Chapter 73. Nightmare: He knows you once stabbed your own father...
Xia Chan watched as Zhang Guozhong emerged from the shadows of the alley.
The night was dark, the alley was narrow, and the towering walls on both sides cast a heavy shadow on him.
He was wearing a casual suit, tall and thin. The dim light of the night made it difficult for her to see his expression clearly; she could only vaguely make out his slightly upturned lips and sinister eyes.
Xia Chan's shirt clung to her back, almost soaked with cold sweat, and she forced back her fear as she asked, "Zhang Guozhong... what do you want to do?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the camera above the alleyway to confirm that their area was within its field of view.
She held her breath and retreated, thinking, "This is Shanghai!"
“I know this is Shanghai, Chanchan.” Zhang Guozhong just smiled and walked closer to her step by step. “Dad has been looking for you for a long time. So many years have passed since we last met. Aren’t you happy to see Dad again?”
A distant streetlamp faintly illuminated him, and Xia Chan finally saw his face clearly.
She was smiling, but the meaning of her smile was hard to decipher, and the gold-rimmed glasses on her face reflected a faint, cold light.
The years had made him look older, but he was dressed in a refined and elegant manner, though beneath his dignified appearance lay the soul of a scoundrel.
Back then, Zhang Guozhong beat her. She went to the hospital to find a lawyer and filed a lawsuit, refusing to treat it as a family dispute. In the end, she was sentenced to three years and one month for intentional injury. Including gambling, extortion, and other crimes, she was sentenced to a total of six years.
Xia Chan had considered that Zhang Guozhong might still come looking for her and seek revenge after he was released.
Fortunately, Shanfeng Lane was later demolished, and they had all moved away from Shanfeng Lane. In addition, after she went to university, she spent most of her time in Shanghai. He thought that in the vast sea of people, he would probably never find her again in his life.
Unexpectedly...
It seems that her affair with Shen Zhoudu caused such a stir online a few days ago that he followed the trail and found her here.
Xia Chan's fingers clenched so tightly they turned white, and a feeling of despair suddenly welled up inside her. On the surface, she still forced a stern expression, "Zhang Guozhong, I'm not thirteen or seventeen years old anymore."
I'm not afraid of you anymore!
“You were never afraid before,” Zhang Guozhong said, simply stretching his arms out slightly to show her his body. “I still have the scars from when you stabbed me, three stabs. Chanchan, tell me, how can I forget you?”
Xia Chan's lips were tightly pressed together, her eyes gleaming.
"Chanchan, Dad didn't come here this time to settle scores with you or anything." Soon, he sighed softly, his tone as sentimental as a father who hadn't seen his beloved daughter for many years.
"It's because of you that Dad spent several years in prison. Dad still has some resentment in his heart, but after all, you are my only daughter. Dad just wants you to fulfill your filial duty to Dad now. That can't be too much to ask, can it?"
"Thanks to you, my years in prison have left me unable to even find a job delivering packages. I was truly desperate, which is why I came to you. Even if I'm a scoundrel, I'm still your biological father, right? You won't just stand by and do nothing, will you?"
Xia Chan stared at him intently, feeling a surge of nausea rising in her stomach, and almost burst into a tirade.
Shameless! Beast! Disgusting! Animal!
Shameless scoundrel!
How could he have done such despicable things and still have the audacity to come and say these things to her so brazenly? It's unbelievable that such disgusting people exist in this world! What a scumbag!
"You going to jail...that's your own problem. After all, no one forced you to do anything illegal!" Xia Chan said coldly. "We're all adults, and we should take responsibility for our own actions. I have no obligation to bail you out! Besides, I have no money and won't support you. My household registration is no longer in your name. We have nothing to do with each other! Go find whoever you want from now on, and don't bother me again!"
After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked away quickly. Zhang Guozhong said quietly behind her, "You may not have money, but your big star boyfriend should."
Xia Chan stopped abruptly, her gaze suddenly fixed.
"Your celebrity boyfriend is so popular now, and I heard he's a rich second-generation. A mere three million... you can't possibly not come up with that, can you? Besides, even though your household registration is no longer in my name, and you no longer have the surname Zhang, the blood relationship can't be changed, Chanchan. I'll only ask you for three million. After that, I'll do as you wish and never come looking for you again, how about that?"
"How much?" Xia Chan suddenly thought she had misheard and turned around in disbelief.
Zhang Guozhong just smiled.
"I think you've really gone mad!" Xia Chan found it even more incomprehensible and turned to leave. But Zhang Guozhong grabbed her wrist, forcing her into a corner and gritting his teeth as he whispered, "Chanchan, does your boyfriend... does he know that you stabbed your own father three times?"
"Let go!" Xia Chan struggled and shouted.
“Even if he knows!” He gripped his fist tighter, continuing his threat, “Does his family know? Do his fans, netizens, and the media know? What do you think they would think if they knew that the girlfriend of such a big star almost went to jail for stabbing someone!”
"He's at the peak of his career right now, with thousands of people idolizing him everywhere. Do you think this incident will affect him? And how much money could I get if I sold this information to the media?"
"Let me go!" Xia Chan's eyes turned red with anger, and she kicked him away by kicking his shin. Zhang Guozhong cried out in pain and took a step back. Xia Chan's eyes also turned furious, and she wished she could take the knife in her hand and stab him three more times.
"Zhang Guozhong." Her eyes, however, were sharper and brighter than a knife at this moment, staring straight at him as if she wanted to pierce his heart. She said coldly, "The matter between you and me is our own affair. Don't even think about touching Chenzhoudu!"
"Alright." Zhang Guozhong, bent over and enduring the pain, laughed in shock upon hearing this, and was about to say something more when a tentative voice suddenly rang out from not far from the alley entrance, "Xia Chan?"
Xia Chan paused for a moment and looked over, only to find it was her landlady.
Xia Chan's landlady is an old Shanghainese, quite elderly, with a slightly outdated perm. She must have just come back from playing mahjong.
She was somewhat taken aback when she saw Zhang Guozhong. "And who is this...?"
"Hello, I am Chanchan's father. I've come from our hometown to visit Chanchan." Upon seeing the visitor, Zhang Guozhong immediately changed his attitude and extended his hand to her.
Xia Chan glared at him in shock and anger.
"Oh!" The landlady's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she exchanged a brief greeting with him.
Zhang Guozhong is good-looking. Although he is getting old and his behavior is worse than that of a beast, when he dresses up properly, he can really have the refined and elegant demeanor of a gentleman.
Back then, he used this same appearance to completely deceive Xie Jun.
During this brief exchange, Zhang Guozhong thanked the landlady, expressing his gratitude for taking care of Xia Chan over the years and asking her to look after her in the future, as parents are always worried about a young woman living away from home alone.
He had already charmed the landlady like a flower, and she kept saying that he would feel at ease if Xia Chan stayed with her.
Xia Chan's face stiffened and grew paler.
After the landlady left, Xia Chan's face was as white as paper. Zhang Guozhong met her deep eyes and continued the conversation that had just ended, smiling as he said, "Chanchan, I can leave him alone, but this money... I'll give you time to think it over. Once you've thought it over, come back and give me your answer."
-
The atmosphere at the Guan family's house has been a bit strange these past few days.
A few days ago, Guan Bohan finished filming his new drama in Hengdian and returned to Shanghai for good.
Although he had made things clear with Xia Chan and Chen Zhoudu that day, who says unrequited love isn't love? He was still feeling a bit down after the breakup. These past few days on vacation, he'd been staying home sleeping and playing games. His temper had also suddenly become extremely bad.
He complains whenever he's unhappy, curses whenever things don't go his way, and can find fish bones in an egg and kick a passing dog even if it's innocent.
The servants of the Guan family would avoid this young master if they could, for fear of offending him. Even Guan Yuntian and Xie Mei instructed that words such as "summer," "cicada," and "boat" must never be mentioned in front of him.
Guan Yuntian was also somewhat emotional. He had a really good impression of the girl and thought she could become one of his own, but he didn't expect that Chen Zhoudu would beat him to it.
That's true, he himself felt that if that girl had gone with Guan Bohan, it would have been a waste of her talent, and he wouldn't have chosen him either.
Xie Xuan has made very few comments on this matter in recent days.
The fact that Shen Zhoudu knew her identity had made her somewhat uneasy, but this news actually put her at ease.
At least Xia Chan won't come to the Guan family.
Although she still felt a mix of emotions, she was relieved to know that the other woman was doing well.
In this way, they can finally go their separate ways and have nothing to do with each other.
That afternoon, Xie Jun invited two close friends from the entertainment industry to get beauty treatments, followed by shopping and afternoon tea.
The mall was very large and winding, so Xie Jun didn't have a driver or bodyguard with her and wandered around the mall alone with her two sisters.
While her friend was trying on clothes at a haute couture store, Xie Jun took the opportunity to go to the restroom.
Even in high-end shopping malls, restrooms are divided into VIP sections. These two restrooms are located in a relatively remote area, requiring the use of the VIP entrance; aside from VIPs and dedicated cleaning staff, very few people use them.
Xie Xun came out of the stall and washed her hands at the sink. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the spotless mirror in front of her—
Wearing a hat and mask, dressed in a cleaning worker's uniform, he was tall and thin, but his figure looked like a man's.
She turned around in surprise, but in that instant, her neck was suddenly gripped tightly by a tiger's mouth, and she was slammed against the wall!
Then he dragged her forward, locked the bathroom door from the inside, put up a "Closed" sign, grabbed her and dragged her to the corner, then slammed her down hard!
Xie Xun was terrified and quickly covered her neck, staring at him in horror. She then saw the person in front of her slowly and methodically remove his hat and mask.
The moment I saw his face clearly.
Xie Jun felt her blood rush to her head!
His words were broken and incoherent: "Zhang...Zhang—"
"Xiao Jun," Zhang Guozhong smiled at her, "long time no see."
Her pupils dilated, her throat felt as if it were being strangled by a thin thread, she lost her voice, and every hair on her body stood on end.
The fear of him seemed to be etched deep in my bones, and I could react to it instantly without any recollection.
The next second, he lightly grabbed her by the throat and pinned her against the wall, coldly sneering, "You're quite comfortable being a rich lady, aren't you!"
Xie Jun frowned in pain.
"You're really amazing!"
"I've been searching for this for so many years."
"You shameless woman! You betrayed me, cheated on me, and then just walked away with another man. I heard you even abandoned our precious daughter? Xie Jun, you're really something! I think you've really had too much of a comfortable life and forgotten who you are, haven't you, Xie Jun!"
He suddenly tightened his grip on her, and Xie Jun's eyes reddened as she tried to pull away, her voice breaking as she forced out a broken cry, "What are you doing..."
"What do you want?" Zhang Guozhong was about to speak when there was a knock on the door.
Then a voice came: "Sister Mei, are you in there? Sister Mei? Why is the bathroom suddenly under repair... Sister Mei?"
They must be the sisters who have been waiting for Xie Jun to return for a long time.
Xie Xun's eyes lit up with hope, and she was about to call for help. Zhang Guozhong chuckled and whispered in her ear, "Do you want them to see you like this?"
She stopped speaking in a panic.
He chuckled lightly, "I don't care. I just got out of jail, I'm not afraid to go back in. But you, my esteemed lady of the wealthy family... have they ever seen you like this? Your new husband, your new friends... do they even know you ever had a husband? Do they know your real name? Hmm? Xie Mei? Xie Jun!"
Xie Xun's face turned pale, and finally, tears welled up in her eyes in terror. She closed her eyes briefly, and after he tentatively loosened his grip slightly, she called out, "N-nothing! I just ate something wrong, my stomach hurts, please wait for me a little longer..."
The person outside the door left.
After confirming that everyone outside had completely left, Xie Xun finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked in despair, "What exactly are you trying to do?!"
"I need money," Zhang Guozhong said bluntly, "Forty million."
Xie Xuan's eyes flickered violently.
"Zhang Guozhong, are you crazy?" she exclaimed incredulously. "I don't have that many..."
"You don't have it, but your second husband and stepson do, don't they?" Zhang Guozhong sneered. "The Guan family is so wealthy and powerful, and your stepson is a big star. Forty million is nothing to them, right? My wife is already someone else's, so forty million shouldn't be too much, right?"
"Zhang Guozhong, do you think rich people's money grows on trees?!" Xie Xun couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "Even the richest family can't just produce 40 million in movable assets in the blink of an eye! Besides, I only married Guan Yuntian, but this Guan family business isn't mine!"
"Xie Jun, I'm not discussing this with you!" He suddenly tightened his grip on her neck again. Xie Jun frowned, tilted her head back, and mumbled incoherently, unable to speak. Tears streamed down her face again.
He smiled as if appreciating her pained expression, then slowly released her, his fingertips gently tracing the faint red marks on her neck, as if he were tenderly caring for a beloved lover, his breath as fragrant as orchids.
"Forty million, not a penny less, otherwise your past scandals will be exposed to the world immediately."
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