Lu Yuanshu looked surprised.
Ning Anxia looked at Ning Yichu in disbelief, “How do you… How do you know so much! Can you read minds or something? I’ve never told anyone my true thoughts about this!”
Ning Anxia’s fiancé, Gu Changke, realized what was happening and laughed angrily, “So what Ning Yichu said is true, huh? Well, I’m sorry then, I guess I’m the one standing in the way of your true love!”
Ning Anxia was annoyed by his sarcasm, “Can you stop being annoying? Why are you being so sarcastic? We were just a business marriage, did I deceive you emotionally?”
“You do realize this is a marriage alliance between our two families, right? With this mess, where does that leave the Gu family’s face? Do you have any sense of contractual obligation?” Gu Changke said discontentedly, “Let’s annul our engagement!”
If this had been discovered privately, even if Gu Changke himself was upset, the Gu family wouldn’t agree to cancel the engagement so easily, as it represented cooperation between the two families. Canceling an engagement after it’s been set, even if they remain cordial on the surface, would essentially mean the two families have fallen out, which isn’t a small matter to be taken lightly.
But Ning Anxia’s situation was made public, and at this point, if the Gu family insisted on maintaining the engagement, it would be like trampling on their own dignity.
So in this situation, when Gu Changke said he wanted to annul the engagement, none of the Gu family members present objected.
The Ning family had already lost enough face earlier due to Old Master Ning and Lu Xi’s scandal. Now, knowing that the engagement with the Gu family couldn’t be salvaged, they naturally didn’t bother to speak up and make futile efforts, avoiding further embarrassment.
Ning Anxia snorted, “Annul it then, do you think I was eager to marry you? You’re a useless wastrel who can’t run a business without going bankrupt.”
Gu Changke’s chest heaved with anger, “You, you… Hmph! With a family like yours, anyone willing to marry into your family must be blind. You’re a family of crooks from top to bottom, and you have the nerve to criticize me. Isn’t your entertainment company just a ragtag bunch?”
Although the marriage alliance was clearly off, publicly attacking each other was still somewhat inappropriate.
The Gu family quickly stepped forward from the crowd and pulled Gu Changke away, “That’s enough, regardless of the situation, you need to maintain your manners.”
On the Ning family’s side, Ning Shaoren also said, “Anxia, stop talking! Regardless, Anxia and Changke’s engagement can’t proceed, and our Ning family regrets that. We hope it won’t affect the cooperation between our two families in the future.”
There would definitely be an impact, but in person, they naturally had to be cordial. The Gu family members smiled and replied, “Of course… However, let’s be clear, although the annulment was proposed by our Gu family, everyone saw that the fault lies with Anxia, right? You Ning family need to handle Anxia’s matter properly.”
Ning Shaoren forced a smile.
Ning Anxia pursed her lips and said to Lu Yuanshu, who hadn’t spoken for a while, “Let’s not let others watch our drama anymore. Let’s leave here and resolve this ourselves, okay?”
Lu Yuanshu nodded.
The guests couldn’t help but feel disappointed. They had hoped to see more drama unfold.
Some even looked at Ning Yichu expectantly, hoping he would say something to keep the excitement going.
But unfortunately, Ning Yichu had no such intention.
With Old Master Ning’s scandal exposed and the engagement between the Ning and Gu families annulled, tonight’s events would likely affect the Xu family’s consideration of a marriage alliance with the Ning family… Ning Yichu felt that the night’s gains were satisfactory.
So he wasn’t interested in the “do you love me or not” entanglement between Ning Anxia and Lu Yuanshu. After all, their relationship was genuine, and knowing that the other had feelings for them, neither would want to embarrass the other publicly.
In other words, there was no more drama to watch. After all the fuss tonight, Ning Yichu was tired and didn’t feel like entertaining guests any longer.
“Are Fifth Aunt and Miss Lu leaving? Then please go ahead. Guests, please feel free to leave as well. I’m not feeling well, and standing for so long has tired me out, so I’ll head back to my room to rest.” Ning Yichu smiled.
He walked through the crowd unhurriedly, with He Shixia following behind him, heading upstairs together.
He Weian didn’t stop them, and when she saw Ning Yichu’s figure truly disappear around the corner without turning back, she even breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the banquet could continue, at this point, the Ning family naturally wouldn’t stay any longer.
As for the other guests, having watched the drama, they knew the He family probably wasn’t in the mood to entertain further. Having had their fill of gossip for the night, they decided to leave.
The banquet ended, and the guests casually and openly bid farewell to He Weian and Tang Qingshan, with those closer to them offering a few words of comfort.
Once back in their own cars, the guests began to express their thoughts.
“Tonight was really lively.”
“Isn’t this young Ning a bit too open, inviting everyone to watch his family’s disgrace?”
“I’m more curious if He Shixia regrets giving Ning Yichu the shares.”
“Wasn’t it said that the shares were transferred to Ning Yichu by He Shixia? He Weian couldn’t stop it, right?”
“But if she hadn’t spoiled her son so much, and insisted on stopping it, at least Ning Yichu wouldn’t have gotten the shares so smoothly just two weeks after getting married. It could have delayed things a bit.”
“Not to mention the shares, He Weian must regret hosting this banquet tonight, tsk tsk.”
“But what do you think this young Ning is after? He’s not even trying to hide it, openly telling everyone he did it on purpose, offending both the He and Ning families…”
“But I saw that He Shixia didn’t seem to care, he seemed to be quite protective of Ning Yichu.”
“So the rumors that He Shixia was forced into marriage are false?”
“Didn’t you see? Tonight, He Shixia stood by Ning Yichu’s side like a rock, unwavering. If this is called a forced marriage, then there’s no such thing as marriage freedom in the world.”
“Ning Yichu… I don’t remember him having much presence. Aside from Ning family banquets, he rarely shows up, right? It’s just the image the Ning family has built for him over the years, making him seem like he has a bad personality.”
“Isn’t that right? Vain, ungrateful, always targeting the young Ning master without knowing his place… Whether it’s true or false, who’s right or wrong, we outsiders don’t know, but according to the Ning family’s narrative, Ning Yichu left the Ning family and sought revenge whenever he got the chance, which makes sense. But why cause trouble at his own banquet, on the He family’s turf?”
“He already exposed the He family’s dirty laundry, so why care where he causes trouble? But I really don’t understand him, isn’t he afraid of offending He Weian, the ‘mother-in-law’ in charge?”
“Tsk, wasn’t the He family just He Dingbang and He Weian’s two families before? Although He Weian is in charge, He Shixia is her only son, but there are also cases where the main inheritance is left to other children in the family. Ning Yichu might be playing it safe. At least after tonight’s commotion, He Shixia is the only legitimate grandchild left in the He family, along with He Ruxue, who stayed because of the grandmother’s favor.”
“That makes sense, no wonder He Shixia stood by Ning Yichu’s side without saying a word, he’s the ultimate beneficiary! Just pushing his partner out to attract attention… Could the shares given to Ning Yichu be a reward for helping him?”
“Wait, that doesn’t make sense, that’s a real 8% of the He family’s shares.”
“And they don’t need to be in such a hurry, there’s no word that He Weian particularly favors any niece or nephew, and He Weian is still in her prime.”
“Besides, even if there’s internal family strife, there’s no need to be so ruthless like tonight, it doesn’t benefit them at all… So I still think it’s unrelated to family infighting, Ning Yichu just wants to get back at the He family, so he deliberately caused a scene at an event where most people in the circle would attend.”
“I agree, there’s no need for so many twists and turns. Young Ning’s performance at the banquet clearly showed he doesn’t care what others think of him, he probably just wants to mess with both families, and He Shixia is blinded by love, indulging him in everything.”
“Weren’t the rumors about the He and Ning families’ gossip spread by this couple too?”
“Although I don’t know what else is going on, it seems like there will be no shortage of drama between the He and Ning families in the future.”
“It’s a pity, Ning Shaoren’s wife and kids didn’t come tonight, and Ning Zeshu, who has the ‘real and fake young master’ nickname with Ning Yichu, wasn’t here either, that would have been more interesting.”
“Hey, is Han Wenhua really planning to divorce Ning Shaoren?”
“Come on, they’re tied together at this point, almost sixty years old, it’s not that easy to divorce. I heard Han Wenhua didn’t even threaten divorce, just moved back to her parents’ house, probably leaving room for reconciliation. Ning Shaoren knows this too, he didn’t seem too worried tonight. In a few days, when Han Wenhua ‘calms down,’ he’ll go to her family to apologize, and this will probably blow over.”
“I’d love to see this couple go through a divorce.”
“Me too, haha.”
“If Old Master Ning knew that in just one evening, his reputation would be further tarnished, and the marriage between the Ning and Gu families would be called off, he might be too angry to get out of bed…”
“Wasn’t there a rumor that the Ning and Xu families were planning to have their children get engaged too? I saw the Xu family members didn’t look too happy, could that be called off too?”
“Tsk, speaking of which, one thing at a time, this young Ning is quite capable, he managed to hold He Shixia in his grasp, and tonight he delivered a fatal blow to both the He and Ning families, his information channels are frighteningly well-informed.”
…
Back in the room, Ning Yichu didn’t immediately enter the bedroom.
Besides the bed, there was only the floor to sit on in the bedroom, and he didn’t want to sit on the carpet right now, but he was too lazy to wash up, so he stayed in the living room, sitting on the sofa to rest.
He Shixia squatted down beside him, helping him take off his shoes and massaging his legs and feet with just the right amount of pressure.
Ning Yichu watched He Shixia’s actions with a calm expression, but he didn’t refuse either.
“Standing downstairs for so long, you must be tired, right?” He Shixia asked, “You didn’t eat much tonight, do you want me to have the kitchen send up some food, maybe some yam porridge? It’s easy to digest at this time and can help with sleep.”
Ning Yichu shook his head, “I’m not hungry, I don’t want to eat. If you’re hungry, just have the kitchen make something for yourself, you don’t have to ask me about everything.”
He Shixia chuckled, “I don’t have to ask you about what to eat?”
The question was a bit odd, Ning Yichu frowned, “What are you planning, are you going to eat canned herring in the room?”
He Shixia rubbed the slender ankle in his hand and said, “On the contrary, it’s something very fragrant…”
He lowered his head and kissed Ning Yichu’s ankle.
Ning Yichu was taken aback and reflexively kicked He Shixia’s shoulder, then pulled his foot back. He Shixia laughed and let go, sitting on the floor with the force of Ning Yichu’s not-so-heavy kick.
“Are you crazy!” Ning Yichu curled up on the sofa, looking at He Shixia incredulously.
He felt his ankle, which had just been kissed, was burning, and the more he looked at He Shixia, the more speechless he became, “…Pervert.”
Ning Yichu was so shocked that his cheeks turned a bit red. Seeing his flustered reaction, He Shixia couldn’t help but smile warmly, “It’s just an ankle, a few days ago when I kissed you elsewhere, you didn’t react this much, Ah Ning…”
“That’s different!” Ning Yichu instinctively retorted.
He Shixia placed his hand on the sofa, slowly moving it towards Ning Yichu’s foot, his voice gentle, as if trying to coax him, “Is it different… Do you want to compare now?”
Ning Yichu wanted to kick his hand away but was afraid He Shixia would grab his foot, so he just shrank back a bit, moving away from He Shixia’s hand.
“You really are… Your family just went through such a big change, and you have the mind to flirt with the instigator here?” Ning Yichu said.
He Shixia smiled, “Is this considered flirting? I thought it was just me teasing you.”
Ning Yichu glared at him.
He Shixia’s expression was gentle, “The changes in the family, you’re not the instigator, you just brought things to light.”
Ning Yichu: “But I pushed it forward.”
“Yes, I’m not saying you didn’t contribute.” He Shixia said, “I just want to say, reasonable people won’t think you’re at fault, especially not me, who just wants to stand by your side… Did you have fun tonight?”
Ning Yichu smiled, “I did.”
He moved his foot, stepping on He Shixia’s restless hand on the sofa, and asked him, “Aren’t you curious why I had to make such a big scene and get He Dingbang and the others kicked out?”
He Shixia held Ning Yichu’s foot, hearing that Ning Yichu wanted to talk, he asked, “I thought you just wanted to embarrass the He family, but it sounds like there’s more?”
Ning Yichu tilted his head, watching He Shixia’s reaction, “In my past life, I fell down the stairs and had a premature birth because He Dingbang pushed me.”
He Shixia had been rubbing Ning Yichu’s foot with interest, but upon hearing this, he froze, his fingers stiffening.
He looked into Ning Yichu’s dark eyes, opened his mouth, but couldn’t speak.
Ning Yichu: “To be fair, He Dingbang probably didn’t mean to kill me, he didn’t have the guts, and he didn’t hate me that much. He probably just acted on impulse, gave a push, and didn’t expect such serious consequences. But he accidentally, indirectly caused someone’s death, and in the past life, he wasn’t punished for it, so in this life, I have to get justice myself…”
He Shixia’s eyes were slightly red, he looked at Ning Yichu, unable to suppress the lump in his throat, “Ah Ning… I’m sorry, I… I shouldn’t have left you alone in the He family… I’m sorry, I didn’t even avenge you…”
He Dingbang pushed Ning Yichu, and He Shixia didn’t know about it.
To be precise, in the past life, besides Ning Yichu himself and He Dingbang, the culprit, no one witnessed the “crime scene.”
Later, when the servants and He family members noticed something was wrong and came to check, they only suspected He Dingbang was lying based on his inconsistent statements and guilty demeanor, thinking he caused Ning Yichu to fall down the stairs.
Ning Yichu died from premature birth, and without his testimony, the He family easily protected He Dingbang, threatening and bribing the servants to keep quiet, and outwardly claiming Ning Yichu fell down the stairs on his own due to his pregnancy.
He Shixia was filming outside at the time, and when he received the news and rushed back, it was already the second day after Ning Yichu’s death. In his grief, he didn’t notice He Dingbang’s guilt or the subtle oddities in the He family’s expressions.
Or rather, even if he did notice, he didn’t connect it to “Ning Yichu was murdered,” because after all, a living person died in the He family, and the He family’s abnormal reaction was actually normal.
A few days later, the He family adjusted their emotions and showed no signs of abnormality.
He Shixia believed the story that Ning Yichu accidentally fell while walking alone, only regretting that he shouldn’t have left Ning Yichu alone in the He family, but he never suspected that Ning Yichu was pushed by the He family.
After all, as Ning Yichu said, the He family didn’t like him, but they didn’t hate him enough to want him dead, especially since he was carrying He Shixia’s child.
He Shixia didn’t suspect there was more to Ning Yichu’s death, so he never did anything special to He Dingbang.
“…In the past life, after you were gone, I distanced myself from the family and moved out of the He family old residence with the child.” He Shixia’s eyes were red, tears rolling down, leaving a clear wet mark on his face.
He looked at Ning Yichu through the misty water, feeling like he should be in the depths of hell, “When I moved out, a servant came to me, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately didn’t. I didn’t pay attention, I didn’t care about many things at the time… Now that I think about it, that servant probably wanted to tell me the truth…”
“If I had cared more about your treatment in the He family at that time, asked a few more questions… I should have known long ago… If I hadn’t moved out of the old residence, I might have noticed something from the servants’ attitudes over the years… But I was always avoiding.”
“I moved out of the He family old residence, seemingly distancing myself from the family members who treated you poorly… But in essence, it was just self-deception, trying to cut ties with the past me who ignored and hurt you… But clearly, the person who should have cared about your feelings the most, the person who should have hurt you the least, was me…”
Listening to He Shixia’s confession, Ning Yichu blinked lightly.
He suddenly leaned over, touched He Shixia’s tear-streaked face, and said, “Seeing you in so much pain, I actually feel quite satisfied.”
“Ah Ning…” He Shixia wanted to hug Ning Yichu.
But Ning Yichu dodged to the side, “Keep your hands away from me… You’ve been touching my feet, and now you want to hug me, isn’t that dirty? Move, I need to wash up, I’m tired.”
He Shixia watched Ning Yichu get off the sofa, then called out to him, “Ah Ning… I’m going out for a bit, I’ll be back soon, okay?”
“You can go out and never come back for all I care.” Ning Yichu said unceremoniously.
But before entering the bathroom, Ning Yichu suddenly realized something and turned to look at He Shixia, “Are you going to find trouble with He Dingbang? Then I’ll go with you to watch the fun.”
He Shixia took a tissue from the coffee table to wipe his face, then smiled, “Sure.”
In the side residence, servants were bustling around, packing up belongings overnight.
He Dingbang was still struggling to accept the reality of being kicked out, sitting half-dead in the first-floor hall.
When he suddenly heard a servant call “Sixth Young Master,” He Dingbang was startled. Seeing that it was indeed He Shixia, he instinctively tried to grab onto him as a last straw, “Shixia! Uncle knew you weren’t that heartless, are you here to see us? Please, plead with your grandmother and mother for us…”
Ning Yichu stopped a few steps after entering the door, standing still, watching He Shixia approach He Dingbang and directly kick him to the ground.
He Dingbang’s words were cut off, and under He Shixia’s punches and kicks, he began to wail and curse, “Ouch… Shixia, what are you doing? My leg… He Shixia, you heartless brat, you came here just to beat your uncle?! Hands, hands, hands… Let go! My hand… Did that little bastard Ning Yichu drug you…”
He Shixia punched He Dingbang in the face, leaving him unable to speak coherently.
The nearby servants were dumbfounded, unsure whether to intervene or not…
Everyone else was upstairs packing, and unless someone went to inform them, the commotion in the hall wouldn’t reach upstairs, so until He Shixia stopped on his own, no one came to rescue the beaten He Dingbang.
He Dingbang was left bruised and battered, unable to move his limbs, lying on the ground crying and unable to get up, but he didn’t dare to curse anymore.
He Shixia stood up, looking down at He Dingbang, “After you leave the He family, if you have a single good day, it’s my failure.”
He Dingbang wailed, sounding quite aggrieved, “Shixia, why… Even if my sister and I aren’t full siblings, and you don’t want to acknowledge me as your uncle… There’s no need to target me like this, why?”
He Shixia ignored him, turning back to Ning Yichu, speaking softly, “I’ll have someone keep an eye on him, he won’t have a good time, okay?”
Ning Yichu smiled, “Sure. If he has a good time, you won’t.”
With that, Ning Yichu planned to return to the main residence, and He Shixia naturally followed him.
He Rulin, who had come downstairs at some point, stood at the staircase, having not shown himself or spoken until now, suddenly called out to Ning Yichu and He Shixia, “Xiao Chu, Shixia, can we talk?”
As he approached, he said, “You might be interested, it’s about the night a few months ago at Kangning Grand Hotel when you two were ‘caught in bed’… I did hide some things I knew for various reasons, are you interested?”
Ning Yichu and He Shixia both frowned.
Not far away, He Dingbang was still lying on the ground. Seeing his son suddenly appear, he cursed, “You little brat, were you watching your dad get beaten up? You unfilial son, I should never have brought you back, you little beast…”
He Rulin ignored his father, continuing to look at Ning Yichu, “I want to exchange, using what I know about that night, for an answer from you.”
Ning Yichu looked at him coldly, “What answer?”
He Rulin smiled, “I’m really curious how you suddenly became so well-informed, pinning my dad’s background so thoroughly, but I guess you won’t answer that, so I won’t waste the opportunity. I just want to ask, why are you so against our family, Xiao Chu?”
Ning Yichu snorted lightly, asking in return, “Tell me what you know first.”
He Rulin thought Ning Yichu’s response meant he agreed to the exchange, so he didn’t hesitate, straightforwardly saying, “That night, the person who helped you into the elevator and sent you upstairs to the room was your adoptive parents’ eldest son, your adoptive brother, Ning Zeqi.”
Author’s Note: Tomorrow’s update will still be at five minutes past midnight [fist bump]