Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"The thing is, Sixth Brother doesn't need to put on such an act," the youngest, He Ruzhu, got straight to the point, also revealing everyone's attitude toward Ning Yichu. "He's just some guy, Ning Yichu. Why would Sixth Brother go to such lengths to put on this whole show?"

"Grandmother, are you really not going to step in? If you speak, Shixia will definitely listen," said the second brother, He Rusong. "No matter what he's thinking, these shares really can't be played around with."

"Actually, this matter doesn't really concern us siblings either. Among the grandchildren, only Eldest Sister and Shixia received shares when they became adults. The rest of us are empty-handed—not even our own father, your and Grandfather's own son, has any. Even if Shixia doesn't give the shares to someone else, we wouldn't get a share anyway."

"We're only this concerned for the good of the He family. A change in share ownership is no small matter; it's ridiculous to even talk about treating it so lightly, let alone actually giving them away, because once given, they can't be taken back. Even those who properly marry into our He family don't get them so easily, much less someone like Ning Yichu who used underhanded tricks. Don't you agree?"

He Rusong spoke earnestly.

His brother, He Rulin, butted in from the side, "Hey, Second Brother, we're all family here, no need for such hypocrisy. I actually do want the shares. If it weren't for the shares, why would I be wasting my time here?"

He Rusong's expression twisted. "You... fine, you're the honest one!"

He Rulin shrugged. "Shixia and Ning Yichu are going to break up sooner or later. If he really is foolish enough to give the shares away now, our family would be at a huge loss. Although it's true that with the shares in Shixia's hands, we don't have much chance of getting any, at least they'd still be in the hands of a He family member. That leaves the door open for us."

"As for me, it's not that I don't want more—that'd be disingenuous," said He Ruxue, who also held shares, speaking amiably. "But wanting is one thing; I still have some self-awareness. I genuinely haven't hoped for Shixia's shares. They're his; there's no reason they should fall into the hands of us, his cousins, especially since he'll soon have his own child."

"If he wants to gift the shares to his legal spouse, the board has no grounds to object. The procedure is valid. The problem is we can't set this precedent."

He Ruxue laid out her points smoothly, more composed than He Rusong and more serious than He Rulin.

"In our He Corporation now, Aunt Weian and her husband are running things. In the future, what they have will no doubt go to Shixia, their only son. Although we're all He family members, we nephews and nieces have no claim to it. Even in ancient times, when clan ties were paramount, there was a distinction between the direct line and the side branches. There's no logic in side branches thinking they deserve a share just because the main line has few descendants."

"But the problem is, if Shixia can give shares to Ning Yichu now, will it get even worse later? Will our He family have to change its surname to Ning?"

He Ruxue was indeed Grandmother He and Grandfather He's favorite granddaughter, going straight to the heart of the matter.

The elderly couple were indeed worried about this aspect.

Compared to the immediate issue of the shares, they were more concerned that He Shixia was truly in deep and would later hand over the entire He family to an outsider.

Even if this outsider is now considered a He family member and is carrying a He heir, it's still unacceptable.

Just like Grandfather He, who married into the family, and He Shixia's own father—although over time they got a say in running things, they ultimately couldn't surpass Grandmother He and her own daughter, He Weian.

Both He Shixia's grandparents and his own parents actually had it in mind to have Ning Yichu divorce He Shixia and stay well away from the He family once he gave birth to the child.

As for He Shixia's attitude toward Ning Yichu, it originally wasn't something they worried about.

Now they were utterly baffled, unable to figure out what had happened to He Shixia to cause such a sudden, drastic change in attitude—as if he'd been possessed, seeming to care about nothing but Ning Yichu.

As everyone was making small talk, they suddenly heard a servant greeting someone: "Sixth Young Master, uh, Young Master Ning."

There was some heat outside. The He family was having afternoon tea in the sunroom adjacent to the indoor room, separated from the main hall only by a few glass doors that were left open.

Turning to look, they saw He Shixia carrying Ning Yichu, who looked pale, walk past, heading in the direction of the dining room.

He Rulin choked on his drink. "Cough, cough... What am I seeing? Is Ning Yichu being carried by Shixia? Is our family about to produce a grand romance where they marry first and fall in love later?"

Grandmother He scowled at him, then put down her teacup and stood up. "I need to go take a look."

The others naturally hurried to follow. Second brother He Rusong stayed at the back, supporting Grandfather He, who was now over eighty and not very steady on his feet.

In contrast, Grandmother He was hale and hearty despite her age. She was three years older than Grandfather He, who had married into the family. Two years ago, she had been seriously ill, but after recovering, she still walked briskly. Now, walking at a decent pace at the front, she didn't need the younger generations to slow down too much for her.

Arriving at the dining room, everyone saw Ning Yichu shove a bowl of bird's nest porridge onto the floor.

The porridge spilled across the floor. The dining room floor wasn't carpeted, and the bowl shattered upon hitting the ceramic tiles.

The servants in the dining room jumped, and someone instinctively moved forward to clean up.

"No need," Ning Yichu looked up at He Shixia standing beside him. "I made a mess. Cleaning it up is your job as my husband, right?"

He Shixia smiled. "Of course."

The He family members and servants watched wide-eyed as He Shixia not only didn't get angry but actually took the towels, broom, and trash bin from a servant who had prepared to clean.

"Wait, Sixth Young Master, how can we let you do this..." The servant quickly snapped back to reality, trying to take the tools back.

He Shixia shook his head. "I'll handle it. It's my job anyway. You go to the kitchen and bring A Ning something else to eat. Not bird's nest porridge—he doesn't like bird's nest. I forgot to mention it earlier."

The servant, still apprehensive, glanced cautiously at Ning Yichu, who was sitting calmly.

"You've just recovered from your illness, so you really should only eat light food for now, but plain congee is too bland... The kitchen should have lean meat porridge ready. How about that?" He Shixia said gently while cleaning the floor.

Ning Yichu gave a noncommittal hum.

The servant hurried off to get the porridge. It wouldn't be appropriate for the remaining servants to all leave at once, so they stood awkwardly watching, only then noticing the crowd of He family members standing at the dining room entrance.

The expressions on the He family members' faces were quite complex.

Grandmother He and Grandfather He were both shocked and angry. Uncle He Dingbang looked mostly surprised. As for He Dingbang's six children, they were mainly filled with shock, confusion, and curiosity.

Although they had all looked down on Ning Yichu before, the current scene was too unexpected. They couldn't even spare the effort to show their personal disdain for Ning Yichu.

"What is all this commotion! Shixia, what are you doing!" Grandmother He finally regained her composure and strode into the dining room with even larger steps than before.

The youngest, internet-loving He Ruzhu, couldn't help but add, "Sixth Brother, your wife seems to have a bit of liver fire. Maybe have the kitchen cook him a bowl of loofah soup..."

He Ruzhu's choice of address actually made He Shixia's lips curve up slightly.

Ning Yichu remained expressionless.

The others didn't understand He Ruzhu's lame joke. He Ruyue said quietly, "He won't even eat bird's nest, and you want him to have loofah soup? Be careful he smashes the bowl in your face. Although bird's nest isn't exactly valuable either."

He Ruzhu chuckled and replied, "That's not right. Bird's nest is a luxurious delicacy..."

Grandfather He tapped his cane on the floor. "What nonsense are you spouting again? When has our He family fallen so low as to debate loofah and bird's nest? Crazy talk, no wonder your college entrance exam results were so absurd!"

He Ruzhu had just finished his college entrance exams a few months ago, and his scores were so bad they could be tossed directly into the trash. To save face, the He family naturally couldn't let him apply to domestic universities based on his scores and stay in the country for further studies. They had already arranged for him to attend a university abroad, and he would be leaving next month for college.

Coming from a family that could cushion his fall, He Ruzhu didn't care about his scores, but being scolded by his grandfather over them displeased him, and he immediately wanted to argue back.

However, Grandfather He didn't wait for his reply and continued looking at He Shixia, saying angrily, "Shixia, get up. Is cleaning the floor something you should be doing? How can you be so subservient to someone else!"

He Shixia continued cleaning the floor calmly, not even turning his head. "Grandfather, how is cleaning subservience? Besides, this 'someone else' is my legally married spouse. In terms of inheritance order, he's the person closest to me here. If you can't bring yourselves to speak to him affectionately, then at least be polite. Don't be so strange about it."

He Shixia's words made Grandfather He's blood pressure rise.

Everyone else was dumbfounded, further suspecting that He Shixia might have been possessed.

"Shixia, do you realize what you're saying? For the sake of a Ning Yichu, you speak to your grandfather like this?" He Dingbang said disapprovingly. "Did he drug you again or something?"

Ning Yichu couldn't help but laugh. "Why can't it just be that he's lost his mind himself?"

"Shut up! You have no right to speak in this house!" He Dingbang roared angrily.

He Shixia frowned, "Uncle!"

"Both of us are people without blood ties to the He family, so why can you speak, but I can't?" Ning Yichu asked with feigned innocence.

That set off a firestorm, and before the uproar settled, an eerie silence fell.

For a moment, the dining room was utterly silent. Even He Shixia was stunned, taking a moment to process the meaning behind Ning Yichu's words.

Then, the first to snap out of it and lose his temper was Grandfather He. He raised his cane, ready to hurl it at Ning Yichu, "You insolent brat! What nonsense are you spouting!"

He Shixia quickly stood up, stepping in front of Ning Yichu and grabbing the cane, "Grandfather, please calm down."

Grandfather He was so furious he could barely catch his breath, his face flushed red, "He Shixia! Have you made up your mind to turn your back on your family for his sake?"

The others also snapped out of their daze, and everyone started talking at once.

He Dingbang cursed, "Nonsense! My father was the one who married in! My mother is a He! Even if my mother had an affair in her youth, I'm still a He by blood!"

His words simultaneously enraged both his biological parents.

Grandfather He turned and hit He Dingbang with his cane, "You little bastard! At my age, I still have to be insulted by my own son for marrying into the family!"

Grandmother He's face was a mix of disbelief and fury, "He Dingbang, you little beast! What do you mean your mother had an affair? Ning Yichu, what are you implying? You dare throw mud at an old woman like me? Is this how the Ning family taught you to respect your elders?"

He Rulin clicked his tongue in amazement, "There's no reason to spout such utter nonsense. Shixia, what exactly have you been telling Ning Yichu? How did he come to understand our family this way?"

He Dingbang and his illegitimate children hadn't yet worried about their bloodline issues. As He Dingbang said, the biological father might be questionable, but there's no mistaking who your mother is. If the mother was correct, then the bloodline was correct.

They instinctively thought that either Ning Yichu was talking nonsense, or his meaning was simply to confirm that He Dingbang wasn't the biological son of both Grandmother He and Grandfather He. At most, it meant he had no blood relation to Grandfather He. And since Ning Yichu wasn't familiar with the He family, he might have momentarily forgotten that Grandfather He had married into the family, thus phrasing it as "without blood ties to the He family." There was no need to worry too much.

He Shixia actually didn't know the truth either, but he felt Ning Yichu wouldn't have gotten the concept wrong. He decided to stay silent, standing by Ning Yichu's side to prevent the other He family members from harming him in their rage.

Just then, a servant happened to bring the vegetable and lean meat porridge from the kitchen. Seeing the tense standoff in the dining room, they froze, not knowing whether to come or go, and held their breath.

He Shixia waved to the servant, "Bring it over."

The servant cautiously approached, placing the tray with the porridge bowl and spoon in front of Ning Yichu before quickly retreating.

Though they were dying to witness the drama, their job was more important. Such a juicy high-society scandal was best observed from a safe distance.

Ning Yichu stirred the porridge with his spoon, then looked up at the He family members questioning him and smiled, "How strange. Can't you understand plain language? Didn't I say that Uncle has no blood relation to the He family? In other words, Uncle is not your biological son, Grandmother. How did that turn into me throwing mud at you, Grandmother?"

Grandmother He frowned deeply.

The others were also somewhat confused.

Grandfather He reacted quickly and vehemently, "Nonsense! You belong in a mental hospital!"

He Dingbang snapped out of it next and cursed, "Ning Yichu, you little beast, stop with the mysterious act..."

He Shixia coldly interrupted, "Grandfather, Uncle, what are you saying?"

Grandfather He and He Dingbang choked on their words but continued to berate him.

"He Shixia!"

"Do you really think you run this household and no one can control you?"

"Brainless, heartless bastard..."

Grandmother He, however, had calmed down slightly, "All of you, be quiet—"

She silenced the others before turning her gaze to Ning Yichu, who had stirred up the trouble but was now leisurely eating his porridge as if it had nothing to do with him.

"Explain yourself clearly," Grandmother He said. "Do you know better than I whether I gave birth to this son or not?"

Ning Yichu swallowed the porridge in his mouth, looked up, and smiled, "Well, Grandfather would know better about that. Whether, back when you had just given birth and were unconscious, he took the opportunity to bring in a child from outside and swap them."

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