Chapter 71: I Am the True Master of This Household

That evening, Ye Tianlin and Su Rulan returned home together after work. As they entered, they found Gao Yulan sitting in the living room, her face full of anger. Su Weimin, meanwhile, was drowning his sorrows in alcohol, his body reeking with the unpleasant smell of liquor.

The moment he saw Ye Tianlin, Su Weimin rose to his feet and glared furiously, shouting, “You scoundrel, how dare you come back? If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have lost our jobs!”

Gao Yulan gritted her teeth and added, “Ye Tianlin, you’ve ruined our whole family. I suppose you and Rulan have lost your jobs now too, haven’t you?”

Ye Tianlin cleared his throat, coughing a few times before he spoke, “Things aren’t as you imagine. You can go to work as usual tomorrow. The matter with Chen Zhigang has already been resolved.”

“Nonsense! Stop bluffing. Chen Zhigang has that vice president brother-in-law—what could you possibly do to fix this?” Su Weimin retorted angrily.

Su Rulan, nearly beside herself with frustration, hurried to step between them, recounting the events in detail and pointing out that Su Weimin and Gao Yulan had left too hastily, missing the crucial scene.

After hearing the whole story, Su Weimin’s eyes widened, his face showing deep disbelief, and he stammered, “Rulan, are you joking with me?”

“This Ye Tianlin… does he really have such ability? And he holds an authorization document from the Capital Consortium, so no one can interfere with him?” Gao Yulan drew a sharp breath, unable to fathom where Ye Tianlin’s capabilities had come from.

Su Rulan knew the truth well enough; before they returned home, Ye Tianlin had already explained to her that everything stemmed from the unique status of the Ye family’s young master. Of course, she wouldn’t bring up his identity again in front of her parents, knowing it would only cause more arguments. So she said instead, “The Capital Consortium values talent and gave Tianlin such broad authority—it’s not surprising. Besides, it’s the absolute truth.”

As expected, Gao Yulan’s face broke into a smile, and she hurried over to Ye Tianlin, unusually attentive as she straightened his clothes, exclaiming with delight, “Oh, who would have thought my son-in-law would amount to something! Turns out he’s even more impressive than Chen Zhigang!”

“Mom, please don’t do this,” Ye Tianlin said, feeling somewhat awkward.

Gao Yulan beamed, “You’re the pillar of our family now—the general manager of the Yunhai Chamber of Commerce’s business department, with more authority than the president! Imagine how proud I’ll be telling others. I’d even serve you by washing your feet tonight!”

Su Weimin’s face turned livid with anger. He snapped, “Gao Yulan, have you any dignity left as an elder? Even if Ye Tianlin has finally achieved something, he should be the one serving us!”

“Dad, don’t be stubborn. Tianlin has done so much, always thinking of this family. There’s no need to quarrel,” Su Rulan urged.

Su Weimin, still fuming, sneered, “I don’t care. I’m still the head of this house. Besides, Chen Zhigang didn’t do anything wrong. No matter what, Ye Tianlin shouldn’t have fired him—it’s completely inappropriate!”

“I’ve been in this family for years and never tried to fight anyone. As for Chen Zhigang, if you insist on seeing it that way, there’s nothing I can do. He’s gone, and there’s no point discussing it further,” Ye Tianlin replied bluntly.

“Don’t think a little success changes everything. The Capital Consortium isn’t a charity. If you fail at your job, you’ll be fired just the same. So don’t get ahead of yourself!” Su Weimin, stung by the situation, was flushed and indignant.

He had always harbored resentment toward Ye Tianlin, and learning about Ye Tianlin’s newfound authority only made him more unbalanced. For so many years, he had ruled the household, never imagining that his dim-witted son-in-law could now threaten his position. He, the family’s patriarch, had become the most useless, powerless figure.

Su Rulan exploded, unable to contain her anger. “Dad, haven’t you said enough? You’re being completely unreasonable!”

“I’m just being realistic. I don’t know how Ye Tianlin gained the Consortium’s recognition, but I know their standards are extremely strict. If he doesn’t perform, he’ll be eliminated in no time. I doubt he’ll last even a month!” Su Weimin snorted.

He paused, then continued, “Ye Tianlin does have authority, but if he fails the evaluation and gets fired by the Consortium, what good is any of this? Then Vice President Zhang Kun might turn around and go after our whole family!”

Su Rulan trembled with fury. His arguments were utterly senseless—he insisted on finding fault where there was none.

Just as Su Rulan was about to lose all patience, Ye Tianlin stepped forward and said, “Let me ask you: Are you going to work tomorrow or not? If not, then you won’t need to go ever again—I’ll revoke your position permanently.”