The old lady said she could be told, so Xia Xiaolan had no more reservations and recounted the entire matter from the beginning.

Of course, the Wilsons’ intentions could only be deduced from what had already happened. Mrs. Wilson was now in police custody, and Xia Xiaolan hadn’t gone to see her.

Even if she had, Mrs. Wilson wouldn’t have wanted to have a heart-to-heart with Xia Xiaolan.

“This is what I know – most of it is fact, and a small part is speculation. Whether you choose to believe it is up to you,” Xia Xiaolan said as she walked to the window.

“During your hospitalization, those people were still watching over you. Uncle Xu had someone try to reach them for a discussion. Your elder brother stepped forward to talk with them. They showed respect to your brother but wouldn’t take orders from him. As for you… they learned you weren’t Zhang Jiadong’s biological daughter, but they still insisted on fulfilling their promise to Zhang Jiadong. These people aren’t good people, of course – they live dangerous lives, have done many bad things, and might even have blood on their hands. We don’t know what Zhang Jiadong promised them or how he won them over. There might be unknown benefits involved, but they’re determined to protect you.”

If the Wilsons had truly wanted to care for Tina, these people would have been happy to see it happen.

Now these people knew the Wilsons’ goal was to kill Tina, using them to eliminate Harold.

The Wilsons’ plan had nearly succeeded.

Heh.

Mrs. Wilson being held at the police station was fortunate – no matter how brazen these people were, they wouldn’t dare act against her there. But Old Ivan was in a terrible situation now, alone in China. How Old Ivan would survive wasn’t Xia Xiaolan’s concern – she wouldn’t be that foolishly charitable.

Why did Zhang Jiadong’s people find out so quickly?

Harold had been decisive.

When these people surfaced, Harold handed over the surveillance footage directly to them, completely denying any intention of turning the situation to his advantage.

Whether Harold still wanted to eliminate Zhang Jiadong’s people, Xia Xiaolan didn’t know.

She only knew that Old Ivan’s loss to Harold in the successor battle years ago hadn’t been without reason. Harold’s intelligence was evident – he could always turn unfavorable situations to his advantage… He was a truly successful businessman. Only in the hands of someone like him could the Wilson family fortune continue to grow.

Of course, Xia Xiaolan hadn’t exposed Harold’s role to Zhang Jiadong’s people.

She would only tell Grandmother Yu and Tina about Harold’s tacit approval at the time.

“This is also my speculation – I have no proof. Perhaps even if I hadn’t asked Harold to stop, he wouldn’t have let things reach the worst outcome. I can’t fully guess his thoughts and intentions. But I wanted to tell you what happened. I’m sorry – after hearing all this, your view of the world might be completely shattered!”

Xia Xiaolan paused, then added, “But at least you still have family by your side.”

When Xu Changle heard something was wrong, he arranged to come to America as quickly as possible.

Xu Zhongyi and Grandmother Yu were naturally worried.

Xu Zhongyi already had Hong Kong citizenship, and Grandmother Yu had traveled abroad before and had previous travel documentation – it was just a matter of expediting the process again. This was why they could reach America so quickly.

This was what family meant.

The same rice raises a hundred different people – not everyone’s “family” is worth relying on, but Tina was lucky. Even Grandmother Yu, who had been critical of Tina, wouldn’t abandon her at a time like this.

Tina wrapped herself in blankets, her worldview indeed shaken as Xia Xiaolan had said.

The situation seemed to have come full circle, just like when Zhang Jiadong and Cui Yiru had died – this incident once again changed Tina’s understanding of reality.

What she believed to be true had turned out to be false.

The people who claimed to care for her, to love her like a daughter, to indulge her every wish, had intended to kill her.

The mature man who had caught her eye, made her heart flutter, and seemed so charismatic… was indeed mature, and truly ruthless. Of course, Tina didn’t particularly hate Harold – it was her foolishness that led her to be deceived by the Wilsons into stealing documents for them. How could she expect Harold to be lenient?

Tina’s way of thinking had already changed somewhat through her interactions with Grandmother Yu, though she hadn’t realized it herself.

In the past, she wouldn’t have examined herself or tried to see things from others’ perspectives – she would have only wallowed in self-pity, wondering why Harold wanted her dead, arguing that even though she stole documents, she had been deceived and that her mistake didn’t warrant death as punishment. But how many “whys” could there be in the world? The world couldn’t revolve around her alone – how could she control others’ thoughts and actions?

The ‘Grandmother’ who claimed their relationship was merely superficial and constantly set rules for her had rushed to America the moment she was in trouble.

The world was just that magical.

It wouldn’t turn according to anyone’s wishes.

When Xia Xiaolan said she still had family by her side, Tina couldn’t even look at Grandmother Yu. She lowered her head and cried.

“I’m sorry. I know he wasn’t a good person, that he did terrible things. It’s not that I can’t tell right from wrong, I just… can’t forget his kindness.”

“I thought only Cynthia and Ivan could understand me.”

“I had doubts about Cynthia. After coming to America, I felt her actions didn’t match her words, but I didn’t want to dig deeper.”

“I just wanted someone to understand me so badly…”

Everyone said Zhang Jiadong was a villain, and she couldn’t deceive herself – she knew in her heart that he truly was.

But Zhang Jiadong’s love for her hadn’t been fake.

She needed someone to acknowledge this.

She also wanted to join her elder brother in embracing their new family, but would doing so completely deny Zhang Jiadong? If she forgot him, gradually no one would remember him at all.

Did Zhang Jiadong know she wasn’t his biological daughter? This had been Tina’s lingering doubt.

Everyone thought he didn’t know, that he had been fooled by the DNA test results Xu Changle had switched. But could Xu Changle have manipulated things right under the nose of someone so capable?

And how had he instructed his subordinates before his death to protect her, making them follow his orders even after new DNA tests proved she was a Xu? So… did Zhang Jiadong know?

If he knew the truth, why was he still so good to her?

How could she forget him, hate him, knowing this?

Tina covered her face and sobbed.

A soft sigh echoed in the hospital room.

A rough, aged hand gently touched her head:

“Go ahead and cry. Let it all out. You’ve been through so much… Perhaps I was too harsh on you. At your age, to bear so much alone. When you handle things well, it shows how exceptional you are, but when you can’t manage… that’s perfectly normal…”