Chapter 27: The Whole Story
Xia Chenge didn’t reply. Did she want to be polite to Ling Hanmu and humiliate herself?
“Little Brother, why aren’t you talking again?” Seeing Xia Chenge didn’t respond, Ling Hanmu leaned closer.
“Didn’t you want to drink tea? Why are you wandering around my garden? Should I give you two little red flowers?”
Ling Hanmu couldn’t help but chuckle, pinching Xia Chenge’s cheek. “Little Brother, I find you really cute sometimes.”
Xia Chenge glared at him indignantly. Can you stop taking advantage of me whenever you feel like it?
It was the first time Ling Hanmu had seen such a lively expression on Xia Chenge’s face, and he found himself unable to look away. “Little Brother, don’t you know you’re really cute?”
Xia Chenge naturally knew. She wasn’t unattractive; it was just that this body was too thin from malnutrition.
But she didn’t want to talk to Ling Hanmu, lest he take advantage of her again!
“Little Brother, why do I feel like you’re blushing?” Ling Hanmu caught up.
Xia Chenge couldn’t take it anymore. “Can you say a few less words? Why are you so noisy, like a duck?”
Upon hearing this, Ling Hanmu didn’t get angry; instead, he burst into laughter.
It wasn’t easy; the little girl finally had some spirit!
“Still laughing… You call me a duck and you’re happy?”
“Even if you called me a pig, I’d still be happy.”
He’s seriously ill! Xia Chenge grumbled inwardly. She knew it was best not to engage with him, yet she, who had always been calm and composed, kept breaking her resolve in front of him again and again.
Is this guy her nemesis? Ling Hanmu was the first person to make her feel frustrated.
Ling Hanmu followed Xia Chenge into the hall and made himself comfortable on the sofa, leaning back in a relaxed posture. He didn’t treat himself as a guest at all, acting as casually as if he were in his own home.
Xia Chenge pretended not to see him. “You wait here; I’ll go upstairs for a bit.”
“Go ahead and do your thing; don’t mind me.” Ling Hanmu waved his hand like a lord and closed his eyes to rest.
Xia Chenge glanced at the lordly Ling and then walked up the stairs.
The Old Master and the others couldn’t move and were anxiously waiting in their room. As soon as Xia Chenge pushed the door open, they immediately asked with concern, “Xiao Ge, are you alright?”
Xia Chenge walked over and gently comforted the two elders. “I’m fine. Everything has been resolved. They won’t dare to cause trouble again for a while.”
“That’s good.” As the Old Master breathed a sigh of relief, he hesitated. “What about Minglan?”
“She went back.” Xia Chenge said lightly, not revealing the truth. No matter what, Xia Minglan was their biological daughter, and they would be heartbroken if they knew how miserable she was.
“Xiao Ge, I’m sorry!” the Old Madam said with heartache. “Minglan wasn’t like this before…”
“It’s okay; she can’t hurt me. Don’t worry, Grandmother,” Xia Chenge said, holding the Old Madam’s hand and comforting her softly.
If the truth about the original owner’s parents’ deaths were revealed to the two elders in the future, would they be able to accept such a cruel reality? Xia Chenge was worried. Their bodies were already weak, and such stimulation might…
“My good child…” The Old Master looked at Xia Chenge, feeling both sad and relieved. If the Ling family knew how sensible and filial she was now, would they be willing to help her out of consideration for their past relationship?
Seeing the Old Master’s hesitant expression, Xia Chenge smiled and said, “Grandfather, just say what you want to say. I can accept it even if it’s criticism.”
“Silly child.” The Old Master looked at her dotingly, then said seriously, “Xiao Ge, your grandfather made a childhood engagement for you, hiding it from everyone in the Xia family.”
Xia Chenge almost spat out her tea. She thought she misheard. What era was this? There were still childhood engagements?
“Grandfather, are you joking?” Xia Chenge’s mouth twitched.
“I know bringing this up now might seem like blackmail, but Xiao Ge, your current situation is so difficult. We just want you to have a trump card to protect yourself.” The Old Master said earnestly. He had thought about this carefully before deciding to tell her.
Given Xia Chenge’s previous state, he worried that revealing it would only make her life harder. Now that she had returned to normal, she had the qualification to negotiate with the Ling family.
“Xiao Ge, I know this engagement is absurd, and we don’t intend to marry you off.” The Old Master quickly added. The Old Master of the Ling family was no longer alive, and this was a private agreement between them back then. How could the Ling family acknowledge it? He just hoped to use the Ling family to ensure Xia Chenge grew up safely.
That’s good! Xia Chenge breathed a sigh of relief. If she were to marry someone inexplicably, she would definitely leave the Xia family immediately.
“Who is the other party?” Xia Chenge asked. Knowing your enemy and yourself, you can devise a plan to dissolve this so-called marriage contract.
“The Ling family,” the Old Master said.
“The Ling family?” Could it be the Ling family she was thinking of?
“The Ling family of Tiansheng Group,” the Old Madam chimed in.
Xia Chenge almost collapsed. What kind of twisted fate was this? The only person from the Ling family around her age was Ling Hanmu…
“Ling Hanmu, who has a marriage contract with you, is also about your age. You met when you were little and even fought. The scar on your shoulder was from him biting you. Later, Ling Hanmu accidentally fell into a hot spring, and I don’t know where you got the strength from back then to save him…”
Xia Chenge couldn’t hear what the Old Master was saying after that. She remembered what Ling Hanmu had said: “You saw my naked body. Do you think I’ve forgotten to hold you accountable after all these years?”
So, this was the truth!
“However, only the Ling old man and I knew about this. You were both young back then, and the Ling old man has been gone for so many years. The Ling family has never brought this up, so they should be unaware,” Old Master Xia sighed.
Everything made sense now, but why hadn’t Ling Hanmu sought out the original owner for so many years, and why did he recognize her now? Xia Chenge felt she needed to clarify this matter properly, or her situation might become very dangerous!
“Xiao Ge, we don’t want to force you, but now…” The Old Master looked somewhat ashamed. He knew very well what kind of gossip would arise if they brought this up with the Ling family now, but he had no other choice.
Xia Chenge thought for a moment and discussed with the elders. “Can I handle this matter myself? Like you, I don’t want the Xia family to be pointed at.”
“You are no match for Xu Jingyi. Now, there are only a few shareholders left who stand with us. It’s a miracle that we’ve managed to hold on for so many years. I’m afraid it won’t be long before the company no longer belongs to our Xia family,” the Old Master sighed deeply.
Before, Xu Jingyi hadn’t established a firm foothold in the company, so he naturally sided with the Xia family. Now that he had grown powerful and was ambitious, taking over was only a matter of time.
“Xu Jingyi won’t be able to take a single bit of the Xia family!” Xia Chenge said in a deep voice, her eyes sharp.
In that instant, Old Master Xia, who had seen many storms, was awed by Xia Chenge’s natural aura.
He could hardly believe what he was seeing. His granddaughter, who was once timid, withdrawn, and unable to even speak, now possessed such sharp dignity! She was like a bird ready to be slaughtered, transforming into a phoenix soaring through the nine heavens.
Perhaps she wouldn’t need to borrow the Ling family’s influence. He could try to guide and cultivate the new generation of Xia family heirs…
