Chapter Eight: An Unexpected Delight

Thinking back to the betrothal gifts this morning, and now this contract, Old Master Su was suddenly thrown into a panic. If they had made a mistake about the intended recipient, the Su family would have to face dire consequences. The betrothal gifts were indeed sent to a Miss Su, but Su Rulan, without question, was also one of the Su family’s daughters. And now, this contract had unexpectedly made Su Rulan the beneficiary, as if fortune had dropped into her lap from the heavens—how could people not be suspicious?

Could it be that everything Ye Tianlin, that fool, had said was actually true? And what about Zhao Shanhe, the new president of the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce, who had introduced himself earlier—was that also a fact? In an instant, Old Master Su’s face turned as pale as paper, his heart filled with terror.

Uncle Su Zhengjun barely dared to breathe, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. This contract, he thought, was clearly intended to intimidate the Su family, to force them to give Su Rulan her due respect!

“We’re finished, finished! We’re done for this time,” Old Master Su exclaimed in horror.

“We were so cruel to them before—Ye Tianlin, he, he’ll never let us off! The betrothal gifts weren’t for Yixue at all—they were Ye Tianlin’s way of compensating Su Rulan!” Uncle Su Zhengjun’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, nearly wetting himself from fear.

At that moment, Su Rulan was the most shocked of all. “So I misunderstood Tianlin. He really wasn’t making things up—he really is cured!”

Old Master Su, trembling, immediately changed his expression and hurriedly reached out to help Su Rulan up from the floor, his face twisted in regret. “Rulan, my dear, your grandfather truly owes you an apology. I wronged you, I really did!”

“Rulan, your uncle never meant you harm—please, forgive me. I promise nothing like this will ever happen again. From now on, you can stay in the family villa as long as you wish, and if you like, we’ll even put your name on the deed!” Uncle Su Zhengjun was on the verge of tears.

Su Rulan was utterly overwhelmed, unable to react at all for a moment.

Next, Old Master Su personally seated her on the sofa, carefully poured her a cup of hot tea, and said shakily, “Rulan, your grandfather was a muddle-headed fool. I never imagined Ye Tianlin would turn out to be our family’s true son-in-law of destiny. If there’s anything I can do to make up for it, just say the word.”

Uncle Su Zhengjun hurried to her side, slapping himself across the face in self-reproach. “Your uncle must have been blind and heartless. Rulan, you must plead for us with Ye Tianlin. No matter what, we’re still your family.”

Su Rulan took a sip of hot tea, gradually calming herself. “Then what about my position at the company from now on...?”

Old Master Su patted his chest and said urgently, “I’ll promote you right away—replace Yicai, make you general manager! The company’s finances will be yours to manage.”

Uncle Su Zhengjun chimed in, “Yes, yes! And your parents must be promoted too—no more cleaning toilets. They should have proper offices!”

Hearing this, Su Rulan’s heart raced—at last, her days of suffering seemed to be over.

But just then, Su Yicai, upon hearing he was about to be replaced, immediately protested. “Aren’t you all getting ahead of yourselves? We don’t even know if things really are as they appear!”

“What do you mean by that?” Old Master Su frowned in surprise.

“Isn’t this already set in stone?” Uncle Su Zhengjun asked in confusion.

Su Yicai tugged at his collar and insisted, “It’s nothing of the sort. To me, this is just a stroke of luck for Su Rulan. The young master of the Ye family doesn’t know the specifics of our family. He only knows Su Rulan is a relative and is just lending her a hand—nothing more.”

Old Master Su hesitated.

Seeing this, Su Yicai pressed on. “If Ye Tianlin really were the Ye family’s young master, this contract would never be for just fifteen million. At the very least, it would have to be over a hundred million to be convincing. After all, even if we get the profits, it would only amount to a few million.”

“That does make some sense. While the amount is a lot for us, to the Ye family’s young master, it’s a drop in the ocean,” Uncle Su Zhengjun nodded thoughtfully.

Su Yicai snorted, “A mere fifteen-million contract is nothing to be shocked over. We should look to the long term. The real benefits from the Ye family’s young master are likely still to come. Su Rulan just got a taste of the good fortune that comes from being associated with us.”

Old Master Su and Uncle Su Zhengjun both agreed. A contract worth only fifteen million was indeed not convincing enough.

It would have to be a contract worth over a hundred million to match the status of the Ye family’s young master!

With that thought, Old Master Su’s attitude flipped instantly. He stood, grabbed the tea away, and scolded, “Su Rulan, don’t think you can put on airs before me just because you snagged a small benefit.”

“The Old Master is right. If not for the Ye family’s young master, you’d be out the door tomorrow. In fact, you should be thanking us,” Uncle Su Zhengjun changed his tune just as quickly.

“I...” Sitting on the sofa, Su Rulan felt as if she were on a roller coaster, her mood rising and falling in an instant.

Su Yicai said disdainfully, “What do you mean, ‘I’? You just got lucky this time, but you still have to pay the penalty, not a cent less. As for this contract, consider it our charity. When you meet the Ye family’s young master, you’d better not embarrass the Su family!”

Old Master Su sneered, “We don’t care about the money from this contract. The Ye family is immensely wealthy—they might give us billions in the future!”

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity. Rest assured, I won’t embarrass the Su family; I’ll do my utmost on this project.” With a bitter expression, Su Rulan forced herself to rise, cradling her pregnant belly, and bowed to Old Master Su in thanks.

Although the whole episode had been a farce, she was satisfied just to have this contract. After all, it would bring her several million at least—she would no longer have to scrimp and save, and her child’s future would be secure.

“How foolish I was—just now I actually believed Ye Tianlin, that idiot, was responsible. I lost my head with fear for nothing,” Old Master Su said with a snort.

“Thank goodness Yicai reminded us, or we really would have believed it. But thinking it over, it’s true—someone as useless as Ye Tianlin could never be the Ye family’s young master,” Uncle Su Zhengjun said, smoothing his disheveled hair.

Su Yicai, full of arrogance and self-satisfaction, declared, “Su Rulan only managed this because she basked in our family’s glory. But in the end, all our prestige is thanks to my sister, Su Yixue!”