Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Five days ago, after questioning the waiter who had delivered the orange juice to Ning Yichu, the people sent by He Shixia continued their investigation at the Kangning Hotel.

Regarding the other waiter, Liu Yuan, mentioned by the first one, the investigation revealed that although he had helped open the guest room door on the morning of the "adultery" incident and was the one who suddenly called the orange juice waiter back, he himself was likely innocent. At most, he was just a bit oblivious and had been used as a pawn without realizing it.

They turned up nothing on Liu Yuan, and there were no other new leads. Therefore, He Shixia's people were still digging, but so far, they hadn't made any progress.

Neither Ning Yichu nor He Shixia had expected that He Rulin, who had previously insisted there were no issues, would suddenly come clean and drop such a bombshell.

"Ning Zeqi?" Ning Yichu frowned.

He Rulin nodded. "He's the scion of Kangning. That night, he went to the surveillance room and deleted the footage unfavorable to him. However, he did a sloppy job of it. My guess is he did it himself, without getting anyone else to help."

"The next day, when I went to the hotel to investigate, I was representing the He family, and Ning Shaoyi accompanied me. The Nings couldn't very well refuse, so they gave me access to the surveillance room. The gap in the footage was glaringly obvious. Being a comp-sci grad, it was no sweat for me to salvage a piece of footage that wasn't completely wiped..."

He Rulin then saw from the recovered records that after Ning Yichu delivered a meal to the special guest floor for the banquet that night, he took the elevator back down to the banquet floor.

While in the elevator, Ning Yichu already looked a bit off. Shortly after stepping out, he ran into a waiter carrying orange juice in the corridor outside the banquet hall.

The waiter handed the orange juice to Ning Yichu. Ning Yichu leaned against the wall and slowly drank it, but afterward, he seemed to feel even worse. He nearly dropped the glass, but Ning Zeqi, who had just stepped out of the banquet hall, steadied him and caught the glass.

Ning Yichu looked completely out of it by then, his eyes barely open. If not for Ning Zeqi supporting him, he likely would have collapsed.

Ning Zeqi helped Ning Yichu and asked him something quietly—the volume was too low for He Rulin to make out clearly from the footage, but he guessed it was something like asking what was wrong. Getting no answer from Ning Yichu, Ning Zeqi then seemed to have a thought and suddenly steered Ning Yichu into the elevator—the one dedicated to the banquet guest floor.

"Oh, by the way," He Rulin said, looking at Ning Yichu with a meaningful smile, "in the elevator, that Ning Zeqi kept staring at you and even touched your face."

Catching the insinuation in He Rulin's words, He Shixia frowned.

Ning Yichu was also disgusted. "Get to the point."

He Rulin shrugged. "Anyway, I'm telling the truth. Not that I have proof, but you can confront Ning Zeqi. Continuing on, although the corridor on that floor wasn't under surveillance for privacy reasons, I double-checked at the time. Around the time Ning Zeqi took you up, no one else came or went from that floor. In fact, very few people accessed that floor that night, so it's certain he's the one who brought you to the room Shixia was in."

"However, the surveillance footage alone doesn't reveal his intentions. Right after dropping you off, he probably headed straight for the surveillance room to delete the evidence."

"Also, here's something interesting... Young Master Ning, Ning Zeqi's kid brother, Ning Zeshu, happened to be walking down the corridor not far off when Ning Zeqi helped you into the elevator. From what I could tell on the tape, he must have seen Ning Zeqi with you, who was unconscious at the time..."

But from what He Rulin saw, Ning Zeshu didn't lift a finger. He even deliberately hung back, waiting until the elevator doors closed before making his way to the elevator bank and taking a different one to another floor.

Apart from the guest floor reserved for the banquet, the cameras on the other floors were all running. He Rulin could confirm that after Ning Zeshu checked into a room on another floor, he stayed there for the rest of the night.

"Probably because of this, the Ning family members who originally wanted to 'set up' Ning Zeshu and Shixia didn't notice anything amiss. Otherwise, they wouldn't have waited until the next morning to go to Shixia's room. If Ning Zeshu had reappeared later that night, the Nings would have realized their plan had failed."

He Rulin said, "When I retrieved this footage, Ning Shaoyi was also present. He must have put two and two together. However, even though he knew you were likely framed, Xiao Chu, Ning Shaoyi still asked me to wipe the footage clean and keep my mouth shut about it."

Ning Yichu sneered. "What benefit did he offer you to keep this secret?"

Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow. "Family friendship and school ties, and that's all it took?"

He Rulin: "Business is business."

He Shixia said coldly, "So why aren't you keeping the secret now?"

He Rulin spread his hands. "I've already bought back all the shares of my company. Even if I don't keep the secret now, Ning Shaoyi can't do anything to me. Besides, I did help delete the evidence back then. Now, it's just my word without proof... However, the waiter who gave Xiao Chu the orange juice—I specifically arranged for someone to call him back to the hotel. If you had people stationed there in advance, you should have questioned him, right? What I just said matches up, doesn't it?"

He Shixia grew increasingly displeased with him. "So it was you."

He Rulin smiled. "That day when you suddenly asked me about the surveillance, I guessed you were suspicious. At the time, I was conflicted. On one hand, I felt it wasn't right to break my promise to Ning Shaoyi so directly. On the other hand, I thought we're family after all—of course, you two don't see it that way—anyway, I also felt it wasn't good to keep it from you, so I decided to give you some clues to investigate yourselves."

"However, what I can confirm is only what was visible in the surveillance footage. As for what the Ning family's original plan was that night and each person's role in that drama, only the Ning family members themselves would know."

After finishing, He Rulin then asked in return, "I've been quite sincere, haven't I? I've told you everything I know. Shouldn't Xiao Chu answer my question now?"

Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow. "You're done?"

He Rulin nodded.

Ning Yichu confirmed again, "So, as far as you know, Shixia's parents weren't involved in that night's incident?"

He Rulin was momentarily stunned, then laughed. "At least from the surveillance footage, I couldn't see any involvement from your aunt and uncle. But why would you suspect that, Xiao Chu?"

Since he couldn't extract more information from He Rulin, Ning Yichu didn't waste any more time with him and turned to leave.

He Rulin frowned, wanting to stop them. "Wait, my question hasn't been answered... Xiao Chu, you're not planning to go back on your word, are you?"

Ning Yichu didn't look back. "You're not exactly a good person yourself. What gives you the face to talk about others?"

He Rulin stood still, clicked his tongue softly, then raised his voice toward He Shixia's retreating back. "Shixia, take it easy."

He Shixia didn't respond.

He Rulin muttered to himself, "...I think Ning Yichu will dump you sooner or later."

He Dingbang was still groaning in pain not far away. He Rulin glanced back, shook his head, and had no intention of dealing with his own father. He headed straight for the kitchen—he had come downstairs because he was hungry and hadn't expected to witness He Shixia beating up He Dingbang.

Having revealed a secret only to get nothing in return, He Rulin felt it was a bad deal.

...

"No wonder your two families are so close. Both are good at protecting your own, shamelessly so," Ning Yichu said sarcastically.

He Shixia thought Ning Yichu's wording was still polite. "Beasts in human clothing, utterly devoid of conscience... You've suffered a lot of similar injustices over the years, haven't you?"

Ning Yichu ignored him and went to take a shower as soon as he returned to the room.

But He Shixia still had questions he wanted answered. So when Ning Yichu came out of the bathroom, he cautiously asked, "A Ning... can you tell me what happened to He Dingbang in your previous life? Or did he... really live comfortably for the rest of his life?"

Ning Yichu glanced at He Shixia's hand.

He Shixia's beating of He Dingbang had been forceful, without holding back, leaving some bruises on his own knuckles.

Taking this into account, Ning Yichu answered He Shixia. "No, not long after you died, Aunt Zhou Xuan and her daughter still came to the He family. However, your grandfather was critically ill at the time and about to pass away. Your grandmother, in that life, chose to ignore the matter and didn't kick He Dingbang out. But He Dingbang didn't know restraint and instead tried to take revenge on Aunt Zhou and her daughter. As a result, he caused the deaths of his biological mother and sister, Zhou Fenfang and Zhou Xuan. In her grief and anger, Gao Hui came to City A again, killed He Dingbang to avenge them, and was herself sentenced to death."

In this life, at least Gao Hui, Zhou Xuan, and Zhou Fenfang—the grandmother, mother, and daughter—will be safe and well from now on.

He Dingbang was kicked out of the He family penniless and without the He family's connections, so he could no longer harm them as he did in the original story's plot.

As for He Dingbang's children, if they wanted revenge, they would naturally come after him, the "mastermind."

That night, Ning Yichu reflected on the upheavals in the Ning and He families and slept very soundly.

In the study next door, separated by a wall, He Shixia slept very restlessly.

He dreamed of his previous life, rushing back only to see Ning Yichu's pale, cold face in death.

No matter how much he called, Ning Yichu never opened his eyes. No matter how long he held Ning Yichu's hand, it remained cold in his palm. Tears couldn't make his blood flow again.

Later, when the He family said they would bury Ning Yichu in the He family cemetery, He Shixia refused. He felt Ning Yichu wouldn't have liked being buried with the He family, so he chose another place with beautiful scenery instead.

But Ning Yichu probably didn't care much for that place either, so he never appeared in He Shixia's dreams afterward.

In the dream that night, Ning Yichu actually spoke to him, even if it was just "Get lost" and "Drop dead." But when He Shixia opened his eyes, he still felt quite content.

He sat up from the sofa in the study and glanced at the clock in the room—it was a little after four in the morning.

After thinking it over, He Shixia once again snuck into the bedroom where Ning Yichu was sleeping.

Because of He Shixia's "heroic feat" a few nights ago, Ning Yichu now had a psychological aversion to the side of the bed where He Shixia used to sleep. These past few days, he had switched to the other side.

He Shixia walked to the bedside and carefully took Ning Yichu's hand, which was resting on top of the blanket.

Only when he felt the living warmth in his palm did He Shixia finally feel at ease.

He sat down on the floor beside the bed, leaning his upper body against it, holding Ning Yichu's hand as he slowly closed his eyes.

As day was about to break, Ning Yichu, still asleep, instinctively tried to turn over. However, his hand wouldn't budge. His mind went blank for a second before he abruptly woke up.

Seeing someone hunched by the bedside, Ning Yichu was startled. Then, realizing it was He Shixia, he grew angry again. "What are you doing sneaking to my bedside in the middle of the night again!"

He Shixia lifted his head, half-asleep, still gripping Ning Yichu's hand tightly.

Ning Yichu tried to move his wrist but couldn't break free, which just annoyed him more. "Let go of me."

He Shixia finally came to his senses and released his grip.

He smiled and explained, "I didn't do anything this time, really. You can check if you don't believe me."

Ning Yichu glared at him.

He Shixia, sitting on the floor, looked up at Ning Yichu on the bed and said softly, "I had a dream about you and missed you, so I came to see you. I sleep more peacefully when I'm near you."

Ning Yichu snapped back bluntly, "You'd sleep even more peacefully if you were dead! I'll remember to lock the door next time..."

He Shixia chuckled softly. "Then we'll just let it slide this time. Go back to sleep, okay?"

"'Let it slide this time'? You're quite magnanimous, aren't you?" Ning Yichu said tonelessly. "Don't stay by my bed. If you really can't sleep, that's perfect—aren't you going to record a show soon? My luggage isn't packed yet. Go to the walk-in closet and pack my things."

He Shixia thought it over and decided that was as good a place as any. "Alright, I'll be quiet so I don't disturb you."

Ning Yichu: "..."

Ning Yichu ignored him and lay back down to sleep.

He Shixia entered the walk-in closet, closed the door, turned on the light, took out the suitcase, and leisurely started packing Ning Yichu's luggage.

Three hours later, Ning Yichu woke up again. Hearing the quiet around him, he assumed He Shixia had already left the bedroom and didn't pay it much mind. He got up, went to the bathroom to wash up, and then returned to the bedroom to change out of his pajamas.

When he slid open the door to the walk-in closet, Ning Yichu realized the light was still on and that He Shixia hadn't left at all... He Shixia was leaning against the wall, with an item of Ning Yichu's clothing draped over his face. Judging by his motionless state, if he wasn't dead, he was probably asleep.

Ning Yichu: "..."

Maybe he should just smother this pervert with the clothes.

The sound of the door opening didn't wake He Shixia. Ning Yichu walked over and gave He Shixia's foot a nudge with his own. "Hey, should we set up a bed for you in the walk-in closet?"

He Shixia stirred, and the clothes covering his face slipped off. Half-asleep, he grabbed them, opened his eyes, and saw Ning Yichu. For a moment, he was disoriented and didn't catch what Ning Yichu said. "What?"

Ning Yichu blinked but didn't repeat himself, afraid He Shixia might take it seriously.

"I asked you to pack for me, and here you are, sleeping like a baby. What are you doing with my clothes..." Ning Yichu tried to pull his clothes back.

But He Shixia didn't let go. After a pause, he smiled and said, "I'll wash them before returning them to you... But I only draped them over my face. I didn't use your clothes for anything else, A Ning. Don't be angry."

Ning Yichu replied flatly, not wanting to continue the topic. "...Where's my luggage?"

He Shixia pointed to the two suitcases already pushed into the corner. "All packed. Do you want to check and confirm? The show will last fifteen days. Luckily, the weather in September isn't cold, so packing more clothes doesn't take up too much space. I matched a few outfits and packed five sets for you. Your wardrobe for this season is now empty..."

Ning Yichu didn't answer but instead asked, "If you finished packing, why didn't you go back to your study to sleep? Is the floor here that comfortable?"

He Shixia smiled. "It's closer to you, and I have your clothes for company. It really is comfortable. I sleep much more soundly here than in the study."

Ning Yichu frowned. "Can you stop being such a pervert all the time?"

He Shixia said seriously, "A Ning, your threshold for labeling my 'perverted' behavior keeps getting lower. I just borrowed your clothes to block the light. I didn't use them for what I did by your bedside that night... Hey, don't get angry..."

Ning Yichu kicked He Shixia again. He Shixia couldn't help but laugh, sitting on the floor and chuckling for a while. Seeing Ning Yichu turn to leave, he finally leaned against the wall and stood up. "A Ning..."

Ning Yichu glanced back, ready to hear what other nonsense He Shixia might spout.

But He Shixia didn't say anything else. He just said softly, "...Good morning."

Ning Yichu: "Boring."

...

During breakfast that day, He Shixia received a message and relayed it to Ning Yichu. "The Ning family was in chaos last night."

"Elder Ning probably found out about what happened at the banquet. Although his reputation in terms of private life wasn't great to begin with, people would at most say he was lustful, disrespectful in his old age, and mutually willing with his money-grubbing young wife. But after Lu Xi's exposure at the banquet last night, Elder Ning's reputation is completely ruined."

"Additionally, the marriage arrangement between the Ning and Gu families has been canceled. The alliance with the Xu family, which was practically set in stone and only needed the engagement date finalized, has also been postponed by the Xu family. Elder Ning couldn't handle the shock. Already ill, he was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. They say he wasn't out of danger until dawn. Although he didn't die, he's now completely paralyzed from a stroke."

After listening, Ning Yichu didn't hide his schadenfreude. "Well, Grandfather really needs to take care of his health. By the way, why didn't anyone from the Ning family notify me? They really don't treat me as one of their own. I have to learn about my 'family's' affairs from my 'husband.'"

He Shixia chuckled. "Can you call me that again?"

Ning Yichu scowled. "Drop dead."

He Shixia smiled.

After breakfast, Ning Yichu returned to his room. He Shixia followed for a few steps before a servant came over and said He Weian had called He Shixia to the study.

Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow. "She didn't call me?"

The servant hesitated and nodded. "Yes..."

Ning Yichu changed direction. "Then I'll go along to say hello too."

His "say hello" sounded more like "cause trouble."

He Shixia couldn't help but laugh.

Seeing Ning Yichu come along, He Weian looked displeased. "Last time I called you, you didn't come. This time I didn't call you, but you followed along. Are you determined to oppose me now?"

Ning Yichu sat down on the guest sofa on his own. Hearing this, he put on a serious, aggrieved expression. "Mom, I'm not specifically targeting you."

He Weian was speechless. "So you're equally targeting everyone? You won't let the Ning family off, and you won't let the He family off either. The Ning family is one thing, but has our He family wronged you to the extent of last night, Xiao Chu?"

Ning Yichu looked innocent. "Was last night too much? Then I'll tone it down next time."

He Weian felt like her words had hit a wall, utterly powerless, and she couldn’t be bothered to argue with him anymore.

She turned to He Shixia. “Last time, you accused me of being too harsh on him, saying he hadn’t grabbed a megaphone and shouted at a crowded banquet… So how do you explain last night? Got any more excuses for him?”

He Shixia said courteously, “A Ning really didn’t use a megaphone.”

Ning Yichu chuckled.

“…With the scene he made last night, who needs a megaphone?” He Weian looked at He Shixia with a mix of anger and disappointment. “Are you two going to record the show tomorrow?”

He Shixia nodded. “Well, thanks to Second Brother’s big mouth revealing our marriage news, we’ll be out of your hair for the next half month.”

Mentioning the cause of this matter, He Weian paused. “Look… it’s true that He Rusong had bad intentions before. He wanted to pressure you into denying the marriage news for the sake of your career, so you’d call off the wedding…”

“Not just that. He clearly also wanted to pin the blame for the leak on A Ning, but I found out beforehand, so his subsequent plans couldn’t proceed,” He Shixia said.

Ning Yichu listened with great interest and remarked, “Then I should thank you for letting me avoid taking the blame, even though you kept hiding that it was He Rusong who did it, dressing it up as a way to spare my feelings.”

He Shixia didn’t try to justify himself further. “I’m sorry, A Ning.”

Ning Yichu shrugged.

He Weian sighed. “Early this morning, they all left. They cleared out of the side house, not leaving a soul behind, so I suppose nothing like this will happen again. Your father isn’t here because he’s sorting out their asset liquidation.”

“As for you two participating in the show… Shixia, you said before that you wanted to bring Xiao Chu on the program to show that your relationship is harmonious, not some rumor about… a one-night stand leading to a shotgun wedding, to clear up those sleazy rumors hurting your image. But now…”

He Weian shook her head, speaking frankly even in front of Ning Yichu. “With him in this fearless, say-anything state, do you really dare to bring him on the show? Not only might it fail to clarify things, it could make the situation worse. He's made it obvious he won't play along.”

“Your show has live broadcasts too, right? Once it’s out there, it can’t be taken back. Are you planning to rely on the family to suppress negative news then, or just throw your career away for his games?”

Ning Yichu leisurely chimed in, “Wouldn’t that suit the family’s wishes? If he can’t make it in the entertainment industry anymore, he can come back and inherit the family business. No need to thank me, Mom.”

He Weian said irritably, “Can’t you just give it a rest?”

Ning Yichu blinked innocently. “No need to worry, Mom. In less than a month, I’ll have to start calling you ‘Auntie.’ You won’t have to see me anymore then.”

Hearing this, He Weian was taken aback, then frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it clear enough?” Ning Yichu smiled. “It means I’ve already secured all of your son’s assets, so I plan to string him along a bit longer, mess up his career completely, and then dump him. We should be divorced in less than a month.”

In response to these words, He Shixia didn’t react much, just smiled helplessly, appearing eerily good-natured.

He Weian processed this expressionlessly for a moment, looking at the self-assured Ning Yichu, then at the utterly indulgent He Shixia… Not wanting to get dragged into some absurd “mother-in-law vs. daughter-in-law” drama, she pointed toward the study door. “Forget it, I have nothing more to say. Both of you, get the hell out of my sight!”

Ning Yichu looked at her with a beaming smile.

In his previous life, before Ning Yichu died, He Weian and Tang Qingshan had also come to his sickbed to take a look.

Ning Yichu could still speak a little then. He said it was He Dingbang who pushed him—it wasn’t that he had been careless while walking.

He Weian and Tang Qingshan listened without seeming surprised. They looked down at him from above, their expressions almost pitying.

But He Weian’s voice was ice-cold. “After all, you died because of the He family. After your death, I’ll have you buried in the He family cemetery. The He family will visit your grave in the future.”

As if a plot in the He family cemetery was some great favor, enough to let someone who died unjustly rest in peace. As for the so-called truth, the He family didn’t really need to hear it from Ning Yichu. They had already guessed it and had always planned to ignore it…

In this life, Ning Yichu simply wanted to make life miserable for every last one of the Hes.

You like family harmony? Then I’ll scatter you to the winds until every meeting is awkward.

At this moment, intending to get under He Weian's skin, Ning Yichu placed a melodramatic hand on his belly, then reached out to He Shixia. “Mom is so scary, she frightened the baby in my belly. I can’t even walk now. Hubby, carry me out.”

He Weian’s expression instantly went blank. “…”

He Shixia chuckled softly, then leaned over and scooped up Ning Yichu from the sofa into a bridal carry, his voice gentle and cooperative. “Don’t be afraid, A Ning…”

He Weian’s expression became even more indescribable, as if she had just eaten a plate of slugs—a plate served to her by her own cherished only son…

Ning Yichu’s acting was clumsily blatant, yet with his scene partner He Shixia’s boundless tolerance and immersive feedback, the final performance was excellent. The sole audience member, He Weian, after the initial shock, was left only with a nerve pain so intense she wished all her senses would vanish.

Seeing He Shixia carrying Ning Yichu disappear, finally out of her sight, He Weian even breathed a sigh of relief.

…

After leaving the study, Ning Yichu nudged He Shixia, his tone suddenly turning cold. “Alright, put me down.”

He Shixia didn’t let go, holding Ning Yichu steadily in his arms. Suppressing a laugh, he said, “Don’t move around, A Ning. Be careful not to scare the baby in your belly.”

Ning Yichu: “…That’s disgusting. Are you trying to get back at me for your mom?”

He Shixia suggested unhurriedly, “You could also call me ‘hubby’ again to disgust me.”

Ning Yichu twitched the corner of his mouth. “Wanting to have your cake and eat it too? Quite the dreamer.”

He Shixia smiled.

Back in the room, He Shixia finally set Ning Yichu down.

Then Ning Yichu sat in the living room reading a book, while He Shixia went in and out, packing his own luggage.

After a while, Ning Yichu suddenly closed his book and called out to He Shixia. “That box you gave me the other night is still in the bedroom. Help me pack it in your suitcase to bring to the show recording.”

He Shixia paused slightly, asking hesitantly, “You mean the box with the ‘model’ inside?”

Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow. “What else? Go get it.”

He Shixia laughed. “A Ning, they check luggage on the show.”

“That’s why I said to put it in *your* suitcase.” Ning Yichu’s eyes curved into a smile, the small red mole at the corner of his eye glowing with a peach-blossom charm.

He continued in a light, cheerful tone. “If anyone gets curious then, I’ll explain it for you. I’ll tell the audience that ‘model’ is of course used on me, because you’re incapable, so this is the only way to fulfill your marital duties. And even so, I’ve stayed by your side. Didn’t you want to show how deeply affectionate we are on the show? Is this enough?”

He Shixia’s expression was complicated. “…It’s a bit too much, actually.”

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

Author’s Note: The next chapter update will be later, tomorrow (Monday) at 11 PM. After that, we’ll return to the fixed update time of 9 PM every night. [Heart]

Thank you to all the treasures supporting the official version! o3o