Huo Xiang was still remarkably resilient.
He hadn’t even fainted from anger.
He had actually stayed at the dinner table and finished the entire meal!
Even the System couldn’t help but marvel.
“What incredible tolerance. Even this System is starting to admire him. After being attacked so mercilessly by its host, he not only didn’t go insane, he was even able to keep his composure.”
“But aren’t you afraid that if you keep messing with him like this, he’ll fly into a rage and make blood spill three feet high?”
“What’s there to be afraid of?”
Su Ning lazily yawned. She was full from the meal and feeling sleepy.
“With those rudimentary skills of his, does he really think he can get past Su One’s defenses? And even if we take a step back and say he does manage to hurt me, I can’t die anyway. He, on the other hand, would only be condemning himself to death.
“With someone like Huo Xiang, the less polite you are to him, the more confident you become—and the less likely he is to dare do anything to you. At most, he’ll imagine tearing me to pieces in his head, while comforting himself with the saying that a gentleman’s revenge may take ten years!”
The System was speechless.
The meal was over.
Su Ning was the first to leave, behaving as though she were completely at home rather than a guest. She was practically looking down on everyone.
Lin Sen naturally set down his chopsticks and, with even better manners than the host, nodded to everyone before rising to follow Su Ning.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone watching him. It was Madam Huo, frowning hesitantly, clearly wanting to say something while waiting for him to ask.
What did that have to do with him?
Lin Sen indifferently averted his gaze and hurried after the figure ahead.
It was as if the missing piece of a puzzle had finally been put in place.
The picture was complete.
Watching them leave, Madam Huo felt a heavy knot of frustration clogging her chest. When she looked at her side and saw her pale-faced son, who had taken the initiative to seek reconciliation only to be humiliated, her heart ached even more.
Suddenly, a thought surfaced.
If… Lin’er had never come back, it would have been better.
She was shocked when she realized what she was thinking. Yet once the thought had appeared, she could no longer suppress it. Like weeds, it spread wildly, impossible to uproot or cut away.
The family had been perfectly fine before.
Everyone had lived together in harmony. Xiang had been sensible, clever, and filial.
But then Lin’er returned.
Everything had fallen into chaos.
The household had been thrown into turmoil. The servants were unsettled, and outsiders were pointing fingers at the Huo family, waiting to watch the show.
She was sick with worry.
And although Lin’er was her biological son, she simply couldn’t bring herself to like him.
He was cold and aloof, and his competitive streak was one thing—but he also obeyed that Su Ning in everything. Even after all this time, he still treated himself like her subordinate, showing no consideration at all for the Huo family’s dignity. He was selfish and utterly incapable of making a respectable impression.
So it was no wonder she favored Xiang!
With that thought, Madam Huo calmed down. She turned toward her adopted son and gently comforted him. After thinking for a moment, she added, “You want to accomplish something great, and your mother may not understand much about that, but I do have some money. Not much—how about I invest one hundred thousand?”
She said it wasn’t much.
In reality, although she had been born into the An family and received a generous dowry, she had spent many years as the only woman in charge of the Huo household’s inner affairs and had accumulated considerable savings.
Still, one hundred thousand yuan was no small amount.
That was nearly all the liquid cash in her account. She might even have to sell some assets that could be converted into cash easily.
“No, how could I take your money? That would be terribly unfilial.”
A flicker passed through Huo Xiang’s eyes.
He made a show of refusing.
Sure enough, hearing this made Madam Huo feel even more gratified. She offered the money more willingly than ever.
“Silly child, what does filial or unfilial have to do with it? Everything your mother owns will belong to you sooner or later. I’m only giving it to you in advance. Take it without worry.”
After several rounds of polite pushing and pulling, Huo Xiang finally accepted the money.
He said, “In this family, you’re the only one who still cares about me, Mother. As for Grandpa… forget it. Having you is enough for me. Baiyuchicken does need the money right now, but once the business gets on track and starts turning a profit, I’ll pay you back.”
Madam Huo was deeply moved.
She completely failed to notice that the good son in her eyes had only said he would repay her.
He hadn’t mentioned interest.
He hadn’t said the money would count as an investment, entitling her to a share of the profits.
He hadn’t even said when he would pay her back!
……
Summer was fast approaching.
The heat in Nanyang was growing stronger, but even the blazing sun couldn’t extinguish the public’s appetite for gossip. During this period, one spectacle after another had unfolded in the Huo family.
It was practically a serialized drama.
And now there was another major development—
Those two brothers, unrelated by blood on either side, were both going to raise white-feather chickens on a large scale!
It was a showdown.
On the true heir’s side, Old Master Huo had provided two hundred thousand yuan—an entire two hundred thousand! People couldn’t help sighing that blood really was thicker than water.
Then, shortly afterward, word spread that Huo Xiang had also obtained two hundred thousand. Madam Huo couldn’t bear to see her adopted son fall behind, so she scraped together her savings and somehow added another fifty thousand.
Outsiders didn’t know the details.
They had no idea that Old Master Huo had only given Lin Sen fifty thousand, while the rest had come from Madam Huo.
In the end, both sides had two hundred thousand.
The public became even more excited.
Everyone eagerly discussed which of the two would inherit the Huo family. The two were going head-to-head—who would come out on top?
“What’s there to discuss? The family fortune will obviously go to the biological son. He’s the one who’ll perform the filial duties at his grandfather’s funeral. Just look anywhere in the world—that’s how things are done.”
Many people agreed.
But there were also those who disagreed.
“Huo Xiang bears the Huo surname too, and they’re still relatives within five generations. He was raised by the family from childhood and is capable as well. It’s not as if he’s inferior to the biological son. Didn’t both of them receive two hundred thousand for raising white-feather chickens this time?”
Everyone argued their own side.
For some reason, their attention eventually settled on the white-feather chickens being raised by the two men.
Someone proposed an idea:
“Perhaps this is the Huo family’s test. They want to see which of the two is more qualified to inherit the family. Didn’t they give both sides the same amount of money?”
It sounded perfectly reasonable.
Gradually, it became the consensus among outsiders.
It also added fuel to the rivalry between Lin Sen and Huo Xiang. Lin Sen himself remained fairly calm, but Huo Xiang was fired up with fighting spirit. Naturally, this wasn’t the only reason.
The Japanese had influenced him as well.
After having thwarted their plans several times, Su Ning had become a thorn in the Japanese people’s side, a thorn in their flesh. If it weren’t for her tight security, she would have long since been killed by a sniper and sent to hell.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already successfully raised several batches of white-feather chickens. My experience in every area surpasses hers. As long as I get them onto the market first, establish the brand, and seize the market, what can she do? She can’t stop ordinary people from eating meat, can she?”
“As for Huo Lin… humph. He’s only had enough to eat for a few years. What could he possibly know?”
Huo Xiang gave the Japanese his assurance.
He sounded extremely confident.
But he had not truly let down his guard.
On this day, Huo Xiang came to inspect the farm. Guan Jixing led a group of people out to greet him and confidently began his introduction.
At a glance, the enormous chicken farm was packed with little chicks, all flapping their wings. Nearby, breeding hens were continuously producing more chicks.
“Not bad.”
Huo Xiang didn’t look for long. The more chickens there were, the more waste they produced. The chicken droppings covering the ground, both in shape and smell, reminded him of a particularly humiliating memory.
He nodded and instructed them, “We have the experience and the manpower. Raise as many chickens as possible—the more, the better. Don’t worry about whether they’ll sell. As long as we raise them, they’ll become money!”
Guan Jixing was just about to agree.
But then a man carrying a bucket came from behind. His face was filled with worry, and he couldn’t help interrupting.
“Boss, I don’t think we can keep raising so many for now. The conditions aren’t keeping up, and it’s too dirty. We don’t have enough workers either, and the chickens keep getting sick. Look—another bucketful has died this time.”
The bucket was filled with dead chicks.
