Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  The next day.

  Xia Cha woke up at dawn.

  She sat up from the bed and looked down at her hands.

  Last night, she felt that someone had sat by the bed for the entire night, a large hand holding her hand tightly.

  It had to be an illusion!

  Who would sit by her bed all night and hold her hand?

  She had had many dreams last night and had not slept well. Her head hurt a little.

  After getting up and washing up, Xia Cha went to the guest room where Xia Chuan was sleeping.

  The door to the guest room was open and the bed was neatly made. It seemed like Xia Chuan had already woken up.

  Xia Cha walked downstairs.

  Seeing Xia Cha coming downstairs, the butler said with a smile, “Miss Xia, your brother is in the dining room with our Young Master.”


  Xia Cha nodded and walked toward the dining room.

  Xia Chuan and Huo Heng sat in the dining room. Xia Chuan was still a little uneasy, while Huo Heng sat at the head of the table, looking down at his newspaper.

  Hearing the sound, he looked up at Xia Cha.

  Huo Heng was wearing a sapphire blue V-neck shirt today. The cut was smooth and fitting, wrapping around his tall figure. Although he could not walk, his shoulders and chest were well-defined, making him look very firm and muscular.

  His fringe fell on his forehead and his handsome facial features were charming.

  When he saw Xia Cha, a trace of unnoticeable affection appeared in his long upturned eyes. “Little Haitang, did you sleep well last night?”


  “Thank you for your hospitality, Young Master Huo. Is my jade pendant repaired yet?”


  Toward Huo Heng, Xia Cha remained aloof and distant.

  Huo Heng did not mind her attitude and took out the repaired jade pendant. “Take a look.”


  Xia Cha walked over and took the jade pendant from Huo Heng.

  It was repaired very well. There was no sign that it had cracked at all.

  Joy appeared in Xia Cha’s eyes as she looked up at Huo Heng. “Thank you, Young Master Huo.”


  The smile she revealed now came from the bottom of her heart. That face looked extremely charming.

  Huo Heng looked away slightly at Xia Cha’s smile.

  HIs fair ears were slightly hot.

  After breakfast, Xia Cha and Xia Chuan rejected Huo Heng’s kindness and took the bus back to Wenfeng County.

  Huo Heng knew Xia Cha’s personality. Although she had forgotten that she was once Xia Tang, the personality in her soul could not be changed.

  She liked to rely on herself for everything. Even when Xia Yanran married Xiao Yi and became the wife of a rich family, she had never asked Xia Yanran to help her.

  She had always been independent and strong.

  Huo Heng asked Jian Ming to drive to the bus stop and only left when he saw the siblings getting into the car.

  He would wait for his Little Haitang to grow up.

  …


  When the car arrived at Wenfeng County, Xia Cha took out 200 yuan and handed it to Xia Chuan.

  Xia Chuan did not want anything, but under Xia Cha’s insistence, he accepted 100 yuan.

  “Cha Cha, don’t give it to me again. If not, I’ll be really angry.”


  “Alright, Brother. If you need money, you must come and find me.” Xia Cha had countless thoughts in her mind. In the future, she would definitely lead her family to become rich. “Brother, our lives will be better in the future.”


  “You’re so capable. You will definitely let the second branch live a good life.”


  “Brother, you too.”


  Looking at Xia Cha who treated him as a family, Xia Chuan’s eyes turned red. He had never felt any familial warmth since he was young, especially after his father married his stepmother. He felt like he was a servant in the family.

  “Cha Cha, I’m very happy that you think so, but I don’t have any hopes for a good life anymore.”


  Before Xia Cha could say anything, a little boy’s voice interrupted, “Brother Xia Chuan, Sister Xia Cha, why are you here? Something big happened to your Xia family!”


  Hearing that something big had happened, Xia Cha’s heart skipped a beat.

  “What happened?” Xia Chuan asked the boy.

  The little boy looked at Xia Cha, “Your second sister stole a few eggs from your grandma last night. Your grandma found out about it this morning and chased after your second sister to hit and scold her. The scolding was very bad. Your second sister jumped into the river in a fit of anger and has yet to be found.”


  What?!

  Xia Xing had jumped into the river?

  Xia Cha and Xia Chuan’s expressions changed.

  It was the rainy season now and the water in the river had risen a lot. If Xia Xing had jumped into the river, she would be in danger if she was not careful.

  Xia Cha and Xia Chuan hurriedly ran toward the river the boy was pointing at.

  There were many people standing by the river.

  Xia Zhenyuan was in the river while Qiu Zhi, who was still very weak, was sitting on the riverbank crying. Xia Lan followed the riverbanks and kept calling Xia Xing’s name.

  The family was panicking.

  There were also a few kind neighbors who helped Xia Zhenyuan search in the river.

  Among these people, there was no one else from the Xia family apart from the second branch.

  They did not care that something had happened to Xia Xing. Humans could be so cold and indifferent.

  Xia Chuan took off his shoes and hurriedly jumped into the water.

  Xia Cha squatted in front of Qiu Zhi, who was about to faint from crying. “Mom, Second Sister will be fine. Don’t cry.”


  When Qiu Zhi saw Xia Cha, her lips trembled slightly. “Xing’er wanted to nourish my body and accidentally stole her grandma’s eggs. It’s my fault. I’m useless. I can’t protect the three of you…”


  “Mom, the most important thing now is to find Second Sister. Take care of my bag for me, I’ll go find Second Sister.”


  Several people were already looking for her in the river. Xia Cha did not go into the water and ran along the riverbanks toward the opposite side.

  She more or less understood Xia Xing’s personality.

  She would never think of committing suicide.

  Xia Cha searched for nearly 40 minutes and found the drenched Xia Xing under a pile of weeds opposite the river.

  Xia Xing hugged her knees, her face buried in her knees, her thin shoulders shaking slightly.

  Xia Cha walked over and sat beside Xia Xing. She did not accuse her of hiding to make her family anxious.

  Xia Cha took out a piece of chocolate from her pocket. “Second Sister, look at what I bought.”


  Hearing Xia Cha’s voice, Xia Xing looked up. She looked at Xia Cha with red eyes and sniffed, “How did you find this place?”


  “We’re twins. Our hearts are connected!”


  Xia Xing looked at the chocolate in Xia Cha’s hand. “Where did you get the money to buy this?”


  Xia Cha peeled the foil off the chocolate and fed the chocolate to Xia Xing. “Is it sweet or bitter?”


  Xia Xing’s eyes were filled with tears. “It will still be bitter after eating it. Cha Cha, I only took a few eggs. Usually, the chickens at home are fed by Mommy. Mommy is sick. What’s wrong with eating a few eggs?”


  “After the old woman found out, she scolded me and wanted to kill me. Dad and Mom also felt that I was wrong and shouldn’t have stolen the old woman’s eggs.”


  “What did I do wrong? The only thing I did wrong was to be the daughter of the second branch.”


  “Second Sister!” Xia Cha’s expression darkened slightly. “I know you feel wronged. Dad and Mom were wrong this time, but they’re just used to being enslaved by Grandma. Their hearts aren’t bad…… As long as we leave Grandma, our lives will be blissful.”