Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Ning Yichu was in high spirits that morning, a constant smile on his lips that others picked up on as well.

During lunch, He Shixia asked, curious, "Ah-Ning, you seem so happy today. It's not because of Chen Yu and that whole mess, is it?"

Ning Yichu frowned slightly. "That Chen Yu business was a downer... But I am genuinely happy today because justice is about to be served. Just wait and see."

Viewers on the live stream became even more curious—

"Ah-Ning, you're starting to keep us in suspense too? Not very obedient, are you?"

"Getting excited now. Is there another big scoop coming?"

"Is it that the Ning family is finally getting what they deserve?"

"It must be. It's rare to see Ning Yichu this happy, and he called it 'immensely satisfying.'"

That afternoon, netizens found out what it was—

Someone had reported to the police with evidence, alleging that Ning Anchun and Wang Mian were not only involved in organizing orgies but also coerced others into prostitution. Among the victims were a pair of twin siblings, who also chose to report the crime that day.

The police went to the Ning residence and took the suspects, Ning Anchun and Wang Mian, away for investigation. Paparazzi lying in wait near the Ning family captured footage of the police entering and leaving.

—These twin siblings also appeared later in the original novel's plot, though only as corpses.

Because the siblings had no evidence and were so traumatized by Ning Anchun and Wang Mian's abuse that even after being "let go," they couldn't return to a normal life, they ultimately chose to take their own lives together to draw social attention, hoping the police would investigate the couple.

In this lifetime, a few days ago, when Ning Anchun and Wang Mian tried to destroy the evidence, Ning Yichu's people played the "mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" and intercepted it. Not only did they provide part of the evidence to the twin siblings and secured their promise to report it, but they also prevented the evidence from being completely destroyed.

Presumably, Ning Anchun and Wang Mian thought they were home free, but they didn't expect that once the police started investigating, they would find not only the victims' evidence but also video recordings left in their remote suburban villa—evidence that hadn't been fully destroyed. That would be irrefutable proof.

The Ning family had already been in deep trouble these past few days. The family, which had always been obsessed with saving face, no longer had the energy to care about their reputation. But this matter wasn't something they could ignore. Reputation is crucial in the hotel industry. After Kangning's stock price plummeted, it remained persistently low. Many members demanded to cancel their memberships, and customer traffic had also decreased significantly.

The board of directors underwent major changes. With the Xu and Gu families withdrawing from Kangning's board, the He family gained greater influence.

He Weian was already busy enough with the He Group, so she didn't appear in person. However, her husband, Tang Qingshan, acting on her instructions, convened a Kangning board meeting. He laid into them about the massive losses incurred by the entire Kangning enterprise due to the damage to the Ning family's reputation and demanded accountability. Ning Shaoren was so furious he almost publicly revealed a secret that could threaten Tang Qingshan right there in the boardroom.

But he hadn't completely lost his mind yet. Ning Shaoren wasn't ready to burn all his bridges in his desperation, so he could only grit his teeth and bear it, promising the board he would do everything possible to turn the situation around quickly.

Amid all this chaos, Ning Shaoren had just sternly warned the other Ning family members—after cleaning up their own serious messes, they should lie low and not add to the Ning family's already tattered reputation. Unexpectedly, Ning Anchun and Wang Mian got into trouble, and it was this kind of bizarre and disgusting scandal.

Regardless, Ning Anchun was both a member of the Ning family and Ning Shaoren's only full-blooded sister. Ning Shaoren could only hold his nose and pull strings everywhere, trying to use his connections to protect Ning Anchun. As for his brother-in-law Wang Mian, he'd try to protect him if possible; otherwise, he'd just throw him under the bus.

However, after one night, Ning Shaoren realized this was quite a thorny situation. It seemed even saving his sister would be difficult...

While Ning Shaoren was swamped, yet another incident involving the Ning family occurred—

On the eighth morning of Ning Yichu and He Shixia's participation in the show, the police once again arrived at the Ning residence. This time, they took Ning Shaoyi away as a suspect to assist in the investigation of a case involving death caused by negligence.

Seeing her son taken away, Liu Shuang, forgetting past grievances, hurriedly sought help from Ning Shaoren, the current head of the Ning family: "Shaoren, no matter what, Shaoyi is your own blood brother. You have to save him..."

When Ning Shaoren heard the charge "death caused by negligence," he almost thought it referred to the incident where Ning Shaoyi pushed Ning Yichu down the stairs. He was about to say that was so long ago, where would evidence come from, and besides, Ning Yichu didn't die—he was just sick for a while.

Then Ning Shaoren realized with a grim expression that Ning Shaoyi's current situation was probably much more serious.

A lawyer went to the police station and returned to explain the whole story to the Ning family. As expected, the matter was grave—

Kangning Grand Hotel had branches in most cities across the country. Ning Shaoyi had once been sent to one of these branches for training. At that time, he was overly eager to prove himself and rushed a project.

Part of the project involved hiring someone to paint a new mural. Ning Shaoyi pressured the painter to work faster and, to show he wasn't an entirely heartless capitalist, stayed up late with the mural painter. The result was that the mural painter not only had to work overtime but also had to endure the client's constant nitpicking in real-time.

After working for several days with little sleep, finally finishing the mural in the early hours of the morning, Ning Shaoyi found fault with a detail in the upper corner and demanded the painter fix it. The painter, utterly exhausted, said he would get some sleep first and then come back for the final touches, at which point Ning Shaoyi could present all his revision requests at once.

Ning Shaoyi felt the mural painter was being dismissive and insisted he make the change immediately. The branch's general manager, who was also staying up late to accompany the "young master," was on the scene and backed Ning Shaoyi up, threatening to withhold the project's final payment. The painter had no choice but to climb back onto the scaffolding to make the change.

But then Ning Shaoyi had to make a show of it. To display his "approachability," he also climbed onto the scaffolding, saying it would be easier to examine the details up close and communicate revision suggestions with the painter.

However, the mural was three meters high. It was Ning Shaoyi's first time being that high up. The more he looked down, the more unsteady he felt. He hadn't been up there long before deciding to come down. While descending, he accidentally bumped into the painter, causing him to sway as well.

The already physically drained painter fell unexpectedly, hitting the back of his head. Before the general manager could even react to call for an ambulance, the painter was already dead.

The hall where the mural was being painted was newly expanded, and surveillance cameras hadn't been installed yet. Only the mural painter, Ning Shaoyi, and the general manager were present at the scene, along with a non-networked camera that was recording for "work documentation."

The general manager, wanting to curry favor with the "royal relative" and also fearing he'd be implicated if this got out, actually dared to help Ning Shaoyi cover up the incident. In the end, they packaged it as the mural painter falling accidentally during normal work—a work-related death.

The project Ning Shaoyi was leading naturally fell through because someone died during it. But to outsiders unaware of the truth, it was just said that he caused some financial loss for the Ning family.

Until a few days ago, when everyone was busy covering their own tracks, Ning Shaoyi remembered Ning Yichu had once mentioned this project to criticize him. Worried that Ning Yichu might actually know the full truth, he specifically traveled to another city to find that branch general manager. After confirming the manager hadn't told anyone and had completely deleted the camera video back then, Ning Shaoyi returned reassured.

However, in reality, the general manager had kept a backup. Partly thinking it might be useful for gaining benefits in the future, and partly fearing that if the truth ever came out, Ning Shaoyi might try to pin the blame on him, he thought it safer to keep the video.

So, after deleting the video from the camera in front of Ning Shaoyi, the general manager later used skills he learned from earlier projects to recover the video segment that hadn't been overwritten. He then kept it saved on a portable hard drive.

Someone Ning Yichu had sent ahead accidentally "found" that hard drive. To find its owner, they plugged it into a computer, discovered the video, and as a concerned citizen, delivered it to the police station.

The branch general manager was arrested. With the evidence before him, of course he no longer covered for Ning Shaoyi.

—The time was too short; the case details hadn't been made public yet. Netizens didn't know all the specific circumstances, only that someone from the Ning family was arrested yesterday afternoon, and someone else was taken away this morning—and the situation seemed even more serious.

While netizens and people in the same circles as the Ning family were buzzing with discussion, and the Ning family themselves were in even more disarray, that same afternoon, Ning Anxia's Xiazhi Entertainment also ran into trouble.

A senior manager at Xiazhi Entertainment was suspected of embezzlement, bribery, and illegally bullying signed artists. The manager was arrested, and the company's accounts were also placed under investigation. The owner, Ning Anxia, was suspected of shielding the manager and related economic crimes, and was once again taken away by the police.

Liu Shuang's son and daughter got into trouble on the same day. She had just heard the lawyer explain Ning Shaoyi's disastrous situation when her daughter was taken away. After all, she was already sixty-four and not young. The shock caused her to faint on the spot. The Ning family once again scrambled to send her to the hospital.

Witnessing these sudden developments, Ning Anqiu realized in panic: "It can only be Ning Yichu. He's wanted revenge on us for a long time. He's been lying low, and now he's suddenly striking... Should we not have 'cleaned up' a few days ago? Did that actually give Ning Yichu a chance to seize evidence against us?"

The few remaining members of the Ning family wore grave expressions.

Ning Anqiu was especially terrified: "This is bad. Ning Yichu specifically mentioned my charity fund before..."

Her words proved prophetic.

The next morning, Ning Anqiu followed in her older siblings' footsteps. Due to issues with her charity fund's accounts, suspected of economic crimes, she was taken away by the police.

Ning Andong had just graduated this year. She hadn't been involved in the family business or started her own "ventures" yet, and as a second-generation heiress, she hadn't committed any major crimes. However, seeing this, she became extremely anxious because she suddenly remembered she had once signed as a guarantor for one of Ning Anqiu's charity projects!

At the time, Ning Andong hadn't thought much of it. Even if Ning Anqiu's charity fund had financial discrepancies, the family would help cover the shortfall. Her signature was just a formality. But now Ning Andong was terrified, afraid she might also be implicated in a crime.

So she hurriedly left the Ning residence and went to find her birth mother, Yu Lianlian, who had already been expelled from the Ning family.

Yu Lianlian had relied entirely on the Ning family for support in her early years. Since being driven out, and after her son Ning Shaoli was arrested a few days ago, she had been at a loss. Now her younger daughter came seeking her, and Yu Lianlian learned her other daughter was also in trouble. She was even more panicked than Ning Andong.

Just as Yu Lianlian and Ning Andong, mother and daughter, were in a state of panic, back at the Ning residence, Lu Xi, the current wife of the paralyzed Elder Ning, came to his bedside.

"Old Master, you must find it strange. Why have all the unfilial children in the family disappeared these past few days? None have come to pay their respects?" With a vengeful heart, Lu Xi told Elder Ning about the "gathering of heroes" upheaval within the Ning family.

Elder Ning listened, growing increasingly agitated. But not only could he not move, he couldn't even speak coherently. In a fit of rage, he suddenly fainted.

Lu Xi thought he had just fainted and didn’t pay much attention before leaving. The caregiver came in right after, noticed something off with the monitor readings, and rushed him to the hospital.

Elder Ning suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and underwent emergency treatment all night.

The outside world didn’t know the specifics, only remarking that the Ning family home had practically become a checkpoint for police and doctors these past few days…

In the early morning hours, Elder Ning was pronounced dead after resuscitation efforts failed.

Ning Shaoren and his family of four—who were still not in custody and had rushed over upon hearing the news—along with Ning Andong and Yu Lianlian, who had come with him, all stood frozen when the doctor announced the death.

Taking advantage of their stunned state, Lu Xi hurried back to the Ning residence to search frantically for the collector's item she had long coveted, but found nothing.

That day was the tenth day of Ning Yichu and He Shixia’s time on the show. After waking up and checking his phone, Ning Yichu learned that Elder Ning had passed away a few hours prior.

He blinked.

Though he knew Elder Ning wasn’t in the best health—not as resilient as Grandma He Ying when it came to handling shocks—it still came as a bit of a surprise that the man had died so quickly. Mostly, he regretted that Elder Ning hadn’t lived to see the downfall of his eldest son’s family.

“A Ning?” He Shixia called softly, noticing Ning Yichu staring blankly at his phone. “Is something wrong?”

Ning Yichu snapped back to reality, a faint smile curling his lips. “Just saw some good news first thing in the morning. The first time I was punished by kneeling as a child was on Elder Ning’s orders. Now he’s dead.”

Ordinarily, news of a death would be shocking, but given all the tales of the Ning family’s “heroic exploits” over the past few days, He Shixia only had one question: “Hmm… angered to death by his descendants?”

Ning Yichu shrugged. “What else could have caused a cerebral hemorrhage for the old man? I wonder when the funeral will be and whether the Ning family will invite me.”

He Shixia couldn’t help but chuckle. “Let’s go have breakfast.”

Today, the third batch of guest stars were leaving, and the fourth batch were arriving.

The production team was on edge, fearing a repeat of guests quitting early and forcing them to scramble with last-minute changes mid-filming.

Fortunately, the new guest stars were all quite easygoing, with no one inexplicably picking fights with Ning Yichu. When no one provoked him, Ning Yichu was quite easy to get along with—Ren Shi and Qin Muyun could attest to that.

Filming on the deserted island proceeded smoothly, while back in City A, the Ning family remained a mess.

Ning Shaoren wanted Elder Ning to pass peacefully, so of course Ning Yichu wasn’t notified about the funeral. Considering the recent turmoil in the family and the fact that Ning Yichu’s show would wrap up soon, Ning Shaoren was genuinely afraid he might show up uninvited. Thus, he decided to keep things simple and held the funeral the day after Elder Ning’s death was announced.

Attending family members included the temporarily unaffected Ning Shaoren, Han Wenhua, Ning Zeqi, and Ning Zeshu, as well as Ning Anxia and Ning Anqiu—who were out on bail pending investigation—and Ning Andong, who was growing increasingly panicked after being questioned over a guarantee she signed.

Everyone else was either in detention or simply didn’t want to attend. For instance, Liu Shuang—who still lived in the Ning residence but had long been divorced and was too distressed by her children’s troubles to face Elder Ning’s death—and Lu Xi, Elder Ning’s last wife, along with her four-year-old son, Ning Shaozhi.

Though Ning Shaozhi was young and would likely cause a fuss, he was still Elder Ning’s biological son. Ning Shaoren had originally wanted him to attend, but Ning Shaozhi cried and refused to go without his mother. Ning Shaoren had no choice but to leave him at home.

After the funeral, the lawyer arrived at the Ning residence that same day. Once confirming that all required and available parties were present, he read Elder Ning’s will.

Most of Elder Ning’s assets had already been distributed during his lifetime, so there wasn’t much left to allocate. The remainder went mostly to his youngest son, Ning Shaozhi.

Since the amount was small and it was stipulated that Ning Shaoren would manage it until Ning Shaozhi came of age, Ning Shaoren raised no objections. The others, embroiled in legal troubles, couldn’t be bothered to fight over these scraps. The lawyer finished reading the will quickly.

Only Lu Xi frowned and pressed, “What about the collectible? The one the old man promised me!”

The lawyer apologized, “When Mr. Ning drafted his will, he mentioned that if you asked, I should tell you that the item was unfortunately lost on a yacht trip years ago and could not be found.”

Lu Xi’s face instantly darkened as if she were contemplating murder.

Yu Lianlian, who had always felt Lu Xi stole her position, couldn’t resist sneering, “Well, looks like all that effort was for nothing.”

Lu Xi glared at her, then scoffed, “Hah, how is it that with the Ning family in trouble, you—someone who was kicked out—have the nerve to waltz back in? If you ask me, you should learn some tolerance from Wenhua. You and Shaoren have a grown son like Shaoli, yet she’s still letting you come back. How magnanimous!”

Two days earlier, after Ning Anqiu got into trouble, Ning Andong went to find her birth mother, Yu Lianlian. When Ning Andong received news of Elder Ning’s hospitalization, she happened to be with Yu Lianlian, and the two went to the hospital together without much thought. Afterward, Yu Lianlian followed Ning Andong back to the Ning residence.

With so many troubles piling up, neither Han Wenhua nor even Ning Shaoren had remembered Yu Lianlian and their imprisoned illegitimate son until now.

Reminded, Han Wenhua and Ning Shaoren finally recalled.

Then Han Wenhua exploded, “You shameless woman! How dare you sit here listening to Elder Ning’s will! Ning Shaoren, what do you mean by this? Planning to carry on your affair with this tramp? You actually let her back into the Ning house!”

Ning Shaoren hurriedly said, “Don’t fight among ourselves! Our family really can’t take any more trouble. Yu Lianlian just slipped back in during the chaos—it’s not my fault! Anqiu, Andong, take your mother away immediately! Don’t bring her to the Ning residence again unless you want to be kicked out too!”

Han Wenhua was thoroughly disgusted and had a huge fight with Ning Shaoren. Ning Zeqi and Ning Zeshu watched from the sidelines, too exhausted to even pretend to intervene as their parents argued and even came to blows.

During this, Lu Xi returned to her room with a dark expression, shutting the door on her son Ning Shaozhi, who tried to follow.

As Han Wenhua and Ning Shaoren argued, she suddenly declared, “I want a divorce! I must divorce you!”

Ning Shaoren sneered, “You just see the Ning family in trouble and want to run! As if you could get away! If all this is Ning Yichu’s doing, do you think he’ll let you go? Our family is still intact for now. Do you think it’s because we have no leverage for him to use, or because he’s saving us for last to make us suffer more?”

Han Wenhua gritted her teeth but said nothing more.

Ning Zeqi spoke up then, repeating a suggestion he’d made more than once, “Let’s terminate the adoption with Ning Yichu. Once he’s no longer a member of the Ning family, without that identity grating on him, maybe he’ll lose interest in revenge.”

Han Wenhua found his logic baffling, “Zeqi, has all this family trouble addled your brain? How can you say such a thing? If we let Ning Yichu completely shed his Ning family identity now, we’ll have no hold over him at all!”

Ning Shaoren agreed, “Exactly. At this point, we absolutely cannot terminate the adoption. That legal relationship might still be useful.”

Ning Zeqi couldn’t understand, “Why do you think this relationship gives you leverage? It only annoys him. Do you think he’ll back down because he’s annoyed? Why are you so determined to keep him?”

Ning Zeshu, sitting nearby, chimed in, “Then why are you so determined to make Xiao Chu completely not a Ning family member?”

At this, Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua also looked at Ning Zeqi.

Ning Zeqi calmly replied, “I don’t like him, so I want him gone. Isn’t that more reasonable than you two insisting on keeping him?”

Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua still offered no explanation.

After a moment, Ning Shaoren suddenly said, “I plan to give Ning Yichu the five percent of Kangning shares the Ning family has pledged to the board.”

Ning Zeqi and Ning Zeshu were both taken aback.

“Those five percent can only be reclaimed if the Ning and He families marry, and they go to the Ning family member in the marriage. Otherwise, unless the board collectively agrees, we can’t get them back,” Ning Shaoren explained. “The chances of another Ning-He marriage are slim now, so we might as well give them to Ning Yichu. At least then those shares won’t be under collective board management anymore, and the board will have less leverage to pressure me.”

Though adopted, Ning Yichu is legally a Ning family member and is married to a He family member. So, if the Ning family wanted to reclaim those five percent of Kangning shares from the board, they had grounds.

But those shares could only go to Ning Yichu, which is why the Ning family had previously preferred to act as if they didn’t exist. Ning Yichu had signed an agreement upon adulthood not to claim Ning family assets, so he couldn’t intervene.

Since the Ning family didn’t want them, the Kangning board was happy to keep holding the five percent and never brought it up.

But if the Ning family wanted them back now, they could indeed reclaim them.

Hearing Ning Shaoren’s plan, Ning Zeshu spoke before Ning Zeqi, questioning, “If we give the shares to Xiao Chu, he becomes a board member. Wouldn’t that give him more targeted leverage? How would it reduce pressure?”

Ning Shaoren insisted, “Once he has Ning family shares, Kangning’s success is tied to his interests. When he targets the Ning family again, he’ll have to think twice. Besides, the Ning family’s reputation first suffered because our past treatment of Ning Yichu was exposed. If we give him shares now, those busybodies will see it as us ‘repenting’ and being good to him, which could help restore our reputation… Kangning can’t keep losing like this.”

Ning Zeshu shook his head, “I don’t think it’s that optimistic. That’s five percent of shares—once given, they’re gone. Xiao Chu already holds thirteen percent of He Group shares. Do you really think he’d hesitate over five percent of Kangning? He might just treat them as a toy since he doesn’t need the money.”

Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua both looked grim.

Ning Zeqi spoke again, “I still don’t understand why you’re so set on keeping Ning Yichu, even willing to give him shares rather than let him go.”

Han Wenhua said dismissively, "Go, just go! You keep talking about ending the adoption. Did Ning Yichu actually say that? Is that what he wants? And you think that'll make him stop? How many times do I have to tell you the same thing for it to sink in? You're a grown man now. Can't you be more mature and level-headed like Xiao Shu, instead of always trying to get a rise out of your parents?"

Ning Zeqi curled his lips.

Ning Shaoren couldn't help but scold him too. "Zeqi, the family originally wanted you to get engaged to the Xu family, but you were deliberately dragging your feet. If you hadn't been so lackadaisical, our families would have long been a done deal. Why would they have sold their shares to He Weian? Our family wouldn't be so alone in our circle right now. I've always hoped you would become my successor, but you keep disappointing me. You're both trying to talk us out of it, but your brother Xiao Shu's words are much easier on the ears!"

After saying this, Han Wenhua and Ning Shaoren, who had just been arguing fiercely and even mentioned divorce, left together.

Leaving the two brothers, Ning Zeqi and Ning Zeshu, in the hall.

Ning Zeqi let out a short laugh. "I couldn't figure it out before—why you went on the show, why you played right into the effect Xiao Chu wanted, acting like you'd dropped the act in front of everyone, yet choosing to continue the facade after the show ended. Now I understand."

Ning Zeshu asked with a smile, "What did Big Brother understand?"

"You want the Ning family," Ning Zeqi said. "I underestimated your ambition. I always saw you as an immature little brat who only knew how to act cute and compete for favor. When things were calm before, you had no chance to show your hand. But Xiao Chu targeting the family made you realize the opportunity had come."

"When the Ning family members get into trouble and the house goes into turmoil, you have your chance. After all, there's no reliable familial affection in this house; no one really cares about anyone else. You were even afraid Xiao Chu might stop, so you specifically went on the live show to help him escalate things. Now, although the Ning family is severely weakened, for you, it's still better than before when you couldn't even get near Kangning. At least now Mom and Dad are thinking of you."

Ning Zeshu didn't deny it. "My greatest strength became my greatest weakness. I was too successful at acting cute and competing for favor in the past. But just as you said, they all saw me as a little kid who just needed to obediently listen, eat well, and dress warmly. They never intended to let me touch Kangning's business, always saying they were afraid I'd suffer... Even that good-for-nothing Ning Shaoyi was sent to a branch store for training at my age. Now it's good. I only need to compete with you, Big Brother."

Ning Zeqi mocked, "Compete? Compete for a bit of attention when they talk about a successor? Something I've had from the start? To put it bluntly, you still haven't gained anything substantial. Xiao Chu, on the other hand, is actually getting Kangning shares. Do you think he'll really stop here? If I were you, I'd be too ashamed to be smug right now."

"Xiao Chu..." Ning Zeshu sighed faintly. "Big Brother, you might not believe it, but when I went on the show to 'cooperate' with him, I had my own motives, but I also genuinely wanted to see him vent his anger. I really do like him quite a bit. If he ends up calling the shots in the Ning family in the future, I actually wouldn't have much objection..."

"When I was young, I saw him as a competitor. Even though he was a defeated opponent, I was still afraid he might surpass me. But maybe after competing for so long, now he's the last person I want to fight with."

Ning Zeqi still looked scornful. "Is that so? I thought you'd be angry with him. If he hadn't exposed Chen Yu's secret crush on you on the show, with your scheming mind, you definitely would have sensed Chen Yu's feelings. After confirming it, Chen Yu could have become one of your assets. What a pity, now Chen Yu won't help you."

"An asset I never really counted on, so there's nothing to regret. But Big Brother, have you figured out your own problem? Why are you so determined to have Mom and Dad sever ties with Xiao Chu? Is it because of your 'high moral standards' that won't allow you to show kindness to your legal brother?" Ning Zeshu asked again.

Ning Zeqi fell silent for a moment. Surprisingly, contrary to Ning Zeshu's expectations, he didn't choose to deny or evade. Instead, he said, "I originally thought that since he ruined the arrangement to match you with He Shixia, 'stealing' the marriage alliance intended for you, Mom and Dad would be angry enough to disown him. Then, driven out of the family, with no friends or job, he could only be kept by me... I was too idealistic."

Ning Zeshu clicked his tongue, looking disgusted. "Because of that, you actually pushed Xiao Chu into He Shixia's room yourself... In a way, I really admire you, but I also truly can't understand your thought process, Big Brother."

Ning Zeqi said indifferently, "No need for you to understand. But you know what? Keeping these words hidden for so long, saying them out loud now feels quite relieving."

The conversation ended, and the two left in a sour mood.

Ning Zeqi walked out of the hall and took out his phone. The lit screen showed it was recording.

This day was the eleventh day for Ning Yichu and He Shixia on the show. Returning to their accommodation that night, Ning Yichu checked his phone and found he had received a video from Ning Zeshu and an audio file from Ning Zeqi.

He raised an eyebrow, leaning against the bathroom sink as he played them.

After both finished playing, Ning Yichu's expression was extremely complex—combining the information, he confirmed that the video from Ning Zeshu and the audio from Ning Zeqi were essentially recordings of the same conversation.

But both had been edited before being sent to him.

Ning Zeshu had cut out the middle part, leaving only the section where he said he didn't want to compete with Ning Yichu and everything after that, including the part where Ning Zeqi admitted his reason for pushing Ning Yichu into He Shixia's room.

Ning Zeqi, on the other hand, had edited his recording almost inversely, removing and keeping parts opposite to Ning Zeshu's. The main content he kept was Ning Zeshu admitting he was using Ning Yichu's desire for revenge.

After listening and watching, Ning Yichu had the same thought about both brothers—utterly baffling and utterly disgusting.

However, thanks to their sudden internal strife after years of apparent harmony, Ning Yichu had gained some clarity. At least he now understood what was up with Ning Zeshu, and the reason why Ning Zeqi had sent him to He Shixia's room. Ning Yichu had originally planned to confront him after the show, but now he knew ahead of time.

...The reason was truly nauseating.

Both brothers had secretly recorded their conversation and edited it before sending it to Ning Yichu. Of course, it was possible they were colluding, but after some consideration, Ning Yichu felt it wasn't an act, because such a conversation achieved no theatrical effect whatsoever.

Ning Zeshu and Ning Zeqi seemed like they both wanted Ning Yichu to know how disgusting the other was.

Ning Yichu thought such disgusting matters shouldn't sicken him alone. So he specifically called He Shixia into the bathroom and played it for him to appreciate.

He Shixia listened, feeling thoroughly disgusted. "These Ning family people... is there really no hereditary family mental illness?"

Seeing He Shixia's discomfort actually cheered Ning Yichu up a bit. He said cheerfully, "You missed the key point. My dear foster parents plan to give me Kangning shares. They really dote on me... I told you, I'd make them willingly give them to me."

Following Ning Yichu's smile, He Shixia's expression softened as well.

He couldn't help but reach out and touch Ning Yichu's cheek. Ning Yichu slapped his hand away, and only then did He Shixia behave, saying sincerely, "A Ning is amazing... Feeling that good, huh? Do you want to use the 'model' tonight? I'll help you."