Ning Yichu tossed the box containing the “model” into the corner and went to bed. He Shixia rubbed his nose, which was almost hit by the door, stood there laughing to himself for a while, then turned and went back to the study.
That night, Ning Yichu didn’t sleep well. He had another dream, dreaming about some past events at the Ning family. The fragments were scattered and bizarre, and when he woke up, he only remembered dreaming about “bird’s nest.”
When he was first brought back to the Ning family, as the “lost and found biological son,” he had nearly three months of good times there. His adoptive mother personally cooked for him, and the first thing she served was a bowl of bird’s nest. Later, he found out that the bird’s nest was actually canned, ready to eat without any preparation. His adoptive mother just poured it from the glass jar into a bowl and told him she made it herself.
Even if he had known at the time, he would still have been touched. Because of this, even when the Ning family later disliked him, and his adoptive parents no longer showed him a kind face, he still had a special fondness for bird’s nest.
Until one time, “Fourth Uncle” Ning Shaoli suddenly said, “Hey, Ning Yichu, do you know that bird’s nest is actually just bird saliva? Why do you like eating saliva so much?”
Ning Yichu remembered that he was ten years old then. It was a Saturday afternoon tea time, and the Ning family gathered to eat desserts. Although he was not favored, he had to attend, and as usual, he chose to eat a can of bird’s nest.
When Ning Shaoli said that, Ning Yichu was holding a spoon, not knowing how to respond. The other Ning family members either laughed or echoed, asking him, “Yeah, Xiao Chu seems to really like eating bird saliva, what’s up with that?”
Little Master Ning Zeshu looked curious and asked the others, “Why is everyone laughing? I saw on TV that bird’s nest is a good thing.”
“Who considers bird’s nest a good thing? Xiao Shu, don’t learn from Xiao Chu and be so low-class. You’re our Ning family’s precious young master, not like a wild child from the welfare home.”
“Xiao Shu is also pitiful, being stolen away as a child and having his identity impersonated, living hard years. Now that he’s back, he hasn’t gotten used to it yet. Surely, the family hasn’t shown him enough good things. Tomorrow, we uncles and aunts will take you out to see more.”
“Ew, Xiao Chu, why aren’t you eating? Didn’t you always like this saliva… I mean, bird’s nest? Hurry up and eat. Although it’s not a good thing, our family doesn’t advocate waste.”
“Yeah, eat up. If you hadn’t clung to our Ning family, you wouldn’t have been able to eat such high-class bird’s nest at the welfare home… Of course, it’s only high-class to you. I don’t like eating saliva.”
At that time, Ning Yichu felt like he had a bone stuck in his throat, looking at the glass jar in front of him, finding it hard to swallow. But everyone else was urging him to finish, so he continued eating with his mind full of “saliva.”
After the afternoon tea, he felt so nauseous that he couldn’t help but run to the bathroom to vomit. After that, he no longer liked eating bird’s nest. When the Ning family asked him to eat it, he pretended to be deaf and refused to touch it, keeping his head down and silent, letting them mock him. After a few times, the Ning family found it boring and soon forgot about it, moving on to new ways to amuse themselves.
Years later, dreaming about this again, Ning Yichu woke up in a bad mood and didn’t leave his bedroom.
He Shixia thought it was getting late and came to knock on the door when Ning Yichu was sitting on the carpet by the floor-to-ceiling window. The curtains weren’t fully drawn, only slightly open. Ning Yichu leaned against the window, looking at the sky outside through the gap, suddenly feeling very tired, and didn’t want to respond to the knocking.
He Shixia knocked harder, “Ah Ning?”
Still no response, so he opened the door on his own.
Seeing Ning Yichu sitting by the window, He Shixia’s heart settled a bit, then quickly rose again. He cautiously walked over to Ning Yichu, squatted down, and spoke softly, “Ah Ning…”
Ning Yichu finally moved his eyes, glancing at him indifferently.
He Shixia asked gently, “Did you have a nightmare? If you’re upset… do you want to bite me again? I noticed this morning that the bite on my neck has scabbed over, probably will heal in a couple of days.”
Ning Yichu weakly tugged at the corner of his mouth, “Am I a dog that likes to bite people?”
He Shixia raised his hand, carefully placing it on Ning Yichu’s head, not daring to use too much force while touching his hair.
In He Shixia’s eyes, Ning Yichu now looked like a dying butterfly, making him afraid to even breathe, fearing it would scare the butterfly from flapping its wings again.
“It’s my kink, liking to be bitten. Just thinking about your teeth marks on my neck makes me look forward to it,” He Shixia said.
Ning Yichu’s dim gaze fell on He Shixia’s face, watching for a while, then a tear unexpectedly slipped from his dark eyes.
He Shixia was startled, not knowing how to react, and before he could, another tear streaked down Ning Yichu’s face, followed by more tears.
Ning Yichu suddenly felt very sad, as if something was blocking his chest and throat, making his heart feel heavy. His tears were completely uncontrollable, and he soon began to sob, even feeling like he couldn’t breathe, his breathing becoming slow and heavy.
“Ah Ning…” He Shixia listened to his helpless sobs, his heart wrapped tightly in pain and guilt, rolling through a thorn bush again and again.
He Shixia carefully embraced Ning Yichu.
With indescribable grief and anger, Ning Yichu instinctively grabbed He Shixia’s collar in front of him, gripping it so tightly that his fingertips almost turned white, as if all his strength was concentrated in his fingers, leaving none to keep himself steady. He weakly leaned into He Shixia’s arms, his tear-streaked face pressed against He Shixia’s neck, his teeth grazing He Shixia’s skin, but only lightly biting like grinding teeth, not drawing blood.
He Shixia quietly held Ning Yichu, feeling like he was holding a small cat in a state of shock, usually fierce and majestic, but now trembling gently.
He thought, even if Ning Yichu wanted to kill someone now, he would take the knife and do it for him.
As long as Ning Yichu could stop being sad, stop crying…
After a while, Ning Yichu’s sobs subsided, and He Shixia felt his tears gradually stop.
“Ah Ning…” He Shixia gently stroked Ning Yichu’s hair.
Ning Yichu released his grip on He Shixia’s collar, pressed his shoulders, sat up, and wiped his tears.
He nonchalantly asked, “Is the banquet being arranged?”
He Shixia didn’t press Ning Yichu on why he was suddenly in a bad mood, nodding, “The program recording is this Friday, so can we arrange it for Wednesday night? That way, we can rest on Thursday. If the timing works, I’ll have the butler send out the invitations to the guests.”
“Give me three extra blank invitations,” Ning Yichu’s voice was unsteady, with a hint of sobbing.
He looked up, his eyes still glistening with tears, the small red mole at the corner of his eye surrounded by a blush, his usually pale face now somewhat flushed.
“The banquet will be lively that night,” Ning Yichu murmured softly.
He Shixia nodded, “Okay.”
…
Regarding He Shixia’s plan to host a banquet at the He Family Old Residence, inviting guests to witness and celebrate the new shareholder Ning Yichu under the pretext of “significant changes in He Family’s shares,” He Shixia’s grandmother and parents had no objections.
Although they had some reservations about Ning Yichu, the change in shares was an undeniable fact, and such a banquet was indeed necessary to prevent others from speculating about any unspeakable reasons behind the share change. Otherwise, why would the He family only make changes in the company’s business information without publicly announcing it, as if hiding something?
“But, Shixia, don’t let other family scandals continue to spread, just stop at the right point,” He Weian reminded.
He Shixia smiled, “Mom, do you think that just because it’s a ‘rumor’ and not publicly acknowledged by the He family, others will think Uncle’s background is just a rumor? It’s already out there, can’t take it back.”
He Weian sighed, “With you like this now, how can I trust you with the He family in the future? Should I just give it directly to Ning Yichu, save you both the trouble of transferring it?”
This “suggestion” was obviously sarcastic, but He Shixia acted as if he didn’t catch the sarcasm, seriously saying, “I think that’s a good idea.”
He Weian: “…Get out, seeing you gives me a headache, almost thirty and now entering a rebellious phase.”
He Shixia was about to leave when He Weian called him back.
“Wait.” He Weian cleared her throat, “I heard something happened on the Ning family’s side too?”
He Shixia chuckled, “Yeah, don’t say it, our two families are fated, both making such jokes. The Ning family’s grandfather also has a son who’s not his biological child.”
He Weian was speechless.
He Shixia: “However, that Ning Shaoli is still of Ning family blood, just changed from a son to a grandson. But the Ning family’s grandfather is more ruthless than our grandmother, probably because he has many children and doesn’t care about losing one. Unlike grandmother, who only has one son and one daughter. Anyway, the Ning family not only kicked him out but also wants to take back the assets given to him.”
Tang Qingshan chimed in, “It’s not like in ancient times where even if it’s under someone’s name, it’s still family property and can be easily taken back with the right reason. If it’s already become Ning Shaoli’s personal asset, and he refuses to return it, the Ning family can’t forcibly take it back, right?”
He Shixia looked at his dad, “Anyway, the Ning family’s grandfather asked the current head of the Ning family, the eldest son, Ning Yichu’s adoptive father, Ning Shaoren, to handle this. He should have a way to make Ning Shaoli voluntarily return it, right?”
“Just like… if grandmother wanted to take back the things in Second Brother’s hands, even if some have already become their personal property, there’s always a way, right? After all, as a family, many things were given back and forth without a written agreement, so there’s still a lot of room for maneuver now.”
He Weian was sure, “So clear about the ins and outs, it seems this matter is also related to you and Xiao Chu. What does Xiao Chu want to do… or rather, how far does he want to go before stopping? It’s one thing to mess with the Ning family, but our He family hasn’t really wronged him, right?”
He Shixia said warmly, “He knows his limits.”
He Weian: “I think you’re the one without limits.”
He Shixia politely smiled apologetically.
…
Two days later, on Wednesday evening.
The guests’ cars drove through the outermost gate of the He Family Old Residence, and the banquet was about to begin. People exchanged pleasantries and gradually entered the venue.
The Ning family also came—although they didn’t want to, the Ning family and the He family were closer than other families, especially now that they were in-laws on the surface. Plus, the theme of today’s banquet was the change in shares, a serious matter, and the main character of the banquet, Ning Yichu, was a Ning family member, so they had to attend.
Moreover, the fact that Ning Yichu obtained 8% of the He family’s shares shocked the Ning family.
They had previously unanimously believed that He Shixia chose to marry Ning Yichu out of helplessness and must be dissatisfied with Ning Yichu and the marriage.
Although a few days ago, He Shixia accompanied Ning Yichu back to the Ning family, and at that time, it seemed like he had accepted the marriage, the Ning family only thought He Shixia was reluctantly accepting reality.
But… just a week after getting the marriage certificate, He Shixia transferred all his He family shares to Ning Yichu, which didn’t align with “reluctantly accepting reality” at all.
In short, the Ning family, full of doubts and shock, received the invitation and had to attend.
Attendees included the eldest son of Old Master Ning, Ning Yichu’s adoptive father Ning Shaoren, Ning Shaoren’s full sister, Old Master Ning’s second daughter Ning Anchun and her husband Wang Mian, Old Master Ning’s third son with his second wife Ning Shaoyi, fifth daughter Ning Anxia, Old Master Ning’s sixth daughter with his third wife Ning Anqiu, seventh daughter Ning Andong, and Old Master Ning’s current wife Lu Xi.
As for Old Master Ning himself, he didn’t want to show up and couldn’t even if he wanted to—after being angered into unconsciousness on Saturday, he almost had a stroke and is now resting in bed.
Ning Yichu’s adoptive mother, Ning Shaoren’s wife Han Wenhua, angrily returned to her family that day, accompanied by Ning Zeqi. Later that day, Ning Zeshu returned to the Ning family, learned the ins and outs, and also went to the Han family. Currently, the three of them are temporarily staying there.
Therefore, when He Shixia sent the invitations, he specifically reminded the butler not to forget to send them to the mother and sons at the Han family. If they didn’t come, he feared Ning Yichu would be “disappointed.”
Other guests that night, seeing the He and Ning family members, thought of the recent rumors and were somewhat gossipy, but due to the occasion, they couldn’t directly bring up the scandals, at most indirectly inquiring.
Someone smiled and asked Ning Anchun, “Anchun, good evening, why haven’t I seen your sister-in-law Wenhua? And your two nephews, Zeqi and Zeshu?”
Ning Anchun had mentally prepared herself before coming, and her smile remained unchanged, “Good evening, Mrs. Chen, they’ll be coming later.”
Mrs. Chen: “Really? Well, since tonight’s banquet’s main character is Wenhua’s adopted son, how could they not come? Oh, it seems I haven’t seen your family’s fourth, Shaoli, either?”
The other party was hitting where it hurt, so Ning Anchun just smiled, trying to brush it off.
But the other party didn’t relent, “Your family’s adopted child is quite capable, huh? To have obtained He family’s shares so quickly, we’re all surprised. We heard some bad rumors before, thought the He family didn’t like him, but didn’t expect they’d even give him shares, clearly they like him a lot!”
“You know, He Weian isn’t exactly a soft and easy-going person, yet she allowed He family’s shares to fall into the hands of someone with a different surname. Although it’s her ‘daughter-in-law,’ they just got married, and she already trusts him so much, tsk tsk.”
Previously, there were only rumors about the fake young master Ning Yichu drugging and climbing into bed, being a man but mysteriously getting pregnant, coupled with wrist-slitting suicide, forcing the He family young master into marriage. Plus, He Shixia and Ning Yichu got married without a wedding, so others thought this marriage was indeed disgraceful, and neither family was willing to acknowledge it.
Therefore, when talking about the Ning family’s fake young master with a bad reputation, some said he was “impressive” and “capable,” but it was with sarcasm.
But now, Mrs. Chen’s “quite capable” seemed somewhat genuine.
After all, drugging and climbing into bed isn’t a skill, a man getting pregnant is “luck,” forcing marriage with a child and succeeding isn’t impressive either. A prenuptial agreement could be signed, and after the child is born, he might be kicked out empty-handed, ending up with nothing.
These tactics aren’t uncommon in the circle, at most, it’s surprising that Ning Yichu managed to succeed with He family’s sixth young master, earning some “admiration.”
But now, in such a short time, Ning Yichu actually obtained He family’s shares, a full 8%, which is truly impressive.
So, heroes aren’t judged by their origins, regardless of the means used before, he easily obtained shares that even He family’s own members find hard to reach, and He family is hosting a banquet for him, enough to change the gossiping circle’s view.
At least, they have to admit, Ning Yichu is not to be underestimated.
Seeing Mrs. Chen wanting to continue her remarks, Ning Anchun quickly interrupted, “Watch your step. Mrs. Chen, why are you here alone tonight?”
So Mrs. Chen started complaining about her own family matters, no longer entangling with the Ning and He family gossip.
Guests arrived at the main residence where the banquet was held, seeing the He family members receiving them—He Grandmother, her daughter, the current head of the He family He Weian, and He Weian’s husband Tang Qingshan were all present.
He Dingbang’s eldest daughter He Ruxue was also there, which wasn’t surprising, as it was well-known that He Grandmother doted on this granddaughter, and it was rumored that she wasn’t blamed for He Dingbang’s issues.
However, what surprised everyone was that He Ruxue’s other five siblings were also present, only the most central figures of the gossip, He Grandfather and He Dingbang, were absent.
Having He Rusong, He Rulin, He Ruyue, He Rufeng, and He Ruzhu all come from the side residence to attend tonight’s banquet was He Grandmother’s decision. She knew it was somewhat of a cover-up, but she couldn’t bring herself to abandon even the semblance of propriety.
But she also couldn’t bring herself to continue pretending with He Grandfather and He Dingbang, so calling the five siblings over was her limit.
Some guests, not wanting to cause discomfort, pretended not to have heard the rumors, casually greeting, “Why haven’t I seen Shixia, and the main character of tonight’s banquet, is it Yichu?”
He Weian smiled and nodded, “Shixia and Xiao Chu will be down soon, please come in first.”
But some guests wanted to stir things up, casually asking, “He General, why haven’t I seen your eldest brother and He Old Master?”
He Weian maintained her smile, “It seems Mr. Gu has heard the rumors too, didn’t expect Mr. Gu to be so fond of gossip at your age.”
Mr. Gu waved his hand, “Just joking, just joking, gossip knows no age, the older you get, the more idle and gossipy you become. But I see your nieces and nephews are all quite good, seems the old lady is quite open-minded?”
He Grandmother had just greeted two old friends and wasn’t at the door to continue welcoming guests. This Mr. Gu was somewhat tactless, but not to the point of saying such things in front of an eighty-year-old. Not to mention, if he angered her into a fit, he couldn’t bear the responsibility, that would be a big deal.
Guests entered the hall, clinking glasses, exchanging pleasantries, occasionally mentioning work matters, but only briefly, not seriously discussing important matters in such a setting.
In such a setting, the most “fluid” topic is, of course, gossip, especially when the host family is at the center of the gossip.
“8% of the shares, He family is really generous.”
“I heard He Sixth Young Master gave his shares to the Ning family’s fake… adopted son, his partner.”
“Didn’t they say that Ning Yichu drugged and climbed into bed, mysteriously got pregnant as a man, and forced He Shixia into marriage with a child? This development doesn’t seem like that at all…”
“Exactly, even if He Sixth Young Master is kind-hearted, it’s not to this extent, that’s not soft-hearted, that’s foolish. Would He General watch her only son give away He family shares foolishly?”
“Speaking of which, now He Sixth Young Master isn’t just He General’s only son, right? He’s the only legitimate grandchild of the He family now, right…”
“So, that rumor is true?”
“When I came in, I heard Mr. Gu from the daily chemical industry deliberately asking He General, and from He General’s response, I think it’s basically confirmed, just didn’t say it outright for the sake of face.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, He Grandmother has been strong and competitive all her life, and now such a thing happens…”
“Her old man is also ‘impressive,’ managing to hide it for a lifetime.”
“Hey, so why was it suddenly discovered now?”
“Don’t know, it was quite sudden.”
“Speaking of which, isn’t He Grandmother planning to pursue it? The Ning family directly kicked people out…”
“By the way, the Ning family is also… tsk, no wonder they can be in-laws, both having similar issues.”
“Illegitimate children aren’t uncommon, but illegitimate children like He Dingbang and Ning Shaoli are rare.”
“Well, I think the Ning family’s situation is more interesting, father and son having an affair with the same woman, then the father marrying the woman, the son having to call her stepmother, but the son and stepmother have a biological son, raised under the father’s nose for thirty years, this secretive skill…”
“Hey, the one just kicked out of the Ning family is Old Master Ning’s third wife, right? Didn’t they have children together, could they also be… hmm?”
“Unlikely, after Ning Shaoli’s incident, even if Old Master Ning is foolish, he should have done a paternity test. Since no one else was kicked out, they must be biological.”
“Speaking of Old Master Ning… he’s also quite ‘capable,’ married four times, each wife younger than the last, even having a son at seventy-five or six, tsk tsk.”
“Old Master Ning didn’t come today, right?”
“Said to be unwell and resting at home, who knows.”
“Hey, is that He Shixia and Ning Yichu coming down the stairs?”
According to the invitation time, most guests had arrived, and Ning Yichu and He Shixia finally came downstairs. The two wore similar outfits, only differing in size and color depth, walking side by side down the stairs. Even when blending into the banquet scene, they seemed to have a barrier separating them from others.
Everyone’s eyes were on them, but it didn’t stop them from continuing to whisper gossip.
“Is Ning Yichu really pregnant? Isn’t he a man…”
“I initially thought it might be fake, just to fool the He family into letting him in, but then I thought, the He family isn’t that foolish, such a bizarre thing would be thoroughly investigated. How daring would Ning Yichu have to be to use such a thing to fool people? And now, even shares have been given, it shouldn’t be a lie.”
“Indeed, it’s quite strange.”
“But this adopted son of the Ning family is truly quite rare-looking.”
“Didn’t the Ning family’s young master go back to the Han family with his mother? Will they come tonight? If they do, it’ll be interesting. Wasn’t it originally intended for the Ning young master and He Sixth Young Master to get engaged? Didn’t expect the adopted fake young master to beat him to it.”
“Speaking of which, I’m quite puzzled, why have two men marry? Don’t both families consider the issue of children?”
“Exactly, the Ning family doesn’t lack heirs, and it’s said that after the marriage, they could get shares of Kangning Grand Hotel…”
“Wait, really? Shares of Kangning Grand Hotel? How come I haven’t heard of it?”
“Of course it’s true, just hasn’t been mentioned much over time, but if you inquire carefully, you can find out. It’s not a big secret, the Kangning board knows.”
“Then it’s understandable for the Ning family to push Ning Zeshu, but on the He family’s side, He General only has He Sixth Young Master as her only son, no matter how good the relationship with the Ning family, there’s no reason to facilitate this marriage. Unless she originally intended to pass He family to one of her nieces or nephews’ future children?”
“That can’t be, haven’t heard of He Weian favoring any niece or nephew to the point of surpassing her own son.”
“Besides, now they’re not even her nieces or nephews anymore… from He family bloodline, after all, He Dingbang isn’t her full brother.”
This banquet, although Ning Yichu was the main character, he refused to make a boring public speech, so there wasn’t much to do.
After being introduced by He Shixia and making a round, Ning Yichu sat in a corner of the dining area, eating to fill his stomach while waiting for his special guests to arrive.
He Shixia also got some food to eat together, curiously asking, “Ah Ning, when will the guests you invited with those three blank invitations arrive?”
Ning Yichu glanced at the time, “The first batch of two will be here soon.”
The invitations sent by the butler had the banquet time at six. The first two invitations Ning Yichu sent separately had the time written as seven, fifteen minutes from now.
Ten minutes later, Ning Yichu put down his plate, took a sip of water, then got up and walked to the entrance of the hall, looking out.
Some other guests noticed Ning Yichu and He Shixia standing by the door and came over to greet them, “Are you two waiting for someone? Are there still guests who haven’t arrived?”
Ning Yichu smiled, “Waiting for two distinguished guests.”
The other party was curious, “Really, guests important enough for you to personally come to greet, I must see who they are, mind if I wait with you?”
Ning Yichu: “Feel free.”
As a result, more people saw the three of them waiting at the door and came over to join the fun. In no time, quite a few people knew Ning Yichu was waiting for two distinguished guests.
He Weian, who was talking with guests, frowned slightly upon hearing this, ended her current conversation, and asked Tang Qingshan, “Did they say who they’re waiting for?”
Tang Qingshan shook his head, “Someone asked, but Shixia and Xiao Chu didn’t answer.”
He Weian felt a bit uneasy, whispering, “I feel like there’s going to be trouble again… notify the gate not to let any more guests in, even if they have an invitation and look harmless.”
Tang Qingshan was about to do so when he realized it was too late because there was already movement at the hall entrance, the people Ning Yichu was waiting for had arrived.
These two “distinguished guests” didn’t even arrive in their own car but took a taxi. Getting out of the car, they weren’t dressed in finery but were a pair of somewhat travel-worn, simple mother and daughter.
The mother had graying hair and a slim figure, making it a bit difficult for the banquet attendees to determine her age. But the daughter was younger, easier to identify, probably in her early thirties.
The reason they could be identified as a mother and daughter was that the guests heard the younger one say after getting out of the car, “Mom, watch your step.”
Seeing these two distinguished guests, the other guests who had been curious for a while were greatly disappointed, then thought of Ning Yichu’s background from the welfare home, adopted by the Ning family as a fake young master, and speculated if they were some poor acquaintances from the welfare home.
However… to specifically invite them on such a banquet day, it was quite thoughtful.
The guests each had their own thoughts, but none expected the following development—
Ning Yichu went out, bringing the mother and daughter into the banquet hall.
“Aunt Zhou, Sister Gao Hui, thank you for coming,” Ning Yichu greeted.
The younger one—Gao Hui shook her head, “No, you gave us too much travel money, we took a plane and taxi all the way, it wasn’t tiring.”
After saying that, Gao Hui remembered to confirm, “You’re Yichu, right?”
Ning Yichu nodded.
The older one, Aunt Zhou, couldn’t hold back her words, her aged voice urgently asking, “Where’s Qin Kai?”
Ning Yichu smiled, “No rush, I’ll have someone call him for you. By the way—”
Returning to the hall, Ning Yichu looked at He Ruzhu, who was also nearby, joining the fun, and casually called, “Seventh Brother, since you’re here, go call your brothers and sisters over, your aunt and cousin are here, come recognize them.”
The guests were shocked.
He Ruzhu was also dumbfounded, “Huh? Me?”
Author’s Note: Second update~ Third update in ten minutes o3o