Read Novel Full Chapter 41.2 – Buying the Courtyard (II)
Chapter 41.2 – Buying the Courtyard (II)
“Careful!” Ning Shaobai’s expression changed as he tossed aside the stick he was holding and spread his arms. “Xia Mian!”
Xia Mian tried to restore her balance, but the beam she stepped on had already rotted inside. Before Ning Shaobai could finish his warning, the wood snapped with a loud crack.
She slipped and fell backward.
‘Oh my god!!’
As Xia Mian fell flat on her back, she had no time to adjust her position, so she just focused on protecting her head and spine.
Prepared for the pain of impact, she was surprised when her fall suddenly stopped. She felt strong arms catch her by the shoulders and knees, and after a few stumbling steps, the person holding her finally came to a halt.
Ning Shaobai, hit by the force of her fall, staggered back a few steps until he steadied himself against the wall. He glanced down at the girl in his arms. Seeing she was mostly unharmed, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
This troublesome girl had scared him half to death!
Xia Mian opened her eyes. Since she was alright, the exasperated Ning Shaobai simply let her down, “What are you doing? Playing an angel descending from the heavens?”
Still annoyed, he gave her a hard rub on the head, “Didn’t you bring a helmet to protect your hair when you passed through the atmosphere?”
Just as Xia Mian was regaining her footing, she heard his sarcastic remark and angrily swatted his hand away. She bent down to pick up her hat and put it back on. “It’s your fault! Why did you prank me?”
Ning Shaobai rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and gave her an annoyed look. “Who’s pranking whom, huh? Only you can prank me, and I am not allowed to retaliate?”
Well, she indeed had tried to scare him first. Feeling guilty, Xia Mian flashed an awkward grin and conceded, “Since I was in the wrong, I’ll forgive you this one time.”
Ning Shaobai let out an exasperated chuckle. He knocked on the brim of her hat and said, “Never admit wrong, huh, little rascal?”
Xia Mian chuckled nervously and quickly changed the subject. “I’m here for a serious business.”
“What’s the matter?” Ning Shaobai gave her a sidelong glance, with an expression that clearly said, ‘You? serious?’
“Of course it’s about the courtyard across the street,” Xia Mian grinned. “Tomorrow’s the seventh day, and we haven’t heard anything from the Huos yet. Do you think there might be any problems?”
“Seventh day already?” Ning Shaobai muttered. He had been so busy lately that he almost forgot about it.
“You don’t think the old lady is trying to go back on her word, do you?” Xia Mian speculated. “She doesn’t seem like a person of principle, and since she’s already achieved her goal of driving Sister Ning away, she might just try to back out.”
“Don’t worry,” Ning Shaobai reassured her. “She won’t be able to back out. Just stay home tomorrow and wait.”
Old Madam Huo indeed had the same idea Xia Mian suspected. Anyway, Huo Xuewen had already signed the divorce papers, and Chenchen was no longer considered a grandson of the Huo family. So why should she hand over the house?
But as Ning Shaobai had said, she didn’t dare go back on her word. His words from that day still echoed in her mind, and she wasn’t sure what or how much he knew. She was tempted to take a chance, but the sight of the empty, cold residence made her fearful of the consequences. She nervously rubbed the property deeds in her hands. These were the last remaining assets she had. Back then, his father-in-law had allowed her to keep these because she had given birth to the eldest grandson of the Huo family.
She had thought that holding onto these deeds would secure her position as the lady of the house. But now she realized that the villas, the company, the shares, and even the antique jewelry in the house were far more valuable than these properties.
Now, she had even lost the authority to manage the household.
The other day, Huo Pengyi had returned in a fury, dismissing all the friends and relatives she had hired, leaving none behind. He even reinstated the former servants she had previously dismissed.
He gave the steward explicit instructions that she, the matriarch of the Huo family, no longer had any authority to hire or fire the household staff. If she made any wrong moves, the steward had the power to stop her immediately.
She was no longer the mistress of the Huo family, but more like a prisoner under house arrest. Even Huo Xuewen, who had always sided with her, said nothing. The next day, he stopped coming home altogether.
Yet, in some ways, she still felt like she had won. Every time she remembered how Huo Pengyi himself had forced Huo Xuewen to sign the divorce papers, she believed her situation would turn around sooner or later.
Although Huo Xuewen hadn’t gotten the Chengbei project back, that didn’t matter. Projects could always be found again, but divorces were hard to reverse.
Once Huo Xuewen got over his divorce, she could slowly change his opinion of Qianqian. Qianqian was so beautiful and capable that the girl was sure to win Huo Xuewen over. Then, when they married and Qianqian gave birth to a true Huo family grandson, her hard days would finally be over.
As long as that secret never came out…
The old lady’s face was bitter. She really couldn’t bear to part with that courtyard…
The phone rang.
“You haven’t forgotten the agreement to transfer the house, have you?” The pleasant voice on the other end only made the already cold old lady feel even more chilled.
“What do you know?” she demanded.
A light chuckle came from the other end. “You were able to return to Yan City with Huo Pengyi only because you gave birth to a son, ensuring the Huo family had an heir, right?”
“Tsk, to secure your future, you even abandoned your own daughter. What an impressive woman you are.”
The old lady trembled all over. “How do you know that? What do you want?”
“I don’t want anything,” Ning Shaobai replied coolly. “Just sell that house to Xia Mian.”
She obviously didn’t believe him. “That’s all? What’s your real plan?”
Ning Shaobai laughed. “My plan? Nothing. Honestly, if it weren’t for my sister, I wouldn’t bother with your business.”
“Besides, wasn’t it you, the Huo family, that started this?” His tone grew colder. “If you have the audacity to provoke me, you should be prepared to pay the price. Your daughter came looking for trouble herself, and I’m the kind of person who always follows through on my word.”
The old lady still found it hard to believe. Ning Shaobai grasped such a great weakness of hers, so how could he not demand more in return?
A while back, the head of the Ning family had hinted that he planned to hand over the company to his second grandson Ning Shaoyang, Ning Shaobai’s half-brother. Ning Shaobai was about to be cast aside, so how could he not make a move?
But Ning Shaobai clearly didn’t want to waste time, as if he had just remembered the matter and was only reminding her. “Tomorrow, Xia Mian will be at home waiting. If no one shows up by noon, the things you’ve done will come to the attention of Huo Xuewen and Huo Pengyi.”
“Oh, and by the way,” he added, “here’s a little friendly information. Huo Pengyi has secretly been raising another family. The reason he reclaimed the Chengbei project wasn’t to force Huo Xuewen into signing the divorce papers but to hand that project over to his biological son. That son is only three or four years younger than Huo Xuewen.”
“You’re lying!” The old lady shouted, her eyes widened in shock. “That’s impossible! My husband isn’t like that! I gave him a son, and he promised his father that he would never divorce me!”
“Believe what you want,” Ning Shaobai shrugged. “If you want to gamble on it, that’s your choice.”
As Ning Shaobai predicted, the old lady didn’t dare gamble, so the next day, Zhou Qianqian appeared in front of Xia Mian.
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Translator’s Note:
Sorry for the late update >_<