Chapter 25 Desperate Counterattack
The old town of the port city is full of life and local flavor.
Because the road was too narrow for a car to drive in, Xie Nanzhi had to park the car at the intersection and walk in.
It looked like a convenient farmers' market on both sides of the road, selling all sorts of things. She picked out a few kinds of fruit, paid, and then continued walking.
However, she wasn't idle along the way; she kept thinking about one question.
The more Xie Nanzhi thought about it, the more something seemed off, so she stopped and dialed Zhou Mubin's number.
As soon as the call was connected, Xie Nanzhi couldn't wait to share her thoughts, "Old Zhou, I have a guess in my mind. Could you check it out for me and give me an answer as soon as possible?"
Zhou Mubin complained, "Nanzhi, even the donkeys in the production team aren't handled like this. They were busy all night, and I just lay down..."
Xie Nanzhi interrupted, "I'll help you get the legal representation for the Nanhai Group."
Instantly, Zhou Mubin became incredibly energetic, as if he'd been injected with adrenaline. "Deal, half an hour at most."
Xie Nanzhi: "Okay."
Xie Nanzhi's destination was the innermost building, which was in a remote and quiet location. She stepped into the dilapidated unit door and went straight to the seventh floor.
She climbed up in one go without much effort, after all, in the past three months, besides recuperating, she had also learned some rudimentary kung fu from her fourth senior brother.
It might not be enough to deal with experts, but it's more than enough to deal with ordinary thugs and hooligans.
She raised her hand and knocked on the iron door, and heard slow footsteps approaching from inside. After a while, the door opened.
An elderly woman with gray hair, her back hunched, asked in surprise, "Young lady, who are you looking for?"
Xie Nanzhi smiled, her eyes full of kindness, "Grandma, I've come to find Sinian."
The old lady quickly made way for her, saying, "You're the friend I've been missing. Come in quickly, don't stand outside."
Xie Nanzhi walked in politely and handed the fruit to the old lady, saying, "Grandma, this is the fruit I bought for you downstairs."
The old lady saw this and said, "Oh, you've come all this way, why did you bring anything? You're too kind. Go find Sinian, she's drawing in her bedroom."
Xie Nanzhi: "Okay, Grandma."
The house wasn't big; it only had one bedroom. A simple cot was placed in the living room. It seemed that Grandma slept outside, while Zhao Sinian slept in the only bedroom.
It seems that the grandmother truly loves this granddaughter from the bottom of her heart.
Xie Nanzhi knocked politely on the door, and Zhao Sinian said "Come in" before she pushed the door open.
The door opened, and what came into view was a girl sitting in a wheelchair in the sunlight, with an easel in front of her and a painting that was two-thirds complete.
Zhao Sinian looked over, her cold face expressionless. "I know why you came to see me, but my attitude is the same as before. I will absolutely not stand up and identify Miss Xie."
Zhou Mubin said she was a tough nut to crack, and Xie Nanzhi had prepared herself mentally before she came.
She calmly found a place to sit down, her gaze falling on Zhao Sinian's painting. After pondering for a while, she said, "Your use of color is bold and your technique is skillful. It's clear you have a lot of talent. But beneath the vibrant colors, I see a trapped soul. She seems to want to break free from worldly constraints, yet she is also timid inside. Sinian, you must be in a lot of pain and conflicted."
A glint flashed in Zhao Sinian's eyes as she looked directly at her. "You can actually understand it?"
Xie Nanzhi raised the corners of her mouth with a mocking smile, "It seems that Xie Xiyan, that fool, only knows how to claim your paintings for herself, and can't even understand the artistic conception of the paintings. She's really wasting these good paintings."
Zhao Sinian did not refute this, which seems to indicate that she agreed with Xie Nanzhi's words.
Zhao Sinian held a paintbrush and mixed colors in the paint palette. "Go away. I won't help you. And don't come back again."
If Xie Xiyan and Zhao Sinian only had a financial relationship based on mutual exploitation, it would be easy to handle, but that's not the case.
Xie Xiyan was able to control Zhao Sinian because she had done Zhao a favor.
Zhao Sinian's leg ailment was congenital. Shortly after her birth, her parents died in a car accident while working away from home. Zhao Sinian was raised by her grandfather, who remarried when she was ten. However, their happiness was short-lived; her grandfather passed away from cancer a few years later. It was assumed that her grandmother would abandon her and go live with her own children, since they were not related by blood. To everyone's surprise, her grandmother was willing to stay and take care of her.
This is precisely why her children severed ties with her. A few years ago, when her grandmother fell seriously ill and needed a large sum of money for medical treatment, her children refused to contribute a single penny. It was at this time that Xie Xiyan found Zhao Sinian, who covered all the medical expenses.
From then on, the two reached a tacit agreement: Xie Xiyan would buy her painting, but she would keep it a secret.
So Zhou Mubin came several times, but his threats and inducements failed to get Zhao Sinian to agree.
Xie Nanzhi remained calm and composed, and did not speak.
I was quietly looking at Zhao Sinian's painting when, about ten minutes later, a message popped up on my phone.
Xie Nanzhi's lips curled up slightly. As expected of Zhou Mubin, he had never disappointed her.
In fact, Zhou Mubin had investigated Zhao Sinian's matter thoroughly, but looking at the information, Xie Nanzhi still felt that something was illogical.
Only when they were almost at their destination did she tell Zhou Mubin her suspicions and ask him to confirm her guess.
Xie Nanzhi carefully read the content that was sent, and it was indeed almost exactly what she had thought. Back then, it was Xie Xiyan who had tampered with Grandma Zhao Sinian's illness.
After reading it once, Xie Nanzhi spoke softly, "Sinian, have you ever thought about why Xie Xiyan happened to appear so precisely when your grandmother was hospitalized and needed money for treatment, and why neither of your aunts nor your uncle was willing to contribute a single penny? Do you believe that such a coincidence could happen in this world?"
Zhao Sinian's hand holding the paintbrush suddenly paused, a hint of doubt flashing in her pupils. "What do you mean?"
Xie Nanzhi stood up and placed the email Zhou Mubin had just sent in front of Zhao Sinian, explaining, "What you perceive as kindness is nothing more than a scheme meticulously designed by Xie Xiyan. She started plotting this the moment she took a liking to your talent. Evidence shows that your grandmother does have a minor heart problem, but as long as she takes her medication on time and maintains a regular lifestyle, it can be completely managed and is far from requiring surgery. Your aunt and uncle have also been bribed by Xie Xiyan. She's preventing them from spending money on your grandmother's medical treatment because she wants to push you to the brink so you'll be grateful to her and allow her to exploit you more effectively."
Looking at the diagnosis report and the video of her aunt and uncle admitting it, Zhao Sinian's big eyes revealed shock and anger.
Zhao Sinian gritted her teeth, "She lied to me, it was her."
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