They weren’t very old, both around their fifties, and still looked relatively strong and healthy. Seeing their daughter largely unharmed, Xu’s mother burst out, "Daughter, why are you so foolish? Did Zhong Minghui wrong you? Where is he? Why didn’t he come when something happened?" Xu’s father also angrily demanded, "Where is Zhong Minghui? Why is he hiding? Isn’t he going to pay the medical expenses?" Both her parents were looking at her. Xu Xiaoya’s voice was faint. "Dad, can you ask my younger brother to return my savings to me?" The couple looked at each other. "That’s the money I slaved away for all those years! I now owe people two to three hundred thousand, and I have to pay it back..." Xu Xiaoya’s gaze shifted from her mother’s face to her father’s. Finally, Xu’s father couldn’t hold back any longer. "You child! Why are you asking us for money while you’re in the hospital? Honestly, the moment you open your eyes, you start trying to settle accounts with your own brother?" "Daughter, are you silly? Why are you going after your own family for money? You should be asking Zhong Minghui! That loan of two to three hundred thousand you took out—it all went to pay for his house, not to us..." "But Zhong Minghui won’t pay me back, so what can I do? You saw it yourselves. I attempted suicide at his home. He just dropped me off at the hospital and ran. Now he won’t even show his face, and he’s not paying the medical bills." "Can you blame us for that? You should sue him." Heartbroken and exhausted, Xu Xiaoya pleaded, "The money I gave to my younger brother was all earned by me. Now that I’m in trouble, can’t you even help me out a little? Mom, I’m your daughter too. Why are you so biased?" Xu’s mother said indignantly, "Are we being biased? Two to three hundred thousand isn’t a small sum! Besides, isn’t it in every rural family? Property, of course, is left to the son. You’re going to get married sooner or later. Giving you that much money would just be benefiting an outsider, wouldn’t it? If it’s given to your younger brother, at least it stays within our Xu family. Besides, your brother was very upset when he heard you attempted suicide. If he weren’t so busy with work and unable to get away, he would have come with us..." Yan Xixi stepped to one side. She truly couldn’t bear to listen to another word. Only then did Xu’s mother notice Yan Xixi standing to one side. Her old face flushed as she asked, "And you are?" Thɪs chapter is updated by novel⦿fire.net "I’m Yan Xixi, Xiaoya’s friend." "Xixi? Oh, yes, Xiaoya often talks about you. Good. With you here watching her, we can rest easier. We’ll go get Xiaoya something to eat. Old man, let’s go..." The couple left. Yan Xixi quietly closed the hospital room door. When she turned back, she saw Xu Xiaoya’s tears streaming down like rain. She was crying so hard she looked as if she might faint. She pulled a chair to the bedside and sat down. Xu Xiaoya looked utterly haggard, as thin as skin and bones. She sighed deeply. "Xiaoya, how could you be so foolish?" "It was Zhong Minghui who ruined me... he ruined me! He tricked me into borrowing money from everyone to buy a house, but as soon as the house was bought, he found another woman... You were right, Xixi. Zhong Minghui was scheming all along to cheat me out of my money. He deliberately didn’t put my name on the deed... Xixi, I truly regret not listening to you..." After the paperwork for the new house was finalized, Xu Xiaoya thought everything was settled and was cheerfully planning the renovations. But one day, she accidentally discovered flirtatious text messages between Zhong Minghui and another woman. She quietly followed him and found out that Zhong Minghui already had an intimate girlfriend—a female colleague from his workplace. When their affair was exposed, Zhong Minghui, instead of showing remorse, became even more brazen and simply brought his mistress home.