Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Patriarch Su clutched his chest, stumbling backward as his legs gave way.

The old butler, who had been lurking in the corner, swiftly stepped forward and caught him. Patriarch Su gripped the butler’s arm, looking up with regret, only to see the group of Su family members across from him—all wearing guilty expressions, yet convinced of their own blamelessness.

He was so enraged he could barely breathe.

"What a calamity! Which gods or spirits did our Su family offend to bring this deranged pair together? And they even grew up together!"

Patriarch Su fumed, "I’ll find a master to check if our ancestral tomb was buried in the wrong place! His mother, even Wanlin’s grandparents—none of them had such twisted natures! How did they turn out like this?"

A couple, equally devoid of morals.

Truly childhood sweethearts. The Song family didn’t have anyone as unhinged as Manman either—they all seemed perfectly normal.

The old butler steadied Patriarch Su, his tone calm but his gaze complex.

He comforted him, "At least President Su and Mrs. Su haven’t broken any laws. Think of it this way—at least President Su hasn’t kept a harem of actresses, and Mrs. Su hasn’t had affairs with men, throwing the Su family into chaos. They merely toyed with the same outsider. The Su family’s reputation is still intact."

As he spoke, even the seasoned butler’s expression twisted.

"It’s not uncommon in wealthy circles for couples to each keep a dozen lovers on the side. Compared to them, aren’t President Su and Mrs. Su practically paragons of virtue?"

Patriarch Su’s face darkened completely.

Su Linyuan, aside from his one affair with Song Manman’s best friend, had no other romantic entanglements. But as Patriarch Su knew, it wasn’t because Su Linyuan lacked the desire—he simply looked down on others and worried that a messy love life would tarnish the Su family’s generations-old reputation.

Now, he could only be grateful that Su Wanlin truly prioritized the Su family’s reputation and interests. Otherwise, with a son like him and a wife like Song Manman—frail-looking but ice-cold—who knew how chaotic the Su family would become?

Patriarch Su said coldly, "I’d rather they were a loveless couple, each keeping lovers outside, than equally vile in sync."

In front of the old butler, Patriarch Su showed no mercy toward Su Wanlin and Song Manman.

His expression was complicated. "His mother and I loved each other deeply. Even if our marriage was initially for business, we upheld our agreement. Our feelings were pure, and we naturally became a loving couple."

Su Wanlin remained unfazed. His tone was indifferent. "I know Father dislikes my nature. But I’ve never thought of myself as particularly bad."

He paused, then added, "Society made me this way. From the moment I could remember, our family lived in luxury, and everyone around me flattered me. Did they treat me well out of love? No—it was for the benefits I could give them."

"In school, teachers liked obedient, brilliant top students, so I pretended to be one. As an adult, society prefers people who appear kind and gentle, so I became that kind of businessman. If it benefits me, of course I’ll play the part."

He laughed mockingly. "As for those beneath me—I’ve always been superior. Why should I care about, pity, or empathize with insects beneath my notice?"

The usually amiable Su Wanlin inexplicably exuded an air of arrogant superiority.

He smiled. "Didn’t you and Mother teach me from childhood how to claw for every advantage in business? As the head of the family, all I need to do is ensure the Su legacy remains in the hands of the Su family."

"Dad, haven’t you always envied the Yu family’s overseas legacy? Now our Su family is on the rise. You should be happy. Everything else is just background noise."

Su Wanlin spoke lightly, and Patriarch Su couldn’t help but turn to look at him.

He had long known his son was skilled at disguising his profit-driven nature, but these words still exceeded his expectations.

Patriarch Su sighed. "You really are a piece of work."

Su Wanlin chuckled softly, unfazed by his father’s words.

Su Wanlin was like a man whose bones and blood were made of profit, wrapped in a pretty package. Outwardly, he appeared glamorous, with a perfect family—but it was all a facade.

Su Linyuan looked gobsmacked. Su Shengli’s eyes were wide with unease. Song Manman... stared at Su Wanlin like he hung the moon.

Patriarch Su stared at Su Wanlin intently, then suddenly scoffed.

"Pity you’re stuck in this modern, open era where everyone is equal."

With his mindset, in ancient feudal times, Su Wanlin could have been the head of a noble family—maybe even an emperor.

"Too bad. Thankfully, you’re not that smart or talented. Otherwise, the Su family would’ve already collapsed into chaos."

Patriarch Su’s tone was laced with venom.

Su Wanlin was stung. "If I were talented, couldn’t I have elevated the Su family to become a global empire?"

A trace of disdain flashed in Patriarch Su’s eyes. "Thank goodness you’re mediocre."

Even without exceptional business talent, he was already this rotten. If he had been more ruthless and skilled, who knew what would’ve become of the Su family?

Patriarch Su felt the Su family’s current stability was enough. The rest could be left to the next generation.

At least Su Linyuan seemed decent.

Patriarch Su was done talking. He made to leave but paused to deliver a cold warning.

"Don’t let me find out you’ve crossed legal boundaries."

Su Wanlin nodded. As Patriarch Su passed Su Linyuan, he stopped again.

His gaze was complex before shifting to Su Shengli, who had been standing there shell-shocked.

"You’ve seen and heard it all. The Su family isn’t what you imagined. Be smart—leave now. We won’t take back the houses, cars, or assets the family has given you over the years."

His tone was uncharacteristically soft.

"You’re eighteen. You should have your own life. Why stay mired in this filth?"

This was undoubtedly the kindest Patriarch Su had been to Su Shengli since returning home.

Su Shengli’s eyes filled with tears instantly, but he quickly lowered his head timidly.

In a small voice, he said, "I’m not going anywhere. This is my home."

Patriarch Su’s warmth snapped shut instantly. He offered kindness only once—if it was rejected, he withdrew it without hesitation.

"Then suit yourself."

With that, Patriarch Su turned and left. As he walked out, faint instructions could be heard for his belongings to be packed—he refused to stay in his son and daughter-in-law’s villa any longer.

Patriarch Su returned to the ancestral home, and the Su villa went dead quiet again.

Su Linyuan didn’t dare return home for a week. Neither did Su Shengli.

On the surface, the Su family put on a calm front.

But only those present that day knew the undercurrents of turmoil now swirling beneath.

Song Manman, who usually called Su Shengli every two or three days to send soup, gifts, or kind words, didn’t contact him at all. Su Wanlin, always busy with work, naturally didn’t call him either.

Su Linyuan...is also being quite odd.

It seems he was shaken to the core by that day's events. Based on Su Shengli's past understanding of his elder brother, Su Linyuan is probably still coming to terms with the bombshell he heard that day.

A mocking smirk tugged at the corner of Su Shengli's lips.

Zhou Jiarou kept hounding him for money.

Now that Su Shengli's real background was out in the open, he no longer feared her threats of exposing his background and affecting Song Manman or the Su family. He stopped giving her money and couldn't spare her the time of day.

Her very existence was merely a farce the Su family had cooked up to shut down the scandal, forcing him to acknowledge her.

Before, the Su family might have assumed he was unaware, but after Old Master Su's outburst, they surely had no leg to stand on to make him put up with Zhou Jiarou's harassment.

Thinking of all the grievances he had suffered at Zhou Jiarou's hands, Su Shengli couldn’t help but feel a bit of smug satisfaction.

"Go ahead and raise hell if you dare. Let’s see who ends up worse off when the shit hits the fan."

Not two days after he said this, Zhou Jiarou straight-up vanished.

At first, Su Shengli genuinely thought she had gone to the Su family—until a group of men approached and cut him off, revealing her whereabouts.

Liao Anyang, who had vanished long ago while claiming to have found some mysterious hideout, now crouched on the ground, beaten black and blue, shaking like a leaf as he looked up at Su Shengli with pleading eyes.

"Shengli, dear nephew, please save your uncle! If you don’t agree to their demands, these people will really kill me!"

Unfortunately, though Su Shengli was not Song Manman's child, he was still Liao Wei's.

Su Shengli stared at Liao Anyang, his eyes filled with disgusted frustration.

The leader of the black-clad men stepped forward, speaking with surface-level politeness.

"Young Master Su, our family head is aware of the troubles you’ve faced recently and wishes to collaborate with you."

Pointing at Liao Anyang, who had just been thrown to the ground in agony, he said gravely,

"Your uncle here is our family head’s gift to you. Additionally, we’ve heard there are a few people you dislike—our family head has already handled them for you."

Who did Su Shengli dislike?

His eyes flickered, a grin spreading across his face. "...Did you go after Gu Yubai?"