Chapter 48: Slapping the Su Family’s Face

The next morning arrived.

Su Rulan drove herself, heading early to the Su family company. Although, after the incident at the Su family villa, she had been thoroughly dismissed from the company, there were still many documents and files she had left behind in the office. Among these, naturally, were some project proposals.

She had thought her future path through with great clarity. Before Tianlan Group was fully established, she needed to accelerate her pace and draft every contract proposal in detail. As for the contracts themselves, they had always been signed in her personal name with the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce, with the Su family serving at most as a nominal entity. Even if problems were to arise, the Chamber could resolve them in a matter of moments.

Once Tianlan Group was founded, all the projects she was handling could be transferred over at once. She would then seize every opportunity to fulfill the role of chief executive, determined not to disappoint Ye Tianlin.

Soon, she parked outside the Su company. Su Rulan walked straight in. Many of her old colleagues cast her odd looks and began whispering among themselves.

“Have you heard? Su Rulan’s baby isn’t Ye Tianlin’s—it’s someone else’s!”

“I knew it already. They say it’s her ex-fiancé’s. Turns out Su Rulan really is shameless. Thank goodness I never got too close to her! No wonder the old patriarch is so against her.”

Hearing this, Su Rulan’s expression froze. She knew full well that the Su family was behind these rumors; otherwise, the entire company couldn’t possibly know. But having already been dismissed and with no intention of ever returning to such a wretched place, she couldn’t be bothered to argue. She strode decisively to her desk, intending to quickly gather her things.

But upon arrival, she found that everything on her desk—including all the documents locked in her drawers—had vanished without a trace!

“Back to collect your things?” Su Yicai strolled over from the break room, coffee in hand, looking utterly relaxed.

Su Rulan frowned, gesturing at the empty desk as she demanded, “Where have you put my things?”

“Sorry, but your desk needs to be freed up for someone else. I already threw your stuff out. If you go right, you’ll find the trash bins outside—maybe you’ll get lucky and find something there.” Su Yicai shrugged nonchalantly.

Fuming, Su Rulan retorted, “Su Yicai, you’re being absolutely unreasonable.”

“And who’s really being unreasonable here? A woman like you dares accuse others? Take a look in the mirror—it’s laughable,” Su Yicai sneered.

Su Rulan was furious. Those files were vitally important, and now they were gone, she’d have to redo everything from scratch—a huge setback. Unable to hold back, she said, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to, spreading malicious rumors on purpose!”

“Don’t go accusing me. I have no interest in such things. Looks to me like the truth just came out and you got caught,” Su Yicai replied, feigning innocence.

The surrounding employees looked on, their expressions growing even more peculiar.

“What’s all this commotion?” The old master of the Su family emerged from his office.

“Well, if it isn’t Su Rulan! I heard about your little scandal. Back then, when your grandfather tried to arrange a match for you, you flatly refused. Now you’ve gone and become someone’s mistress—quite the accomplishment!” Su Yixue followed him out, her words dripping with mockery.

“You’ll regret treating me like this one day,” Su Rulan said, burning with resentment. The pain of being wrongfully accused, with no one willing to believe her, was almost unbearable. At that moment, she finally understood what Ye Tianlin had felt before.

Su Yicai scoffed, “My brother-in-law only used you all as pawns to test us. Honestly, you’re all just tools. We’re bound for greatness, and by then, it’s anyone’s guess who’ll be begging whom!”

“Exactly! And you think we’ll ever regret it? Don’t make me laugh.” Su Yixue laughed so hard she could barely stand.

The old patriarch’s face was cold as stone. He pointed towards the company doors and issued his order. “Get out. You’re no longer part of this company; you have no right to be here.”

“You think I actually want to be here?” Su Rulan spun on her heel and strode out.

But before she could reach the exit, Zhao Qing appeared, contract folder in hand, heading straight inside.

“Miss Su, I’m terribly sorry. I was called away on a business trip yesterday and couldn’t deliver these contracts in person. Here are four contracts in total. Please review them yourself!” Zhao Qing spoke briskly, full of energy and efficiency.

“All four at once?” The old patriarch’s jaw dropped in shock.

“This…” Su Yixue’s eyes flashed with envy.

“Hold it together! These are just tests—we can’t lose our composure,” Su Yicai muttered urgently, signaling with his eyes.

Su Rulan was visibly moved; she hadn’t expected four contracts today. With the previous ones, that made a grand total of ten contracts already.

At the original contract prices, the sum would exceed one hundred million.

But as Su Rulan opened the contracts and saw the revised terms, she was even more stunned. She quickly asked, “All four contracts are at fifty million each? Isn’t that an enormous jump?”

Zhao Qing smiled. “This is nothing. There will be even bigger contracts in the future. The earlier ones were smaller only because the Su company was too limited in scale to handle more. But with Tianlan Group coming, everything changes.”

She paused, then added amid the astonished crowd, “Furthermore, from now on, I’ll be serving as Miss Su’s secretary and assistant—or rather, President Su!”

“P-P-President Su?” The old patriarch’s eyes bulged, stammering in disbelief.

“Tianlan Group… What on earth is happening?” Su Yixue was clearly unnerved.

“So my brother-in-law really set up a company for Su Rulan just to test us? And it’s even bigger than ours?” Su Yicai’s face turned green. He desperately tried to hold himself together. No, he thought, this couldn’t be real—surely it was all a trap. He refused to believe it; he simply could not accept it!