“He wasn’t your child?”
The “you” in question couldn’t possibly mean Madam Huo, could it?
Hahahaha…!!!
Everyone was both shocked and suspicious that they had misheard—or perhaps they simply hadn’t gotten enough sleep and were still dreaming.
Madam Huo frowned.
She had been filled with resentment and unwillingness. After bottling up those words for so many years, finally releasing them had stirred her emotions completely.
Yes, that was right.
Huo Lin was her own child, the only bloodline she and her husband shared.
But why did everyone take it for granted that she had to love this child, that she had to cherish him like a priceless treasure? Why? Why wasn’t she allowed to hate him?
She simply liked her adopted son, Huo Xiang, more.
He had never made her suffer.
He had never caused her pain.
And he had certainly never taken her husband’s life!
So why couldn’t she?
She knew no one would understand these words, these emotions, these thoughts. That was why she could never say them aloud. The more she repressed them, the more painful they became, and the more she wanted to treat Huo Xiang well—as a form of rebellion, a silent act of resistance.
And now…
What had she just heard?
“What do you mean? Huo Lin isn’t my son, then…”
“Can’t you understand something that simple?”
Su Ning cut her off.
She replied nonchalantly, “I mean exactly what I said. Lin Sen isn’t related to you by blood, nor is he related to the Huo family. He isn’t Huo Lin.”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone else was still immersed in shock, but a glimmer of hope rose in Huo Xiang’s heart.
No matter what kind of madness had driven Su Ning to expose herself, perhaps he still had a chance to turn things around…
“However—”
Su Ning noticed the change in his expression and smiled faintly.
It would hurt far more to offer someone hope before destroying it.
With that, she changed direction.
“I didn’t lie to you. I really did find the real Huo Lin. Those photographs, documents, and traces of evidence couldn’t have been fabricated.”
Old Master Huo couldn’t help nodding.
Indeed, if that hadn’t been the case, he would never have accepted Lin Sen so readily.
He breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked, “Miss Su, where is my grandson Huo Lin? Don’t worry. We’ll consider what happened before a joke. You’re still the great benefactor of our family.”
“Oh, he’s in Beiping…” Su Ning thought for a moment, then frowned and asked Lin Sen, “Where was he buried again?”
“In a nameless hill on the outskirts south of the city,” Lin Sen answered, lowering his eyes. “Everyone chipped in to buy a coffin and wrap his body, but we barely had enough money for that. We couldn’t afford a proper burial underground, so we secretly buried him on the mountain late at night. There’s no gravestone, so it won’t be easy to find, but I remember the place.”
After hearing that, how could anyone fail to understand?
The man was dead!
Old Master Huo began breathing heavily, his vision going black. Madam Huo’s face gradually turned deathly pale as well.
Dead.
The child she had given birth to was truly dead. She hadn’t even gotten the chance to see him one last time.
People were strange creatures.
Everyone had assumed that Huo Lin, having been lost outside, was probably doomed. Madam Huo had long since accepted that possibility, so she should have remained calm.
Yet her eyes began to tremble.
So did her hands.
“How pitiful.”
Su Ning sighed softly. “The Huo family’s eldest young master was supposed to live a life of luxury. Instead, he was kidnapped because of his family, left to wander the streets, and barely survive from day to day. He never enjoyed a single day of happiness before he died. Meanwhile, someone else borrowed his good fortune and took his place as Young Master Huo, living in comfort and being pampered by his own mother. Tsk, tsk, tsk. How tragic.”
With every additional word she spoke, the atmosphere in the room grew more oppressive.
Madam Huo’s face grew paler by the moment.
“Heh. Don’t make it sound as though he’s so pitiful, as if you’re some kind of good person,” Huo Xiang suddenly sneered. “Wasn’t this impostor someone you found as well?”
“I am a good person, of course.”
Su Ning looked displeased. “If it weren’t for me, how could the truth about his identity ever have come to light? I was only worried that you, the vicious adopted son who had usurped another’s place, would covet the Huo family’s fortune. Ergou’s two children are still so young—how could they possibly withstand your malicious schemes? So I decided to be kind all the way through and wracked my brains to come up with a plan for Lin Sen to hold the fort while exposing your true colors. If Ergou knows about this from the underworld, he ought to be so grateful that he’ll weep tears of joy!”
Old Master Huo was the first to recover from his shock.
“Ergou… No, Lin’er has children?”
His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at Su Ning, unwilling to miss the slightest change in her expression.
“Yes. A boy and a girl—two children.”
Su Ning nodded.
Upon hearing this, Old Master Huo was nearly overcome by the sudden shift from great sorrow to great joy and almost collapsed to his knees. Tears glimmered in his eyes.
“Good! Wonderful! My poor Lin’er still has descendants. The Huo family still has heirs…”
“When Ergou was alive, the two children were what he worried about most.”
Lin Sen seemed to notice everyone’s gazes and explained, “Ergou and I grew up together. His health was poor, and he died of a cold because he couldn’t afford treatment. At the time, the children were still in their mother’s womb. He asked his friends to look after them and not come for him too soon… Fortunately, the children are both doing well now. They’re lively and adorable.”
“They’re doing well now, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be fine in the future.”
Su Ning picked up the thread of the conversation.
Her tone was cool as she said, “The Huo family may be wealthy, but how many people truly wish those children well? They’d be safer staying in Beiping.”
“They’ll be safe.”
Old Master Huo gritted his teeth, his expression almost ferocious. “Rest assured, Miss Su. There is no one in the Huo family who would threaten those children!”
The meaning behind his words was far too obvious.
Madam Huo opened her mouth.
In the end, she turned her head away.
She said nothing…
Seeing this, Huo Xiang’s heart sank completely.
…………
The matter had come to an end.
Before leaving, Su Ning didn’t forget to wish Madam Huo a speedy recovery from her illness.
Though, judging by the circumstances, Madam Huo might already have been “cured” by the shock. How very polite of her.
“Miss, I speak on behalf of the children when I thank you.”
Lin Sen suddenly spoke.
“Mm.”
Su Ning accepted his gratitude without the slightest hesitation.
After all, without her, those two children would never have appeared in the original novel. She didn’t know whether they had never been found in the first place, or whether Huo Xiang had secretly had them killed.
Saving one life was better than building a seven-story pagoda.
And she had saved several lives this time!
Her accumulated merit was tremendous.
Thus, Su Ning confidently checked the progress bar—
99%.
Her face fell instantly.
“Why is there still one percent left?”
She grew suspicious.
“Could you two be deliberately holding me back?”
The system was furious and immediately defended its innocence.
“…Don’t slander me! I get rewards when the mission is completed too, you know.”
Fine, then.
Su Ning decided to believe it for the time being. Perhaps Huo Xiang had suffered such a devastating blow that he still hadn’t come to his senses. There was no point in rushing.
So she decided to get a good night’s sleep first.
Maybe when she woke up…
The mission would be complete.
Meanwhile.
Huo Xiang sat there, his face ashen and lifeless.
What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to do? What could he possibly do now?!
Japan had completely given up on him.
The Huo family was going to drive him out.
As for his fortune points… Guan Jixing and Mu Wan, who had originally been his greatest sources, were both lunatics and beyond consideration. As for the other people with fortune points, he had already dealt with nearly all of them. The fortune points he had left were pitifully few.
Su Ning.
He forced the name out through clenched teeth, his heart bleeding with hatred.
It was all because of that damned woman. She had insisted on opposing him and ruined everything, reducing him to this state.
His fury burned to its absolute limit.
Then, suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed through Huo Xiang’s mind.
Although he really hated to admit it, Su Ning was far more deserving of the title “bearer of great fortune.” She was the only daughter of a tycoon, and her own father had died young. In this chaotic era, she had relied on money to survive. Not only had she avoided being devoured by the world, but her status had continued to rise.
She had money. She had fortune.
He had been tempted too, and had even tried probing her.
Unfortunately, she was a complete and utter piece of human garbage—arrogant and superior, wanting nothing more than to trample everyone else beneath her feet. She was even stingy enough to withhold the slightest bit of favor from him.
But what if she no longer had the means to be so proud?
An orphan girl whose parents were both dead.
Cast adrift.
Destitute and penniless.
At that point, the smallest show of kindness would be enough to make her shed grateful tears, wouldn’t it?
Imagining that beautiful scene, Huo Xiang exhaled and called upon his “fortuitous opportunity,” offering up a sincere prayer. Perhaps it knew that he had reached the most critical moment as well. To his surprise, it actually displayed a solution: a “dream” based on the real world. To the user, however, it would feel utterly real, and once it ended, the emotions experienced would be etched deeply into the soul.
This was it!
But even after he poured in every fortune point he had, it still wasn’t enough.
Huo Xiang clenched his teeth.
He was a bearer of great fortune himself!
He would stake everything on it.
A few seconds later, a laugh filled with barely contained suppression rang out. It grew louder and louder, until it echoed wildly.
