The moment Old Man Ning was led away yesterday, a security guard named Xiao Zhang from the complex caught sight of it. Following them, he happened upon the scene where Ning’s father was being apprehended. Although he took a punch, he wasn't actually injured; it was just a knot of frustration lodged in his chest. Last night, fearing he would disturb his daughter and son-in-law in the late hour, he forbade Mrs. Ning from making a fuss. It wasn't until the next morning, when Mrs. Ning noticed his unusually strained expression, that she called their daughter.

After the doctor checked Old Man Ning's blood pressure and gave him a thorough examination for other injuries, Ning Yunhuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and pulled a chair up in front of her father. "Dad, did you recognize who took you yesterday?" Old Man Ning hadn't been well lately, only discharged from the hospital the day before, and should have been resting at home. How could he possibly have wandered out if he was fine? Moreover, Old Man Ning hadn't offended anyone for them to lay hands on him. Ning Yunhuan immediately suspected the Gu family was behind it, her expression darkening. "I think this might be the Gu family’s doing."

Hearing this, Old Man Ning fell silent. Mrs. Ning, however, erupted in anger. "The Gu family? What on earth do they want? Has your father ever done anything to wrong them? The money you sent to the Gu family when you were in England could buy a small house!"

Ning Yunhuan had never known about these matters; Mrs. Ning had never mentioned them before. Hearing it now choked her halfway to death, but seeing her father's pale face, she swallowed the words forming on her lips and quietly tucked the corner of his blanket around him.

"Last night, Yuncheng called me, begging me to lend him five thousand yuan." After a period of calm, Old Man Ning took the medicine and water cup handed to him by Mrs. Ning. His hands trembled so violently that some of the water spilled onto the floor, yet hearing her son's name sent a wave of dreadful premonition through Mrs. Ning’s heart. Old Man Ning’s eyes were red-rimmed, his lips quivering. "He was spoiled rotten since childhood, never having faced any hardship. Now, without five thousand yuan on him, I couldn't bear to refuse. When I went out, I saw him calling me over, and the Gu family's son arrived with a few men."

Hearing this, the rest became painfully clear. Mrs. Ning stood there as if struck by lightning, unable to utter a word. Ning Yunhuan sighed, seeing her father's distress, and remained silent too.

She hated Ning Yuncheng; she wished he were dead. But for Old Man and Mrs. Ning, they lacked the memory of the heartbreak Ning Yuncheng caused her in her past life. Therefore, they couldn't bring themselves to be ruthless toward him now.

Although Old Man Ning had handed over the family company entirely to Ning Yunhuan, he had managed the Ning family business for many years. Even if the company was a goose that laid golden eggs, one must not forget that this goose had laid quite a few golden eggs in the past! Old Man Ning surely possessed assets under fifty million, in addition to this villa currently valued around forty million, and the property in Blue Mountain worth at least twenty million. At the time, he hadn't stated that all of this was for Ning Yunhuan; since he hadn't mentioned it alongside the company transfer, he must have already decided to leave it for Ning Yuncheng.

If all those things were added up, they might not necessarily amount to less than what Ning Yunhuan had received. Furthermore, the company was difficult to liquidate; while its stated value might be higher, if it needed to be sold in a hurry, it was uncertain which assets would prove more valuable.

Even though Ning Yunhuan understood everything clearly, she couldn't bear to voice it all and cause her father further anguish. Parental favoritism was a certainty, and besides, Old Man and Mrs. Ning weren't completely biased against Ning Yunhuan; at least they had strived for fairness. Because of this, she still hadn't decided whether to pursue total annihilation against Ning Yuncheng. Thus, having been reborn for nearly two years, she constantly wavered between living her own life, treating everything from the previous life as a nightmare, or seeking revenge, thereby continuing to burden her parents, whom she already felt she had wronged in the past life.

"Since you know it was Ning Yuncheng, Dad, what are you planning to do?" Since Old Man Ning had put it this way and Ning Yunhuan understood his intentions, she knew he wasn't looking to severely punish Ning Yuncheng. Sure enough, Old Man Ning waved his hand, his face sallow: "Let me think about it. But that Gu boy... he's gone too far." Previously, Gu Yingxi had indeed approached him through Ning Yuncheng to borrow money for Gu Shaotao's tuition fees. Although Gu Shaotao never attended school, that favor didn't vanish. Now, Gu Shaotao's actions were a clear case of repaying kindness with enmity. Even with his good nature, Old Man Ning couldn't hold back this time.

"Mm, leave this to me." Ning Yunhuan had never intended to let Gu Shaotao off anyway. Though he was young, his malicious nature was ingrained. If such a person were spared, he would surely become a major threat in the future! With Ning Yunhuan now on guard against Gu Yingxi, the course of events had long diverged from the previous life. Perhaps because she was with Lan Lingyan, Ning Yunhuan was certain she wouldn't die by his hand as she did before. Therefore, she needed to be wary of the fate described for Ning Yunhuan in the book.

Since the Ning Yunhuan in the book died at the hands of Gu Shaotao, and with Lan Lingyan no longer a threat, she absolutely had to eliminate this potential future danger, Gu Shaotao!

In the old, temporarily rented house, Gu Xian had already retired to her room before nightfall to rest due to feeling unwell, having skipped dinner. Gu Xian's youngest daughter, Gu Yingyu, was in the critical phase of her third year of junior high, so she too was already inside studying. The only people left in the room were Gu Yingnuo and Gu Shaotao, along with Ning Yuncheng, who sat there looking grim, desperately smoking a cigarette, utterly defeated.

"What? Shaotao, you actually hit Uncle Ning?" Gu Yingnuo was stunned when she heard what the two had done. "Uncle Ning, back then, he actually..."

"He showed no benevolence, so I owe him no righteousness. Stop talking," Gu Shaotao muttered. Though inherently ruthless, he hadn't yet reached adulthood, so he couldn't keep his composure now. Moreover, arranging to deal with Old Man Ning was the first time he had ever done something like this, and since it failed, he felt quite flustered. Hearing Gu Yingnuo speak, he slammed the table. "Nuonuo, go prepare some food first. Big Brother Ning and I haven't eaten. We failed to get any money from that old man Ning this time, and Mom’s illness can't be delayed any longer."

Gu Xian had recently started experiencing hematuria (blood in her urine). The Gu family had initially assumed that with Gu Yingxi finding a wealthy boyfriend, Gu Xian’s illness would surely be manageable. Who knew that Ning Yuncheng ultimately couldn't produce the money? Now, Gu Xian’s condition was worsening; if the surgery was further postponed, it could lead to serious problems. Gu Shaotao was motivated both by repaying Gu Xian for raising him for so many years and by deliberately seeking revenge for Gu Yingxi, which is why he targeted the Ning family.

When he heard Gu Shaotao refer to his father as "Old Man Ning," Ning Yuncheng frowned, feeling a flicker of resentment. However, as soon as Gu Shaotao mentioned the surgical fees, his entire anger leaked out like air from a punctured hydrogen balloon.

"Yes, Mom was complaining of pain again today. It's getting worse, and she just didn't want to tell me or you," Gu Yingnuo said with concern, already standing up to go cook. Hearing this, Ning Yuncheng couldn't help but run his hands through his hair again. "Maybe I can go back and try to borrow it again."

"We already confronted Old Man Ning yesterday and failed to get the money. Do you think he'll just hand it over now?" Gu Shaotao said, while viciously turning his head to spit on the ground, then wiping his mouth with his right thumb. His brow was furrowed with malice. "Big Brother Ning, I plan to kidnap Old Man Ning and make Ning Yunhuan send the money. Then, we can take the opportunity to..." He paused here and made a throat-slitting gesture, "...which will also serve to vent my sister Yingxi's anger!"

The moment he heard about kidnapping his own father, even someone as heartless as Ning Yuncheng hesitated. "My dad is old, and his health is poor. Yesterday, I already..."

"What's all this dithering for, you call yourself a man!" Gu Shaotao immediately grew irritated upon hearing Ning Yuncheng’s protest. "Besides, Big Brother Ning, your father never treated you like a son. He gives all his money to his daughter. Are you worrying about him now? Can he give you money so Mom can have the surgery, so my sister can feel at ease?"

The Gu family all believed Gu Yingxi had been ruined by Ning Yunhuan. Added to that, Gu Shaotao harbored an indescribable feeling for Gu Yingxi. Therefore, whenever Gu Yingxi was mentioned, Gu Shaotao's wicked fire would flare up. "Alright, alright. At most, we'll just frighten him to vent your anger. Since Big Brother Ning doesn't want to hurt him now, I won't harm him."

"What about Ning Yunhuan..." Although Ning Yuncheng disliked Ning Yunhuan, he had never committed murder in his life. Moreover, they were now discussing killing his own sister. Even though he suspected Ning Yunhuan might have caused the death of the woman he loved, killing wasn't as simple as slaughtering a chicken. He couldn't bring himself to decide right away.

Gu Shaotao silently cursed Ning Yuncheng a few times for not being manly, but verbally placated him. "Fine, we won't kill her then. We'll hand her over to my brothers for some fun. We have no money right now, so why should others help us for free? We can use her as payment then. But, Big Brother Ning, if you refuse again, does that mean you don't want revenge for my sister?" Gu Shaotao's tone had become hostile, and his expression turned sinister. Ning Yuncheng flinched inwardly, let out a couple of dry laughs, and then steeled his heart. Recalling Ning Yunhuan's abominable actions, and wondering what sort of spell she had cast on their parents to make Old Man Ning give her the entire company, coupled with the fact that she allegedly caused the death of his beloved, her crimes were unforgivable. Giving her a taste of pain was surely warranted. Consequently, he nodded and agreed!

Seeing that he finally stopped being wishy-washy, Gu Shaotao displayed a flicker of satisfaction on his face. However, he secretly resolved that after letting his brothers have their fill of fun with Ning Yunhuan, he would send her to see the King of Hell afterward!

PS: Third update~~~~ Bonus chapter for 135 small pink tickets! Today is the last day for the guaranteed double update... Dears... RP