Chapter 237: Zhao Xi's Story (Part 1)
At the dining table of the Zhao family in City A, the two elders of the Zhao family, Zhao Xi and a little boy of three or four years old were sitting around. The little boy was holding a small spoon and his face was covered with rice grains. Zhao's mother couldn't help but wanted to feed her little grandson, but was stopped by Zhao's father.
With a mother like Zhao Wan, Zhao's father was afraid that his little grandson would grow up to be like his parents, so he was strict with him since he was young, which sometimes made Zhao's mother feel distressed.
Zhao Xi, who was standing by, looked at this little nephew who had no blood relationship with him, picked up a tissue and gently wiped the rice grains off his face. The little boy was very well behaved and did not resist at all.
"Thank you, auntie." After Zhao Xi finished wiping, the little boy said in a baby voice, very well-mannered.
Unlike his parents Zhao Wan and Gong Wenjie, the little boy was taught to be very polite and gentle by the two elders of the Zhao family since he was a child. Even though Zhao Xi didn't like Zhao Wan, Gong Wenjie and others, he still loved the little boy very much.
In the past few years, as Zhao Wan continued to struggle, even her mother's love for her was almost gone. On the contrary, the relationship between the two elders of the Zhao family and Zhao Xi improved a lot, and it was somewhat back to the time when Zhao Wan had not yet returned to her ancestral home.
Speaking of Zhao Wan, the two elders of the Zhao family were very angry with her. Not only did she ignore her own biological son, but when Gong Wenjie came to ask for custody of the child, Zhao Wan knew that the other party had ulterior motives, she completely ignored him and even told the two elders of the Zhao family to give the child to Gong Wenjie.
She has absolutely no sense of responsibility as a mother, and has never considered how much effort the Zhao family elders have put into their child.
The two elders of the Zhao family were so angry that their livers hurt, especially Zhao's mother, who could not believe that her daughter would become like this. In the end, it was Zhao's father who used some tricks to make Gong Wenjie behave himself and not dare to come to the Zhao family to make trouble.
After this incident, Zhao Wan was photographed entering and leaving a hotel with a wealthy businessman. The other party was not much younger than Zhao's father. When Zhao's father saw the news, his hands were shaking with anger. Although the other party's family background was a little richer than Zhao's, it was not so good that the two elders of the Zhao family were willing to give their young daughter to an old man.
Especially since the Zhao family still has some reputation in City A, how can the two elders of the Zhao family face their relatives and friends after Zhao Wan did such a thing? People who don’t know would think that the Zhao family is in trouble and has to rely on selling their daughters for fame.
After seeing the news, Zhao's mother finally called her daughter whom she hadn't contacted for a long time and asked her to go back to City A. But how could Zhao Wan be willing to do that? She knew her parents' plans for her and felt that since she was divorced and had children, she should find an honest man to marry and live a good life.
How could Zhao Wan accept such a life? She now understood that it didn't matter whether a man was handsome or ugly, the most important thing was that he had to be rich. And the wealthy businessman she was dating now was different from her ex-husband Gong Wenjie. He was a real rich man and was really generous to her.
So, Zhao Wan once again ignored her parents' objections and married the wealthy businessman in a grand ceremony. The two elders of the Zhao family were so angry that they told her never to come back.
It is said that the wealthy businessman whom Zhao Wan married had an ex-wife who gave birth to a son for him who was not much younger than Zhao Wan. After marriage, Zhao Wan was determined to give birth to a son for the wealthy businessman so as to compete for the family property.
But it is not known whether the previous birth had hurt her body, but Zhao Wan has not been able to get pregnant. Her wealthy businessman husband, after being with her for a while, did not change his bad habits and started to hook up with other female stars outside, and he was very generous with his money.
Zhao Wan was furious, but her husband, a wealthy businessman, was not an easy person to deal with, and there was no Zhao family elders to make decisions for her, so Zhao Wan could only swallow her anger and endure it.
She ignored her own son and ran away to become someone else's stepmother. When the rich boys and girls in the same circle found out, they often made fun of Zhao Wan behind her back.
"Xixi, Fang Jiaming is a good guy. You are not a child anymore. If it is suitable, you should settle down as soon as possible." Zhao's mother said the same old thing.
Zhao Xi has gotten used to it. In the past year, every time she went home, her mother would bring up this topic. The main reason was that she had devoted herself to the company for so many years and was still single. Even her father thought that she should consider the major events in her life.
As for Fang Jiaming mentioned by Zhao's mother, Zhao Xi had met him once. He was a senior executive of Zhao's enterprise. His father was the second largest shareholder of Zhao's enterprise. Zhao's father and mother had a good impression of Fang Jiaming.
Fang Jiaming is the same age as Zhao Xi. He is a handsome man and is very proactive towards Zhao Xi. After meeting her, he often sends messages to Zhao Xi to ask about her well-being. But for some reason, Zhao Xi has an inexplicable aversion to him.
"Mom, I understand. I will think about it carefully." Zhao Xi said with a smile.
Although she didn't want to have anything to do with Fang Jiaming, she didn't show it on her face. She knew that if she couldn't speak well, Zhao's mother would definitely have a lot to say to her.
"Xiao Yu, auntie will bring you an uncle to love you, okay?" Mother Zhao was quite satisfied when she heard this, and teased her little grandson with a smile.
"Okay." Although the little boy didn't know what his grandmother meant, he still answered obediently.
Zhao Xi will stay in City A for two days this time to inspect stores. Although her current work focus is on Oriental Verve, Yunchang's revenue is not worse than Oriental Verve, so she will return to City A regularly to supervise Yunchang's operations.
Before returning to City A, Zhao Xi received a call from her biological mother. Mother Zhou said on the phone that she was not feeling well and wanted to see her daughter. Over the years, Zhao Xi knew the Zhou family very well. Even if Mother Zhou was sick, the only person she really wanted to see was Zhao Wan.
If you call her now, there's a high chance that you have something to ask her.
Zhou's mother was grateful to her for giving birth to her, so considering this, Zhao Xi had to go and see her.
The next day, Zhao Xi arrived at the Zhou family's door and rang the doorbell. A woman in her thirties opened the door. Zhao Xi guessed that this should be the wife of her blood-related brother.
"It's Zhao Xi, right? I'm your sister-in-law. Mom has been missing you at home, and now you're finally here." Zhou's sister-in-law said to Zhao Xi enthusiastically with a flattering smile on her face.
"Hello." Zhao Xi said coldly without calling her sister-in-law. Apart from the unbreakable blood relationship, the Zhou family was just strangers to her.
Mrs. Zhou looked at Zhao Xi, who looked somewhat like her husband. Because she was raised in wealth, her temperament was completely different from that of her honest husband, and they didn't seem like they were from the same mother.
The Zhou family's house is not big. The living room is just two steps into the door. Zhou's father and Zhou's eldest brother are both at home. When they see Zhao Xi, the two men's expressions are a bit stiff. It is obvious that they don't know how to get along with Zhao Xi.
"Is Xier back?" Zhou's mother's voice came from the room, easing everyone's embarrassment.
Zhou's sister-in-law hurriedly led Zhao Xi into Zhou's mother's bedroom. Zhao Xi lowered his eyes. Today was a weekday, and Zhou's eldest brother and his wife were at home. Could it be that Zhou's mother was seriously ill? But from her voice, it didn't seem serious.
"Xi'er, you are finally back. Mom has been wondering when you will come back these days." Mother Zhou sat on the bed with a quilt covering her lower body, and said to Zhao Xi with a kind motherly look.
Zhao Xi looked at the room layout and Zhou's mother's complexion without any expression. She didn't look sick.
"How are you? What did the doctor say?" Zhao Xi asked coldly, ignoring Zhou's mother's excessive enthusiasm.
When Zhou's mother heard Zhao Xi's question, her expression became unnatural, and Zhou's sister-in-law quickly interrupted her.
"Little sister, Mom has an old illness. She just needs more rest and she doesn't need to go to the hospital. It's just that Mom hasn't seen you for a long time and she missed you so much. Seeing you here, Mom feels much better." Zhou's sister-in-law said with a smile.
"Yes, yes, your sister-in-law is right." Zhou's mother quickly responded.
Zhao Xi remained calm upon hearing this. She was basically certain that Zhou's mother, or the Zhou family, had called her back because they had something to ask of her. In that case, Zhao Xi did not intend to speak actively. After sitting for half an hour, she said goodbye.
Next, the Zhou family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sang the same tune and said a lot of worthless nice things, which were nothing more than that the two elders of the Zhou family had always been thinking about their daughter Zhao Xi, and asked Zhao Xi to visit the Zhou family more often and keep in touch with her blood-related brother.
Zhao Xi responded incoherently, and for a long time neither the mother-in-law nor the daughter-in-law of the Zhou family got to the point.
"I still have things to do at the company, so I have to go back." Seeing that the time was almost up, Zhao Xi said goodbye.
The Zhou family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were stunned. They thought Zhao Xi would have lunch at home, so they talked so much nonsense and played the emotional card.
"Xier, come home and have a meal." Zhou's mother said quickly.
"No, the time for the company's matters has already been agreed upon, and it would be a shame to delay." Zhao Xi refused.
Seeing that Zhao Xi insisted on leaving, Zhou's mother no longer cared about her face.
"Xi'er, Mom asked you to come back because something big happened at home. Mom can't eat or drink well..." Mother Zhou spoke about the Zhou family with a worried look on her face.
Zhao Xi listened to what Zhou's mother said without changing his expression. It turned out that Zhou's son and daughter-in-law were at home today because the company where the couple worked was downsizing. Zhou's daughter-in-law and son were colleagues, and because of their mediocre performance, the couple were laid off together in this layoff.
After saying so much, Zhou's mother concluded that Zhao Xi was very capable now, and she asked Zhao Xi to arrange a good job for her son and daughter-in-law.
As for why Zhou's mother came to Zhao Xi, it was also because of Zhao Wan. Her son and daughter-in-law couldn't find a good job now, so Zhou's mother called Zhao Wan. She knew that Zhao Wan had married a powerful husband, and Zhao Wan had often boasted about it in front of Zhou's mother.
This time, Zhou's mother wanted Zhao Wan to help. Although Zhao Wan was not her biological daughter, the Zhou family's love for her was not fake. The two elders of the Zhou family treated her daughter better than their son, and the eldest brother of the Zhou family had always given in to his younger sister since she was a child. Even if Zhao Wan returned to the Zhao family, the Zhou family still treated her as a relative.
Now that something has happened at home, it is understandable to ask Zhao Wan for help.
When Zhao Wan received a call from Zhou's mother, she quickly refused, saying that her husband's connections were not in City A. In fact, Zhao Wan didn't want outsiders to know that she had such a shabby relative, especially since her wealthy businessman husband cared less and less about her.
So, Zhao Wan gave Zhou's mother an idea and asked her to find Zhao Xi. Zhao Xi ran his own company, so it would be easy for him to arrange work for two people. That's why Zhou's mother fell ill and asked Zhao Xi to come to the Zhou family to visit her.
The Zhou family's two elders and son did not think much about Zhao Wan's refusal, but Zhou's sister-in-law did not treat Zhao Wan as a family member. She secretly told her husband that Zhao Wan was an ungrateful person and that the Zhou family had raised her for so many years but had not given her anything in return.
The eldest brother of the Zhou family was more honest. He listened to his wife and told her not to talk nonsense.
Zhou's sister-in-law rolled her eyes. She often heard her parents-in-law praising Zhao Wan, but apart from saying a few nice words on the phone, Zhao Wan had never helped the family in any way. For so many years, she had never come back to visit her parents-in-law, but the Zhou family treated her like a treasure.
As for Zhao Xi, Zhou's sister-in-law only recently found out that this sister-in-law was so powerful. Her parents-in-law never mentioned her before, and even when she got married, Zhao Xi, her sister-in-law, did not come.
These days, she has been thinking that her parents-in-law and husband are fools. They have a gold brick but they are rushing to flatter Zhao Wan.
At this moment, hearing her mother-in-law asking Zhao Xi to arrange a job for her, Zhou's sister-in-law looked at Zhao Xi with anticipation.
"My company makes clothes and needs professional skills. It only has store sales, so the requirements are lower. If they are willing, they can submit their resume and go for an interview." Zhao Xi said officially.
After running the company for so long, she has never used the back door to arrange for her relatives and friends to enter the company. It's not that no one has asked her for help, but Zhao Xi adheres to a principle that all employees must compete for their jobs based on their own abilities and reject nepotism. Only in this way can the company develop well.
She would not break this principle for anyone, not to mention that her relationship with the Zhou family was not very good.
"Xi'er, you are the big boss, please have pity on your elder brother and sister-in-law and give them something to eat." Zhou's mother said with a red face. To be honest, if it were not for her son and daughter-in-law, she really could not ask Zhao Xi for help.
"The company is not a charity. I'm sorry, I can't help them." Zhao Xi said straightforwardly.
"I can come to see you today because you gave birth to me, and it is reasonable for me to come and see you. But as for the family love you mentioned, over the years, we all understand that you don't treat me as a daughter, and I don't treat you as relatives."
"In that case, since it's not necessary, let's not meet. You keep this, I'm leaving first."
Zhao Xi took out a cowhide bag from her bag, which contained a thick stack of money, as a thank you to Zhou's mother for giving birth to her. As for the rest, as she said, if it is not necessary, they should just be strangers.
The Zhou family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law wanted to say something, but seeing Zhao Xi's expressionless face, they were speechless.
After Zhao Xi left, the Zhou family was quiet. Zhou's father and son also heard the conversation between Zhao Xi and Zhou's mother outside.
"Alas, I've really risked my reputation today. As you can see, you and your wife should figure out a way to deal with the work issue yourselves." After a long time, Zhou's mother sighed and said.
She and her husband have always treated Zhao Wan as their own daughter and have never thought of recognizing Zhao Xi. If it were not for the matter of their son and daughter-in-law, the old couple would not have thought of taking advantage of Zhao Xi. At most, they would ask Zhao Xi to take care of Zhao Wan. After all, Zhao Wan suffered with them instead of Zhao Xi.
But what Zhao Xi said today basically severed the relationship between them. Mother Zhou was still a little sad, and she didn't know whether she had done something wrong.
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