Everyone looked at the Huo family with something strange in their eyes, and many people subconsciously distanced themselves from them.

Fan Xiaowan also silently moved two steps away from Zhou Qianqian.

Zhou Qianqian felt a chill down her spine when she met Huo Pengyi's gloomy gaze. Years of understanding made her know exactly what he was thinking:

If the Huo family is really implicated, she will definitely be the scapegoat!

"No!" Zhou Qianqian felt a surge of panic in her heart, and she couldn't help but scream, "This is simply not true. Ning Shaobai, Ning Shaobai is talking nonsense!"

"It's you," Zhou Qianqian said excitedly, suddenly realizing something. "You were the one who reported it, right?"

"You did it because of that bet! It must have been because of that bet! That's why you deliberately reported me and harmed me!"

At this critical moment, Zhou Qianqian's mind was working quickly, but unfortunately she still couldn't come up with the idea. "You think you can't get the Huo family's old house, so you do this to harm me!"

Huo Pengyi frowned. "What Huo family mansion? What bet?"

Zhou Qianqian couldn't care less about hiding it now. "Ning Shaobai said he wanted to take over the Huo family's old houses! I was so angry that I made a bet with him."

Huo Pengyi realized something and frowned, "And then?"

Zhou Qianqian hesitated when she saw Mrs. Huo's dissuading look.

Fan Xiaowan has already spoken for her.

"Uncle Huo, I can testify to this. I personally saw Zhou Qianqian and Brother Shao Bai make a bet. Brother Shao Bai said he had to get that row of courtyards. If he couldn't get it, Xia Mian would return the current courtyard to Miss Zhou."

"If I get it, Brother Shao Bai will reveal Madam Huo's secrets or something..."

Huo Pengyi didn't care about Mrs. Huo's secret at all. He just looked at Xia Mian with an expression that didn't want to accept the answer. "Miss Xia now has a yard..."

Fan Xiaowan tilted her head and said, "She said that she relied on her status as Chenchen's savior to force Madam Huo to sell it to her."

Then he turned to Zhou Qianqian for confirmation, "Really?"

Zhou Qianqian was obviously very confused at the moment. She nodded hurriedly, "Yes, it was Ning Shaobai and her who forced me to do it."

Xia Mian rolled her eyes. "Miss Fan, who did you learn this bloody slander from? When did I ever force you to buy the Huo family's yard?"

"I paid real money for that yard and signed a formal purchase contract with the previous owner, Ms. Zhou Qianqian, to complete the transaction."

Xia Mian looked at Zhou Qianqian and sighed, "To be honest, before I made a deal with her, I never thought she would be such a liar and troublemaker. Otherwise, I would never have dealt with her."

But he really took advantage of her and still acted ungratefully. Fan Xiaowan cursed inwardly, but tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Aren't you living in the courtyard of No. 2, Building 3, Goldfish Lane now?"

Xia Mian said generously, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

Huo Pengyi said in a deep voice, "That is our Huo family's ancestral home!"

"But I transferred the ownership from Zhou Qianqian." Xia Mian said, "How come your Huo family's ancestral home is in Zhou Qianqian's name?"

"Could it be that Zhou Qianqian is your Huo family's biological daughter?"

Mrs. Huo and Zhou Qianqian's expressions changed slightly. Huo Pengyi couldn't answer, so he turned to Mrs. Huo and angrily asked, "What's going on?!"

Mrs. Huo wiped her tears and said, "It was Ning Shaobai who threatened me. He hated me because of Xiaoyun's painting and wanted to take revenge on me. At the time, I thought that Xiaoyun was our daughter-in-law after all, and even if he was angry, it was only temporary. So I told Qianqian to transfer the house to him. No matter what, let's let those two siblings calm down first."

“Who knew he would actually give it directly to this little girl from the Xia family to insult us.”

The Huo family had just been exposed, and everyone thought it was natural for the Ning siblings to take revenge on them. This statement was somewhat credible.

But Xia Mian refused to admit it. "You're saying this as if it's my fault?"

"Whether you're doing this out of guilt, remorse, or because someone has used you as leverage, that's your own problem."

"And I bought this yard from the owner, Zhou Qianqian, with real money. What did I do wrong?"

Rong Xin said, "I can testify to this. It's the contract I wrote for them. I bought it for 70,000, which is slightly higher than the market price."

"Mrs. Huo, Zhou Qianqian wouldn't have told you that she embezzled the money, right?"

Zhou Qianqian hastily denied, "You're talking nonsense, it's clearly only 20,000!"

Rong Xin was speechless, "The reason they gave you a price higher than the market price is that the condition is to pay in installments. Why haven't you told me about the balance yet?"

Huo Pengyi said, "That means Miss Xia hasn't paid the balance yet, right?"

He negotiated in a gentle voice, "How about this? We don't want the balance. I'll compensate you with a building of equal value, okay?"

Xia Mian said unhappily, "No! What do you mean?"

"If I accept it, wouldn't that mean I've extorted this yard from me?"

"I am a clean person, why should I bear this false accusation?"

"Besides, who said I didn't pay the balance?" Xia Mian looked at Zhou Qianqian and sneered, "Should I give you the bank transfer records? I transferred the money to you ten days ago, and you wanted to embezzle it and even falsely accused me."

Zhou Qianqian said, "You're talking nonsense. Where do you get the money?"

Xia Mian rolled her eyes and said, "You're nosy."

Huo Pengyi frowned, "Miss Xia, that is our old house, it means a lot to our Huo family."

"That's strange." Ning Shaobai said, "Why is it that only Xia Xian lives in your house, which is of special significance?"

"It doesn't matter if you change your name or surname, but it's not right for you to bully a little girl like this."

Huo Pengyi frowned, "What do you mean?"

"That row of important ancestral houses of yours has been traded to me." Ning Shaobai said, "They are all under my name now. Did I force you to sell them?"

"Impossible!" Mrs. Huo and Zhou Qianqian said in unison, "You're talking nonsense!"

Huo Pengyi also found it absurd, "How is that possible? What do you think of our Huo family?"

"Why is this impossible?" Ning Shaobai laughed sarcastically. "Just like how my sister's paintings inexplicably appeared at an auction, there's nothing strange about your yard being sold."

"Isn't this your family tradition?" He looked at Mrs. Huo and Zhou Qianqian. "If you want to apply for a new project, you need to give new gifts. Director Luo seemed to be very fond of Siheyuan for a while."

Huo Pengyi suddenly looked at Mrs. Huo and Zhou Qianqian, looking as if he was about to pass out from anger, "You, you guys!"

Old Mrs. Huo's face turned pale, and Zhou Qianqian didn't dare to breathe.

Huo Peng's chest heaved with righteousness, and he almost looked like he was going to vomit blood. Ning Shaobai laughed, "Uncle Huo, it's just a row of yards, is it that serious?"

"It's not even worth my sister's painting. Why do you look so upset... I didn't see you guys so distressed when I bought my sister's painting."

Huo Pengyi pointed at Ning Shaobai, shaking with anger, "You, you really did it on purpose..."

Ning Shaobai said, "Don't try to imitate Zhou Qianqian and make random comments. You're flattering me too much. It wasn't me who asked Zhou Qianqian to give the yard to Director Luo."

"Speaking of which, the ownership certificate for this important ancestral home should be locked up securely. Zhou Qianqian, an outsider, was able to give it away so easily. Are you sure you value your ancestral home and aren't using it to blackmail us?"

Zhou Qianqian was filled with panic, "That can't possibly be in your hands!"

If the yard was in his hands, wouldn't she have lost the bet? If he revealed her background on an occasion like today, she and Old Madam Huo would be finished!

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Ning Shaobai said, "There is no doubt about this matter. Many people know about it."

"It was Shengming Auction House that connected me. I bought it in exchange for a stamp."

The old man who loved stamps suddenly said, "Are you the one who wanted to exchange the 'China's Mountains and Rivers Are Red' stamp for a yard?!"

Ning Shaobai clapped his hands and said, "Look, I didn't expect that someone here would know about it."

He looked at Huo Pengyi's surprised eyes and said, "Oh, I forgot Uncle Huo also likes stamps. If I had known, I would have exchanged with you directly. We can all be happy. It would save the Huo family from blaming outsiders like us when it is clearly the Huo family's own traitor who ruined the family."

"As a result, Zhou Qianqian, who has no clear connection to your family, is now involved in this. Losing money is a small matter, and who knows what kind of big trouble this will cause."

As soon as he finished speaking, Uncle Ma, the Ning family's housekeeper, suddenly came in with a serious face and whispered something in Old Master Ning's ear.

Old Master Ning glanced at Huo Pengyi, and Huo Pengyi's heart skipped a beat.

Old Master Ning nodded, and Uncle Ma walked up to Zhou Qianqian and said, "Miss Zhou, please come with me. I need your help with something."

Zhou Qianqian twisted her fingers nervously, looked at Old Mrs. Huo for help, and finally was reluctantly taken out by Uncle Ma.

Everyone seemed to realize something and held their breath unconsciously.

Sure enough, after a while, Zhou Qianqian rushed in in a panic, "No, I won't go with the police!"

In a panic, she ignored everything and shouted to Mrs. Huo, "Mom, Mom, you have to save me! I didn't bribe you! Those were just ordinary gifts!"

Then he said to Huo Pengyi, "Dad, Dad, I am your biological daughter. You can't just stand by and watch me die... Whether I gave the painting or the yard, I did it all for the Huo family, Dad, Dad! I am your biological daughter, and Huo Xuewen is the son of the Zhou family. You can't not save me!"

Amidst the uproar, Zhou Qianqian was taken away by two plainclothes officers.

"Ouch!" Rong Xin whistled. "Is it so exciting?"

Ning Shaobai smiled. The bet was paid out quite quickly without him having to speak up himself.

The noise in the hall rose several decibels almost instantly.

"This? What does this mean? Why don't I understand?"

Someone familiar with the Huo family explained, "The Huo family values ​​male offspring. I think the old lady originally exchanged her daughter for a son so she could come back..."

“This is really…”

"This is too absurd. Wouldn't Huo Xuewen be pitiful..."

Ning Shaoyun suddenly walked up to the shaking Mrs. Huo and shouted angrily, "No wonder you let Zhou Qianqian bully our family! She even didn't let Chenchen go. So this is the truth!"

"We are not members of the Huo family at all!"

She turned to Huo Pengyi again, as if she had figured out a lot of things all of a sudden, "And you, you knew it a long time ago!"

Ning Shaoyun was so angry that she was shaking all over, tears streaming down her face as she said, "No wonder you never cared about Huo Xuewen, and never cared about Chenchen!"

"No wonder Chenchen is in danger," Ning Shaoyun almost roared, "Is it because Chenchen is blocking the path of your Huo family's bloodline that you want to get rid of him?"

"You deceived Huo Xuewen and me, and in the end you didn't let my child go." Ning Shaoyun picked up the teacup on the coffee table and threw it fiercely in the direction of Mrs. Huo. "You, you are worse than animals!"

The scene suddenly became chaotic.

Ning Shaoyun couldn't stop crying, "Do you know that I dream every night that Chenchen was kidnapped. He was just a little kid, his fingers chopped off, his legs broken, and he lay lifeless in a pool of blood..."

Xia Mian was stunned for a moment, not knowing whether Ning Shaoyun really dreamed of Chenchen's appearance in her previous life. She hurriedly went up to support her, "Sister Ning."

Ning Shaoyun pointed at Huo Pengyi and Old Madam Huo and said, "I absolutely will not let you go!"

Everyone was surprised that Ning Shaoyun would suddenly attack, but after hearing her words, they suddenly felt that just attacking was already considered well-mannered...

"This, this is too ridiculous..."

"He really deserves to be beaten. Even beating him to death is not too much."

"It's bad enough that you ruined someone else's life for your own selfish reasons, but you also want to get rid of the child just because he's in the way?"

"This family really lives as they please."

…

Old Master Ning slammed his cane hard and shouted, "Huo Pengyi, is what Xiaoyun said true?! Is Chenchen's kidnapping related to your Huo family?!"

Fan Xiuzhi subconsciously looked at Ning Shaobai, but saw Ning Shaobai looked at the old man sarcastically and said nothing.

Huo Pengyi had never expected that the scandal that the Huo family had tried so hard to cover up would be exposed under such circumstances. He absolutely could not bear the charge of colluding with the kidnappers. He gasped and denied it in a trembling voice, "Grandpa, these are all fabricated stories..."

Ning Shaobai said lazily, "Uncle Huo, there's no need for you to quibble here. With modern medicine, a DNA test can reveal anything. As for the kidnapping..."

He suddenly smiled and asked, "How many rounds of interrogation do you think Zhou Qianqian can withstand?"

When Ning Shaobai said this, he glanced at Fan Xiuzhi, but there was no change on the other person's face.

As expected... there should be no flaws in it.

But Mrs. Huo turned pale and fainted...

The scene instantly became chaotic. Old Master Ning had a gloomy expression on his face. He simply ordered the butler to send the person away and no longer showed any politeness.

He looked up at Ning Shaoyun, whose face was covered in tears, opened his mouth, and finally just sighed deeply.

"Sister," Ning Shaobai said, "Let Xia Mian take you to your room to rest first. Today is Grandpa's birthday, don't spoil his mood."

He glanced at Fan Xiuzhi and smiled slightly, "Aunt Fan has something important to do next, so we can't delay it."

Ning Shaoyun immediately perked up after hearing this. Yes, they had just dealt with the accomplices, but the real culprit was still here.

Ning Shaobai didn't hide anything at all. Although everyone didn't know what he was going to do, they could clearly feel that after the Huo family, it was Fan Xiuzhi's turn...

Fan Xiuzhi couldn't help but clench her fists and had to admit that she had really misjudged Ning Shaobai. Ning Shaobai had only been back for a short month and he had done so many things.

Almost all the people present were shrewd people. The Huo family's face had just been peeled off layer by layer, and the final decline was foreseeable.

Those seemingly unrelated things all have the shadow of the eldest son of the Ning family.

It was obvious that he was definitely not the fool that Fan Xiuzhi said, and people looked at him with new scrutiny and consideration.

After all, Fan Xiuzhi's reputation as a good stepmother has been stripped away. Will she also follow in the footsteps of the Huo family?

These people didn't really care about the Ning family's affairs, but they all had cooperation with the Ning family, or were about to cooperate, and Fan Xiuzhi's outcome was related to their interests.

Under everyone's gaze, Ning Shaobai smiled and said, "Sister has given away all her gifts, but I haven't given any yet."

Old Master Ning frowned and sighed, but he still asked, "What gift?"

Ning Shaobai said, "It's an imported audio system. I know you love to listen to opera, so with this, connected to a tape recorder or CD player, the whole hall can hear the sound, just like you are listening to it live. The effect is amazing."

"It just so happens that it can be used today," Ning Shaobai said, looking at the microphone connected to the small stage. "When you talk to Aunt Fan later, you don't have to speak too loudly. Everyone can hear you."

After saying that, Ning Shaobai took out his cell phone and made a call, "Send them all in."

Soon, people came in carrying four large speakers. Ning Shaobai said to Uncle Ma, "Help them connect the lines. It should be ready in about half an hour. Let everyone try out the surround sound effect. It's amazing."

Fan Xiuzhi stared at the speakers with almost vigilance. She now knew that Ning Shaobai would hardly do anything useless, but after thinking about it, she couldn't guess what these speakers could do...

Ning Shaobai smiled and said, "Aunt Fan, why are you so nervous? Don't worry, there is no bomb inside."

Ning Shaoyang frowned, "Brother..."

Ning Shaobai still ignored him. Old Master Ning sighed deeply, patted Ning Shaobai's hand and said, "Since it will take a while to install the audio system, why don't you accompany grandpa upstairs?"

In Old Master Ning's study, the old man said helplessly, "Xiaobai... I know you have resentment in your heart, but don't act on impulse! Now that the murderer who kidnapped Chenchen has been found..."

"Grandpa," Ning Shaobai laughed in anger, "There has to be a limit to how much you can pretend to be confused, right? Do I look like a fool?"

The old man sighed and said solemnly, "Xiaobai, what belongs to you, grandpa will not give you less. Grandpa can promise you this, but you also know that Xiaoyang is a good child. After all, you are brothers..."

"So? Just because I'm unlucky enough to be his brother, we have to endure it even if he wants to harm us?"

"Listen to me!" the old man said angrily, "You are all my grandchildren, and I will not harm any of you!"

"That Qiongying, her grandfather is the granddaughter of my old friend. She is pretty and capable. She will inherit Gao Kang Pharmaceutical in the future. You two should get along well. Fan Xiuzhi is overbearing now, so she has to be a little wary of the Gao family."

"Come on," Ning Shaobai said, "Grandpa, are you going to use this trick on me?"

"Fan Xiuzhi is beautiful and capable, Huo Xuewen is also handsome and capable... Grandpa, my dad ran away from home and has not been seen since. My sister has become a joke, and Chenchen's life is in danger because of this."

"Grandpa, your vision is too sharp. Every one you pick is a rare and exquisite product. I dare not take the risk."

"I prefer a simple life and don't want to have to deal with dirty hands from animals every day."

Old Master Ning said angrily, "Isn't this all for you? What else can I do?!"

"I'm old now, and the reason I can control the Ning family now is because those old friends who built the empire with me are still here!"

"Once Fan Xiuzhi's investment in Hainan is successful and she signs a cooperation agreement with Mohe Company, Grandpa will retire soon. By then, I'll be gone and everyone will be forgotten. Do you think you can still live as relaxed as you do now?"

The old man said sadly, "Xiaobai, Grandpa can't hold on any longer. I can only find a way out for you."

Ning Shaobai suddenly smiled, "Grandpa, don't you think you're very sensible? You've balanced everything in the family your whole life, cared for every younger generation, and led the Ning family to greater heights. You've done a great job?"

"Today, you will witness its collapse."

The old man's face changed, and he heard Ning Shaobai say, "Because these are all fake, do you know why?"

"You taught us since we were little that we should consider the overall situation and put the entire Ning family first, but considering the overall situation is based on fairness."

"You're just trying to keep things quiet."

"Because Fan Xiuzhi is paranoid and overbearing, and we are reasonable and generous, she keeps asking us to give in."

"Are you considering the overall situation? No, you just think that we are people who can give in so that the Ning family can maintain a superficial peace."

"And the so-called asylum is even more ridiculous. Are you really offering it, or is it just compensation to make yourself feel more at ease?"

"But everything must be based on fairness and justice. Human nature is greedy. Unrestrained and blindly giving in will only make those people more aggressive until they lose their bottom line."

"It was you who made Fan Xiuzhi what she is now."

"If you don't want to correct it, then let me do it."

"I've already withdrawn what I should have withdrawn. If she dares to offend me in the slightest, I'll make her pay double the price!"

"Xiaobai!" Old Master Ning felt that Ning Shaobai was a little unfamiliar. That aura that frightened him...

Old Master Ning couldn't help but wonder if he had made the wrong choice back then. This child would be even more...

The old man shook off the thoughts in his mind. At this point, the only thing he could do was to maintain the existing peace.

"What exactly do you want to do?" the old man asked calmly.

Ning Shaobai said calmly, "Don't be nervous. I know you truly care for us within your ability. Besides, there's my dad. As you said, although Ning Shaoyang is a little stupid, he's a good kid overall. I won't ruin the Ning family."

"At most, we'll just cut out the cancer." Ning Shaobai said, "Believe me, after it's removed, the Ning family will actually be healthier."

Old Master Ning said weakly, "Xiaobai, please wait until after Grandpa's birthday party, okay? I really won't take sides with her this time! What's yours, I won't take a cent less!"

Ning Shaobai laughed, "Grandpa, do you believe what you said? I believe you can do it, but can Fan Xiuzhi agree to it?"

"You've turned her into a greedy demon," Ning Shaobai said slowly as he helped the old man straighten his clothes. "Relax, I won't let anything happen to the Ning family. Leave the Ning family to Ning Shaoyang, after all, he's the heir you've carefully nurtured."

Old Master Ning: ...

He can't let go of this worry today.

Ning Shaobai came out of the study and saw Fan Xiuzhi standing at the door.

Her face no longer had the calmness it had before, and her eyes were full of vigilance.

Ning Shaobai smiled and said, "Why? Are you worried that the old man will secretly give me some private money?"

"Don't worry, I said I don't want it, so I won't take it. Whether it's company shares or grandpa's private property, I won't take a single cent."

"But..." Ning Shaobai looked around, "How come you have time to come up? Shouldn't everyone be here today? Or is it that after seeing your true face, they are no longer willing to trust you?"

"Are you very proud of having dealt with the Huo family?" Fan Xiuzhi suddenly smiled. "Let's not even talk about the Ning family having any of those messy scandals. Even if there were, no matter what those people say or say about me behind my back, I still have to be polite to them when I see them."

"Do you know why?" Fan Xiuzhi said, "Because in this world, there is no right or wrong, only interests."

"Unless you are more powerful and wealthy than me, otherwise, I advise you to keep quiet."

Ning Shaobai nodded, "I agree with that. Why don't we wait and see?"

"By the way," Ning Shaobai turned back and said to Fan Xiuzhi before going downstairs, "I'll give you a piece of advice. It's best not to attribute all the so-called credit to Ning Shaoyang, otherwise he will be badly harmed by you."