CHAPTER 521: CHAPTER 521: CAN’T OUTDO A MAN, OUTDO A BROTHER

Mrs. Ning sighed and collapsed onto the sofa, "Nuannuan... I... I discovered that your father has an illegitimate child outside."

"What?!" Ning Nuan exclaimed in shock, her eyes wide and red from crying, "Could there be some misunderstanding? Dad isn’t that kind of man!"

Ning Xiuzhuo was an upright man; everyone who knew him had nothing but praise for him.

Ning Nuan, although sensing that her father didn’t love her mother as much, also believed he wasn’t the flirtatious type.

From childhood until now, she had never seen her father have too much contact with other women; he was always busy with work.

"It’s not a misunderstanding; he’s already established contact with him, which is how I found out."

Mrs. Ning said as tears flowed again, "That woman has already died, I thought he would have given up for good. I never imagined he would find the son that woman bore for him. Nuannuan, I’m really heartbroken..."

Ning Nuan hurriedly embraced Mrs. Ning to console her, "Mom, don’t worry too much, I’m here. I won’t let him snatch away our family wealth!"

The Ning Family used to be military before turning to business, and it was thanks to Mrs. Ning’s parental family’s help that the Ning Family business could thrive.

"I’m not worried about him snatching the wealth; he probably looks down on our family’s wealth," Mrs. Ning said in anguish, "I just don’t want your dad’s heart to go to him."

Mrs. Ning lifted her eyes to look at Ning Nuan, "Nuannuan, you must behave even better in front of your dad in the future, to help mom secure his heart."

She had striven her whole life, and to this point, had never captured Ning Xiuzhuo’s heart.

She originally thought that as time passed, Ning Xiuzhuo would see her worth and grow to love her.

Who would have expected an illegitimate child to suddenly appear?

"Mom, who exactly is dad’s illegitimate child?" Ning Nuan asked, "Our family business has grown so big, how could an outsider not covet the family property?"

Mrs. Ning hesitated, then said, "He is Prince Yao of Morris Empire."

Ning Nuan was shocked, suddenly standing up, "What? Yan Qianyi’s brother?!"

"Yes."

"Then... he’s older than me?"

Mrs. Ning nodded, "Before your father was with me, he was with Yan Qianyi’s mother, Shu Meng."

Ning Nuan was dumbstruck, her mouth agape.

This revelation was too shocking!

She couldn’t believe she and Yan Qianyi had this kind of connection!

After a while, Ning Nuan collected herself and managed a smile, "Mom, don’t cry. This is a good thing."

"A good thing?" Mrs. Ning looked at her daughter, puzzled, "What are you talking about? How could this be a good thing?"

"He is Prince Yao of the Morris Empire, second only to one in Morris Empire! No, above all, I’ve heard that Queen Andelle doesn’t handle affairs, and it’s he who governs."

Mrs. Ning’s face darkened, "So, you’re now thinking of clinging onto your half-brother’s coattails?"

Ning Nuan sat back down and took Mrs. Ning’s hand, analyzing, "Mom, think about it, even if you are distressed, it won’t change the fact that he is dad’s son.

Moreover, as you just said, with his status, he wouldn’t care for our family’s wealth, so he definitely won’t fight with me over anything.

We won’t lose anything; on the contrary, we might even gain some benefits because of his connections."

"We should accept him openly! It’s all benefit and no harm to us."

Mrs. Ning gritted her teeth, "But he is still Shu Meng’s son! Can I really expect him to be filial to me in the future?"

"Mom, as the saying goes, don’t slap a smiling face. If you are kind to him, he won’t make trouble for you. Don’t you want to keep dad’s heart? If you accept him generously and even help dad mend their father-son relationship, dad will think you are considerate and appreciative, and he will thank you."

Mrs. Ning wavered, "What you say... seems to make some sense."

As long as she could keep Ning Xiuzhuo’s heart with her, she was willing to do anything.

Nuannuan continued, "Now, the Morris Empire has already signed a friendship agreement with our Federation Empire. There will be more trade between our two countries in the future. When the Ning Family expands our business to the Morris Empire, thanks to brother’s influence, who wouldn’t want to flatter us? The business is bound to thrive!"

"Now you’re calling him brother already, but he might not recognize us. However, what you say does make sense. Having a good relationship with him will only bring benefits to our family, with no downsides."

"He will recognize us," Ning Nuan asserted. "I heard he left the Yan Family when he was very young and went alone to the Morris Empire, even renouncing his citizenship of the Federation Empire. It shows he must not have experienced the warmth of a family back in the Yan Family. He must be longing for a family. As long as we treat him well, he will definitely accept us. After all, he and dad are biological father and son; blood ties and affection can’t be easily ignored."

Mrs. Ning nodded and said, "Alright, let’s do as you suggest."

"Dad doesn’t know yet, does he, that you’re aware of Prince Yao’s existence?"

"Yes, I’ve been upset and haven’t spoken to him yet."

"Then you should talk to him tonight, show your stance. Understanding dad like this, I’m sure he will be very happy."

Mrs. Ning reached out and touched Ning Nuan’s head, comforted, "My daughter is smart. Thank goodness I have you."

If it weren’t for this daughter, Ning Xiuzhuo would have left her long ago.

It was then that Mrs. Ning noticed the bright red palm print on Ning Nuan’s cheek.

Her face turned to anger, "What happened? Who hit you?"

Ning Nuan quickly covered her face, "It’s nothing."

"How can it be nothing?! I can’t bear to hit you, who dares to? Tell me, and I’ll go settle the score right now!"

"It was... It was Yan Qianyi. Today I tried to explain my relationship with Brother Ah Lie, and she didn’t believe me, so..."

"So it was that little slut!" Mrs. Ning grabbed Ning Nuan’s wrist and was about to leave, "Let’s go to her!"

"Mom, don’t go!"

Ning Nuan hurriedly held back Mrs. Ning, "She’s got Brother Ah Lie protecting her now; we can’t afford to provoke her."

The thought of Mu Yunlie instantly deflated Mrs. Ning’s anger.

Indeed, as the Federation Empire’s Commander, Mu Yunlie was not someone she could afford to provoke.

"Mom, that’s why we need to win brother over. You don’t know, but Yan Qianyi acts so arrogantly at school because her brother is Prince Yao of the Morris Empire. And now she also has Brother Ah Lie protecting her... whereas I have nothing. I’ve always envied others for having siblings when I was little."

Mrs. Ning looked at her daughter with pity, "Alright, even if not for your dad, for your sake, I will also accept Prince Yao."

Ning Nuan gave a slight smile.

She thought she had lost everything.

But now, the existence of Prince Yao gave her a glimmer of hope.

She may not be able to compete with Yan Qianyi for a man, but competing for a brother might not be so certain.

After all, dad was on her side.