Goodbye, Scumbag! The Powerful CEO Is My New Devoted Lover - Chapter 12

“You… you!” Old Madam Su was nearly knocked off her chair by the sudden impact of the prayer mat. The hand she had used to shield her face now bore a long, angry scratch.

“The only reason I am still willing to come back is to keep my mother’s secret for my father. What makes you think you can push me further?”

Su Xiao stood in the center of the room. Even a rabbit bites when cornered, and she had never been a rabbit.

“If you keep forcing me like this, I will divorce him this instant. I’ll make sure you and your precious wealth are buried right along with me.”

“Su Xiao!” Old Madam Su clutched her chest, her brand-new red sandalwood cane thumping rhythmically against the floor tiles. “You’ve truly gone mad!”

“Yes, I am mad.”

With so many people and so many burdens weighing her down, it would be abnormal if she weren’t mad.

“Either the Su family handles my father’s funeral with the dignity it deserves, or I call the Yan family estate right now. If I’m going down, no one will have it easy.”

Old Madam Su was livid, yet she found herself unable to actually do anything to the girl.

“Butler.”

Her chest heaved. The pigeon-blood ruby ring on her finger flashed as she raised her hand. Before leaving the room, the Old Madam shot a glance back at Su Xiao her cloudy eyes narrowed, brimming with venom.

“Do it for her!”

The doors to the ancestral hall were slammed shut.

Su Xiao finally exhaled. She walked to the table holding the funeral urn and reached out to wipe the dust from the lid. It was hard to believe that a man so stubborn in life was now confined to such a small, cramped box.

The family was right about one thing: she was exactly as stubborn as her father. But it didn’t matter. Even if there was no one left to protect her, she could protect herself just fine now.

Su Xiao sat in the ancestral hall all night. Just as dawn began to break, a rhythmic knocking sounded at the door.

“Little Miss, the Old Madam wants you to go to the Yan residence this morning. The burial is tomorrow; their elders need to show up regardless.”

“I understand.”

Su Xiao rubbed her aching knees and used the table to pull herself up. She forced her body to move toward the exit.

Wreaths were already being brought into the courtyard. The butler was directing their placement, and seeing her emerge from the hall, he signaled to a nearby driver.

The driver understood immediately and went to pull the car around.

Su Xiao’s lips twitched into a faint smile as she offered a word of thanks. Her entire body was in pain. If the Su family was willing to grant her a small favor in these minor matters, she saw no reason to refuse.

Once in the car, she leaned back and finally caught her breath. After a moment of hesitation, she opened her phone and clicked on her chat with Yan Mingshen. Their last message was from the day before the gallery disaster.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, typing and deleting, until she finally sent a message.

Su Xiao: Father’s burial is tomorrow. Can you come to the old estate with me today to invite Grandma and Mom to attend?

Without him, the people at the Yan estate would likely pick her apart. After a long wait, a single word came back: “Okay.”

Su Xiao felt a sense of relief and told the driver to start. However, they had only moved a short distance when her phone vibrated again.

Yan Mingshen: Xia Zhi has a stomachache. I’ll head over later.

Xia Zhi. It was always Xia Zhi.

It felt as though her heart had been repeatedly plunged into ice water; she could no longer feel the sharp pain, only a numbing disappointment.

Su Xiao: Mingshen, if I go alone, they will make things difficult for me.

She couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It was remarkable how someone could be so blatant about having a change of heart.

Yan Mingshen: …Sorry, Xiaoxiao.

After the apology, no further messages came. Su Xiao sighed. Every time she thought this man had hit rock bottom, she discovered he could go even lower. Layer upon layer of disappointment wrapped around her heart, tightening until she could barely breathe.

Fine. She couldn’t rely on him anyway. She gestured for the driver to keep moving.

The Yan estate sat halfway up a mountain, its blue bricks and gray tiles covered in creeping ivy. The servants at the gate, seeing her arrive alone, didn’t welcome her with smiles as they used to. They merely spared her a glance and slowly opened the door.

“The Old Madam and the Madam are in the main hall.”

In the courtyard, pomegranate blossoms littered the ground. Su Xiao walked along the bluestone path. Inside the main hall, Old Madam Yan sat in the seat of honor, her fingers moving over prayer beads. Zhou Manyun sat beside her, sipping tea; she didn’t even lift her eyes when Su Xiao entered.

“Grandma, Mom.”

Su Xiao greeted them. Seeing that no one intended to offer her a seat, she remained standing stiffly. “My father is being buried tomorrow. I’ve come to invite you both to attend.”

“A burial, is it?”

Zhou Manyun finally set down her teacup. She scanned Su Xiao with a gaze as cold as frost. “Where is Mingshen? Why isn’t he with you?”

Su Xiao clenched her hands. “He has some business to attend to. He’ll be over later.”

“Business?” Zhou Manyun chuckled softly. “What business could be more important than his father-in-law’s burial? Perhaps you simply don’t have the capability to keep him.”

Her words were restrained, yet every syllable was a reprimand. An aunt sitting nearby chimed in, “Xiaoxiao, it’s not that I want to nag, but it’s been three years and we haven’t seen you give Mingshen a child.”

She was far more blunt than Zhou Manyun. Su Xiao ignored her. In three years of marriage, Yan Mingshen had never touched her. How was she supposed to have a child?

“That’s enough.”

Old Madam Yan finally spoke. She sat in a pearwood armchair, her silver-gray hair styled perfectly. Her phoenix eyes were half-closed, and her voice was slow and deliberate. “Xiao Su, it’s not that we won’t give you face. Your father is gone, and we should go. But if Mingshen doesn’t attend, what would it look like for us elders to be there?”

“He will be there,” Su Xiao said, bowing her head.

The words lacked conviction. The Xia and Su families were long-standing rivals. If Xia Zhi didn’t want him to go, what could she do? She couldn’t very well knock him unconscious and tie him up.

“Can you guarantee that?” Zhou Manyun took over, her tone drawling as her eyes swept over Su Xiao. “Su Xiao, what do you have to offer as a guarantee?”

“…”

Su Xiao suppressed her temper. Zhou Manyun always spoke in riddles; besides suppressing her, she likely had another motive. The people of the Yan family were different from the Sus. The Su family were paper tigers, no matter how cruel they acted. The Yans were real tigers—polite on the surface, but capable of anything behind closed doors.

“The Tang family is having a charity gala in a few days. You know what needs to be done.” Zhou Manyun arched an eyebrow. “Your father is gone, the Su family has collapsed, and Mingshen’s heart isn’t with you. You have to give the Old Madam and me a reason to keep you around.”

The words were like a blunt knife, slowly carving into her.

“Mom, I understand.”

Su Xiao pursed her lips. So, this was what the Yan family was after. Her father had been on good terms with the elder of the Tang family. If the Yans wanted to land a big fish like the Tangs, she was undoubtedly their best bait.