SAG -Chapter 183 Cutting the Weeds by the Roots

Even now, Zhang Siyan still hadn’t fully figured out what had really happened. The experiences she’d had so far simply weren’t enough for her to piece everything together from the little information she’d been given in such a short time.

But one thing had become increasingly clear to her:

Her father was becoming more and more mysterious.

Zhao Jingyu, on the other hand, shivered.

She was a smart woman—otherwise, she wouldn’t have reached her current position at such a young age.

So she already understood what had happened in those brief moments and through those few sentences.

Especially the final words Zhang Ran had quietly said to Huo Zhiyuan. The moment she understood their meaning, even the way she looked at Zhang Siyan changed.

Holy crap!

If she ever ended up working under this young lady in the future, she’d better be careful—extremely careful. Standing behind her was a true giant, the kind of giant that could easily take lives!

After speaking, Huo Zhiyuan saw Zhang Ran turn to look at Zhao Hu.

The way she looked at Zhang Ran gradually changed, becoming filled with admiration and fascination.

This was the Brother Zhang she had always envisioned!

In truth, Huo Zhiyuan had never dared to truly confess her feelings to him.

She feared rejection.

She feared that if Zhang Ran turned her down, he would avoid her afterward, and she would lose even the excuse to stay by his side.

But now, she already felt content.

She had discovered that as long as she was with Zhang Ran, she felt safe, relaxed, and genuinely happy.

For her, that alone was enough.

At this moment, Huo Li had finally understood everything.

Looking at the determination in Zhao Hu’s eyes, he knew Zhao Hu wasn’t joking, nor was he trying to scare him.

He completely collapsed.

He didn’t want to go to prison.

But he wanted to die even less.

“Second Sister—no, Zhiyuan—I was wrong! I was really wrong! Please spare me!”

Crying and stumbling, Huo Li tried to crawl over and beg for mercy.

Yet Zhao Hu’s hand clamped onto him like iron, dragging him toward the exit without the slightest hesitation.

Sun Guilan and Huo San also tried to rush over, but Zhao Hu’s men stopped them.

The subordinates themselves didn’t fully understand what was happening. They only sensed that something was terribly wrong.

Seeing that neither Huo Zhiyuan nor Zhao Hu intended to speak, Huo Li’s mental defenses finally crumbled completely.

“I confess! I confess! I did it—I was involved!” he wailed through tears and snot.

Even so, Zhao Hu did not stop.

Huo Zhiyuan remained silent as well.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward Zhang Ran.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Ran said, “Forget it. Since he’s confessed, let him serve his time in prison.”

Hearing this, Zhao Hu secretly felt relieved, though he showed nothing on his face.

Zhang Ran might not care about his thoughts, but He Yong certainly would.

Zhang Ran walked over to Huo Li, crouched down, and asked calmly, “Did that Huo Jiaxiong know about all this?”

Huo Li immediately shook his head.

“Jiaxiong really wasn’t involved. I swear!”

Zhang Ran’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

His voice remained equally calm.

“I’m asking whether he knew about it, not whether he participated.”

Huo Li was about to claim ignorance, but when he met Zhang Ran’s eyes—so calm they were almost cold and merciless—the words stuck in his throat.

“If you say he didn’t know, then this matter ends with you,” Zhang Ran said evenly.

“But if he did know, or if he harbors thoughts of revenge, and I find out later… then don’t blame me for what happens.”

The words were spoken casually.

Yet they filled Huo Li with bone-deep terror.

At that moment, he finally understood Zhang Ran’s meaning.

It didn’t matter whether Huo Jiaxiong truly knew or not.

What Zhang Ran wanted was for him, as a father, to personally send his own son to prison.

The message was equally clear:

If Huo Jiaxiong genuinely knew nothing and never intended revenge, Zhang Ran would let him go.

But Huo Li couldn’t guarantee that.

Huo Jiaxiong did know.

Huo Li had told him everything.

Just like Sun Guilan, he had always intended to pass everything they took from Huo Zhiyuan down to Huo Jiaxiong.

And before today, Huo Li might have thought there was only a fifty-percent chance his son would seek revenge.

But after this scheme had come so close to succeeding—after all that wealth had practically fallen into their hands—only to vanish in an instant…

The crushing sense of loss would be overwhelming.

Huo Li was certain.

The likelihood of Huo Jiaxiong seeking revenge was extremely high.

“…Jiaxiong knows about it,” he finally said in a low voice.

At those words, Sun Guilan and Huo San fell into utter despair.

Their entire family was finished.

Not a single one would escape.

In their hearts, they had never truly regarded Huo Zhiyuan and Huo Xin as daughters.

To them, their real family consisted only of Huo Li and Huo Jiaxiong.

As for the daughter-in-law they had abandoned after gaining Huo Zhiyuan’s support, she didn’t count either.

Zhang Ran glanced at Huo Zhiyuan.

Seeing that she had no objections, he turned to Zhao Hu.

“Alright. Call the police.”

“Understood,” Zhao Hu replied before leaving, taking Huo Li and the other two with him.

Just then, Huo Zhiyuan suddenly asked, “Who told you about the will?”

At this point, Huo Li had nothing left to hide.

“It was Su Yu. Some time ago, I ran into her while drinking. She was the one who told me.”

After hearing the answer, Huo Zhiyuan said nothing more.

In truth, she had already guessed it.

Su Yu had accidentally let it slip once years ago, so another slip-up wasn’t surprising.

Still, the timing was a bit too coincidental.

Zhao Jingyu suddenly remembered that Huo Zhiyuan had once asked her whether she knew why her predecessor had been fired.

Back then, she’d been told it was for leaking company secrets.

Now she finally understood.

The secret had been Huo Zhiyuan’s will.

No wonder Huo Zhiyuan had not only dismissed her but also informed major companies and headhunters about the incident.

After Zhao Hu took Huo Li and the others away, Huo Zhiyuan turned to Zhang Ran.

“Brother Zhang, I made that will eight years ago. After I die, I plan to donate all my assets to the Yuanran Charity Foundation. Oh, and I founded that organization myself.”

She added the explanation because she feared Zhang Ran might misunderstand.

Zhang Ran smiled.

“It’s fine. Actually, that’s a good thing. What comes from the people should be used for the people. Doing more charitable work is always worthwhile.”

At this point, Zhang Siyan became even more convinced that Huo Zhiyuan’s feelings toward her father went far beyond mere gratitude.

Even the charity foundation bore both of their names.

She had never imagined that the famous Yuanran Charity Foundation had anything to do with her family.

Huo Zhiyuan then looked at Huo Xin.

“Third Sister, things have come to this. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”

Huo Xin’s expression was complicated.

“Big Sister, how could I blame you? Honestly, what you did was right. You were simply too kind before. And they never treated us as daughters anyway. Whatever debt of gratitude we owed has long since been repaid. Don’t carry any guilt over this.”

In the end, Huo Xin even comforted her elder sister.

Over the years, she had sent plenty of money home.

Not out of filial devotion—

But to repay a debt.

To buy back her own flesh and blood with money, severing the ties once and for all.