Old Master Li was silent for a moment before saying, “That night, I explained my predicament to her. I told her that I was bankrupt and my wife was pregnant. I couldn’t face her. And Ping’er said that she had money, a lot of money. She could help me get through this.”

Madam was disappointed. “So you got together with her to be grateful.”

Old Master Li was a little embarrassed. “Madam, I was already in my early forties at that time and could already be Ping’er’s father. How could I have improper thoughts about her? Even if I did, Ping’er didn’t think highly of me. She’s the daughter of the Huo family.”

Madam was surprised. “You knew her identity then?”

The old man said, “I didn’t know. But from her habits, I know she’s from a prestigious family.”

Huo Xiaoran asked, “Why did my mommy commit suicide?”

The old man glanced at the stubborn Huo Xiaoran and sighed before continuing, “At that time, your mother had just fallen out of love. It seems that her first love abandoned her and turned around to marry her best friend.”

At this moment, it was unknown which junior had fallen for it, but he said in confusion, “Isn’t it just a breakup? There’s no need to kill yourself for a scumbag, right?”

Old Master Li said, “Look at Xiaoran’s devotion. You can tell that his mother is also a devoted person to her feelings. Moreover, at that time, Ping’er suffered a blow. Not only did her boyfriend abandon her, but she was also… pregnant.”

This news was like a heavy bomb, making everyone look at each other.

“Whose child is Fourth Brother?” Li Tingfeng asked excitedly.

Old Master Li waved his hand, indicating that he should not interrupt.

“We listened to each other’s stories that night. We sympathized with each other and were pushed into a corner by life. Then she said to me: Uncle, can I make you a deal?”

“I didn’t know why, but I felt that this infatuated girl shouldn’t be in such a situation. So I agreed to her suggestion. But her suggestion was too shocking. He wanted me to be the father of her child. She said that there weren’t many men like me who doted on their wives and were responsible for their families. She was relieved that such a man was the father of her child. And I could get an infusion of her powerful funds.”

Madam found this unbelievable.

“You agreed?”

“Can I not? If I don’t, she’s finished, and so is this family. Under those circumstances, I have no choice but to agree.”

Madam closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

“So what happened? You fell in love anyway?” Madam asked indignantly.

She was probably indignant that she had completely misunderstood Xiaoran’s mother. She was indignant that her mistake was a misunderstanding of her benefactor.

The old man said, “Madam, Ping’er and I went around together. It was not that I have a relationship with her. It’s just that I was helpless about the company’s predicament, while she was a business genius. Ping’er guided me out of my predicament step by step.”

“In return, I had to play along and be the father of her child. I felt unusually sad when I saw you being jealous of her and framing her those years.”

“Why didn’t you come clean with me?” Madam said in between tears. “Why did you let me misunderstand her?”

Old Master Li said, “Ping’er won’t let me. She said that if you know the truth, you will definitely clarify our relationship with the people around you. That way, she will be in big trouble.”

Madam fell silent. In all fairness, Ping’er was right. When she heard the gossip around her, she could not wait to clear the scandal for the old man.

Huo Xiaoran slumped in his chair.

He had never dreamed that he was not a child of the Li family.

Old Master Li looked at Xiaoran in shame and said, “Xiaoran, I’m very sorry. As your father, I’m really not qualified. I thought about treating you like my own child. But when your mother was around, she asked me to treat my own children well. After she left, I was afraid that Madam and my adult sons would make things difficult for you and didn’t dare to treat you well. You’ve had a hard time all these years.”

Huo Xiaoran shook his head and smiled bitterly.

“If what you say is true, then you’re a good father. I don’t blame you anymore.”

Old Master Li said, “Take the Soaring Cloud Group. The shares are not part of the Li family’s assets. They are an investment your mother made for you when she was alive. Now, I’m just returning what she gave you.”

Huo Xiaoran was silent.

Old Master Li said, “Now that you know the truth, I’ll respect you if you want to cut yourself off from the Li family.”

Madam suddenly walked up to Huo Xiaoran and knelt in front of him.

“Mom…” Second Brother and Third Brother looked at this scene in surprise.

Madam said to Xiaoran, “I think it’s still necessary for me to apologize to you. I know that you’ve been brooding over your mother’s death. Yes, her death is directly related to me. I happened to hear that she had a mental illness, so I deliberately tried to please her, but I added hallucinogenic medicine to her food. I think it was because she took those medicine that her mental state became abnormally worse and she went on a path of no return.”

“Xiaoran, I was wrong. I apologize to you. However, I did this alone. Your brothers really didn’t know. At most, they’ll vent their anger on her and beat and scold her. I hope you’ll let them off. After all, your mother pretended to be a mistress. This behavior really hurt them a lot.”

Huo Xiaoran looked at Madam expressionlessly. In fact, everything had happened too suddenly, and his mind was blank.

Qiao An tightened her grip on his hand. It was cold. Qiao An was worried that he wouldn’t be able to take the blow and that his mental illness would relapse.

She squatted in front of him like a docile and cute rabbit and tried her best to make him happy. “Brother Xiaoran, don’t be sad. It’s all in the past. You still have me. I’ll always be by your side.”

Huo Xiaoran looked at Qiao An and suddenly collapsed. He hugged Qiao An tightly and buried his head in her chest, sobbing.

Qiao An touched his head gently. “Cry. You’ll feel better.”

At this moment, Old Master Li roared at his sons, “You guys, come over and kneel.”

Li Tingfeng felt embarrassed. After all, they were all older than Xiaoran. He felt embarrassed to kneel to Xiaoran.

However, Madam also reprimanded them. “Kneel.”

At this moment, Li Zecheng walked over first and knelt down.

Then, the three families knelt in front of Huo Xiaoran.

Li Tingfeng said, “Xiaoran, although my mother did something bad to your mother, your mother also hurt my mother. I hope you can let bygones be bygones.”

Qiao An felt Huo Xiaoran’s conflicted pain. At this moment, Huo Xiaoran was not in the mood to pursue Madam’s criminal responsibility.

However, Li Tingfeng spoke in such an aggressive tone, which made Qiao An very unhappy.

“My mother-in-law has given the Li family a new lease of life. What my mother-in-law did was a question of morality. But Madam hurting my mother-in-law is a criminal case. This is a different matter. How can it be compared?”