Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The Ning family fell silent for a moment, then all hell broke loose—

“Ning Yichu, what do you mean?!”

“Explain yourself clearly!”

“‘Uncle becomes brother’... what the...?”

“Are you crazy, coming here first thing in the morning to spout this nonsense?”

“Even if you’re part of the He family now, you can’t get back at the Ning family like this...”

Some instinctively glanced at Elder Ning, then at his four-year-old youngest son...

Elder Ning is eighty this year. The fact that he has a four-year-old son had previously caused some in the Ning family to doubt the boy's paternity. They had even suggested, both to his face and behind his back, that Elder Ning take a paternity test, but each time, he angrily shot them down with a glare.

Although Ning Yichu’s words were sudden, they might not be false.

As Elder Ning’s current wife and the boy's mother, Lu Xi saw everyone’s reactions and said unhappily, “Why are you all looking at my son! My son is definitely the old master’s biological child!”

Liu Shuang, Elder Ning’s second wife, loved stirring up trouble. Not one to care about consequences, she said, “Not necessarily. Are you so sure? If you ask me, the old master should still take a paternity test. Once it’s done, post it at the entrance of Kangning Group to shut up all the gossips wondering if the old man's miracle baby is really his.”

“Shut up! Wouldn't I know if he’s my own son?!” Elder Ning glared angrily.

Liu Shuang wasn’t afraid of him. She was over sixty; what was there to fear from an old man? She continued, “Oh, the old master’s X-ray vision is impressive indeed—able to determine paternity just by looking.”

Lu Xi, flustered and exasperated, sputtered, “After Xiao Zhi was born, the old master did take a paternity test! Don’t you dare spread rumors to ruin my reputation! Xiao Zhi is definitely the old master’s biological son!”

Elder Ning’s expression darkened further.

The others were also surprised.

The third son, Ning Shaoyi (Elder Ning’s son with his second wife, Liu Shuang), asked, “Dad, you actually took a paternity test?”

The fourth son, Ning Shaoli, chuckled, “Seems Dad isn’t as confident in himself as he claims. Just being stubborn, refusing to admit he’s old, and too scared to even own up to taking the test.”

He was the son Elder Ning had with his third wife, Yu Lianlian, while still married to his second wife. By the time Yu Lianlian married Elder Ning, Ning Shaoli was already six years old.

Hearing Ning Shaoli’s words, before Elder Ning could voice his anger, Yu Lianlian beat him to it: “Shaoli! How dare you speak to your father like that!”

Ning Shaoli frowned, “Mom, why are you so quiet today?”

Yu Lianlian froze.

Liu Shuang also sensed something off, “Yeah, why are you so quiet today? You didn't even take the chance to kick Lu Xi while she’s down?”

“Wait, since Dad took a paternity test for our youngest brother and confirmed he’s his biological son, then the problem isn’t with Lu Xi, right?” This came from Ning Anxia, Liu Shuang's daughter and Elder Ning's fifth child.

She looked at Yu Lianlian with surprise, “Aunt Yu is acting so strange—could it be out of guilt? Could the ‘uncle’ with questionable parentage that Xiao Chu mentioned be Aunt Yu’s son? Aunt Yu only has Shaoli... Oh my God, Shaoli, were you just enjoying the show, only to find it’s about you?”

Yu Lianlian’s face turned red, “Nonsense! Shaoli’s parentage is not in question!”

The third son, Ning Shaoyi, siding with his biological sister, added, “That explains it. Back when Aunt Yu married Dad and Shaoli returned to the Ning family, he'd rather play with Zeqi, five years his senior, than with me, his own brother just two years older. So Zeqi is actually his brother, huh?”

This was just adding fuel to the fire.

Ning Shaoyi’s mother was Liu Shuang, and Ning Shaoli’s mother was Yu Lianlian. Given their relationship, peace between them was never an option.

As for Ning Zeqi, although he was technically their nephew by generation, he was three years older than Ning Shaoyi and five years older than Ning Shaoli. It was really hard to prioritize seniority over age.

In the past, it wasn’t just Ning Shaoli; even Ning Shaoyi himself used to play with Ning Zeqi... otherwise, he wouldn’t have lost a bet with Ning Zeqi and ended up pushing the eight-year-old Ning Yichu down the stairs.

Just as Ning Shaoli was about to argue, the eldest brother, Elder Ning’s eldest son and Ning Yichu’s adoptive father, Ning Shaoren, spoke up, “Enough! Stop listening to this bastard Ning Yichu’s nonsense! He’s talking trash, and you’re all taking it seriously, getting more and more worked up!”

His wife, Ning Yichu’s adoptive mother, Han Wenhua, looked at him with shock and suspicion... After all, according to what Ning Yichu was implying, no matter which “uncle” had questionable parentage, it would be connected to Ning Shaoren...

Elder Ning’s second daughter, who, like the eldest son Ning Shaoren, was a child from the first wife, Ning Anchun, said, “Alright, everyone calm down. He only said one sentence, and with so many of us chattering away, we’re just making fools of ourselves.”

Then Ning Anchun looked at Ning Yichu—

The Ning family was large and lively. With so many people, even one sentence from each would take the time of fifteen sentences. Add to that the existing conflicts, with people sniping and retorting at each other, the atmosphere grew even more heated. In the midst of it all, they hadn’t even noticed that Ning Yichu had already taken a seat on an empty sofa. He Shixia sat beside him, silent as if he were here today solely as a bodyguard.

“Xiao Chu, explain yourself clearly. What do you mean by ‘uncle becomes brother’? You’re not just slandering Aunt Liu and Aunt Yu, hurting your grandfather’s feelings, but also smearing your father’s name, implying he had an affair and cuckolded your grandfather. Do you have any idea?” Ning Anchun said.

Ning Yichu smiled, “Second Aunt, I wasn’t implying—I was stating it outright.”

Ning Shaoren glared fiercely, “You unfilial son, think carefully before you speak!”

Ning Shaoli, seeing the guilt on his mother Yu Lianlian’s face, felt a pang of panic.

“Fourth Uncle is the biological son of Aunt Yu and you, Dad. Is that clear enough, Dad?” Ning Yichu remained unflappably calm, impervious to pressure.

The other members of the Ning family felt their eyes weren’t enough. They wanted to look at the parties involved—Ning Shaoren and Yu Lianlian, and Ning Shaoli whose parentage was now in question. They also wanted to glance at Elder Ning, who might have been cuckolded, and Ning Shaoli’s wife, Han Wenhua. They were curious about the reaction of Ning Shaoli and Han Wenhua’s eldest son, Ning Zeqi. And they couldn’t help but steal more glances at Ning Yichu and He Shixia.

In short, there were too many “involved parties,” making it overwhelming and dizzying.

Liu Shuang, having nothing to do with the matter, watched the drama with as much interest as Ning Yichu.

She even exclaimed exaggeratedly, “Oh my god! Shaoli was originally born from the old master’s affair with Yu Lianlian, so actually, Shaoren also had an affair with her and had a child, cuckolding the old master together! Have they been hiding it all these years?!”

Under the immense shock, Elder Ning was in a daze. Trembling, he pointed at Ning Shaoren, “Eldest, tell me, is it true or false?”

Ning Shaoren’s face showed not a hint of guilt, “False, Dad. Don’t listen to this bastard Ning Yichu’s nonsense. He’s just got wings now, relying on the fact that we can’t control him anymore, and came back for revenge.”

Ning Shaoren knew well that at a time like this, showing guilt was the worst move. Instead, the more forthright he appeared, the easier it would be to get past this on the surface. As for whether the old master would secretly take a paternity test later and whether it would cause a scene afterward, that was a matter for later.

But Ning Shaoren could remain so calm because he was the eldest son of the Ning family and its current head. Even if the truth came to light, he wasn’t afraid.

However, the other party involved, Yu Lianlian, didn’t have that confidence.

She was already divorced from Elder Ning, forced into it by him so he could marry Lu Xi. If she hadn’t insisted on staying in the Ning family, and if Elder Ning hadn’t allowed it out of consideration for the children she bore him, and because the Ning family had no shortage of money to support one more person, she would have long been kicked out, left to live off a meager divorce settlement.

With Ning Shaoli’s parentage exposed, Yu Lianlian feared being expelled from the Ning family. Terrified and anxious, she wasn’t a particularly steady person to begin with. Even at forty-nine, she lacked depth of experience, and the guilt on her face couldn’t withstand close scrutiny.

After hearing Ning Shaoren’s forthright words, Elder Ning initially felt somewhat relieved. But when he turned and saw Yu Lianlian’s expression, he knew there was indeed a problem, and his anger flared even higher.

But Elder Ning didn’t want “outsiders” to witness the family’s disgrace, so he suppressed his anger and called for a servant, pointing at Ning Yichu and He Shixia, “Escort them out. All of you, get out too!”

Ning Yichu leaned back on the sofa, “If you don’t let me stay and listen, be careful—I might go outside and broadcast it with a loudspeaker.”

At that moment, Ning Yichu’s adoptive mother, Ning Shaoren’s wife, Han Wenhua, couldn’t take it anymore. She suddenly stood up and slapped Ning Shaoren across the face, “Explain yourself clearly! What’s going on between you and Yu Lianlian?!”

Ning Shaoren hadn’t expected this. He was hit squarely and covered his face, saying, “Have you gone mad?! You don’t believe me?”

Han Wenhua pointed at Yu Lianlian, “Believe you? How can I believe you? She practically has ‘we had an affair’ written all over her face!”

Ning Zeqi, who had been silent all along, stood up and supported Han Wenhua, “Mom, let’s hear Dad’s explanation first.”

Ning Shaoren had no intention of changing his tune. "Explain what? I have nothing to explain. My conscience is clear. What are you all doing? You believe a few words of provocation from that little brat Ning Yichu? Spreading rumors and stirring up trouble—that's exactly the kind of scoundrel he is! Look at what kind of ungrateful bastard our Ning family has raised!"

Ning Yichu retorted coolly, "My skills aren't quite there yet. When it comes to being an ungrateful bastard, I can't compare to you, Dad..."

Ning Shaoren: "Shut up!"

Han Wenhua also shouted, "Ning Shaoren, how dare you act but not own up to it! You beast! How dare you betray me! I'll beat you to death!"

As she spoke, she tried to slap Ning Shaoren again. Naturally, Ning Shaoren tried to dodge. Ning Zeqi, standing nearby, didn't know whether to intervene or not, so he simply stood still, turning his head to look at Ning Yichu.

Ning Yichu continued with a smile, "...having an affair with your father's concubine, cuckolding your own dad, calling your own son 'brother' for so many years, letting your sons address each other as uncle and nephew... I must say, you've really borne your shame with 'honor,' haven't you?"

Author's note:

----------------------