Chapter 55

Chapter 55

At Ning Yichu's words, everyone else present was stunned. Wen Jin and Xuan Luo were momentarily struck speechless, as if this unbelievable truth had stolen their voices. In contrast, Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua, the ones named, reacted the least.

Their expressions even held a sense of "relief"—as if they were glad the truth had finally been discovered and exposed.

But immediately, Ning Shaoren chose to deny it outright: "Who's the mastermind? What nonsense are you spouting again! Didn't you hear what they just said? They were only staying temporarily in the country back then and didn't know anyone. How could we possibly have known them and had someone steal you away right after you were born? That's just scare tactics!"

Ning Yichu tilted his head slightly.

Although he wasn't clear about the details of what happened back then, it didn't stop him from looking utterly unruffled. Combined with the impact of previous events, he looked as if he already knew everything about the whole incident, even every last hidden detail, but he simply couldn't be bothered to explain it himself.

Seeing Ning Yichu about to speak, Han Wenhua felt that having him explain it would only make them appear more ridiculous. Since the outcome was already determined, Han Wenhua didn't intend to keep lying like Ning Shaoren.

"Yes, back then, we bribed someone at the hospital and had Xiao Chu taken away right after he was born," Han Wenhua said.

Ning Shaoren immediately glared at her: "You couldn't wait to confess!"

Wen Jin and Xuan Luo finally found their voices again. Both spoke with resentment and anger.

Wen Jin: "It was actually you! Kidnappers! Traffickers! Why did you do that!"

Xuan Luo: "What did we ever do to you? Why would you do that! We didn't even know you back then! This is a crime!"

Having successfully tricked them into confessing, Ning Yichu leisurely leaned back on the sofa. He Shixia noticed a subtle look of smugness in his eyes and couldn't help but run his fingers through his hair, earning a glare from Ning Yichu.

The two of them still had time for their "flirtatious bickering," while He Weian couldn't bear to watch and just wanted to quickly get to the truth and end this whole headache of an evening.

So she interrupted Wen Jin and Xuan Luo's angry accusations, asking Han Wenhua, who had clearly given up on denial: "What exactly is the truth about what happened back then? Since things have come to this, let's just get it all out in the open."

Wen Jin and Xuan Luo glared at them with gritted teeth, while Wen Shen comfortingly patted his sister's back.

Han Wenhua pressed a hand to her face for a moment before speaking: "Xiao Shu is just a month older than Xiao Chu. The hospital where I gave birth to Xiao Shu is actually the same private hospital you chose for the delivery... To be precise, it's a private hospital controlled by our Han family."

Hearing this, Wen Jin and Xuan Luo felt like they'd walked right into the lion's den, and their hands began to shake.

What Han Wenhua said next surprised them even more: "My name is Han Wenhua. In my generation of the Han family, we all use the generation name 'Wen.' Originally, according to the family lineage, it shouldn't have been this character, but my grandmother insisted. My grandfather, not knowing the full story at the time, felt there was no need to cause conflict over such a matter and agreed. It wasn't until later that my grandfather found out... this 'Wen' character is the same 'Wen' as your family's surname."

Wen Jin and Wen Shen exchanged bewildered looks upon hearing this: "What?"

Ning Yichu also listened with great interest.

Han Wenhua said this matter traced back to the time when her grandparents were young.

Her grandparents were childhood sweethearts and their marriage was all but arranged by their families when they grew up. But in reality, Grandfather Han and Grandmother Han didn't truly love each other. Grandfather Han loved Grandmother Han, but Grandmother Han had simply been swept along into marriage and having children—

Although Grandmother Han didn't have romantic feelings for her childhood sweetheart, she genuinely cared for him as a friend. When both families were matchmaking, Grandmother Han saw no way out, and her family offered none. Plus, since she didn't have anyone she liked, after realizing Grandfather Han loved her, she couldn't bear to see him sad and ultimately chose the path that would make everyone happy, which was marrying him.

In the second year of their marriage, Grandmother Han gave birth to their eldest son, Han Wenhua's father. Over the next five years, she gave birth to another son and a daughter.

At that time, while everyone thought the family of five was very happy and perfect, only Grandmother Han herself knew she was growing increasingly weary of her dull life and having to pretend to be happy. Even though the children didn't need her constant attention, she felt stifled.

Then, Grandmother Han met a man surnamed Wen. That man was Wen Jin and Wen Shen's grandfather, Wen Changyu.

By then, the Wen family had long since moved to Providence with their family friends, the Xuan family. Wen Changyu grew up abroad and had returned to China at that time due to a cross-border project and curiosity about the homeland his ancestors spoke of. He happened to meet Grandmother Han.

Wen Changyu was a real playboy. Upon seeing the beautiful Grandmother Han, he started showering her with attention. After learning she was married with three young children, Wen Changyu was undeterred, doubling his efforts. Such a man was very attractive to Grandmother Han.

Under Wen Changyu's deliberate and fiery pursuit, Grandmother Han fell in love with him and had an affair. Afterward, she was consumed with guilt toward her husband and, wanting to be with Wen Changyu openly, decided to divorce Grandfather Han.

But Wen Changyu only wanted a thrilling romantic fling. He was in China temporarily for work and already had a fiancée abroad whom he was about to formally marry. Upon realizing Grandmother Han was serious, Wen Changyu didn't hesitate to wrap up his work and flee back to Providence.

Knowing the Han family was a force to be reckoned with, to avoid the trouble of being pursued abroad, he specifically had someone get word to her, saying Wen Changyu had unfortunately died in a mudslide during a field inspection. A mudslide had indeed occurred at that project site, and Grandmother Han couldn't openly investigate, so she believed it.

Feeling guilty, Grandmother Han became much more affectionate, which set Grandfather Han's mind at ease regarding her feelings for him.

Later, Grandmother Han gave birth to her fourth child. The child looked very much like Grandfather Han. Grandmother Han confirmed the child's paternity, feeling relieved yet also experiencing an indescribable sense of regret.

From then on, Wen Changyu, who had hastily "departed," became an unspoken white moonlight in Grandmother Han's heart. That brief extramarital affair became an increasingly beautiful memory.

She never had another child. It wasn't until the first grandchild was born that she thought of leaving a mark of the only man she had truly loved in her descendants' names. Hence, all the grandchildren in her generation have the character "Wen" in their names.

But as the years passed and Han Wenhua's generation grew up, she began to forget her feelings for Wen Changyu. Instead, she felt increasingly guilty towards Grandfather Han, who had been by her side her entire life.

So, on her deathbed, Grandmother Han told Grandfather Han the truth. Then, the one left brooding and unable to rest in peace became Grandfather Han.

Grandfather Han clung to the faint clues left from that project years ago, combined with Grandmother Han's deathbed account, and actually managed to uncover Wen Changyu's true identity, as well as the truth that he hadn't died and had lived a full life, surrounded by his own family all these years.

But this infuriating truth could no longer be told to Grandmother Han. Even Wen Changyu had already died of old age—truly dead.

Grandfather Han, holding onto this truth, felt he would go to his grave brooding. Just then, the person he had stationed in Providence to monitor the Wen family's movements sent news that Wen Changyu's granddaughter, Wen Jin, had returned to China to have her baby, accompanied only by her husband.

Grandfather Han then decided: if he couldn't get back at the old man, he would take it out on the descendants!

He schemed and subtly maneuvered Wen Jin and Xuan Luo into choosing the Han family's private hospital. He planned to have the child killed after it was born, to make the Wen family suffer the loss of a child.

—Hearing this, Wen Jin and Xuan Luo's gazes were almost tangible, as if they wanted to skin Han Wenhua and the Han family she represented alive.

Han Wenhua turned her head away and continued—

But just as they were about to act, perhaps due to prolonged pent-up frustration and excitement, Grandfather Han's heart suddenly failed. He could only lie in the hospital bed dependent on machines, ordered to rest. He couldn't even walk around, let alone think too much.

Grandfather Han was unwilling to abandon the revenge plan, but he also didn't want outsiders to know. So he chose Han Wenhua, his favorite grandchild, and had her and Ning Shaoren help him continue the plan.

Wen Shen sneered: "Having your favorite granddaughter handle something as illegal, criminal, and morally reprehensible as stealing a child—that's truly being 'close'!"

Han Wenhua said awkwardly: "My grandfather didn't trust others to keep it secret..."

"Her grandfather didn't actually tell us to steal the child back then," Ning Shaoren finally spoke up with a grim expression. "He still hadn't given up on the idea of killing the child. So he told us to secretly bribe or find a way to avoid the doctors and nurses—in short, to kill the child."

Ning Shaoren, the son-in-law, refused, and even Han Wenhua, the biological granddaughter, was unwilling to be so "filial" back then. But Grandfather Han dangled incentives in front of them, saying he would leave more inheritance to Han Wenhua, and that the land the Han and Ning families were competing for could be given to the Ning family, credited to Ning Shaoren to help him gain recognition from the Kangning board of directors.

Thus, both Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua took the bait.

"But killing a newborn child—that's something we really couldn't bring ourselves to do, especially since I had just given birth to Xiao Shu myself... So we only sent Xiao Chu to a relatively remote orphanage in the neighboring city. We also saw the jade pendant you'd given him. If we really wanted to be utterly evil, we would have taken it off and thrown it away. Wouldn't that have made it harder to find him? But we still showed a bit of mercy, thinking such an obvious marker might help you find the child sooner..." Han Wenhua explained.

Ning Yichu tilted his head: "Do I owe my adoptive parents thanks for not killing me?"

Wen Jin laughed angrily: "Mercy... Oh my god, doing something like that and still having the nerve to think you're not that bad..."

Ning Shaoren also argued: "Ultimately, it's your Wen family grandfather's fault. If he hadn't seduced Han Wenhua's grandmother into having an affair, how would any of this have happened later..."

Xuan Luo said furiously: "Then take revenge openly on the adults! What does it mean to target a child like rats in the gutter!"

Wen Shen put it together: "So even bringing Yichu back to the Ning family as your own son was part of your original plan, wasn't it! You didn't just coincidentally encounter an orphan with circumstances similar to your own biological son... You're truly too malicious..."

He Weian couldn't help but interject: "Then what about Ning Zeshu being stolen back then? Surely that wasn't something you orchestrated yourselves too?"

"No!" Han Wenhua quickly denied. "It wasn't orchestrated. It was... *Sigh*, on the day Xiao Chu was born, Ning Shaoren and I personally watched someone take him to the orphanage gate before returning to City A. Then we found Xiao Shu was also missing... It was like retribution. While we were away, Xiao Shu also disappeared. He vanished in broad daylight at home. He could only have been stolen."

Wen Jin sneered, "That's your karma! But why is it that after the retribution was done, my child has been the one suffering all these years..."

Ning Yichu wasn't interested in emotional outbursts and urged, "Go on, tell us the truth about Ning Zeshu being stolen."

Han Wenhua sighed—

Back then, while Wen Jin and Xuan Luo were searching for Ning Yichu, Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua were also looking for Ning Zeshu. Neither was successful.

Believing it was punishment for their misdeeds, Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua were genuinely remorseful and wanted to find their biological son. But as the search dragged on, they gradually wanted to give up. However, they had already crafted a public image, and suddenly abandoning the search would make them lose face.

That's when they thought of Ning Yichu, whom they had left at the orphanage gate.

Ning Yichu was only a month younger than their biological son. By age six or seven, that one-month gap was hardly noticeable. Taking him in as their own son would not only logically end their search and win them praise from others but also had another key reason—

They belatedly realized that the Wen and Xuan families, though based abroad, were not to be underestimated. The jade pendant on Ning Yichu was too distinctive; the Wen and Xuan families would likely find him eventually. If the truth came out and they were implicated, they would be in a tough spot.

So, they decided to bring Ning Yichu into the Ning family, hoping to delay the Wen and Xuan families' discovery and win him over. Even if his biological parents found him, Ning Yichu would side with his adoptive parents. Then, out of consideration for their child, his biological parents wouldn't dare take drastic action against them.

Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua also investigated and found that Wen Jin and Xuan Luo hadn't had any more children. They thought they could even control Ning Yichu to gain benefits from the Wen and Xuan families in the future.

Initially, they wanted to build genuine affection and control Ning Yichu through familial bonds. But they grew tired of it quickly, especially after their biological son was found. So, they stopped pretending and began tarnishing Ning Yichu's reputation, bullying and oppressing him.

The Ning family, being a den of snakes and rats, were all too happy to have a common scapegoat to boost "family unity," helping Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua a lot over the years.

Hearing this, Ning Zeshu interjected, "So, what really happened when I was stolen and then brought back to the Ning family? Xiao Chu had only been with you for two or three months when I was 'found.' Before that, you couldn't find me for years. Did you not try hard enough, or was it just a coincidence?"

Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua couldn't help but glance at Ning Zeqi.

Seeing this, Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow, taken aback that Ning Zeqi had a hand in Ning Zeshu's case too. Even he was stunned by these successive "plot twists."

Ning Zeqi was watching Ning Yichu's expression. Since Ning Yichu didn't hide his surprise, Ning Zeqi realized something and suddenly spoke up, "Xiao Chu, you don't seem to know about this. Looks like you're not all-knowing after all. So, earlier about your origins... did you actually know?"

Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua stiffened.

Given that Ning Yichu even knew about Qin Kai, the He family's live-in son-in-law, from his youth, and considering the recent troubles plaguing the Ning family, they never doubted that Ning Yichu knew the truth about his own origins. That's why they didn't resist earlier.

But if Ning Yichu didn't know at all, hadn't they just walked into a trap?

Such old events—if they hadn't spoken up themselves, no one should have known...

Ning Yichu chuckled, unconcerned. "Well, I know now. As for Ning Zeshu's background, it seems like an internal family conflict. You don't have to say if you don't want to; it's none of my business anyway."

Ning Zeshu was stunned. After a moment of disbelief, he confirmed, "So, my being stolen is related to Big Brother? When I was born, he was... thirteen, right? Did he worry I'd compete for parental affection and the family fortune, so he 'sent' me away?"

Ning Zeqi shrugged, not even attempting to deny it.

"That's not how it was..." Han Wenhua quickly explained. "Xiao Shu, your big brother didn't mean to; he was duped too... My eldest brother—the one who passed away when you were ten—he didn't know what Grandfather had asked me to do. He just caught wind from Grandfather's lawyer that Grandfather planned to leave me more inheritance. Out of jealousy, he wanted to make my life miserable. So, he seized the opportunity that day when your father and I were away... we were taking Xiao Chu to the orphanage..."

He used the excuse that he wanted to see his little nephew but couldn't be bothered dealing with the Ning family, and asked Ning Zeqi to sneak the infant Ning Zeshu out, telling him to do it quietly to avoid having to explain.

Han Wenhua's eldest brother had always been good to his nephew Ning Zeqi. Though jealous of his sister, he hadn't shown it openly before. Ning Zeqi thought his uncle was acting strange at the time, but since his uncle was a shiftless good-for-nothing, Ning Zeqi didn't suspect anything and carried Ning Zeshu out.

Han Wenhua's eldest brother took Ning Zeqi and Ning Zeshu to a mall, saying he wanted to buy a gift for his little nephew. Then, he had a pre-arranged person snatch Ning Zeshu away when they were "distracted."

Ning Zeqi, unaware it was a setup, genuinely thought it was an accident. In his panic, he followed his uncle's advice—pretend nothing happened, act like he never took Ning Zeshu out, and treat it as if Ning Zeshu had suddenly disappeared from the Ning home. Once the Ning and Han families found Ning Zeshu, he could apologize to Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua. With the child back, it would be easier to move past.

Ning Zeqi kept this secret for six or seven years, until Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua brought "their biological son" Ning Yichu home. Ning Zeqi truly believed that was his younger brother, so he was very good to Ning Yichu at first.

However, even then, Ning Zeqi hadn't planned to tell his parents the truth. Why cause trouble by confessing and seeking forgiveness when he could just let it be? After all, his brother was back.

But Ning Zeqi didn't know that Han Wenhua's eldest brother had orchestrated everything to see Han Wenhua suffer from losing her youngest son. He was the one who sent Ning Zeshu away, so he naturally knew where Ning Zeshu was and knew from the start that Ning Yichu wasn't Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua's biological son.

Han Wenhua's eldest brother didn't believe Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua would make such a ridiculous mistake as misidentifying a child; he thought they must have intentionally brought back a child to end the long search—which he guessed correctly.

Then, he decided he couldn't let Han Wenhua live peacefully. He would send Ning Zeshu back to the Ning family. With both the real and fake young masters present, Han Wenhua's life would surely be "lively."

That's why Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua "accidentally" learned of their biological son Ning Zeshu's whereabouts. The director of Ning Zeshu's orphanage even came to them directly, not giving Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua a chance to hesitate about disrupting their current "peaceful" life.

"See, Big Brother, you just said I wanted to muddy the waters in the Ning family because I lacked confidence in how favored I am. With parents like these, how can I have confidence... Of course, you can have confidence; after all, Mom and Dad protect you so much." Ning Zeshu couldn't help but sneer. "Speaking of which, when I first returned to the Ning family, you were really good to me too. So it was out of guilt, huh?"

Ning Zeqi remained calm, only responding to the first part. "After all, family harmony is everything. By the time Mom and Dad found out I was involved in your disappearance and that my uncle was behind it, you'd been back for three or four years. Why stir up trouble?"

Ning Shaoren said bitterly, "That eldest brother of yours, maybe he inherited your grandmother's nature, also felt guilty on his deathbed and decided to trouble the living by revealing the truth. Before he died, he told us it was him who stole you, Xiao Shu, and later sent you back... He was quite good at covering his tracks."

"You're all quite capable, no wonder you're family." Ning Yichu leisurely retorted, then pointed toward the staircase, signaling He Shixia to go over.

Before others could react, they saw He Shixia walk over and return with two phones.

He Weian glanced at them. "Your and Xiao Chu's phones? Why are they over there?"

Ning Zeshu caught on quickly. "...You recorded everything just now?"

Ning Yichu took the phones, smiling. "Though not your original idea, thanks to the reminders from you brothers, Ning Zeqi and Ning Zeshu, I remembered this simple method of gathering evidence. Worried one phone might fail midway, I asked He Shixia to use his phone to record too. The angle is quite good; I checked when placing them, ensuring all of you were captured."

Wen Shen, Wen Jin, and Xuan Luo, having nothing to hide, reacted minimally.

He Weian and Tang Qingshan were also fine. After all, the teahouse fire incident wasn't a major concern now—at most, it was a charge of covering up and destroying evidence. Tang Qingshan had already decided to report it and was prepared, so he wasn't worried about being recorded.

Only Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua, whose expressions were already bad, turned even uglier.

Ning Shaoren said incredulously, "You recorded it?!"

Han Wenhua looked toward the staircase. "Earlier, when you said you were going upstairs to get or put something, you were actually placing the phones..."

Ning Zeqi, also implicated, looked grim but less agitated than his parents. He looked at Ning Yichu and reminded him, "About the fire incident, even with my confession, the evidence was destroyed years ago. It's been too long to investigate properly. Even if reported, following proper procedures, I can't be convicted. You know that, right?"

Ning Yichu smiled. "I know. Only a confession, incomplete evidence chain."

But Ning Yichu was too relaxed, making Ning Zeqi, Ning Shaoren, and Han Wenhua uneasy.

Han Wenhua said, "Sending you to the orphanage—there's no complete evidence chain for that either..."

Wen Jin couldn't bear it and interjected, "Even if the police can't arrest you, I won't let you off!"

Xuan Luo also threatened, "If you can still live well, it means the Xuan and Wen families are incompetent! Though we're not often in the country, dealing with your crumbling Ning family is easy!"

Ning Shaoren gritted his teeth. "Think carefully! Ning Yichu is about to become a shareholder in Kangning. The Ning family's interests are tied to his!"

Ning Yichu clicked his tongue lightly. "No problem. I have plenty of assets. I plan to play around with Kangning's shares, see how long it lasts."

Ning Shaoren immediately turned to him, furious. "You... what do you really want?! This video evidence is useless for police reports. Even if made public, it'll only bring public condemnation. The Ning family's current state can't get much worse..."

He Shixia replied, "If you weren't afraid, you wouldn't be so anxious now. Though 'in for a penny, in for a pound,' piling on layer after layer can kill a person. Kangning hasn't reached the point where the last straw breaks the camel's back and nothing matters anymore. Don't make threats you don't even believe yourself, President Ning."

Han Wenhua broke down. "Then what do you want? Xiao Chu, do you want us to agree to terminate the adoption? We'll cooperate, just let us go, stop tormenting us..."

Ning Yichu couldn't help but laugh.

Before he could speak, Ning Zeshu said, "Mom, Dad, haven't the fates of the other Ning family members made you see reality? Why still hope that Xiao Chu would spare the four of us, whom he hates the most? But I'm curious too, Xiao Chu, what do you plan to do?"

Ning Zeqi glanced coldly at Ning Zeshu. "Anyway, when it’s all tallied up, none of tonight's 'reckoning' involves you. You can just relax and watch the show. In fact, it’d be perfect if Xiao Chu really did pack me and our parents off to join the rest of the family. Then you could just step in and take over, right?"

Ning Zeshu smiled, unfazed by the complicated looks from Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua, and nodded with unusual honesty. "I know I haven't committed any crimes, and Xiao Chu can't frame me for anything, so I'm really not afraid of his retaliation. As for Mom and Dad... if they really need to choose an heir, I don't think they'd pick Xiao Chu or anyone else over me, would they?"

"The Ning family is indeed in shambles now. Xiao Chu plans to treat his five percent stake as a plaything and definitely won't help me support Kangning. If I take over, it'll be tough at first, but it's still a treasure trove for me. Besides, if things hadn't reached this point, I wouldn't have had a chance to get involved in the family business. It's a blessing in disguise."

Han Wenhua said heartbrokenly, "Xiao Shu, how could you..."

Ning Zeshu didn't answer her, just looked expectantly at Ning Yichu and asked again, "Xiao Chu, what are you planning to do?"

Ning Yichu finished enjoying their internal strife and gave a soft, deliberate tsk.