Sang Ning shook her head. "I didn’t know anything about it."
Nan Wenyue was furious, shrieking, "You didn’t know?! Stop pretending! I was there—I saw it with my own eyes!"
Nan Siya’s voice trembled with tears. "Mom, Dad, did you hear that? It was Nan Sang Ning who kicked me into the pond that day. She did it on purpose!"
Nan Zhenming also scolded sternly, "Sang Ning, don’t lie. Tell the truth!"
"That day, I was seeing Auntie and her family off. She did ask me what I had seen or heard at the He Family," Sang Ning replied calmly. "I told her I only saw Grandma He. She didn’t believe me and said if I didn’t give her any useful information, she’d go back and twist the truth—telling you and Grandpa that I was the one who pushed Siya into the pond."
"After all, Auntie was the only witness. She could say whatever she wanted. She even threatened that if you believed her, you’d kick me out of the house and send me back to the countryside to live like a wild girl again. I was terrified, so I had no choice but to tell her what I’d seen at the He Family."
"You’re spouting nonsense! It was clearly—"
Grandpa interrupted sternly, "What did you tell her?"
Sang Ning turned to him. "I said I also met Third Young Master He at the He Family. Grandma He asked him to drive me back. Though he didn’t speak to me during the ride, I overheard him mention Jifeng Automobile on a call. At the time, I only caught a fragment of the conversation, so I wasn’t sure. That’s why I didn’t mention it to you, Grandpa. But Auntie kept pressuring me, so I had no choice."
Nan Wenyue cursed, "You little snake! You’re lying through your teeth! You did it deliberately!"
Grandpa studied Sang Ning with a scrutinizing gaze.
"So, you really heard Third Young Master He mention Jifeng Automobile?"
Sang Ning looked uncertain. "I’m not sure. Third Young Master He is a cold person. He only drove me back because Grandma He asked him to. He didn’t speak to me the whole way. I just happened to overhear his phone call."
Her words conveyed two key points to Grandpa.
First, Grandma He valued her enough to have He Siyu personally escort her home.
Second, even if Sang Ning had no deep connections with the He Family, any tidbit she picked up there—any piece of information—was something the Nan Family couldn’t obtain easily, no matter how many connections they had.
Grandpa reassessed Sang Ning, his eyes now recognizing her worth.
Nan Wenyue and Nan Sang Ning each stuck to their own version of events, making it hard to discern the truth. But one thing was crystal clear—who held value.
Just as Nan Wenyue was about to argue further, Grandpa snapped, "The Nan Family has barely had a few peaceful days, and now you’re stirring up trouble again! Can’t you let this household rest?" His anger was palpable. "What happened between Siya and Sang Ning was ages ago. Why dredge it up now? This ends here!"
Nan Wenyue’s face twisted in shock. Was Grandpa really favoring Sang Ning this much?
Nan Siya looked at Wen Meiling and Nan Zhenming with teary eyes, her expression full of grievance.
But Nan Zhenming only berated Sang Ning. "This isn’t over! Nan Sang Ning, how dare you lie at your age? You kicked Siya into the pond, didn’t you? How could I have such a malicious daughter?"
"Why are you so sure I’m the one lying? In your eyes, is my word worth less than Auntie’s? Even Grandpa trusts me. Why won’t you?"
Nan Zhenming choked on his anger. "Look at the mess you’ve made!"
Sang Ning’s tone turned icy. "Even if you don’t believe me, do you doubt Grandpa’s judgment too? As the head of this family, his decisions are being openly challenged by you. The ancients said, ‘Filial piety is the foundation of all virtues.’ If a family disrespects its elders, allows insubordination, and descends into chaos, how can it prosper for long?"
Her words struck a chord with Grandpa, who nodded approvingly at her.
Nan Zhenming, however, was livid. "And what about you? Is this how you show respect to your elders?"
Sang Ning replied solemnly, "I’m offering sincere advice, hoping you won’t disappoint Grandpa."
Nan Zhenming gritted his teeth. So when he argued, it was insubordination, but when she did, it was "sincere advice"? How did she always twist things in her favor?
Nan Wenyue screeched, "Dad, don’t listen to this little witch! She swindled me out of half my fortune—millions! She has to be thrown out!"
Grandpa frowned.
Sang Ning remained composed. "The Classic of Women states, ‘A married woman follows her husband.’ Auntie, now that you’re married, you should focus on your own household instead of sowing discord here, spreading lies, and disturbing the peace."
Nan Wenyue’s eyes bulged. Where did this girl dig up all these archaic rules?
Wen Meiling was equally stunned. She never imagined her own daughter would sound more old-fashioned than Grandpa himself. Was this really the same girl who grew up in the countryside?
"Dad, she—"
"Enough!"
Grandpa’s roar silenced the room. "Children squabble—it’s nothing more than petty fights. Must you drag it out endlessly? Do you want to drive me to an early grave?"
The room fell dead silent. No one dared to speak.
Grandpa took a sip of tea before slamming the cup down.
"Nan Wenyue, you made your own investment decisions. Why blame Sang Ning, a girl who just returned from the countryside and knows nothing about these things? Your losses are your own. Don’t expect me to clean up your mess."
Nan Wenyue’s face darkened, but one look at Grandpa’s stormy expression made her swallow her words.
Grandpa then turned to Nan Zhenming and his wife. "I’ll say this one last time—what’s done is done. No more digging up the past! If you disregard my words again, you can take over as head of this family!"
No one dared to utter another word.
With a cold snort, Grandpa abandoned his meal and stormed upstairs.
Nan Zhenming, fearing Grandpa’s wrath, hurried after him. Wen Meiling followed suit. "Dad, don’t let anger ruin your health."
Nan Siya and Nan Muchen also scampered away.
Sang Ning met Nan Wenyue’s venomous glare with composure.
Nan Wenyue trembled with rage. "Nan Sang Ning, you little viper! You set me up! Spouting rules left and right, but your heart is the blackest of all!"
Sang Ning replied coolly, "I warned you at the time—I wasn’t sure. Your greed is your own undoing."
"You—!"
Sang Ning had little patience for defeated opponents. She gave Nan Wenyue a dismissive glance before walking away.
She knew Nan Wenyue’s nature—if she didn’t strike first, she’d end up as her pawn. If she didn’t teach her a lesson, Nan Wenyue would never stop thinking she could be manipulated.
As for rules?
Her Great-grandfather once told her: Rules are made by the strong. The weak can only obey them.
Her Great-grandmother taught her: If you can’t change the rules, learn to use them—to your greatest advantage.
She curled her lips. Coincidentally, she hailed from the Xie family—a clan with three thousand rigid rules etched into its lineage. No one understood propriety better than she did, and no one wielded those rules to her advantage more deftly.
