to the Dengs’ house.

With her son in the hospital waiting for surgery, her husband being sued, and facing legal troubles, Zhao Xiaohui was at her wit’s end. Everything hinged on Zhu Xiangxiang, but she couldn’t even enter the Zhu family’s doorstep.

Zhao Xiaohui found out that Zhu Xiangxiang attended Shengde High School, so she rushed to the school immediately. She squatted at the school gate for a whole day, and when she saw Zhu Xiangxiang coming out after school, she ran up to her right away.

“Xiangxiang, I’m begging you, please save your Uncle Deng. He has admitted his mistake, and he won’t hurt you ever again. Please ask Madam Zhu to drop the lawsuit, I’m begging you.”

Zhu Xiangxiang was scared by the sudden appearance of the frantic and disheveled woman in front of her, who claimed to be her mother. At the peak of the school’s dismissal, the school gate was full of students coming and going. Watching this unkempt woman dash towards Zhu Xiangxiang, everyone gathered around to watch the spectacle.

Zhu Xiangxiang’s face turned red and white in anger, and she stammered, “How did you find me here?”

“I tried calling you, but you wouldn’t pick up. I had no choice but to come to your school to find you.”

Seeing more and more students crowding around, Zhu Xiangxiang hurriedly pulled Zhao Xiaohui away and left in a hurry.

But it was too late. Rumors spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the school. The distorted gossip claimed that Zhu Xiangxiang was molested by her stepfather.

Tao Xingxing clicked her tongue, “Who would’ve thought, her biological mother even blocked the school gate? Such a gold-digger.”

As for the outrageous rumor, Tao Xingxing didn’t believe it at all. If it were true, would Zhu Xiangxiang still be attending school with her head held high?

“Rumors stop with the wise,” Ming Jing said.

“Why are you still defending her?” Tao Xingxing disagreed, “She took so much from you. She’s still clinging to the Zhu family, and if I were you, I would be so annoyed.”

“No one owes anyone anything; it’s all fate,” Ming Jing saw Li Yan, talked to him for a bit, and then left with Tao Xingxing.

“What did you say to Li Yan? He’s the student council president of our grade, my future boss. I’d be so lucky if I could ingratiate myself with him.”

Ming Jing smiled, “I asked him to take care of you in the future.”

Tao Xingxing hugged Ming Jing’s arm and rubbed against it happily, “I knew you were the best, Ming Jing.”

However, Tao Xingxing soon discovered what happened. All the posts discussing Zhu Xiangxiang were deleted, and many accounts that started the rumors were banned.

As the student council president, Li Yan had administrative privileges on the forum.

Ming Jing must have spoken to Li Yan about this matter earlier.

Tao Xingxing sighed. Ming Jing was too kind-hearted, repaying malice with virtue. But Zhu Xiangxiang wasn’t worth it, in her opinion.

“Don’t come looking for me at school again. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused me?” Zhu Xiangxiang was on the verge of breaking down, yelling at Zhao Xiaohui.

Zhao Xiaohui clasped her hands nervously, “I’m sorry, Xiangxiang. I had no other choice, please forgive me. Can you drop the lawsuit against Uncle Deng? He knows he was wrong and promises never to show his face in front of you ever again.”

Zhu Xiangxiang pulled down her scarf, revealing shocking bruises on her neck. “Do you know he almost strangled me to death? The one wanting to put him in jail isn’t me, it’s my mother.”

Zhao Xiaohui reached out to touch her neck sorrowfully, “Does it hurt?”

Zhu Xiangxiang dodged her touch and said coldly, “I will never forgive him. You should give up on that idea.”

“Xiangxiang, I’ve never asked you for anything before. Just this once, okay? Let me kneel before you.”

Zhu Xiangxiang hurriedly helped her up, furious and exasperated, “Am I even your biological daughter? I was almost strangled to death, and you want me to forgive him? Is that something a mother would say?”

Zhao Xiaohui shook her head sorrowfully, “Xiangxiang, I know you’ve always wanted to return to the Zhu family. I’ve let you go, and so has your Uncle Deng. Are you going to be ungrateful now?”

Zhu Xiangxiang’s pupils shrank, “What are you talking about?”

Zhao Xiaohui wiped the tears on her face and whispered timidly, “That day, you called me and asked Uncle Deng to go downstairs to get a package in twenty minutes. Twenty minutes later, he went downstairs and saw you. Usually, you avoid him, but this time you confronted him and said harsh words. He was drunk and didn’t know his own strength. Just as he attacked you, Madam Zhu appeared to save you. So many coincidences—do you really think it’s all a coincidence?”

Zhu Xiangxiang narrowed her eyes and stared at Zhao Xiaohui. The seemingly timid housewife in front of her was unexpectedly clever.

Zhao Xiaohui held Zhu Xiangxiang’s hand and spoke earnestly, “Xiangxiang, I’ve figured it out. I can only harm you by keeping you by my side. The Zhu family is your true home. Before, I was worried about how to send you back, but now you’ve found your own way back. I’m happy for you.”

Zhu Xiangxiang looked at the sincere woman in front of her, her heart stirring. Perhaps she had overthought it. She had witnessed Zhao Xiaohui’s kindness to her for a long time, and that couldn’t have been an act.

“Your Uncle Deng isn’t easy for me to find, and though he has many flaws, he’s Yangyang’s biological father. Even for Yangyang’s sake, we can’t have him charged with a crime. How would Yangyang face the world? Besides, Xiangxiang, he’s your biological brother.”

Zhu Xiangxiang reluctantly said, “I can drop the lawsuit, but I never want to see anyone with the surname Deng ever again. Otherwise, I may change my mind.”

“Alright, I promise you. He will never appear in front of you again,” Zhao Xiaohui cried with joy.

Zhu Xiangxiang felt uneasy as well. She held Zhao Xiaohui’s hand tightly, “If you can’t live like this anymore, divorce him. From now on, I’ll support you and Yangyang. He’s my biological brother, and I’ll take care of him.”

Zhao Xiaohui smiled, “Just knowing your intentions fills my heart. But Yangyang, he’s been wanting to see his sister for a long time. It’s still early, Xiangxiang, why don’t you come home with me for a visit and see him?”

Zhu Xiangxiang felt sick at the thought of Deng Yang being Deng Kun’s son and was about to refuse when she saw Zhao Xiaohui’s eager gaze and couldn’t bring herself to say no.

Fine, this would be the last time. She would give Zhao Xiaohui some money, tell her to take Deng Kun and Deng Yang away from Jiangzhou, and disappear from her world. From then on, she wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

“Alright, I’ll have my driver take us,” Zhu Xiangxiang glanced at the school forum, and to her surprise, there was no discussion about her. The imagined attacks and ridicule never happened.

Zhu Xiangxiang was stunned for a moment, wondering who had cleaned up the forum for her.

She remembered that the student council president of her grade was Li Yan, and Li Yan was a close friend of Song Yinzhang who was inseparable from Ming Jing.

Would Li Yan have kindly cleaned the forum for her?

Impossible!

Immersed in her thoughts, Zhu Xiangxiang didn’t notice the worried woman next to her, clenching her fists tightly and her eyes filled with anxiety that gradually turned into determination.

I’m sorry, Zhao Xiaohui said to herself in her heart.