Old Master Ye looked at him, his expression slightly somber: "Xiao Nan, you've always been a bright kid. Don't tell me you can't see it. In those chaotic years, so many people suffered and were harmed. I was even trapped in a sanatorium, but the Xiang family was completely unharmed. What's the reason for that?"
Ning Yuan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and she didn't dare to utter a sound.
Old Ye shook his head: "That's why they've remained standing since they allied themselves with certain shameless scoundrels who gained power by manipulating chaos."
Rong Zhaonan lowered his eyes, remained silent, and did not speak.
Old Ye continued, "He Su's vicious and shallow methods were just a fuse. In those years, some people stuck to their original intentions, while others wanted to protect their status and power, but forgot their original intentions, went astray, and colluded with evil people."
He paused, then continued, "Your father refused to associate with them and was constantly suppressed, finding himself in a very difficult situation. You were on a mission at the time and didn't know this, nor could he tell you..."
“Even if the police can prove that you are not the murderer, in the eyes of the Xiang family, you are the murderer and your father is protecting you.”
Rong Zhaonan said coldly, "So, he knew all along that I wasn't the murderer, but he still threw me out of the company and forced me to take the blame?"
Old Master Ye looked at him and said, "Xiao Nan, if I told you that back then, if you had stayed at your unit, you would have been sent on missions alone. The Xiang family would have been able to make you have an 'accident' during a mission. Even if you managed to dodge it once, how many more times could you have done it?"
“Your father is in dire straits himself, how could he protect you? On the day you left, he had already been dismissed from his post and detained, which is why he came to me in advance to ask Ye Yuan to take people to escort you out of the capital.”
Old Ye sighed and continued, "Before this, I received news that the Xiang family was going to take action against you, so I suggested to your father that you be sent to a remote mountain village cowshed, so that the Xiang family could vent their anger temporarily and stay away from trouble. Only in this way can you save your life."
Darkness will eventually dissipate, those who hold fast to their principles will never yield, and those shameless and despicable villains will eventually fall and be brought to justice!
Ning Yuan felt a mix of emotions upon hearing this; she realized how deep the waters ran behind the scenes.
Therefore, Xiang Ziye's claim that his younger brother died and he had nowhere to turn for help, which led to his distorted mentality and taking a different path, may only be one reason, and not the whole story.
In essence, the Xiang family had already sided with certain villains in order to maintain their status and power. Only after the villains were finally defeated did society return to normal order and usher in an era of openness... and everything regained its vitality.
But those who have done evil and their accomplices will always be held accountable by the law. This is the real reason why Xiang Ziye said he could never turn back!
Rong Zhaonan gripped the blanket tightly, his lips pressed together, his heart churning with turmoil.
After a long pause, he said calmly, "So, in the end, he still chose to protect Rong Xiangdong instead of me back then."
This is something he can never let go of!
Old Master Ye said helplessly, "Xiao Nan, it took you so many years to catch those executioners, wait for He Su to slip up, and then persuade Chao Bei, the witness, to prove your innocence to the Xiang brothers."
He paused: "Back then, the third son of the Xiang family insisted that he saw you push the fourth son of the Xiang family off the bridge. Even the police couldn't convince them. If your father insists that you are innocent and that it was an accident caused by Xiang Dong's anger, in the eyes of the Xiang family, it will only be to protect you and will only provoke them to speed up their efforts to deal with you."
Back then, Xiao Nan was too unruly and harbored resentment towards Xiang family's fourth son. Even though he initially wanted to save people, Xiang San saw it as him pushing people. Everything was a misunderstanding, but what good did that do?
"Back then, the Xiang brothers and elders all believed that your father wanted to protect you, his most outstanding son, and sent his youngest son away to take the blame. From this point of view, He Su was indeed the culprit."
Old Ye slammed his cane down on the ground, a flash of anger crossing his aged eyes.
Ning Yuan looked at Old Master Ye and suddenly remembered that, under the blood-red sunset, Xiang Ziye had given her that strange smile in the room—
Do you think we can turn back? We've already gone down different paths!
She sighed inwardly.
The tides of time have shattered many people's original selves, so... the past can never be turned back.
Rong Zhaonan closed his eyes and whispered, "Grandpa, thank you for telling me all that... You've worked so hard. I'll visit you again when I'm better."
Knowing that Rong Zhaonan needed time to process all this, Elder Ye nodded and said, "You should rest well and focus on recovering from your injuries."
The secretary and Ning Yuan immediately came up to help the old man and saw him out.
When they reached the door, Old Master Ye stopped, slowly turned around, and looked at Rong Zhaonan with gentle affection: "Grandpa doesn't necessarily want to defend your father. He was indeed not a good father, and he should apologize to you for his poor judgment of people."
He sighed: "But to be fair, he did what he did back then to protect you. The rift between you and your father has grown too big over the years. Even if I had told you this beforehand, you probably wouldn't have believed me. Now, I'm not sure whether you believe me or not."
After saying that, he slowly left, leaning on his cane and supported by his secretary.
Ning Yuan escorted the elderly man to his car and left before returning to her room.
Inside the room, the still pale-faced young man leaned against the pillows, staring blankly out the window.
"Are you alright? Would you like some water?" Ning Yuan came over with a water glass and put a straw to his mouth.
His shoulder was injured, and it hurt when he raised his hand, not to mention that he had three fractured ribs. If he pulled on them, it would definitely hurt even more. How could he not resent his father?
He rarely shows such a blank stare, it seems he has suffered a great shock.
"Ah Ning, do you think what Grandpa Ye said is credible?" Rong Zhaonan suddenly asked softly.
Ever since he woke up, he has been calling her by that name—he insists that he is different from others, and that calling her by that name must also be unique and 'different'.
It just sounds weird, like calling him "brother".
Ning Yuan didn't stop him; let him call her whatever he wanted. The injured Comrade Xiao Ai was the most important!
How many men in this world are willing to give their lives for their wives?
After considering it for a moment, she said tactfully, "Old Ye is definitely not the kind of person who talks nonsense or likes to interfere in other people's affairs. He's not that free."
In fact, Brother Rong understood Old Master Ye better than she did, but he could not completely let go of the knot in his heart that he had held for Rong Wenwu for so many years.
After all, her father-in-law was blind and truly let Xiao Ai down.
Without asking any questions, and after being instigated by He Su, she communicated with the child by scolding and hitting him. She didn't even know that the child was almost killed by his stepmother. There's no way to whitewash that.
Not to mention, she was an unlucky bystander and almost got killed by He Su.
She genuinely had absolutely no liking for this father-in-law.
...
"Alright, stop thinking about it. Do you need to go to the bathroom? You should try getting out of bed." Ning Yuan sat down next to him, took the cup from his hand, and rubbed his head.
He had his catheter removed this morning; it's been three days, and the doctor is urging him to get out of bed.
If it weren't for Old Master Ye talking for so long, he would have tried to get out of bed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
