Chapter 583: 583: Disperse Now

Chapter 583: Chapter 583: Disperse Now

“Stop,” Ling Mingrui was once again infuriated by Luo Ziling’s arrogance. After a cold shout, he addressed Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan, “If you walk out of this courtyard, you are severing ties with the Ling Family forever.”

For his own face and for the “dignity” of the Ling Family, Ling Mingrui couldn’t help but lose his composure in front of so many people this time.

“As you wish,” said Luo Ziling, without halting his steps, he continued walking out.

Initially resistant to being pulled away by Luo Ziling, Ling Ruonan’s expression turned cold upon hearing Ling Mingrui’s words. She held onto Luo Ziling, turned her head to Ling Mingrui and everyone present, and declared, “At any time, I need to be with Ziling, my son is all I want.”

“Nannan, Ziling, don’t be like this,” In order to maintain her husband’s dignity and also considering Ling Jinhua’s authority, Xie Enhua had been silent all this time. But when she saw that Ling Ruonan and Luo Ziling were about to break with the entire Luo Family, she couldn’t help stepping forward to stop them.

Then she said to Luo Ziling, “Ziling, listen to your grandmother, stop being angry, and apologize to Great Grandfather and your grandfather. No matter what, today is Great Grandfather’s ninetieth birthday celebration; it would be too disrespectful to him if the atmosphere is ruined because of the younger generation’s conflict.”

“Enough, enough,” Ling Jinhua finally spoke again, “Disperse, all of you, and cancel the birthday banquet. Just go!”

With these words, he ordered two nurses to help him back to his room.

As he turned to leave, he paused, then spoke softly, “Ruonan and Ziling, come with me. Mingrui, you come in too, the three of you.”

Saying this, he walked into the small garden inside without looking back.

“Ling’er, let’s go,” Seeing a possibility for things to take a turn, Ling Ruonan held onto Luo Ziling and whispered, “Let’s go apologize to Great Grandfather.”

Xie Enhua also hurriedly added, “Nannan, quickly take Ziling to make amends to Great Grandfather.”

Seeing Ling Jinhua speak again, Ling Mingrui didn’t say anything more, merely waved his hand to disperse the people gathered together.

He followed Ling Jinhua into the small garden inside, without turning his head once.

However, nobody dared to leave the courtyard; they were there to celebrate a birthday, and nobody dared to depart before the banquet had even started.

Those whom Luo Ziling had beaten up were looking dejected, like beaten dogs hiding away to the side. Ling Zhengjun felt he had lost all his face, so after glaring at Luo Ziling angrily and snorting coldly, he walked towards the side chamber.

He had lost all his face today, but he didn’t dare to storm off.

At this moment, Luo Ziling could not possibly continue to pull Ling Ruonan away, so he could only follow her into the small garden inside.

Ling Jinhua did not return to his room to lie down, but was lying on a lounger in the garden, with Ling Mingrui standing beside him.

After Ling Ruonan brought Luo Ziling by Ling Jinhua’s side, she lowered her head in distress.

“Grandfather, father, I am truly sorry for upsetting you both. Ziling’s temper is just like his father’s, very direct and stubborn, and he has lacked our care since he was young, making him prone to emotional extremes. Lately, he has encountered several assassination attempts, and just last night he almost got killed by a sniper rifle. That’s why he’s harboring resentment. On his behalf, I apologize to both of you. Any punishment should be borne by me, his mother. I already owe him too much and perhaps will never be able to fully make it up to him in this lifetime. I do not wish for him to be harmed, nor do I want his life to be ruined like this.”

Having said this, Ling Ruonan lifted her head, first looking at her father, then at her grandfather, her eyes full of defiance.

“Quite a character, this kid, daring to fight inside the old house,” Ling Jinhua said with a wry smile as he looked at Luo Ziling, “You beat up so many people from the Ling Family in the big garden of the Ling house. What punishment do you think you deserve?”

“I didn’t know their identities, and I didn’t know who they all were. I only reacted against the person who called me a bastard. I didn’t do much to the others,” Luo Ziling said, turning toward Ling Ruonan.

“When I came here, I never thought things would turn out like this, nor did I expect to be treated this way by people of the Ling Family, to be publicly insulted as a bastard. There are some things in life that are intolerable, and one should uphold them even at the cost of one’s own life, such as the lives of my grandfather and parents, as well as their reputations. If I fail to do so, I would not be worthy of being their grandson or son. I am a man, and when my mother is insulted, I will stand up without any hesitation to protect and defend her, regardless of the threat or disaster I may face. I am grown up now, and I have to protect my mother from being bullied for the rest of her life.”

Luo Ziling’s words moved Ling Ruonan to tears, unable to hold them back. She quickly turned aside and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

After wiping her tears twice, she reached out and took Luo Ziling’s arm, saying firmly, “Grandfather, father, whatever you decide to do with this matter, I will accept. But no matter what, I do not want my son to be hurt anymore. I am willing to go back with him and live in a small village in the Northwest if need be. No matter how hard or challenging life may become, I am ready to face it.”

“Ruonan, are you threatening us?” Ling Mingrui looked at his cherished daughter with a lack of friendliness.

But Ling Ruonan fearlessly met Ling Mingrui’s gaze. “Dad, back then, you and grandfather decided to betroth me to someone from the Yang Family without considering my feelings. As a grandfather and a father, not only did you fail to protect me, a young girl, but you also made me endure years of pain. Perhaps you had your reasons and ambitions, but I cannot accept that. To me, my son is more important than anything else. Even if he didn’t say he was willing to risk his life to protect me, I would always stand by him. I will protect him and fulfill my responsibility as a mother. If I heard anyone insult him by calling him a bastard today, I would not let it go either. For the past twenty years, I haven’t been able to raise my own son, to protect him, to be with him as he grew up—I’ve failed as a mother. Power or wealth, neither is as important to me as my son. If you want to take them back, then take them back.”

“Alas, such pride and valor are no longer to be seen in other members of the Ling Family,” Ling Jinhua sighed and slowly closed his eyes, “Among the fourth generation of the Ling Family, if there were one like Luo Ziling with such boldness, daring to do the same, I would have been very content. Unfortunately, they only know how to scheme and engage in despicable acts.”

Hearing this, both Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan were shocked, while Ling Mingrui showed no surprise.

He added softly after Ling Jinhua finished speaking, “If things continue like this, the Ling Family will eventually be destroyed by internal strife.”

Hearing this, Ling Ruonan was once again taken aback.