A courtyard house in an alleyway belonging to the Xiang family.
Slightly drunk, Xiang San staggered back to his room, angrily shoving away the person supporting him: "Get lost, I'm not drunk, I can walk."
His henchmen, supporting him, exchanged bewildered glances: "This..."
"Get out! You think my family is going to fall apart and you won't even listen to me anymore, huh!" Xiang San angrily smashed the wine bottle in his hand on the ground to pieces.
The henchmen were startled and quickly turned to leave, saying, "Third Brother, don't be angry, we'll leave right away, we'll leave right away!"
The henchmen exchanged glances and quickly turned to leave.
Once outside, they couldn't help but smoke and whisper among themselves.
"Xiang San has gone mad. Dao Ge, who was with him, was arrested, and now his family is in trouble. He's taking it out on us!"
"You've all heard, haven't you? Several members of the Xiang family have been dismissed or are under investigation. It's not surprising that he's gone mad!"
“We’ve said before that they’re at their wits’ end. A lot of their past misdeeds have been uncovered, and they’ve implicated a wide range of people. We’re afraid they might get involved!”
"...Damn it...What are you afraid of? If the sky falls, the Xiang brothers will hold it up. It won't be our turn. At worst, we'll leave the capital to avoid trouble!"
...
Unbeknownst to them, Xiang San was already standing in the shadows by the door, listening to every single word!
His face was so dark it could drip water, and he instinctively wanted to smash the bottle in his hand against the back of their heads—
"They're all a bunch of wild dogs who only pounce on meat when they see it. Once there's no meat, they'll run faster than anyone else!"
But he forgot that he had just smashed the bottle, and now his hands were empty, just like his mood.
The henchmen were startled and quickly rode off on their old bicycles.
Xiang San walked dejectedly into his courtyard.
The courtyard house, which had originally looked clean and tidy, now inexplicably appeared dilapidated.
The cold, waning crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a desolate shadow over him.
He recalled how lively the courtyard was when he was a child, when all his brothers were still alive and there were many people in the family. The fourth child was the most lively and was everyone's source of joy.
But now, so many years have passed, and everything has changed.
A tall, slender, and aloof figure suddenly appeared in the moonlight, like a ghost.
He stood there, legs crossed, leaning lazily against the persimmon tree.
Xiang San suddenly raised his eyes and looked over warily. After seeing who it was, he was instantly furious.
"Rong Zhaonan!" He staggered forward, about to hit him.
Rong Zhaonan didn't hold back and stretched out his long leg, moving his body to kick Xiang San in the butt, sending him sprawling face down.
Xiang San knelt on the ground, trying to stand up, but Rong Zhaonan rudely stepped on his waist: "If you don't have the ability, why do you want to compete with me? Are you too stupid, or are you looking for death?"
Xiang San was pinned down and unable to move. His eyes were red as he glared at Rong Zhaonan: "Are you smug now? You always manage to ruin everyone's family. No one around you has a good ending. If you have the guts, kill me. My older brother won't let you get away with this!"
He regretted that he had driven away all his followers and bodyguards because he was in a bad mood.
Because Rong Zhaonan had never laid a hand on him before.
Rong Zhaonan sneered, looking down at him: "Back then, when your Xiang family attacked me and the Rong family, weren't you ruthless and merciless?"
Xiang San grinned maliciously: "That's what you deserved. You killed my Xiao Si, and you even killed Sister Ye Qiu. If you hadn't seduced her, none of this would have happened! You're the ruthless one!"
Rong Zhaonan said coldly, "You can continue to stubbornly think that way, but I'm not here to kill you today. I'll show you what true ruthlessness is."
After saying that, he waved his hand, and two people immediately came in and forcibly dragged Xiang San away.
"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" Xiang San shouted angrily.
Rong Zhaonan gave him a cold, disdainful look: "So noisy!"
The next moment, Chen Chen immediately and decisively took out a thick strip of hemp cloth and tied his mouth shut.
...
In another dilapidated suburban courtyard house
“Su Su, I’ve never understood why you had to target Rong Zhaonan. They’re half-brothers. If he, as the older brother, is successful, it will be a good thing for Xiang Dong and Chao Bei as well.”
Aunt Xu couldn't help but ask the question that had been weighing on her mind for a long time.
If it weren't for this, Su Su wouldn't have needed to risk going after Rong Zhaonan, then dragging Ye Qiu down with her, and finally the Xiang family, causing all this trouble.
Other people's children, even if their parents are different or their siblings have conflicts, they just stop talking to each other and don't have to go to such lengths as Su Su.
She didn't understand why Su Su was so determined to crush Rong Zhaonan, even if she couldn't kill him outright.
He Su said coldly, "I'm not going to say anything more. For Xiang Dong's sake, everything the Rong family has, Old Rong's connections and resources, many things can only be used once. As long as Rong Zhaonan is there, he will forever suppress my Xiang Dong and prevent him from rising up."
Aunt Xu: "But... Old Rong's position isn't hereditary. These things are based on merit. Rong Zhaonan is Xiang Dong's half-brother by blood..."
He Su said coldly, "It's better to have it yourself than to have it from someone else. How can you guarantee that Rong Zhaonan will help Xiang Dong? Old Rong is still his father. Xiang Dong is just dating, got a nurse pregnant, and broke up with her. You think you can ruin Xiang Dong's future? You still want to rely on a half-brother?"
Hearing this, Aunt Xu sighed, "They're all his sons, but Old Rong still favors Xiang Dong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made Rong Zhaonan take the blame and be sent to the countryside. It's just that Old Rong is definitely a stricter father..."
"What do you mean he took the blame? He deserved it." He Su suddenly sneered.
Aunt Xu was taken aback. For some reason, she saw a kind of hatred for Rong Zhaonan in He Su's eyes.
This made her doubtful about what He Su had just said, even though He Su's words were perfectly reasonable: "Su Su..."
He Su said calmly, "My biggest regret now is that I didn't deal with those four good-for-nothings back then."
Aunt Xu handled all the related processes. She only had to personally appear to intimidate those guys when she discovered a major problem.
Aunt Xu was not as capable as her back then, otherwise things wouldn't have turned out that way, and she wouldn't have found four useless scoundrels.
Aunt Xu looked at He Su, feeling a pang of guilt: "Su Su..."
He Su waved her hand, somewhat annoyed: "It's okay, alright, stop talking. Have you found everyone I asked you to?"
Aunt Xu nodded: "Don't worry! Once they come, they definitely won't be able to leave."
"Who do you want to be unable to leave?" A man suddenly appeared behind them, his voice rough and hoarse.
Aunt Xu and He Su turned around abruptly at the same time and saw a figure dressed in old, tattered clothes appearing not far away.
He Su was stunned for a moment, but quickly recognized who the other person was from their aged and wounded face.
“You are… Qian Laoyuan!” He Su said coldly.
"This must be Sister Su, the one who forced us all to leave back then. It's been so many years, it's truly remarkable."
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