After the family finished breakfast, Huo Nanchu and Huo Shan headed off to the company.
They had originally planned a business trip yesterday but postponed it to pick up Wei Jinning, so they had to rush out today instead.
Huo Jinxin had taken the day off from school.
“Little sister, want to go shopping?” Huo Jinxin had already decided last night to take Wei Jinning out today and buy her some things she liked.
“Sure!” Wei Jinning replied cheerfully.
[Going out to shop without having to spend my own money.]
[In the past, whenever I wanted something, I’d always check the price first. I usually bought knockoffs from Taotao.]
[Poor quality and no shape.]
[But now, I don’t have to think about money at all.]
[Big sis is the best. I love her so much.]
“Ningning, buy whatever you want. Mom’s got money,” Zhao Qiuying chimed in, not wanting to be outshined.
She couldn’t let Wei Jinning love her sister more—if anyone was to be loved most, it had to be her, the mother.
“Thank you, Mom.”
[Wow, Mom, so generous.]
[I love you most, Mom.]
Huo Jinxin thought to herself, what a fickle little woman.
Hmph, I won’t talk to you for a minute… okay, maybe just ten seconds since you’re so little!
At the mall, the three enjoyed exclusive private shopping service and bought to their heart’s content.
They only returned home when Wei Jinning could physically shop no more.
[Aiya! I’m exhausted.]
[It was fun, but man, I’m dead tired.]
[I never want to leave home again.]
[My bed is the best.]
[I’m gonna love and pamper my little bed.]
[Here I come, my bed~]
Zhao Qiuying and Huo Jinxin looked at the seemingly quiet Wei Jinning, both silently marveling at the colorful and complex world inside her head.
“Ningning, after you eat a little, take a shower and get some rest, okay? We’ve been out all morning, you must be worn out,” Zhao Qiuying said gently.
“Mhm, okay. I do feel a bit tired,” Wei Jinning nodded sweetly.
Knowing her mother and sister were probably just as tired, she added, “Mom, Sis, you should take a break too.”
“Alright,” they both nodded in agreement.
After returning to the Huo residence, the three had a quick light meal and each headed back to their rooms to rest.
[Xiao Liu, don’t you think rich people’s lives are kind of boring too?]
Wei Jinning’s lips curled into a proud, slightly mischievous smile. If one could ignore the obvious smugness on her face—a face practically begging to be smacked—Xiao Liu might have believed her nonsense.
But Xiao Liu stayed silent.
【……】
Meanwhile, back with Huo Shan, a new lead had surfaced. After investigation, it turned out that Huo Chengyu’s assistant, Xiao Zhang, had indeed been communicating with outsiders.
What was surprising, however, was that the contact didn’t seem to be from the photography industry.
Could it be that the information Ningning provided was inaccurate?
Huo Shan’s men continued to tail Xiao Zhang closely, not daring to relax for even a moment.
At the same time, Huo Nanchu also began a deeper investigation into the other four major families, but gathering clues and evidence would take time.
Not only that, Huo Nanchu also heightened his vigilance, paying close attention to the people around him—especially those close friends he trusted most.
He knew very well how unpredictable people could be. In this power struggle, even the slightest negligence could lead to deadly consequences.
That very afternoon, an unexpected visitor arrived at the Huo residence.
This uninvited guest was named Ye Lan. She was petite and delicate, gentle and beautiful—someone who naturally evoked feelings of sympathy and the urge to protect her. Ever since the Ye family declared bankruptcy, Ye Lan had gone abroad. She and Huo Nanchu had since parted ways and she’d had no further contact with the Huo family.
And yet, here she was, suddenly back without warning.
“Aunt Zhao, hello. Hello, Xinxin.” Ye Lan greeted everyone with a smile and polite tone.
“Ye Lan! It’s been so long. How have you been all these years?” Zhao Qiuying warmly stepped forward to take her hand, asking with genuine concern.
Back when Ye Lan had left, Zhao Qiuying had felt a bit of regret—after all, Ye Lan had been such a well-behaved and sensible young woman.
Xiao Liu: [Ding! Drama alert.]
[Let me take a look…]
Zhao Qiuying introduced her to Wei Jinning:
“Ningning, this is your sister from the Ye family—Ye Lan.”
“Ye Lan, this is my daughter, Wei Jinning. We only recently found her.”
“Hello, Ningning-meimei(younger sister),” Ye Lan greeted sweetly.
At first, Ye Lan had been worried upon seeing such a pretty girl at the Huo residence—thinking she might be Huo Nanchu’s girlfriend. But upon hearing she was his younger sister, her worries disappeared.
“Hello, Sister Ye.”
[Ah!! Is she for real?!]
[Back when the Ye family went bankrupt, she drugged my big brother in hopes of marrying into the Huo family quickly.]
[But thanks to a twist of fate, she drugged the wrong person.]
[It turned out to be someone who admired her and had a bit of money, so she married him and moved to America.]
[According to the plot, she’s already been pregnant for over a month. She’s back now looking to make my brother take responsibility.]
[When big bro refused, she drugged him a second time.]
[It worked. She successfully married into the Huo family.]
[The whole family treated her kindly because of the baby, except my big brother—he stayed cold toward her. So she kept a boytoy on the side.]
[In the end, she even colluded with my brother’s friend to lure him to Northern Myanmar, where he died in a foreign land.]
After exchanging a glance with Huo Jinxin, Zhao Qiuying casually let go of Ye Lan’s hand under the pretense of going to get fruit. At the same time, the overly warm smile on her face faded quickly and discreetly.
She felt secretly relieved in her heart: Good thing that woman left with someone else back then, or she would’ve turned this household completely upside down!
“Xiao Lan, it’s been so long—did you get married?” Zhao Qiuying asked cautiously, still harboring a glimmer of hope. Maybe her daughter Ningning had gotten it wrong?
Perhaps Ye Lan was just back to visit some old acquaintances, nothing more.
However, Ye Lan answered with feigned sorrow, “Aunt Zhao, I haven’t. After meeting the best man in the world, no other man has ever moved me again.”
The implication in her words couldn’t be more obvious. Zhao Qiuying’s last bit of hope crumbled instantly.
“Big Sister Ye, you’re already close to thirty! If you don’t hurry up and get married soon, no one will want you later,” Wei Jinning said bluntly from the side, unable to tolerate Ye Lan’s affected demeanor any longer.
“After all, once a woman is past thirty, it’s like she’s out-of-season stock on discount—no longer worth much!” she added with a fake embarrassed look. “Sorry, Sister Ye, I didn’t mean to offend you. I just speak without thinking—please don’t take it personally.”
[Ugh, you disgust me.]
[Trying to sink your claws into my big brother, huh?]
“It’s alright, Ningning-meimei,” Ye Lan replied with a forced smile, though inwardly she was burning with rage. If she hadn’t been so fixated on marrying Huo Nanchu, she wouldn’t have tolerated being humiliated like this by some mouthy little girl.
“Sister Ye, I’m really saying this out of concern for you! Hey, how about we have my mom introduce you to someone suitable?”
“Preferably someone who’s divorced but doesn’t have kids. That way, out of respect for my mom, they’ll probably agree to a blind date and won’t mind that you’re a bit older.”
Wei Jinning blinked her big, seemingly innocent eyes and looked sincerely concerned—like she truly cared about Ye Lan.
Then she added, “And if you’re not too keen on having kids, that’s okay too. At your age, giving birth could be dangerous anyway.”
“It might be better to just marry a man who already has children. That way, you don’t have to go through the pain of childbirth, and you still get a ready-made baby—win-win, don’t you think?”
She spoke so logically and smoothly, as if completely unaware of how hurtful her words were.
Faced with Wei Jinning’s “kind” suggestions, Ye Lan was so angry she couldn’t say a word. Her fists clenched tightly, fingers trembling from the fury she struggled to contain.
Just then, Zhao Qiuying chimed in, “Ye Lan, actually, what Ningning said isn’t entirely wrong. You should give it some thought.”
“Once a woman passes the usual marriageable age, it really does get harder to find a suitable partner.”
“Especially considering your family’s current situation, you really need to be clear-headed about things.”
Her words were like a knife plunged straight into Ye Lan’s heart, leaving her breathless with pain.
“Yes, yes, Sister Ye, my mom and sister are both right,” Huo Jinxin echoed. She had liked Ye Lan in the past, but after all these years apart, the woman she was seeing now wasn’t the one she remembered.
[Huh? Didn’t Mom and Sis use to like Ye Lan a lot?]
[How come they’re not scolding me—instead, they’re agreeing with me?]
[Seems like they also see she’s no good. That’s a relief.]
[If they hadn’t tried to match her with my big brother back then, she might not have had the chance to drug him.]
[I still need to remind my brother to stay far away from her.]
[Once she leaves, I’ll make sure to poison the well a little more in front of Mom and Sis.]
“Zhao Auntie, I…” Ye Lan stammered, now panicking. She hadn’t expected the Zhao Qiuying who once adored her to now look down on her so much.
So it’s because my family went bankrupt? Judging people by their status, huh? Just wait until I marry into this house—I’ll deal with you all then, Ye Lan fumed internally.
Her eyes reddened as she forced herself to cry, pretending to be deeply wronged.
“Sister Ye, why are you crying? No one’s bullying you. If you want to cry, maybe go home and do it—after all, we’re all speaking from the heart for your own good. How could you not be grateful?”
[Ugh, even your whimpering annoys me.]
[There aren’t any men here—what are you crying for? My mom and my sister are both women. No one’s buying that act.]
Ye Lan was now stuck in a dilemma—crying seemed pathetic, but holding back made her look weak.
Just as the tension peaked, Huo Shan returned.
Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Bonus chapters on reaching milestones. Happy reading!