Chapter Five: The Betrothal Gifts

That night, Su Rulan was assigned to sleep in the storage room. The entire place was crammed with various tools, and an unpleasant stench lingered in the air. Lying on the makeshift bedding on the floor, Su Rulan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She was consumed with worry that Ye Tianlin might run into trouble while spending the night outside, and regret gnawed at her heart.

What angered Su Rulan most was that, to prevent her from sneaking out in the middle of the night to search for Ye Tianlin, her parents had gone so far as to lock her in from the outside, forbidding her to take even a single step out.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before she finally drifted into a fitful sleep. When she awoke, it was already the next day.

A commotion outside the villa roused Su Rulan from her slumber. She struggled to her feet, pushed at the door, and found that the lock had already been removed. She hurried out to see what was happening.

To her astonishment, a row of luxury cars was parked outside the villa: a Bentley Mulsanne, a Mercedes-Maybach, a Range Rover, and more. These cars were laden with extravagant gifts, all being carried into the villa by servants.

“A pair of auspicious dragon and phoenix jade bracelets.”

“A master-carved Jade Bodhisattva of Fertility.”

“A villa in the prestigious Riverside Bay of Jiangnan, complete with keys.”

“Over a thousand pounds of silver, and tens of thousands in gold, presented to Miss Su as a betrothal gift!”

One precious dowry after another appeared before their eyes. The man in charge of the deliveries read from his list, carefully announcing each item.

Old Master Su stood at the forefront, his eyes bulging in shock, mind utterly blank. The eldest uncle and his son exchanged bewildered glances, unable to comprehend what was happening. Su Weimin and Gao Yulan were struck speechless, their mouths hanging open. Su Rulan herself was dumbfounded, rooted to the spot by the sheer spectacle.

The Su family had been down on their luck for years—when had they ever seen such fortune? And every one of them had distinctly heard the word “betrothal.”

Old Master Su was the first to recover. He hurriedly asked, “May I ask, sir, who has sent this dowry?”

The man in charge replied with solemn gravity, “Naturally, it is the young master of the Ye family himself, presented personally for Miss Su.”

At these words, the entire Su household was shaken to its core, as if an earthquake had struck. The young master of the Ye family—what a status! Even the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce could at best serve as their retainers. The Su family, once servants themselves, could never have dreamed of such treatment.

Clearly, this was the turning point of their fortunes, the chance to rise above their humble origins.

“The young master has instructed: the betrothal gifts arrive today, the wedding date will be set later, and these gifts belong solely to Miss Su. No one is to touch them,” the man reiterated sternly.

Old Master Su dared not show the slightest disrespect, nodding repeatedly before escorting the man out.

Only after the convoy had departed did Old Master Su return to the villa, leaning on his cane, then burst into laughter. “The Ye family has finally remembered us! All my years of patience have not been in vain.”

“We’re going to be rich!” the eldest uncle, Su Zhengjun, exclaimed with excitement.

“There’s even a key card to a villa in Riverside Bay, the most expensive neighborhood in Jiangnan!” Su Yicai gasped, picking up the keys to inspect them.

Su Weimin gazed at the gifts with undisguised envy, taking a few steps forward, only to be blocked by Old Master Su’s cane. “Are you even qualified to touch these?”

“But sir, that man said the gifts were for the Su family’s young lady—doesn’t that mean Rulan?” Gao Yulan protested urgently.

“Could it really be from Tianlin?” Su Rulan swallowed nervously, feeling as if she were in a dream.

The eldest uncle, Su Zhengjun, glared. “Nonsense! The Su family doesn’t have only one daughter. Isn’t my daughter, Su Yixue, also a Su family young lady?”

“Exactly! My sister will return from abroad next week. These gifts are clearly for her. After all, the young master of the Ye family would never fall for a woman who’s already married and carrying another man’s child!” Su Yicai sneered viciously.

“Indeed, the young master must have taken a fancy to Su Yixue, and that’s why he bestowed such lavish gifts. This is truly a cause for celebration.” Old Master Su’s smile was so wide it nearly split his face.

“Yixue has made us proud—even before she’s back from overseas, someone has already come to propose. Unlike Su Rulan, who married a fool and a failure—I wouldn’t be surprised if Ye Tianlin is lost outside somewhere, unable to find his way home,” the eldest uncle mocked.

It was true that the Su family had two young ladies: Su Rulan and Su Yixue.

As for Su Yixue, she was Old Master Su’s cherished granddaughter, whom he spared no expense to send abroad for doctoral studies. Next week, she was due to return, having completed her degree.

Su Weimin, unwilling to concede, asked, “How do you explain that the Ye family’s young master has the same name as Ye Tianlin?”

The eldest uncle retorted, “There are plenty of people with the same name in this world. What’s so strange about that? It’s just a coincidence—one is a noble young master, the other a useless fool.”

Su Yicai jeered, “You can stop dreaming. This has nothing to do with you. All these gifts belong to my sister. You’d better focus on scraping together the two hundred thousand you owe before next week!”

At that, Su Weimin and Gao Yulan were left speechless, their eyes burning with jealousy.

Su Rulan kept her composure, gazing at the dazzling dowries. She would be lying if she claimed not to envy them. But fate plays favorites; all she could do was watch from the sidelines.

“Hurry up and move these things to the basement. We can’t let anyone see them. If anything goes missing, the loss would be catastrophic,” Old Master Su ordered with a wave.

The three of Su Rulan’s family were treated as mere laborers, forced to carry each precious gift to the basement, even though Su Rulan was pregnant. The eldest uncle and his son, meanwhile, stood by with arms crossed, barking instructions.

It took two full hours to finish. By the time they were done, Su Rulan was utterly spent. Her legs trembled as she emerged, and without Su Weimin and Gao Yulan’s support, she would have collapsed.

Just as she was about to rest, a figure entered the villa.

It was Ye Tianlin!

Behind him followed a respectful-looking middle-aged man.

“Tianlin, where did you go last night? I was worried sick about you!” Su Rulan forgot everything else, mustering all her strength to run to Ye Tianlin’s side.

Ye Tianlin patted her back gently. “I’m all right. Did you like the betrothal gifts I just sent you?”

“What? The gifts were really from you?” Su Weimin nearly dropped his jaw in surprise.

“How is that possible?” Gao Yulan was stunned.

“Tianlin, are you joking with me?” Su Rulan looked at him, deeply moved.