Read Novel Full Chapter 52.2 – Birthday Banquet: Last Part (II)
Chapter 52.2 – Birthday Banquet: Last Part (II)
“There’s no need.” Ning Shaobai gently patted his grandfather’s trembling hand and took the microphone. “Grandpa, you don’t need to put yourself in this position. I truly have no interest in the Ning family business. Everyone’s right—Aunt Fan is the real contributor to the company’s success. As an outsider, I won’t meddle.”
He continued, “So, I ask everyone present to be my witness—I will transfer all the shares Grandpa just gave me and my sister to Ning Shaoyang!”
“And I promise, from this moment on, I will never interfere in any of the Ning company’s affairs!”
Someone from the crowd called out, “And if you do meddle?”
Ning Shaobai looked at Fan Xiuzhi and smiled faintly. “Why don’t you set the condition, Aunt Fan?”
“Come on, no need to pretend with niceties—this is a rare chance for you, after all.”
Since things had already reached the point of no return, Fan Xiuzhi didn’t bother with pretense. “If you interfere, then how about you and your sister leave Yan City and develop your careers elsewhere?”
Old Master Ning frowned in a warning. “Fan Xiuzhi.”
Ning Shaoyang also looked toward his mother. “Mom…”
Fan Xiuzhi remained unmoved and looked at Ning Shaobai. “What do you say?”
“Alright, I accept.” Ning Shaobai agreed without hesitation. “Everyone here is a witness—if I ever get involved in the Ning family business, you can all join forces and drive me out of Yan City. How about that?”
Someone immediately exclaimed, “The eldest young master of the Ning family is truly magnanimous!”
“Exactly! These Ning brothers—one has foresight, the other has skill. What is to worry about? The family’s bound to thrive…”
Now that the result they wanted was secured, flattery flowed from the crowd.
Ning Shaoyang looked at Ning Shaobai in a fluster. “Big Brother, don’t do this, I don’t want—”
“Xiao Yang!” Fan Xiuzhi cut him off, afraid her naïve son might say something detrimental. She quickly stepped up onto the stage. “A gentleman’s word is his bond. Your brother has always been true to his word—don’t make it harder for him.”
She smiled again. “Since everyone is here, it’s the perfect time. Why don’t you tell us about our upcoming projects and reassure all the elders present?”
Seeing that she was about to drag Ning Shaoyang into socializing, Ning Shaobai wisely helped his grandfather off the stage.
The old master looked at his younger grandson, who was smiling with obvious discomfort, then gripped Ning Shaobai’s hand tightly. “Xiao Bai, for Grandpa’s sake…”
Ning Shaobai chuckled. “Grandpa, you don’t think I’m planning to sabotage her, do you? Don’t worry, I remember everything you’ve taught me. I believe those who do too much wrong will eventually destroy themselves.”
Rong Xin glanced at Fan Xiuzhi, still chattering away on stage, and sighed. “All moms are the same when they talk about their sons—just look how proud she is.”
And why wouldn’t she be? With all those people fawning over her like stars revolving around the moon, the contrast with their deserted surroundings was simply too obvious—even those who were taking a neutral stance just now had made their choice.
“Still, those people are being a bit too obvious.” Wei Hongqiu pouted and tried to comfort Ning Shaoyun. “Sister Yun, don’t take it to heart. None of them are good people—we don’t need to mix with them anyway.”
Zhu Yuanhai nodded. “Exactly. They say birds of a feather flock together. Any circle built by Fan Xiuzhi is bound to reflect her character.”
“Besides, merchants chase profits. It’s human nature that they now flock to the side of the winner, especially since most of them don’t know you well. Honestly, the fact that no one’s kicking you while you’re down is already a miracle.”
Just as he said that, Fan Xiaowan walked over arm-in-arm with Gao Qiongying. Xia Mian looked at their expressions and said, “Well, here come the ones ready for a kick.”
“Sister Qiongying,” Fan Xiaowan said, as if she’d just stumbled across them, “Brother Shaobai’s here too! Why don’t you two have a chat? He’s a doctor, and your family’s in pharmaceuticals—you might have some common ground.”
Gao Qiongying gave a reserved smile. “Actually, medical practices and pharmaceuticals are two very different industries…” She looked steadily at Ning Shaobai, as if waiting for his response.
Fan Xiaowan felt a twinge of anxiety as she realized she may have miscalculated—Gao Qiongying seemed to have a thing for Ning Shaobai…
Luckily, the man in question remained perfectly ‘oblivious.’ “Exactly. Which is why there’s nothing to talk about.”
Gao Qiongying’s expression instantly turned cold.
Fan Xiaowan quietly let out a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s not necessarily,” she said with a cheerful smile. “Sister Qiongying, didn’t you say earlier that your family has some cooperation with Yan University Affiliated Hospital?”
Gao Qiongying looked at Ning Shaobai. “There’s some, yes. My father has a good relationship with Director Li. If you, Dr. Ning…”
‘Wow—so Miss Gao really has her eyes on Ning Shaobai! Since the soft approach wasn’t working, is she about to go hard?’
Seeing Xia Mian’s look of amusement, Ning Shaobai flicked her forehead without mercy, then turned to Gao Qiongying and said, “Oh, I have a pretty average relationship with Director Li. Nothing worth talking about.”
By now, Fan Xiaowan also sensed the change in Gao Qiongying’s attitude. Afraid of giving Ning Shaobai a chance to counterattack, she quickly said, “Sister Qiongying, let’s go find my aunt. I think they’re discussing the Hainan project. Didn’t you just say you were interested in investing?”
Gao Qiongying shot a cold look at Ning Shaobai and turned to leave.
Fan Xiaowan wasn’t wrong—the banquet hall was filled with discussions about the Hainan real estate market. Rong Xin listened to the buzzing excitement and started to feel unsure. “Brother Bai, if they manage to sell off fast enough, won’t they still make a good profit?”
Ning Shaobai took out his phone and glanced at a newly arrived text. “I’m afraid they are already too late.”
Just as he finished speaking, a wave of ringtone alerts suddenly erupted through the hall.
The executives who had been smiling just a moment ago all changed expressions instantly:
“What? It crashed?!”
“What happened? Isn’t a sell-off a good thing? That means we now can pick it up, right?”
“Everyone’s selling? Why? Everything was fine!”
“Is it some new policy? I haven’t heard a thing!”
“A crash? Impossible—it was perfectly stable yesterday!”
“Sell now? At this price? We’ll lose everything!”
“No one’s buying either? Seriously?!”
All the praise and flattery that had just been showered on Fan Xiuzhi and Ning Shaoyang evaporated, replaced by a storm of angry questions—
“President Fan, what’s going on? Hainan’s land market just collapsed!”
“You said there was absolutely no issue! That we should wait until the end of the year to sell!”
“This can’t be real, right?!”
Someone turned to Ning Shaoyang, eyes full of desperate hope. “Xiao Yang, it’s probably nothing serious, right? Just like a temporary dip in the stock market? I just went all in based on your advice and barely managed to grab a few plots…”
Ning Shaoyang looked into those reddened eyes and felt a chill inside. Instinctively, he turned to his mother.
Fan Xiuzhi gripped his hand tightly. Just as she was about to speak, her assistant brought her a phone.
Everyone fell silent, almost holding their breath as they strained to hear the news from the other end.
“President Fan, bad news—”
Fan Xiuzhi felt like the desperate stares around her were about to swallow her whole. She subconsciously glanced around—only to meet Ning Shaobai’s cold smile.
At that moment, her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her throat.
‘No… impossible.’ She tried to calm herself—no matter how capable Ning Shaobai was, there was no way he could manipulate the real estate market. This had to be a coincidence.
After hanging up, she steadied herself and forced a smile as she turned to the crowd. “It’s probably just temporary. That’s how investments work, isn’t it? Just like the stock market, ups and downs are normal. In fact, when most people panic, it’s the best time for real investors to snatch good deals.”
As she spoke, she loudly gave an order to her agent in Hainan. “Buy two more lots while the price is down.”
Old Master Ning’s face changed dramatically. He no longer bothered with saving face for her. “Xiuzhi, calm down!”
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