Chapter 87: Apology and Admission of Fault

On the other side.

Zhao Shanhe hurried back to the office. The moment he saw the Old Matriarch seated in the room, he decisively reported the situation to her in person.

Upon learning of Ye Tianlin’s attitude, the Old Matriarch was instantly furious, her anger erupting like a storm.

“That insolent wretch is simply outrageous!”

“Just because he thinks he has the capital consortium of the Northern Capital supporting him, he dares to disregard even me, this old woman? Such arrogance!”

Her face darkened, and she could not help but curse repeatedly.

Standing nearby, Jiang Yingxia tried to calm her. “Please, calm your anger, Matriarch. Right now, we must consider the bigger picture. The Northern Capital consortium has made such a bold move; we can’t afford to confront them head-on.”

“Yes, yes! The Young Master also said just now: if you don’t go down within five minutes, all further discussion is off the table. You really can’t delay any longer!” Zhao Shanhe urged, looking as though the matter was of utmost urgency.

Seeing the situation, the Old Matriarch, no matter how furious she was, found herself helpless. She could only force herself to rise, leaning on her cane as she hurried downstairs.

When she reached the conference room below, she pushed the door open and, sure enough, saw Ye Tianlin sitting inside, looking calm and composed.

The Old Matriarch’s anger flared again. As soon as she saw him, she snapped, “You wretch! Why aren’t you stopping this at once and telling the Northern Capital consortium to cease their actions? Or do you mean to stand by and watch the Ye family suffer a grievous blow until we’re utterly spent, is that what would please you?”

Jiang Yingxia, anxious and flustered, tugged lightly at Ye Tianlin’s sleeve, signaling, “Tianlin, you’re really being reckless this time. How could you ally with outsiders to deal with the Ye family? That’s an act of utter betrayal! Do what you can to stop this before things escalate any further!”

Ye Tianlin paused at her words, raising his brows in surprise.

“I went to great lengths, even specifically noting the Yunhai Chamber of Commerce in the official documents. Do you still not understand what’s really going on here?” Ye Tianlin asked.

The Old Matriarch rebuked him harshly, “The fact is, you went to the Northern Capital consortium yourself, begged them to back you, and now you want to drive me, this old woman, from my place! You are a traitor and a disgrace!”

Ye Tianlin explained, “I think you’re misunderstanding. I never asked the Northern Capital consortium to support me. As I said before—I am the Northern Capital consortium.”

“Young Master, now’s not the time for bravado. Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to speak openly and settle this peacefully?” Zhao Shanhe lowered his voice, signaling to Ye Tianlin with his eyes. He didn’t believe for a second that Ye Tianlin had that kind of power.

“I’m really not bragging. Why can’t you just…” Ye Tianlin looked exasperated. After all he’d done, after all his careful planning, no one believed him in the end.

The Old Matriarch, still seething, sat down heavily. “So you think, with the Northern Capital consortium behind you, it makes you so proud that you can claim to be them? Or do you truly believe in your heart you are no longer a member of the Ye family?”

“Yes, yes, the Northern Capital consortium must have ulterior motives for doing this. They didn’t even give us a heads-up before establishing the Yunhai Chamber of Commerce overnight. This is clearly premeditated. You’d better not be taken in by them and used as their pawn!” Jiang Yingxia nodded in agreement, her words sounding as though she believed them entirely.

Seeing the state of things, Ye Tianlin finally understood. No matter how he explained today, no one would accept the truth.

But the situation was clear. No one could change it now, and the Old Matriarch, whatever her feelings, had to compromise. Whether they believed him or not no longer mattered.

With that, Ye Tianlin declared solemnly, “Right now, it’s you who need my help, not the other way around. If the Ye family wants to avoid disaster, you’d best do exactly as I say!”

“Tianlin, just be clear—what do you want? At least let your grandmother consider it,” Jiang Yingxia said cautiously.

Without hesitation, Ye Tianlin stated, loud and firm in front of the Old Matriarch, “First, from now on, none of you are to make things difficult for Su Rulan ever again!”

“Second, no matter what I do in the future, none of you may interfere or try to control my decisions!”

“And finally, Grandmother, you must apologize to Su Rulan. If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed right now!”

Upon hearing these demands, the Old Matriarch’s face froze.

That scheming, wicked woman Su Rulan—why should she, as an elder, be forced to apologize to her personally? Surely, she thought, Su Rulan was feigning illness by lying in the hospital.

Never once did she believe she’d done anything wrong.

If not for the influence of the Northern Capital consortium, she wouldn’t even be at this negotiating table. To her, Ye Tianlin was simply wielding borrowed power as if it were his own!

With these thoughts, the Old Matriarch fell silent, her face twitching as veins stood out on her forehead, her heart filled with utter reluctance.

“Grandmother, you are my elder. I am already showing you great respect by handling things this way—this is the most reasonable solution. If you can’t even agree to these simple terms, then you’ll have only yourself to blame. Because I am not just your grandson—I am also Su Rulan’s husband!” Ye Tianlin spoke coldly.

Ignoring all other considerations, Zhao Shanhe urged anxiously, “Matriarch, please just agree to it! This isn’t about pride anymore—it’s about the very survival of the Ye family!”

Just as the Old Matriarch wavered, Ye Tianlin added, “Oh, and by the way—the apology I want must be delivered in person, at the hospital, in front of everyone!”