Chapter 53: Su Rulan’s Transformation

Jiang Yingxia's attitude was nothing short of resolute.

The Tianlan Group called an immediate halt, cancelling all contracts—clearly a deliberate move aimed at her.

Su Rulan had hoped to work hard, seize this opportunity, and finally hold her head high in society, but who could have expected that everything would end so abruptly, forcing her into a dead stop?

If she had truly done something wrong, she would have accepted her fate without complaint. Yet from beginning to end, she had done nothing wrong. Jiang Yingxia, relying only on a partial perspective, had dismissed her entirely, leaving no space for explanation. It was nothing but tyranny.

Without the Tianlan Group, and with the many contracts she had secured now gone, Su Rulan found herself back at square one, returned to the very starting point she had struggled so hard to leave.

“Auntie, can’t you give me just one chance to prove myself?” Su Rulan clenched her fists, refusing to accept defeat.

Jiang Yingxia’s face remained cold and unyielding as she dismissed the plea: “The Ye family doesn’t have the time or energy to play house with you. Tianlin is the young master, burdened with greater responsibilities. He absolutely cannot continue his relationship with you!”

Halfway through her sentence, Jiang Yingxia picked up the bank card once more and insisted, “If you don’t take this money today, you won’t get a single benefit in the future. Don’t say I never gave you a chance. This is your rightful compensation.”

Su Rulan’s heart was a storm of anger and frustration, but she lacked the courage to confront Jiang Yingxia directly. She simply shook her head in silence, her expression bleak as she turned and left.

Zhao Shanhe held his breath, unable to bear the sight. “Madam, isn’t this too cruel to Su Rulan? She’s not at all what you imagine. If the young master finds out…”

“It doesn’t matter if Tianlin knows, because as I just emphasized, this isn’t merely my personal opinion. It’s the attitude of the entire Ye family. You must never forget why the Su family was expelled all those years ago!” Jiang Yingxia replied.

Zhao Shanhe’s face darkened, unable to retort. The Su family, over ten years ago, had indeed committed outrageous acts that enraged the Ye family.

The root of it all was Old Master Su, who, during his tenure as vice president of the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce, sought to seize actual control by any means necessary—coercion, sabotage, and manipulation—rendering others powerless.

Moreover, in pursuit of personal gain, Old Master Su concealed his actions, engaged in deception behind closed doors, paid lip service, and embezzled a substantial sum from the Chamber, amassing wealth for himself.

At that time, the Su family was indeed riding high, a prominent clan in Jiangnan.

But secrets cannot be kept forever. Old Master Su’s exploits were eventually uncovered by the Ye family, and with several offenses combined, the Su family lost almost everything and was struck from the registry.

In truth, the Su family was lucky not to be utterly destroyed. Their fall from grace to the lowest ranks in Jiangnan was nothing but deserved consequences.

“Not one member of the Su family is worth anything, especially that old fox Su Dahai. He’d do anything for money. Even raising a dog would be better than them. You expect me to trust Su Rulan? That’s pure fantasy!” Jiang Yingxia spat.

Zhao Shanhe was left awkward and speechless.

Zhao Qing was frustrated, yet helpless.

...

Elsewhere.

After leaving the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce, Su Rulan returned to the modest apartment she rented.

As soon as she entered, she placed the Range Rover keys on the living room table.

Su Weimin raised his eyebrows, cradling a cup of hot tea, and gave Su Rulan a puzzled look. “Rulan, where did you go so early in the morning? Why does your face look strange?”

“Are you feeling unwell?” Gao Yulan asked in surprise.

Su Rulan didn’t want to hide the truth and said, “All the contracts have been cancelled.”

Upon hearing this, the couple were stunned.

Su Weimin’s teacup dropped to the floor, scalding him as he jumped up in alarm. “Could it be that the Ye family’s young master, because of those false rumors, no longer plans to use us to test the Su family?”

“If the contracts are cancelled, won’t we end up losing money? We even paid two hundred thousand to cover Su company’s penalty! The Ye young master changed his mind far too quickly!” Gao Yulan was immediately flustered.

Just then, Ye Tianlin walked out from the bedroom.

“The contracts were cancelled? Why didn’t I know about this?” Ye Tianlin frowned.

Su Weimin glared at Ye Tianlin, furious, and pointed at him, shouting, “How dare you pretend here? Are you going to claim again that you’re the Ye family’s young master? If you really were, none of this would have happened!”

“That’s right, Rulan, now you see—this is all because of your indulgence!” Gao Yulan snapped.

Contracts don’t get cancelled without reason.

Ye Tianlin, that scoundrel, had lied blatantly before, stubbornly refusing to admit the truth.

Su Weimin slapped his forehead, suddenly enlightened. “I see now. No wonder the Su family would make such outrageous rumors. They must have plotted this from the start!”

“We’re finished. We’ve lost all value, and the Ye young master will never look at us again.” Gao Yulan slumped on the sofa, completely defeated.

Ye Tianlin’s brows knitted tighter and tighter. He grabbed Su Rulan’s hands, gravely asking, “Honey, what’s really going on? Tell me everything.”

Su Rulan glanced around uneasily, reluctant to speak.

Ye Tianlin immediately understood the situation was far more complicated—she couldn’t talk openly in front of her in-laws and didn’t want to make them worry.

He led Su Rulan into the bedroom, closed and locked the door, then asked, “Rulan, can you tell me now?”

Su Rulan took several deep breaths, steeling herself for half a minute before finally recounting everything that had happened at the Tiandu Chamber.

Learning that Jiang Yingxia had come, Ye Tianlin was caught off guard.

His original plan had been to settle the Su family’s matters, then take Su Rulan to Yandu to meet his parents. But trouble kept coming, forcing him to postpone.

What shocked Ye Tianlin most was the Ye family’s vehement opposition to Su Rulan, embodied in Jiang Yingxia’s actions.

“Rulan, I… I’m so sorry. You’ve suffered so much these five years for me, and now you’re misunderstood because of the Su family’s past. I’ll take you there again right now, and explain everything properly!” Ye Tianlin was flooded with guilt and heartache, making to leave with Su Rulan.

But Su Rulan reached out to stop him, shaking her head. “The more you do this, the more dissatisfied Auntie will be with me.”

“Auntie is prejudiced against the Su family and will naturally lump me in. Instead of arguing and worsening your relationship with your mother, it’s better to let things be for now.”

“Also, don’t help me anymore. I don’t want Auntie thinking I married you for anything. I want to rely on my own efforts from now on.”

With that, Su Rulan took out the bank card Ye Tianlin had given her, and handed it back with both hands.

Watching her, Ye Tianlin felt an ache in his chest, silently vowing to find a way to solve Su Rulan’s troubles.