Chapter 129: He Is Nothing More Than a Puppet

Upon hearing that the Matriarch might be inside the villa, Su Weimin was instantly seized with terror. As a member of a family that had once served as the Ye clan’s subordinates, the fear of the Matriarch was ingrained in his very blood; he dared not offend her in the slightest. Even though the Ye family was currently suffering an unprecedented, overwhelming defeat, they were still not the kind of people a small fry like Su Weimin could afford to provoke. Most crucially, despite the long time that had passed and their relationship as in-laws, he—the father-in-law—had never once laid eyes on the Matriarch. Had it been Ye Tianlin’s mother, Jiang Yingxia, Su Weimin might have remained composed, but the Matriarch was different. Her seniority was towering, and her status was utterly unreachable.

"Perhaps I shouldn't go in?" Su Weimin swallowed hard, immediately looking to retreat. He stood there cowering, devoid of any backbone—a classic case of bullying the weak while fearing the strong.

Su Rulan took a steady breath, looked at the luggage-filled car, and said, "We moved here specifically to live, so how can we not go in? Besides, Dad, you really must meet the Matriarch properly at some point."

"I... I..." Su Weimin cowered like a quail, his legs turning to jelly before he had even entered the door, his body trembling.

Ye Tianlin curled his lips into a smile and simply grabbed Su Weimin’s arm, laughing, "Since we're already here, how can you back down? Dad, weren't you acting quite brave in front of me earlier? Don't tell me that the moment you see the Matriarch, you lose your nerve and turn into a coward?"

Su Weimin’s eyes widened. Stung by the taunt, he shook off Ye Tianlin’s hand, gritted his teeth, straightened his collar, and took a deep breath. "I was just nervous for a moment! I am no coward, so stop looking down on people!"

With that, Su Weimin put on a brave front and walked inside. Ye Tianlin and Su Rulan exchanged glances, then deliberately followed at a leisurely pace. Walking through the front garden of the villa, Su Weimin appeared fearless on the surface, but his steps grew slower and slower, his heart racing with panic.

Finally, upon entering the main hall of the villa and seeing an elderly figure sitting prominently on the sofa, Su Weimin instantly froze, his tongue tied in knots.

"Who are you?" The Matriarch, leaning on her cane, eyed him with great surprise.

Su Weimin felt so uncomfortable under her gaze that he felt as if every corner of his being had been laid bare. He had no choice but to turn his stiff neck and cast a look of distress at Ye Tianlin and Su Rulan, who were walking in behind him.

Ye Tianlin led Su Rulan into the hall and spoke up, "Matriarch, I truly didn't expect you to show up here. Could it be that you've already regretted your actions? That doesn't seem like your style. Also, let me formally introduce you: this is my father-in-law, Su Weimin."

"Su Weimin? The same hopelessly foolish, incurable idiot of a father-in-law?" The Matriarch, incensed, slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

"Matriarch, please, contain your anger! I beg you, stay calm!" Su Weimin was so frightened that he almost fell to his knees.

"It is all because of your family that things have turned out this way," the Matriarch raged. "Otherwise, Ye Tianlin would never have become like this. You are all the root cause!"

Su Weimin’s face turned ashen, his throat as if blocked by a stone; he became instantly mute.

Ye Tianlin narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Matriarch, I haven't even asked why you broke into my home uninvited, and yet you are already venting your anger at me? You should know that this counts as trespassing."

"Trespassing? I am your own grandmother! How can it be trespassing? Besides, your mother is here too!" the Matriarch retorted, fuming.

Sure enough, Jiang Yingxia emerged from the restroom just then. Seeing Ye Tianlin, she stepped forward and explained, "Tianlin, I heard from the hospital that Su Rulan was discharged today, and I guessed you would move into the Bishuiwan villa. That is why I brought your grandmother here, hoping to clear the air. Please, don't let things go on like this."

Turning to Su Rulan, she urged, "Su Rulan, if you truly want to be my daughter-in-law, then persuade Tianlin. It is time for this farce to end. A family should live in harmony."

Su Rulan was taken aback, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to Jiang Yingxia’s change in attitude. Before she could respond, Su Weimin suddenly stepped forward. He grabbed Ye Tianlin, winking and gesturing, and said, "Ye Tianlin, why don't you hurry up and make peace with the Matriarch? She is your elder; how can a junior oppose his elder?"

"Besides, you are merely a puppet pushed forward to represent the Shangjing Consortium. Do you really think you have any actual power? In the end, returning to the Ye family is your best path forward!"

"So, at this point, stop while you're ahead! Don't make the Matriarch angry!"

As he finished speaking, the Matriarch and Jiang Yingxia stared in shock.

"Su Weimin, you aren't joking, are you?" Jiang Yingxia gasped.

"Of course I'm not joking. The truth is exactly as I said. He is just a body double for the person behind the Shangjing Consortium. Everything that happened before was just a ruse to deceive the public!" Su Weimin declared with conviction.

The Matriarch raised her hand, pointed at Ye Tianlin, and asked in disbelief, "You mean... he is not the true Master, but merely a substitute?"