"And you? Do you have any other wishes?"

Upon hearing the last sentence, the couple's eyes lit up instantly. After all that talk, they had finally gotten to the point.

Mr. Xia quickly said, "Yingying, your mother and I's greatest hope is to see you and your brother both well, but now this has happened to you. From now on, your mother and I can only rely on your brother! You know your brother's situation; the current environment is tough, and nothing is easy. Your mother and I can't offer your brother much help!"

"If someone could help your brother right now, things would be different!"

Mrs. Xia nodded quickly, "Yingying, you're more capable than your parents and your brother. After our family's misfortune, all the people who used to be close to us disappeared. But you're different; you still have Miss Jiang, your good friend! If Miss Jiang can look after your brother after you're gone, his future will be easier..."

So that's how it is.

So that's how it is.

She thought her parents came to see her because they couldn't bear to part with her.

Hot tears streamed down Xia Ying's face as she turned to her parents. "Mom and Dad, have you ever loved me? In your hearts, has Xia Yang always been the only one?"

Upon hearing this, Xia's parents were both taken aback.

Mr. Xia was the first to react and quickly said, "Yingying, what are you saying! You are my and your mother's only daughter, how could we not love you? If we didn't love you, would we still be here to see you?"

Xia's mother then spoke up: "Yingying, think carefully about it. From childhood to adulthood, in terms of food, clothing, and other necessities, have you ever been worse off than your younger brother? Your father and I are not the kind of people who favor boys over girls!"

Xia's father chimed in, "Not only do we not favor boys over girls, but we actually favor girls over boys. Think about it carefully: before you got married, wasn't your bedroom bigger than your brother's? Didn't your brother always give way to you when we ate? Even when buying clothes, he bought the most for you! He also cooked your favorite dishes, and your brother benefited from it all."

Her parents' words reminded Xia Ying of many things from the past, and a sarcastic smile appeared on her lips. "Yes, you never discriminated against girls in small matters. On the contrary, you always acted like you loved me very much."

"But what's the reality? I live in the best bedroom at home, but the property deed is in my younger brother's name!"

“You cook my favorite dishes, but secretly give my younger brother pocket money.”

"You said you would prepare a generous dowry for me, but in the end, you even took my bride price to support your younger brother's studies abroad! You never thought about leaving me a way out. Do you know that if you hadn't taken all the bride price, leaving me unable to repay my loan and being pressured by Xu Tao, I would never have gone down this path!"

Xia Ying used to think that her parents loved her.

Because from childhood to adulthood, my parents always treated me better than my younger brother.

Her parents wouldn't name her Xia Zhaodi, nor would they let her live in a small room while her younger brother lived in a large room. They also wouldn't let her give way to her brother; no matter what, her parents would always make her brother give way to her.

It wasn't until later, when she heard Jiang Ning say that she would divide the shares of the Shi Group into three equal parts and distribute them equally among her three children, that she realized her parents had never treated them all equally.

Why was Xia Ying deceived by Xu Tao?

After realizing that her parents didn't love her at all, she didn't dare to tell Jiang Ning and Ma Zhaodi the truth. She couldn't bring herself to tell her friends that her parents, who had always loved her, were actually products of feudalism that favored sons over daughters.

She used to think she was different from Ma Zhaodi, but in reality she was just one of Zhaodi, Pandi, Aidi, and Daidi.

That's ridiculous.

So she could only continue to pretend to be happy, pretend that her parents loved her, and pretend that everyone loved her.

She was desperately seeking love.

She lacks genuine, calculated love.

so.

At that time, Xia Ying had completely fallen into Xu Tao's trap and became a fanatic who wouldn't listen to any advice. She desperately wanted to prove to Jiang Ning and Ma Zhaodi that her judgment was correct and her choice was right.

When Xia Ying first argued with Jiang Ning and Ma Zhaodi, and Xia Ying mocked Ma Zhaodi's family for favoring sons over daughters, she was actually satirizing herself.

At least Ma Zhaodi bravely stepped forward.

I made a clean break with my family of origin.

And her.

But she was trapped in the mud; she was a fool, a complete fool.

As Xia Ying cried, her voice became hoarse, "Now... I'm about to die, and you still haven't forgotten to squeeze every last bit of value out of me to use as a stepping stone for Xia Yang! Is this what you call loving me?!"