"Why did you break up out of the blue?!" Old Madam He raised her voice sharply.
He Siyu held the phone slightly away from his ear and replied indifferently, "We weren’t compatible."
Old Madam He cursed angrily, "Don’t feed me that nonsense! You wretched boy! You barely dated for a few days before breaking up, and now the whole world knows! What will happen to Sang Ning’s reputation?! How did I end up with such a disgraceful grandson!"
He Siyu moved the phone even farther away, rubbing his ear. "Grandma, calm down."
"You want me to calm down? Then stop causing trouble! Sang Ning is such a good girl—gentle and sensible. What more could you possibly want?!"
He Siyu’s gaze wandered absently over the bustling crowd at the hospital entrance, where Nan Sangning’s figure had long since disappeared.
Truthfully, he had no real complaints.
If he had to nitpick, she was a bit too delicate in bed.
Old Madam He continued her tirade, "You better go find her and bring her back, you hear me?! Let me make this clear—no woman other than Sang Ning will ever set foot in the He Family!"
"Hmm," he responded lazily.
The dismissive tone only fueled her anger. "If you don’t bring her back, don’t you dare step into the He Family’s house either!"
Then she hung up abruptly.
He Siyu: "..."
---
The hospital reeked of disinfectant, an unpleasant scent that clung to the air. Sang Ning went straight upstairs and pushed open the door to the VIP ward.
Grandpa had already been wheeled back into the room, and nearly all the Nan Family members had gathered, forming a tight circle around him.
The doctor advised, "Grandpa suffered a sudden surge of anger. Given his age, he can’t handle extreme stress. Fortunately, he was brought to the hospital in time, so there’s no immediate danger. But we’ll need to keep him under observation for a couple of days."
The Nan Family nodded repeatedly. "Of course, of course."
Only then did the doctor leave.
Grandpa’s eyelids fluttered slightly, and the family members immediately crowded closer.
"Dad!"
"Grandpa!"
Still connected to an oxygen tube, Grandpa opened his cloudy eyes weakly and murmured, "Nan… Nan Zhenming…"
Nan Zhenming, hearing his name, quickly shoved Nan Muchen aside and leaned in. "Dad, what do you want to tell me?"
Grandpa exhaled heavily, then lifted his hand and slapped Nan Zhenming across the face.
"You useless waste!"
Though weak, the slap carried enough force to humiliate Nan Zhenming, leaving his face flushed with shame.
Nan Siya and Nan Muchen were stunned, while Nan Wenyue and Nan Zhenxing barely concealed their schadenfreude.
Wen Meiling hurried to mediate. "Dad, Zhenming didn’t mean to—"
Grandpa gritted his teeth. "How much more intentional does he need to be?! He’s only been in charge of the company for a month, and already, several major projects have stalled! And he kept it from me until he couldn’t hide it anymore!"
His face reddened with fury again. "Not only that—he had the audacity to use a huge amount of cash flow to acquire Chen Corporation while the company was in complete disarray! Now the funding chain is broken, and our partners are at our doorstep demanding answers. The Nan Family’s legacy is being destroyed by your hands!"
Nan Zhenming clutched his cheek. "Dad! You approved the acquisition of Chen Corporation! I was just following orders—"
"Did you tell me the company was in chaos before making that move?!"
Grandpa was seething. Wen Meiling rushed to pat his back. "Please, calm down. Don’t let your anger get the best of you!"
Earlier at home, Grandpa had received a call from Nan Zhenming and overheard the chaos in the meeting room—the disastrous news of the Nan Family’s financial collapse. The shock had sent him into a fainting spell.
Grandpa was old and frail, so he had entrusted the company to the younger generation. For the past six months, Nan Sangning had managed everything flawlessly—projects ran smoothly, profits soared.
The Xinghong product line, in particular, had been a resounding success.
Never could Grandpa have imagined that in just one month under Nan Zhenming’s leadership, the company would be on the verge of ruin.
Worse yet, Nan Zhenming had recklessly spent a fortune acquiring Chen Corporation despite the internal turmoil. The gamble backfired, leaving the Nan Family in a worse state than Chen Corporation itself!
Nan Zhenming gnashed his teeth. "This is all Nan Sangning’s fault! I had already placated our partners—they were willing to give us leeway out of respect for the He Family. But then she had to go and break up with He Siyu!"
A cool voice spoke up from behind. "So, it’s my fault now?"
Nan Zhenming stiffened, turning to meet Sang Ning’s composed gaze. An inexplicable chill ran down his spine.
The family instinctively parted to let her through. Sang Ning approached the bed and looked at Grandpa.
"Basing the Nan Family’s survival on an outsider whose engagement wasn’t even finalized—isn’t that just courting disaster?"
Nan Zhenming fumed. "You—!"
Her words struck a nerve—not just in Nan Zhenming, but in Grandpa as well.
Grandpa’s expression darkened. Like Nan Zhenming, he had assumed Nan Sangning’s marriage to He Siyu was a done deal.
After all, He Siyu had publicly announced their relationship, personally visited the Nan Family, and shown utmost sincerity in proposing the union during Grandpa’s birthday banquet.
With so many people fawning over the Nan Family lately, Grandpa had grown complacent, believing their future was secure.
But then came this devastating blow.
Grandpa struggled to speak. "Go beg He Siyu… ask him to help the Nan Family…"
Sang Ning shook her head. "He Siyu said if I pester him again, he’ll make sure the Nan Family suffers."
Grandpa paled.
How could he be so heartless?!
Nan Zhenming, boiling with rage, lashed out at Sang Ning. "You didn’t even try begging properly! How do you know he wouldn’t soften?! The Nan Family is on the brink of collapse, and you’re not even doing your part!"
Sang Ning’s lips curled coldly. "Father, you’re the one who drove the Nan Family to ruin. I don’t see you doing much to fix it either."
"I—!" Nan Zhenming choked on his words, nearly suffocating.
"Enough! The company is about to go bankrupt, and you’re still squabbling?!" Grandpa clutched his chest in pain.
The ward fell silent again. The Nan Family members looked anxious, even Nan Zhenming’s arrogance now tinged with fear.
Grandpa turned to Sang Ning, but her expression remained eerily calm—unchanged from before.
Yet that very calmness was unsettling.
"Sang Ning, think of something—pull some strings. This concerns the Nan Family’s survival. You don’t want us to go under, do you?" Grandpa’s tone was almost pleading.
Sang Ning shook her head. "I’m just a junior who’s already stepped down from the company. I doubt I have the ability."
Grandpa immediately countered, "Then return to the company. Take over Nan Corporation again—"
Sang Ning smiled faintly, her eyes laced with mockery. "Grandpa, the leadership of Nan Corporation changes too often."
Grandpa’s face froze.
Sang Ning suppressed the smile on her lips and met Grandpa's sharp gaze, her voice calm yet firm. "If you want me back to clean up this mess, fine. But I demand to be the major shareholder of Nan Corporation, with absolute control over its management."
