Mother Huo shook her head, highly disapproving of Huo Cheng's words. "How can you say that? They are all children of our Huo family," she said.
Before Huo Cheng could reply, the little woman in his arms suddenly rushed out. She grabbed Mother Huo's hand and pleaded, "Please, give my children back to me. I can leave here. As long as you return my children, I'll meet any requirement."
Gu Sisi trembled all over as she begged. Mother Huo just glanced at her and then averted her face with an inscrutable expression. "What if I ask you to leave my son?" she said.
These words shocked everyone present. The eldest sister and the second elder brother were in a panic. If Mother Huo agreed to that woman's request, it meant they would surely lose their way to deal with the fourth younger brother.
Huo Cheng just stared intently at Gu Sisi. The steps he was about to take forward stopped, and he stood still.
Gu Sisi paused for a while. The eldest sister immediately stepped forward and sneered, "It's impossible. You know how stubborn the fourth brother is. He definitely won't listen to us."
"Yes, Mother. Why make such a request? Those two children are originally from our Huo family!"
Huo Cheng looked up at Mother Huo and asked, "If she agrees to leave, will you return the children to us?"
Father Huo snorted coldly. "Don't even think about it!"
Without waiting for Gu Sisi to consider, Huo Cheng grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, gently shaking his head.
Gu Sisi was still worried about her children. Biting her lip, she said, "But my children."
"I'll figure it out. You're still too weak now. You can't get overly emotional," Huo Cheng instructed carefully. Then he looked behind him at Chen Fang, who hadn't left because of the unexpected situation, and said, "Take her away."
Chen Fang immediately rushed over, but Gu Sisi was still reluctant to leave, her eyes full of struggle.
"Trust me!" Huo Cheng held Gu Sisi's face and said, looking extremely serious.
She had no other choice but to believe. Hesitantly, she left with Chen Fang.
When Huo Cheng turned around and looked at the group of people in front of him, he said coldly, "How can I get my own children back? By meeting your conditions or by force?"
Hearing this arrogant and threatening remark, Father Huo was so angry that his eyes bulged. Trembling, he said, "You're going against our entire Huo family for that woman!"
Huo Cheng didn't answer immediately. Instead, the corners of his mouth curled up into a faint smile.
If he hadn't returned to this family, the children might have been safer. But because of his decision, seeking safety, he had put his wife and children in a more dangerous situation.
He looked at the group of people, narrowing his eyes. From the very beginning, his decision was wrong. He shouldn't have evaded the rules of the Huo family. If he wanted to change, he had to defeat them.
"What if I am?"
His soft words reached everyone's ears.
Father and Mother Huo were extremely angry. The eldest sister and the second elder brother pretended to console them on the surface, but were secretly delighted inside.
"The fourth brother is bewitched now. He'll realize his absurdity when he sobers up," the eldest sister said.
Father Huo couldn't vent his anger. Pointing at Huo Cheng, he said, "I don't have a son like him!"
The eldest sister and the second elder brother quickly went to console the old man, whose neck was red with anger. However, Huo Cheng's expression remained unchanged.
"Cheng'er, quickly apologize to your father!" Mother Huo said anxiously.
She never expected things to develop to this point.
"Why?" Huo Cheng raised his eyebrows and asked in confusion. His eyes looking at the several people were filled with a chilling coldness, as if he were looking at strangers.
In an instant, Huo Cheng regained his calm expression, making people think that everything just now was an accident.
Suddenly, there was a scream from behind, which was Chen Fang's voice. Huo Cheng frowned and looked over. He saw Gu Sisi lying on the ground, and Chen Fang was standing there helplessly beside her.
Huo Cheng frowned again and looked at the people in front of him. Coldly, he asked, "Did you tell Gu Sisi that the children are here?"
"What's your tone? Is this how you talk to your parents?" Father Huo trembled with anger.
"I'm just asking if you did!" Huo Cheng roared angrily.
Huo Cheng had always been reserved about his emotions at home. This was the first time they saw him so angry, and they were all shocked.
Seeing that no one answered, Huo Cheng observed everyone's expressions and nodded. "Okay, I see."
After saying that, he turned around and left.
Seeing that the situation had escalated to this point, Mother Huo shouted at Huo Cheng, who was about to leave, "If you step out of this door, never come back again!"
Originally thinking that Huo Cheng wouldn't answer, they saw him look at them sideways after hearing this and softly say, "As you wish."
Then he left without looking back. He took the woman that Chen Fang was barely holding from his hands, got into the car immediately, and directed Chen Fang to drive to the hospital.
The car disappeared in front of them, and Mother Huo slumped to the ground.
What just happened? Why did she use such a stupid threat on her own child?
Seeing Mother Huo so sad, Father Huo felt bad. At the same time, he was also upset because his child had defied him.
These two conflicting emotions made the words of comfort on his lips turn into, "Let him go. Just pretend we never had this child."
Mother Huo slapped away the hand that Father Huo stretched out to pull her. Standing up from the ground, she confronted him, "You can just abandon him casually, but he was born after my ten - month pregnancy. If you don't want him, I do."
After saying that, she walked back into the room without looking back.
Father Huo stared blankly at Mother Huo's back. He had so much to say, but suddenly couldn't say a word.
Did he really do something wrong?
Hearing Mother Huo's words, someone whose face had been smiling secretly suddenly looked extremely ugly.
The eldest sister and the second elder brother were still standing beside Father Huo. Watching Mother Huo leave, they both stood still, not knowing what to do.
"Am I getting old and muddled?" Father Huo murmured softly, as if talking to himself.
The two exchanged a look. It was a bad sign.
"Of course not, Father. You know that a family can't function without rules. He just doesn't respect this family. Even without that woman, he would still have conflicts with you over other things. He needs to be taught a lesson sooner or later. If you don't take a tough stance now, the fourth brother will get out of control," the second elder brother advised.
The eldest sister also chimed in, "Yes, Father. What the second brother said makes sense! It wasn't us who drove him out. He left on his own. Mother is just angry and blaming us. She'll be fine when she calms down."
Father Huo closed his eyes, leaned on his walking stick, and tapped the ground a few times forcefully. Then he shook his head and slowly walked away.
"Forget it, forget it."
Father Huo's figure also disappeared from the two's sight.