Qiao Zhenzhu took out the property deed and land certificate for the house and leisurely headed to the relevant government office.
Judging by the timing, by the time she returned with people to take over the house, Wang Anquan and Chen Wan should also be back.
Just imagining that scene made the corners of Qiao Zhenzhu’s lips curl upward.
…
More than an hour later—
Wang Anquan drove home with Chen Wan in the car.
The moment the car stopped, the two noticed that the large iron gate was standing open, instantly startling them.
“What’s going on? Why is the gate open?” Wang Anquan looked toward Chen Wan.
Chen Wan looked confused. “I… I don’t know! I clearly locked it before we left!”
Without another word, Wang Anquan hurried out of the car, Chen Wan following closely behind.
Neither of them even glanced at the garden before rushing straight toward the villa.
When they saw that the front door of the western-style house was also wide open, both their faces turned pale.
All the doors in the house were open.
Had they been robbed?
How much stuff must have been stolen?!
Wang Anquan’s heart sank to the bottom, but he didn’t stop moving.
The moment he stepped inside and saw the completely bare house, he froze in place.
Did he walk into the wrong house?
Or had he drunk too much and started hallucinating?
“Chen Wan… look carefully. Is this our house?”
Standing beside him, Chen Wan was equally dumbfounded by the sight before her.
Hearing his question, she swallowed hard. “It… it is our house…”
“Then where’s everything?!” Wang Anquan roared. “Where did all the stuff go?!”
After shouting, he hurried toward the study.
When he saw that even the study was stripped bare except for the walls, his vision went dark.
Before he could faint, however, he noticed the hidden door.
Wang Anquan’s eyes widened like copper bells.
He had lived in this house for twenty to thirty years—how had he never known there was a secret door here?
Without thinking further, he rushed inside. Following the stairs downward, he found the underground room completely empty and collapsed onto the floor.
There had definitely been things stored here before.
But now everything had been taken away!
Who was it?!
Who on earth did this?!
Just as Wang Anquan was thinking that, he suddenly heard Chen Wan scream.
“Chen Wan!”
Scrambling to his feet, Wang Anquan rushed back up the stairs, quickly leaving the study and heading for the master bedroom.
The bedroom was just as empty.
The massive canopy bed and huge wardrobe were all gone!
Chen Wan was leaning against the wall crying. When she saw Wang Anquan arrive, she hurriedly asked, “Anquan, could this have been Qiao Zhenzhu’s doing?”
Wang Anquan’s face was livid as he gritted his teeth.
“I wish it were her. At least then we could get the stuff back. But… do you think she could move a bed that big? Or those wardrobes?
“All the furniture in this house was brought in piece by piece and assembled inside. It took dozens of workers more than ten days.
“We were gone for only two or three hours. How could Qiao Zhenzhu move all this by herself? Even if she hired dozens of people, they wouldn’t have had time to dismantle the furniture, much less haul it away.”
Chen Wan knew he was right.
“But if it wasn’t Qiao Zhenzhu, then who could it be?”
Just as Wang Anquan was about to speak, they heard movement outside.
“There’s someone outside!” Chen Wan cried out. “Could the thieves have come back?”
Wang Anquan’s face instantly turned white. “Let’s go check!”
The two walked out of the master bedroom together and came face-to-face with a group of people.
“Director Xu?” Wang Anquan looked at the man with a complicated expression. “Why are you here?”
Director Xu didn’t hold a particularly high position, but the authority in his hands was considerable. Moreover, he had always kept a close eye on the Qiao family.
Seeing him, Wang Anquan found it hard to look pleasant.
Director Xu smiled and waved the property deed and land certificate in his hand.
“I’m here to take possession of the house. Miss Qiao—Qiao Zhenzhu—has already donated this property.”
“What?!” Wang Anquan stared at him in disbelief. “What right does she have to donate it? This house—”
“This house is under her name.” Director Xu’s smile widened. “Wang Anquan, after being a live-in son-in-law for so many years, did you forget your own surname?
“Not only did Qiao Zhenzhu donate this house, she also handed over all of the Qiao family’s factories and department stores to the state. So it’s perfectly reasonable for me to come take over the property, isn’t it?”
Before Wang Anquan could respond, Director Xu swept his gaze around the room.
“Still, I really didn’t expect that you’d transfer everything out of the house ahead of time. Truly…”
Though Director Xu didn’t finish his sentence, his smile had vanished, replaced by an icy stare.
Wang Anquan shivered in fright and hurriedly waved his hands.
“No, no, no! That’s not it! I don’t know where all the things in the house went either! I just got back, and it was already like this!”
Chen Wan quickly added, “Director Xu, we really don’t know where everything went! Our daughter got married today—we’ve been at the hotel the whole time!”
“Using a wedding as cover while secretly moving everything in the house to the Xie family as dowry… impressive. Truly impressive.”
Director Xu even clapped in praise, though his gaze grew colder.
“But don’t worry. I won’t hold it against you. After all, Qiao Zhenzhu only donated the house and the land—she never mentioned the belongings inside. You moving them away beforehand is understandable.”
He paused before continuing meaningfully.
“I’m just wondering whether the Xie family will still take you in now that you’re penniless and homeless… Ah, but perhaps I’m overthinking it. Your relationship with the Xie family is obviously excellent if you were willing to entrust your entire fortune to them. Surely they wouldn’t refuse to shelter you. Since you can stay with the Xie family, you should enjoy it while it lasts.”
Wang Anquan’s expression changed drastically.
What did that mean?
Could it be that something was about to happen to the Xie family?
Before he could ask, Director Xu directly ordered them out.
“Wang Anquan, this is no longer your residence. We still need to inspect the place, so you may leave now.”
Chen Wan wanted to say something, but Wang Anquan shot her a fierce glare.
Forcing a smile toward Director Xu, Wang Anquan dragged Chen Wan outside.
The moment they stepped out, they saw Qiao Zhenzhu standing beside the car.
“Qiao Zhenzhu!” Wang Anquan roared as he stormed toward her. “How dare you donate this house and hand over all the family businesses?! What exactly are you trying to do?!”
Qiao Zhenzhu answered with complete seriousness, “I want to contribute to the country!”
“You—!”
Wang Anquan wanted to curse at her, but Director Xu was still inside. If he said even one wrong thing, he could be taken away immediately.
After taking several deep breaths, he finally suppressed some of his anger and lowered his voice.
“The things in the house… did you have someone move them away?”
“What things?” Qiao Zhenzhu looked utterly confused.
“Stop pretending! There’s nothing left in the house except the walls and floor!”
Qiao Zhenzhu’s eyes widened in shock.
“Dad, I know you favor Sinian more, but you can’t give everything to her as a dowry! Am I not your daughter too?”
Wang Anquan’s face darkened as he stared at her gloomily.
“So it really wasn’t you who had everything moved?”