“Xiao Zhe, what nonsense are you talking about? I did not ask anyone to grant me a wish, seriously…” By now, Zhou Hua had to wipe off her cold sweat.
Xia Zhe frowned and probed further, “The Ma family? The Zheng family? Or… the He family?”
Zhou Hua did not react when she heard the first two words, but she trembled when she heard the He family being mentioned.
Xia Zhe relaxed his furrowed brows and looked at Zhou Hua coldly.
When Qiao Mei heard that it was the He family, she was shocked and looked at Zhou Hua in disbelief. She did not expect He Ning to be so powerful and to have already infiltrated the Xia family.
Xia Zhe looked at Zhou Hua in silence for a while. Zhou Hua kept her head lowered and did not intend to explain anything. She already did not manage to seize her last chance.
Xia Zhe did not say anything and walked out to make a phone call.
Zhou Hua knew that it was all over at this time. Not only would the careers of Xia Xing and Xia Guang be ruined, but her life might also be ruined.
“How muddle-headed…” Xu Lan sighed and said.
Zhou Hua sat on the sofa dejectedly. This matter started with an empty thought of hers, but He Ning was absolutely sure that he would be able to arrange for Xia Xing to return to the capital and take on a higher position, which was why she was willing to give it a try! Besides, she would just be giving him a ginseng and not telling him about the Xia family’s secrets!
At this moment, Zhou Hua was still deceiving herself and feeling that she did not make any big mistake.
Xia Zhe returned and looked at Qiao Mei before saying, “After you’ve had your meal, go upstairs and rest with elder sister. Don’t wait for me.”
“Yes, I understand.” Qiao Mei nodded obediently and went to the kitchen to help with the cooking.
After Xia Zhe returned, he did not sit at the dining table to eat. He sat quietly opposite Zhou Hua and stared at her, putting a lot of pressure on her.
Qiao Mei, Xu Lan, Xia He and Liu Fen went upstairs to their rooms to rest after the meal. Not long after that, Xia Mao, Xia Xiu, Xia Wen and even Xia Jun arrived home. Xia Zhe brought Zhou Hua to the study and it did not take long for Zhou Hua to explain everything.
“Tell us, when did you contact the He family?” Xia Jun asked.
“I… I didn’t contact the He family! I really didn’t! I really needed the ginseng for an emergency!” Zhou Hua stammered.
“Third Aunt-in-law, it’s better for you to tell us everything.” Xia Wen looked at Zhou Hua sternly.
When Zhou Hua saw that everyone was scrutinizing her sternly, her psychological defenses collapsed. She slumped to the ground and said, “I was out one day and bumped into an attendant from the He family.”
“And then?” Xia Xiu asked.
“Later on, he told me that He Ning from the He family could solve my urgent problem and invited me over, so I went. He said that he would arrange for a better job for my son and help Xia Guang clear the obstacles in his career path. He only needed one ginseng in return,” Zhou Hua said honestly.
Xia Xiu looked at Xia Mao beside her but Xia Mao remained silent.
Based on their understanding of Zhou Hua, she would not do anything to harm the Xia family’s interests and reputation. After all, she was also a member of the Xia family and she still needed to maintain her status as a daughter-in-law of the Xia family.
“Third Aunt-in-law, you’re so muddle-headed. If you receive benefits from He Ning, he will be able to blackmail you after that. It’s not just a matter about one ginseng,” Xia Wen said helplessly.
Zhou Hua looked at the people around her agitatedly and said, “No! I really didn’t say anything about the Xia family! He just asked me for one ginseng! Then he will be able to help my husband and son in their careers! I didn’t say anything else! I really didn’t say anything!”
“Even if he doesn’t want anything else, why would he only want ginseng? Didn’t he just take the Cao family’s ginseng?” Xia Xiu asked in confusion.
Zhou Hua did not know anything about this. She did not know about such things.
“Maybe he’s using Third Aunt-in-law to do a background check,” Xia Zhe said.
Xia Mao looked at Xia Zhe in confusion and asked, “Background check?”
“One ginseng can only alleviate his illness slightly, but if he wants to stay alive, he needs an endless supply of ginseng. He Ning is using Third Aunt-in-law to check on how many ginseng Qiao Mei has,” Xia Zhe said.
It was only then that everyone came to a realization. At this moment, Zhou Hua also understood how stupid her actions were. However, Old Master Xia did not want to help her husband and son, so she had no choice but to take the risk.
