"Dad, what's wrong? Are you unhappy I'm home?" After a few moments of silence, Ning Yunhuan noticed how utterly exhausted her father looked, seeing streaks of white hair already showing at his temples. When he made no move to bring anything up, she finally couldn't hold back, asking, "Or is something wrong with your health recently, Dad?"

The moment this was mentioned, her father's brow furrowed even deeper, and Madam Ning’s expression also soured, looking utterly worn out. "It's not that your father is unwell; it's just that someone is deliberately making him miserable! It's just that your father didn't want you to worry about these things, which is why he hasn't mentioned them."

Now that her father had retired and the company had been handed over to Lan Lingyan to manage, life for him and Madam Ning should have been quite leisurely. Yunhuan was already married, and there hadn't been anything recently to trouble him, so the only lingering concern he could possibly have was Ning Yuncheng.

Thinking of this, Ning Yunhuan’s own mood darkened. Lan Lingyan’s parents had recently come to visit. While Father Lan was tolerable, Lin Min clearly disliked her. Yunhuan had almost forgotten the trouble caused by Ning Yuncheng on the Ning family's side. Seeing her father's expression upon her return, and thinking of Yuncheng, she couldn't help but recall Gu Yingxi, and her face grew exceedingly grim.

As expected, Madam Ning sighed before continuing, "That woman from the Gu family has already ensnared the child, but she's quite far along..." Madam Ning’s voice trailed off as tears began to stream down her face:

"Your elder brother is so disappointing. I don't know who he learned it from, but he's accrued over ninety million in gambling debts elsewhere." Father Ning had explicitly told her not to mention this to Ning Yunhuan, but Madam Ning couldn't hold it in. Ever since Ning Yuncheng came back demanding money, the ninety-million-plus debt had settled like a mountain on her heart, shaking her with terror.

This morning, Madam Ning had planned to go out with Father Ning to browse the supermarket, but as soon as they left the community gates, someone had hurled night soil onto their car. Although it only splattered the vehicle, it was enough to give Father Ning a shock, nearly causing his blood pressure to spike. Had he not had his medication on hand to swallow some, if Ning Yunhuan had seen them now, they would only be in the hospital.

The debt collectors had repeatedly shown up at the Ning residence. If this hadn't been an upscale community with security, those people would probably have rushed in splashing red paint everywhere! After this morning’s incident, Madam Ning was still terrified. Those creditors repeatedly threatened that if the Ning family didn't repay the money, they would chop off Ning Yuncheng’s legs and ensure the Ning family would never have peace. Madam Ning was frightened out of her wits. Previously, she had managed to hide her distress from her daughter, but now that Ning Yuncheng wasn't around, Ning Yunhuan had become Madam Ning’s pillar of strength. Hearing her proactively bring up the matter, Madam Ning naturally poured out every single detail of the situation.

Upon hearing that Ning Yuncheng owed over ninety million in gambling debts, a strange sensation welled up in Ning Yunhuan’s chest.

The instigation for Ning Yuncheng and Gu Shaotao to gamble in the first place had been orchestrated by people she had borrowed from Lan Lingyan to carry out. Now, it seemed that the ordeal her parents had endured recently was, to some extent, her fault. As Ning Yunhuan considered this, she felt a pang of guilt mixed with a sense of the bizarre.

She was the mastermind. She knew Ning Yuncheng owed money, but it was only about ten million. This ninety million figure included his lost ten million, leaving a gap of eighty million. Ning Yuncheng hadn't lost that much; rather, Gu Shaotao had lost seventy to eighty million.

Thinking this through, Ning Yunhuan speculated that Ning Yuncheng must have covered for Gu Shaotao, magnanimously taking on the seventy to eighty million debt that Gu Shaotao owed!

Last time Gu Yingxi was exposed at the Ning house for not carrying Yuncheng's child, it was unexpected that she possessed such capability, managing to hold Ning Yuncheng utterly devoted to her even under such disadvantageous circumstances. Not only was he madly in love with her alone, but he was also extending that affection to Gu Yingxi’s family. Guessing this, Ning Yunhuan became increasingly certain that this ninety-million debt was absolutely something Ning Yuncheng took on to please Gu Yingxi by taking responsibility for Gu Shaotao’s debt.

Lan Lingyan's subordinates were no ordinary people; their methods of debt collection were capable of driving Gu Shaotao insane. The Gu family was quite ordinary; even if they killed Gu Shaotao and sold him by weight, he couldn't produce a million. Furthermore, the money for Gu Xian's surgery previously had to be borrowed from the Mu family; the Gu family had absolutely no funds. Now that Gu Shaotao owed tens of millions in gambling debts, the Gu family couldn't help him, and he certainly couldn't repay it himself. Since Gu Shaotao wasn't the type to welcome death, under these circumstances, the only way out for the Gu family was to have Ning Yuncheng assume the entire debt!

After all, although the Ning family wasn't a noble lineage, compared to the financial situation of the Gu family, their life was considerably better. Father Ning might not have that much cash on hand, but if he sold the company or both villas and scraped together the rest, he could likely amass close to a hundred million. Ning Yuncheng probably realized this, which is why he proactively took on the debt—not only to relieve his beloved's worries but also to curry favor with the Gu family!

However, Ning Yuncheng’s impulsive heroism for the sake of his beloved had made him oblivious to how unjustly the Ning family was burdened with such debt. Even if Father Ning bankrupted himself to gather the money, why should he ruin the Ning family for the sake of the Gu family? Moreover, Ning Yuncheng truly believed the Ning family belonged solely to him. Even if Father Ning hadn't disappointed him and handed the company over to her, he probably forgot that the Ning family belonged half to her as well. If he was willing to sacrifice ninety million for Gu Yingxi, he hadn't bothered to ask if she was willing to lose everything for Gu Yingxi!

Recalling how, in her previous life, Ning Yuncheng unhesitatingly chose Gu Yingxi over his beloved and his sister, going to great lengths to deceive the entire Ning family, leaving her destitute and leading to a miserable end, a coldness welled up in Ning Yunhuan’s eyes.

These past few days, the elderly Ning couple had been scared witless. What a Ning Yuncheng—to be so ruthless for Gu Yingxi.

Ning Yunhuan, preoccupied with her in-laws' visit and her son being taken to the Lin family to be raised, had neglected the situation at home, allowing Ning Yuncheng to exploit this opening! Fortunately, she had come today, and Father Ning hadn't yet handed over the money. Otherwise, her careful planning would have been entirely wasted, allowing Ning Yuncheng and his accomplice to escape!

Although Ning Yuncheng would use the money to pay back Lan Lingyan, effectively passing the money from one hand to the other only to return it to Madam and Father Ning, Ning Yunhuan suspected that the reason Lan Lingyan hadn't informed her of this was likely related to the parents themselves!

These two still hadn't completely given up on their son. Otherwise, Madam Ning wouldn't have been so terrified when Ning Yuncheng incurred this debt. After all, Ning Yuncheng was their only son, and unlike Ning Yunhuan, Father and Madam Ning lacked memories of a past life. They didn't know that Ning Yuncheng would never turn back, but would instead stray further down the path paved by Gu Yingxi. They held onto hope for their son, making it highly probable they would pay his debt.

If this happened once, it would happen again. This time, Lan Lingyan set a trap for Ning Yuncheng and Gu Shaotao to fall into. If Father and Madam Ning couldn't bear to see their son suffer and paid the debt, it wouldn't be a total loss. But if others set traps in the future, and the Nings paid off the cleanup, they wouldn't be able to recoup their losses. This was a bottomless pit that could never be filled!

From the events of her previous life, Ning Yunhuan was deeply convinced of this. In the past, Gu Yingxi's men would scheme even against their own relatives just to please her with heaps of money. That kind of lavish living was beyond extravagant; mountains of gold wouldn't suffice. If Father and Madam Ning cleaned up the first time, there would be a second. Therefore, in Ning Yunhuan's view, Madam and Father Ning should absolutely not help Ning Yuncheng this time!

Didn't he love playing the hero? Didn't he love puffing himself up? If he was eager to please his beloved, willing to scheme against his own parents for Gu Yingxi, that was true, unwavering devotion. In that case, Ning Yunhuan would ensure he reaped what he sowed!

In her past life, Gu Yingxi and her men shared a bond so deep it couldn't be broken. In this life, Ning Yuncheng was equally infatuated. Her past self had been too foolish. This time, Ning Yunhuan would sow discord among these deeply devoted lovers. She wondered if Ning Yuncheng, burdened by debt and with Father and Madam Ning unable to bail him out, would still have the leisure for romantic dalliances with Gu Yingxi while being constantly threatened by debt collectors. When swamped with trouble, how much genuine affection would remain for the Gu Yingxi he shared with others?

With this thought, Ning Yunhuan’s lips curved into a cold smile. She leaned towards the weeping Madam Ning and offered her a tissue to wipe her face:

"Mom, if Ning Yuncheng lost this much money, what are you planning to do?"

Regarding this issue, Father Ning looked somewhat awkward, while Madam Ning dabbed her tears, speaking with a trace of embarrassment, "He is still your elder brother; we can't just watch him suffer. Those debt collectors are vicious, and I don't want anything to happen to Yuncheng. Your father is prepared to be fair. Since the company is already yours, he has some money, and I still have some jewelry. If we sell this villa too, we should be able to scrape together about a hundred million to save your brother's life..."

Having long anticipated this outcome, Ning Yunhuan’s expression remained unchanged as Madam Ning awkwardly laid out these words.

After all, Ning Yuncheng was their biological son. No matter how much they resented him, a father and son’s bond doesn't end overnight. Ning Yunhuan had foreseen this, which only deepened her disgust for Ning Yuncheng. His parents cared for him so deeply, yet he was single-mindedly focused on Gu Yingxi, having lost all reason for her sake. She wondered if Gu Yingxi was bathed in the golden halo of a protagonist, causing Ning Yuncheng to be so completely bewitched.