Chapter 393: Painful Reformation
"Even later, when it was discovered you had pancreatitis and needed surgery, Dad took Mom and me to borrow money door-to-door. He even knelt and begged people just so we could raise enough for your operation!
"And what about that stormy night all those years ago? If Mom and Dad hadn't found you and brought you home, would you even be here today?"
He Xiao's words, like sharp arrows, pierced He Jing's heart.
Beside them, their parents were already sobbing uncontrollably.
He Jing was also crying miserably.
She shot to her feet, rushed over to her parents, and dropped to her knees. She kowtowed three heavy times, her forehead striking the floor with audible thuds.
"Mom, Dad... I'm so sorry... I was blinded by greed and vanity. I've let you down... I was wrong... Please, don't disown me. I promise I'll be a good daughter to you from now on, I promise..."
As she spoke, He Jing took out the 8,000 yuan she had previously taken. She had even added more than 10,000 yuan to it before placing the stack in her mother's hands.
Seeing her daughter's transformation, their mother was moved to tears of relief.
Mother and daughter embraced, weeping together.
Amid her tears, their mother cast a grateful glance at Zhao Dong.
She knew that without Zhao Dong, He Jing would have never changed like this.
After what felt like a long time, the crying finally subsided.
The knot in the He Family's hearts was finally untied.
Her face filled with remorse, He Jing approached Zhao Dong. "Brother-in-law... I'm sorry... It was you who knocked some sense into me. You're a good person. My sister will definitely be happy with you."
"The sea of bitterness is boundless, but repentance is the shore," Zhao Dong said with a gentle smile, forgiving He Jing's earlier rudeness.
Afterward, their mother and father also thanked him profusely.
After another round of pleasantries, He Jing spoke up. "Mom, Dad, I want to stay home with you tonight."
"Good! Of course, that's good!" her mother exclaimed. "You go rest. I'll go buy some meat and cook for you!"
"No!" He Jing stopped her, her heart aching. "I don't need any meat. I'll just have whatever you're having."
"Good... Good..." Her mother clutched He Jing's hand, her eyes filled with emotional tears.
She knew... He Jing had really grown up.
"Mom, Dad, there aren't enough beds here," He Xiao said. "Since Jingjing is staying, Dong Ge and I will get going. We'll come back and visit another day."
"Oh, but that little room of ours..." their mother began, but He Jing cut her off with a few coughs.
"Mom, it would be inconvenient for Sister and Brother-in-law to stay in that tiny room. Don't worry about them."
He Xiao's face instantly turned bright red.
Their mother suddenly realized what she meant.
"Right, right... It is a bit inconvenient here. You two should get going. Everything's fine at home, don't you worry."
Their mother laughed as she ushered the two out the door, giving He Xiao no chance to explain.
In their hearts, they had long since accepted Zhao Dong as their son-in-law.
As they were about to be pushed out, He Xiao, with no time to explain, quickly pulled out a bank card and secretly tossed it back into the room.
...
「Provincial City」
After taking a taxi back, the two of them strolled down the city streets, admiring the brilliant lights all around.
He Xiao hummed a little tune, skipping and bouncing ahead of Zhao Dong on her tiptoes.
With her family's problems resolved, her face was alight with a happy smile.
"Come and rest for a bit. You've been jumping around all night. Aren't you tired?" Zhao Dong called out tenderly, sitting down on a nearby stone bench.
He Xiao turned and sat beside him, giggling. "Not tired at all! When I'm this happy, I could dance all night!"
"Silly girl," Zhao Dong said, affectionately rubbing He Xiao's head. "By the way, what's your bank account number?"
"What do you need it for?" He Xiao asked, puzzled.
"Just tell me," Zhao Dong replied.
Naturally, He Xiao wouldn't refuse his request. Despite her confusion, she sent her bank account number to Zhao Dong.
Zhao Dong took out his phone and fiddled with it for a moment.
A few minutes later, He Xiao's phone buzzed with a text alert.
"Five million?!" He Xiao shot to her feet, staring at Zhao Dong in disbelief. "This... did you transfer this?"
"Mhm. Your parents' life isn't easy. Take this money to help improve their living conditions."
"You... how do you have so much money?" He Xiao's delicate eyebrows furrowed. "What... what exactly do you do?"
What did he do for a living?
Zhao Dong wasn't quite sure how to explain, so he said vaguely, "I used to be a soldier. Now I run a few small businesses in East Sea."
"So you're a boss?" He Xiao immediately understood. "But I can't take this money. I'm not with you for your money. This makes me uncomfortable."
As she spoke, she started to transfer the money back to him.
Zhao Dong immediately pulled her to his side. "Silly girl, you're my woman now. How could I let you live a hard life? Besides, even if you're not thinking about yourself, shouldn't you think about your parents?"
"But..." He Xiao was still conflicted.
Zhao Dong feigned annoyance. "Listen, we're family now. What's mine is yours. If you keep arguing, I'm going to get angry!"
Seeing that he was getting upset, He Xiao quickly relented. "Okay, I'll take it! I'll take it..."
As she spoke, she snuggled into Zhao Dong's arms and said happily, "Dong Ge... it's so wonderful to have you..."
"Meeting you was my good fortune, too," Zhao Dong said, affectionately stroking her head.
"Dong Ge, before I met you, I'd never been in a relationship. I always felt that men were just after my body and that they'd stop liking me as soon as they found out about my family's situation. I never, ever thought I'd meet someone like you..." He Xiao murmured softly.
A wave of pity washed over Zhao Dong. Who would have thought that such a glamorous superstar could be so insecure and cautious on the inside?
"Dong Ge, what about you... before me?" He Xiao suddenly changed the subject.
Zhao Dong froze. The atmosphere fell deathly silent.
He Xiao sat up straight and looked at him. "Dong Ge... you... are there other women?"
"How did you know?" Zhao Dong asked, surprised.
He Xiao watched him with a knowing, bitter smile. "With a silence like that, how could I not guess?"
"I..." Zhao Dong looked embarrassed.
But He Xiao suddenly grabbed his hand. "You don't just have other women... you have more than one, don't you?"
Zhao Dong reluctantly nodded.
At that moment, he felt a jolt of nervousness, afraid that she would get angry and leave him over this.
But He Xiao suddenly laughed. "I knew it! The man He Xiao sets her sights on is no ordinary person! I don't care how many women you have, but you can't hide it from me, okay?"
Her words let Zhao Dong breathe a sigh of relief.
He gave a bitter smile. "Actually, I came to Provincial City to meet Lin Qingyun's parents."
"Lin Qingyun? The young lady of the Lin Family?" He Xiao's eyes widened.
Zhao Dong nodded slightly.
Seeing this, He Xiao said excitedly, "Wow! I'm sharing a man with Miss Lin! This is unbelievable!"
Zhao Dong just gave an awkward smile, saying nothing more.
Seeing that Zhao Dong was reluctant to continue, He Xiao didn't pursue the topic.
The two sat in silence for a moment before heading toward the hotel.
At the hotel entrance, Zhao Dong suddenly grabbed He Xiao's hand. "I just remembered I have something to take care of. Could you go up and wait for me, please?"
Something came up?
He Xiao looked puzzled. But seeing the serious and slightly nervous expression on Zhao Dong's face, she nodded obediently.
"Okay. Come back soon."
"Don't worry. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."
Zhao Dong watched He Xiao go inside, then walked toward the deserted street opposite the hotel.
He walked to the middle of the street, stopped, and said calmly, "You've come all this way. No need to hide. Come on out."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the sound of footsteps echoed all around.
A dozen or so knife-wielding assassins emerged, blocking every corner of the street.
Zhao Dong had already sensed the potent killing intent back when they were on the stone bench. That was why he had cut their conversation short. The assassins' killing intent was thick, a clear sign they were well-prepared. He hadn't dared to let He Xiao face such danger, so he had to feign ignorance to get her back to the hotel first.