The moment Gu Shaotao heard Ning Yunhuan call him a burden, his eyes took on a greenish tint. If Gu Xian hadn't held him back fiercely, he would have surely leaped up already. Even without speaking, his gaze was sinister enough to raise Ning Yunhuan's guard.

"Shut up, I wasn't talking to you!" With Gu Yingxi gone, Ning Yuncheng was already frantic and had no patience for petty squabbles. Seeing Ning Yunhuan open her mouth now made his eyes burn crimson with rage. If it weren't for the two bodyguards standing by her side, Ning Yuncheng would have charged forward and struck her himself: "Regarding Xi'er's situation, this isn't over between us. You better pray I don't catch you, or I'll make you pay with your life!"

"Get out!" Hearing this, Father Ning finally lost control, raising the cane in his hand to strike at him. Ning Yuncheng initially managed to restrain himself from retaliating, but after two blows, Father Ning put surprising force into the strikes. The pain was unbearable, and while dodging the third swing, the cane caught him squarely on the face. A surge of unprovoked anger immediately welled up in him. He grabbed the cane and shoved back with all his might.

Father Ning had just been discharged after surgery and was still weak. Ning Yuncheng, despite his disheveled appearance, was a tall, strong young man. With that push, Father Ning couldn't keep his balance and staggered backward, head thrown up. Luckily, a large man nearby reacted swiftly, steadying him before he could fall, though the hat on his head tumbled off, revealing a scar about a hand-span long on the back of his scalp.

Seeing Father Ning nearly thrown down by Ning Yuncheng, Ning Yunhuan couldn't hold back: "Ning Yuncheng, do you have any idea Father just got out of the hospital?"

"Why did he hit my Big Brother?" Gu Shaotao, who had been holding back, finally snapped. He had long disliked this woman, Ning Yunhuan. Ever since meeting her, he had been humiliated by her countless times, and he swore that one day he would make her grovel before him like a dog begging for mercy!

Seeing Ning Yunhuan speak now, he let out a cold laugh. Ignoring Gu Xian still restraining him, he jutted out his chin and sneered: "An old man who won't die is a menace. He deserved to be hit for striking my Big Brother!" The 'Big Brother' he referred to was Ning Yuncheng. He secretly adored Gu Yingxi and had always resented her for finding another man. Thus, although he appreciated Ning Yuncheng's supposed dedication to the Gu family, he still couldn't bring himself to call him 'brother-in-law,' hence 'Big Brother.'

After defending Ning Yuncheng, Gu Shaotao continued: "Old men should stay in bed. If you go out too much, watch out for ghosts!" He finished with a threat, flexing his fingers.

Recently, Gu Shaotao had started hanging out with Run Ge, a former street thug known for swindling and petty crime—a minor gang leader on their street. Gu Shaotao was wild by nature, eloquent, and remarkably patient. Recalling the humiliation Sister Yingxi suffered at the Ning house, he vowed to get revenge someday.

He had never been academically gifted, so after graduating high school, he had no desire to continue studying. Now, mixed in with Run Ge, he heard Run Ge knew some major figures upstairs—big shots with powerful backing. He intended to meet one of those figures someday. Once he had connections and money, he would make every member of the Ning family suffer a terrible end!

Connecting the situation to the possibility of Sister Yingxi being harmed by Ning Yunhuan, he couldn't hold back any longer. After spending time with the rough crowd outside, foul language spilled from his mouth: "You, a woman ridden by a thousand men..."

As Gu Shaotao uttered this, Ning Yunhuan was reminded of her own fate in the novel. Her eyes turned icy. She beckoned the other large man with a gesture: "His mouth is filthy; he wasn't taught manners by his parents. You teach him what it means to speak like a human being!"

The big man agreed, stepping forward and snatching up Gu Shaotao as easily as grabbing a chick. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free. The man then slapped him forcefully on both sides of his face!

"Miss Ning, you harmed my daughter, and now you intend to harm my son too?" Seeing Ning Yunhuan's actions, Gu Xian was instantly shocked and furious. "Yuncheng, this..."

"Mom, don't worry." Ning Yuncheng, seeing Gu Shaotao spitting blood from split lips after being beaten, was too choked up to speak coherently. Hearing the heavy smacks, he tried to rush forward to save him: "Let him go!"

"Beat him too." Ning Yunhuan had long wanted to discipline Ning Yuncheng, recalling the time he had slapped her in a past life. Her eyes were cold, and without hesitation, she ordered: "If he wants to share the hardships, slap him too."

The big man readily complied. The man supporting Father Ning immediately stepped in and grabbed Ning Yuncheng as well. These two had long noticed Ning Yunhuan’s displeasure with Ning Yuncheng. Eager to please their mistress, they struck Ning Yuncheng across the face without a second thought!

With a sharp smack, Ning Yuncheng, whose collar was being yanked and whose medium-length hair was pulled tight, couldn't evade the blow. The slap sent stars flashing before his eyes, leaving his cheek burning. For a moment, he couldn't even feel the pain.

He had initially felt a pang of guilt for nearly knocking Father Ning down, but Ning Yunhuan ordering him to be hit without a word instantly erased it.

People say you shouldn't strike a man in the face, and Ning Yuncheng was Ning Yunhuan's brother, yet she ordered his face to be struck! Ning Yuncheng's eyes turned instantly red. If he could still move freely, his first instinct would be to fight Ning Yunhuan head-on! His prior guilt toward Father Ning completely vanished the moment Ning Yunhuan commanded his beating.

Watching Ning Yuncheng take the punishment, unable to fight back, Ning Yunhuan recalled the humiliation of her past life, where she had endured similar slaps. Seeing retribution delivered to him now brought an indescribable satisfaction. Watching him glare at her, powerless, Ning Yunhuan curved her lips slightly, signaling the two men to stop. She then looked coldly at Gu Shaotao: "Have you learned your lesson?" A man with no ability shouldn't speak so recklessly. But remembering his potential fate in the novel and the glory of her past life, Ning Yunhuan quickly made up her mind not to push him too far this time.

This tactic was taught to her by Lan Lingyan: if you truly hate someone, never drive them to a dead end. Instead, torture them until they wish for death, offering them small glimmers of hope repeatedly. After a few cycles, they lose all will to fight—that person is essentially ruined! This method was perfectly suited for someone like Gu Shaotao.

Seeing Gu Shaotao bleeding from the mouth and nose, having lost two teeth, Ning Yunhuan smiled and ordered him released. She then turned to Ning Yuncheng: "Father was nearly knocked down by you, and he doesn't blame you, but I need to teach you how to be a son. Looking like this, you still want to support your cheap mother-in-law? You can't even support yourself; you're trash pretending to be a romantic hero." She clapped her hands dismissively: "Let him go!"

Perhaps due to the shock, when the two big men threw Ning Yuncheng down, his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his face, his eyes wide with terror, unable to utter a word. In contrast, Gu Shaotao, though far more seriously injured, appeared calmer. But the calmer he became, the more wary Ning Yunhuan felt toward him.

"Mom, Dad, thank you for raising me all these years. But you stood by and watched her have me beaten without defending me. Anything I owed you, I will repay in the next life if I get the chance, but I cannot stay in the Ning family any longer. Since you have a daughter now, you don't need a son; just pretend you never gave birth to me!" Ning Yuncheng, having been beaten publicly, struggled to suppress his anger. Had he not been a man too proud to cry in front of everyone, tears would have already flowed. He began to resent Father Ning and Madam Ning: "I don't blame you for not supporting my mother-in-law. I don't want my share of the Ning family assets either; I want them converted to cash, and you can just give that to my mother-in-law!"

Clutching his face, Ning Yuncheng stated these words with chilling composure.

Madam Ning, who had felt a pang of sympathy watching him beaten, immediately cooled down upon hearing his demands: "Yuncheng, we raised you for over twenty years, and it means less than that little girl surnamed Gu? What kind of enchantment has she cast on you to make you so obsessed? The kindness the Ning family showed in raising you is greater than the sky itself; it's not something you can dismiss in a few words like this. 'Repay in the next life'—I don't believe it! Since you reject me as your mother and your father, I, too, will act as if I never gave birth to you. You must find a way to earn back every penny you've ever spent!"

"And there is no part of the Ning family estate for you!" Father Ning was also furious. His heart had gone cold the moment Ning Yuncheng dared to strike back. Now that Madam Ning finished speaking, he added, "I have already given the Ning Company to your sister as her dowry. Don't even think about using it to gift to someone else." Father Ning began to feel fortunate for his early planning—thank goodness he had already transferred ownership of the company to Lan Lingyan, and thank goodness he had seen early on that his son was unreliable. It wasn't too late. Though heartbroken, he forced down his sorrow and straightened his back:

"From now on, you are not to call me Father either. Go wherever you want, but do not come back to me!" Father Ning finally broke: "Huanhuan, have them thrown out. I don't want to see them anymore."

"I'm not leaving." Gu Xian realized Ning Yuncheng was defeated and that he wouldn't get a penny from the Ning company, and her heart turned cold. She took a few breaths, her face pale and ashen: "I am not leaving. I want my daughter. Where have you hidden my daughter? I want my daughter."

Father Ning tried to reason with her, but Ning Yunhuan simply motioned for her men to lift her up: "If you won't leave, wait outside the complex. If you're unhappy, feel free to call the police."