Chapter 4: 4. Chapter 4: Returning to the Huo Family

Chapter 4: Returning to the Huo Family

The sky was growing dark, an unsuitable time for a confrontation.

Jiang Ning returned to the Huo villa, intending to sever her physiological blood ties with the family once and for all.

The Huo villa was brightly lit.

The Huo quartet, who had previously been tossed into the pool by Jiang Ning indiscriminately, had clearly bathed and regained their usual "respectable" (strike that) exquisite and composed appearances.

Huo Miao sat on the sofa, having changed into a different green miniskirt. Her hair, washed and blow-dried, was voluminous and emitted a pleasant fragrance.

Glancing at the darkening sky outside the window, a hint of anxiety colored Huo Miao's exquisite, pale, oval face. "Dad, Mom, what should we do? Sister went out and hasn't come back yet. Do you think something happened to her?"

Huo Song sat on the sofa, a flash of disgust crossing his eyes. "Don't mention her to me!"

Thinking about how Jiang Ning had publicly tossed him into the pool this afternoon, Huo Song was consumed with rage.

As the head of the family, he had never been so humiliated!

He shouldn't have brought Jiang Ning back in the first place. He should have left her to fend for herself out in the world; it would have been better than bringing her back to cause such mindless chaos!

Huo Song radiated a heavy, oppressive aura. Mrs. Huo, sitting beside him, was no less anxious. She believed she had been good enough to Jiang Ning—not only bringing her from that dilapidated low-rent housing to this grand villa but also providing her with monthly pocket money.

She considered herself a qualified mother, yet this was how Jiang Ning repaid her?

As soon as the Huo twins, Huo Kaiping and Huo Kaian, returned from school, they heard about how Jiang Ning had suddenly gone mad and tossed everyone into the pool. Their expressions were equally indignant.

Huo Kaiping said, "We shouldn't have brought her back. She's an adult anyway; she can't change the bad habits she formed while living outside. Bringing her back now only makes everyone unhappy and brings shame upon us."

Huo Kaian immediately chimed in, "It was one thing for her to have an unstable mindset and be jealous of how well we treat Sister Miao, but now she's actually started hitting people! She doesn't consider us family at all."

The two exchanged a look, sharing a single thought: "Dad, why don't we give her some money and let her move out?"

They truly did not want to see that loathsome woman, Jiang Ning, anymore.

"Look at how happy our family has been this past month while she was hospitalized and unconscious. The moment she woke up, she started making everyone miserable."

As soon as Jiang Ning stepped into the villa, she heard the twins' words. Her clear eyes remained emotionless.

These twins loved playing video games and hated doing homework.

She remembered that when she first returned to the Huo family during summer vacation, she had specifically bought two out-of-print game consoles that the brothers had long desired. She had even set a goal for them: if they finished their homework, she would give them the consoles.

That period was when the twins had the best attitude toward Jiang Ning, because she would tutor them in their studies and was incredibly skilled at gaming!

Later... later, Huo Miao had feigned distress in front of the brothers, crying about why they only wanted to play with Jiang Ning and wouldn't include her, asking if they no longer acknowledged her as their sister.

A few days later, Jiang Ning found the out-of-print game console she had gifted them in the trash. Simultaneously, the twins' attitude toward her grew increasingly hostile, fearing that Huo Miao might misunderstand them.

At this moment, the twins' words elicited a silent, cold sneer from Jiang Ning.

If Huo Miao had been unconscious in the hospital for a month, would they still be this happy?

During her month in the hospital, the Huo family's total lack of inquiry or concern had been nothing short of extreme indifference.

Standing outside the door, holding a half-finished bottle of water, Jiang Ning saw that no one had noticed her, so she saw no rush to enter.

She wanted to see exactly how these people spoke about her behind her back.

The twins' suggestion clearly moved Mrs. Huo, though she remained hesitant. "I'm afraid that might not be good. Since we brought her back, she has always lived in the villa. Even during university, despite the distance across half the city, she insisted on commuting every day. After graduating and starting work, she has stayed in the villa every single day... If we suddenly kick her out, I fear she might harbor resentment toward us."

Huo Ziheng, who was leaning back on the sofa with his arms wrapped around himself, finally couldn't hold back. He let out a sneer. "Is that work? It sounds nice to call it 'live streaming,' but in reality, she's just trying to leech off Miao Miao's popularity. Out of her hundred thousand followers, ninety-nine thousand are haters. Every time she goes live, the comments are a barrage of insults. She's a complete disgrace to the Huo family! How does she expect to make money like that? She's just using the guise of being 'self-employed' to live in this villa for free.

In fact, in her heart, she probably wishes you and Father would die early so she can inherit the Huo family fortune. She's nothing but a social parasite!"

Huo Ziheng still held a grudge over being tossed into the pool by Jiang Ning this afternoon, and his words were unapologetically harsh, interpreting her actions through the darkest possible lens.

Both Huo Song and Mrs. Huo's expressions darkened.

Jiang Ning shook the water bottle in her hand.

The reason she didn't stay overnight and braved the wind and rain to return to the villa every day was simply because she wanted to build an emotional connection and bridge the gap between them.

She never expected that this was how they all perceived her.

"Second Brother, you're going too far!" Huo Miao bit her lip and stepped forward. "Sister Jiang Ning isn't that kind of person. She grew up in the mountains and has never lived in such a grand villa; it's normal for her to be attached to it. It's all my fault. If I hadn't taken Sister Jiang Ning's identity, she would have grown up surrounded by luxury. She would be used to everything in this villa and wouldn't have such bad thoughts."

While she was ostensibly refuting Huo Ziheng, Huo Miao's words actually confirmed his accusations, serving only to add fuel to the fire.

Looking at her pathetic, "green tea" expression, Jiang Ning felt an itch in her hands.

When one can no longer endure, there is no need to endure further.

With a slight flick of her wrist, the water bottle flew out of her hand, striking Huo Miao squarely on the head.

"Ah!"

"Who! Who attacked me!?"

"Holy crap!"

Three cries of pain rang out simultaneously.

The first was Huo Miao's; the second and third came from the twins.

After the water bottle hit Huo Miao, it bounced and struck the twins, who were sitting together, in succession.

Jiang Ning clapped her hands and walked in from the doorway. "Sorry, my hand slipped. It just happened to fly toward the person it was meant for."

Seeing her, the Huo family was startled.

Huo Ziheng couldn't help but point at her and ask, "Why are you back? When did you get here?"

"I came back because I wanted to. What? Do I need to notify you first?" Jiang Ning lifted her eyelids and gave him a cold glance.

Huo Ziheng was choked up. The twins, seeing Jiang Ning's appearance, felt a flash of guilt remembering what they had just said, but when they saw the water bottle lying on the floor, they immediately became indignant again.

Huo Kaiping glared at her. "Are you sick? Why do you start hitting people the moment you get home?"

"Am I hitting people? Even animals know how to huddle together for warmth, yet you all are thinking of ways to drive me out." Jiang Ning stepped forward, bent down to pick up the water bottle, and retorted coldly, "Who was it just now that said they wanted to drive me out?"

Huo Kaiping and Huo Kaian were furious. It was they who had suggested kicking Jiang Ning out of the Huo family. Did her words imply they were worse than beasts?

Huo Kaiping took a step forward, clenching his fists angrily. "Jiang Ning, don't think that just because you just got out of the hospital, I won't dare to hit you."

Jiang Ning lifted her gaze. "Oh? So you're planning to take me on one-on-one right now?"