The young clan leader of the Ning Family summoned Ning Ze again to inquire about the progress of his mission to contact the Youthful Guest.
Ning Ze, swallowing his pride, gave his report.
Bang!
The young clan leader, Ning Xiaoren, was so enraged that he grabbed the inkstone on the desk and hurled it forcefully.
The inkstone struck Ning Ze's forehead, immediately causing him to bleed.
Ning Ze did not dare to wipe it off. With his legs giving out, he fell to his knees and cried out, "My young clan leader, it is not that I, Ning Ze, have not tried hard. I have truly given it my all, but that Youthful Guest is impervious to both coax and force!"
"I truly lack the capability; I cannot accomplish such a task."
"You have overestimated me, young clan leader. I lack the confidence and ability to complete such an assignment."
Ning Ze did not dare to mention the matters related to the three ghosts of the Huang Family; those were his own decisions.
He had long wanted to discard this task. Now that the situation had deteriorated to its worst, he decided to admit his failure bluntly—he could not complete this mission!
"You, you, you!" The young clan leader, his fingers trembling with rage, could not utter a word to the obstinate Ning Ze for a while.
Leaning against the back of his chair, he breathed heavily for a long time before waving his hand dismissively. "Such a simple task, and you cannot do it properly! Very well, I will assign it to someone else. Get out! Your incompetence gives me a headache."
Ning Ze quickly bowed out, but as he reached the door, the young clan leader called him back.
"Wait!"
Ning Ze's heart sank. He turned around and saluted, "What are your orders, young clan leader?"
In a calmer tone, the young clan leader said, "I have reviewed the list for the upcoming grand examination and noticed that Ning Zhuo is on it."
"He ranked 31st this time. As his uncle, what do you have to say?"
Ning Ze forced a bitter smile. "Regarding Little Zhuo, I am deeply troubled as well, young clan leader."
"The child has grown up and believes he is fully fledged. After yesterday's exam, he had a falling-out with us."
"Alas, perhaps it is because Little Zhuo lost his parents at a young age, and our efforts have been insufficient, resulting in his eccentric temperament and reclusive nature. He is very stubborn and refuses to go through backdoor means, as it would bring shame upon him."
The young clan leader's eyes narrowed. "Hmm?"
"Ning Ze, you are well aware: Ning Zhuo's father, Ning Zhong, your very own brother, was my savior. I promised to take good care of Ning Zhuo and help him cultivate properly."
"The child does not understand, but don't you?"
Ning Ze quickly bowed. "I understand your meaning, young clan leader. I will go back and persuade Ning Zhuo to change his mind."
"Good!" The young clan leader waved his hand, giving a final ultimatum. "If you fail to accomplish this minor task, you will no longer be qualified to hold the procurement manager position!"
Ning Ze felt a weight lifted off his heart as he returned home with a somber expression.
When Ning Zhuo's aunt, Wang Lan, saw him, she immediately exclaimed, "Husband, how did you get hurt!?"
"Of course, it was the young clan leader." Ning Ze sighed.
His aunt replied with resentment, "That Ning Xiaoren! If he is so capable, he should recruit the Youthful Guest himself instead of relying on his subordinates."
As she muttered complaints, she gently applied medicine to the wound on Ning Ze's forehead.
The pain from the wound made Ning Ze's mouth twitch. He sneered, "Luckily... I finally managed to get rid of that hot potato."
"But Ning Xiaoren has given me another task," he continued.
"Sigh, it is about Little Zhuo again!"
Ning Ze briefly explained.
His aunt's brows shot up furiously, resembling an agitated cat. "What? We really have to spend money to get him in through connections so he can join the family enterprise?"
"No, I refuse!"
"How much money will it cost?"
"We raised him for so many years. Bringing him up was hard enough. Now, we still have to spend more money?"
His uncle sighed, "He has been living at the academy with his living expenses barely covered. It is not much at all compared to the sacrifices we have made."
"Moreover, his mother left behind some money when she passed away."
His aunt cried out, "Don't you get it? That money is ours!"
"Back then, when Ning Zhuo's mother lay on her deathbed, she entrusted that money to me."
"You were there, and some of the clan elders were also present."
"Ning Zhuo's mother stated clearly that the money was not for his upkeep but to thank us!"
"That money should be ours to use as we see fit."
His uncle sneered, "Precisely because of that, we must not mistreat Little Zhuo."
"I am his uncle; he ranked 31st in the exams. It would be unseemly if I don't make arrangements."
His aunt gritted her teeth and frowned. "If taking out a large sum of money is what it takes, you might as well kill me."
"That ungrateful brat, along with that greedy Ning Xiaoren, both deserve to die!"
"Husband, can't you see? Ning Xiaoren specifically pointed this out to extort us, forcing us to give him gifts and go through his connections to place Ning Zhuo in the family enterprise."
"Don't you understand what kind of person he is and what his intentions are?"
"He is narrow-minded and ungrateful, making promises yesterday that he might claim to forget today."
"Previously, we thought our connections with him would make things easier. Yet for various matters, either he shoved responsibilities off or demanded money."
"When we sought his help to get you a procurement manager position, the cost was three times higher than for others!"
"Now, he aims to use Ning Zhuo to extort us again."
"Ha! If he truly wanted to repay the life-saving favor, he would have shown some concern for Ning Zhuo over these years. If he genuinely wanted to repay the favor, he would have arranged for Little Zhuo to join the family enterprise himself. After all, he is the young clan leader."
"Hypocritical, truly hypocritical!"
Her husband sighed deeply, "Sigh, do you think I am unaware? His intentions are clear. If I fail this time and do not take the opportunity to please him with gifts, he will strip me of my management duties!"
His aunt was incredulous. "Husband, are you really going to give in to his extortion?"
"We have children of our own to look after."
"Ji'er also needs to cultivate and requires resources for it. What can we offer him? We can't even provide the pastries from the Golden Feast Hall that he likes."
Her husband's face darkened as he snapped, "Nonsense!"
"Those Golden Nectar Cakes are not something even a major manager can eat as snacks."
"Don't worry; let me think this over thoroughly."
Ning Ze was filled with resistance at the thought of spending money and pulling strings to place Ning Zhuo into the family enterprise.
Compared to his wife Wang Lan, it wasn't the money he minded, but rather his own dignity.
Ning Zhuo had quarreled severely with him and his wife and was extremely stubborn. Could Ning Ze, on that basis, still go out of his way to find a good place for him? Was this the role of an elder?
It felt more like that of a servant.