Sold for 300, I Fight Back with Superpowers

When Old Mrs. An returned today, even as she was furiously scolding the two An brothers, she was still clinging to a sliver of hope. She hoped that the two of them hadn’t done it, that An Zhihan and the others were simply mistaken.

But An Likang’s reaction made it impossible for her to deceive herself any longer.

Old Mrs. An immediately clutched her chest and collapsed backward.

”Old Mrs. An!” Mrs. Lin was the first to notice what was happening. In a panic, she rushed forward, pulled out some emergency heart medication, and stuffed it into Old Mrs. An’s mouth.

”Mom!” Seeing Old Mrs. An collapse, the two An brothers turned pale with fright. The An Family’s shares were still in Old Mrs. An’s name, after all. If anything happened to her, the two of them stood to lose immensely.

They immediately rushed Old Mrs. An to the hospital.

Fortunately, she had only fainted from a fit of extreme anger; it was nothing life-threatening. However, given her advanced age, the doctor recommended she remain in the hospital for a day or two of observation before being discharged.

When Old Mrs. An woke up and saw her children and grandchildren gathered around her hospital bed, she felt an inexplicable wave of irritation and shooed them all away, leaving only Mrs. Lin to keep her company.

”Old Mrs. An, even if you’re angry, you can’t neglect your health like this. At your age, your body can’t handle such shocks.” In Old Mrs. An’s private VIP room, Mrs. Lin pleaded earnestly. She had been by Old Mrs. An’s side for decades and was practically a sister to her. Not only did Old Mrs. An cherish her, but all the children and grandchildren of the An Family treated her with the utmost respect.

”My children and grandchildren are such a disappointment,” Old Mrs. An lamented, letting out a deep sigh.

”Actually,” Mrs. Lin began after a moment of thought, ”Old Mrs. An, there’s something I’d like to say, but I’m not sure if it’s my place. Please don’t be angry if I misspeak.”

Old Mrs. An looked at Mrs. Lin. ”After all our years together, is there anything you can’t say to me? Just speak your mind.”

So, Mrs. Lin said, ”Old Mrs. An, I know you must be terribly conflicted. You want the first and second masters to change their ways, to not repeat the mistakes of the past, and to feel remorseful enough to make amends to the young master. At the same time, you hope the young master can let go of his grudges and bury the hatchet with the family. You’re trying to take care of both sides, hoping that a harmonious family will lead to prosperity. But have you considered this? The deaths of the third master and his wife can never be erased. That incident is an unbreakable deadlock between your sons and your grandson.”

Hearing this, Old Mrs. An closed her eyes and said nothing.

Mrs. Lin glanced at Old Mrs. An’s face before continuing, ”The first and second masters will never believe the young master can let go of his hatred, and the young master will never be able to forget the tragic deaths of his parents. Old Mrs. An, this isn’t a situation you can balance just by wishing for it. You saw the attitudes of the young master and the grand-uncle when we were in Beijing. Forget the deaths of his parents—even this recent assassination attempt on the young master near Beijing is a fire that cannot be put out.”

”Besides, you must have realized it yourself after coming back. The ones who tried to harm the young master were most likely the first and second masters. You said you would give the young master an answer, but how can you? Would you really hand your own sons over to the police?” Mrs. Lin asked softly.

”Then what do you think I should do?” Old Mrs. An might have been a formidable force in the business world, but when it came to her own family, she felt utterly powerless. She understood what she wanted: to strike a balance, to maintain the family’s stability. She didn’t want anything to happen to her two sons, nor did she want her grandson to come to any harm. She had tried to placate both sides, but after all these years, she felt she had failed completely.

”Old Mrs. An, I’m your attendant. Logically, I should stand by your side unconditionally. Whatever you decide, I should support you wholeheartedly. Even when we were in Beijing, what I said to the young master and the grand-uncle was in your defense.” Mrs. Lin sighed. ”But when I saw the look of disappointment in the young master’s eyes, I realized we were wrong. All this time, he has been the one who has suffered. The only reason there has been peace these past few years is because the young master respected his blood ties to you and the late master, so he endured it again and again. But no one is a saint who can keep giving in forever. That familial bond you and the late master represent will one day lose its power over him. Perhaps it already has.”

”A Xiang, tell me, what should I do?” Old Mrs. An grasped Mrs. Lin’s hand as tears streamed down her face. ’Deep down, of course I know. It’s just that I wanted to maintain at least a semblance of peace, at least...’

”A Xiang, I’m not a good mother, and I’m not a good grandmother,” Old Mrs. An said in anguish.

”Old Mrs. An, you can’t go on like this. If things continue, the situation will only spiral further out of control. One day, the An Family will become the laughingstock of Xiangcheng’s high society,” Mrs. Lin urged. ”You saw it yourself when you returned. Your sons didn’t show a shred of remorse. They were brazen even when you interrogated them. That can only mean one thing: they’ve already covered their tracks and aren’t afraid of you investigating.”

On the entire trip back from Beijing, Mrs. Lin had done a lot of thinking. She had mulled over the events of the past few years and felt deeply that the young master was the one who deserved to be treated with sincerity. ’But,’ she thought, ’I’m afraid the actions of Old Mrs. An and the late master have completely broken the young master’s heart.’

”You’re saying...” Old Mrs. An looked at Mrs. Lin, a tormented struggle flickering in her eyes.

”The young master has already reported this to the authorities. If a real investigation is launched, the truth will come out,” Mrs. Lin said. ”Old Mrs. An, you have to make a choice. You can’t keep trying to play both sides.”

Old Mrs. An gave a bitter smile. ”I’m afraid that in the eyes of Zhi Han and his grand-uncle, I’ve already made my choice.”

Mrs. Lin didn’t respond. ’If I were in An Zhihan’s shoes,’ she thought, ’I’m not sure I would be handling this any more calmly than he is.’

Old Mrs. An leaned back against the headboard, closed her eyes, and fell silent. Mrs. Lin stayed by her side, and neither of them spoke a word. For a time, the hospital room was utterly quiet.

After a long pause, Old Mrs. An opened her eyes. They were bloodshot. ”A Xiang, go investigate. Look into the recent activities of my eldest and second son, and check their financial transactions. Also, find out who else was involved in this. They’ve done it now. No matter how well they’ve tried to clean up their mess, there will always be a trail.”

”Yes.” Mrs. Lin could see that Old Mrs. An had finally resolved to make a choice.

After a moment’s thought, Mrs. Lin asked softly, ”And if the investigation proves...”

”If it proves they’re responsible...” Old Mrs. An took a deep breath, her jaw tightening. ”His grand-uncle is right. I’ve been foolish for all these years. I can’t afford to be foolish any longer.”