Cha Shenlou's threat was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing Cha Meiling's anger and leaving her feeling as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
She trembled all over, her lips were bloodless—
"She bore children for the Cha family, working tirelessly without complaint, only to be discarded like trash by you in the end! And you still have the nerve to hurt her! How dare you treat my mother like this?! Just because my mother didn't give you a son?!"
Cha Meiling's eyes were bloodshot; she had had enough of Cha Shenlou's hypocrisy and selfishness.
She had gone through so much hardship, finally managing to climb out of the mire, and now this culprit was jumping out and showing off in front of her!
"Yes! Because of this!" Cha Shenlou roared, kicking over the chair next to him. "Do you know what I've envied most all these years?!"
He suddenly approached Cha Meiling, his eyes bloodshot as he roared—
"It's the second son of the Ning family! Damn it, five sons! Five! Each one of them is capable of handling things on their own! Not to mention the eldest son, Ning Bingyu, who is shrewd and capable, even that most useless third son can help his mother manage her private assets!"
"And then there's Ning Zhengkun! Although that old guy is biased, he knows how to leave himself a way out! Ning Man'an's methods are no less than Ning Bingyu's; she fought her way out of a crowd of men."
"You're a complete failure, you can't even coax people, and you've been replaced by that northern girl the Ning family picked up!"
Cha Shenlou became increasingly agitated as he spoke, as if he wanted to vent all the resentment that had been building up in his heart over the years—
"Me! I'm the only one who's going to die childless! All the wealth I've worked so hard to build will just end up benefiting other people!"
Cha Meiling had never seen Cha Shenlou so out of control. While she felt fear, a sense of sorrow also rose within her.
It turns out that in Cha Shenlou's heart, her daughter was not as important as a son!
Cha Meiling stared intently at him: "Who's responsible for the Cha family falling to this state? Was it my mother?! Ask yourself, what good deeds have you done all these years?! Not only have you been philandering, but you've also been helping people sell drugs!"
"Let me tell you, the Cha family wasn't brought down by the Ning family, it was by you, by your dirty tricks and foolish ambitions!"
Cha Meiling screamed angrily—
"You envy the Ning family? Look at yourself! What right do you have to compare yourself to the Ning family?!"
Cha Shenlou was stung by Cha Meiling's words. He stormed up to her, grabbed her by the neck, and said viciously, "Say that again?!"
Cha Meiling still glared stubbornly at Cha Shenlou: "Did I say something wrong? You are a complete and utter good-for-nothing! The Cha family has fallen into ruin under your leadership, it's your own incompetence! All the family's property clearly belongs to me!"
Cha Shenlou asked through gritted teeth, "Cha Meiling, I'm asking you, did Ning Bingyu hand over all the Cha family's assets to you because you betrayed me and your elder brother?"
"Cough cough... I didn't!" Cha Meiling was being choked and couldn't breathe, but she still screamed angrily.
Cha Shenlou's face was contorted with rage—
"No? Then why was Ning Bingyu so kind as to give you all of the Cha family's assets!"
Cha Meiling dared not admit that she had traded the jade chili pepper for it; she just gritted her teeth and remained silent!
Cha Shenlou's grip tightened, and Cha Meiling felt like she was suffocating: "Cha Meiling, without me and the Cha family, what are you?!"
He sarcastically remarked without any mercy, "You think just because you have a PhD in law you can thrive in the business world?! Don't be naive! Without the Cha family, you're just a high-class working girl at best!"
Cha Meiling felt dizzy and weak. She struggled helplessly but could not break free from Cha Shenlou's grip: "I...I'm not like that. I will be like Sister Man'an. No, I will be even better than her in the future!"
Cha Shenlou's eyes turned sinister: "Besides being good at theoretical discussions, what else can you do? How many of these self-made billionaires in the Hong Kong government have a doctorate?!"
Cha Meiling struggled desperately, slapping his hand away: "That's because the times made heroes! You were fortunate to have benefited from the era!"
Cha Shenlou laughed again, then suddenly released his hand with disdain: "Bonus? Ning Man'an dropped out of university to go into acting, almost broke ties with his family for a singer, and then his marriage failed a few years later. He slunk back to the Ning family in disgrace!"
"She's not a PhD, yet she's managed the Ning family's hotels and entertainment venues in Macau and their television station in Hong Kong with great success!"
Cha Shenlou watched as Cha Meiling slumped awkwardly into a chair, and sneered—
"If you really had half of her abilities, would I not consider you as my successor and not let you interfere in the company's affairs? What achievements have you made over the years?"
Cha Shenlou paused, his tone full of sarcasm: "And, my dear girl, don't forget who donated a huge sum of money to Cambridge so you could study there and gain prestige? If it weren't for the Cha family backing you up, do you think you could be Hong Kong's top socialite?"
Cha Meiling was so stung by his words that her nails dug deep into her palms, and blood slowly dripped down between her fingers, but she was completely unaware of it.
Cha Shenlou retorted mercilessly, "Not every woman in this world has the ability to be a strong woman! Knowing your own limits is also a skill!"
Cha Meiling's face flushed red and then turned pale. Instead of being angry, she laughed, her eyes full of mockery: "You told me to see my own abilities clearly, but you haven't seen the limits of your own abilities either!!"
"That's why I gave the family business to your eldest brother. With your abilities, you should be like Wen Huifang from the second wife, the head of the household. A woman behind a man, you'll only squander the Cha family's wealth!"
Cha Shenlou reprimanded him sternly.
Cha Meiling paused, then suddenly laughed sadly: "After saying all this, you just want to deny me and then demand that I hand over my family property!"
"Otherwise what?!" Cha Shenlou suddenly calmed down.
He looked at Cha Meiling and said, "Let me tell you, your only chance now is to help me! Help me take back everything that belongs to our Cha family! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless as your father!"
He lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and roughly slapped Cha Meiling's face: "Think it over carefully, my good girl!"
After saying that, he slammed the door and left!
Cha Meiling slumped blankly onto the stool.
The auction broadcast on TV showed Ning Yuan looking glamorous and surrounded by people, a stark contrast to her current disheveled state, as if they were from two different worlds.
That beast Cha Shenlou may not have said anything else right, but he did say one thing correctly—
Everything Ning Yuan has now is hers, and it is everything she once had.
But why has everything changed...?
From the moment Ning Yuan was recognized and returned to the Ning family... and from the moment I missed the chance to take back the jade chili pepper from Ning Yuan's hands... everything was spiraling out of control.
...
On the other side, the coast was shrouded in deep night. Apart from the biting winter sea breeze, the moon and stars were few and far between.
The Hong Kong Customs vessels that usually patrol the Shenzhen Bay area towards the Hong Kong government were nowhere to be seen that night.
A fishing boat was heading towards Hong Kong Island from Aberdeen Bay. Shortly after meeting up with a Hong Kong government fishing boat, the fishing boat also headed towards the Hong Kong government.
Shortly afterward, the Hong Kong government's fishing boats docked at a small pier in Tuen Mun.
A group of more than a dozen burly men came down from above, all wearing combat boots, dressed in black and masked as mercenaries, and they didn't say a word.
There were people at the pier to meet them. After exchanging a few words with the tall man in the lead, they all got into several vans and drove towards the New Territories.
An hour and a half later, their car stopped in front of an inconspicuous two-story villa.
Tony was greeted at the door by a group of bodyguards in suits.
The man in the lead naturally reached out and shook hands with him.
Tony ushered them inside: "Rest in the lobby for a while and take a look at the goods."
The man wore a black hood, and the only parts of his body exposed were his well-defined, muscular forearms and a pair of cold, dark phoenix eyes like those of a hawk.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com