Chapter 17: Tianlan Group

Faced with Tang Jianren’s visit and apology, everyone in the household instinctively attributed it to their connection with the young master of the Ye family, realizing that their previous assumptions had been far too humble. After all, a servant is always just a servant, destined only to obey, whereas being a relative of the Ye family’s young master was an entirely different matter, incomparable to that of a servant.

Reflecting on this, Su Weimin grew even more confident, his whole demeanor brimming with self-satisfaction. Yet, when he saw Ye Tianlin slowly approaching, Su Weimin’s expression changed abruptly. Without hesitation, he slammed the door shut and locked it, leaving Ye Tianlin outside.

“Mr. Su, what are you doing?” Tang Jianren was stunned, inwardly lamenting that the man outside was the true young master of the Ye family.

Su Weimin pursed his lips and said, “Chairman Tang, you may have heard that my son-in-law is unwell. I’m afraid he might speak out of turn and offend someone, so it’s best he doesn’t come out.”

“Yes, yes, of course. Chairman Tang, please forgive us,” Gao Yulan added with a stiff smile, thinking to herself that no one could predict what nonsense Ye Tianlin might utter if he came out. If he claimed to be the Ye family’s young master in front of Tang Jianren, it would only bring more trouble.

Su Rulan’s face was tinged with bitterness. She could only go along with her parents, apologetically saying, “Chairman Tang, we are truly grateful for your help this time. However, we have to get to work, and if we leave any later, we’ll be late. Perhaps next time, I can invite you to dinner in person.”

“That’s right. If we’re late, the old man will make things difficult for us again. My uncle and cousin are just waiting for us to slip up, and even the smallest mistake will be blown out of proportion,” Su Weimin chimed in, nodding repeatedly.

“Chairman Tang, I’m sorry, but we really must be going,” said Gao Yulan.

With that, the whole family hurriedly rushed downstairs.

Tang Jianren was left standing there, utterly bewildered. He had come prepared to explain everything in person, yet who could have guessed they’d be so anxious about getting to work!

Click.

The sound of the door unlocking rang out as Ye Tianlin retrieved the key from inside and reopened the door.

Without hesitation, Tang Jianren immediately dropped to his knees with a thud, trembling as he pleaded, “Young master, I was ignorant. Please forgive me and do not take out your anger on Tangren Group.”

“Since the matter has been resolved, and given your sincere attitude, I won’t pursue it further,” Ye Tianlin replied, standing with his hands behind his back.

It was as if Tang Jianren had been granted amnesty. He kowtowed on the floor and stammered, “Thank you for your mercy, young master. I am deeply grateful. I will divorce Song Meili as soon as possible.”

“You may rise,” Ye Tianlin said, raising his hand slightly. He understood perfectly well that the fault did not lie with Tang Jianren, who had merely been implicated by Song Meili’s misdeeds.

Only then did Tang Jianren dare to get up. Bowing deeply, he said, “Would the young master honor us by coming to the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce? My uncle wishes to apologize to you in person at the chamber, and he has also prepared a special surprise for you!”

“What sort of surprise?” Ye Tianlin arched an eyebrow, a touch of curiosity in his voice.

Tang Jianren pressed his palms together and said, “Please allow me to keep it a secret for now, young master. I promise, once you see it for yourself, you’ll be delighted!”

“A walk would do me good,” Ye Tianlin nodded.

Half an hour later.

Riding in Tang Jianren’s car, they smoothly arrived at the Jiangnan Commercial Center—the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce building.

Taking the elevator up, they finally reached the president’s office, where Zhao Shanhe was waiting.

The moment Ye Tianlin arrived, Zhao Shanhe hurried forward to greet him, his face full of remorse and self-reproach. “Young master, I truly caused you trouble this time. This was all my oversight. Please, punish me as you see fit.”

“That won’t be necessary. Let’s get to the point. What surprise have you prepared for me?” Ye Tianlin took the main seat in the office, speaking directly.

Zhao Shanhe breathed a sigh of relief, secretly glad the young master hadn’t dismissed him from his post in a fit of anger—otherwise, decades of hard work would have gone up in smoke.

Without delay, Zhao Shanhe opened a drawer and produced a set of documents, placing them before Ye Tianlin.

Ye Tianlin took a closer look. It was a company registration document for a business named Tianlan Group, wholly owned by the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce—a large-scale advertising company.

The choice of the name Tianlan Group was especially clever and artful.

Zhao Shanhe explained, “All the Chamber of Commerce’s affiliated companies will henceforth, per your instructions, entrust their advertising projects to Miss Su. However, the Su family’s company is too small to bear such weight in the future, so we established Tianlan Group specifically for this purpose.”

Tang Jianren quickly chimed in, “That’s right. After Tianlan Group is established, Miss Su will be directly hired as the CEO. However, there are many procedures to complete, so the process will take about a month.”

Ye Tianlin smiled, the corners of his lips curving in satisfaction. “It is indeed a pleasant surprise. This way, Rulan won’t have to remain at the family company and suffer under the Su family’s thumb.”

“If the young master is pleased, that is the greatest honor for us. As for the Su family, they’ll soon realize the magnitude of their mistake,” Zhao Shanhe replied with utmost respect.

Meanwhile, outside the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce building.

Uncle Su Zhengjun arrived alone, parking his car right at the entrance. As he stepped onto the pavement, gazing up at the towering structure, his heart swelled with longing, already imagining his future rise to fortune and prominence.

After the past couple of days, although the old patriarch had insisted they not ask outright, Su Zhengjun had grown restless. With today being a holiday, he had finally come in person.

“So far, Su Rulan has secured two contracts, while we’ve seen nothing except for that untouchable engagement gift.”

“Today, I must meet the president of the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce myself. If I’m lucky enough to see my future nephew-in-law, I’ll be sure to secure a few big projects. That way, the whole Su Rulan family will see with their own eyes what a real difference looks like!”

Straightening his collar, Uncle Su Zhengjun swaggered into the building, completely unaware that Ye Tianlin was inside the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce at that very moment.