Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Everyone was shocked and all eyes turned to Grandfather He.

Grandfather He feigned composure, still cursing Ning Yichu for talking nonsense, and said to Grandmother He, "Don't listen to his baseless claims; it's pure alarmism! Dingbang is definitely our biological son!"

However, having been married for over five decades, if Grandmother He couldn't see through Grandfather He's current guilt, she would have lived all these years in vain. She remained silent.

Seeing this, Grandfather He's heart sank, and He Dingbang and his children grew uneasy.

Ning Yichu offered helpfully, without a hint of rush, "Well, why not take a DNA test then?"

"Shut up!" Grandfather He roared.

Grandmother He glanced at the servants in the dining room and dismissed them all. Then she walked to the seat at the head of the table, sat down, looked at the panicked He Dingbang, and then turned to Grandfather He. "One thing at a time. You first, what exactly happened? Do you really want to take this all the way to a DNA test and make us a laughingstock?"

Grandfather He gritted his teeth and, under everyone's gaze, admitted, "Yes, Dingbang is a child I brought from outside back then and switched with our real son."

He Dingbang was thunderstruck and took several steps back.

His children were also shocked and panicked—they were already illegitimate children brought home by He Dingbang from his reckless younger days. Now that He Dingbang wasn't even a member of the He family, didn't that make their own status even shakier?

Hearing the answer, Grandmother He's hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Grandfather He quickly added, "But! But... I had no choice back then..."

He wiped his eyes before continuing, "A Ying, I was afraid you'd be heartbroken, so I never dared to tell you all these years... Actually, our biological son died shortly after birth. You had such a difficult labor with him; I didn't have the heart to let you know. It just so happened that someone had left a newborn infant at the hospital entrance, and the hospital didn't know what to do with it. I thought it was fate..."

Grandmother He shuddered, tears welling up in her aged eyes.

The other members of the He family saw a way out and watched Grandfather He with bated breath.

"In those days, hospital regulations weren't as strict, so we were able to cover it up." Grandfather He sighed. "A Ying, we've been married so long, and we're so old now. You know what kind of person I am. Have I ever lied to you? Would I even dare to?"

He Dingbang came to his senses at this point, reacting swiftly. He hurriedly threw himself at the feet of Grandmother He, who was still in shock.

He clung to Grandmother He's legs, sobbing and crying out, "Mom! I don't care, you are my real mother. You and Dad raised me, you've worried so much about me, if you're not my biological parents, then who is... I'm still in shock. To think I'm over fifty and have to face this now; how can the parents I've called my own for most of my life suddenly not be my biological ones... Mom, you won't really abandon me, will you?"

Grandmother He felt her heart wrench with pain, both for her biological son who died after birth and for He Dingbang's tearful pleas that tugged at her heartstrings.

But Grandmother He thought calmly. If what Grandfather He said was true, then while she might be angry, she wouldn't truly blame Grandfather He, much less take it out on He Dingbang.

After all, it had been so many years. They had raised him as their own son for fifty-three years, watched this son have his own children, and even the youngest grandchild was now an adult...

Grandmother He let out a long sigh and patted He Dingbang's hand, holding it.

This gesture made Grandfather He, He Dingbang, and He Dingbang's children all breathe a sigh of relief.

Grandmother He looked at Grandfather He and asked, "The child who died back then..."

Grandfather He quickly replied, tears streaming down his face, "I gave him a proper burial! A Ying, although I didn't dare to let you know, I've always remembered our biological son all these years. Every year when we celebrate Dingbang's birthday, I would secretly prepare an extra birthday gift and place it at our son's grave when I went to sweep it. When you're ready, I can take you to see him..."

Hearing this, He Dingbang chimed in, "I want to go too. He's also my brother. I should go see him. All these years, having parents and this family, it's also thanks to his blessings..."

At this point, Grandmother He shed tears but decided to let the matter rest and not pursue it further.

"Enough, it's all fate..." Grandmother He said.

Ning Yichu listened to the drama, finding it quite appetizing.

Seeing that this scene was about to conclude, he promptly delivered a new "script," cheerfully reminding everyone, "I still think we should do a DNA test. There might be a surprise."

Grandfather He's heart, which had just settled, leaped into his throat again, nearly making him faint from anger.

He looked at He Shixia, hoping He Shixia would keep Ning Yichu in check. "Shixia! Are you just going to let him stir up trouble and disrupt the family peace?"

He Shixia looked slightly apologetic. "He's young and speaks rather bluntly. Please be understanding."

Everyone was left speechless by He Shixia's "parent of a mischievous child" attitude.

However, Ning Yichu had just graduated from university, having turned twenty-two only a couple of months ago. Among those present, only the just-eighteen-year-old He Ruzhu was younger than him. The next in line, He Shixia, was six years older than Ning Yichu.

So if he insisted Ning Yichu was still young, it was somewhat plausible.

Ning Yichu was overjoyed. "Exactly! And I'm pregnant too, my emotions are unstable. You all better not provoke me, or be careful I have a miscarriage right in front of you. Who's going to take responsibility then?"

Everyone else's expressions turned extremely unpleasant.

He Rulin couldn't help but chuckle. "Although I always thought you were amusing, I'm only now realizing you're even more interesting than I imagined. If you and Shixia ever get divorced, be sure to notify me..."

"Shut up." He Shixia's face turned cold.

He Rulin raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. "Alright, trying to steal someone right in front of them isn't very appropriate."

With He Rulin's interruption, the previous topic was momentarily derailed. Grandfather He wanted to seize the chance to skip over it and divert everyone's attention with another subject. "Shixia, what exactly are you thinking now? Do you really plan to give all the company shares to this scheming Ning Yichu?"

"Not bad, I guess. At least the child in my belly can be confirmed to be He Shixia's. Not like you, Grandfather, who schemed to pass off your illegitimate son as an abandoned infant and raised him for over fifty years, and now that it's come to light, you're still so calm." Ning Yichu tilted his head.

He looked at Grandmother He, whose expression had suddenly changed, and asked with a smile, "Grandmother, guess what? Was your biological son unfortunate enough to die young, or was he deliberately denied treatment so he would die, making room for someone else?"

These words made Grandmother He's body react faster than her mind. She subconsciously let go of He Dingbang's hand.

He Dingbang, now panicking too much to even curse, wished for the first time in his life that he really was an orphan. He hurriedly looked at Grandfather He. "Dad! I was picked up by you at the hospital... right?"

Grandfather He was also trembling now, making him appear particularly aged and frail, almost unable to hold his walking stick. He looked at Ning Yichu in disbelief. "How did you..."

This matter couldn't withstand scrutiny. Once suspicion arose, a single DNA test would be enough to reveal the truth. So, having been exposed to this extent, Grandfather He didn't put up further resistance.

But he couldn't understand. "How did you know? Even if Weian told Shixia, and Shixia told you, you should only know that Dingbang isn't your grandmother's biological child. How could you know that Dingbang is my illegitimate son..."

It was precisely because he thought no one knew the deepest truth that Grandfather He had just tried to conceal it, attempting to sacrifice a pawn to save the king and control the situation by confessing only to "He Dingbang being a foundling."

However, now, Grandfather He's puzzled question inadvertently revealed two things to everyone: besides He Dingbang's origins they were already discussing, there was also...

Grandmother He's eyes widened, almost choking on her breath. "Weian knew about Dingbang's origins?!"

He Dingbang was also stunned. "How could that be... Weian never liked me, her eldest brother, barely even talking to me. Was this the reason? But wait, then why would she help hide it... Shixia, what exactly is going on?"

The others still believed that Ning Yichu, who had just arrived at the He family, couldn't possibly have had the opportunity to learn such a private matter. It must have been He Shixia, his partner, who told him.

He Shixia didn't answer.

He actually had no idea about this matter at all. Ning Yichu had just suddenly revealed it without any lead-up, and he was also shocked.

Grandfather He spoke up again at this point. "Weian... she only found out a couple of years ago. Because Dingbang has always been unreliable since childhood, she did somewhat look down on this eldest brother. But after learning about this, she was afraid of causing family turmoil, afraid that you, A Ying, as the mother, couldn't bear it, so she didn't say anything. Moreover, she also thought Dingbang was an abandoned infant I happened upon and truly didn't know he was..."

He Weian was, after all, his biological daughter. Grandfather He didn't want to drag her into this at this stage, especially since she hadn't hidden it out of selfish motives.

Grandfather He shook his head. "Sigh, yes, Dingbang is my illegitimate son. But A Ying, believe me, our biological son really died despite emergency efforts. I didn't intentionally cause his death to bring my illegitimate son home as a replacement. I'm sorry..."

Grandmother He was so enraged that her mind went completely blank, leaving her almost unable to speak.

He Ruzhu, the youngest, was floored by the information overload and finally couldn't help himself, blurting out, "Oh my god, it was actually Grandfather who had an affair..."

The fifth child, He Rufeng, who was nearby, kicked him and hissed, "Can't you read the room? Shut up, you idiot!"

Grandmother He was gasping for breath. She had been used to calling the shots her whole life, never expecting that with one foot in the grave—when everything in life should have been settled—such a humiliating, disgraceful scandal would suddenly emerge.

"Weian... get He Weian back here, now! Today, everyone will give me a full accounting!" Grandmother He roared.

He Dingbang, who had been crouching by her legs, shifted to kneel upright, putting on a show of obedience and not daring to make a sound.

In contrast, He Dingbang's eldest daughter, He Ruxue, found the nerve to step forward and gently patted Grandmother He's back. "No matter what, your health is the most important. Don't make yourself sick over this."

As the first grandchild she had ever known and a granddaughter she had cherished for thirty-three years, Grandmother He couldn't help but compartmentalize her feelings. She didn't have the heart to snub her.

Grandmother He patted He Ruxue's hand and softened her voice. "Ruxue, you are you, and your father is your father. No matter what, you are the eldest granddaughter of the He family. Don't be afraid."

Upon hearing this, He Ruxue felt reassured but didn't let it show.

However, her other siblings were still on edge.

Grandmother had always doted on He Ruxue. She was willing to treat He Ruxue separately from He Dingbang, not blaming her for her father's role as proof of the affair. But that didn't mean she would treat the other grandchildren the same way.

He Dingbang, on the other hand, felt even more despair. He read between the lines—he wasn't an orphan abandoned at the hospital entrance and brought into the family by fate. He was a bastard smuggled back into the He family. His "mother" wouldn't spare him a second thought now.

Grandfather He's aged face trembled as he still tried to plead his case. "A Ying... I only made that one mistake... We've been married for over fifty years. Are you really going to air our family's dirty laundry now and let everyone laugh at us?"

Grandmother He didn't answer, only asking him, "What exactly happened back then? Explain it clearly to me. If there's any more hiding..."

"Don't worry, Grandmother. If Grandfather hides anything, I'll point it out. I won't let you suffer in silence." Ning Yichu stirred the pot, never one to miss a chance for chaos.

He Shixia gave a wry, helpless smile but showed no intention of stopping or reprimanding him.

The rest of the He family was too angry to even speak to the newlywed couple.

He Rulin, however, was "different." He watched He Shixia and Ning Yichu with keen interest and said, "From what Grandfather just implied, even my aunt didn't know my father was his bastard. I wonder how you found out, Xiao Chu. By the way, Shixia is so obedient. Is it because you have some dirt on him that could ruin him?"

He Shixia warned coldly, "He Rulin."

"Oh, so quick to drop the 'third brother' title? Well... how about you call him that for your husband, Xiao Chu?" He Rulin said with a smile.

Ning Yichu finished the last spoonful of porridge. With his stomach warmed and a good show to watch, his mood naturally improved.

Although Ning Yichu's intention was clearly to mock and provoke, He Shixia still didn't want to see him smile at others, especially not at He Rulin, who already had ulterior motives.

So after Ning Yichu finished speaking, He Shixia subtly blocked He Rulin's line of sight and then leaned down to ask Ning Yichu, "Do you want to eat a little more?"

Ning Yichu, now having other entertainment to pass the time, couldn't be bothered to argue with He Shixia and simply shook his head.

Before He Rulin could respond, the youngest, He Ruzhu, spoke up again mysteriously, "Sigh, this is the difference between legitimate children and those born outside. Now that our father is just a bastard struggling to save himself, we're not even concubine-born anymore. We might be sold off."

Even He Rulin was left speechless this time.

Author's Note:

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