"Grandfather, are you discussing this with me, or just informing me?" His tone was indifferent, as if filled with profound disappointment.
"Since you understand, just sign it," the old man said coldly, sliding the agreement across the table toward him.
"Huo Xingzhou!" Qiao Xi grabbed his hand, her voice filled with concern, "No one can force you."
She watched helplessly as he continued to lose everything that belonged to him, piece by piece.
Huo Xingzhou lifted his gaze to the elderly man, his eyes as sharp as a blade. "I have something here."
He took out a recorder and placed it in front of the old man, pressing play.
The recording was of that night when Huo Beiting had been drunk, revealing a shocking truth. It was just Huo Beiting's voice: "I... I planned the car accident."
"How did he survive? Being crippled isn't bad either."
"Huo Xingzhou should've died long ago, and Zuo Feng... heh, Zuo Feng is also mine."
Huo Weiguo's face turned darker, his expression filled with anger. "This is nonsense from a drunkard. It's not evidence."
"If I were to give this to the media, they would make it a public spectacle," Huo Xingzhou said calmly, his eyes cold. "Justice is in the hearts of the people. I also have some poison powder prepared by Zuo Feng at home. It's likely connected to Huo Beiting."
He knew that this wouldn't stand as legal evidence, but it was enough to threaten the old man.
"You're threatening me, aren't you? You really want to avoid handing over 5% of the shares? You know the consequences of defying me. The second branch is not just you," the old man thundered in rage.
"I know well enough what you're capable of, Grandfather," Huo Xingzhou said, his voice cold. "I can sign the agreement, but I have one condition."
He played with the pen in his hand, his voice steady. "I want to sever ties with the family! From now on, the 'Huo' in Huo Xingzhou's name will no longer be tied to the Huo family!"
Qiao Xi's ears rang.
He was going to sever his connection with the family!
This was the "shocking" thing he had mentioned earlier.
The old man was enraged, his voice trembling with fury. "Huo Xingzhou! What nonsense are you talking?"
"I am cutting ties with the Huo family once and for all," Huo Xingzhou declared, his gaze as cold as a high mountain flower, noble, aloof, and resolute.
Huo Weiguo clutched his chest in fury. "Our family's ancestral teachings forbid anyone from betraying the family. Those who do will face severe punishment. You will be stripped of your blood ties and all honors and power of the Huo family will have nothing to do with you!"
"I was born into the Huo family, I grew up under its protection, and I've contributed to it. But this bloodline can never be cleansed! If you apply the family law to me, you can kill me or beat me—no hard feelings!" Huo Xingzhou's gaze was frosty as he stood his ground.
"You... you!" The old man roared, "Butler! Apply the family law!"
The butler hesitated for a moment, then hurried off to fetch the family law. It had been many years since they last used it—something big was going to happen in the Huo family!
"Second Young Master wants to sever ties!"
"Is the Second Young Master really going to cut all ties with the Huo family?"
Everyone in the Huo family was in a state of panic. Wang Fengxian, lurking outside, couldn't contain her glee.
"Hit him!" she thought, relishing the thought of seeing that cripple suffer even more.
A loud crash.
The old man panted heavily, throwing the wooden rod aside, his fury unabated.
Huo Xingzhou's back was covered in blood, his white shirt soaked in red. His face was pale, his hands gripping the sides of the wheelchair tightly. Qiao Xi, though injured, looked somewhat better but still bore the marks of the brutal assault.
Huo Xingzhou folded the severance letter and slipped it into his inner jacket pocket.
He forced himself to smile, saying, "Your illness seems worse. You've lost your strength, even in beating people."
"You..." The old man was nearly overcome with rage.
"If one day someone can cure your cold illness, what would you be willing to give in return?" Huo Xingzhou asked in a low voice, his gaze hard.
He wanted to collect interest for what Qiao Xi had suffered today.
The old man regained his composure and replied, "I would offer a large sum of money, treat them as a guest of honor."
Huo Xingzhou then asked, "And if your own flesh and blood, the heirs of the first branch of the Huo family, knelt and begged for your illness to be cured?"
"Filial piety comes first! They would kneel to ask for treatment."
"Remember what you said," Huo Xingzhou said as he grasped Qiao Xi's hand. "Let's go."
"Mm."
The old man coughed violently, unable to contain his fury. "Go ahead, and never come back!"
As Qiao Xi pushed the wheelchair, she realized she had come to know Huo Xingzhou in a new way—his pride, principles, and firm resolve. He was someone with a strong sense of loyalty, someone real and unbreakable.
As they reached the living room, the first branch of the Huo family—Wang Fengxian, Huo Jianjun, and Huo Beiting—were all gathered.
Wang Fengxian clicked her bright red nails, speaking with a fake sympathy. "The Huo family hasn't had a disloyal descendant in decades. Xingzhou, you're really foolish."
Huo Jianjun added in a feigned tone, "We're all family, why act so impulsively?"
Huo Beiting, however, was secretly delighted, grinning broadly. "You're digging your own grave, aren't you? It's just 5% of the shares. Did you really need to make such a fuss? Next month is Grandpa's 70th birthday, and the founder of Tianyuan Group will be there. Double happiness!"
"Huo Xingzhou, you're no longer part of this glorious family. From now on, I'm the powerful one in Haicheng, while you're nothing but an abandoned son, a nobody! We are worlds apart!"
Huo Beiting sneered. "I have plenty of ways to destroy you!"