"What do you mean, Zhou Qiaoqiao? Are you saying that we, your uncles and aunts, don't get a share of this money?"
An aunt spoke with obvious sarcasm.
The hall erupted into chaos once again.
"Your fourth aunt is right. Why don't we have the right to know?"
"Or are you trying to plead with Old Master Zhou alone, hoping he'll make an exception? Let me tell you, that's impossible!"
"Dad, no matter what, you can't indulge Qiaoqiao this time. Sure, she's your precious granddaughter, but we're your sons and daughters-in-law, and your other grandchildren are here too. Big brother keeping the Zhou family's liquid assets a secret and transferring them out wasn't right to begin with."
"Grandpa, Uncle didn't treat us like family. If he had just given us a heads up before moving the money, it would have been fine."
Everyone was talking at once, creating quite a commotion.
All arrows were pointed squarely at Zhou Qiaoqiao's family!
Old Master Zhou, caught in the middle, was visibly troubled.
Finally, Old Master Zhou took a deep breath and tapped his cane on the floor repeatedly.
Once everyone quieted down.
He spoke.
"Qiaoqiao, you can see for yourself - if you took the money for legitimate investments, your uncles and aunts wouldn't complain."
"If you let them know which stocks you invested in, they'd at least have peace of mind."
Old Master Zhou had aged.
He no longer involved himself in business matters.
He only wished to be fair to everyone.
And keep the family harmonious.
Without any discord.
The second aunt muttered in agreement.
"Dad's right. Being all secretive about buying stocks - are you afraid your aunts and uncles might invest too, and you won't profit as much?"
Everyone else heard the second aunt's words.
Though they didn't say anything.
They all thought the same thing.
Family shouldn't deceive family.
Sharing benefits with everyone.
Isn't that a joyful thing?
Zhou Qiaoqiao's heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.
She had thought about secretly helping the Xu family develop while.
Also bringing some benefits to the Zhou family.
And these weren't just small benefits!
The more than 30 billion in funds she had gone all-in with.
The Zhou family had a share in it!
This move would be enough to secure the Zhou family's position as the leading family among Magic City's four great families!
Simply put, it was like a champion carrying a team of iron-ranked players.
But now she realized!
All that talk about family bonds.
Was just a joke.
Except for her parents and Old Master Zhou.
These relatives were just a bunch of ungrateful wolves.
Give them a little benefit.
They'd even try to take your share.
A small kindness breeds resentment when followed by a larger one.
Facing enormous pressure.
Zhou Qiaoqiao still chose to remain silent!
If she were to speak up.
If word got out.
It would certainly cause an uproar.
Creating many side effects.
Seeing Zhou Qiaoqiao's unresponsiveness.
Zhou Rongkang narrowed his eyes and spoke threateningly.
"Qiaoqiao, at this point, you'd better explain everything."
"Otherwise, your big brother, sister-in-law, and you might face prison time!"
From Zhou Rongkang's perspective.
He actually hoped Zhou Qiaoqiao would continue to stay stubborn.
Such a huge amount of money.
Couldn't have vanished without a trace for no reason.
Even the most skilled hacker.
Couldn't guarantee leaving absolutely no traces behind.
"Second Uncle, this has nothing to do with my parents!"
"If anyone goes to prison or faces legal consequences, I'll take full responsibility!"
"Just leave my parents out of this!"
Zhou Qiaoqiao's face instantly turned cold.
Zhou Rongkang shrugged, "Tell that to the judge."
"Rongkang, after decades of brotherhood, are you really going to be this ruthless?"
Zhou Rongguang couldn't hold back anymore and spoke up.
"Big brother, your question makes me want to laugh. Ask our other brothers and sisters - they're all thinking the same thing, it's not just me."
"I'm just saying what they don't dare to say out loud."
Zhou Rongkang smiled.
Just then.
A young man in a black suit carrying a laptop walked in quickly.
"Boss, we've traced where the money went."
Zhou Rongkang's face lit up as he beckoned the young man over.
"Where did the money go?"
The young man turned the laptop screen toward everyone.
"We traced the funds to the Xu family!"
Everyone's faces darkened.
They all found it incredibly unbelievable!
She wasn't even married yet.
And she was already sending her maiden family's money to her future in-laws!
Where was the justice in that?
Zhou Rongguang and Zhou's mother both seemed dazed.
"Ah!!! I can't go on living!!!"
"I worked so hard to earn that money, wasn't it difficult enough for me?"
"In the end, it became someone else's dowry, give me back my hard-earned money!"
The second aunt forced out a few tears, crying and shouting.
A woman's most powerful weapons.
Crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide.
She was using two out of three.
Unbeatable!
With the second aunt setting the emotional tone.
The scene exploded.
"Qiaoqiao, aunt isn't just saying this, but you've really gone too far this time! Xu Mo doesn't even like you, he likes Shen Manni, don't you know that?"
"That's right! The marriage isn't even certain yet, and you're already giving your maiden family's money to the Xu family, what's that about!"
"Don't think that having your big brother and grandfather protecting you means you can do whatever you want. You have three days to get that money back! Otherwise, prepare to spend the rest of your life in prison."
These speakers.
Were on Zhou Rongkang's side.
But regardless of whether they were allied with Zhou Rongkang or not.
This matter had touched their interests.
Those who had remained neutral began taking sides.
In the vast Zhou family, only a small portion remained unaligned and didn't speak up to criticize Zhou Qiaoqiao's family.
Not saying a single word against them.
Zhou Qiaoqiao's heart felt like it was being twisted, as a piercing pain shot through it!
More than the pain in her heart!
These relatives' harsh words.
Were even more hurtful, making her heart grow cold.
The current Zhou family had nearly doubled in size compared to before.
She had put in considerable effort and hard work.
Yet even so, others chose to ignore this.
Zhou Qiaoqiao looked around, silently noting those relatives who hadn't chosen sides.
It was just half a month in prison.
She could handle that!
But her parents...
A feeling of helplessness suddenly overwhelmed her.
Her parents were her weakness.
Xu Mo's image suddenly appeared in Zhou Qiaoqiao's mind.
But just for a moment.
This thought was quickly pushed aside.
What torments you is often not anyone's ruthlessness, but rather your own hopeful expectations!
"No way? You really went bankrupt?"
A carefree voice rang out.
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