Chapter 408: Chapter 408: All in the Family
Taoyao Inn.
Su He and Jiang Yan had just arrived when Wan Muqi and An Mi showed up as well.
An Mi called out to the two of them, “Sis, brother-in-law.”
The couple both responded simultaneously.
Then, Wan Muqi followed suit, “Sis, brother-in-law.”
Su He paused for a moment, somewhat dazed. To be honest, she was still not used to Wan Muqi calling her that.
As for the man next to her, he seemed to rather enjoy it.
“Mr. Wan, why don’t you just call me by my name? Or if that doesn’t work, you can call me sister-in-law,” Su He said.
Otherwise, she felt a bit awkward hearing it.
Wan Muqi chuckled and said, “It’s fine. Once you get used to it, you’ll feel natural about it. Look at Ah Yan—he couldn’t be more comfortable with it.”
Jiang Yan: “…”
The man let out a cold laugh. “We’re not taking advantage of you in any way, so why shouldn’t I be used to it? Don’t act like you’re doing me a favor while complaining.”
Wan Muqi, being both flexible and low-key as always, replied, “Brother-in-law is absolutely right.”
“…”
Su He switched the topic, “Where’s An Rui?”
An Mi answered, “He should already be here. He came on his own.”
Su He: “Then let’s head inside already. No need to stand around at the entrance.”
With that, she grabbed Jiang Yan’s arm and walked inside ahead of the group.
Wan Muqi noticed An Mi staring intensely at him. Smiling, he raised a hand to gently pat her head and asked warmly, “What’s wrong?”
“Is my brother-in-law angry?”
“You’re overthinking it. What’s there for him to be angry about? You’ve known your brother-in-law for a while. His personality is like that—he’s distant to everyone except your sister. Only she can tell him what to do, and he’s totally afraid of her.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Come on, let’s head inside.”
…
After lunch, Mr. An and the others started discussing some business matters, which didn’t interest Su He, so she moved to sit off to the side.
Soon after, An Mi and An Rui joined her.
An Rui, upon sitting down, immediately took out his phone and started gaming.
Su He glanced over at An Mi and casually asked, “Don’t you normally like tying up your hair? Why didn’t you tie it up today?”
An Mi blinked, surprised that Su He would ask about this.
Her mind raced before she quickly thought up a reply, “Oh, it’s just that the weather’s started cooling off recently, so I left it down.”
Su He simply responded with an “Mm” and didn’t continue the topic.
It was something she had asked on a whim anyway.
Seeing this, An Mi breathed a sigh of relief.
But then Su He asked another question, “How’s your studying been going lately?”
An Mi replied, “It’s alright. Nothing too difficult. It’s just that there are a lot of subjects to study, and a lot of material to memorize.”
But to An Mi, these weren’t actual challenges.
She used to worry that dating would take away from her study time.
However, as time went on, she realized that it hadn’t made any difference at all.
That was because Wan Muqi never interfered with her study time. Whenever she said she needed to study, he’d either leave her alone or quietly stay by her side, with each of them focusing on their own tasks.
This kind of arrangement didn’t weaken their relationship. Instead, it deepened their bond.
Su He acknowledged her response with a quiet “Mm,” before turning to glance at An Rui, who was fully engrossed in his game.
“What about you, An Rui?”
Though An Rui was gaming, he still understood what Su He was asking.
“I’m doing fine too. Second brother-in-law tutors me regularly, so I haven’t run into any major problems,” he said.
Su He wasn’t particularly concerned about their studies; she was merely asking to get a sense of things.
After answering, An Rui suddenly recalled something.
“Oh, Sis, Lin Yue came to find me a few days ago.”
“What did she want?”
“She didn’t really say much. She mentioned wanting to see me and second sister. Then she said she wanted us to have dinner with her this Saturday. I didn’t agree though.”
“Then don’t bother with her.”
“Okay, noted.”
The Lin Family and the Tang Family were both on the decline, close to being pushed out of this social circle.
Without support from the Jiang Family or the An Group, the two companies were struggling to hold on.
Recently, both families had been scrambling to find investors, but no one dared to step in.
The reason was simple: Jiang Yan had already let it be known within the industry that anyone who did so would face repercussions.
Before leaving, Su He made a stop at the restroom.
On her way back, she passed by a private room whose door was left ajar. Inside came the sound of a slap, followed by the crashing noise of something being thrown.
Su He wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s business, so she didn’t intend to check what was going on inside.
But as she walked past, a familiar voice rose from within the room.
She stopped mid-step and took a step back.
“Jiang Huai! Don’t think that just because I’ve given you an inch, you can take a mile!”
“Your Jiang Family owes me money! Paying back debts is only right. If you can’t repay it, then you’ll have to use people as collateral!”
Covering her slapped cheek, Jiang Huai angrily retorted, “It’s Jiang Yao who owes you money, not me! Why should I have to pay for him?”
The man sneered, leaning closer to her, “That’s something you should ask your parents. The fact that you’ve come here today means they’ve agreed to hand you over as payment.”
Hearing this, Jiang Huai’s eyes widened in shock.
“Impossible!”
Her mother had clearly told her she was to attend a matchmaking event today.
But upon arriving, she realized things weren’t as promised. As she tried to leave, the man started harassing her. When she resisted, he slapped her.
With a sinister grin, the man said, “Hah! If you don’t believe me, you can call home and confirm it right now. But let me tell you—there’s no way you’re leaving here tonight.”
As he spoke, he reached out to touch her.
Jiang Huai dodged his hand, snapping, “Don’t touch me!”
The man sneered, “You filthy wretch, you’d better cooperate with me. Otherwise, even if you beg me later, I won’t stop!”
With that, he made another move to grab her.
But within moments, he let out a pig-like scream.
Su He had kicked him in the stomach with her long leg.
The man flew backward and crashed into a chair behind him, producing a loud bang.
Jiang Huai froze at the sight.
When she saw it was Su He, she was momentarily stunned.
“Dr.… Dr. Su,” she uttered.
Su He coldly glanced at the man crumpled on the floor before turning to Jiang Huai and asking, “Are you alright?”
Jiang Huai hadn’t expected to encounter her here.
She shook her head, “I’m fine. Thank you, Dr. Su.”
At that moment, the man struggled to grab his stomach, trying to stand up.
“You damn woman! Who the hell are you to hit me?! Do you even know who I am?!”
He pointed at Su He and began a barrage of insults.
But in the next second, a sharp crack rang out—the sound of a bone snapping.
Followed by a piercing scream.
“Ahhh! Damn you! How dare you… Ahhh, stop, stop!”
Su He held onto his wrist, applying more pressure.
With a calm and detached tone, she remarked, “I can’t stand it when people point fingers at me.”
And with that, she flung his hand aside with disdain, as if tossing out garbage.
Just then, the manager entered with security.
He had come because a staff member had reported a commotion upstairs.
But as he surveyed the mess inside, his headache only worsened.
When his gaze landed on Su He’s face, he froze in panic.
“Y-Young Madam, are you alright?”
Swallowing nervously, his face was full of tension.
He was doomed. How could the boss’s wife have ended up in this private room? If anything happened to her, his career was over.
Su He addressed the manager, “I’m fine. But make sure he compensates for the damages here. And in the future, don’t let him set foot in this place again.”
The manager quickly nodded, “Yes, Young Madam.”
Turning to the security personnel, he issued an order, “Take him out.”
Soon, the private room was quiet, leaving only Su He and Jiang Huai inside.
Jiang Huai looked at her, unsure of what to say, feeling embarrassed and awkward.
Su He didn’t say much but asked, “Do you need someone to escort you home?”
Jiang Huai shook her head vigorously, “No, no need.”
Then she added, “Thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I might not have gotten out of here.”
Su He responded, “As long as you’re okay.”
Seeing Jiang Huai’s hesitant expression, Su He assured her, “Don’t worry, I won’t mention today’s events to anyone.”
Low-faced and embarrassed, Jiang Huai murmured, “Thank you.”
Su He escorted her to the elevator, leaving her with one last comment, “Nurse Leader, if you need help, you can always ask me.”
Jiang Huai froze for a moment, took a deep breath, and responded, “Alright, thank you, Dr. Su.”
She had already thanked her several times today.
Su He didn’t stop her though, only offering a smile.
She was willing to help Jiang Huai because the nurse had helped her at the hospital before.
——
That afternoon, upon returning to the research institute, Su He called Lan Yan into her office.
“Boss, is there something you need from me?”
“Sit down first.”
Su He gestured to a seat.
Once seated, Lan Yan stared at her intently.
Su He began, “I need to tell you something. The Dong Family approached DK Group for an investment project, but I stopped it.”
Lan Yan paused for a moment, surprised. “Boss, you didn’t have to do that for me.”
Su He replied, “The Dong Family plans to open a branch in Yue City to establish a foothold. This is why they’ve been seeking investment lately. Their first project in Yue City is related to real estate, requiring a significant amount of capital to operate. Naturally, DK and the Jiang Family are among their top choices. If DK refuses, they’ll turn to the Jiang Family next. And if they reach out to the Jiang Family, Dong Jian and Hu Yunqin will undoubtedly seek you out.”
Lan Yan understood what Su He meant. Hu Yunqin knew about her connections to the Jiang Family, so she would probably try to leverage that relationship.
Likewise, Lan Yan could use this for her own dealings with Hu Yunqin.
She hadn’t anticipated Su He being so thorough and thoughtful.
Su He reassured her, “Rest assured, this won’t have any impact on DK or the Jiang Family. As for your next move, it’s entirely up to you—I won’t interfere.”
Lan Yan nodded, “Alright, understood. Thank you, Boss.”
Su He waved her hand, “No need for thanks. You’re one of my people, and Doctor Xiao is a close friend of my husband. At the end of the day, we’re all family.”
Indeed, family—even those with no blood relation treated her like family. Yet those who shared her bloodline only schemed against her.
“Alright, go about your work. That’s all I needed to say.”
Lan Yan echoed her acknowledgment and left the room.
——
That afternoon, a heavy black cloud blanketed Yue City’s sky.
Soon, a strong wind whipped through, and the trees along the roadside danced chaotically.
These were the signs of an impending storm.
Weather changes, unpredictable as they are, often strike without warning, catching people off guard.
Soon, large transparent raindrops began pelting down, quickly escalating into a torrential downpour.
As the rain lashed the bustling city, the entire Dong Family seemed shrouded in gloom, an oppressive air hanging over their residence.
Within the household, the somber atmosphere felt as crushing as the storm raging outside.
“Bang!”
A thunderous noise erupted from the study.
Dong Xiaoxiao, who was sitting in the living room, jumped in fright.
“Mom, what’s going on with Dad?”
She asked timidly, turning to Hu Yunqin.
Hu Yunqin glanced toward the direction of the study.
Dong Xiaoxiao softly muttered, “I’ve never seen Dad lose his temper like this. Could it be something’s wrong with the company?”
Hu Yunqin didn’t respond, mainly because she didn’t know the answer.
But she did recall what Dong Jian had mentioned to her yesterday.
Dong Jian told her that Lan Yan had demanded 5% of Dong’s shares.
Because of this, tension had arisen between him and Hu Yunqin.
Dong Jian suspected Hu Yunqin had prompted Lan Yan to make such a bold demand.
“Mom, I’ve said it before—Lan Yan is nothing but trouble, a jinx. If it weren’t for her, our family wouldn’t be dealing with all this mess.”
Dong Xiaoxiao began ranting endlessly.
“I think we should just kidnap her and force her into doing a compatibility test for my brother. Why make things so complicated and end up creating a bigger mess?”
“If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be in this awful situation either!”
The mention of Lan Yan set Dong Xiaoxiao’s teeth on edge. Her eyes burned with hatred, wishing she could tear the woman apart.
Not wanting to engage further, Hu Yunqin stood up and went upstairs.
Meanwhile, inside the study, Dong Jian was fuming.
He addressed his assistant furiously, “Get to the bottom of this! DK clearly agreed to the investment—they were just one step away. Find out where the issue lies!”
The DK investment was vital to the Dong Family, and losing it was unacceptable.
The trembling assistant replied, “Yes, President Dong. I understand.”
Dong Jian, overwhelmed with anger, rubbed his temples and waved his hand dismissively, “Alright, get out.”
The assistant left immediately.
Not long after, Dong Xiaoxiao slipped into the study.
“Dad, are you alright?”
She approached cautiously, seeing Dong Jian reclining with his eyes closed.
At the sound of her voice, Dong Jian opened his eyes.
“I’m fine. What’s the matter?” he asked.
Dong Xiaoxiao moved closer and asked, “Dad, is my issue resolved?”
If Lan Yan refused to make peace, she might end up confined again.
Dong Xiaoxiao was desperate to avoid returning to that dark and hellish place.
Dong Jian sighed deeply, clearly troubled.
Problems kept piling up, with no resolution yet in sight for any of them.
“Xiaoxiao, I’ve already assigned a lawyer to handle it. For now, just stay home and behave yourself,” he said.
“So it’s not solved yet, right?” Dong Xiaoxiao pressed, “Dad, that wretch Lan Yan already made a demand—why hasn’t it been resolved?”
“Watch your mouth, Xiaoxiao!” Dong Jian scolded sternly. “She hasn’t made any specific demands yet. Just leave this matter alone. I’ve put a team on it, and I don’t need you interfering. Can you not make things more complicated for me? I’ve got enough headaches already.”
Dong Xiaoxiao lowered her head, deciding not to push him further.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Lan Yan received a call from Hu Yunqin.
She didn’t pick up. Instead, she silenced her phone entirely.
Whatever Hu Yunqin wanted to discuss, Lan Yan had no interest in hearing it.
She set her phone aside and remembered something else, biting her lip in thought, seeming both hesitant and conflicted.
Finally, she opened up her messaging app, found Xiao Si’s chat, and typed: “I have something to tell you tonight. I’ll come to the hospital to see you.”
After a brief pause to consider, she hit send.
A moment later, she pocketed her phone and entered the laboratory.