Chapter 66: Chapter 66: The Chi Family’s Undeserved Disaster

Zhou Huai’an was an old hand, after all. He grasped Chi Wan’s meaning almost instantly.

Chi Wan was suggesting that their primary target had always been Song Yangming. The only reason they went after the Chi Family was to make sure no one could lend him a helping hand.

He looked at Chi Wan as if she were some kind of strange creature. "You’re just a young girl who hasn’t seen much of the world. How did you manage to piece this all together?"

If nothing else, Zhou Huai’an had always been rather confident in his judgment of character—not just anyone could earn his respect or be treated as an equal.

Having spent some time with Chi Wan, he had come to see her as a smart, candid, and determined young woman.

For someone like Zhou Huai’an, who had met countless people, this was high praise indeed. After all, he had seen far too many "clever" people with cunning and calculation gleaming in their eyes.

He just hadn’t expected that despite her youth, Chi Wan’s mind was even more perceptive than he’d given her credit for.

’Well, that’s mainly because I have a very worldly apocalypse boss giving me pointers,’ Chi Wan grumbled to herself.

She scratched her cheek, looking a little embarrassed. "It just came to me, really. And it’s all thanks to you, Brother Huai’an, for telling me about Song Yangming’s biological father. That’s how I was able to connect the dots."

Zhou Huai’an nodded. "If this involved any other family, your theory might be debatable. But if it’s connected to his biological father, Song Baihan, then your guess is very likely correct.

"Song Baihan married into the family, so I don’t know him very well. The main branch of the He Family is powerful in the coastal region, while his wife He Yunzhen’s line is just a side branch. They only moved to the Huazhong Region after separating from the main family.

"Even though they’re not in our social circle, the He Family has been trying all sorts of methods to clean up their image over the years. We’ve had a few dealings, so their family affairs aren’t exactly a secret to anyone who bothers to look."

"Song Baihan has been with He Yunzhen for a long time. He’s not a very capable man—he really only has his looks going for him, or else he never would have married into the He Family. The thing is, he’s never been one to behave himself."

Chi Wan snorted. "If he actually behaved himself, he wouldn’t have a bunch of illegitimate children running around... But for a man who married into the family, he sure fools around a lot. Isn’t he afraid his wife will do something to him?"

Chi Wan was also curious. Song Yangming and his biological father lived so close to each other. Was it possible Song Baihan truly didn’t know? Or did the He Family’s influence mean he didn’t *dare* to know?

Zhou Huai’an smiled. "He Yunzhen is about a decade younger than my grandfather, so she’s in her sixties now. She only ever had one son, He Rong. The story goes that she nearly died giving birth to him, and her health has been poor for the last few years. She probably can’t be bothered to deal with Song Baihan, focusing all her energy on raising He Rong and helping him take over the He Family.

"If she really feels like she doesn’t have much time left, it’s not impossible that she’d want to deal with Song Yangming and his kind to eliminate any future threats."

Perhaps Song Baihan’s recent restlessness gave He Yunzhen a sense of crisis, so she decided to cut off all his options. Or perhaps she wanted to clear any and all obstacles for her son to take over the He Family’s enterprises.

At this, Zhou Huai’an’s gaze toward Chi Wan softened with sympathy. If their guess was right, the Chi Family had truly been caught in a disaster they didn’t deserve.

Chi Wan lowered her voice. "I’m even starting to suspect that Song Yangming’s gambling addiction might be connected to them... It seems they knew his true identity long before I did."

For some reason, Zhou Huai’an let out a sneer. "If it really was He Rong’s handiwork, then their family’s style has changed quite a bit. All I can say is, Song Yangming is lucky. A few years ago, he’d probably have been encased in cement and tossed into the sea.

"I, for one, think this convoluted style is more likely the work of the He Family’s younger generation. He Rong has a son and a daughter. The son, He Lingfeng, should be about your age, and the daughter, He Lingshan, is still in high school.

"That pair of siblings is always so gloomy, and they don’t exactly play fair. Neither Huaijin nor I are very fond of them.

"It’s an interesting thought, though. I have no idea what Song Yangming’s birth mother was thinking. Not only did she intentionally sell him to a family with the surname Song, but she kept him so close to the He Family.

"Was she hoping Song Baihan would look after the boy for old times’ sake, or... was she set on helping Song Baihan ’continue his family line’?"

Chi Wan froze. Zhou Huai’an’s words opened up a new line of thinking for her.

Following his train of thought, she continued, "If that’s true, then Song Yangming’s birth mother was pretty ambitious..."

If Zhou Huai’an’s theory was correct, then Song Baihan had probably known about Song Yangming’s existence all along, and may have even helped conceal it—after all, to Song Baihan, Song Yangming was still, ultimately, ’a child of the Song Family’.

Chi Wan didn’t fully understand it, but she could guess at Song Baihan’s mindset. After all, even now in Qingshui Village, there were still people telling her parents that "a daughter can’t carry on the family business."

And while Chi Yuanshan would forcefully shut them down every time, that kind of talk was common everywhere—especially for someone like Song Baihan, who had married into his wife’s family.

No wonder things had been quiet for so many years, only for this whole mess to erupt so suddenly. He Yunzhen must have discovered Song Yangming’s existence.

This made Song Yangming a "special" case for both Song Baihan and the He Family.

Chi Wan slowly exhaled. It was now almost certain that her family had been dragged into this because of Song Yangming.

But a moment later, a wave of fury washed over her.

’This He Family is unbelievable. It’s one thing for Song Baihan to cover up the existence of his own illegitimate son, but what did my parents do wrong?’

’Could they really destroy a completely innocent family so casually, just as a means to get to Song Yangming?!’

’The He Family, Song Baihan... they were all disgusting enough to make her want to vomit!’

Seeing the ugly look on Chi Wan’s face, Zhou Huai’an gently patted her shoulder in comfort. "Wanwan, I know this is infuriating, but I need you to bury this deep down and not do anything rash.

"He Yunzhen’s branch of the family might not be a big deal here in the Huazhong Region, but she still has the main family to back her up. The He Family has deep roots in the coastal region and significant business ties in Hong Kong.

"Forget about us—even a family like the Xiahous wouldn’t necessarily have an easy time on the coast. Now that you know their objective, you just need to be on your guard. Their ultimate target is still Song Yangming."

Chi Wan remained noncommittal.

But she knew that, given their friendship, Zhou Huai’an was saying all this entirely for her sake.

’But why should they get away with it?’

After all, before she had arrived, the He Family was still trying every trick in the book to drag Chi Yuanshan and his wife, who had just managed to get back on their feet, back into the gutter.

’Whether it was Song Yangming or the He Family, they would all have to pay the price for what they had done.’