The news of the heiress was met with waves of sympathy, as many fell into shock from the misfortune that she encountered within hours of her acquittal.The Hong family was in a state of disbelief. Where she stood by the couch, Hong Ruolan cried her eyes red till there was hardly any tears left, her pale face starkly contrasted with the dress she had on. When Hong Lian could no long bear to see his sister cry, he got up to hold her in his arms, as her head rested squarely against his chest.
So used was he in masking his inner emotions, not even Hong Yongrui and his wife could tell from where they both sat, that the fingers Hong Lian ran tenderly through the tendrils of Hong Ruolan was anything brotherly. He kept muttering comforting words to her, not too long after he felt her sobbing subside, it was only then he changed positions, by releasing her from his arms, to wrap his hand against her back, heading towards her room, which was a couple of stairs away from the living room.
Both watched their daughter being led upstairs to her room, reflected in their eyes was one of deep concern and heavy sadness. The plight of the Zhang heiress made them wonder how their daughter would be able to cope outside the protective s.h.i.+eld they both had her in.
"Rui...My heart can"t take it anymore, just look at her! Breaking down so easily, do you think she will be able to manage the company by being this spineless! You and I both know that she is the only one that can inherit Hongsheng Holdings. Lian is only there for the time being!..."
Hong Yongrui gave his wife a dirty look, that alone silenced her from speaking further, they both knew the circ.u.mstances of Lian"s birth, but to be so heartless regarding it, was something the President of Hongsheng Holdings didn"t want to continue listening to.
"I will make arrangements to have Lian keep a closer look at Ruolan, he will continue to look out for her as he often does. It is best they live and work together, what better way than this, to learn quickly and become an independent woman?! He will report her progress to us and once she has learned all she can, only then can she move out and live alone, taking on the ropes as President of Hongsheng Holdings. You and I are getting on in age, she needs to start getting accustomed to running a business and making plans for a family!"
In as much as Madam Hong wanted to fully accept the suggestion of her husband, she couldn"t shake the feeling that the plan would do more harm than good to her daughter. She knew how softhearted Ruolan was, if she got hurt during this, how will she ever be the same? On one hand, her husband did not see Hong Lian as anything, but their son. While Madam Hong even though she had never seen him act inappropriately to Hong Ruolan, her instinct kept telling her otherwise. Call it motherly instinct or female instinct, the lips of Madam Hong tightened in resentment, as she had to give in to her husband.
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At PaoYin District Prison, Guard Niu got out of her office, on hearing the announcement from the prison public address system that the guards had returned from the court, before this time she nervously paced her office, stopping momentarily to take a seat.
Flinging the door open, she almost ran to the main dinning hall, because it was there the prisoner from a court hearing came before being led to their cell. She came to a dead stop on seeing only the three that left in the morning, not seeing Zhang Mi anywhere.
"Where is Miss Zhang?!"
The words flew out of her mouth unconsciously, it was only after she said it that she realized the error that had been committed. The male guards looked at each other and made no reference to her blunder. In no way should a prisoner be mentioned by their given name, they were to be called by their prison file number. In this case it was file number 714.
They exchanged greetings, before telling her what really took place at the court. As Guard Niu listened, a part of her felt relieved that the Zhang heiress didn"t have to starve herself because she hated prison food, the other part felt lonely all of a sudden, as she always looked forward to their afternoon getaway.
She asked them who would be looking after Zhang Mi, although the question felt very strange to them, they answered as truthfully as they could, that they weren"t sure but her boyfriend who came to see her would most likely be looking after her.
It was then that Guard Niu felt a strong sting from hearing what they said, her heart clenching painfully immediately after. Outwardly, none of her inner turmoil was revealed, the cramp in her stomach which appeared abruptly during the conversation, made the senior guard realize that the heiress meant more to her than someone she was planning to casually date in prison. Along with the realization came an hollow feeling, that there was no chance of ever expressing how she felt, now that Zhang Mi was no longer "inmate 714" but now a very very important figure in the society, who will most likely take back her position.
The gap between them suddenly became terribly clear to her. At the end of the briefing the senior guard dismissed them, remaining alone to blindly stare at the empty s.p.a.ce. After much time had pa.s.sed, did she finally break down in tears, her shoulders shaking from the intense emotions that she tightly held on to, in the presence of other guards. Thereafter her feet crumbled, as she fell on the grimy floor with both hands clenched in anguish at her side, while sobbing her heart out, as the sound reverberated across the hall.