Chapter Seven: Don’t Scare Me

On the other side.

Su Rulan had already arrived at the company.

The Su family business dealt in advertising, with the patriarch serving as chairman. Her eldest uncle controlled the company’s finances, while his son held the position of general manager.

As for Su Rulan, ever since her marriage, she had been relentlessly sidelined, demoted from management all the way down to an ordinary staff member, barely making a few thousand yuan a month.

But the most miserable of all were Su Rulan’s parents, who had both been relegated to janitorial duties, cleaning toilets and performing menial tasks day after day. Their backs ached with fatigue; even the security guards had it better.

The moment Su Rulan stepped through the company doors, she was summoned to the office, a foreboding sense of dread rising in her chest.

Inside, the patriarch sat with a cup of Pu’er tea on the desk, his expression severe as he spoke: “According to company policy, you were originally required to pay off the two hundred thousand yuan penalty by next week. However, given recent developments, the deadline has been moved up—to tomorrow.”

“That’s right. If you can’t come up with the money by tomorrow, pack your things and leave,” echoed her uncle, Su Zhengjun.

“If it weren’t for that ridiculous stunt Ye Tianlin pulled, things wouldn’t have come to this. Su Rulan, oh Su Rulan, I really do pity you,” Su Yicai added with thinly veiled sarcasm.

“By tomorrow? You want me to pay the penalty by tomorrow?” Su Rulan gasped, as if struck by lightning, her world crashing down.

Two hundred thousand was never a small sum, and now they were changing their minds—clearly doing it on purpose.

The patriarch took a sip of hot tea, his tone icy. “There’s nothing to be done. After all, the young master of the Ye family has taken a liking to Su Yixue. I have no intention of letting him find out that the Su family still harbors such disgrace.”

“Grandfather, please, I beg you, give me a little more time,” Su Rulan pleaded, falling to her knees. She knew that once she was driven out, her fate would only become more miserable. Even though she’d been framed for the penalty, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and try to borrow the money.

“No exceptions. I’ve already been merciful. If you weren’t my granddaughter, you wouldn’t even have the right to speak to me here,” the patriarch replied with utter indifference.

Desperate, Su Rulan knocked her forehead hard against the floor, her voice trembling. “Could you really be so heartless as to drive me to the brink again, to watch me die?”

“Don’t try to threaten me with that. It’s useless. I lost all hope for you long ago. Whether you live or die means nothing to me,” said the old man, his face devoid of emotion, radiating cold-bloodedness.

“If you really had any capability, you’d hand in the penalty by tomorrow. Then we’d have nothing to say. But if you can’t, don’t blame us for being ruthless,” sneered her uncle, Su Zhengjun.

“I’m the young master’s brother-in-law now. I have my own reputation to uphold. If you’re incompetent, you’re destined to be looked down upon—don’t blame anyone else,” Su Yicai said, as if it were only natural.

Tears streamed down Su Rulan’s face. Overwhelmed, she felt a faint, stabbing pain from the child in her womb—a despair so deep it was beyond words.

At that moment, the office phone suddenly rang.

The patriarch picked up, and upon hearing the voice on the other end, he leapt to his feet, his beard quivering with excitement. “What? The Tiandu Chamber of Commerce wants to sign a contract with our Su family?”

Her uncle and cousin exchanged glances, curiosity blazing in their eyes, and immediately gestured for the patriarch to put the call on speaker so they could listen.

Without hesitation, the old man activated the speakerphone.

A voice came through: “That’s right. The Tiandu Chamber of Commerce wishes to sign an advertising contract with the Su family, for a period of one year, to promote products for the Tangren Group under their banner.”

“Is this the young master’s doing again?” The patriarch beamed from ear to ear.

The voice replied, “Indeed, it’s the young master’s decision. The contract is valued at fifteen million yuan. Someone will come in person later to sign the contract with your company, and payment will be made in full, up front.”

In that instant, the entire office erupted in unprecedented joy.

Full advance payment—Tiandu Chamber of Commerce truly lived up to its reputation for wealth.

Fifteen million yuan—for the Su family company, this was a colossal fortune.

Kneeling on the floor, Su Rulan listened in shock. But alas, it had nothing to do with her.

The patriarch’s face was all smiles as he replied, “Many thanks to the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce, and to the young master for his support. I’ll arrange everything right away. We await your arrival to sign the contract!”

“There’s one more important clause,” came the voice. “The project leader for this contract will receive all the profits after operating costs, and these will not belong to the Su family company.”

“Looks like the project leader can only be me. I didn’t expect the young master to promote his brother-in-law so quickly. This is like being handed money on a plate,” Su Yicai immediately understood, his face alight with greed.

His father, Su Zhengjun, grinned broadly. “It doesn’t matter whether the clause is written in or not. The company will belong to Yicai sooner or later anyway!”

The patriarch nodded, beaming. “Exactly. We don’t need to include that clause. We understand the young master’s good intentions.”

There was a pause on the line before the reply: “I’m sorry, but the clause must remain—because the beneficiary is not Su Yicai, as you say, but… Su Rulan!”

The moment Su Rulan’s name came through the phone, everyone in the room was dumbstruck.

“What?” The patriarch’s eyes nearly bulged from his head, his mind a total blank.

“Did I hear that right?” Su Zhengjun was stunned.

“How is this possible? There must be some mistake! I’m the young master’s brother-in-law—if anyone is to be promoted, it should be me, not Su Rulan!” Su Yicai was first dumbfounded, then consumed by jealousy.

Su Rulan sat frozen, unable to believe such fortune had fallen on her, utterly out of the blue.

It was fifteen million yuan. After operating costs, she would still have several million left—enough to buy a comfortable three-bedroom apartment in Jiangnan outright.

“You heard correctly. This is the young master’s arrangement. Please prepare the necessary documents as soon as possible,” the caller instructed, then hung up.

Shock was etched deeply on the patriarch’s face. No matter how he racked his brains, he couldn’t fathom why such a windfall would come to Su Rulan, who was on the verge of being expelled from the company.

Once the contract was signed and the project funds arrived, Su Rulan could pay off the penalty in an instant.

But since it was the young master’s will, who in the Su family dared refuse? To do so might offend him and cause even greater trouble.

“The young master really wants to give the contract to me?” Su Rulan swallowed hard, overwhelmed by a sense of deliverance, a life-saving warmth in her darkest hour.

Su Zhengjun held his breath, his expression turning to horror as a thought struck him. “Could it be… the young master is actually that idiot, Ye Tianlin?”

“Don’t… don’t scare me!” The patriarch shuddered, sending his tea spilling across the floor.