Chapter 99: Mistaken Identity in the Queue
“Su Yixue, why don’t you come in here already?” As soon as Elder Su shouted, Su Yixue, who stood in the corridor outside, shivered inwardly, her face showing every shade of unwillingness.
Although Ye Tianlin’s identity was now as clear as daylight, in front of Su Rulan she still seethed with resentment.
What made this woman, Su Rulan, worthy of marrying into a great household?
In beauty, learning, even in figure, in every measure she did not fall short of Su Rulan!
In the end…
in the end, the one who entered the mansion of wealth was not her at all. It was a daydream all along, and all her former fantasies had dissolved into nothing.
Su Zhengjun stood beside her, saw she still hesitated, and quickly grabbed her sleeve. “It’s already time! What are you doing standing there? Why don’t you go in quickly?”
“That’s right, that’s right. Sister, you used to bully Su Rulan mercilessly. If you don’t lower your head and admit your fault today, our Su family is ruined!” Su Yicai said with a crooked, taunting look.
Su Yixue could not bear it and snapped, “Younger brother, if you hadn’t been spouting ghost stories all this time, would it have become this mess? And now you have the nerve to lecture me? If you’re so brave, go in first yourself!”
Su Yicai swallowed hard and backed down, stepping nervously. “Well… you know your name hasn’t been called yet, so I’ll stay outside a little while. If you still don’t go in, Grandfather may lose his temper.”
Su Zhengjun said with earnest concern, “Su Yixue, accept the truth. If you keep this up, it will only hurt you. Grandfather is already inside, trying hard to buy us time. Do not let this become worse.”
“Su Yixue, you little rogue, go in now and listen—are you hard of hearing?”
Grandfather Su’s voice rang out again from inside the sickroom.
Unable to withstand this, Su Yixue finally gave in, stamping her foot in frustration, then forced herself to push open the door and go in.
As expected, the instant she entered, she saw Su Rulan seated on the bed.
When their eyes met, jealousy surged through Su Yixue in a flash, and her face turned iron-gray.
“Ah, well now—isn’t this the Young Master’s lady?” Ye Tianlin said with a smile.
Su Rulan blinked at him, then in a deliberately wistful tone said, “How unusual. I never even dreamed of this scene. Su Yixue herself coming to apologize to me is truly something rare.”
“You…” Su Yixue’s palms felt as if her nails could have torn them apart from stress; in her heart she cursed Su Rulan hundreds of times over. A dark, venomous rage churned wildly in her chest.
Grandfather Su glared and pressed on. “What now? Kneel down at once and acknowledge your mistake so the Su family may mend what has been broken!”
“Do you expect me to kneel?” Su Yixue’s whole body stiffened; she wanted to howl into the sky.
Grandfather Su shouted, “How else can your sincerity be shown? If even I, the head of the clan, have knelt, what right do you have to refuse? Don’t waste my time here, or tonight in your dreams your ancestors will surely complain about me again!”
“Am I not awake yet? This is beyond belief.” Su Weimin rubbed his face, thinking he must have misheard.
“I, too, am astonished,” Gao Yulan said, equally shocked. Even before Su Yixue knelt, this whole scene was already enough to send delight running from head to toe through everyone.
Su Rulan gave an exaggerated sigh. “Oh, let it go. He’s just acting. Su Yixue could never truly kneel and apologize. In her heart she must be thinking it’s ridiculous that one remark from me can make the young master’s lady descend and abase herself.”
“Right. If the performance is over, stop it. Don’t make a mess for yourself, and don’t make us wait in vain.” Ye Tianlin added.
“Kneel!” Grandfather Su finally snapped. He lifted his hand, grabbed Su Yixue, and forced her down until she collapsed into a hard kneel with a thud.
Su Yixue’s knees hit the floor and she snapped open her eyes wide, her humiliation complete.
“Admit it!” Grandfather Su barked.
Her face turned the color of raw goose liver. Her throat trembled as she said, “I…I…Su Rulan, I know I was wrong. It was all my fault. Please, please do not hold this against me.”
“Hem, hem… It seems those words still lack a point,” Ye Tianlin interjected suddenly.
Su Yixue was nearly breaking apart; only then did she speak: “Su Rulan, I should not have singled you out the way I did. I disregarded our family ties; I was sharp-tongued and cruel. Forgive me this once. I swear I’ll never make it hard for you again.”
When she finished, tears she had been suppressing spilled out. The pain in her chest was so sharp she nearly fainted. It was, truly, the day she was struck down most of all in her life.
Grandfather Su’s expression softened a little as he asked, “Are you all satisfied now? Can you believe in our sincerity?”
Su Weimin and Gao Yulan could not help but glance at each other; at that moment, relief had never felt this sharp.
And the one who felt most relieved was Su Rulan herself.
For all these years, who knew how much insolence she had endured from Su Yixue, yet she had never imagined such a day. Among the Su household, she could finally hold her head high as a person in her own right.
Just then, at that very moment, Ye Tianlin spoke again.
“And Su Yicai still has not come in either? If Su Yixue was hard on Rulan, then Su Yicai’s sneering cold words toward me were no few either.”
“Su Yicai, it’s your turn now!” Grandfather Su barked decisively.
Immediately the sickroom door was pushed open again, and Su Yicai entered with a shy, embarrassed smile, stepping carefully.
“Drop that cheeky grin. Be serious. Call me brother-in-law right now!” Grandfather Su picked up his cane and swung it against Su Yicai’s rear knee.
Su Yicai was caught off guard; his legs weakened and he dropped to one knee, meekly saying, “Brother-in-law, I know I was wrong. I swear I’ll never try to be clever again.”
“Brother-in-law? You called me that? In all these years, this is the first time I’ve heard it. I cannot bear it. Your true brother-in-law is the imposing Young Master of the Ye clan. How could I stand on equal footing with him?”
“Brother-in-law, you yourself are...” Su Yicai could no longer hold back and was about to blurt out,