Chapter 23-His Reprisal (1/2)
A Miao was walking downstairs for her meal when she heard Xia Mei's voice. She then turned around to go upstairs.
”Stop right there!” Xia Mei threw the photo at her. ”It's fine if you embarrass yourself, don't get us involved!”
The photo depicted A Miao, dressed in a chick costume, delivering condoms. She picked up the photo but before she could take a clearer look, Yao Lili's voice resounded.
”What is this?” Yao Lili snatched the photo out of A Miao's hands. Before long, she began screeching. ”Disgusting! How can you do something like this?”
Seeing the development of events, A Miao thought she might as well sit down. ”It's just a job. You all don't have to make a fuss about it.”
”Job?” Xia Mei grabbed the photo and waved it in front of A Miao's face. ”This photo is pinned up in our school board. Now everyone knows that there's someone in Xia family that does this sort of shady business. How can you even have the face to go to school when classes start?”
A Miao pushed Xia Mei's arm away, earning her a jab in the forehead from Yao Lili. ”You're so embarrassing!”
”I don't think there's anything shameful about doing a job. The money I earn is clean. So what if they're condoms? Haven't you guys used them before?”
”How can you be this boorish!” Yao Lili yelled. ”Who taught you to speak this way?”
Their loud voices alerted even Xia Yongqiang. Just as he entered the living room, he saw the photo on the ground.
”Grandfather!” Xia Mei immediately picked up the photo and showed it to him. ”Look! Look at what she did!”
A Miao stood up. ”That's the work outfit that I had to wear in my previous job. I didn't do anything immoral.”
”Who can prove that you're not lying?” Xia Mei snorted. ”Perhaps you used it yourself.”
”You sure have a dirty mind at your young age. Don't use your mentality to evaluate me,” A Miao replied without any trace of politeness. Xia Yongqiang interrupted her, saying, ”Shut up. See what it's written on the photo.”
There was a lengthy text written on top of the photo, basically saying that one of the precious young ladies of the Xia family had a rather complicated life and often entered the red-light district. Furthermore, the text even hinted that it could be Xia Wan.
”What? How can these people write this sort of nonsense?” It was only then that Yao Lili noticed the content of the text. Earlier, she had looked eager to watch a good show but she was now yelling in anger. ”Damned girl! Who did you provoke?”
A Miao clenched her teeth. She was now certain that this was the psycho's work.
”Outsiders don't even know of my existence. Why would they target me?” she replied earnestly. ”You should ask if Xia Wan provoked anyone. It might even be one of you.”
Now that things have come to this, this was the only thing that she could say.
”Grandfather, look at how she's acting!” Xia Wan said unhappily. She wanted to make A Miao suffer a scolding.
Xia Yongqiang also felt that this matter was not targeting A Miao. Outsiders truly had no idea of her existence. Then what was the purpose of smearing Xia Wan's name?
”Speak! Did you do this on purpose?” Yao Lili refused to let the matter slide. ”You're trying to ruin Wanwan and Shen Xinglan's relationship, aren't you?”
”Pfft!” A Miao nearly laughed out loud. She smirked at Yao Lili. Both of them barely knew each other, so what relationship was there to speak of? Yao Lili made it seem as if her daughter was already married to that psycho...
Xia Yongqiang's expression abruptly darkened. ”Looks like someone's unhappy.”
”Father?” Yao Lili was confused.
”I'm not trying to criticize you but can't you use your brain a little?” Xia Yongqiang snapped. ”Don't forget there's still Bai Youran's aunt.”
Yao Lili thought about it before suddenly crying out in realization. ”Bai Yongwei!
”She's the madam of the Ji family and Shen Xinglan's stepmother.” Xia Yongqiang frowned. ”How did I forget about her? I'm sure this is her work.”
”What gives her the right to do this?” Yao Lili's expression was full of disdain. ”She's just a stepmother! She's just trying to get Wanwan to marry into the Bai family instead.”
Xia Yongqiang had no mood to continue speaking with this foolish woman. He stood up and prepared to go to the study. ”Call Haixin and ask him to come back. Tell him I have something to talk to him about.”
”Grandfather!” Xia Mei did not expect that A Miao would be able to escape this incident unscathedly. ”What about her? Even if someone deliberately targeted our family, she's the one who gave them a chance to do so!”
A Miao lowered her head without uttering a word. Xia Yongqiang glanced at her and said, ”You're grounded for the time being. Your allowance for next month is also canceled.”
Suppressing her urge to roar in laughter, A Miao quietly stood up and walked upstairs.
”Urghhhhh!” Once she was back in her room, she began kicking and punching the air on her bed.
That damned Shen Xinglan! Why would that psycho always ruin her plans? Now that she could neither go out to work nor get an allowance, how could she buy medicine for Song Baohua next month?
Simultaneously, Shen I reported the event to Shen Xinglan.
”Boss, will it affect us if they suspect her?”
Shen Xinglan looked up at him. ”They'd just ground her. Xia Yongqiang won't throw her out of the house.”
There was a knock at the door. Shen II pushed the door and entered. ”Boss, there's a call from Mr. Ji.”
”Hmph! He's just trying to remind Boss that Bai Yongwei's birthday is coming up,” Shen I said disdainfully. ”I really don't know how Mr. Ji's brain developed, not knowing the true identity of the person beside him after so many years.”
Shen Xinglan sneered at him. ”If he's clever, my mother wouldn't have died back then.”
”Boss, Mr. Ji said they won't be returning to the country for the time being. The present...”
”Once you've prepared it, just mail it over.” Shen Xinglan rapped the desk. ”If he wants a show of a filial mother-and-son relationship, I'll put on an act for him. As for Bai Yongwei, we'll wait until she gets what she wants and then destroy it.”
Shen Xinglan wore a nefarious smile on his face. ”It's only fun to play a game like this...”
”Achoo!” He suddenly sneezed mid-sentence. Shen I was just about to wonder aloud if the air-conditioner was colder today when he heard his boss' sinister voice.