Chapter 298: Chapter 298: I Hate Second Brother the Most

Xie Ming’an’s eyes darkened. After a moment, he said, "Have your wolves leave the city first. I’ll have my men take the injured to a clinic."

Shen Ningning didn’t trust him.

When she was locked in the Sunlight Tower, Ye Shangyi had pleaded with Xie Ming’an to report to Consort Rong.

But Xie Ming’an hadn’t gone.

At a moment when a life was on the line, she couldn’t bring herself to entrust Grandpa Xu to Xie Ming’an alone.

The little one clenched her fists. Her voice was soft, yet incredibly resolute. "And what if I say no?"

Xie Ming’an narrowed his eyes. "Then don’t blame me for being merciless and resorting to force."

The Black Wolf King bared its fangs, its eyes gleaming menacingly. The wolf pack’s fur bristled as they took a battle stance.

Suddenly!

Xu Jingxi charged forward and yanked Xie Ming’an right off his horse.

"What kind of official are you?! With a life on the line, you protect scoundrels. You’re a corrupt official!"

Xu Jingxi raised a fist and punched Xie Ming’an hard across the left side of his face.

Not to be outdone, Xie Ming’an grabbed Xu Jingxi by the collar and shoved him brutally into the snow.

"Savage beasts are running rampant in the city, threatening the safety of the common people. Tell me, should I not intervene?" he roared coldly.

The two of them began to brawl.

The guards Xie Ming’an had brought moved forward to help, but Shen Ningning let out a thunderous shout, "I dare anyone to help! I’ll make sure they die in the jaws of my wolves!"

The guards immediately froze in their tracks.

Shen Ningning went forward herself to pull the two apart.

"Stop fighting!"

She stood between them, and Xie Ming’an’s raised fist stopped dead in its tracks.

Blood trickled from the corner of Xu Jingxi’s mouth. Shen Ningning glanced at him worriedly.

Then, the little one spread her arms to shield Xu Jingxi, her eyes wide as she stared furiously at Xie Ming’an.

"I hate you, Second Brother! In this family, I hate Xie Ming’an the most!"

"I’ll never hope to be a family with you again! I hate you!"

Seeing things were going badly, Lifen quietly tugged on Aunt Ma, and the mother-daughter pair took the chance to slip away from the crowd.

Xie Ming’an was stunned by Shen Ningning’s words, frozen to the spot.

He saw the little one’s eyes, red-rimmed and shimmering with tears, filled with disappointment.

He still hadn’t come to his senses even after Shen Ningning left with Xu Jingxi and the wolf pack.

A guard behind him stepped forward. "Sir, they’ve left. Should we give chase?"

"No need to chase them." Xie Ming’an’s eyes were as dark as the ocean.

He instinctively clutched his chest.

’Why did his heart feel so empty when Shen Ningning looked at him with such hatred and disappointment?’

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something dark hidden in the snow.

Xie Ming’an bent down and picked up a half-crescent-shaped jade pendant.

’He thought back. It seemed to have fallen off Xu Jingxi just now.’

However, when he saw the pattern on the crescent jade pendant clearly, he frowned in astonishment.

Xie Ming’an hastily took out his own Jade Pendant to compare.

The sons of the Xie family all had such a crescent-shaped pendant.

His eldest brother had one, and so did he.

’How could Xu Jingxi have one?’

「Half an hour later.」

Shen Ningning sat outside the clinic. The wolves were lying all around, surrounding her.

The little one stared at the medicine pot bubbling before her, her small face blank and lost in thought.

Xu Jingxi lifted the curtain and came out. Shen Ningning only snapped out of her daze when she heard the movement.

She quickly asked, "How’s Grandpa Xu?"

Xu Jingxi said hoarsely, "Grandpa’s fine. The doctor said we brought him in just in time. He’s already been given two doses of medicinal soup. Now we just have to let him rest well and wait for him to wake up."

Shen Ningning nodded and looked at the thick white bandages wrapped around his arm.

"Your arm..."

"It’s nothing serious. There were just some blisters, but they’ve all been lanced and treated with medicine." Xu Jingxi’s reassuring voice was deep and steady.

Shen Ningning was a little down. Hearing his words, she nodded silently.

"That’s good."

Usually, when the little one was at the National Academy, she was as bright as a sunflower.

Xu Jingxi knew the reason for the gloom on her little face now.

Just now, he had also realized that the man was the Second Young Master of the Xie Mansion, Xie Ming’an.

Xu Jingxi wasn’t good at comforting people. After thinking for a moment, he took the initiative to say, "If he doesn’t accept you, it means he isn’t important."

"Many people who will cherish you have already appeared in your life. Don’t waste your energy grieving over someone insignificant."

Shen Ningning was taken aback, then nodded lightly. "Thank you for comforting me."

"I really don’t need any more affection that’s just icing on the cake."

The little one was unwilling to continue feeling so wronged.

Xie Ming’an didn’t like her, so she had always avoided him, afraid of causing him the slightest displeasure.

But now that their relationship had soured to this extent, she couldn’t hide anymore.

’She would go back to the Xie Mansion and tell her adoptive father that from now on, she, Shen Ningning, was cutting ties with Xie Ming’an.’

The little one paid for the medicine and gave Xu Jingxi a silver ingot.

Xu Jingxi refused to take it.

But Shen Ningning said, "Just take it for now. Your grandfather will need more medicine, and there will be many more expenses later. At worst, you can just pay me back when you have money."

With that, Xu Jingxi finally agreed to accept it.

Shen Ningning then led the wolf pack back to Wolf Mountain.

But the little one never expected that Mo Lingwei had just visited, only to find her gone. Upon learning she wasn’t home, he had returned to the palace.

The next day, Mo Lingwei went to Wolf Mountain again, but to his surprise, Shen Ningning was still not home.

His face was cold. "She’s too busy. If I, the Crown Prince, want to see her, I’m afraid I’ll have to make an appointment in the future."

Chen Shaobei stood to the side, trying to stifle his laughter, but not daring to actually laugh.

Mo Lingwei shot him a sideways glance. "What are you standing there in a daze for? Hurry up and send someone to find Shen Ningning. I will come see her tomorrow."

Chen Shaobei’s expression stiffened. "Yes."

Meanwhile, Shen Ningning had already returned to the Xie Mansion.

As soon as she entered the gates, the housekeeper, Uncle Pang, hurried over.

"Commandery Princess, last night, the Master got into a fight with the Second Young Master."

Shen Ningning’s expression was placid. She only asked, "Is my adoptive father all right?"

Uncle Pang said in a low voice, "The Master is fine, of course. The Second Young Master was locked in the ancestral hall all night. It was no use even when the Second Master went to plead for him."

"Where is my adoptive father? I’ll go see him."

"The Master just let the Second Young Master out and has called him to the main hall for a lecture."

Shen Ningning turned on her heel and headed for the main hall.

Just as she reached the entrance, she heard Xie Ming’an’s cold, furious explanation.

"I wasn’t trying to make things difficult for her. But her character is flawed! She let savage beasts run rampant in the streets. If it were for the sake of saving someone, I could have let it go."

"But she actually accepted a bribe on my behalf! Father, is this also a small matter?"

Xie Suzhi slammed the table furiously. "Ningning would never be that kind of person!"

Shen Ningning walked in, looking baffled. "When did I ever accept a bribe for you?!"

Xie Ming’an turned his head to look at her and said to Uncle Pang, "Bring that bracelet for her to see."

Shen Ningning frowned the moment she heard the word "bracelet."

A moment later, Uncle Pang brought the bracelet made of multicolored gems.

Shen Ningning took one look and, just as she expected, it was the very one Chen Wanru had tried to give her, which she had refused.

"Chen Wanru did try to persuade me to accept the bracelet on your behalf, but I already refused her!"

"You refused her? Then why did this thing appear in my storehouse?"

Xie Suzhi frowned. "The day you returned to the capital, several noble families sent gifts to show their respect. It might have been mixed in with them."

But Xie Ming’an handed a gift registry ledger to Xie Suzhi.

"Father, this bracelet was delivered three or four days after I returned to the mansion. The date proves it. It wasn’t among that batch of initial gifts at all."

’It was clearly something sent by the Chen Family, and someone in the mansion accepted it on his behalf.’

Shen Ningning said firmly, "I didn’t take it! I never accepted it!"

Seeing Xie Ming’an’s disbelieving expression, Xie Suzhi said in a cold voice, "If that’s the case, I’ll send someone to summon the people from the Chen Family and see what’s really going on!"

Just then, a timid voice came from the doorway. "Eldest Brother, Ming An, please stop fighting. I... I’m the one who accepted it."

The three people in the hall turned to look.

Second Madam Xie walked in, looking guilty.

Xie Ming’an was stunned. "Second Aunt, it was you?"

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