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Fang Jingguo raised a glass of red wine from the long dining table, addressing the crowd, "I have an announcement to make."

Everyone's attention turned to him.

Fang Jingguo chuckled and said, "The Fang Corporation owes much of its success to all of you. Now that my eldest son has returned from the UK to lend me a hand, I feel a fraction of the burden on my shoulders lifting."

"In earlier years, I had a marriage in the mainland. As they say, it was a union arranged by our parents. Although my wife and I didn't marry for love, she bore me two daughters."

"Since my wife in the mainland has passed away, and after such a long journey, my daughters have finally made it to Hong Kong. It's only right that I reintroduce them to their roots."

"Fang Jingguo!"

Before Fang Jingguo could finish his words, Tian Yue'e hastily descended from the second floor, her high heels tapping against the wooden staircase with a rapid clacking noise. If not for the modest slit in her cheongsam, she would have dashed down in two strides.

Fang Kaize and Fang Zhanwen followed closely behind.

Tian Yue'e glared at Chu Yuening, who sat on the sofa, raising her glass with a smile. The sight nearly grated her teeth.

A multitude of guests were present.

Tian Yuyue could no longer maintain her composure. Earlier, she had cried in front of everyone after being exposed as a mistress. Her eyes were red, and her carefully styled low bun was now disheveled.

"Jingguo," Tian Yuyue tried to control her emotions, reaching out to grasp Fang Jingguo's sleeve tightly, "Ancestral recognition is a major matter. How can it be dealt with hastily? Why don't we... why don't we discuss it another day?"

Wouldn't Chu family's two sisters receiving ancestral recognition mean dividing the Fang family's assets?

No.

Tian Yuyue was against it.

Fang Jingguo was so irritated that he wished he could silence her.

Chu Yuening was currently the only person who could get close to Qiao Xing. Shouldn't they hurry up and reclaim her before letting such a valuable asset slip into someone else's hands?

"Feminine sentimentality! Yuening is my daughter by birthright, and acknowledging our blood ties is only right and proper!" Fang Jingguo pushed Tian Yuyue aside and continued addressing the guests, "In any case, from now on, the Fang family will have five children. Yuening will be the eldest daughter of the Fang family and will have a say in the company's decisions."

As Fang Jingguo's partner, Tian Yuyue was well aware of his intentions.

Originally, the plan was to simply coax her back.

Externally, they were still a family of three.

How did it turn out like this?

Feeling wronged, Fang Jiajia covered her face and ran upstairs.

Fang Kaize grew anxious, shooting a fierce glare at Chu Yuening. "Busybody, have you finally gotten what you wanted from the Fang family's wealth?"

With a parting remark, Fang Kaize hurried off to console his sister.

All eyes were on Chu Yuening.

They were all aware of her background.

A country girl from the mainland.

At least the Fang family was affluent; being acknowledged by them was akin to a sparrow ascending to nobility, transforming into a phoenix.

Such an opportunity, they would have been vying for it.

The Fang family's two children had both fallen out, turning the family banquet atmosphere awkward.

A young man, dressed in a tailored suit and rimmed glasses, approached Chu Yuening with a glass of red wine in hand, smiling warmly. "Now that you've acknowledged your roots, I'll not only be Jiajia's elder brother but also yours."

He held the glass before Chu Yuening.

An act of reconciliation, yet Chu Yuening remained still for a long while without responding.

Fang Zhanwen's expression began to falter.

Her lustrous eyes shimmered with a cold glint as she swept her gaze across the attendees, stood up, and scoffed lightly. "Acknowledging one's ancestors? So? Each and every one of you is now scrambling to claim my Chu family's ancestors?"

Confused by her challenge, Fang Zhanwen asked, "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Chu Yuening chuckled. "It means that when your father married into the Chu family years ago, he essentially gave himself entirely to the Chu family. Naturally, that includes his sperm."

"By that logic, you could barely call the Chu family members your grandparents," she remarked.

Fang Zhanwen's face flushed with humiliation as he embarrassingly questioned his father, "Is she telling the truth?"

"Foolish nonsense!" Fang Jingguo's face turned red with anger. "A marriage arranged by parents...?"

"Wait a moment," Chu Yuening interrupted.

"A parent-arranged marriage? A matchmaker's word? No feelings involved?"

Chu Yuening took out a pre-prepared IOU from the pocket of her coat. It clearly stated that 7,000 yuan was borrowed from the son-in-law.

She emphasized the large word 'son-in-law' with a tap.

"How about this? Weren't you the one begging to marry into the Chu family? Weren't you the one kneeling before my grandfather, asking him to give his daughter to you? How could you have had two daughters with my mother without any feelings?"

There was a loud uproar.

No one dared to believe that Fang Jingguo had built his family fortune through marrying into the Chu family.

His carefully cultivated image of an upstanding self-made man was torn to shreds by that thin IOU.

"Where did you get that IOU? Hand it over now!"

Fang Jingguo, upon seeing the IOU from years ago, turned ashen with anxiety and reached out for it.

Just as he was about to approach, Qiao Xing intercepted him, pushing him away.

Fang Jingguo stumbled a few steps before glaring at the IOU with a dark expression, forcing a smile. "Ning Ning, where did you find this fake IOU? Yes, I admit, I didn't give you the seven thousand yuan you asked for. But that doesn't mean you can defame your father like this."

"Disgusting!" Qiao Xing spat in anger. "Sister's worth far more than that! Debtors should repay their debts, it's only right! Stop slandering people!"

Unfazed by Fang Jingguo's attempts to deny, Chu Yuening unfolded the yellowed paper, revealing two red fingerprints on the signature line.

"There's no denying it. You left your fingerprints when signing the agreement with Grandfather. They're unique, and if examined by an official agency, they'll prove that you're the one who borrowed the money."

Fang Jingguo broke into a cold sweat under the watchful eyes around him.

The IOU was right there, undeniable.

Wouldn't acknowledging it mean admitting to being a groom-in-law, acknowledging that he owed his success to a woman?