Chapter 10

Chapter 10

He Dingbang was getting frantic, and He Rusong quickly retorted, "Ning Yichu, what kind of trouble are you stirring up! You're just jealous, aren't you? You're not the Ning family's biological child, so you envy my dad! But my dad is nothing like you. He didn't worm his way into the He family through deceit and trickery. My dad is innocent!"

After hurriedly finishing his outburst, He Rusong calmed down a bit and snorted coldly. "Unlike you, with your black heart. Even at a young age, you knew how to impersonate the Ning family's biological son to sneak in. And after being exposed, you still had the gall to shamelessly stay with the Ning family for so many years. Now that you've wreaked havoc on them, you want to ruin our family too, is that it?"

He Shixia frowned, about to speak, when he heard Ning Yichu say gleefully, "Yes, I am jealous of Uncle. He didn't need to deceive or trick anyone himself; his real father naturally did the deceiving for him. Unlike me, back then, I could only rely on myself."

Grandfather He and He Dingbang's faces turned ashen.

Ning Yichu mused with mock sentimentality, "Uncle, a bastard child, actually managed to sneak into the legitimate wife's family and enjoy a life of luxury for most of his life. After the truth came out, he's unwilling to face the rightful wife's resentment and even righteously claims he's innocent, wanting to stay in the He family with such self-assurance. Unlike me, I wasn't even a secret child someone deliberately brought in, yet I've been taking the heat for so many years. Is it any wonder I'm bitter? So, as soon as I found out about Uncle's background, I immediately used it to stir up trouble."

He smiled provocatively, making He Shixia feel profoundly uneasy.

"It was the Ning family who actively sought out A Ning back then," He Shixia said, looking at the other He family members. "If you insist that a six-year-old child raised in an orphanage could successfully fool the Ning family about blood ties during their first meeting, then Uncle has been in the He family for so many years. Even my mother noticed something off about his background. Uncle, have you really never been aware of it yourself?"

Including Grandmother He, everyone else's expressions changed drastically.

Ning Yichu blinked slowly, finding it quite amusing to watch He Shixia engage in this infighting with the other He family members.

He Dingbang looked at his dear nephew in disbelief. "Shixia, have you gone mad? You're going to slander your uncle too, to make your grandmother even more upset?! Mom! I really only just found out! I'm innocent!"

He Shixia replied calmly, "Just stating facts. Compared to A Ning deceiving the Ning family at six, isn't my speculation about Uncle more reasonable? Did Uncle really only find out today, or did he know all along but couldn't bear to part with the He family's wealth, so he pretended not to know? For over fifty years, did Grandfather really never tell Uncle the truth?"

Grandfather He pounded his cane on the floor. "He Shixia! No matter what, I am still your biological grandfather! Are you so eager to see your grandmother and me have a falling-out?!"

He Shixia looked at them. "When you mocked and bullied A Ning, you didn't seem to care about me as family either."

He Shixia sided with Ning Yichu, but Ning Yichu didn't consider them on the same side. Hearing this, he didn't spare his feelings either, leisurely reminding him, "When they mocked and bullied me before, I never saw you caring then either. Playing the righteous hero now seems a bit rich, doesn't it?"

He Shixia pressed his lips together.

He Rulin heard this and laughed. "Shixia, it seems your situation isn't much better either..."

He Shixia couldn't be bothered to listen to his gloating and interrupted, "Uncle is fifty-three this year. His eldest daughter is thirty-three, and his youngest son is eighteen—all adults. And you know perfectly well that even if Grandmother really kicks you out, she wouldn't be so heartless as to demand you return the assets you already have. You wouldn't be unable to survive without the He family."

"Knowing full well that Uncle is not only not Grandmother's biological son but also Grandfather's secret child—evidence of Grandfather's years of betrayal and deception—yet you all can wail and cry about innocence, righteously beg for forgiveness, and want to stay in the He family. Given that, what gives you the right to use past events to condemn A Ning for not leaving the Ning family?"

"If a six- or seven-year-old child not leaving the Ning family can be spread around and ridiculed for so many years, then what does that make your current behavior? To take a step back, even if A Ning really didn't want to leave back then, his actions are far more understandable and relatable than yours now."

He Rusong, who had been the most direct in bringing this up earlier, averted his eyes. The other He family members, who had been righteously despising Ning Yichu, also grew awkward.

The sudden realization that they were even less justified than the person they were condemning left them at a loss...

"Besides, it was the Ning family who took him from the orphanage back then. When it was discovered he wasn't the Ning family's biological son, he wasn't even seven yet. Could a six- or seven-year-old child really make that decision for himself?" He Shixia looked at the people around him.

"You just heard rumors spread by the Ning family and helped propagate the story that A Ning was hungry for a life of luxury, pretending to be their biological son and unwilling to leave. But what about the reality? Who knows the details of how A Ning deceived the Ning family? Who witnessed the scene where the Ning family wanted to send A Ning back to the orphanage, but A Ning stubbornly refused to leave?"

He Shixia curled his lips in a mocking smile, the target of his mockery including himself. "You're all so trusting of rumors from the Ning family, so indignant and eager to defend their honor—why don't you all change your surname to Ning? That would save you the worry that if I give my shares to A Ning, the He Corporation will eventually change its surname to Ning when it falls into my hands."

The others didn't dare speak for a moment.

Ning Yichu tilted his head with interest. "Film Emperor He really has a way with words."

He Shixia lowered his gaze to look at him, his earlier vigor dimming. "A Ning..."

Grandmother He sighed. "Alright, Shixia, I know you're standing up for Ning Yichu, but there's no need to be so aggressive..."

He Shixia then looked at Grandmother He. "Grandmother, are you planning to 'keep the family scandal within the family,' sweep Grandfather and Uncle's matter under the rug and not mention it at all?"

He Dingbang wailed pitifully. "Mom..."

He Shixia smiled slightly. "Grandmother hopes it's the latter, right?"

Grandmother He gave him a deep look, then nodded. "Yes, I'd rather you were fighting for the last five percent of He Corporation shares in my hands, trying to prevent your mother from giving your uncle's children a chance to compete with you out of familial affection in the future. I'd rather believe you orchestrated this current situation to eliminate future troubles once and for all, using your uncle's background... than believe it's just a sudden, meaningless farce."

He Shixia said, "If thinking that way makes you feel more at ease, Grandmother, then so be it. There's no need to blame A Ning either. This is the He family. If you truly wished to let it go, no matter how much A Ning said, he couldn't stir up trouble. Besides, he only spoke some truths, didn't he? He didn't wrong anyone, right?"

Grandmother He remained silent.

He Dingbang couldn't sit still anymore, nearly jumping up. "He wronged me! Who says no one was wronged! Mom, I really just found out! I learned at the same time as you! My heart is bitter too, I want to vent, but I don't even have the right to vent. I've kept it all bottled up, I..."

"Uncle, you're mistaken," Ning Yichu reminded him unhurriedly. "I didn't wrong you. The one who suggested you might have known about your background all along and just hid it was your favorite nephew. Those weren't my words. How can you wrong me so blatantly in front of everyone? You're so skilled at lying through your teeth—have you done it often before?"

He Dingbang's aged face was turned toward his mother, crying, but upon hearing this, he nearly gritted his teeth to dust.

Grandfather He coughed a few times, breathless, before saying, "Then I say you wronged me. Do you admit it? A Ying, this little brat just implied that I pushed all the blame onto Dingbang's birth mother, made myself out to be completely innocent, and said I was cunning enough to keep it hidden so well all these years..."

"I'm at this age. If I were really that shameless, wouldn't it be quicker and more effective to directly threaten you with the He family's reputation now? You care so much about the He family's reputation; how could you bear to let people see such a huge joke when you're already one foot in the grave?"

Ning Yichu tilted his head. "Grandfather, isn't the purpose of your words right now precisely to threaten using the He family's reputation? You just said it more subtly, but you wanted Grandmother to remember this concern, right?"

Grandmother He's expression, which had just softened, hardened again.

Grandfather He truly felt like vomiting blood now.

"Ning Yichu, you jinx—" Grandfather He raised his cane, wanting to hit someone.

But he was stopped by Grandmother He's question. "Qin Kai, tell me the truth. Back then, with our biological son... did you intentionally let him die, not saving him?"

Grandfather He denied it without hesitation, continuing to plead innocence. "I didn't! A Ying, even a vicious tiger doesn't harm its cubs! And again, if I cared about Dingbang, this secret child, enough to kill our own biological son for him, would I have not fought for him all these years? Would I have been so content just being your deputy in the He Corporation?"

Grandmother He didn't reply immediately.

Ning Yichu, not afraid of attracting more hatred at all, smiled and voiced Grandmother He's inner hesitation. "Perhaps Grandfather saw that Grandmother was too formidable and Uncle too incompetent, so he had no choice but to be pragmatic and not make any moves? After all, he's the biological son of the first love he wronged—that must hold significant meaning. As a son-in-law of the He family, if he could secretly pass the He family to his secret child right under the legitimate wife's nose, that would be such a satisfying revenge story, right, Grandfather?"

Grandfather He was furious, his aged face flushed red with anger, looking as if he was about to fly west on a crane. "Ning Yichu! He Shixia, are you just going to stand there and watch! You wretched thing! Ungrateful descendant!"

He Shixia replied indifferently, "Grandfather, mind your health."

Grandfather He simply ignored them and continued speaking to Grandmother He. "A Ying, I'll say it again. Regarding our biological son, my heart aches for his early death, but his death—I have a clear conscience! You can go investigate, ask the doctors and nurses from back then. I'm not afraid!"

"Of course Grandfather isn't afraid..." Ning Yichu relentlessly spoke up again.

He Rusong quickly strode over, wanting to cover his mouth—if they couldn't win with words, couldn't they physically silence him!

But He Shixia stopped him. "Second Brother, are you helping Grandfather hide his guilt?"

He Rusong gritted his teeth, looking at the impassive He Shixia, and asked him, "Shixia, we're brothers who grew up together. Are you really going to be this ruthless? Do you really want to drive us all out of the He family?"

He Rufeng also shouted, "Shixia, no matter what, we are relatives by blood. That hasn't changed. Grandfather is still Aunt's biological father, and our dad is still your biological uncle... Even if you really don't care about your grandfather and uncle, what about Grandmother? Grandmother isn't young anymore. Do you really want to see her get so angry she falls ill?"

He Ruzhu, the youngest, who was still clinging to Grandmother He's leg, quickly turned to look over. "Yes, Sixth Brother! Even if our dad isn't Grandmother's biological son, the blood relationship between you and us hasn't changed much! Your mom and dad are still our aunt and uncle. We siblings are still your proper blood relatives! Why are you acting like we're strangers or even enemies? Sixth Brother, you watched me grow up!"

However, the more they spoke like this, the colder Grandmother He's expression became.

He Ruxue stood beside her, wanting to stop her younger siblings, but couldn't find an opportunity to steer the conversation.

Grandmother He pushed He Ruzhu away and sneered coldly. "Yes, of course. You're still one family. It's just me, this old woman, who's become an outsider. How does that affect you? You feel quite wronged that Shixia isn't on your side, don't you?"

He Rusong and the others finally realized their mistake, their expressions changing as they tried to make amends. "No, Grandmother, that's not what we meant..."

Author's Note:

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