Chapter 132: Revealing the Will

The meal was extremely awkward. Although the others occasionally toasted Yang Zhennan, their words were completely insincere.

For Yang Bingyu and Ye Xuan, the food tasted especially bland. Despite the table full of delicacies, they missed their own little home.

For the first time, Bingyu felt that Ye Xuan’s cooking was incredibly delicious. At least at home, the atmosphere was much better than this.

The meal lasted for almost an hour. Bingyu and Ye Xuan had planned to leave as soon as they finished, but Zhennan wouldn’t let them go. When Zhennan finally finished eating and the servants cleared the table, he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, cleared his throat, and spoke.

"Now that the meal is over, it’s time to get down to business."

As soon as he spoke, everyone stopped what they were doing. They all sat obediently in their chairs, pricking up their ears to wait for his next words. Actually, they had more or less guessed it. The reason Zhennan had gathered them together was definitely related to his will.

"I’m eighty years old this year, and my health is declining by the day," Zhennan said. "I know my time is running short, and it’s time for me to make some arrangements.

"You are all relatives of the Yang family. Regardless of how close or distant we are, Yang family blood flows in your veins.

"Although you all place very little value on familial bonds, I will still leave you what you are due.

"Mr. Butler, go see if the lawyer has arrived. Have him come in to notarize this."

While Zhennan spoke, his expression was completely placid, his eyes calm. This should have been a somber moment, given that an elderly man was speaking about his impending death. Yet, everyone present—except for Bingyu and Yang Tao, who looked genuinely sorrowful—wore expressions of thrill and excitement.

They had been waiting for this day for a long time. Even just one percent of the Yang family’s assets would be enough to last them half a lifetime.

Soon, the lawyer walked into the living room, led by the butler. He took out a voice recorder and a video camera, ready to document Zhennan’s will.

Once everything was ready, Zhennan brought out two manila envelopes. One contained the documents Bingyu had just signed; the other held the documents he had prepared for the rest of them.

"I currently hold thirty percent of the company’s shares. After I pass away, Bingyu will inherit twenty percent, and Tian will inherit five percent.

"The annual dividends from the remaining shares will be divided equally among all the branches of the family.

"As for the personal assets under my name, Hui, you will get fifty million. Yang Kui will get three hundred million, and Yang Tao will get three hundred million. Tian will receive one billion, and Bingyu will receive one billion.

"The other branches will each receive fifty million. The rest will be donated to society as a charitable fund to help children from impoverished families."

Zhennan flipped through the documents in his hands, reading the contents at a slow, unhurried pace.

As soon as those words were spoken, the entire living room erupted.

Yang Hui yelled the loudest. She leaned her hands on the table and glared at Zhennan with a ferocious expression. "Dad! Bingyu is just an adopted daughter! How can she get so many shares? I’m your biological daughter, and you’re only giving me fifty million?!"

Hui felt like she was hallucinating. She hadn’t expected to get any company shares, but at the very least, she thought she would get a decent cut of Zhennan’s personal assets. Even if it wasn’t billions, shouldn’t she at least get one or two hundred million?

But in the end, Zhennan was only giving her fifty million! It felt as though he were brushing her off like a beggar. What could fifty million even do?

"Dad, even though Jie is dead, you can’t just withhold his share of the inheritance, right?" Yang Kui argued. "Forget the company shares, he didn’t even get a single cent of your personal assets.

"You’re leaving so much to Bingyu and Tian. Aren’t you being a little too biased?"

Yang Kui was also furious enough to explode. He had secretly peeked at Zhennan’s will before, and it had clearly stated that Jie would receive ten percent of the company’s shares and one billion in assets. How come the moment Jie died, all of that vanished?

"Exactly, old man, you can’t be this biased!" another relative chimed in. "Bingyu is just an outsider. If you give her so much, aren’t you afraid she’ll just take the money and run?

"I finally know why Bingyu decided to find a live-in husband. That way, she could legitimately stay in the Yang family and inherit the family’s wealth.

"This woman is so manipulative! I can’t believe the Yang family raised such an ungrateful wretch!"

The others immediately pointed their fingers at Bingyu, condemning her and accusing her of coveting the Yang family’s fortune. Some were so agitated they even looked ready to get physical. Fortunately, Ye Xuan stood by Bingyu’s side with a dark, protective expression, making them too intimidated to actually strike.

"Silence!"

The notarizing lawyer rapped hard on the table a few times, and the noisy living room finally quieted down.

Zhennan looked at their snobbish, greedy faces, his heart filled with deep disappointment. It wasn’t as if handing the Yang family over to Bingyu had been his first choice. But looking at these worthless fools, he knew that if they were even slightly competent, he would never have been forced to make such a decision.

"My mind is made up, so you don’t need to say anything more," Zhennan said, pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "This will shall take effect immediately upon my death."

Hui, Yang Kui, and the others immediately turned their glares toward Bingyu and Ye Xuan, looking as if they wanted to eat them alive.

The sheer hatred in Yang Kui’s eyes was startling. Frowning, Ye Xuan took a step forward, blocking Kui’s line of sight toward Bingyu. He hadn’t expected Zhennan to read the will out loud in public. This was undoubtedly making enemies for Bingyu. Having just lost his son, Yang Kui definitely despised Bingyu to the core right now and would love nothing more than to eliminate her.

"And don’t even think about pulling any petty tricks," Zhennan added. "If any accidents happen to Bingyu, all the assets under her name will be donated to society and become part of my charitable fund."

Zhennan knew exactly what kind of schemes these people were calculating in their heads, so he had already prepared a failsafe. Even if an accident befell Bingyu, they could forget about getting their hands on those shares and funds.

"Dad, you’re going to regret today’s decision!" Yang Kui shot a venomous glare at Bingyu and Ye Xuan. He squeezed the words out through gritted teeth before storming off in a rage.

The others were equally dissatisfied with Zhennan’s decision. No longer bothering to pretend to be filial, they all left the Yang family villa, cursing and complaining the whole way out.

"Grandpa, you shouldn’t have made this will public," Bingyu said helplessly, her brows knitted together. "Uncle Kui and Aunt Hui must be extremely resentful toward you now."

She knew this will would breed resentment among the rest of the Yang family, so she had assumed Zhennan would only have it announced after his passing. She never expected him to reveal it now.

"If you can’t even handle them, how are you supposed to manage such a massive company?" Zhennan replied. "Consider this a test from Grandpa. Only by properly dealing with internal strife will you have the ability and the focus to handle external threats."