After Being Blackened All Over the Internet, I Ruled the Military Variety
Chapter 694 - 684: Son Gone Mad

Xu Ling’an pushed open the car door and got out.

"Goodbye, sister and brother-in-law."

Jiang Lingxi waved at her, not forgetting to remind her once more, "Remember, don’t just stay cooped up at home during the break. If you have time, dress warmly and go out for a walk more often."

Xu Ling’an stuck out her tongue and obediently replied, "Oh."

This time climbing the mountain completely exposed her weakness in physical fitness.

Right after coming down the mountain, she unexpectedly received this advice to strengthen her physical training.

It’s very likely she might face an impromptu assessment as well.

But training is really painful!

Especially during winter.

But summer would probably be even harder.

At other times, she should be in the library or computer lab.

Thinking of this, winter break seems more acceptable.

Seeing her sister and brother-in-law’s car slowly merging into the flow of traffic again, Xu Ling’an returned to her grandpa’s ward with a bit of frustration.

She opened the door to see Zhang Anfeng sitting by her grandpa’s bed peeling an apple, and her face immediately froze.

"Grandpa, I’m back."

She had thought that meeting her uncle, Zhang Anfeng, this time would still be an exchange of indifference as before. But unexpectedly, he turned around with such a bright smile that she almost thought he’d lost his mind.

"An’an, you’re back! Did you have fun? Want an apple?"

Looking at the apple that was handed to her, all bumpy and unevenly peeled, Xu Ling’an subconsciously stepped back.

There’s no poison on it, right?

Grandpa is still here, so Zhang Anfeng shouldn’t be that stupid.

So what’s this supposed to mean?

Seeing Xu Ling’an’s instinctive reaction, the forced smile on Zhang Anfeng’s face paused. He was about to speak when the old man behind them told him to leave, "Alright, you’ve been here all day. If you’re not tired, I’m tired. Out!"

Zhang Anfeng had to swallow back the words of goodwill he’d prepared, silently chanting "moderation" to himself, "Then, Dad, have a good rest. I’ll come see you again tomorrow morning."

Zhang Nachuan snorted, watching his eldest son leave, then looked at his granddaughter, still a bit startled, and couldn’t help but sigh.

The child’s heart has been wounded deeply; what’s the use in trying to make amends now?

Moreover, he wasn’t sure if it was genuine or insincere!

"An’an, just ignore him. Who knows what strange mood struck him today, trying to show filial piety to me yet only doing things clumsily."

Xu Ling’an put down her bag, glanced at the chair where Zhang Anfeng had just sat, hesitated, and ultimately decided not to sit there, planning to quietly disinfect it later.

"Grandpa, my sister heard you were hospitalized and wanted to visit personally. I told her you’ll be discharged as soon as the check-up shows no problems tomorrow, so she didn’t come but asked me to send you her regards."

Zhang Nachuan waved with a smile, "No need for a visit. I’m really not in bad shape. She should just focus on her work."

"Yeah, my sister and I saw some squirrels on the mountain, took pictures, and collected some maple leaves to make bookmarks..."

"Then I have to take a look."

The grandparents were happily chatting on this side, while on the other side, Zhang Anfeng pushed open the door to another ward on the same floor with a gloomy face.

Lin Yi was feeding water to their son, who had just undergone surgery and couldn’t get up. She looked around when she heard the door and saw her husband’s dark face, "Got chased out by the old man?"

Zhang Anfeng snapped, "If you can’t speak nicely, then shut up!"

"Why are you taking your anger out on me?"

Zhang Anfeng walked to the bedside, "Jiang Lingxi is back."

At the mention of "Jiang Lingxi," Lin Yi’s hand holding the straw trembled, nearly poking her son’s nose.

Even Zhang Lingzhou, lying in bed, flinched at the name.

For their family, this name was no different from a demon now.

"So what if she’s back? We can’t afford to offend her anyway. Are you thinking of going against her?"

"When did I say that? I’m thinking if there’s any way to win over the niece. After all, I am her real uncle. Xu Ling’an calls Jiang Lingxi ’sister,’ but they have no blood relation. Maybe we can work on that angle. The old man passed out in rage this time, and it seems his health is deteriorating day by day. Do you really want to watch him leave everything to that little girl Xu Ling’an?"

Lin Yi couldn’t help but twitch her lips, wanting to mock her husband for dreaming big. But she swallowed the words.

Since their company’s decline, their family was abandoned by the old man. Their daughter schemed against Xu Ling’an and was sent to jail by Jiang Lingxi. Now, with their son’s kidney failed, she dared not stir up trouble anymore, fearing that her husband might turn his focus on that child they had outside.

The one outside may be young, but he’s healthy and well taken care of by her husband. She couldn’t even find a way to get to him.

She took a deep breath and followed her husband’s lead, "But we’ve seriously offended that girl before, especially with Lingxuan... What else can we do to salvage this?"

"Let me think," Zhang Anfeng frowned, recalling how guarded Xu Ling’an was when she saw him, "That girl may look weak, but she’s smart. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to charm the old man so much. I have to think it through."

"Dad, Mom."

Zhang Lingzhou suddenly spoke, catching both of them’s attention.

"There’s actually another way."

Zhang Anfeng was a bit stunned by his son’s cold eyes, "What way?"

"Xu Ling’an has only one support, Jiang Lingxi. Instead of racking your brains on how to win her over, why not directly take away her support? Without Jiang Lingxi, Xu Ling’an alone is easy prey. Even if Grandpa leaves everything to her, we can force her to give it all back. Besides, with all the losses our family has suffered at Jiang Lingxi’s hands, can you really let it go?"

Being stabbed in the kidney and becoming half a man himself, he had faced jeers at his family’s decline. These ignominies had forced his desperate hand.

He now sees it clearly; Jiang Lingxi is the culprit behind the fragmentation of their family!

Worse comes to worst, they’ll go down together!

Zhang Anfeng: "..."

Lin Yi: "..."

The couple exchanged glances.

They read the same message in each other’s eyes: their son has lost his mind!

Taking down Jiang Lingxi, was that something within their power?

Even if they used their last bit of assets to hire a hitman, if it failed, or if it succeeded but implicated them, it would spell their doom.

"Whether we can swallow this indignation or not, we must. Alright, as for the reckless words just now, your mom and I will pretend we never heard them."

"Lingzhou, you better keep quiet and recover. This kind of thing can put you in jeopardy. Your sister is already in, and if you get in too, mom won’t survive it."

As the saying goes, "Better a bad life than a good death."

They’re not in dire straits yet. Maybe the old man will see their pitiful plight before he dies and have a change of heart.

They’re not willing to go crazy with their son who just lost a kidney.

Zhang Lingzhou’s temple twitched uncontrollably. With even a slight movement, the wound, now devoid of anesthesia, sent a wave of piercing pain as a constant reminder that he had only one functional kidney left in this life.

Too cowardly to act, fine, he’ll handle it himself!

His years of living wantonly weren’t for nothing.

Even if he couldn’t kill Jiang Lingxi, he would at least ruin that face, rendering her unable to survive in the entertainment industry!

Better off dead than alive, he thought, was also a good option.