Chapter 70

Chapter 70

At noon, Gu Yubai had just finished class and was leaving the teaching building when he was stopped on the spot.

Following the bodyguard's gaze, Gu Yubai saw the white-haired Old Master Su, his face wrinkled but his spirit robust, leaning on a cane under a pine tree. Dressed in a traditional Chinese tangzhuang, he offered Gu Yubai a benevolent, kindly smile.

Neither had eaten lunch yet, and Old Master Su had no interest in the bustling and noisy cafeteria. They went straight to the university coffee shop instead.

Gu Yubai ordered a sandwich and a drink for each of them—green tea for Old Master Su and coffee for himself.

He smiled at Old Master Su. "I still have classes this afternoon, so if you have something to say, please get straight to the point."

Though Gu Yubai hadn’t been paying attention to the Su family lately, he could guess that something significant must have happened for Old Master Su to seek him out personally, knowing full well that Gu Yubai preferred to avoid any dealings with the Su family.

Old Master Su slowly cut his sandwich with a fork. Without ceremony, he pulled out a stack of papers from behind him and pushed them across to Gu Yubai.

"Take a look first."

After saying this, he lowered his head, his expression tinged with dejection and fury, as if recalling something infuriating.

Gu Yubai glanced down thoughtfully and realized the papers were a detailed list of asset transfers.

His hand paused, and he flipped directly to the last page, finding a deed of gift.

Frowning, Gu Yubai asked, "Old Master, you don’t expect me to sign this, do you?"

Old Master Su nodded. "These are assets I can handle independently, unrelated to the rest of the Su family. While I’m still of sound mind and not so senile as to be deceived, I want to divide my property in advance."

"These—are yours."

Gu Yubai didn’t bother reading further and pushed the documents back.

"I don’t want them."

Old Master Su looked visibly wounded. "I’ve done nothing to wrong you. Even if you dislike the Su family, you shouldn’t hold it against me or the Su ancestors before me."

Hearing Old Master Su’s constant repetition of "Su family," Gu Yubai’s lips twitched.

It was clear Old Master Su had lost all patience with the Su family now.

Evidently, something had happened in the Su family recently that made the usually strict yet affectionate Old Master Su decide to completely withdraw his support.

"In that case, I really shouldn’t accept. If they find out I’ve taken so much from you, I’ll face endless harassment."

Old Master Su pressed his lips together and gave Gu Yubai a sidelong glance.

"Don’t worry. Though the Su family is indeed rotten through and through, they still maintain decorum. Your father—ah, Su Wanlin, Song Manman, and Su Linyuan—they still care about saving face. Once you sign, these assets are legally yours. Besides, to them, what you’re getting isn’t worth tarnishing the reputations of the Su and Song families over."

His tone turned wry. "You’re no easy mark, after all."

"Also, I’m giving you these things for no particular reason. I don’t care about your relationship with the Su family now. Just remember—aside from the Su family members you dislike, like Su Wanlin, I and your late great-grandfather and others were all decent people. Don’t lump all Su family members together just because you hate a few."

He had to admit, some of Su Wanlin’s family members were just aberrations!

"Your bloodline has been passed down through generations of the Su family. Whether you acknowledge it or not, that’s the truth."

"Also..."

Old Master Su paused briefly before continuing quickly, "Su Shengli isn't in your league. I won’t allow him to make trouble for you."

At the mention of Su Shengli’s name, the light in Gu Yubai’s eyes dimmed slightly.

He glanced down at the documents again. Though he was absentmindedly looking, he could see Old Master Su had indeed allocated him substantial assets—even some jewelry and accessories...

Gu Yubai raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Why are these ladies' bracelets included?"

Old Master Su’s brows lifted. "These were your grandmother’s bridal trousseau. What was meant for daughters-in-law has already been given. The rest was explicitly named to be divided equally between the two young masters of the Su family. Su Linyuan took his share. These were always meant to be yours."

Gu Yubai’s expression turned complicated as he recalled the dispute caused by his grandmother’s inheritance.

Song Manman had ultimately failed to secure this portion for Su Shengli.

"Are you really giving them to me?" Gu Yubai asked. "Even if I take them, I won’t help the Su family in the future."

Old Master Su nodded firmly. "Once they’re yours, they’re yours. No need for fuss. Unless Su Wanlin and Su Linyuan both die, the Su family won’t need your help anyway."

Wasn’t that the truth?

Remembering how, in his past life, after Su Linyuan was disabled in a car accident and sank into depression, Su Wanlin had dragged him back to inherit Su Group, Gu Yubai’s mouth twitched.

"Let’s hope not."

He signed his name smoothly.

Even without scrutinizing the details, Gu Yubai knew the properties, cars, and jewelry listed in the contract were worth at least a billion yuan at market value.

The reason for such generosity was that all profit-sharing interests related to Su Group had been excluded—meaning, after signing, Su Group would officially have no connection to him whatsoever.

For someone who shared blood but no affection with the Su family, receiving this much was already a sign of Old Master Su’s showing him favor.

Old Master Su wasted no time. Once Gu Yubai signed, he waved outside, and soon a young man in a suit entered.

Carrying a briefcase, he looked like a lawyer.

Old Master Su said, "From now on, handle all follow-up matters with this lawyer. This old man wants no part in it."

He stood, hands behind his back, and bid Gu Yubai farewell.

"Oh, and I’ve arranged for several renowned neurologists from around the world to come. Coordinate with the lawyer to schedule the appointments at your convenience."

At this, Gu Yubai was genuinely moved.

He hadn’t expected Old Master Su to remember that matter (referring to Gu Mingliang). His lips parted slightly as a faint smile formed.

---

Gu Yubai had afternoon classes. After a brief discussion with the lawyer, Lin Xuyan suddenly appeared at the café entrance, looking flustered.

Spotting Gu Yubai, his eyes lit up, and he waved.

"Underclassman, I need to talk to you urgently."

Gu Yubai set aside his matters, apologized to the lawyer, and stepped outside to meet Lin Xuyan.

Lin Xuyan’s expression was uneasy, his face filled with bewilderment.

"Just now, the academic office told me that the studio we formed with a few seniors doesn’t meet the school’s entrepreneurship support program. After a meeting, they’ve ordered us to disband within three days and return last month’s startup grant."

"But a student advisor I’m close with secretly told me the real reason is that you’ve offended someone outside. He didn’t say who. I’ve been texting you, but you haven’t replied."

Hearing this, Gu Yubai frowned slightly, but his brow smoothed once he understood the situation.

"Did I piss someone off?"

Gu Yubai took out his phone and saw that Lin Xuyan had indeed sent him several messages. His phone had been on silent earlier, so he hadn’t noticed the notifications.

Apart from Lin Xuyan, other seniors from the studio had also messaged him. They weren’t aware of the specifics but were worried about whether Gu Yubai could still afford the studio’s operating costs without the school’s startup grants if they had to rent an office elsewhere.

Gu Yubai: "...I see. I’ll check with the administration office about it later."

He didn’t say much more. His gaze swept over Lin Xuyan, who looked anxious, and noticed the other curiously eyeing the suited lawyer inside the café. Gu Yubai lowered his eyes and suddenly smiled.

"Senior, I haven’t thanked you for all your help during this time. When I have a chance, I’ll take you and the others from the studio out to eat."

Lin Xuyan’s eyes flickered slightly as he chuckled. "I didn’t help you just for a free meal."

"But I’ll be looking forward to it."

He pointed at the young man inside the café who was glancing their way and asked curiously, "You rarely see men with that kind of vibe on campus. He doesn’t look like a student—more like some hotshot."

Gu Yubai let out a light laugh. "Yeah, he's not from around campus."

He didn’t elaborate further. Lin Xuyan nodded and turned to say goodbye.

But Gu Yubai didn’t return to the café immediately.

He watched Lin Xuyan’s back as he walked away for a moment, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smirk.

Just as he was about to turn around, Gu Yihong’s voice, dripping with jealousy, came from behind.

"That person in the café—his vibe seems so familiar. He looks like a lawyer."

Gu Yihong: "Bro, what could you possibly have to talk about with a lawyer?"

He took a couple of steps forward, books in hand, clearly on his way to class.

Gu Yubai knew he hadn’t been there long. Hearing the question, he replied directly,

"He is a lawyer. An old acquaintance recommended him to me. I just had a few legal questions to ask."

Gu Yihong nodded slightly. "Alright. But I’m also a future law student. For general questions, you can just ask me."

Gu Yubai smiled. "Sure. Once you get your license, I’ll come to you for everything."

Gu Yihong perked up at that. He glanced at the lawyer again and dismissed the doubts that had surfaced in his mind.

His brother was running a studio with friends—it was perfectly normal to consult a lawyer for some issues. Nothing to overthink.

"Then I won’t disturb you any further. The lecture hall is pretty far, so I’ll head out first."

Gu Yubai watched Gu Yihong leave as well, then checked his watch. It was almost time for his afternoon class.

Coincidentally, he couldn’t afford to miss the first lecture.

Fortunately, the major questions had already been addressed. The remaining details could be discussed with the lawyer later.

Gu Yubai returned to the café, exchanged a few more words with the lawyer, added each other’s contact information, and then went their own ways.

The young lawyer had just reached the school gate when a student hurried after him.

Lin Xuyan emerged from around the corner, a little out of breath as he caught up, holding a wallet in his hand.

"Excuse me, the café staff said you accidentally left this on your seat and asked me to return it to you."

The lawyer studied Lin Xuyan carefully before lowering his gaze to the unfamiliar wallet. He smirked slightly.

"Thank you. This is indeed mine."

He took the wallet, expressed his gratitude, and turned to leave.

Lin Xuyan nearly didn’t let go. He watched the young man walk away, only snapping out of it after a long moment.

The lawyer reached his car at the school gate, fastened his seatbelt, and opened the wallet. Seeing the pathetic wad of bills inside, his lips curled into a mocking smile.

Casually, he dialed the old butler’s number.

----

Meanwhile, upon learning that the group claiming to avenge him had merely pressured Mingcheng University’s administration office to withdraw support for Gu Yubai’s entrepreneurial studio, Su Shengli’s face twisted in annoyance.

"Is this what you call revenge? I thought you’d sent people to raise hell at Gu Yubai’s school."

He shot the men in black a displeased glare and turned to leave, only to realize after two steps that his uncle, Liao Anyang, was still crumpled weakly on the ground. Su Shengli rolled his eyes and reluctantly turned back.

"You coming or what?" he snapped coldly.

Liao Anyang tried to get to his feet, but a foot promptly pressed down on his back again.

The man in black smiled amiably at Su Shengli.

"Young Master Su, I assume you wouldn’t want the Su family to learn that Madame Su’s death over a decade ago was simply because your blood uncle tried to break in and alter the will?"

"Are you certain Old Master Su would still allow you to remain in the Su family if he knew your uncle’s identity? And if President Su discovered that his mother's killer was your relative—what do you think he’d do to you?"

Su Shengli froze.

He suddenly recalled how, just last week, Su Wanlin and Song Manman had revealed their true colors under Old Master Su’s pressure.

His expression turned complicated.

In the past, Su Shengli had relied on Song Manman’s spoiling him rotten and never worried about being kicked out.

But now... he understood better than anyone the Su family’s cold-blooded nature. Song Manman no longer let him get away with everything.

If Old Master Su were to see Liao Anyang, if he shared his suspicions from years ago with Su Wanlin—then Su Shengli, the adopted son with blood ties to his mother’s killer... would have no future.

Su Shengli was terrified.

He had imagined this worst-case scenario countless times in his heart, as if he were done for.

Liao Anyang couldn’t be seen by the Su family!

The man in black smiled in satisfaction at the panic on Su Shengli’s face.

He said softly, "To you, our retaliation against the Su family’s True Young Master, Gu Yubai, might seem trivial. But for an eighteen-year-old, this is already a major screw-up."

"Moreover, it’s not just Gu Yubai. That Ms. Zhou who’d been all up in your business recently—we’ve shut her down too. She won’t dare approach you again."

The man leaned closer to Su Shengli’s ear.

"And those two fake car crashes you had Liao Anyang pay off some goons for—they left behind far too many loose ends. Our boss has tied up all the loose ends for you. No one will ever connect Gu Yubai’s adopted father, Gu Mingliang, or that brush with death he almost had on the highway... to you."

A cold sweat broke out abruptly down Su Shengli’s back.

Su Shengli's mind completely froze, unable to think straight after being bluntly confronted with his own misdeeds.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before the sound of passing footsteps reached his ears again.

Suddenly, the black-clad man’s plain face before him seemed to warp into a monstrous visage.

His voice came out hoarse: "Then what’s your price?"

The black-clad man smiled mysteriously.

"Nothing worthless, of course. Su... Second Young Master."