"What are you standing there for? Move along now!"
Andrea had spent many times pondering over what it would be like when she got out of jail. The only thing she had not expected was today - standing at the empty entrance with not a single soul beside her.
Having stood there for a long time, the person escorting her out seemed to be getting impatient.
With an apologetic turn, Andrea reluctantly faced the man who escorted her out and asked him: "Comrade, could I please borrow your phone?"
Castrol Woman's Prison was built in the wild outskirts, surrounded by only low shrubs, and a long road leading to the city was at the entrance. Very few people came here and if no one came to pick her up, she did not know how long it would take for her to walk to the city with her own legs.
Understanding her predicament, the man hesitated for a moment before lending her his phone. Andrea thanked him several times before dialing a number she once knew by heart.
No one answered.
Suppressing her anxiety, Andrea dialed another number that was ingrained in her memory.
"I'm sorry, but the number you dialed is invalid."
Andrea's face turned paler and paler until she finally realized that all calls yielded no answer. She then returned the phone to the man: "Thank you."
Andrea picked up her luggage and began walking along the road.
Unable to get through to anyone on the phone, she could only walk her way back. She was hoping to come across a taxi or a private car that could give her a lift. When she got back home, she would pay them.
Not far from the prison, a car drove out from a small road behind it. The visually striking exterior of the car and the red 20-inch 10-frame alloy wheels signaled its high value, disregarding the logo on the car's front.
"Whose car is this? How did it end up here?" The man muttered to himself before turning around to close the gate.
Just her luck, she encountered no cars along the way. So, she kept walking for five to six hours, from eight in the morning until two in the afternoon, till she finally reached her home.
Her legs were already numb, her lips severely dry, and her stomach began to growl.
Andrea stared at the three-story villa in front of her, bit her lip and walked up to knock on the door.
"Who is it?" A middle-aged woman's voice came from inside, and the door quickly opened. A strange face welcomed her.
Andrea and the woman both paused for a moment. The woman looked Andrea up and down. Although her clothes were clean, they were old and appeared to be several years out of style. With a questioning and somewhat contemptuous look, the woman asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"
"This is my home. I am Andrea. My father is the owner of this house, his name is Robin."
"You've got the wrong place. The owner is surnamed Knowles, not Rice." With that, the woman slammed the door shut.
Andrea took a few steps back and looked at the house number: No Mistake! This was indeed her home, where she had lived for over twenty years. She couldn't have made an error.
As Andrea was about to go knock on the door again, the door swung open from inside; the middle-aged woman's face appeared again: "I remember now, the original owner of this house was indeed surnamed Rice, he was also the CEO of the Rice Group."
Andrea nodded happily: "Yes! I am from the Rice Group……"
"the Rice Group went bankrupt four years ago, their boss owed a lot of money, the company was sold, and this house was sold too."
Joy froze on Andrea's face: "the Rice Group went bankrupt? How could the Rice Group go bankrupt?"
