“Dad!”
“Grandfather!”
Ning Shaoli didn’t expect his words to be the last straw that broke Old Master Ning, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.
Everyone who hadn’t spoken earlier gathered around Old Master Ning. Lu Xi handed the four-year-old Ning Shaozhi to a servant and then walked over to Old Master Ning, curiously asking, “Is the old man not doing well?”
Her words and tone didn’t show any concern, but the Ning family didn’t have time to argue with Lu Xi about it.
“Everyone, step back. Call the servants to carry Dad back to his room and get the doctor over,” Ning Anchun, the second eldest, instructed.
Ning Shaoren looked at Old Master Ning with concern, but before he could react, Han Wenhua kicked him a few more times.
He angrily said, “Are you done yet?”
“You still have the nerve to act righteous! You shameless old thing!” Han Wenhua spat and then called for a servant, “Pack my things! I’m going back to the Han family. I can’t stay in this wretched place any longer!”
Unlike Liu Shuang, Yu Lianlian, and Lu Xi, who didn’t come from great backgrounds, Han Wenhua’s family was a business partner of the Ning family. Their marriage was initially a strong alliance between the two families. However, over the years, the Ning family prospered more, while the Han family declined a bit, but they were still part of the elite circle. Although Han Wenhua didn’t have any real power in the Ning family, she wasn’t left alone without them.
Ning Shaoren was annoyed, “You’re too old to be causing a scene. Do you want to be laughed at? It’s all in the past. I haven’t messed around outside for a long time.”
Han Wenhua sneered, “Is it that you don’t want to mess around, or you can’t even if you want to? You’re just like your father! Your father married younger each time, and you’re shameless too. Are you hoping I’ll die early like your mother so you can be as smug as your father? And you dare to stand up for your mother, what kind of loyal and righteous person are you?”
Ning Shaoren hated hearing people talk about his deceased mother, and he immediately wanted to hit Han Wenhua, but Ning Zeqi stopped him.
“Dad, Mom, it’s good for you to separate and cool down for a while. Dad, you should take care of Grandfather, and there’s also Aunt Yu and… Ning Shaoli’s matter that you need to handle. Mom, I’ll help you pack your things and go back to your room.” Despite the chaos at home, Ning Zeqi seemed calm and indifferent.
Before leaving the living room with Han Wenhua, Ning Zeqi turned back and gave Ning Yichu a deep look.
Others couldn’t help but glance at Ning Yichu, their eyes filled with a new sense of consideration and wariness.
Soon, many people dispersed. The third eldest, Ning Shaoyi, didn’t leave. He looked at Ning Yichu, who seemed to be in a good mood, and asked, “Is this why you came back today?”
Yu Lianlian, who had been explicitly told to leave the Ning family, and Ning Shaoli both glared at Ning Yichu. Yu Lianlian’s daughter, the sixth child, Ning Anqiu, suddenly thought of a question, “When did you find out about my brother’s background? How did you know?”
Ning Yichu smiled, “I also know that Third Uncle just messed up a project at a branch, and it was only covered up because the manager didn’t want to offend ‘royalty’.”
Ning Shaoyi’s face changed.
Ning Anqiu felt uneasy, and sure enough, Ning Yichu continued, “Oh, and Sixth Aunt’s charity fund’s financial report isn’t easy to do lately, right? It’s better to make fewer fake accounts.”
The seventh child, Ning Andong, who was about to speak, closed her mouth.
Ning Shaoli, unfazed, shouted, “Who are you threatening! Do you have evidence? How do you know these things? He Shixia, did you help him? Are you crazy helping him? Did you forget he drugged you, ruined your engagement, and forced you to marry?”
He Shixia frowned, “He didn’t drug me, and he didn’t force me to marry. Also, it was the He and Ning families that had the engagement, and no specific person was designated when the engagement was set. I never agreed to marry anyone from the Ning family, so please clarify your words and don’t try to drive a wedge between me and Ah Ning.”
Ning Shaoli felt that He Shixia’s words were full of flaws, so he instinctively picked the simplest one to retort, “Oh, ‘Ah Ning’, what a strange nickname. Even if you call by surname, it shouldn’t be ‘Ning’. Just because you lived in the Ning family for over ten years, you think your surname is Ning?”
Ning Yichu smiled, “You do have a point there. After all, even if your background is questionable, you can still have the surname Ning.”
Ning Shaoli gritted his teeth, “If it weren’t for you…”
“Why are you still bothering others? Just get lost and stop clinging to the Ning family,” Ning Shaoyi added fuel to the fire.
Because of their mothers’ backgrounds, Ning Shaoli and Ning Shaoyi never got along since childhood. Hearing this, Ning Shaoli simply lunged at Ning Shaoyi, and they started fighting.
Ning Yichu leisurely stood up and walked upstairs.
A servant hesitantly asked, “Young Master Xiao Chu, are you going to…”
“I have some things left in this house that I need to take with me,” Ning Yichu said. “Please find me a couple of usable suitcases and bring them to my old room.”
Ning Shaoyi had just punched Ning Shaoli to the ground. Hearing this, he looked up and sneered, “So you’ve changed your surname to He so quickly, not leaving anything in the Ning family. Ning Yichu, you’re something else.”
Ning Shaoli took the opportunity to grab Ning Shaoyi’s leg, dragging him down, and they continued to scuffle.
Ning Yichu clicked his tongue, glanced at the plaque in the living room that read “Peace and Tranquility,” and suggested, “Change it to ‘Unrest in the House,’ it fits better.”
Packing up his belongings from the Ning family didn’t take much time because he didn’t have much there to begin with. Before going to the He family, he had already packed everything neatly in the cabinet, so there was no need to sort through it again.
Previously, he thought bringing several large suitcases to the He family would make him seem eager and undignified, and since neither the He family nor the Ning family was truly his home, it didn’t matter where he left his things. So, Ning Yichu had only taken one suitcase with some essentials to the He family.
The things he left at the Ning family, aside from a few thick clothes, were mainly books he used during his school years.
He packed everything into the suitcases without looking too closely.
He Shixia, however, precisely picked out a few books, all of which were Ning Yichu’s elementary school political textbooks, which he used as “diaries” back then.
Ning Yichu glanced at them, “I’ve had good handwriting since I was a kid.”
He Shixia smiled, “Handwriting reflects the person.”
Ning Yichu retorted, “Then your handwriting must be ugly.”
He Shixia paused, then carefully said, “According to public opinion, my looks seem… alright?”
Ning Yichu replied coolly, “I’m not the public, and your heart is ugly.”
He Shixia chuckled, “Alright, I can’t argue with that. You are indeed one of a kind, and I am indeed a hypocrite.”
Ning Yichu frowned, “Can you stop being so pretentious?”
He Shixia apologized, “Just being sincere.”
The Ning family probably didn’t want to provoke any more trouble, so until Ning Yichu finished packing, no one came to “chat” with him, and the young master Ning Zeshu, who wasn’t home today, hadn’t returned yet.
As Ning Yichu and He Shixia were leaving, only Ning Shaoyi, who had finished fighting with Ning Shaoli, remained in the living room.
Ning Yichu expressed regret, “I haven’t seen Zeshu in a while, and I miss him. I’ll come back to play with him next time, and I’ll bring new surprises for everyone. Today’s little surprise was just an appetizer; everyone will get their share in the future, so don’t be upset about being ignored.”
Ning Shaoyi: “…”
On the way back to the He family, Ning Yichu asked He Shixia, “Do you have any groups in your upper circle? Share the important news about purging the bloodlines of the He and Ning families, let everyone join in the fun.”
Handling things behind closed doors is too dull; the more people know, the more fun it is.
He Shixia ignored the sarcastic tone of “your upper circle” and chuckled, “Alright, I’ll take care of it and make sure it’s widely known.”
Ning Yichu leisurely said, “You’re quite useful.”
He Shixia nodded, “Mm, you can use me however you want.”
Ning Yichu snorted.
Back at the He family, Ning Yichu organized the things he brought from the Ning family, putting clothes in the wardrobe.
There was a cabinet for accessories in the wardrobe, but Ning Yichu didn’t have many accessories. At the moment, the cabinet’s many compartments held only one pendant, which Ning Yichu had placed there a couple of days ago.
The pendant was made of jade, and the smooth back of the jade pendant was engraved with two characters—”Ah Ning.”
When Ning Yichu was still a baby, he was abandoned at the welfare center’s doorstep, and this jade pendant was hanging around his neck. The director of the welfare center who took him in thought “Ah Ning” might be his nickname, so when giving him a formal name, they used “Ning” as his surname.
The name “Ning Yichu” was given to him by the director, not changed by the Ning family after they took him from the welfare center.
After deciding on the surname, the director randomly flipped through a book to choose a name, landing on the phrase “Clothes are not as good as new, people are not as good as old.”
Later, when he was about to leave with the Ning family, the director told him about this, “I thought at the time, ‘people are not as good as old’ might not be a bad hope for a child from the welfare center. Perhaps it’s not your parents who abandoned you; maybe they’re still looking for their lost child. But the implication of ‘clothes are not as good as new’ isn’t very good, so I named you ‘Yichu.'”
“Ah Ning, the director wishes you a life of smooth sailing and encounters as they were at the beginning.”
That was the best person Ning Yichu had met in his past life’s twenty-something years. Unfortunately, when Ning Yichu contacted the welfare center during his university years, he learned that the director had passed away a few years earlier.
Now, Ning Yichu knew the original plot of the book—although it wasn’t his biological parents who abandoned him, he still had no hope left. He no longer wanted to wear the jade pendant representing his background as he used to.
However, the name “Ning Yichu” and the nickname “Ah Ning” were his own, given to him by the director, and he still liked them.
But after leaving the welfare center, no one had called him by that nickname for many years. He Shixia was actually the first and only one to call him that again.
This was one of the rare warm moments in their marriage in the previous life.
A few months after their marriage, the string of the pendant Ning Yichu wore around his neck broke, and he wanted to find a new red string to tie the pendant. He Shixia saw it.
He Shixia looked at the two characters “Ah Ning” on the pendant and asked him, “Is this your nickname?”
Ning Yichu nodded.
He Shixia didn’t say anything more at the time, but naturally changed his way of addressing him to “Ah Ning.”
When Ning Yichu first heard this long-lost nickname, he was stunned for a while.
“Ah Ning, it’s time for dinner. Are you coming downstairs to eat?” In this life, He Shixia happened to knock on the bedroom door from outside.
Ning Yichu withdrew his gaze from the pendant and walked out.
…
That day, Ning Yichu was a bit tired and went to bed early.
Then he dreamed of He Shixia.
To be precise, the annoying part was that he dreamed of the night they had an accident at the hotel.
The effects of the drug made his memory unclear. He only remembered being pushed into a room, feeling uncomfortable all over, and bumping into He Shixia, who also realized something was wrong with his body and came over to check after hearing the door open.
Both of them were unsteady and fell to the ground. He Shixia seemed to have called his name at that time.
How they ended up on the bed was unclear in his memory, and the dream didn’t show it, only creating an atmosphere of extreme ambiguity and tenderness.
At three in the morning, Ning Yichu woke up from the dream, staring at the ceiling, feeling irritated.
After a while, he got up, put on a coat, and went to kick the study door.
He Shixia was staying in the study. The guest sofa inside wasn’t long enough, so his legs either hung in the air or had to be curled up. In any case, his sleeping posture wasn’t comfortable, and he wasn’t sleeping deeply. He woke up at the sound of the knock.
He quickly got up and opened the door, seeing Ning Yichu standing outside.
Having gotten up in the middle of the night, Ning Yichu’s hair was a bit messy, and his expression was somewhat impatient, his tone clearly indicating annoyance.
Before He Shixia could ask, Ning Yichu directly said, “You need to go buy something for me now.”
He Shixia instinctively replied, “Okay.”
Then he asked, “What do you need to buy?”
Ning Yichu blinked, “Um… it’s a model toy of a human body part? The kind used in bed, I need it.”
He Shixia paused, processing the request, and said, “If I understood correctly, you mean…”
Seeing He Shixia’s complicated expression, Ning Yichu’s tone became cheerful, “Yes, one with a larger diameter, a longer ‘model.'”
He Shixia looked at Ning Yichu’s beautiful eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, then gently asked, “Since it’s all about the human body, can’t you just use mine directly?”
Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow, “In your dreams. Hurry up and buy it for me, I need it now.”
**Author’s Note:**
The next chapter will be the start of the VIP section. There will be no update tomorrow, Thursday, but on Friday at 12:05 AM, there will be an update with four chapters, totaling 42,000 words. I invite all of you to join and enjoy the drama to your heart’s content. [Heart]
**Upcoming Story 1: “The Tyrant Became the Cat of the Future’s Foolish Emperor”**
Synopsis: On the day the capital of the Great Yu Dynasty fell, the last emperor, Yu Qiyuan, self-immolated in the palace.
Future generations say: Emperor Yu Ai, Qiyuan, was tyrannical and unruly all his life. Only his self-sacrifice for the country at the end showed the demeanor of a king, worthy of being remembered in history.
Hearing this, Yu Qiyuan wanted to explain: You’re overthinking it, I wasn’t sacrificing for the country, I just drank too much and didn’t notice the charcoal fire.
But now he can’t speak… can’t speak human language.
—Yu Qiyuan was reborn a hundred years later as a cat.
After the fall of the Great Yu Dynasty, the new Zhuang Dynasty was established.
Now, a hundred years later, the Zhuang Dynasty is also on the brink of collapse.
The current emperor, Zhuang Yiwei, is “fearless in the face of danger,” neglecting state affairs after ascending the throne, indulging in pleasure all day, acting like a foolish emperor.
Yu Qiyuan, the tyrant, became a cat in the Zhuang Dynasty’s palace and was kept by the foolish emperor Zhuang Yiwei.
Although both were emperors scorned by everyone, Yu Qiyuan really looked down on Zhuang Yiwei.
—This foolish emperor mutters all day like a spider, saying, “I want to go online.”
Yu Qiyuan, annoyed by the chatter, tried to run away, only to be caught and rubbed by Zhuang Yiwei.
Reborn as such a cat, with no imperial dignity left, Yu Qiyuan angrily kicked Zhuang Yiwei a few times.
Unexpectedly, the foolish emperor was quite happy being kicked, “My dear, you’re so strong!”
Yu Qiyuan: “…”
—This foolish emperor is talentless and spineless, even when ministers scold him to his face, he just laughs it off.
Tyrant Yu Qiyuan had never been treated like this in his life, so he slapped… pawed the minister’s face.
The minister wanted to catch the evil cat and skin it, but Zhuang Yiwei just covered Yu Qiyuan’s cat ears, “Don’t listen, my dear, it’s just bad reviews.”
Yu Qiyuan felt this person was utterly useless, so he angrily gave Zhuang Yiwei a paw too.
The foolish emperor didn’t get angry, continuing his muttering, “Is there rabies these days? Do stray cats need vaccines?”
Yu Qiyuan: “…”
—This foolish emperor is also afraid of ghosts, even refusing to sleep alone, insisting on holding Yu Qiyuan’s cat body to sleep.
Being forcibly hugged, Yu Qiyuan was furious, kicking and punching Zhuang Yiwei.
The foolish emperor gasped and coaxed, “Don’t hit the face, my dear, if the country falls, I’ll have to rely on my looks to feed you.”
Yu Qiyuan, unable to struggle, resigned himself to using Zhuang Yiwei as a pillow.
One night, Zhuang Yiwei suddenly felt the cat on him had gotten heavier.
So he groggily reached out to touch the cat, “My dear, have you gained weight… huh?!”
Zhuang Yiwei didn’t feel the fluffy cat, only smooth skin like jade.
He was startled awake, finding a stunningly beautiful… male beauty lying on him.
Yu Qiyuan, woken by him, was displeased, “What are you fussing about now?”
Then Yu Qiyuan himself was stunned… was he speaking human language?
Wait, had he turned back into a human?
“I know you,” Zhuang Yiwei poked Yu Qiyuan’s face, “You’re that narcissistic Emperor Yu Ai who painted self-portraits all his life!”
Emperor Yu Ai, Yu Qiyuan: “…”
Zhuang Yiwei, frowning, “Whether you’re human or ghost, where’s my cat? Give me back my cat first.”
Yu Qiyuan thought for a moment, then smiled wickedly, “I need a sacrifice to return to life, your cat has been eaten, and you’re next.”
Zhuang Yiwei looked at Yu Qiyuan, who was only covered by long hair, stammering, “…Even if you look good, you should mind your dining etiquette. How about putting on some clothes first?”
Yu Qiyuan: “…”
**Upcoming Story 2: “After Awakening in a Total Shou Novel”**
Synopsis: On the first day of university, Shen Jianyu dreamed he was the main shou in an indescribable total shou novel, and the top one, two, and three were his newly met roommates.
In the book, the main shou is frail and poor.
After being rejected, Top One forcibly takes him, landing him in the hospital;
Top Two pretends to comfort and care for him, but actually harasses him;
Top Three secretly watches him, pretending to be pitiful, and after coaxing the main shou into bed, immediately turns hostile;
The main shou cries his eyes dry, and his biological parents, who come looking for him, send him off to marry Top Four, who is disabled and abandoned by his family, suffering humiliation.
Knowing the plot, Shen Jianyu: …
The next day, Top One came to confess, the atmosphere tense.
Shen Jianyu blinked.
That day, Top One and Top Two fought fiercely, making the campus headlines together.
In He Liqiu’s eyes, Shen Jianyu, though extremely beautiful, was dark and deep-minded. He Liqiu had seen Shen Jianyu play his roommates like a fiddle without a care.
He Liqiu disliked Shen Jianyu and thought his roommates were foolish.
Until Shen Jianyu turned his attention to him, smiling gently, “Senior He, want to go to the library together?”
He Liqiu couldn’t help but nod.
Initially approaching He Liqiu was just because he was Top Four’s uncle in the book, and Shen Jianyu wanted to learn more through him.
Later, having achieved his goal, Shen Jianyu clapped his hands, ready to leave.
The always gentle and calm He Liqiu went mad: Either marry me, or I’ll make sure you can’t graduate.
Shen Jianyu: …Never seen such a thunderstruck person.