Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 45.1 – Uninvited Guest (I)

Ning Shaoyang clenched his fists. “Grandpa needs to know about this. I suggest you tell Grandpa in person, big brother.”

“No, I’ll leave the tattling opportunity for you,” Ning Shaobai responded indifferently. “I’m not in the habit of reporting my actions to others.”

He casually moved Chenchen to sit further down the bench, “Have you ordered? Hurry up, I’m starving.” Then he recommended to Xia Mian, “Their beef dumplings are pretty good, order those.”

Being so blatantly ignored, Ning Shaoyang was enraged, “Big brother!”

“Don’t call me big brother, future head of the Ning family,” Ning Shaobai’s response was icy. “I have no intention of being your brother. In the future, we’ll go our separate ways. Ah, no, that’s not right—I still have a grudge against your mother. Please pass the message along to her.”

“She might dodge for now, but she can’t avoid it forever. The net of justice is vast and nothing can escape it—the more she runs, the worse her fate will be.”

Ning Shaoyang’s face changed slightly. “Big brother!”

Fan Xiaowan couldn’t help but interject, “Brother Shaobai, you can’t baselessly accuse my aunt just because you’re unsatisfied with Grandpa Ning’s decision…”

Ning Shaobai tilted his head. “And who are you?”

Fan Xiaowan wasn’t offended and politely introduced herself. “I’m Xiaowan. Fan Xiuzhi is my aunt.”

Ning Shaobai tilted his head again, seemingly trying to recall something, and then turned to Xia Mian.

Xia Mian blinked. “What?”

“Did she speak just now?” He asked.

Xia Mian blinked again. “She did, why?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t hit her,” Ning Shaobai pretended to sigh. “Didn’t I tell you I’d handle anything that comes up? No need to hold back.”

Xia Mian was annoyed, “Hey, I’m not a rabid dog! I wouldn’t lash out without learning the situation first, okay? What if I wrongly accuse someone?”

“You won’t,” Ning Shaobai lightly stated. “She’s exactly the type you hate most—one of those demons in angelic disguise. Don’t be fooled by her age; while still young, she has inherited Fan Xiuzhi’s teaching perfectly. She is very good at twisting right from wrong and hitting people where it hurts. That’s why she’s so disgusting.”

Fan Xiaowan had never been insulted so blatantly. “Brother Shaobai, how can you be so rude!” she exclaimed, her eyes reddening with anger and humiliation. “The Ning family raised you better than this! You can’t just act so recklessly because Grandpa Ning gave up on you!”

Ning Shaobai ignored her. “See? The Fan family is full of this kind of disgusting stock. If you meet them in the future, don’t bother being polite.”

Ning Shaoyang spoke up. “Big brother, you’re going too far!”

Seeing Ning Shaobai continuing to ignore him, Ning Shaoyang turned to Ning Shaoyun. “Sister Yun, what’s going on? Are you here because you’re upset with Brother-in-law? I think you should go back and apologize to him so he can talk to Uncle Huo…”

“Shut up!” Ning Shaobai suddenly shouted, his eyes full of coldness. “If you want to be the head of the Ning family, first get rid of the bad habits of the Fan family—especially their inability to distinguish right from wrong and their disgusting self-righteousness. Otherwise, the Ning family won’t last two years in your hands.”

“This is the final warning. It’s not your turn to meddle in my sister’s and my affairs. Keep spouting nonsense, and don’t blame me for being rude!” Ning Shaobai growled. “Get lost!”

Zhou Qianqian, seeing Ning Shaoyang’s pale face from anger, chimed in. “Second Young Master Ning, they clearly don’t appreciate your goodwill. Why not let Grandpa Ning handle them?”

“You shut up!” Ning Shaoyang vented all his anger on her. “This is a Ning family matter; it’s not your place to interfere!”

Zhou Qianqian froze, stunned that Ning Shaoyang would lash out at her. Weren’t Ning Shaoyang and Ning Shaobai at odds? Hadn’t she been helping by stepping on them? Did she misjudge the situation?

Fan Xiaowan glanced at Ning Shaoyang and then gently said to Zhou Qianqian, “Sister Qianqian, thank you for accompanying us today. We’ll be heading home soon. Don’t you have other matters to attend to? You should go take care of them.”

Suddenly, Zhou Qianqian felt like a dog called upon at someone’s whim and dismissed just as casually. She clenched her fists in embarrassment as Fan Xiaowan tilted her head innocently, adding, “Sister Qianqian, is there anything else you forgot?”

“No, I just remembered I do have something to do. Thanks for the reminder.” Zhou Qianqian dug her nails into her palms, trying to save face for herself.

As she left, her face flushed bright red at the mocking expression on Xia Mian’s face. She thought about what ‘secret’ Ning Shaobai had just mentioned—‘if, if what I overheard was true…’

Zhou Qianqian left in a hurry, but Ning Shaoyang stubbornly refused to go. Xia Mian thought, that perhaps he felt that as the heir, his dignity was being undermined by a brother who was already discarded by the family, so he was unwilling to concede?

But that didn’t seem to be it either, as Ning Shaoyang’s tone softened unexpectedly. “Big brother, Grandpa always says that when brothers are united, they can break iron together. After all, we are one family. If the Ning family goes down, can you really fare any better?”

Before Ning Shaobai could respond, Fan Xiaowan chimed in, “Clearly, it’s you, Brother Shaobai, who chose to become a doctor and gave up on inheriting the family business. Now that my aunt has single-handedly supported the Ning family and its company, what dissatisfaction could you possibly have? Is it just because my aunt is your stepmother, so no matter what she does, it’s automatically wrong?”

Her implication was clear: If you don’t have the capability, fine, but what’s the point of being jealous?

“Xiaowan!” Ning Shaoyang stopped Fan Xiaowan, but he didn’t seem to catch the undertones of her words. He only felt aggrieved. “Big brother, no matter how you see it, the fact that we are brothers will never change.”

Xia Mian couldn’t hold back anymore. She swallowed the peanut in her mouth and casually asked Ning Shaobai, “This heir of your Ning family… is he just stupid, or is he a hypocrite?”

Ning Shaobai continued peeling peanuts quickly, not even bothering to look up at the two clowns. “A bit of both, but stupidity accounts for a larger proportion.”

Ning Shaoyang glared coldly at Xia Mian. “Who are you to meddle in my affairs?”

“Now that’s something,” Xia Mian said, looking up at him. “This Miss Fan here can freely interfere with your big brother, so why can’t I meddle with you?” She turned to Ning Shaobai. “So, is he a hypocrite or just a flip-flop?”

Ning Shaobai was puzzled. “Flip-flop?”

‘Oh!’ Xia Mian remembered that slang didn’t exist in this era yet, so she explained seriously, “It means double standard, holding two sets of standards—one for others and a different one for oneself.”

“For example, this future head of the Ning family lets a petty person like Zhou Qianqian and a liar like Fan Xiaowan say whatever they want about you and Sister Ning, but if I say one true thing about him, he acts as if I’ve committed some grave offense.”

Ning Shaobai nodded in understanding. “A bit of both, but mostly double standard.”

Ning Shaoyang was stunned to see Ning Shaobai and Xia Mian so casually evaluating him right in front of his eyes, leaving him infuriated. Fan Xiaowan, equally annoyed with Xia Mian’s pointed critique, clutched her chest and exclaimed, “Now I believe what Zhou Qianqian said—you’re arrogant because of Brother Shaobai’s backing!”

Xia Mian looked at her in surprise. “You couldn’t tell I was arrogant until Zhou Qianqian pointed it out?”

She shook her head and said to Ning Shaoyun, “So, she actually has no judgment of her own. Whatever Zhou Qianqian says is whatever she believes. No wonder Zhou Qianqian uses her as a tool—easy to manipulate due to her lack of brains. Sister Ning, don’t take anything she says to heart; it’s all nonsense.”