If Huo Xiaozheng wasn't happy, no one else would be let off easy.
The families of the group of little troublemakers, led by Huo Jingyi, were all implicated.
"Dear nephew, this was just children playing around. We'll make sure to discipline them more strictly when we get home!" A man with a receding hairline said with a fawning smile.
Huo Xiaozheng didn't even spare him a glance.
The man gritted his teeth, then grabbed Huo Jingyi and made a show of patting her back. "How dare you bully your sister! Your sister is young and needs more sleep. Have you become so forgetful that you left her locked in a closet?!"
Ignoring Huo Jingyi's wails, the man pushed her towards Huo Ning. "Quickly, apologize to your sister!"
Huo Jingyi was crying so hard she could barely breathe. She didn't understand why her usually doting father would hit her in front of so many people.
"No!" Her temper flared up too. "Dad, why are you only scolding me?! Mom always said Huo Ning is just an illegitimate child..."
"Slap!"
The balding man's face turned pale upon hearing this. Enraged and embarrassed, he swung his palm towards Huo Jingyi's face, berating her, "You've grown too bold! How dare you repeat such nonsense..."
Huo Jingyi had never seen her father so furious before.
Huo Xiaozheng let out a cold laugh, clearly unsatisfied with this little drama, especially after hearing the words 'illegitimate child'. His expression grew even colder.
"If you can't even manage your own children properly, I doubt you're capable of handling company affairs," Huo Xiaozheng said, cross-legged on the sofa, looking at the group of trembling, pleading people across from him. His tone was icy. "In that case, why don't you all go experience life in some remote areas?"
Huo Ning sat next to Huo Xiaozheng, gulping down freshly squeezed juice, seemingly unbothered by being called an illegitimate child.
She did, however, ask curiously, "Dad, by remote areas, do you mean the borderlands of our country?"
Huo Xiaozheng sneered, "How could the borderlands of our country be enough for their 'experience'?"
The group, led by the balding man, almost collapsed to the ground.
Huo Xiaozheng's implication was crystal clear. Unless they wanted to sever all ties with the Huo Family, they would have to spend the rest of their lives in some impoverished region.
"Huo Xiaozheng, you can't do this! After all, we're family."
"Yes... how can you bear to see your nephews and nieces..."
"Family?" Huo Xiaozheng exuded an air of supreme arrogance. "You dare to consider yourselves worthy?"
Seeing that Huo Xiaozheng was unmoved, the balding man glanced at Old Master Huo, who had remained silent.
"Brother! Please, show some mercy!" The balding man crawled on his knees towards Old Master Huo.
Huo Xiaozheng didn't stop him, merely casting a cold glance at his father before reaching out to smooth Huo Ning's slightly disheveled hair.
Huo Ning was somewhat used to Huo Xiaozheng's mild obsessive-compulsive disorder, as he always seemed unable to tolerate her messy hair and wouldn't rest until he had smoothed it out.
She shook her head, looking innocently towards Old Master Huo as if watching a TV drama unfold.
Old Master Huo had no doubt that if given a handful of sunflower seeds, she would happily munch on them while enjoying the show.
With his son's words still ringing in his ears, coupled with little Huo Ning's gaze, Old Master Huo swallowed the words of leniency he had been about to utter.
"You're not getting any younger. Surely you understand the principle that without rules, there can be no square," Old Master Huo said calmly.
"Ning Ning is my granddaughter of the Huo Family, and no one has the right to question that."
As Huo Xiaozheng had said, Huo Ning was his granddaughter. No matter how unsuitable her mother might have been, she remained a granddaughter of the Huo Family.
Old Master Huo emphasized, "You questioned Ning Ning's status, which shows you don't quite grasp the concept of family. Listen to Xiaozheng and go experience life elsewhere for a while."
The balding man felt as if struck by lightning.
Old Master Huo's words were as good as a final verdict.
Huo Ning looked at Old Master Huo with surprise a few times.
Feeling a bit awkward, Old Master Huo cleared his throat and excused himself, citing poor health as he retreated to his room.
At this point, there was no room for negotiation. The extended family members began to disperse, intending to gather some valuables to take with them.
"Wait," Huo Xiaozheng spoke up.
He wiped the juice from the corner of Huo Ning's mouth, then said leisurely, "Did I say you could leave?"
"?"
What more could he want?
Huo Xiaozheng took a tissue and meticulously wiped the juice residue from his fingers. "All of you, come here and apologize to my daughter."
This statement stunned everyone present, including the extended family members, Huo Yanqin, and Zheng Jinxiu.
Huo Xiaozheng wasn't known for being so outwardly expressive.
The Huo Family's continued prosperity and even greater success under his leadership was due to his ruthless and decisive methods.
He protected the Huo Family, but more like he was protecting a symbol, a responsibility he was born with.
Gradually, he became increasingly difficult to read, and even family members grew to fear him.
Now, his insistence showed a hint of vitality.
The balding man silently cursed his bad luck but had no choice but to comply.
He dragged his wife and daughter in front of the little girl, pressing their heads down to apologize to Huo Ning. "We're sorry!"
Seeing this, the others followed suit, apologizing one by one.
Huo Ning clutched Huo Xiaozheng's sleeve tightly, afraid of shortening her lifespan.
She understood that Huo Xiaozheng was standing up for her, and of course, she wouldn't undermine his efforts. So she accepted each apology.
"Don't let me see you appear in front of my daughter again," Huo Xiaozheng warned the group.
He didn't need to say it. After tonight's events, everyone would run in the opposite direction if they saw Huo Ning, let alone appear in front of her.
However, this group didn't include the young Huo Jingyi.
"Why? Why? She's clearly just an illegitimate child, why can't anyone say it?!"
As soon as they got in the car, Huo Jingyi burst into uncontrollable sobs.
Earlier, to avoid angering Huo Xiaozheng, her mother had covered her mouth, preventing her from crying out loud.
Now, with no outsiders present, she reverted to her spoiled rich girl demeanor.
Hearing this, the balding man nearly slapped her again.
His wife barely managed to stop him after much pleading.
"What a fine daughter you've raised!" the balding man fumed. "I told you to curry favor with that Huo Ning, and what do you two do? One calls her an illegitimate child, and the other is stupid enough to lock her in a closet in front of everyone!"
"Are your heads filled with shit?!"
Huo Jingyi protested, "It's her fault for stealing my bracelet!"
"Your bracelet? Was that really your bracelet?" The balding man couldn't understand how he had raised such a stupid daughter. He raged, "When we get to Africa, you'll have plenty of time to pan for gold and make your own bracelets!"
His wife seemed to suddenly come to her senses. "Can't you think of something? Are we really going to Africa as a family?"
The balding man sneered, "We don't have to go. Just stop eating the Huo Family's rice, and we won't have to go."
His wife let out a whimper and threw herself onto Huo Jingyi, crying.
"Oh, my poor daughter! I had hoped to raise her as a proper lady of society, to marry into a good family. What are we going to do now?!"
"Cry, cry, cry. Are you holding a funeral?" The balding man lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. "Just wait a bit longer..."
A glimmer of hope appeared in his wife's eyes.