Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The Su couple had always been the envy of many.

Childhood sweethearts, each other’s first love, they later married in a union that seemed destined. From school days to the wedding altar, they raised two lovely boys together.

With a kind father, a devoted mother, and brothers who respected one another, Su Wanlin and Song Manman shared a deeply affectionate bond. Su Wanlin had steered Su Group for nearly thirty years without a hint of scandal—faithful in marriage, never linked to affairs or illegitimate children.

Everyone in their circle believed Song Manman was enviably fortunate, so much so that others wished they could trade places with her.

But now, the typically poised and refined Su Wanlin dropped the act. With a dark expression, he grabbed Song Manman by the neck, roughly pulling her into his arms and muffling her mouth with his hand—an act devoid of any respect or tenderness.

The crowd exchanged uneasy looks, momentarily too stunned to speak.

Song Manman fought back at first, her face contorted with paranoia. Only after Su Wanlin dragged her close and whispered something in her ear did she gradually quiet down.

But it was too late.

Her earlier venomous words—the delusional accusations against their own flesh and blood, Gu Yihong, the shrill interrogation of who had sent the woman claiming to be Su Shengli’s birth mother—had all come from her own lips. Turns out, Song Manman’s usual elegance and warmth were all an act.

The couple’s behavior at the banquet shattered everyone’s previous impressions of them.

The admiration and envy for the Su family’s flawless image now gave way to thinly veiled scorn.

No business mogul in China could claim spotless hands.

They just knew human nature—knew how to mask their flaws.

But even the best disguises wear thin, and occasionally, they envied those who seemed genuinely upright.

The Su family had once been that ideal. But after tonight, their image lay in ruins.

Turns out, they were all cut from the same cloth—only the Su family had been better at pretending.

One guest ribbed Su Wanlin with a smirk.

"Chairman Su, your wife just slipped up. No need to be so harsh—what if you scare her?"

"Ahem, right. Mrs. Su was just rattled seeing the birth mother of her... adopted son, Su Shengli, show up. Anyone would panic if the child they raised for nearly twenty years suddenly had someone else claiming to be their mother. It’s only natural."

"Exactly. Take your squabbles home. Right now, dealing with this... ahem, your second son’s birth mother is the priority. Chairman Su, perhaps you should first ask this lady what exactly is going on."

The speaker shot a resentful glance at the person beside him, blaming him for carelessly referring to Su Shengli as the "adopted son" earlier. He had nearly slipped up himself. While he wasn’t afraid of offending the Su family, it wasn’t wise to provoke their grudges.

The crowd swelled, turning what was meant to be a dignified Recognition Banquet into a circus.

Su Wanlin was just relieved that he had earlier signaled for the live-streaming influencers and the actor hired to play Gu Yihong to be escorted out. Otherwise, the scene would have been even more chaotic.

Once Song Manman collected herself, Su Wanlin lowered his gaze, forcing a tight smile after a few tries. But the darkness in his expression remained, leaving no doubt about his foul mood.

"Sorry for the scene. We have matters to attend to and must excuse ourselves for now."

With that, he released Song Manman and walked over to Su Shengli. He shot an icy look at the middle-aged woman clinging to Su Shengli’s leg, then turned to Su Shengli, struck dumb with panic, his gaze warming for a split second.

"Don’t be afraid. Whether she’s your birth mother or not, we’ll always be your family. The Su family will never abandon you."

Su Shengli’s eyes welled up instantly.

His face filled with emotion, voice choked with sobs as he called out, "Dad..."

Su Wanlin pulled Su Shengli into an embrace, but his mind drifted to the child who should’ve rightfully belonged to the Su family.

If the chaos at tonight’s banquet was truly masterminded by Gu Yihong, Su Wanlin had to admit he’d underestimated him.

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If Gu Yubai knew Su Wanlin was silently praising him in his thoughts at this moment, he’d probably puke right then and there.

In his past life, he had harbored goodwill toward the Su family, walking on eggshells around Su Shengli with consideration, only to be discarded without hesitation by Su Wanlin for being of no use to the family. In this life, his indifference and ruthless actions against the Su family had instead earned him praise—how laughably twisted.

Fortunately, he didn’t know.

Now, as Gu Yubai gazed downstairs, his past life flashed before him.

No one understood Su Wanlin’s cold and heartless nature better than Gu Yubai.

To the outside world, Su Wanlin was the picture-perfect family man—gentle, composed, successful in his career, and devoted to his wife and children. Even when faced with the whole ‘real vs. fake heir’ scandal in his household, he never abandoned the false young master Su Shengli, despite their lack of blood ties.

Yet no one knew that Su Wanlin turned a blind eye to everything Gu Yubai endured in the Su family simply because he was of no use to them.

Yes, his own biological son, newly returned, was thrown away like trash for being worthless to the Su family.

Song Manman was his wife—their loving marriage maintained the Su family’s reputation.

Su Linyuan was his chosen successor, destined to inherit the Su family’s empire.

Su Shengli wasn’t his biological child, but coddling him boosted the Su family’s PR even further.

Only Gu Yubai, who had just returned, was of no use. So even when Su Wanlin sensed many things were amiss, he still unhesitatingly sided with Su Shengli.

They couldn’t be bothered to spare a thought for Gu Yubai, blamed him for everything, no questions asked, without ever investigating what schemes Su Shengli might have pulled behind the scenes.

Su Shengli gleefully stole Gu Yubai’s inheritance, dividends—hell, even his identity—believing Su Wanlin doted on him as much as Song Manman did. But the joke was on him.

Su Wanlin loved no one.

He appeared to care deeply for his family, but in truth, only gave a damn about himself and Su Group.

In his past life, after Su Linyuan was crippled, the much-favored Su Shengli thought his golden ticket had come.

Song Manman pulled every string for Su Shengli to inherit the Su family, working her ‘pillow talk’ magic for who knows how long. Yet in the end, Su Wanlin dropped the bombshell that beyond what Su Shengli had already received, Su Group would never be his.

Even Su Linyuan’s shares were reclaimed, everything firmly clenched in Su Wanlin’s grasp.

With his chosen heir Su Linyuan rendered useless and Su Shengli proving nothing but a useless leech, Su Wanlin turned his gaze to Gu Yubai, who had long since moved out.

Su Linyuan’s apparent affection for Su Shengli in the past life existed solely because the false young master’s presence was good PR for Su Group.

But when it came to real stakes, Su Wanlin would rather force Su Group into Gu Yubai’s hands—who despised the family and had suffered under them—than let a worthless heir take everything.

By then, the old Su patriarch had long passed away, and after his funeral, there was radio silence between Gu Yubai and the Su family.

Gu Yubai had co-founded his own company with classmates during his sophomore year. When Su Wanlin took notice of him, he held his classmates’ futures hostage to force Gu Yubai to abandon his independent ventures.

With no choice, Gu Yubai gave up everything he’d built, returning to the Su family to be molded under Su Wanlin’s watchful eye.

Su Wanlin got his karma too. A year later, he and Song Manman died in a plane crash while traveling.

At the funeral, Su Shengli made a grab for the inheritance, only to drown in the swimming pool before the service even concluded.

Others assumed Gu Yubai was behind it, and the crippled Su Linyuan shot him looks of pure venom. But Gu Yubai knew it wasn’t him—Su Shengli’s death was an "accident."

He later spent a long time investigating before barely uncovering a trail.

Su Shengli’s death was connected to the already deceased Su Wanlin. Not just that—even the fire that killed his adoptive father, something that had eaten at him for years, seemed vaguely linked to the Su family.

But by then, all those who deserved to die were already dead, and pushing further got him nowhere.

That was why Gu Yubai called them all back.

Su Wanlin didn't give a damn about anyone.

Early on, Gu Yubai was tossed aside without a second thought for being useless. Later, when Su Linyuan was crippled, all his shares were revoked, and he was abandoned in an overseas estate. The worthless Su Shengli made a grab for the assets, only to be eliminated by Su Wanlin’s backup plan.

Perhaps the only thing Su Wanlin hadn’t anticipated was that his life wouldn’t be long enough.

Before Su Shengli’s death, he himself bought it in an accident first.

Such a cold and heartless man—how much sincerity was there in the fake-ass comfort he offered Su Shengli at the banquet now?

If Su Shengli got his memories back from his past life and learned that his tragic "accidental" death was set up by the father he trusted and respected, what would he think?

At the moment, Su Group’s stock was tanking.

The exposure of hiring an actor to impersonate Gu Yihong at the Recognition Banquet had completely shattered the Su family’s multi-generational reputation.

But if they wanted to salvage the Su family’s name, there was now a perfect opportunity.

Gu Yubai cut his eyes over to the middle-aged woman clinging to Su Shengli’s leg and sobbing, his lips twisting in a smirk.

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Suddenly, someone approached from behind.

Tall and dressed head-to-toe in black, the figure stood directly behind Gu Yubai, cutting off his light.

As the shadow fell, even without turning, Gu Yubai could feel the other’s gaze fixed on his back.

The man seemed to be sizing him up thoughtfully, perhaps lost in thought—or maybe he had just wandered over casually, wanting Gu Yubai to make space so they could both observe the scene below.

Gu Yubai assumed the latter, since he was merely a waiter now, sporting a white mask that revealed only his eyes and hair.

He was about to step aside when the person behind him moved even closer. Without shifting his arm, Gu Yubai grazed against the expensive, well-tailored fabric of the man’s suit.

For a fleeting moment, he might have even touched the stranger’s hand—the skin contact made him jump.

Instinctively, he turned to leave, but suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Don’t move."