Chapter 171: Ning Shan Couple Beats Their Younger Siblings

Lin Lina was stunned for two seconds.

She had watched Ning Jinli grow up; the niece had been obedient, gentle, sensible and polite since childhood.

Even after being driven out of the Ning Family and living outside for about ten years, she was still a softie; how could she have changed so much after only a few months apart?

When Ning Yao struck, she not only fought back, but even dared to speak insolently and confront her own paternal aunt!

"You little rabbit! Parentless brat! Today I'll properly discipline you on their behalf!" Lin Lina, getting angrier, shouted and swung a slap toward Ning Jinli's face.

Ning Jinli could have easily dodged, or like just now, counterattacked after, but this time she didn't move.

She only, in an instant, activated the Tian Xuan Heart Method, using Internal Strength to shield her left cheek about to be struck.

Slap!

A crisp crack!

Ning Jinli's expression didn't change; she only felt as if a feather had brushed her left cheek.

Lin Lina's right hand, however, felt like it had hit a steel plate; her fingers to palm were both sore and numb.

She inhaled a cold breath, about to pull back her hand to rub it, when she saw Ning Jinli's mouth curve slightly, then covering her face she shouted, "Dad, Mom, she hit me!"

Lin Lina:???

Swish—

Two figures suddenly rushed forward.

Lin Lina hadn't even seen the opponents' faces when a heavy slap landed on her, sending her designer sunglasses flying.

Immediately a kick struck her stomach, and she was knocked to the ground.

"Lin Lina! How dare you hit my daughter?!" a familiar angry voice rang out.

With stars flashing in her eyes, Lin Lina struggled to lift her head and was stunned to see Ye Zhiqiu and Ning Shan standing before her.

Though ten years had passed, she recognized them at a glance.

The couple, besides appearing more mature than a decade ago, showed almost no sign of aging in their looks!

But…

But weren't this couple already dead?!

Lin Lina turned pale with fear, sitting on the ground while retreating and screaming, "Ghost… there's a ghost!"

"Ghost, your mother's head!" Ye Zhiqiu stepped forward two paces, kicked again, cursing as he kicked, "I let you bully my daughter! Let you bully! Let you bully!"

The sudden turn of events left everyone present dumbfounded.

The reporters, driven by professional instinct, snapped photos continuously, the shutter going click click nonstop.

Ning Yao, still confused, only saw her own mother being beaten and shouted at the bodyguards, "Quick, save my mother!"

The bodyguards, already injured and hampered, also saw the woman fiercely kicking Lin Lina, and with a tall, broad‑shouldered man with sword‑like eyebrows and starry eyes standing nearby, they dared not act rashly and only tried to intervene.

The scene instantly descended into chaos.

Ning Shan, while protecting Ye Zhiqiu and pretending to mediate, shouted, "Lin Lina, stop! Stop hitting my wife!" and, taking advantage of the chaos, struck at Lin Lina's vulnerable points, avoiding lethal spots.

When the bodyguards finally managed to pull Lin Lina out of the melee, her face was swollen into a pig's head.

The hairstyle, painstakingly crafted at a cost of tens of thousands, was ripped to shreds like a chicken coop.

The haute couture outfit worth over a hundred thousand was torn into rags, even the pair of stockings on her legs were more than half ripped, exposing skin mottled blue and purple.

Limited‑edition high heels, handbag, and everything inside the bag were scattered on the floor.

The scene was as messy as could be.

And the reporters didn't miss a beat, crowding around to capture close‑ups, the bodyguards couldn't block them.

Lin Lina's mind went blank, her whole body ached, the flashlights blinded her view, and there was nowhere to hide.

"Mom… Mom!" Ning Yao, panicked, lunged forward, protecting Lin Lina, and roared at the reporters, "Stop filming! If you keep filming… I'll… I'll kill you! Get away!"

"Everyone, that's enough," Lu Jue Ming stepped forward to remind the reporters.

Only then did the reporters disperse.

"Young Master Lu… sob sob!" Ning Yao, seeing Lu Jue Ming come to help her, immediately threw herself into his arms, weeping, "They all bullied me, and bullied my mother! I want Ning Jinli and her group to never have a good death! Sob sob!"

Lu Jue Ming, as if shocked, quickly stepped back several steps, "Miss Ning Yao, please compose yourself."

Tears glistened at Ning Yao's eye corners, her face full of disbelief, "Young Master Lu… you…"

"Lin Lina!" Ye Zhiqiu shouted gravely, "You didn't expect it, did you? Ning Shan and I are still alive!"

Lin Lina shivered all over, enduring the pain, forcing her swollen walnut‑like eyes open a sliver, "Ye Zhiqiu, you… you… how could you…"

Lu Jue Ming and three other family representatives looked on in astonishment.

The reporters' attention was instantly drawn back to those three.

Ning Shan?

Ye Zhiqiu?

The Ning family's eldest son and daughter‑in‑law who died in a car accident and fell into a river ten years ago?

Weren't they confirmed dead?

"Lin Lina, you're shocked, aren't you?" Ye Zhiqiu's eyes flashed coldly, "You couldn't even dream that we were still alive, could you?"

"Uncle… Aunt?" Ning Yao stood dazed, "Is it really you?"

Ning Shan's expression was stern, "Ning Yao, you've really grown up. When you were little, Zhiqiu and I almost treated you as our own daughter, always letting Jinli give way to you, hoping you two could get along. Now you treat your cousin like this? Her parents aren't here, so you think it's easy to bully her? Your parents didn't teach you properly? Oh… sorry, almost forgot, they were never good people!"

"I…" Ning Yao's expression was awkward, teeth clenched, "Don't you dare talk about my parents!"

Ye Zhiqiu's gaze seemed murderous, "You think it's not fun to speak? I will not only speak, I will make you all pay! Everything you stole from us back then should be returned now!"

The reporters' eyes showed shock.

Wow!

Sounds like there's a story behind this, huh?!

"Brother… sister‑in‑law…" Lin Lina struggled to stand, "You're still alive, I… I'm truly happy. Where have you been all these years? Back then Ning Hai and I tried every method but couldn't find your remains, so we could only declare you died in an accident. Later… later we even sent people to search that river inside and out countless times!"

"Stop pretending!" Ye Zhiqiu scolded, "A cat crying over a mouse, feigning compassion! If it weren't for you and Ning Hai setting a trap to murder, could the two of us have been chased by assassins with no escape, driving into the river?!"

The people present were in an uproar.

The reporters' heads were about to explode.

Setting a trap to murder?

Even hired assassins?!

Oh my God! The car accident ten years ago that shocked Xinghan City was actually human‑made? And it was done by Ning Shan's own younger brother and younger sister‑in‑law?!

Lin Lina's mind was in complete disarray, but her face was so red and swollen that others couldn't read any expression from her.

"Sister‑in‑law, you…" Lin Lina forced herself to stay calm, "What are you saying? I don't understand; you and brother are… our close relatives, how could we do such a thing? There's no reason!"

Ning Shan said coldly, "Competing for the inheritance, is that not enough of a motive? Your ability to manage the family business is poor, yet your skill at scheming for wealth and causing death is considerable. The Ning Family's vast assets were almost ruined by you both."

"Stop spouting nonsense!" Ning Yao shouted, "My parents inherited all the property legitimately! Now that you appear, you want to smear us? Dream on! Moreover, I tell you, our family's capability is huge! You haven't even inquired how the Ning Group has developed under my control; if the family business had fallen into your hands back then, it might not be as good as it is now!"

Ning Jinli walked to her parents, stared coldly at Ning Yao, "If you truly have great capability, could your father still flee overseas? If you have contact with him, I suggest you persuade him to return and face legal punishment. Otherwise his future will be even worse."

Ning Yao raged, "How dare you mention my father? You are the one who harmed him! You bitch!"

Ning Shan and Ye Zhiqiu's faces darkened instantly, frightening Ning Yao into retreating quickly, clutching Lin Lina's arm.

Lin Lina, now much calmer, gently patted her daughter's cold hand, lifted her head and said, "Brother, sister‑in‑law, even if you publicly defame me and Ning Hai, falsely pinning onto us things we never did, I don't want to argue about it; I will still treat you as family. If you want money, just say it directly, no need to slap a label on us."

At this moment each side held its own argument, and the reporters present didn't know whom to believe; after all, wealthy families never lack such dramas of relatives turning against each other over inheritance. Yet just listening to Lin Lina's words, she seemed rather magnanimous.

"We've all stood before you, and you still try to twist the truth?" Ye Zhiqiu's eyes flashed with murderous intent; if this weren't the modern world, she would have taken Lin Lina's life right then.

Lin Lina's tone showed innocence and sorrow, "Sister‑in‑law, everything requires evidence. Do you have proof that I and Ning Shan plotted to harm you back then? As I said, if you want money, that's fine, I don't mind at all; consider it as me, as a relative, taking care of you. You really have no need to falsely accuse us."

"Treat us as relatives?" Ning Shan's eyes swelled with resentment, "How did you treat Jinli? A child just over ten years old, and you were heartless enough to drive her out of the house. If you weren't guilty of a thief's conscience, no one could do such a thing."

Lin Lina concluded that ten years had passed; even if there had been evidence back then, it would now be long gone, so regardless of what Ning Shan and his spouse said, she only needed to not admit it.

Moreover, if this couple truly had concrete evidence, why would they have waited until now to bring it forward?

Regardless, the power of speech still rests in her own hands.

She silently exhaled a breath of foul air, chuckling coldly in her heart.

No wonder when she first arrived here, she repeatedly felt knife‑like gazes silently watching her.

It turned out to be those two guys.

Consider them lucky; they actually escaped death.

But sorry, any claim on anything belonging to the Ning Family is out of the question.

"Brother, I admit that in handling Xiao Li, my husband Ning Hai and I were negligent," Lin Lina said while pondering, "We didn't want to do that, but… after your accident, Xiao Li's temperament changed drastically; she caused trouble all the time and even bullied Yao Yao… We tried to care for her, but she was ungrateful and grew more aggressive. We truly had no choice; for Yao Yao's safety and the Ning Family's stability, we had to drive her away…"

"Brother, sister‑in‑law, I'm sorry!"

Lin Lina pretended and bowed deeply, "In fact, as close relatives of Xiao Li, even if she causes havoc, we should be understanding and tolerant. In this regard, we indeed fell short; please forgive us."

The nature of Ning Jinli is well known to all Ning Family members present.

Naturally, it is impossible that she is a disaster as she claims.

But Lin Lina, to seize the advantage in discourse, relied on outsiders' ignorance of the inside story and directly reversed right and wrong.

The reporters began to whisper among themselves, discussing and even pointing at Ning Jinli.

Ye Zhiqiu's palm instantly surged with an invisible flow of energy; she truly wanted to smash this brazen, shameless creature to death with one strike.

Ning Shan also felt murderous intent raging within, but ultimately could not kill in public.

Moreover, regarding the incident ten years ago, the two truly could not produce any concrete evidence, since the couple fell into the river and directly traversed, spending ten years living in a parallel world two thousand years in the past, with no opportunity to collect evidence during that time.

But that does not mean they have no way to deal with Lin Lina.

"You younger brother and sister‑in‑law," Ning Shan said in a deep voice, "Zhiqiu and I, considering that over twenty years ago when you first married into the Ning family, Ning Hai got along peacefully with you and our relationship was good at that time, we give you one final chance—admit what you have done, accept legal punishment, and perhaps you might obtain a sliver of leniency. Otherwise, your stubbornness will bring you even graver consequences."

"Stop trying to scare people!" Ning Yao interjected, "Our family now has money and power; we aren't afraid of your threats or intimidation!"

Lin Lina gently tugged her daughter's arm, signaling her to stop speaking.

Although she thought the same, speaking it in front of the many reporters would somewhat tarnish her image; the moral high ground she had just secured with rhetorical skill could not simply fall into the opponent's hands.

"Brother, you and sister‑in‑law used to be good people," Lin Lina feigned a look of deep sorrow, "But why has it become like this now? What have you gone through in these ten years? It has turned both you and sister‑in‑law's temperaments drastically… The old master watches from heaven; how sad that must be…"

With a choking, tearful voice and her now pitiful, wounded appearance, for a moment the reporters present felt some sympathy.

"Well performed," Ye Zhiqiu said with a cold smile, clapping, "It's a loss to the audience that you didn't enter the entertainment industry. Why don't you tell the reporters how your family seized the old master's inheritance?"

Lin Lina, with tears, said, "I know, logically the Ning Family's assets should be inherited by brother, but brother is gone, the old master died suddenly without a will. Ning Hai, as the first‑order heir, inherited them reasonably, lawfully, and legitimately. Sister‑in‑law, are you even ignoring the law?"

"No will left?" Ning Shan chuckled lightly, "Are you sure?"

Ning Jinli added calmly, "Don't forget, your daughter's ex‑boyfriend, that elite lawyer, before serving his sentence in prison, left a lot of information. Perhaps you could call him over and talk again?"

"Ah… sorry, I almost forgot," Lin Lina replied calmly, "He said he kept a will for the old master, and he even secretly destroyed that will, but that's only his word. Even if that actually happened, Ning Hai and I were unaware. In short, without a will, we can only fall back to the next option: according to law, the statutory heirs inherit everything. Isn't that—right?"