Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Although he said he would stall on purpose, He Shixia didn't actually drag his feet for long before getting the house sorted.

On the fifth day after Ning Yichu was discharged, although the stomach wound hadn't fully healed, it had scabbed over enough that he didn't have to be too careful moving around. He Shixia suggested taking him to see the house, as the paperwork was finalized and it had already been cleaned.

The house was a small two-story standalone building with the spacious yard Ning Yichu requested, surrounded by walls draped with flowering vines. It was located near the river, but within the community, the houses were spaced far apart, making the area very quiet. The community was situated in a bustling district, making all aspects of life convenient.

He Shixia parked the car in the attached garage. When they got out, Ning Yichu suddenly seemed thoughtful: "I think I should go get my driver's license."

It's pretty common for students to get a license after the college entrance exam or during university. However, Ning Yichu was previously under the Ning family's control and never had the chance to learn. Before this, since he didn't have much freedom anyway, he hadn't thought about driving himself.

But after the move, it'd be more convenient if he could drive himself. So after saying this, without waiting for He Shixia's response, Ning Yichu decided: "After wrapping up the Ning family matters, I'll go learn to drive."

Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua, through their lawyers—newly hired temporarily, certainly not the previous Lawyer Liu, who was in hot water himself—had asked to see Ning Yichu. It wasn't to have a heart-to-heart like Ning Zeqi, but to discuss Kangning and their other assets, saying the Ning family was now in pieces and basically had no one left to run things.

Ning Yichu was quite interested in this, so he planned to visit the detention center to see the couple in turn after checking out his soon-to-be new home today.

Regarding the new home's decoration, Ning Yichu had already seen the photos and info He Shixia gave him and liked it very much then. Seeing it in person now made him even more satisfied. During the thorough cleaning, soft furnishings that didn't suit Ning Yichu's taste were removed and replaced with many new ones.

"We still need to hire staff for cooking and daily cleaning," He Shixia said as he strolled around the house with Ning Yichu. "Today when we go back, I'll start helping you pack your things and have people recommend a few reliable, experienced candidates for you to choose from, okay?"

Ning Yichu nodded, suddenly thinking it would be nice to have a "butler" like He Shixia at home... but he wouldn't say that to He Shixia, lest he get ideas and try to run with it.

After touring the upstairs and downstairs, they went out to the yard. He Shixia pointed to the doghouse in the corner: "Although you haven't decided what kind of dog to get yet, medium-sized dogs are all roughly the same size anyway, so I picked a doghouse for you first and prepared everything a dog would need inside."

Ning Yichu glanced at the doghouse, then sized up He Shixia.

"..." Ning Yichu deadpanned, "You might really need a dog leash, the kind for a giant breed."

He Shixia couldn't help but laugh.

Ning Yichu then asked: "By the way, what about the divorce agreement? Since this house is ready to move into, let's not delay the divorce any longer. I don't even know what the point of you dragging it out is."

He Shixia's smile vanished as he said seriously: "We can't move in just yet. We need to pack up your things from the He household, move them here and get it all set up, and hire reliable staff. That takes a lot of time. And don't you still need to completely wrap up the Ning family matters? Let's both take our time, A Ning, don't rush."

Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow: "You're getting more and more perfunctory with your excuses now."

"Actually, I did come up with a legitimate reason to delay." He Shixia smiled again. "A Ning, I looked at the terms of the divorce agreement you gave me. You're not asking for anything from me?"

Ning Yichu leaned leisurely against the doorframe: "You're practically penniless now. I'll be thankful if you don't try to claim half of our joint property, He Sixth Young Master."

The "destitute" He Sixth Young Master remained calm: "But when you first asked for a divorce in this lifetime, you said you wanted me to pay you compensation. That compensation should still be required, right?"

Ning Yichu blinked: "Although I think you giving me all your assets before was already equivalent to paying compensation, and I really don't lack money now... but if you insist on giving me more money, I don't have a reason to refuse. So how much are you planning to give me?"

He Shixia cleared his throat lightly: "I haven't worked much this past month, just did that show with you for a fee, plus the new month's living allowance from the He family trust fund, and some of my past works with profit-sharing happened to settle this month. All told, after taxes, I only have less than twenty million on hand now."

After hearing the last part, Ning Yichu: "..."

Although the assets Ning Yichu now held were astronomical, and twenty million was insignificant compared to his other holdings, he hadn't wrapped his head around it yet. He certainly hadn't reached the point where he could use "only" to describe twenty million like He Shixia.

Ning Yichu was speechless: "Then give me your 'only' less than twenty million as compensation... By the way, are you sure you're not involved in money laundering? Twenty million in a month?"

He Shixia couldn't help but laugh: "Isn't there mainly the appearance fee? For He Shixia to give half a month for that amount, the show still got a bargain."

Although Ning Yichu and He Shixia were on the show together, the crew paid them separately into their own accounts. Ning Yichu received his portion but hadn't previously cared about how much He Shixia got. Hearing this now, He Shixia's fee was several times his.

Although this was normal based on their star power, Ning Yichu felt it was unfair and protested: "I also gave half a month, and the crew didn't pay me that much. No, you have to split your fee with me fifty-fifty, and the rest can count as your compensation to me."

Although the result was the same, the names were different.

He Shixia smiled gently: "Okay, I'll give you all the pay... But isn't this compensation too little, A Ning?"

Ning Yichu looked at He Shixia, who was so determined to give him money, and shot back casually: "Well, what do you expect? It's your own fault for being so useless, only managing to save less than twenty million in a month. I'll reluctantly accept this tiny compensation. Otherwise, should I make you sell a kidney?"

He Shixia said seriously: "Selling a kidney is out of the question. But if you're willing to temporarily not divorce and maintain our marital relationship for three more years, I promise to multiply the compensation by ten for you, okay?"

Ning Yichu: "..."

He was tickled but kept a straight face to remind He Shixia: "I remember you promised me that even after divorce, all the money you earn would belong to me. That means not maintaining the marital relationship doesn't prevent you from giving me money. Are you trying to go back on your word?"

He Shixia shook his head solemnly: "Of course not. But, A Ning, if we divorce, my public image will take a hit and I'll lose my motivation, greatly affecting my commercial value and productivity. Then I won't be able to earn much money for you. If you stay married to me, I'll be motivated to earn money. Don't turn your nose up at ten times twenty million, okay? Think about it?"

He Shixia's confident sales pitch was indeed much smoother than when he was selling his own body.

Ning Yichu was speechless: "...You'd better help me move first. In your He family, just going downstairs to eat takes forever, it's exhausting."

He Shixia's lips quirked up. He didn't pursue the divorce topic further and obligingly changed the subject: "After my mother hands the He family over to me, I'll demolish the old mansion and rebuild it according to your preferences, okay?"

Ning Yichu: "...What a filial son you are to your He family."

Locking the door, they returned to the car and headed to the detention center. Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua's respective lawyers were waiting for him outside.

The detention center had separate male and female sections. Both Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua wanted to see Ning Yichu, but they were confined to their areas, so Ning Yichu, accompanied by lawyers, obligingly made the trip to two different locations.

Since Kangning was still under Ning Shaoren's control, and Ning Yichu was more interested in this matter, he saw Ning Shaoren first and warned him right off the bat: "Don't waste words. We have no past to reminisce about. Please stick to business matters."

Ning Shaoren's right hand was amputated, so he could only awkwardly hold the receiver with his left hand. Through the glass partition, Ning Shaoren had clearly taken a hard hit recently. Already sixty years old, he used to look much younger than his age, money having kept him well-maintained, but now he looked every bit his age.

The amputation and days in the detention center had indeed made Ning Shaoren much more tamer. Hearing Ning Yichu's blunt words, he didn't fly into a rage but plunged stiffly into the main issue: "I've heard from the lawyer. He Weian gave you her Kangning shares too. Adding the five percent I gave you before, you now hold thirty-four percent. Kangning is already under your control..."

"In that case, I won't waste my energy. I've already had the lawyer draft a contract. I'll give you my Kangning shares too."

"Anyway, the Ning family is such a mess now, with no one reliable left to entrust it to. Since I can't keep them, giving them to anyone is the same. Giving them to you, I can at least convince myself it's retribution for treating you poorly in the past."

"And if all the Ning family's shares are given to you, you'll be running Kangning from now on, no Ning family member will be in your way anymore, so you won't have any reason to go after Kangning anymore... As the head of this generation, I failed to take Kangning to the next level, but as long as I didn't let it be destroyed because of me, I can still face our ancestors in the afterlife..."

Ning Shaoren wanted to wipe his face but couldn't, as his only usable hand held the receiver. He awkwardly lowered his right arm, which he had started to raise, and continued: "Besides Kangning, I have some other assets. I probably won't get out, but Zeqi still has a chance... When he gets out, he'll be old too. Serving his sentence can be considered atonement. Give him a chance to make a living, let me leave him something to live on in his old age, okay, Xiao Chu?"

As Ning Zeqi himself knew well, no matter how angry Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua were about what he did, they never considered cutting him off or wished him harm. This was a rare bit of sincerity in Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua's hypocritical lives.

However, the premise of this "fatherly" affection was that no matter how many mistakes Ning Zeqi made, he never harmed his own family. Ning Zeshu's "mischief" in the car was directly responsible for their severe injuries. Ning Shaoren obviously didn't plan to forgive him and thus didn't consider Ning Zeshu's future in these final arrangements.

Han Wenhua, however, did consider Ning Zeshu.

"I've communicated with Ning Shaoren through lawyers. He wants to give Kangning to you. As a couple for so many years, our interests are too deeply intertwined. This matter requires my signature too, and I agree." Han Wenhua had also aged considerably in a short time.

She looked at Ning Yichu and continued: "I heard... Xiao Shu's eyes were damaged. His vision will be poor from now on... Sigh, Ning Shaoren must have considered Zeqi, so I won't worry about him. Xiao Shu, this child... I've been thinking these past few days, we've brought this on ourselves. Xiao Shu ending up like this is also our fault for dragging him into it back then..."

"Xiao Chu, you're the one we wronged the most. If you don't mind, I'll give you all my remaining assets too. But could you give a little to Xiao Shu, okay? His eyes are injured, he won't be able to support himself in the future..."

Logically, he who has nothing has nothing to lose. Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua, with nothing left to lose now, should be even more brazen.

But perhaps they were too unrestrained before. Now facing sudden drastic changes—car accident and amputation, plunging from a height into the river and nearly drowning, both already in their fifties or sixties, with their health having taken a permanent hit, and staring down a future with no freedom—both Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua seemed stripped of their ability to stubbornly argue. The once flamboyant pair even seemed cowed before Ning Yichu, speaking to him with extra caution now.

Ning Yichu found this change quite interesting.

Besides this, Ning Yichu also heard from the lawyers that Han Wenhua had proposed divorce to Ning Shaoren.

But now, at this point, the assets have all found their place, and there’s no need to worry about financial entanglements anymore. Han Wenhua insisted on divorce, and Ning Shaoren refused twice but agreed during the third meeting with their lawyers.

After the lawyer told Ning Yichu this, he added, “But rest assured, President Ning. Your adoptive parents both said they’ll wait until the asset liquidation is complete and everything to be transferred to you is finished before proceeding with the divorce, to avoid complications if the divorce came first.”

Ning Yichu nodded. “Then please, once the asset transfers are complete, before they divorce, handle terminating my adoption first.”

He wanted the Ning family’s property, but not the identity of being a Ning family member. Couldn’t that be considered the best of both worlds?

Since Han Wenhua was already divorcing Ning Shaoren, she couldn’t care less whether Kangning’s future leader was a Ning family member or not. After being informed of Ning Yichu’s request through the lawyer, she agreed without hesitation.

Ning Shaoren, however, struggled a bit with the idea of “handing Kangning over to a complete outsider,” but he soon nodded as well. After all, he had no leverage left to challenge Ning Yichu and hoped Ning Yichu would actually leave the remaining assets for Ning Zeqi instead of destroying them before Ning Zeqi’s release. He truly didn’t dare provoke Ning Yichu anymore, so he could only console himself with the thought that Ning Yichu’s surname was still Ning—who knew if Kangning would change hands in the future?

On the third day after Ning Yichu’s visit to the detention center, the contracts regarding the assets with Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua were signed.

That same day, Ning Zeshu in the hospital finally woke up.

News came from the hospital that the doctors had examined Ning Zeshu’s eyes. The damage was indeed severe—his current vision was only slightly better than complete blindness, allowing him to see things vaguely. Neither strong prescription glasses nor corneal transplant surgery would help, as Ning Zeshu’s retina was damaged, and current medical technology still couldn’t perform retinal transplants.

Upon learning this result, Ning Zeshu reacted surprisingly calmly. He only asked about the current situation of Ning Zeqi and the other two, then said he wanted to see Ning Yichu.

“I’ve really become a hot commodity,” Ning Yichu chuckled at this, then said, “I won’t go—not for now. I’ll wait until the Ning family’s assets are fully transferred before going. It will be my last time seeing him. There’s nothing for me to say to him if I go now.”

He Shixia was slowly helping Ning Yichu pack his belongings. Ning Yichu didn’t actually have much; most of it was the clothes He Shixia had impulsively ordered for him before the show, which filled the entire walk-in closet. Ning Yichu had barely worn any of them.

“How about we wait until all these matters are completely settled before moving to the new place?” He Shixia seized the opportunity to delay, since Ning Yichu hadn’t yet agreed to his request to postpone the divorce.

Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow. “Sure, I don’t want to deal with past matters after moving into the new place either. But when will you give me the divorce certificate?”

He Shixia considered it seriously. “Do you think I could fool you with a fake certificate?”

Ning Yichu: “…Whatever. Just don’t complain about me cheating when I find a new partner with a fake certificate.”

He Shixia was momentarily speechless, then consoled himself, “A new partner compared to an old love… A Ning, so I can be your old love?”

Ning Yichu admired his optimism. “You can be my ex-husband—shut up and hurry up packing my things. You’ve been folding one piece of clothing for half an hour before putting it in the suitcase. Are you a turtle or a snail?”

He Shixia gave a small smile. “Well, for now, I’m still your husband.”

Ning Yichu turned and walked out, not wanting to listen to his nonsense anymore.

Three more days passed, and the asset transfer with the Ning family was completed. The wound on Ning Yichu’s abdomen had also scabbed over, leaving only a faint scar—a symbol that the past had indeed existed but would no longer harm Ning Yichu or occupy his mind.

The next day, Ning Yichu’s adoption relationship with Ning Shaoren and Han Wenhua was successfully terminated.

Only Ning Zeshu, who insisted on seeing Ning Yichu, remained.

Before going to the hospital to see Ning Zeshu, Ning Yichu first visited the Ning family’s old mansion.

Apart from the leaderless servants, there was no one left in charge of the Ning family.

Liu Shuang, who had long been divorced from Elder Ning but had lived in the Ning family home for years, had moved out after her children’s successive misfortunes.

Additionally, Ning Andong, who was still free to move around, had packed her essential belongings and left the Ning family to seek refuge with her biological mother, Yu Lianlian, the day after learning about the severe car accident involving Ning Shaoren and his family. Although her mother wasn’t reliable either, at least the two could stick together, and she didn’t have to worry about her mother harming her.

From Ning Andong’s reaction, Ning Yichu reasonably suspected she might have thought the car accident was orchestrated by him, which was why she fled in a hurry to save her own life.

Only the trembling servants remained in the Ning family. Seeing Ning Yichu return, some were happy, others worried—happy because there was finally someone in charge, worried because most servants had previously treated Ning Yichu, the adopted young master, with disrespect, often bossing him around or deliberately provoking him. Seeing the fate of the Ning family, the servants feared Ning Yichu wouldn’t let them off easily.

Ning Yichu didn’t bother saying much. Upon arriving at the Ning family home, he began dismissing servants, firing most of them—specifically those who had, without necessity and without being pressured by the Ning family, chosen to step on him, the adopted son.

Ning Yichu didn’t plan to do more to them but also didn’t want to keep them in what would soon be his property.

A small number of servants remained—those who wanted to leave could do so, receiving severance pay according to legal requirements for dismissal. Those who chose to stay and continue working at the Ning family could remain, as such a large place indeed needed daily maintenance. With fewer servants overall, the saved wages could be used to increase the monthly salaries of those who stayed.

Among them, both of the Ning family’s previous housekeepers were fired. Ning Yichu called over the elderly servant who had once taken care of him and recently helped monitor the Ning family’s movements, appointing her as the new housekeeper and giving her an extra check.

The new housekeeper quickly declined, but Ning Yichu insisted, “Otherwise, I’ll feel indebted to you. You’re getting older—consider this money as a backup for your retirement.”

Only then did the new housekeeper accept it sheepishly, asking, “Young Master Xiao Chu… does this mean you won’t be coming back to live here?”

Ning Yichu smiled. “Yes, I won’t be back. I wouldn’t be happy living here, and… I have other plans.”

After leaving the Ning family, He Shixia drove Ning Yichu to the hospital to see Ning Zeshu one last time, intending to sever all ties with the Ning family afterward.

But just before reaching the hospital, Ning Yichu received a notification from the hospital saying Ning Zeshu had just been involved in an accident—he’d been stabbed, though not fatally.

The police had already arrived. By the time Ning Yichu got there, he learned the whole story.

After the car accident involving the family of four, Ning Yichu had not only reported it to the police but also, as planned, released key segments of the “settlement and review” video from that night, causing an uproar in public opinion.

As Ning Zeqi, Ning Shaoren, and Han Wenhua were arrested for other confirmed crimes, netizens heatedly discussed the matter for several more days. Recently, with no new developments, the public attention had gradually subsided.

But for some, the matter wasn’t over… such as the family of the waiter who tragically died in the teahouse fire caused by Ning Zeqi years ago.

One of the waiters had lost his parents early and lived with his grandmother. After the waiter’s death, only the grandmother remained. Seventeen years later, the old lady was now in her eighties. She had originally thought her grandson’s death was purely accidental but later discovered there had been a cover-up. Furious, she wanted revenge.

The car accident involving the Ning family had led to the closure of the cross-river bridge for several days, sparking extensive online discussion. Paparazzi had even exposed the hospital where they were staying, and their appearances were no secret. After painstakingly gathering information, the old lady came to the hospital with a knife.

But the main culprit, Ning Zeqi, had already been arrested, and his accomplice parents were no longer in the hospital. The old lady only found Ning Zeshu. Remembering online comments calling him the most beloved youngest son, she impulsively stabbed him with the knife.

Ning Zeshu, with his poor eyesight, rarely left his room. That day, having received advance notice that Ning Yichu was coming, he couldn’t resist stepping out into the hallway to look around. Unfortunately, the old lady spotted him. Although physically intact, his vision was too poor to detect the danger and avoid it in time, so the old lady’s knife struck him.

But the old lady, having been law-abiding all her life, trembled the moment the knife went in and couldn’t continue stabbing. Thus, Ning Zeshu’s injuries weren’t severe, and the nurses cleaned and bandaged him.

The police were also in a difficult position. The old lady was over eighty, too old to be legally imprisoned, but intentionally carrying a weapon into a public place and injuring someone wasn’t a minor matter. Fortunately, after learning the reason, Ning Zeshu chose not to press charges. The police took the old lady away, planning to have a serious talk with her, educate her, and then send her home.

“Have they left?” Ning Zeshu asked weakly, looking at the blurry figure in the room.

Ning Yichu stood at the door, calmly watching Ning Zeshu. “They’ve left. You kept wanting to see me. What did you want to say?”

After complaining, Ning Zeshu sighed deeply. “Forget it, consider it my retribution… Xiao Chu, you finally came to see me. I don’t really have anything important to say—it all seems like nonsense, and you probably don’t want to hear it… I just thought you should at least come see me. Even though I can’t see you clearly now, it feels more complete this way. I heard Kangning is yours now? Congratulations.”

Ning Yichu didn’t plan to waste time on small talk. He went straight to the point: “Kangning is mine now, and so is the Ning family’s old mansion. But Ning Shaoren has some other assets he says are for Ning Zeqi, temporarily managed by me. Han Wenhua asked me to provide you with living expenses.”

Ning Zeshu laughed. “Look at my dear father—still playing favorites even now. Well, I hope you squander all those assets meant for Ning Zeqi. Let him drink the northwest wind when he gets out of prison.”

Ning Yichu ignored him and continued, “You always wanted the Ning family, right? Then stay in the old mansion from now on. The profits from the other assets your mother left will be your living expenses. If I ever squander them all, you can drink the northwest wind.”

Hearing this, Ning Zeshu froze. His unfocused eyes stared at Ning Yichu. “You… you’re letting me stay in the Ning family?”

Ning Yichu prepared to leave. “I’ve notified you. I’m leaving now. I won’t see you again. Do as you please.”

Ning Zeshu smiled bitterly. “You’re not making me wander the streets, you’re letting me live in the old mansion, and you’re giving me living expenses… Xiao Chu, you still haven’t learned the cruelty of the Ning family.”

Ning Yichu replied disdainfully, “Why would I want to learn such disgusting things?”

He turned and left, with He Shixia following closely behind, casually closing the hospital room door.

Listening to the sound of the door closing and seeing the empty room, Ning Zeshu suddenly began to laugh, then broke into sobs.

Outside in the hallway, a young man who had just emerged from around the corner heard the crying and laughter inside. He glanced in the direction where Ning Yichu and He Shixia had just disappeared, tightened his grip on the knife in his hand, and quickly chased after them.

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Author’s Note: Barring any surprises, the next chapter will conclude the main story, followed seamlessly by daily updates of extra chapters. Although I’d love to take a day off, it’s the end of the month and I can’t bear to give up my full attendance bonus… I can do it!