Chapter 316 - 314: Leave No One Alive

"One night, I woke up and heard you talking on the phone with your brother with my own ears. You said, ’That old thing won’t last much longer.’ You said that as soon as I die, all of the Zhao family’s assets will be yours.

"You married Linglong off to the Ma family to fill the hole your brother made gambling, didn’t you?"

At the time, Zhao Hongshan’s mind had been clouded, but now that he was clear-headed, he knew exactly what Wang Xuelian had done.

"Wang Xuelian! I, Zhao Hongshan, have never treated you poorly. In all the years since you married me, have I ever wronged you? I paid for your daughter Zhao Lili’s education and bought her a house; she was treated no worse than Linglong. How have I ever let you and your daughter down?!" Zhao Hongshan interrogated her, his voice full of condemnation.

Wang Xuelian’s face was already as white as a sheet. Her lips trembled and her eyes darted around as she desperately thought of a way to defend herself.

"I regret it so much. I never should have married you. I married a poisonous snake!" Zhao Hongshan wept bitter tears, his heart filled with immense remorse.

At this moment, Zhao Lili stiffened her neck and retorted, "Dad! How can you have the nerve to say you didn’t treat us poorly? Seeing that you were about to die, you left all your property to Zhao Linglong!

"My mom accompanied you for so many years, but in the end, she gets nothing! You were the one who was unkind first, so don’t blame us for being unrighteous!"

Hearing this, Zhao Hongshan actually laughed out of sheer anger. After a long while, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Most of the family’s assets were earned through the hard work I put in alongside Linglong’s Mother. Since you’ve been with me, you haven’t earned a single cent. I’ve been the one providing for you. What’s wrong with me giving the majority of my property to Linglong?

"Besides, I also left a house and some assets for you two. As long as you didn’t squander it away for the rest of your lives, it would have been more than enough for you to live without worrying about food and clothing. And yet, you still weren’t satisfied!

"You black-hearted, rotten scum! It’s one thing to scheme against me, but you even tried to marry my daughter off to a fool! I won’t let you off!" Zhao Hongshan’s chest heaved with rage as he pointed a trembling finger at Wang Xuelian and her group. "None of you will escape! Just wait to rot in jail!"

The moment his voice faded, a dense chorus of police sirens wailed from outside the villa, followed immediately by the synchronized thud of rapid footsteps.

Everyone was stunned. Zhao Hongshan had only just made the call; how could the police arrive so quickly?

Yang Xun smiled faintly and said, "I called the police a long time ago. Now, you don’t even have a chance to run."

The group turned pale with fright. Just as they turned to flee, Captain Chen Mingli led his subordinates briskly through the villa gates. They stormed into the courtyard and swiftly subdued the entire group.

Chen Mingli strode through the door and saw Yang Xun standing there safe and sound, while a group of people lay sprawled haphazardly across the floor. His expression became rather complicated.

"Captain Chen, they attacked first. I might have been a bit heavy-handed in self-defense," Yang Xun said with a calm smile.

Knowing his capabilities, Chen Mingli nodded. "I understand. I’ll explain the situation to my superiors. You were a huge help to the bureau last time, so the leadership won’t pursue this." With that, he waved a hand at his subordinates and ordered, "Take them all away."

"I... I’ve been wronged!" Wang Xuelian shrieked, making one last desperate struggle.

"Dad! I’m your daughter too! I know I was wrong, please let me go!" Zhao Lili, finally understanding the true meaning of fear, begged Zhao Hongshan for mercy.

After all, she was a child he had watched grow up. A trace of reluctance flickered in Zhao Hongshan’s heart, but the moment he remembered how this vicious mother and daughter had nearly killed him and his real daughter, only hatred remained.

"Take them all away! Leave no one!"

With a sweeping wave of Chen Mingli’s hand, Wang Xuelian and the others were escorted into the police cars.

Seeing that there was no room to turn things around, Wang Xuelian finally broke down completely. Her voice was shrill and filled with despair. "Zhao Hongshan! You’ll die a horrible death!"

Zhao Hongshan didn’t look at her. He merely closed his eyes.

Once everyone was taken away, the Zhao family villa gradually returned to silence. Only a few servants were left, huddled in the corners and not daring to breathe too loudly.

Zhao Hongshan turned to look at Zhao Linglong standing by the bed, his eyes reddening slightly. "Linglong, Dad let you down. I’ve caused you to suffer too many grievances all these years."

Zhao Linglong could no longer hold back her tears, but she didn’t cry out loud. She just shook her head and said, "Dad, I don’t blame you. Right now, you just need to rest and recover."

Yang Xun didn’t disturb the father and daughter. He sat on a nearby chair, tending to a scrape on Sun Rao’s knee. Her knee had been scraped during the fight just now. Though it wasn’t serious, the seeping blood had soaked through her pant leg, blooming into a shocking patch of red on the cream-colored fabric.

"Bear with it for a second." Yang Xun dipped a cotton swab in antiseptic and gently wiped the edges of her wound.

Sun Rao sat in the chair, her head lowered as she watched him treat her injury. A trace of imperceptible softness flickered in her phoenix-like eyes. "A minor injury like this is nothing."

"If it isn’t treated properly, it’ll leave a scar."

The corners of Sun Rao’s mouth curled up slightly, and she didn’t say anything more. Right at that moment, the butler walked in briskly. "Sir, Mr. Tang is here."

"Hurry... hurry and invite him in," Zhao Hongshan said excitedly. It was clear he had a very good relationship with Mr. Tang.

A moment later, an elderly gentleman walked through the door, accompanied by several bodyguards. He was in his early sixties, with a lean figure. Dressed in a navy blue Mandarin-collar shirt, his steps were steady, and his features carried the calm poise and bearing of someone who had spent years steeped in the circles of fame and fortune.

"Old Tang, you’re here." Zhao Hongshan propped himself up against the edge of the bed, trying to sit up straighter.

Tang Qingquan strode over to the bedside and pressed down on his shoulder. "Don’t move. Just talk while lying down."

Seeing that the two men had a lot to discuss, Yang Xun led Sun Rao and Zhao Linglong out of the room. The three of them went to Zhao Linglong’s bedroom to apply medicine to her face.

Sun Rao felt her heart ache as she looked at the scratches on Zhao Linglong’s face. She couldn’t help but curse, "That woman is truly vicious. If she had used a bit more force, it would have left a scar."

"She was just jealous that Linglong is prettier than her, which is why she aimed for the face. But she was probably afraid that if she ruined her looks, the Ma family wouldn’t want Linglong anymore, so she didn’t go all out," Yang Xun said in a deep voice.

His touch was very light as he carefully applied the ointment to her fair cheek little by little. At the same time, he infused a trace of True Qi to ensure that not a single blemish would remain on her face.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Tang Qingquan’s gaze lingered on Zhao Hongshan’s emaciated face for a moment before his brow furrowed slightly. "You’ve lost so much weight. Looks like you suffered a great deal this time."

"I nearly lost my life," Zhao Hongshan smiled bitterly.

"What exactly happened?" Tang Qingquan asked, his frown deepening.

Zhao Hongshan sighed and recounted the entire course of events.

"You fool!" Tang Qingquan said helplessly, though he couldn’t bear to be too harsh on his old friend.

He had been a poor judge of character and had already been punished for it, but his love for his daughter was undeniably genuine.

Choking back sobs, Zhao Hongshan said, "After Linglong’s Mother passed away, she was always getting sick. She would cry out for her mom in her dreams in the middle of the night. All our relatives advised me to find someone else. After all, Linglong was still so young; it just wouldn’t do for her not to have a woman around to take care of her."