Nan Xiao let out a cold laugh. "I heard that your eldest and second eldest uncles are rushing back. If you have time to bang the table with me, you'd better spend it thinking about how to face them."
An Ziling visibly stiffened. The eldest and second eldest were returning, which meant the others might be returning too? He was in the middle of his operations, and if they came back now, things would get complicated for him.
Nan Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly. "If it were me, at such a critical juncture, I certainly wouldn't be making enemies everywhere. Lan Yuxi is no longer the Lan Yuxi of the past; she's not someone anyone can just mess with. For An Ran to stir up trouble at this time, I suspect her brain has been caught in a door!"
Upon hearing Nan Xiao speak ill of her daughter, Madam An immediately became displeased, though her tone was not as forceful as before. "An Ran did go a bit too far this time, but you can't entirely blame her. You saw that video, didn't you? Lan Yuxi truly went after her! An Ran could have been left with a scar on her neck. How is she supposed to show her face in the future?"
Seeing Madam An's protective stance towards An Ran, Nan Xiao couldn't help but sneer inwardly. If only she knew that An Ran was actually her husband's daughter with another woman, would she still be so protective? However, among the An family's five sons and three daughters, his youngest uncle was the most foolish and the most doted on by their maternal grandfather. He would rather the An family fall into his hands than let those wolves take control.
Seeing Nan Xiao remain silent, Madam An assumed he had listened. She continued, "Nan Xiao, you know this is a crucial time. Although An Ran provoked the incident, Lan Yuxi retaliated immediately, and it didn't affect her in any way. Can you ask her to withdraw the video?"
Nan Xiao flatly refused, "No!"
Madam An frowned slightly in displeasure. "If even you won't help An Ran, then I'll have to go to my brother-in-law."
Nan Xiao glanced at her. "Do you think Vice President Su would offend Ming Zicheng for an adopted daughter of the An family?"
Madam An looked incredulous. "Are you implying that Lan Yuxi is now attached to Ming Zicheng?"
Nan Xiao gave her a look of disgust. He finally understood why An Ran was so stupid! Even though An Ran wasn't her biological daughter, she had raised her. Stupidity is contagious! Of course, intelligence and cuteness are also contagious, like those two little ones, Zhao Zhao and Mu Mu.
Thinking of those two intelligent and adorable children, Nan Xiao's expression brightened slightly. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the now stunned An Ziling. "You need to have the right attitude when asking for a favor. Lan Yuxi is not an unreasonable person. As long as you let her vent her anger, she won't make things difficult for you. But if you try to use certain people to pressure her, her backlash will be even greater."
An Ziling took in everything Nan Xiao said, but upon hearing it, he regretted his actions even more, for he had indeed tried to pressure Lan Yuxi using Vice President Su. Recalling her expression at the time, An Ziling felt like a clown. "I'll go to the villa on the lower mountain tomorrow and sincerely apologize to her."
"An in-person apology will only be known to her."
An Ziling's head shot up. "You mean you want An Ran to apologize publicly?" That would be even more humiliating!
"I've said all I need to say. It's up to you what you do." Nan Xiao left. He couldn't even be bothered to use polite language with this uncle, as none of the An family members were worthy of his respect.
After Nan Xiao left, An Ziling and his wife also hurried home. An Ran thought her parents' outing would resolve the issue. To her surprise, as soon as her father entered the house, he told her to apologize to Lan Yuxi publicly. How could she! She was the most pampered little princess of the An family. If she apologized to an orphan with no background, how would she maintain her standing in the socialite circle?
Seeing her unyielding stance, An Ziling was so enraged that he raised his hand and slapped her. It was the first time An Ran had ever been hit. She clutched her swollen cheek, looking at her father in disbelief. "You *must* apologize! Otherwise, I'll send you back to where you came from!"
An Ran's face turned deathly pale as she collapsed onto the floor. Leaving the An family would mean losing everything. In the end, An Ran was forced to record a video, reciting a script written by An Ziling's secretary, tears streaming down her face. The apology was made, but the enmity was forged. She now thoroughly hated Lan Yuxi.
As soon as the apology video was posted, Zhao Zhao received a notification. The little boy handed his tablet to his mother, who was playing chess with her grandfather. "Mom, that An Ran has apologized to you."
Lan Yuxi frowned and opened the video. Nan Zhenting made a move and looked up. "Someone has given An Ziling some advice."
Lan Yuxi gave a faint "Mm."
"It's better to resolve conflicts than to create them." Lan Yuxi raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.
Nan Zhenting tapped the chessboard. "It's your turn, hurry up and play!"
Zhao Zhao glanced at the board and cleanly placed a piece. Nan Zhenting's eyes lit up as he looked at where Zhao Zhao had placed the piece. "A good move! So Zhao Zhao knows how to play chess too!"
Mu Mu walked over, hugging her Barbie doll. "Grandpa, my brother not only knows how to play, but he plays very well too~"
"Is that so?" Nan Zhenting reached out and nudged Lan Yuxi. "Move aside, let me play a game with Zhao Zhao."
Lan Yuxi pouted. "It's getting late, you should be going home!"
"You've been shooing me away eight hundred times tonight! I'm not leaving today!" Nan Zhenting called out to Zhao Zhao, "Come, play a game with Grandpa."
Zhao Zhao looked up at his mother. Lan Yuxi nodded helplessly. Seeing Lan Yuxi get up, Nan Zhenting handed her the tablet, which was still playing the video. "If you can forgive, then forgive. It's better for the An family to be in the hands of an idiot than a wolf."
Lan Yuxi snatched the tablet with annoyance. "Give them some time to transition. When the An family is in An Ziling's hands, you can manipulate them however you want. But if you strike now, you'll be facing the entire An family in the future."
Lan Yuxi's mouth twitched. This old man, the An family was his son's maternal family, after all. Was it really appropriate for him to say that?
Seeing her still standing there, Nan Zhenting added, "If you feel wronged, let me tell you another secret: An Ran is the daughter of An Ziling and a bar hostess. His wife doesn't know about this."
Lan Yuxi's eyes instantly brightened. With this inside information, dealing with An Ran wouldn't require her to lift a finger. Lan Yuxi deleted the video, then used her son's tablet to send a few messages. An Ran, your good days are over!
Meanwhile, Nan Xiao had just finished his shower when his phone rang. Seeing it was a video call from his father, Nan Xiao hesitated before answering. "See who I'm with!" Nan Zhenting said, turning the camera.