He Dingbang was getting anxious, and He Rusong quickly retorted, “Ning Yichu, what are you trying to pull here? You’re just jealous, aren’t you? You’re not a biological member of the Ning family, so you’re jealous of my dad! But my dad is different from you; he didn’t sneak his way into the He family through deceit. My dad is innocent!”
After hurriedly finishing his rant, He Rusong calmed down a bit and snorted coldly, “Unlike you, with your malicious heart, pretending to be the Ning family’s biological son at such a young age to sneak in. Even after being found out, you shamelessly stayed in the Ning family for so many years. Now that you’ve messed up the Ning family, are you planning to ruin our family too?”
He Shixia frowned, about to speak, when Ning Yichu burst out laughing, “Yeah, I’m totally jealous of Uncle. He didn’t have to rely on his own tricks; his biological dad naturally helped him deceive people. Unlike me, I had to rely on myself back then.”
He Grandfather and He Dingbang’s faces turned green.
Ning Yichu sighed, “Uncle, a mere illegitimate child, managed to enjoy the good life in the legitimate family for most of his life. After the truth came out, he didn’t want to face the disdain from the legitimate family and even righteously claimed his innocence, wanting to stay in the He family with such confidence. Unlike me, I wasn’t even a scheming illegitimate child brought back by the Ning family. I’ve been criticized for so many years, so when I found out about Uncle’s background, of course, I brought it up.”
He smiled brightly, making He Shixia feel uncomfortable.
“Back then, it was the Ning family who actively sought out A Ning,” He Shixia looked at the other members of the He family, “If you insist that a six-year-old child who grew up in an orphanage could deceive the Ning family about blood relations upon first meeting them, then Uncle, having been in the He family for so many years, even my mom could sense something was off about your background. Did you really never realize it yourself, Uncle?”
Everyone, including He Grandmother, suddenly looked shocked.
Ning Yichu blinked lightly, finding the internal conflict between He Shixia and the other He family members quite amusing.
He Dingbang looked at his good nephew in disbelief, “Shixia, are you crazy? Are you also going to slander your uncle and make your grandmother feel worse?! Mom! I really just found out! I’m innocent!”
He Shixia calmly replied, “I’m just telling the truth. Compared to A Ning deceiving the Ning family at six, isn’t my speculation about Uncle more reasonable? Did Uncle really just find out today, or did he know all along but couldn’t bear to leave the He family’s wealth and glory, so he pretended not to know? Over fifty years, did Grandfather really never tell Uncle the truth?”
He Grandfather tapped his cane on the ground, “He Shixia! No matter what, I’m still your biological grandfather! Are you so eager to see me and your grandmother fall apart?”
He Shixia looked at them, “When you mocked and bullied A Ning, you didn’t seem to care about me as a relative.”
He Shixia sided with Ning Yichu, but Ning Yichu didn’t feel like they were on the same side. Hearing this, he didn’t hold back and leisurely reminded, “When they mocked and bullied me, I didn’t see you care either. Now you’re acting all righteous, isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”
He Shixia pressed his lips together.
He Rulin chuckled, “Shixia, it seems your situation isn’t much better…”
He Shixia, not wanting to hear him add insult to injury, interrupted, “Uncle is fifty-three this year. His eldest daughter is thirty-three, and his youngest son is eighteen, all at least adults. And you all know well that even if Grandmother really kicks you out, she wouldn’t be so heartless as to take back the assets you currently hold. You wouldn’t be unable to survive after leaving the He family.”
“Knowing that Uncle is not only not Grandmother’s biological child but also Grandfather’s illegitimate child, evidence of Grandfather’s betrayal and deceit for years, yet you all can cry innocence and righteously seek forgiveness, wanting to stay in the He family. So where do you get the nerve to criticize A Ning for not leaving the Ning family back then?”
“A six or seven-year-old child not leaving the Ning family has been ridiculed for so many years. What does your current behavior count as? Even if back then A Ning really didn’t want to leave, it’s far more understandable and relatable than your actions now.”
He Rusong, who had been the most direct in bringing up this matter, avoided eye contact, and the other He family members, who had been righteously condemning Ning Yichu, also felt embarrassed.
Suddenly realizing they were even less justified than the person they were criticizing, what should they do…
“Moreover, back then, it was the Ning family who took him from the orphanage. When it was discovered he wasn’t their biological son, he wasn’t even seven. Could a six or seven-year-old really decide whether to stay or leave?” He Shixia looked around.
“You all just heard the rumors from the Ning family and fueled the gossip, saying A Ning was vain and pretended to be their biological son, deceiving the Ning family and refusing to leave. But in reality? Who knows the details of how A Ning deceived the Ning family back then? Who saw the Ning family trying to send A Ning back to the orphanage, but A Ning stubbornly refused to leave?”
He Shixia sneered, including himself in the mockery, “So eager to believe the rumors from the Ning family, so indignant on their behalf, why not all change your surname to Ning? It would save you the worry that I’ll give my shares to A Ning, and that the He family will eventually change its name to Ning under my control.”
No one dared to speak for a moment.
Ning Yichu tilted his head with interest, “He Film Emperor, your eloquence is impressive.”
He Shixia lowered his gaze to him, his arrogance dimming, “A Ning…”
He Grandmother sighed, “Alright, Shixia, I know you’re standing up for Ning Yichu, but there’s no need to be so aggressive…”
He Shixia then looked at He Grandmother, “Grandmother, are you planning to keep Grandfather and Uncle’s matter ‘family shame not to be spread,’ and not mention it at all?”
He Grandmother seemed exhausted, “Shixia… are you simply lost in love, indulging Ning Yichu’s antics today, wanting to clear his name, so you’re turning against your family… or have you long been dissatisfied with your uncle’s family and want to drive them out of the He family?”
He Dingbang cried out, “Mom…”
He Shixia chuckled, “Grandmother hopes it’s the latter, right?”
He Grandmother gave him a deep look, then nodded, “Yes, I’d rather believe you’re doing this to fight for the last five percent of He shares I hold, to prevent your mother from giving your uncle’s children a chance to compete with you for He shares in the future, so you’re using your uncle’s background to eliminate future troubles… rather than believe it’s just a sudden farce.”
He Shixia said, “If thinking that way makes you feel better, Grandmother, then so be it. You don’t need to blame A Ning either. This is the He family. If you really wanted to ignore it, A Ning couldn’t stir up trouble no matter how much he said. Besides, he only spoke some truths, didn’t he? He didn’t wrong anyone, right?”
He Grandmother remained silent.
He Dingbang couldn’t sit still, almost jumping up, “He wronged me! Who said he didn’t wrong anyone! Mom, I really just found out about this, I found out at the same time as you, I’m suffering too, I want to get angry, but I don’t even have the confidence to do so, it’s all bottled up inside, I…”
“Uncle, you’re wrong.” Ning Yichu calmly reminded him, “I didn’t wrong you. It was your good nephew who suggested you might have known your background all along and just kept it hidden. I didn’t say that. How can you falsely accuse me in front of so many people? Are you so skilled at lying that you’ve done it often before?”
He Dingbang, with his old face crying to his mom, almost ground his teeth to dust upon hearing this.
He Grandfather coughed a few times, then said, “Then I say you wronged me, do you admit it? Ah Ying, this little brat just implied that I pushed all the blame onto Dingbang’s biological mother, claiming I was innocent, saying I was so scheming that I managed to hide it for so many years…”
“I’m this old now, if I were really that shameless, wouldn’t it be quicker and more effective to directly threaten you with the He family’s reputation? You care so much about the He family’s reputation, how could you bear to let people see such a big joke about the He family when I’m one foot in the grave?”
Ning Yichu tilted his head, “Grandfather, isn’t your current speech just a veiled threat using the He family’s reputation? You’re just saying it more subtly, but you’re trying to remind Grandmother of this concern, right?”
He Grandmother’s previously softened expression hardened again.
He Grandfather was truly about to cough up blood.
“Ning Yichu, you jinx—” He Grandfather wanted to raise his cane to hit someone.
But he was stopped by He Grandmother’s question, “Qin Kai, tell me the truth, did you deliberately let our biological son die back then?”
He Grandfather denied it without thinking, continuing to plead, “I didn’t! Ah Ying, even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs! Like I said, if I cared about Dingbang, this illegitimate child, to the point of harming our biological son, if I cared about him that much, would I have not fought for him all these years? Would I have been so content to just be your assistant at He?”
He Grandmother didn’t respond immediately.
Ning Yichu, unafraid of attracting more resentment, cheerfully voiced He Grandmother’s hesitation, “Maybe seeing Grandmother being so decisive, and Uncle being so useless, Grandfather had no choice but to be sensible and not make any moves? After all, it’s the biological son of the first love he wronged, quite significant, right? As a son-in-law of the He family, if he could give the He family to his illegitimate child under the legitimate wife’s nose, wouldn’t that be quite the story, right, Grandfather?”
He Grandfather was furious, his old face turning red with anger, looking like he was about to find a crane to fly west, “Ning Yichu! He Shixia, are you just going to stand by and watch? You ungrateful brat!”
He Shixia casually replied, “Grandfather, take care of your health.”
He Grandfather simply ignored them, continuing to speak to He Grandmother, “Ah Ying, I still say the same thing, regarding our biological son’s matter, I grieve his untimely death, but I have a clear conscience! You can investigate, go ask the doctors and nurses from back then, I’m not afraid!”
“Of course Grandfather isn’t afraid…” Ning Yichu relentlessly spoke again.
He Rusong quickly walked over, trying to cover his mouth—if words couldn’t win, couldn’t physical covering work?
But he was stopped by He Shixia, “Second Brother, are you helping Grandfather feel guilty?”
He Rusong gritted his teeth, looking at the emotionally indifferent He Shixia, asking him, “Shixia, we grew up together as brothers, do you really want to be so ruthless? Do you really want to drive us all out of the He family?”
He Rufeng also shouted, “Shixia, no matter what, we’re blood relatives, that hasn’t changed. Grandfather is still Aunt’s biological father, our dad is still your biological uncle… even if you don’t care about your grandfather and uncle, what about Grandmother? She’s not young anymore, do you really want to see her get so upset?”
Still holding onto He Grandmother’s leg, the youngest He Ruzhu quickly turned his head to look over, “Yeah, Sixth Brother, even if our dad isn’t Grandmother’s biological son, the blood relationship between us hasn’t changed much! Your mom and dad are still our aunt and uncle, we’re still your legitimate blood relatives, why do you act like we’re unrelated or even enemies, Sixth Brother, didn’t you watch me grow up?”
However, the more they spoke, the colder He Grandmother’s expression became.
He Ruxue, standing beside her, wanted to stop her siblings but couldn’t find an opportunity to change the topic.
He Grandmother pushed He Ruzhu away, sneering, “Yes, isn’t it? You’re all still a family, only this old woman has become an outsider, how does that affect you? Shixia not siding with you makes you feel wronged, right?”
He Rusong and the others finally realized, their expressions changed, and they wanted to make amends, “No, Grandmother, that’s not what we meant…”
**Author’s Note:**