Chapter 72 - The Past

Shangguan Ning didn’t move an inch.

A few minutes later, she turned around and asked Shangguan Xing. “The company needs my help?”

Shangguan Xing wasn’t sure what she meant, so he nodded. “Yes, the company needs your help.”

“What benefits do I get if I do help?”

“Well…” Shangguan Xing was speechless. He hadn’t thought of this.

Shangguan Ning had foreseen this. She knew that her father and her uncle were known to take advantage of people. What she hadn’t expected was that they could be so cheeky so as to do it right in front of her.

“Oh Ning, we are a family, we don’t need to talk about benefits. Your Uncle won’t forget your favour to us when the business is back on its feet. We are your family. It hurts when you treat us like outsiders.” Fang Ruo answered immediately seeing that her husband was unable to reply to Shangguan Ning.

Shangguan Xing thought that what his wife said made sense.

Shangguan Ning was his niece, and the daughter of his elder brother Shangguan Zheng. It was her duty to help out with the family business. How dare she ask for benefits?

Shangguan Ning was annoyed to no end. She thought of all that which had happened when she was ten years old.

After her mother, Huang Liyu committed suicide, Shangguan Xing had separated her 5 million yuan from the company and given the money to her.

She was only ten years old back then and had no idea about what was going on. She was just happy to accept the money, when it came around. The only legacy she had in hand right now, was the 5 million her mother left her.

The settlement was as unfair one, as Shangguan Ning had been due to inherit a lot more. However, they thought that she was young and naïve, so she wouldn’t know better.

Five million yuan, invested by Ning’s mother so long ago, were worth a whole lot more when Ning was ten. Besides, if they wanted to give Ning, her mother’s shares, they would have to take into account the fact that since the business had done so well, the investment had more than quadrupled. What was the point of giving her five million?

Every year the company had declared a handsome profit. If Ning’s mother had not withdrawn a penny of her profit’s share, at the end of each year, then where did that money go?

Huang Lihan had once thought about helping his dead sister and young niece to get justice, but Shangguan Ning was Shangguan Zheng’s daughter after all, and taking him down would hurt Ning. Besides, she looked up to her father and it wasn’t a good idea to spoil their relationship.

Ning wasn’t aware of all this, when she was little, so she didn’t know how to defend her own interest. After she grew up, however, she realised how her family had disappointed her, but she chose not to speak of the past.

She believed that she was capable of providing herself with the life she rightly deserved. She did not need to create a fuss with her family over money.

She had been sold by them once, and now she was going to be sold once again? She was no longer the weak, feeble Shangguan Ning who tolerated everything.

With tears in her eyes, she sneered. “A family? Yes, we are a family. Does it mean that 90% of my mother’s share is still held by you all? Then that 90% share should be mine now. Right ?”

Her Aunt stood up from the sofa like a cat whose tail had just been stamped. She asked Shangguan Ning “What nonsense? What do you mean by 90% of the share? The five million, your mother’s initial investment was already returned to you when you were ten. Don’t deny it. You signed the deal years ago.”

“Oh really? I was only ten years old then and didn’t know better. Since you just said that we were family, Aunt, please tell me which sort of person takes advantage of a child? You deprived me of my inheritance.”

“Bah, it is written on the paper. You have no choice but to admit it!”

“Oh yeah? So it has all come down to this ? Where did all your big talks about family and love, disappear? Do you want to talk about legalities instead? Speaking of legalities, do you, Aunt, think that a ten-year-old’s signature would hold up in the court of law?”

Shangguan Ning stood straight and strong.

She would not stand by and watch Liyu Science & Technology hit bankruptcy, but she wouldn’t offer free help either. The company belonged to her mother. These so called relatives of hers were getting more greedy and shameless by the day. Even at this stage, they were trying to take advantage of her. It seemed pretty obvious to her. They did not deserve the company and it was time for her to take back what rightfully belonged to her.

“I don’t care if the law doesn’t consider the contract to be valid. The money was given to you, and we are the ones running the company now. It was your father who approved the settlement amount. Besides, your father gets his share of the company profits, annually. If you are looking to pin the blame on someone, we are not the ones to be blamed. It should be your father.”

“Since when did Deputy-Mayor Shangguan start to take my decisions for me? Why do I have to make a sacrifice just because you proposed a deal and my father agreed to it? Both Shangguan Rouxue and Yang Wenshu have shares to the company, so why have you come to me for help, in the time of distress? Is it because you think that I can’t defend myself? I may be a motherless child, but I know the difference between right and wrong.” Shangguan Ning said what she wanted to but she still wasn’t feeling better.

Shangguan Xing and Fang Ruo hadn’t met Shangguan Ning for more than four years. She was a completely different person from who she used to be. The Shangguan Ning, who stood in front of them now, was not scared of demanding her right. She did not mince her words. The Shangguan Ning that they knew, used to be obedient and tame. What had happened to her?

The couple wasn’t used to this new, fearless Shangguan Ning.

They wouldn’t have ever bothered to get in touch with her, if it wasn’t for the recent problems of Liyu Science & Technology. They felt that it was only right that Shangguan Ning should offer her help.

Aunt exclaimed, “Oh Ning.. you’ve changed so much.You were not like this before. Was all the love we gave you, when you were a child, in vain? We did not bully you because your mother was no more. Why would you think that? I treated you like my own daughter. Your mother committed suicide. You do know what that means, right? It means that she couldn’t bear the pain anymore. She couldn’t live on. She chose to leave you, and for that, we are not to be blamed.”

Shangguan Ning was taken aback. How dare she speak of her mother this way? Her mother’s suicide was a dark cloud that loomed over life constantly.

She had always thought that her mother chose to end her own life without thinking of Ning.

Now that she looked back on her life, she realised that her mother loved her deeply and had never wanted to leave her at all.

It hadn’t been her intention to commit suicide!

With eyes full of tears, she stared at Fang Ruo and said coldly, “My mother didn’t commit suicide, she was forced to death by all of you!”

If Fang Ruo hadn’t said what she did, then Ning would’ve not spoken of the past as well. Now that all had been said, there was no way she would spare them. There was no reason to.

She was definitely get charge of Liyu Science & Technology. She would ensure that she left nothing to these people.

“Ning,you shouldn’t speak in this way. When did we drive her to take her own life? It had been Yang Wenshu who had made her unhappy. Your uncle and I have nothing to do with it.”

Shangguan Ning didn’t expect her aunt to confess to her sins. That was too much to ask for.

She argued with her no more. It had been years since the incident had occurred. She wasn’t sure if Fang Ruo was involved. Yang Wenshu, on the other hand, was the prime suspect. Both these sisters-in-law were on great terms with each other and were often hand in glove on most things. So clearly, no one was innocent in this mess.

She had started to look into the matter and one day, she was going to find out the truth.