Chapter 268: It’s Really Interesting
Ling Zhengping was the son of Ling Mingrui, and hence the older brother of Ling Ruonan, while Ling Zhenghui was the son of Ling Mingrui’s cousin Ling Qirui. The two were cousins, although with a slightly distant blood relation.
Ling Jinhua also had a brother who once held a high position, Ling Jinxiu, who had passed away. He had a son and a daughter, the son being Ling Qirui and the daughter Ling Qixue.
Ling Qirui’s position was not low, but due to some special reasons, he was about to step back to the second line, with no chance for further advancement.
Ling Jinhua had two sons and a daughter. The eldest son was the most accomplished, Ling Mingrui. The second son, Ling Mingqing, was also a figure admired by many in the country, having always held a position in the military. Ling Mingqing had two sons, named Ling Zhengjun and Ling Zhengmin, both military men as well. Ling Zhengjun had already a golden bean on his shoulder while Ling Zhengmin had two bars and three stars.
Ling Jinhua’s daughter, Ling Minglan, did not enter politics but went into business, managing the Ling Family’s commercial interests along with Ling Ruonan.
Ling Mingrui had a son and a daughter; the daughter was Ling Ruonan, and the son was Ling Zhengping.
Ling Zhengping followed in his father’s footsteps onto the official path and was now holding a position in the Capital, getting ready to be dispatched to govern a certain province.
Ling Zhengping and Ling Zhenghui had a good relationship, with Ling Zhenghui being somewhat of a follower of Ling Zhengping since their childhood.
It was thanks to Ling Zhengping’s support that he achieved such success.
Ling Zhenghui and Ling Zhengping were quite close in the past, and as cousins, they were not afraid of others’ suspicions.
After returning from a trip to Bashang Grassland, Ling Zhenghui immediately came to discuss matters with Ling Zhengping.
He wouldn’t dare to mention the incident with Luo Ziling to anyone else, not even his own father Ling Qirui, but he definitely had to tell Ling Zhengping.
“Brother, during the long holiday, I took the family to Bashang Grassland for fun, guess who I ran into. I think no matter how much you guess, you’ll never figure it out,” Ling Zhenghui said, engaging in some small talk before turning the conversation to Luo Ziling. “I was shocked when I saw him too.”
“Who?” asked Ling Zhengping calmly.
“That rube surnamed Luo and Ruonan’s illegitimate child,” Ling Zhenghui whispered the answer.
“What?” Ling Zhengping’s face changed instantly.
Seeing the change in Ling Zhengping’s expression, Ling Zhenghui felt a little excited. He knew that the matter he discussed today would definitely interest his cousin, so he elaborated on the situation that day.
Ling Zhenghui also knew that Ling Zhengping had a strong dislike for Luo Xusheng and had been in several conflicts with him.
Poor Ling Zhengping, he almost got hurt by Luo Xusheng, but it was stopped by Ling Ruonan, preventing a physical confrontation.
Ling Zhenghui was also aware that Ling Zhengping, who had a good relationship with Yang Qingyin in the past, had really hoped that Ling Ruonan would marry Yang Qingyin.
When Yang Yunlin and his brother Yang Qingyin were leading the Yang Family in pursuit of the eloping Luo Xusheng and Ling Ruonan, Ling Zhengping was also involved, albeit with a low-key presence during the chase.
“Who else knows about this?” Despite the turmoil in his heart, Ling Zhengping’s expression didn’t change, and he asked in an indifferent tone.
“Haijun knows, but I haven’t spoken to anyone else,” Ling Zhenghui replied.
Ling Zhengping nodded, showing approval for Ling Zhenghui’s actions.
But before he could say anything, Ling Zhenghui added, “Brother, he went on a trip with a woman. The woman he’s with is beyond your wildest dreams.”
Finally, Ling Zhengping couldn’t help but change his expression, “Someone from the Yang Family?”
“Yes,” Ling Zhengping guessed right away, which was somewhat unexpected to Ling Zhenghui, but he still honestly revealed the answer, “He went out to have fun with Yang Qingyin, and the two of them were very close.”
“Heh,” Ling Zhengping laughed dryly a couple of times, “That really is interesting.”
“Yes, it is quite interesting,” Ling Zhenghui also burst into laughter, “Their parents fought to the death against each other, and yet these two have ended up together. If the Yang Family finds out about this, they’d probably cough up blood in anger.”
“When did that kid come back? How did he return?” Ling Zhengping ignored Ling Zhenghui’s words; these two questions were what he needed to know the most at the moment.
“I don’t know,” Ling Zhenghui shook his head, “I haven’t dared tell anyone about this, and I made Haijun keep it sealed tight. No sooner had I returned than I came here to report to you, Brother.”
Ling Zhenghui’s performance was still quite satisfactory to Ling Zhengping. As the heir apparent to the position of Head of the Ling Family, he had already learned not to let his emotions show, so when discussing matters with Ling Zhenghui, only a slight change of expression flickered across his face before returning to normal.
“Nobody should speak of this,” Ling Zhengping thought for a moment and then instructed Ling Zhenghui, “Before our grandfather and father make a public statement, don’t speculate a word, nor should you have any form of participation. As for the conflict between Haijun and the Luo brat, also hold back for now, don’t bother with it.”
Ling Zhengping had already anticipated that Ling Jinhua and Ling Mingrui must have known about this matter, or Ling Ruonan wouldn’t have dared to bring her son back.
Before today, he had already vaguely sensed the possibility because his father and grandfather had expressed approval and remorse towards Ling Ruonan several times. Under the circumstances, their tacit consent for Ling Ruonan to bring her son back would be very normal.
If the two elders consented or even suggested doing so, opposing them would undoubtedly be an exercise in futility.
Hence, the most critical thing now was to figure out what exactly was going on.
Of course, Ling Zhengping didn’t want to see Luo Xusheng and Luo Ziling return to Yanjing, nor did he wish to see Ling Ruonan’s position within the family solidifying or elevating.
Ling Ruonan was just a woman after all, her heart turned outward, and it was impossible for her to work for the Ling Family continuously; this was evident from the things she did, such as bearing a son for the Luo surname and her subsequent actions, and now bringing back Luo Ziling.
Over the years, Ling Zhengping had been planning to take power from Ling Ruonan and retrieve the Northern Group from her hands.
But without any indication from his grandfather and father, he was powerless to act.
Of course, Luo Ziling was unaware that many people were fretting over his affairs.
When he returned to his dorm room, filled with excitement, he didn’t do anything else but flopped onto the bed to think about everything that had happened today.
As he was brooding over his meeting with Ling Ruonan, his phone rang.
Seeing that it was Ouyang Feifei who was calling, Luo Ziling didn’t hesitate to answer it.
“Ziling, do you have time to come over? Huihui is sick, her stomach hurts a lot, could you come over and take a look?”