The Heartless Alpha Just Wants to Follow the Plot - Chapter 66

Because of the incident, Su Mo was forced to return to the ancestral estate early. Seeing the Old Master sitting there in stony silence, she found herself hesitating at the threshold, suddenly afraid to step inside.

“So, you still know the way home?”

The Old Master was nearly dying of fury. She had promised to take care of herself, and this was how she did it? She had practically delivered herself to the enemy’s front door. He couldn’t wrap his head around her lack of caution; didn’t she realize he’d be scared to death hearing such news at home?

Su Mo walked over with her head bowed. “Grandfather.”

“Don’t call me ‘Grandfather.’ At this rate, I should be calling you ‘Grandfather’!”

He was venting indiscriminately, his breath hitching from anger. This girl truly didn’t care if his old heart simply gave out on the spot.

Su Mo gave an awkward smile. “Actually, I can explain.”

The Old Master turned stubborn. “I’m not listening.”

Su Mo: “…”

He shot her a side-eye. “Since you don’t listen to a word I say anyway, I’m not listening to a word you say.”

Su Mo: “…”

Please stop being so childish! You’re a grown man!

But knowing she was the one who started it, Su Mo softened her tone. “Grandfather, I was prepared this time.” It was a stroke of luck she’d changed her clothes; otherwise, she’d never have hidden the truth from his sharp eyes.

But the Old Master knew her too well. Even if her “soul” felt more complete now, her core nature remained the same.

“I believe you were prepared, but shouldn’t you have discussed it with me first?” He sighed, reaching out to pat her head. “If anything happened to you, how could I face our ancestors in the afterlife? The Su family has always been sparsely populated; for several generations, we’ve survived on a single line of succession. I’m just afraid you’ll end up like your parents.”

Su Mo’s parents had been unable to withstand the political pressures; they were eventually targeted by pirates at the behest of certain “interested parties” and met a tragic end in the depths of space. If Su Mo vanished as well, he would have nothing left to live for.

Su Mo didn’t know how to respond, so she simply squeezed his hand. “Grandfather.”

“You.” His eyes betrayed a deep, lingering hurt. “You are strong-willed, and you are the granddaughter I am most proud of. I only want you to be safe and happy.”

If he could, he would have built a commercial empire for her that could guarantee her a lifetime of joy. But he was old and his strength was waning. Had he been twenty or thirty years younger, he wouldn’t have allowed the Federation’s upper echelon to fixate on the Su family, leaving them so constrained and devoid of freedom. But there are no “ifs” in life; he could only carry on as best he could. When a person has too much to lose, they can’t help but become overly cautious.

For the next few days, Su Mo stayed at the estate. Perhaps sensing that things had gone south, the authorities officially announced the “disappearance” of Major Song and his men. They knew the men were at the Su estate, but they couldn’t simply storm the gates without cause. They were waiting for a justification, a single opening to topple the Old Master and crush the Su family once and for all.

The Old Master remained unflappable. He had moved the prisoners to an undisclosed location, and even Su Mo couldn’t squeeze the details out of him. Only when she asked directly if they were still alive did he give a firm nod. As long as they weren’t dead, Su Mo didn’t mind; her grandfather would handle the logistics.

The more natural and unbothered Su Mo acted, the more anxious and enraged the people “above” became. They were itching to uproot the Su family then and there.

When the second snow of the season began to fall, the Su estate welcomed a group of uninvited guests. Su Mo froze for a moment when she saw the lead visitor.

For the first time, the Old Master didn’t let her stay to watch. He said calmly, “Go back and sleep a bit longer. It’s winter; it’s cold out.”

The guest, however, had no intention of letting her leave so easily. She was the Old Master’s greatest weakness and a prime target for leverage.

“It seems Senior Su dotes on his junior quite a bit,” the visitor remarked. “No wonder Miss Su is bolder than most.”

Su Mo replied, “Compared to a Major General, my courage is still quite lacking.”

The visitor was none other than Major Song’s superior, Major General Guo Wenjia.

Somehow, he had discovered that Major Song was being held at the Su estate. He had charged in with an air of grievance, clearly intending to reclaim his man. Su Mo curled her lips; this man was going to be interesting.

Major General Guo chuckled. “I merely have the advantage of age. Miss Su’s reputation, on the other hand, echoes across the entire Star Net.”

The Old Master didn’t want Su Mo pulled into the crossfire. “The weather is poor. Go put on more clothes,” he directed.

Su Mo nodded. “Understood, Grandfather.”

Only after she returned to her room did the Old Master offer a polite, if insincere, apology. “She’s been spoiled by me, no manners and a sharp tongue. I hope the Major General won’t take offense.”

Guo Wenjia shook his head. “Your granddaughter is quite fascinating.” Since Su Mo had left, he couldn’t use her as a direct conversational pivot anymore. His expression hardened into one of professional gravity. “I don’t know what my subordinate did to offend you, Senior Su, but to detain him and his entire unit, isn’t that a bit excessive?”

He was here for his people, and he wasn’t mincing words. He was openly shielding his subordinate.

The Old Master took a slow sip of his tea, answering a question with a question. “Major General, please, have some tea. This is top-grade Pre-Rain Longjing.”

Guo Wenjia had no patience for tea. He was here to collect his men, and if the Old Master wanted to play dumb, he would force him to understand.

“Senior Su, we’ve known each other for many years. There’s no need to play games with me.” He tapped the tabletop. “I trust you’ve seen the documents issued from above. If you don’t release them, things are going to get very difficult for your family.”

The Old Master finally looked him in the eye. “Major General, what on earth are you talking about?”

“The people you’re looking for? How could they possibly be here?” The Old Master replied, his voice a picture of innocence. “I am a law-abiding citizen; I would never dream of something as illegal as kidnapping or false imprisonment.”

Major General Guo’s gaze grew sharp. “According to the surveillance feeds, they were taken away by your men. Would you like to review the footage?”

The Old Master smiled, adjusting his glasses slightly. “If you can see the footage, then you should understand the context perfectly. Trespassing into a private residence without cause, interfering with a citizen during a critical differentiation period, and attacking a legal citizen without provocation, any one of these is enough to earn him a firing squad.”

With every sentence the Old Master spoke, Major General Guo’s expression darkened a shade further. It was clear he knew the facts, yet he had come anyway.

“Are you suggesting the law doesn’t apply to you?” the Old Master continued. “Or do you simply believe that citizens aren’t worthy of its protection?”

Guo Wenjia’s face underwent a drastic change. He couldn’t possibly admit to that; to do so would be an open declaration of contempt for the Federation. He’d be flagged, investigated, and watched for the rest of his career.

He took a deep breath and stood up. “My apologies for the intrusion.”

The Old Master’s tone remained calm. “Won’t you stay a while longer?”

Guo Wenjia couldn’t even force a smile. “No need.”

He was already regretting his choice of subordinates. Now that Major Song was captured, there was no telling if his own secrets would be exposed. As for the shadowy figure behind Major Song, Guo didn’t even want to think about them anymore. His priority was damage control, extracting himself from this mess entirely.

“Since you’ve decided to handle it this way, be prepared. These things are never simple,” Guo said, regaining some composure. “I only want a result. If it’s convenient, a collaboration is not off the table.”

With that, he led his men out of the Su estate. He had been egged on by someone else to come here and demand the prisoners, but now that he had regained his senses, he wasn’t so keen on getting them back. If Major Song had already betrayed him, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t betray the next person too.

Once the Major General had left, Su Mo came back downstairs.

“He came to demand their release?”

“Mhm,” the Old Master grunted.

“Is he actually that stupid?” Su Mo complained without hesitation.

She had never seen anything like it. Everyone knew the prisoners were with the Su family, but no one dared come for them because whoever did would have to answer for their crimes. The higher-ups would rather list them as “missing” than try to reclaim them which spoke volumes about the situation. For a man to reach the rank of Major General with such a lack of sense was mind-boggling.

“Stupid or not,” the Old Master remarked, “at least he’s seen reason now.”

Su Mo leaned in. “Do you really not plan on handing them over? Even if the authorities are silent, these were their men. Aren’t we overstepping our bounds a bit?”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” the Old Master said. “You’ll have plenty of time to learn about these things later. Now, go eat breakfast.”

The breakfast spread was more lavish than anything Su Mo had seen in a long time. The Old Master personally served her two dumplings. “There are only three days left until the New Year. Let’s have some dumplings to mark the occasion.”

“Doesn’t that usually happen on New Year’s?” Su Mo asked, biting into a dumpling. She found it filled with a carrot, potato, and curry mixture—a somewhat bewildering combination.

“We’ll celebrate then, too.”

The Su family was one of the few that still maintained customs from the Earth era, so preparations for the Lunar New Year were already in full swing.

On New Year’s Eve, the film crew was given a break. After some thought, Su Mo invited Qiu Fu over. Given their previous unpleasant encounter, Qiu Fu had been hesitant. However, she was due to contribute pheromones soon and couldn’t be away from Su Mo for long.

Knowing it wasn’t realistic to expect Su Mo to leave her family during the holidays, Qiu Fu decided it was best for her to visit. But she didn’t come alone; Raya, her bodyguard, insisted on coming as well. Raya was still stinging from her failure during the last incident and refused to let Qiu Fu out of her sight.

Feeling nervous, Qiu Fu brought Raya along. When she met the gaze of Butler Ying, her scalp felt slightly numb.

“Happy New Year, Butler,” Qiu Fu said reflexively, handing over a gift. She had spent the last few days researching ancient Earth customs; it was a rare gesture these days, and she had spent a long time looking it up.

The butler nodded with a faint smile. “Happy New Year. Please, come in. The Young Miss is waiting.”

“Thank you,” Qiu Fu replied, still feeling out of place.

The moment they pushed the door open, Su Mo walked over. Seeing the two of them, she nodded without any sign of discomfort. “Since you mentioned you’d be alone, I thought I’d call you over. New Year is better with a crowd.”