Chapter 20: Tangled in Panic

"Ye Tianlin is the true heir of the Ye family," Su Zhengjun shouted hoarsely, his entire demeanor fraught with anxiety. "I'm telling you the truth—everything from start to finish was our mistake. And the man who accompanied Ye Tianlin at the Su family villa was none other than Zhao Shanhe, the new chairman of the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce!"

"What?" Su Rulan lifted her head, her beautiful face blanching at the sudden revelation. She unconsciously held her breath, as if struck by a bolt of lightning.

Old Master Su swallowed hard, his expression terrified. "Zhengjun, are you sure you're not joking with me? If this is true, then we're finished!"

Su Zhengjun nodded desperately, his head bobbing like a pounding garlic pestle. "All this time, you kept telling me not to go to the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce and not to ask for favors, but today I just couldn't help myself and went there in person. Who could have known—"

He did not finish, but his meaning was unmistakable.

Old Master Su became rigid, staring at Su Rulan as if she were an impossibility, his gaze growing vacant. After half a minute of silence, he finally came to himself, trembling as he walked over and grabbed Su Rulan’s hand, stammering, "Rulan, my dear granddaughter, Grandpa did those terrible things before—you won't hold it against me, will you?"

"I..." Su Rulan was momentarily speechless; it was all too unexpected. This matter had been dismissed more than once before, and now, suddenly, it had turned upside down!

Seeing this, Su Zhengjun hastily grabbed her other hand, pleading bitterly, "Rulan, for the sake of family, please put in a good word for us when you go back. If Ye Tianlin refuses to forgive us, who knows when we might die without even realizing it!"

"Yes, yes, you must plead with Ye Tianlin, help pave the way, so we can go and beg for forgiveness in person," Old Master Su said, almost shaking with fear.

The Su family was merely a minor clan in Jiangnan—once servants of the Ye family, but that was more than a decade ago. Not to mention the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce; even a random servant family under their banner could destroy the Su family a hundred times over.

Before Su Rulan could respond, Su Yicai clapped his hands from the side and raised his thumb at Su Zhengjun, praising, "Dad, your irony is so vivid, you almost had me believing it!"

"Irony?" Su Zhengjun was momentarily stunned.

Su Yicai shrugged and laughed, "You never went to the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce at all. You're just trying to humiliate Su Rulan, but your performance is impressive. Look at her expression—it's priceless!"

"Yicai, you're mistaken, things aren't as you say," Su Zhengjun said, winking furiously, signaling him to shut up.

But Su Yicai, instead of stopping, took the winking as confirmation and struck a pose. "Ah, I should've waited longer before revealing it. We could have kept acting a bit more."

Old Master Su immediately let go of Su Rulan, his face changing as swiftly as a flipped page, shooting Su Zhengjun an annoyed glance. "So it was all a bluff. But Yicai is right, Zhengjun, your acting is first-rate!"

Faced with this scene, Su Rulan’s emotions once again surged and ebbed, her heart growing colder. Old Master Su, as an elder, was unworthy of respect.

Were it not for her parents refusing to leave and the two contracts requiring the Su family company's support to operate, she would have resigned and left at once!

"Ye Tianlin is in my rented apartment right now. Before I left, my father locked the door. Uncle, do you find it amusing to humiliate people like this?" Su Rulan said angrily.

Su Zhengjun, utterly flustered, shook his head and waved his hands, pleading, "Rulan, that's not what Uncle meant—you really misunderstood me. Uncle is truly clarifying things this time!"

"Hahaha! Zhengjun, your words are so full of twists, but this is still the company. Even if you're itching to act, don’t make too much of a scene," Old Master Su said with a beaming smile.

"I'm going back to work!" Su Rulan pursed her lips and, unwilling to linger in the office, turned and walked out.

Su Zhengjun glanced at Old Master Su and Su Yicai, feeling a sudden murderous urge. No matter what he said now, they thought he was acting—he couldn't explain himself if he tried!

He had no choice but to hurry after Su Rulan, grabbing her and leading her into the break room, where Su Weimin and Gao Yulan were mopping the floor. Without preamble, he said, "You’re just who I needed—today I must explain everything to you!"

"Uncle, that's enough!" Su Rulan felt humiliated.

"What’s going on?" Su Weimin set down the mop and came closer.

"What happened now?" Gao Yulan asked, her face full of confusion.

Su Zhengjun took a deep breath, thinking that even if Su Rulan was angry, he had to do this. Otherwise, he’d have no way to explain himself, and might even lose his life!

So, gritting his teeth, Su Zhengjun recounted the entire story, including what had just happened in the office.

Su Weimin and Gao Yulan listened, their faces turning dark with suppressed rage, fists clenched tight.

"Are you serious? If you like acting so much, why don't you become an actor? Ye Tianlin is locked in my rented apartment—the spare key is hidden where he could never find it. With his wits, he couldn't possibly open the door! He'd be lucky not to jump off the balcony!" Su Weimin said through gritted teeth.

"I think you’re just bored on your day off, trying to amuse yourself with our misery!" Gao Yulan stamped her foot in anger.

Seeing this, Su Zhengjun felt a chill run through him, cursing Su Yicai for sowing such doubt. After all the excuses, Su Rulan’s family had been completely conditioned to believe it impossible!

"Then I'll kneel before you myself—will you believe me then? Besides, all these years I’ve wronged you, it’s only right for me to kneel." Su Zhengjun braced himself, bent his knees, and fell to the floor.

Su Weimin, Gao Yulan, and even Su Rulan were stunned—this was unheard of!

Su Zhengjun had always been domineering in the Su family, ordering others about. When had he ever bowed his head to them? Even acting should have its limits—how could he possibly be willing to kneel?!