Chapter 8: 8. Chapter 8: Severing Ties

Chapter 8: Severing Ties

Neither Madam Huo nor Huo Song expected Jiang Ning to be so violent.

Caught completely off guard, Madam Huo let out a startled scream.

Huo Miao’s body shuddered in fright, and then she saw Jiang Ning walking toward her.

"Wh-what are you trying to do..." Huo Miao instinctively tried to back away, but accidentally tumbled back onto the sofa behind her.

She lifted her delicate little face, her expression tearful and fragile, her large, innocent eyes filled with unmistakable terror and panic.

As Jiang Ning stepped forward, Huo Miao had nowhere left to retreat and was easily seized by the chin by Jiang Ning’s hand.

With one hand gripping Huo Miao's chin, Jiang Ning patted her tender cheek with the other. "As I thought, this look in your eyes is much more pleasing to me."

At least, the fear on Huo Miao's face right now was real.

After admiring the expression for a moment, Jiang Ning issued a warning: "Remember this. Don't play pretend in front of me ever again, or I'll beat you every single time I see you."

Although she planned to leave the Huo family, Beijing was neither too big nor too small; there was no guarantee they wouldn't cross paths again.

With Huo Miao's "little green tea" style, it was inevitable that she would act fake and deliberately cause trouble in front of her just like before.

Jiang Ning had no intention of tolerating her indefinitely; it was better to make things clear now.

Releasing Huo Miao, Jiang Ning strode away and headed upstairs.

The Huo villa was massive. Jiang Ning walked up the spiral staircase to the second floor and headed straight for the innermost room.

Ever since she had been brought back by the Huo family, she had lived in this room.

This room faced away from the sun. Jiang Ning didn't know if it had been used as a storage room before she moved in, but the entire space was only ten square meters, and it had only one tiny window high up on the wall.

The room, which lacked ventilation and sunlight year-round, emitted a damp smell.

There were very few things in the room; aside from a single bed, there was only a wardrobe and a computer desk.

Furthermore, the computer desk was something Jiang Ning had arranged herself after moving in.

Looking at this dark, cramped little room, Jiang Ning found it almost laughable.

The Huo villa was so large and there were so many secondary bedrooms, yet Huo Song and Madam Huo had placed her in this tiny storage room that was inferior even to a guest room.

And yet, she had never noticed anything was wrong.

In truth, this room alone showed that the Huo family had neither great expectations nor any sincerity regarding her arrival.

Jiang Ning buried herself in packing her belongings.

She packed all her things into a suitcase to take with her, but she didn't touch a single thing belonging to the Huo family.

By the time she was finished, her entire life consisted of only one small suitcase and a laptop backpack.

***

After Jiang Ning went upstairs, Madam Huo, who had been sitting on the sofa, immediately stood up and rushed to the three Huo brothers lying on the floor to check their injuries with concern. "Ziheng, Pingping, An'an, are you alright?"

"Waaaah, brothers, are you okay?" Huo Miao, who had been curled up on the sofa, also flipped over to kneel on the carpet, her expression full of worry.

Huo Song picked up his phone and quickly dialed the family doctor, telling him to come over immediately.

Huo Ziheng, whose eyes were swollen like panda eyes, found it too painful even to open them. He spoke angrily, "Is Jiang Ning crazy?! How did she change so much after being discharged from the hospital this time!"

The twins, who were similarly beaten black and blue, grimaced in pain. "Dad was right this afternoon! She's either gone insane or she has intermittent explosive disorder!"

Otherwise, how could they explain why Jiang Ning had suddenly become so violent after her discharge?

Huo Kaian said indignantly, "Quick, call the mental asylum and have them take her away!"

Huo Miao and Madam Huo helped the three brothers sit up on the sofa together.

Hearing Huo Kaian's words, Huo Miao instinctively chimed in, "Is... is that a good idea? Although I don't know why Sister has suddenly become so violent after being discharged, it wouldn't be good if she started hitting others like this after being sent to a mental asylum."

Her words were undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire. Huo Kaian immediately retorted, "If we don't send her in, the people she hits will be us!"

Though it was humiliating, they had to admit that they couldn't even win a fight against Jiang Ning!

If they continued to live under the same roof, they would only be pinned to the ground and pummeled by her!

Recalling how Jiang Ning had just slapped him repeatedly, Huo Kaiping's face twisted with embarrassment and humiliation as he added, "I agree with this."

Just as the words fell, the group heard a noise from the second floor; it sounded like footsteps.

Almost instinctively, Madam Huo hurried back to her seat on the sofa, while Huo Miao and the three brothers looked up, staring nervously at the stairs.

Their hearts raced; they hadn't even realized that a trace of fear—the fear of being dominated by Jiang Ning—had crept into their hearts.

Carrying her laptop backpack and pulling her suitcase, Jiang Ning came down the stairs.

Seeing her departure, no one in the Huo family spoke.

Instead, as Jiang Ning reached the center of the living room, she set down her suitcase, tossed two bank cards onto the sofa, and looked at Madam Huo.

"There are two bank cards here. One is the one you gave me when I first arrived; I haven't touched a cent of the money, so I'm returning it to you. As for the other, there is two hundred thousand yuan in it. Half is for my room and board for the past year, and the other half is to buy out our relationship. The password is 123456."

"In any case, when you brought me back, you didn't change my household registration, nor did you announce my identity to the public. Once I walk out of this door today, we will be strangers who do not interfere with one another."

"Don't come looking for trouble with me, or else..."

As Jiang Ning spoke, she raised her fist in a threatening gesture toward them.

The three brothers, who had just been beaten, dared to be angry but not to speak. Huo Song, the head of the household sitting on the sofa, had a face as dark as water. He gave Jiang Ning a cold look and said gloomily, "Don't regret this."

Jiang Ning lived in the Huo villa; even if the family hadn't announced her status as a Huo heiress, having the Huo family as a backing meant people would still cater to her.

Once she left the Huo family, she would be fighting alone. Huo Song wanted to see who would still take a young girl's side!

If the Huo family were to leak even a slight rumor that Jiang Ning had offended them, it would be difficult for her to even find a job to make a living in Beijing!

"I won't regret it." Jiang Ning had no idea what malicious schemes Huo Song was plotting, but even if she did, she wouldn't change her mind.

Jiang Ning picked up her suitcase and walked out of the Huo house.

Behind her, sitting on the sofa, Huo Miao gripped the cushions tightly with both hands. She tried to suppress it, but ultimately could not help herself; the corners of her mouth curled into a smirk.

She didn't know what Jiang Ning was thinking, but once Jiang Ning left the Huo family, she, Huo Miao, would be the only young lady of the Huo family left!