"How do you propose to protect her from the grave, my son? When your existence is what puts her in danger?"
"Father… you're terrible!" Jingwei could only shake his head in a mixture of confusion, rage and terror.
Why did his father hate Xue Ning so much? Sure, she wasn't the most polite of women, and her family had humble origins, but it seemed to him that he had a personal vendetta against her.
Even during their first meeting, he had detected faint animosity radiating off his father. It grew stronger during breakfast, but Jingwei assumed that it would fade when they hadn't seen each other.
Why was it that his father continued to hate her so much? What could Xue Ning have possibly done to him?
He checked on Xue Ning, worried that she'd be hurt by his father's harsh words. She didn't deserve to be called a seductive slut, nor did her family deserve to be threatened with a jail sentence.
To his surprise, Xue Ning had a nonchalant smile on her face. Paired with the abhorrent hate in her eyes, it made for a terrifying image! Xue Ning looked like she was thinking of how best to disembowel his father and hide the body.
The bodyguards around the room simultaneously tensed, sensing her bloodlust. Miss Li Xue Ning did not look like she posed a credible threat, but who knows what actions rage can inspire?
Sun Haowei only smirked at her, knowing that no matter how angry she was, she could not strike him for fear of retaliation.
Such was the fate of the poor and weak in their country. These people were nothing more than ground that his empire was built on, the cogs in his machine. They had to know their place in society, and it was definitely not by his son's side!
"Are you going to slap me?" He taunted her, knowing that she could not even hope to deal any damage. "I welcome it."
Xue NIng closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She would not rise to the provocations of a downright rude old man who believed that the world revolved around his whims, who judged women by their sexual activities (or lack thereof).
She can play his game. She gave him a smile that had too many teeth to be polite.
"Oh, I would never hit someone as elderly as you." Xue Ning started, "But I'll still argue with you regarding one point: your son, Sun Jingwei, is definitely worth more than what you think of him."
"I was right, you are a mercenary gold-digger. How much do you want then?" His father said proudly, as though his expectations have been met.
"Xue Ning?" Jingwei began cautiously. He was initially sure that Xue Ning wouldn't take up his father's offer, but after seeing how his father insulted her continuously, he was having doubts.
Xue Ning caught his hesitant look and gave his hand a comforting squeeze.
"Don't worry, if I accept your father's money, I'll make sure to share it with you." Xue Ning said to Jingwei, blatantly revealing her plans to his father, whose face was slowly resembling a grape. "But first, let me haggle with your father about your worth."
What else could Jingwei do but laugh helplessly at her pragmatic response? He flung a protective arm in front of her, just in case his father forgot he was still on her side.
"I look forward to hearing it my dear. Let me know how highly you think of me."
"For a start, you are a healthy male in your mid-twenties. Just your organs alone would be worth a fortune," Xue Ning started. "Kidneys, liver, bone marrow, pancreas, lungs, skin… all those together should be worth more than a billion."
"What about my heart?" Jingwei had to ask. "Surely it must be worth a lot."
"Yes, but you said it was already mine. I'm not selling it." Xue Ning replied firmly, even if her cheeks bloomed red at her own shameless reply.
Jingwei shot a look of pure adoration. His wife was so smart! So witty! So darling!
His smile turned filthier as he thought of another organ that was completely hers. If they were alone, he'd give her a preview on that huge king-sized bed, but unfortunately, he was cockblocked by his father, his brother, and their entire bodyguard team.
Xue Ning caught that change in his smile and smacked him again, giving him a warning look.
'Behave.'
Her arguing with his father was already bad enough, if he popped a boner because of it, his father might just murder them!
"How much do you want then?" His father spat out angrily.
"How much is your son worth to you?" Xue Ning asked, morbidly curious. "It should be at least half of your empire, yes?"
"You -" Sun Haowei was speechless with rage. His son must have been blind, to fall in love with such a woman. She acted like she didn't care about money, only to demand her lion's share of the ransom when he least expected it!
"If you're not willing to give me that much, I'm not leaving him," Xue Ning said defiantly. "Your son is a good man who tries his best to do the right thing, even when it might backfire. He's worth a hundred of you."
Beside her, Jingwei had to blink back the tears that were suddenly welling in his eyes. He didn't deserve her, but he was so grateful that Xue Ning entered his life.
His father scoffed at her words. "You're delusional. My son's past is full of skeletons - you should not invest more feelings into him, you'll only get heartbroken at the end."
He turned to his youngest and barked out. "She must know nothing about you! Let me guess, you're such a coward that you didn't tell her about Zhou Yu?"
Jingwei's face paled, and his father smirked victoriously, pouncing on this moment of weakness.
His son thought that he could fly out the nest with such flimsy wings of his? Dream on!
Follow current novels on (f)reew𝒆bnovel