Chapter 85: Refusing to Accept the Facts

He had already guessed that things might be exactly as he imagined, but he still refused to admit it, and even less did he want to hear it spoken from his third brother's mouth.

Sheng Hanyu was like an ostrich, attempting to bury his head in the sand; he did not want to think, did not want to listen, and certainly did not want to ask!

Unfortunately, this thought of his was destined to be shattered; Sheng Zerong was considerate of his eldest brother's feelings and feared he would be heartbroken, but that did not mean others would think the same way.

Sheng Hai pushed his son aside and "slap!"—he fiercely struck a heavy blow across Sheng Hanyu's face.

His gloomy eyes, which usually narrowed into a slit, were now wide open as he raged at his nephew: "You finally came, huh? You still have the face to come here? The person the old man doted on most while he was alive was you. Where were you when he needed people the most, huh, where were you!"

Sheng Zerong pushed his father away, frantic and anxious, whispering a plea: "Isn't it just adding to the chaos to act like this right now? Grandfather is lying here, Eldest Uncle and Second Brother are injured and need to go to the hospital, and the cause of the fire needs to be investigated. With so many things, which one doesn't need urgent attention? Why are you still provoking Eldest Brother now..."

Sheng Hai was provoking Sheng Hanyu on purpose; he naturally had his reasons for doing so.

Because everything that happened in the Study in the middle of the night, while unknown to others, had not escaped his eyes!

Everything that happened before Sheng Yukai closed the door had been seen by Sheng Hai, who was hiding behind a pillar, but he did not stop it, and now he was even prepared to help cover it up.

"Get lost, you ungrateful thing, always siding with outsiders." Sheng Hai was dissatisfied with his youngest son and glared at him fiercely.

He even ordered his bodyguards: "Grab the young master, don't let him get in the way." After saying this, he walked toward Sheng Hanyu step by step, rubbing his fists and palms, preparing to give him a beating.

Sheng Hanyu stood stunned on the spot, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the human silhouette covered by the white cloth in the middle of the crowd.

The silhouette was both familiar and strange; he desperately wanted to know who was under the white cloth, yet he was terrified to find out.

He did not want to hear a single word of what his second uncle and third brother had just said, yet every word still pierced into his heart.

Grandfather was dead.

Moist liquid rolled across Sheng Hanyu's face; it was a little hot, a little salty.

His feet felt as if they were nailed to the ground, unable to move even a fraction; in reality, he wanted to rush over and lift the white cloth to see who was underneath, and even more, he wanted to prove that what they were saying was just to scare him and not the truth.

Grandfather wasn't dead; how could Grandfather be dead?

That afternoon, the old man had still called him, called him to give him a fierce scolding, scolding him for being selfish and good-for-nothing.

For the sake of romantic entanglements, he didn't even care about the Clan, and the old man had also said that if he continued to act willfully, he wouldn't give him a single cent of the Sheng Family's wealth, telling him to go to the Great Northwest and drink the northwest wind...

It didn't matter; Sheng Hanyu didn't care about any of that.

Right now, he only wanted Grandfather to be safe and sound; as long as the old man was fine, he could agree to anything.

If he had to drink the northwest wind, then so be it; he, Sheng Hanyu, would prove to Grandfather that gold shines wherever it is placed, and wherever he was put, he would earn a continuous stream of wealth!

It was just that he hadn't said these things at the time; was it still too late to say them now?

If he said them now, could Grandfather hear him?

If he could, upon hearing these heartfelt words, would Grandfather be happy or unhappy?

When happy, Grandfather wouldn't praise him, but would only stroke his beard and smile, saying: "Not bad, don't get arrogant." That was the greatest reward.

When unhappy, he would give him a scolding; the harsher the scolding, the deeper the love!

"Bang!"

Sheng Hai smashed a fist directly into Sheng Hanyu's face; he staggered but didn't fall, his gaze momentarily dazed, but he quickly returned to staring blankly at the person lying on the ground.

"Bang, bang!" Two more punches followed.

Bright red blood seeped from the corner of Sheng Hanyu's mouth, and his body staggered until he was finally knocked to the ground.

"What are you doing? Hit him again and I'll fight you to the death!" The housekeeper rushed over and stood between the two, not letting Sheng Hai get any closer to him.

She had come with the Eldest Young Master; Wang Yingzhi didn't dare come over to stand up for her son at this moment, but she dared.

Even if she had to sacrifice her life, she couldn't let the Eldest Young Master be bullied again; bystanders see clearly, and she had seen early on from the side that the Second Master's preemptive strike was not well-intentioned.

To beat someone while also throwing dirt on the Eldest Young Master—what a vicious heart!

Sheng Zerong was also shouting from the side: "Father, you can't do this, you can't hit Eldest Brother, it has nothing to do with Eldest Brother..."

But he quickly climbed up from the ground, first glancing at his second uncle.

Sheng Hai subconsciously wanted to step back.

However, Sheng Hanyu did not fight back, nor did he even look at him a second time, but instead stumbled toward the crowd!

The people automatically moved aside, and he knelt with a "thud" in front of the white cloth, his trembling hands wanting to lift it, but in the end, he lacked the courage.

"Hanyu, your grandfather is gone."

Sheng Jiang sobbed as he rushed over and hugged his son, suddenly wailing loudly.

He looked even more disheveled than Sheng Zerong; his pajamas were so dirty the color was unrecognizable, and they were torn in several places.

His forehead was injured, and his head was haphazardly wrapped in gauze; blood had already soaked through, leaving a bright red patch on the gauze.

There were also scrapes on his face and body, but the injuries weren't too serious, so he hadn't bothered with them.

Sheng Jiang didn't really care about his own injuries; what he cared about was how to live in the future?

He had lived for over fifty years, and from childhood to adulthood, his father had always made the decisions for him; he had long since grown accustomed to it.

Accustomed to relying on his father for every aspect of life, now that he had suddenly lost his pillar of support, Sheng Jiang's world had collapsed, leaving him helpless and lost.

Just a moment ago, he had been guarding his father's remains, feeling both heartbroken and terrified!

Heartbroken that he hadn't saved his father, and terrified of how he would live his life from now on?

Seeing his son arrive, Sheng Jiang felt as if his pillar of support had returned; he hugged his son like a drowning man clutching a straw and wouldn't let go, refusing to loosen his grip no matter what—now his son was his only hope, and he would have to live with his son in the future.

"Don't talk nonsense, Grandfather isn't dead!" Sheng Hanyu squeezed the words out with difficulty through his teeth; although he already had the answer in his heart, he still refused to believe it.

Sheng Jiang's crying grew louder: "Your grandfather is dead; from now on, you have no grandfather, and I have no father..."

"Shut up, or I'll fall out with you." Sheng Hanyu used all his strength to growl the words, his teeth grinding with a "click-clack" sound.

Sheng Jiang shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

But it was useless for him alone to be quiet; Sheng Yukai roared at Sheng Hanyu: "Sheng Yukai, stop putting on airs here! Eldest Uncle was injured saving Grandfather, and you don't even ask about him, yet you're yelling at him?"

Several more cars entered the courtyard, and sharp-eyed reporters arrived.

As soon as they got out of the cars, the reporters scattered in all directions, interviewing people from the Sheng Family and photographing the mansion after the fire...

They had originally wanted to enter the mansion to take pictures, but were stopped by the police.

Everything that happened in the southeast corner of the courtyard was also quickly captured by reporters, and cameras quietly recorded it all from behind Sheng Hanyu!

Sheng Hanyu did not notice; his attention was entirely on his grandfather. Everyone said his grandfather was dead, but he did not want to listen, and even less did he want to believe it.

But Sheng Yukai discovered the reporters filming secretly, so he spoke even louder: "Grandfather's death has everything to do with you, stop putting on a hypocritical act. Where were you when the fire started? The men in the family were all injured trying to save Grandfather, only you appear here looking perfectly fine. What are you coming back for now? The person is already gone..."

He roared very loudly, and with "deep affection and sincerity."

Added to the fact that Sheng Yukai himself did indeed look miserable, with multiple injuries on his body and an untreated burn on his face.

With him shouting like this, the narrative was quickly led astray.