Chapter 124: Upheaval Shakes Donghai!

Chapter 124: Upheaval Shakes Donghai!

It had been a very long time since Su Ruiwen heard his wife cry like this. What great event had shaken her to such a degree?

The last time Madam Su had cried aloud was two years ago, when Su Ruiwen was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

“Don’t cry. What exactly happened? How has it come to your not being able to control our daughter?” Su Ruiwen asked, soothing her.

Madam Su wept twice more, then wiped her tears, sniffed, brought herself under control, and began laying out the situation for him.

She told him everything.

Su Ruiwen was startled again and again as he listened.

Because… it beggared belief.

He couldn’t imagine how his daughter had done it either. Yao Honglin betraying Xu Zhenyuan. Sun Haomin leaning her way despite being an independent director. And chief financial officer Chen Lei, so enormously important… and all the others…

Each one alone was impossible. Put together, more impossible still.

And yet Su Qingying had done it.

“…That girl simply resents how much I manage her. She won’t acknowledge me as her mother anymore. And who knows what Li Ruobing said to her yesterday…”

“It wouldn’t be Li Ruobing.”

Su Ruiwen cut his wife off over the phone.

He knew about yesterday’s business between Li Ruobing and Su Qingying; his wife had called that night and told him. As for that, Su Ruiwen didn’t think it a bad thing. He understood his daughter better than his wife did. He knew the pressure Su Qingying was under. To relax a little, to come to know Li Ruobing and build a connection with her—that wasn’t merely not a bad thing, it was a good one.

But today a matter this earth-shattering had happened.

And that… proved instead that it had nothing to do with Li Ruobing. Li Ruobing wasn’t the sort to meddle in other people’s affairs. She had a basketful of troubles of her own and relations with her family were so poor. It was impossible that she would interfere to any great extent.

At most Li Ruobing was… the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

Those who supported Su Qingying could not possibly have all turned to her on the same day.

Su Ruiwen inferred that this daughter of his had likely been planning and arranging things in secret for a very long time, waiting only for the moment to act. And Li Ruobing… was very likely the last “external helper” his daughter had brought in—an external helper sufficient to prove the strength of her network.

Whatever Li Ruobing had said yesterday had certainly influenced his daughter.

But even without a “Li Ruobing” there would have been a “Wang Ruobing” or a “Zhou Ruobing.” The problem lay with nobody else. It was that his daughter had long wanted to do this.

“All right, all right. Don’t feel so wronged either… Our daughter has grown up, after all…” Su Ruiwen took a broader view than his wife did, because he didn’t know how many more years he had. One day he might simply be gone.

So although Su Qingying had suddenly “stood on her own,” and although the way she had handled it wasn’t entirely right, the ability and the nerve she had shown… Su Ruiwen even felt gratified. She hadn’t disappointed him.

The Su Qingying of today.

Set against the Su Qingying of before, she was better suited to take over, better suited to command the commercial empire that was Jinfu Group.

She was his only daughter. What else was there to do?

At the same time that Madam Su was on the phone with her husband—

the directors and the assistants and secretaries who had attended the board meeting all came out of the conference room. The meeting was over. They saw Madam Su half-hidden at the corner at the far end of the corridor. They could see she was on the phone, and they could guess whom she was calling.

Nobody dared go over.

Nor was there any need to.

There were elevator corridors at both ends.

They only watched. Before stepping into the elevators, some turned their heads with complicated expressions, and some with easy ones.

Inside the conference room.

Two people remained.

Su Qingying and Tang Deyang.

Setting down his phone, Tang Deyang said to Su Qingying, “Line’s busy. He’s probably talking to Sister-in-law. I’ll call Big Brother later and explain…” That said, he smiled, looked Su Qingying over—her mood clearly wasn’t good either—and asked, “Regretting it?”

Su Qingying shook her head and said nothing.

“Ease your mind.” Tang Deyang smiled and sighed. “It’s done. And as I see it, at least, you were right. Since you were able to come this far, Second Uncle supports you.”

“Thank you, Second Uncle,” Su Qingying said.

They exchanged a few more simple words, nothing of particular note. Tang Deyang merely offered her a little encouragement. He knew Su Qingying’s state of mind was wrong at present—first, because she had used methods like these to resist her own mother, which wounded family feeling; and second, because… his elder brother Su Ruiwen was certain to call her.

The unease in her heart also had to do with what Su Ruiwen would say. She didn’t know how her father would speak to her.

Ring, ring…

Su Qingying’s phone rang.

Tang Deyang and Su Qingying both looked at the phone lying on the table. Then Tang Deyang braced both hands and stood, saying as he walked out, “You and your father have a proper talk.”

He left the conference room.

Su Qingying picked up the phone and looked at it for a full ten seconds before she answered and put it to her ear. “Dad.”

“Qingying…” Su Ruiwen began, then paused. He had a great many things he’d wanted to say, all of them prepared, and once the line connected he no longer wanted to ramble through them. All of it turned into a sigh. “You’ve grown up. You are our Su family’s pride. Dad is proud of you. Do your best. In future, Jinfu… will still have to depend on you.”

“Dad…” Su Qingying covered her mouth. In that moment she nearly wept.

Her father wasn’t blaming her.

“I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. We’ll have a proper talk then, father and daughter,” Su Ruiwen said.

“All right, Dad. Actually, Dad, I—”

“No need to explain. I understand… Go and see your mother. She’s hurting. Coax her a little. That’s enough for now… We’ll talk about the rest when I’m back.”

“All right, Dad. Dad, take your medicine on time. Don’t—”

Father and daughter said a few more words, then hung up.

When Su Qingying walked out of the conference room the corridor was empty of everyone else. Only Tang Deyang and Madam Su stood at the far end, saying something. Hearing the high heels, Tang Deyang glanced back, then said one more thing to Madam Su.

By the time Su Qingying reached them, Tang Deyang had already taken the nearest elevator down.

“Mom.” Su Qingying came up and called to her.

“I am not your mother,” Madam Su fired back at once.

“Mom, were you crying?” Su Qingying asked.

“I was not.” As she said it, Madam Su brushed the corner of her eye. Then she started to leave, and Su Qingying blocked her.

“Move aside!”

“Mom, don’t be like this.”

“How am I being? You’re so capable now, I can’t control you anymore. I won’t control you, then—isn’t that enough? Move aside!”

“Mom! We’re family. What are you doing? Don’t—”

“You still know we’re family? You still know I’m your mother?” Madam Su grew more and more agitated. “Then why did you treat me this way? Why? Why treat me this way…” She shouted it, and even struck Su Qingying once on the shoulder. And then all at once she couldn’t hold herself together. She threw her arms around Su Qingying and began to cry, and as she cried she went on asking why she had treated her this way.

It was the first time in Madam Su’s life that she had cried in her daughter’s arms.

“Mom, it will be all right from now on. We’ll be all right…” Su Qingying held her mother and comforted her softly, her own eyes reddening.

It was over. Su Qingying knew that with that man’s help, she had won completely.

And not long after the board meeting ended—

news that Su Qingying had seized power by force inside Jinfu Group swept through the whole of Donghai’s business circles.

The more important the person, the sooner they heard.

This meeting had been no secret gathering. There was nothing to conceal. And counting the assistants and secretaries, more than thirty people had attended. Every one of them had a web of relationships, interests, and connections of their own.

And for Jinfu Group this was a matter that could fairly be called earth-shattering.

The explosive hook was simply too big. So it spread fast.

Not only because Su Qingying had shattered the obedient, sensible image she had always maintained—that merely poured oil on the fire of the gossip.

More importantly, Jinfu was Donghai’s leading enterprise, rooted in Donghai and radiating across the country. The network of interests bound up with Jinfu itself was beyond measure.

Huancai Fashion, the president’s office.

Li Ruobing was tapping at her keyboard, preparing to send an internal email to the whole company.

Ring, ring…

Her phone rang.

She paused, picked it up, glanced at it, and answered. “Atai.”

“Sis, have you heard?” Li Ruotai’s tone was extremely odd, with a thread of inexplicable excitement in it, the sound of a man with an enormous piece of gossip to share.

“Heard what?” Li Ruobing frowned, puzzled.