Gu Cheng sat there gracefully, coldly watching the astonishment in the eyes of the He family. They probably never imagined that the pawn they once played with and discarded was now the one controlling their fate. The affairs of this world are truly laughable—what was once an insignificant ant, weak and easily trampled, had now become their savior, loftily watching as the once arrogant fell into the dust. Truly pitiful and ironic.
He Junsheng stammered, “President Liu, this is, this is…?”
Liu Yunfeng respectfully said, “This is my boss.”
He Junsheng shivered with a sudden chill. He knew a bit about the matter between the He and Gu families. He also knew a little about his aunt and this Gu Cheng, but not the full details. He didn’t know to what extent the grudge between the two families had grown, but judging from his grandfather and second uncle’s expressions, the relationship definitely wasn’t good. Gu Cheng was someone he had brought in, and with the He family in its current state, there was no escaping responsibility. He just didn’t know what Gu Cheng’s arrival now meant. Could it be he intended to abandon the He Group? If that were the case, then all the members of the He family would be left burdened with debts, struggling to survive. Forget the once luxurious life—just affording three meals a day might become a problem.
He Junsheng immediately put on a flattering face. “President Gu, I’m He Junsheng. This partnership was signed between President Liu and me. It’s all thanks to you that the He Group survived. I’m truly grateful. I wonder, what brings you here today to our humble home…?”
Gu Cheng remained unmoved by He Junsheng’s words, his gaze focused on the old master of the He family. “Old Master He, don’t tell me you don’t recognize me?”
A hostile visitor—this was Old Master He’s immediate thought upon seeing Gu Cheng again. Judging by the situation, ZK was likely connected to Gu Cheng. That meant the He family had delivered itself into Gu Cheng’s hands.
“Gu Cheng, what do you want?”
Gu Cheng smiled leisurely. “What do I want? Naturally, to settle old scores and repay old grudges.”
That statement was as blunt as could be. Ah Yin silently wondered: who was the boss getting revenge for?
Old Master He’s lips twitched. “What do you want? The He family hasn’t wronged you. What grudges are you talking about?”
Gu Cheng chuckled. “You really are forgetful, aren’t you? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how Minglan died? The schemes you plotted against my son and grandson—you think I’m dead and know nothing?”
Old Master He hated being reminded of He Minglan’s affair most of all, so he barked angrily, “Minglan’s matter was our He family’s business—what does it have to do with you? He Changning bears the He name, and his children are part of the He family. We have the right to raise them—it has nothing to do with you.”
Gu Cheng laughed loudly—his laugh was clear and bright, but full of sarcasm. Then the laughter abruptly stopped, and his voice turned icy cold.
“Your family business? Don’t forget, back then you were the one who sent Minglan to my bed. Changning is my son. His children are the legitimate heirs of the Gu family. You think you can touch them without asking me?”
“You and Minglan were just a one-night stand—what right do you have to demand justice from the He family on her behalf? Changning is my daughter’s child—her grandson, so the He family also has a right to raise him. What, your own son doesn’t acknowledge you, so now you come storming into the He family to cause trouble? I really wonder how your Gu family raises its children.”
Gu Cheng stared coldly at this old man who even now refused to repent. “I truly admire Minglan’s decision back then. With a father like you, she could never wash away the shame of her life. Although the pain she bore back then outweighed her guilt toward her son and led her to such a decisive ending, it was still better than facing a shameless family like yours every day. She wasn’t my wife, but she gave birth to Changning for me. Whether she was willing or not, I, Gu Cheng, owe her that much. So doing something for her is only right.
As for Changning—he is my son, the future head of the Gu family. His children will be the next generation’s heirs. You want to claim them for yourself? You’re not worthy.”
“Oh—almost forgot to tell you—Changning’s blood type is A. If I’m not mistaken, Minglan’s blood type was O, and mine just happens to be A. So the dominant genetic makeup in Changning’s blood is from the Gu family. Add to that the bloodline of the Shang family… Do you really think those two unborn children of mine have any trace of He family blood?”
All along, what Old Master He had longed for most was to get He Changning’s children and raise them himself, hoping they could bring luck and help the declining He family rise again.
Now, learning that the two children had almost no blood ties to the He family, even if he raised them, with no strong blood connection, it would be useless. He would just be raising someone else’s children for nothing. Not only would it not help the He family, all his efforts would be wasted. He had built up the He Group with so much effort, only to watch it collapse in his own hands.
What a bitter irony—and the clearest proof that he was a complete and utter failure.
The sudden blow made the already weary Old Master He stagger and nearly collapse.
Only by force of will, unwilling to fall before Gu Cheng, did he keep himself from fainting on the spot.
Gu Cheng looked at Old Master He’s terrifyingly pale face—it looked like he might pass out the very next second—but he felt no sympathy at all.
Or rather, his very goal was to make him feel worse than death.
“I came today to inform you of something.
Seventy percent of He Corporation’s shares—I’ve given to Changning.
As for the remaining thirty percent, I’ve already acquired them.
These shares will be left for my grandchildren, as pocket money to buy toys.
As for your He family members, the court will impose appropriate penalties for your failure to pay fines on time.”
He Junsheng was completely lost in confusion, but one thing he did understand—
They still had debts to repay.
This wasn’t what he expected.
When they signed the agreement, it was clearly stated that ZK would take care of all of He Corporation’s debts.
The He family just had to hand over seventy percent of the shares to ZK.
Why were they still responsible for repaying debt now?
“President Gu, you must be mistaken, right?
When we signed the agreement, it was clearly stated that ZK would handle He Corporation’s external debts.
We only needed to give up seventy percent of the shares.”
Gu Cheng looked at He Junsheng incredulously.
“Mr. He, don’t tell me you actually thought that just seventy percent of He Corporation’s shares would be enough to cover all the debts He Corporation owed?
You’re too naive.”
“But the remaining thirty percent of the shares are also in your hands, aren’t they?
Why do we still have to repay the debt?”
“If Mr. He’s hearing is functioning properly, then you should have understood—
That thirty percent was acquired by me through purchase, not given by your He family.
Do you understand?”
Then Gu Cheng dropped another bombshell:
“From what I know, each and every member of the He family will be saddled with at least twenty million in debt.
I hope you’re all mentally prepared.
I believe the judicial authorities will be contacting each of you shortly.”
Everyone in the He family living room gasped.
Then chaos erupted.
“How could this happen? How am I supposed to repay that much money?”
“Even if I sold myself, I wouldn’t be worth that much!”
Some just outright burst into tears.
“This is all your fault! Why’d you have to mess with him?
Why’d you go after his kid?
What’s so satisfying about raising someone else’s child?
Aren’t there enough kids in the He family for you to ruin?”
He Junsheng looked miserable and pleaded with his second uncle,
“Second Uncle, say something!
How could anyone in the He family possibly repay twenty million in debt?
This is going to kill us!
Grandpa, say something!
Please, talk to Changning, tell him to let us go!”
Old Master He forced himself to take a breath, looked at Gu Cheng, and said,
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll make that matter public?
You better think carefully about the consequences.
Can you really afford them?”
Gu Cheng narrowed his sharp eyes, naturally knowing exactly what Old Master He was referring to.
He thought to himself—this family really won’t give up until they hit the wall.
“If Old Master He is interested, feel free to make it public.
With the Shang family and my Gu family together, protecting one person shouldn’t be difficult.
But the real question is—do you have the guts to do it?”
Gu Cheng swept a dangerous glance over all the He family members present.
If Old Master He dared to take that step, he would make sure not a single member of the He family would see the light of day again.
Old Master He collapsed heavily into the soft sofa, completely out of strength, no longer capable of arguing or fighting for anything.
The He family’s living room was full of wailing, noisy as a market stall haggling scene.
One blamed another for inviting the wolf in; another cursed someone else’s incompetence.
In that moment, the prestigious family in outsiders’ eyes completely lost all its dignity and refinement.
They were like ordinary peddlers brawling over a few crumbs, fighting until blood spilled.
Gu Cheng coldly watched these He family clowns, their bloody mouths biting into their closest relatives.
All of them shirking responsibility, cursing their siblings’ and kin’s stupidity and incompetence.
He, like a bystander, stood there watching them, heart filled with desolation and loneliness.
Once upon a time, when the Gu family faced disaster, it had been the same ugly scene.
And just like now, he stood on the sidelines, like an outsider, watching coldly—
His last shred of emotional hope had been crushed into dust by these filthy, despicable people called “family.”
He had watched He Changning struggle to survive in the Yin family household.
Yet that kind of environment hadn’t corrupted him—
Instead, he grew up kind-hearted and gentle.
Aunt Qin was just a servant.
But He Changning treated her like a mother.
Not just because she had raised him through those difficult years,
But because of the genuine filial respect and affection in his heart.
That deep feeling had moved Gu Cheng.
He desperately longed for He Changning to treat him the way he treated Aunt Qin—
But at the same time, he feared the disdain and scorn in He Changning’s eyes.
After all, he was an irresponsible father.
Such complex and contradictory emotions tormented him at every moment.
Today at the He family’s estate, another scene unfolded—
One of those melodramatic family tragedies that Gu Cheng had always found revolting.
But in his heart, it only made him crave He Changning’s affection more deeply.
Maybe it was because he hoped to earn even the smallest trace of emotion from He Changning—
Even just being looked at, acknowledged, seen as a real presence.
To him, even that would be a rare source of psychological comfort.
For this, he would eliminate anything and anyone that could get in the way of their reunion as father and son.
He had always loathed the He family.
Now that he had the chance to eliminate them completely, he was more than willing to do so—
Not just to clear away all the unsettling factors around his son,
But also to create a safe and happy environment for his grandchildren.
Then, he could quietly watch the children grow up in peace and joy.
And if he could be part of that picture, even better.
While the members of the He family were busy cursing and blaming each other,
Old Master He finally succumbed to the stress and passed out.
By the time anyone in the family noticed, a full hour had already gone by.
He was rushed to the hospital.
After examination, the doctor informed them that Old Master He had suffered a stroke on top of his rage-induced episode.
Whether or not he would ever wake up was still uncertain.
Even if he did, he would be fully paralyzed and completely incapable of caring for himself.
The moment the He family heard this, panic spread like wildfire.
While He Mingfan remained at the hospital to keep watch,
The rest of the family scattered—
Some took whatever valuables they could and ran,
Some sold off their properties and went into hiding.
As for He Junsheng, while the others were busy securing assets,
He secretly sold off the family’s ancestral estate and vanished with the cash.
When the new owner showed up to inspect the house,
That’s when the rest of the He family found out what He Junsheng had done.
Even though they tried to argue and fight it,
The buyer had all the legal transfer paperwork in hand.
The few He family members who hadn’t run off had no choice but to pack their bags and move out of the old family residence.
The once-glorious, untouchable He family had now completely collapsed—
All at the hands of their own blood.
He Mingfan sold off all his remaining luxury goods to pay Old Master He’s hospital fees.
He could only afford a small rental apartment, barely a few dozen square meters.
There, he juggled caring for Old Master He with doing odd jobs, just to scrape by.
When He Changning heard the news about the He family, he didn’t react much.
He simply let out a faint sigh and said,
“Jianzhi, you really went all out.”
Then he gave a thumbs-up in approval.
Shang Yushang beamed, clearly fishing for praise.
“Of course. Do you know who your man is?
Anyone who dares target my wife or kids better be ready for the consequences.”
Seeing Shang Yushang’s smug attitude,
He Changning pulled him in for a deep, lingering kiss as a reward.
“Well done.
Anyone who dares make a move on our kids—wipe them out. No loose ends.”
Shang Yushang affectionately nuzzled He Changning’s soft, warm cheek,
His heart filled with contentment.
“As long as you’re happy, baby, that’s all that matters.”
Xiao Wu, their longtime aide, was already used to this kind of affectionate display.
The cold, stoic young master who used to be like an emotionless iceberg—
That version of him had disappeared entirely the moment he met Ning Shao.
Of course, this soft, spoiled-husband side was only visible to Ning Shao.
No one else had the honor.
Still, thanks to Ning Shao’s presence, Xiao Wu got to enjoy watching the young master in full doting-husband mode.
It was honestly kind of entertaining.
But sometimes, it really did feel like emotional torture—
After all, he was still single.
So the small group of people who worked closest to the young master and Ning Shao mostly lived in this strange mix of pain and joy.
He Changning blinked, then said,
“Jianzhi, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“Go ahead.”
“Have someone check in on He Mingfan.
Find him a halfway decent job.”
“You’re feeling soft, babe?”
Shang Yushang clearly had zero goodwill toward the He family and saw no reason to be charitable.
He Changning shook his head.
“No. They’re not worth my sympathy.
I’m doing it for my mom.”
He looked out toward the distant sky.
“When I married you, Aunt Qin gave me a letter from my mom.
In it, she wrote that if one day I married the girl I loved,
Then I wouldn’t need to maintain any connection with the He family.”
He turned back to Shang Yushang.
“Jianzhi, don’t you think that message has another layer of meaning?
Especially now, with everything going on.”
Shang Yushang’s brows furrowed.
“Your mom knew your true background.
If you married a woman, your identity as a descendant of the Mu Yi clan would likely fade into obscurity.
But if you ended up with a man, then because of your special constitution,
She might have worried about your safety.
That’s probably why she wrote that—
Just in case something happened, the He family would step in to help.
But clearly, she never expected the He family to become so dangerously obsessed with our children.
Old Master He had already hired people to act.
If the He family hadn’t fallen apart, those people would’ve made a move by now.”
Thinking of the men they’d encountered in the suburbs,
Shang Yushang’s frown deepened.
Good thing he’d always kept an eye on the He family.
Old Master He’s obsession had crossed into madness.
That’s why the tenth and eleventh returned from their missions to monitor every move the He family made—
And it was thanks to them that they caught wind of those hired men immediately.
To be fair, Old Master He really went all out to get those two kids. He hired top-tier assassins—no expenses spared. But to the Shadow Team, they were nothing special. Members Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, and Thirteen set up a plan and lured those disorganized hitmen to an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. There, the five of them played a thrilling, heart-pounding game of cat and mouse. Once they’d had their fun to their heart’s content, they rounded the idiots up one by one and handed them over to Young Master to deal with.
When it came to people who threatened his wife or children, Shang Yushang never showed mercy. Once they were dealt with, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
In He Changning’s star-filled eyes was the reflection of Shang Yushang’s strikingly handsome face. This man—he’d give up everything for him. As long as He Changning was safe and happy, there was nothing he wouldn’t do.
He wrapped his arms around Shang Yushang’s neck and pressed a kiss to his lips, biting lightly, dragging out the contact. “Jianzhi, we’ll always be together. If there’s a next life, you have to find me first thing.”
Shang Yushang held him tight, carefully avoiding his belly, and kissed him back with all his strength. His lips and tongue explored every corner of his mouth, drinking in his sweet taste. His fingers slipped beneath He Changning’s shirt, caressing the smooth, delicate skin beneath.
By the time the kiss ended, both were breathing heavily, the intensity of the moment slowly fading.
He Changning blinked up at him with big, bright eyes, a flirty smile playing on his lips.
Shang Yushang felt the desire he had just managed to rein in start to stir again. He gripped He Changning’s waist with purpose, earning a soft gasp in return. His deep gaze turned into a vortex, as if he wanted to suck He Changning in and never let him go. His voice was husky and low, whispering against his ear, “Baby, I expect you to make it up to me—properly.”
Realizing he’d teased him a bit too much, He Changning quickly backpedaled. “Jianzhi, I was wrong, okay? Don’t take it to heart.”
Shang Yushang narrowed his eyes at the little schemes hidden in He Changning’s expression. “Too late. Your man holds grudges, sweetheart. So tell me, how exactly do you plan to make it up to me?”
He Changning immediately tried to appease him, stroking his back like calming a wild beast. “Jianzhi, don’t be rash. I’m a pregnant husband now—I can’t handle the stress.” He blinked at him with pitiful, innocent eyes that made Shang Yushang’s heart ache with tenderness.
Gritting his teeth, Shang Yushang said, “Baby, your man has self-control. I can wait.”
He Changning chuckled awkwardly. “Hehe, no need to be dramatic. How about I… help you out a bit?” he said, as he reached over and brushed against the bulge in Shang Yushang’s slacks.
Shang Yushang let out a low grunt. “You’re playing with fire, sweetheart.”
He Changning instantly retracted his hand. “I take it back!” Then quickly changed the subject. “I never intended to help He Mingfan. But in the letter my mom left me… even though she didn’t say anything specific about the He family or what they did to her, I could tell that deep down, she still cared. Even after everything, there was still a bit of longing. I want to honor that—for her sake, to fulfill her last wish.”
Shang Yushang bit down hard on He Changning’s lips—a real bite—before grumbling in reluctant agreement. “Fine. We’ll do it your way. But this counts as part of the debt you owe me.”
He Changning was torn between laughing and crying. “Seriously? That counts too?”
“Absolutely,” Shang Yushang said firmly. “I’m keeping score, so don’t even think about weaseling out of it.”
Watching him, He Changning’s lips twitched. Inwardly, he began wondering if it might be a good idea to visit his maternal family’s place after giving birth. A little retreat, maybe… hide out for a bit.
But Shang Yushang’s sharp eyes caught the look on his face. “Baby, wherever you go, your husband’s going too.”
A shiver ran down He Changning’s spine for no reason. Damn. Looks like running isn’t an option.
