CHAPTER 280: CHAPTER 270 IS BACK?

Su Rongxing immediately agreed, and his anger burned even hotter. "Tu Hengsha, that shameless woman! She must have sold the information! It’s not like she hasn’t done something like this before!"

What followed was a torrent of complaints and curses directed at Tu Hengsha from Su Rongxing and Shang Qingmei.

Su Rongcheng listened for a moment, then stood up.

"Brother, where are you going?" Su Rongxing called after him.

Su Rongcheng understood his sister and stepmother’s feelings, but venting their anger was pointless.

"I’m going to the study to sit for a while, to think."

As he left, Xin Wan naturally followed, and Su Rongxing glared at their retreating backs. "Eldest Brother isn’t worried about Father at all, is he?" Then another thought struck him. "And Second Brother! Such a big thing happened, and he didn’t come home! He’s still mixing with Tu Hengsha! Doesn’t he know our enemies?"

Su Rongxing’s words reminded Shang Qingmei. She gritted her teeth, and hatred flickered in her eyes.

They said they were discussing what to do next, but in the end, they couldn’t come to any conclusions. Su Rongxing and Shang Qingmei, each with their own concerns, quickly dispersed.

Su Rongcheng stopped outside Su Zhen’s study.

The study wasn’t locked, as if he could push the door open and see his father sitting behind the desk. He would swagger in, blurting nonsense, and his father would get angry, picking up the ashtray to throw at him...

But when he really pushed the door open, that person was no longer there. The back of the chair behind the desk still had his father’s jacket draped over it, and the chair opposite, where he often sat, was the spot he’d lounged in just a few days ago, getting a thorough reprimand.

He sat down in his father’s chair.

It was his first time sitting there as an adult, not counting the mischievous times of his childhood.

On the right side of the desk was his father’s teacup, and on the left was a book halfway read, with a piece of agarwood bookmark sticking out slightly from the pages.

Xin Wan sat opposite him.

Time slipped away in silence, moment by moment.

He suddenly remembered the night his mother passed away; she was also there sitting with him, quietly, not saying a word. That year, he was ten years old.

He gently stroked the old book cover, speaking in a low voice, "You should go to sleep, I’m just going to stay here for a while and think things over."

She suddenly reached out, covering his hand with hers, shaking her head, "I’ll stay right here."

He looked at her soft, white hand, "I’m fine, you go on, I’m just sorting through my thoughts."

"Dad...," she began, then stopped herself, changing the topic, "There’re a lot of things waiting for you at the company."

He held her hand back, "Wan, don’t worry, I’m not being pessimistic. We’ve already hired a lawyer. Now, we can only wait, and I can’t do much more. Whatever the result, I have to bear it, I must bear it. I know the company is going to face many issues next; perhaps... this is the end of the Su family’s glory, but even if it’s a wreck, I have to clean it up. It’s just that the days ahead won’t be easy. It’s my fault, I promised Grandpa and Grandma and your parents that I’d take good care of you. Now, I’m afraid you’ll have to suffer."

Xin Wan shook his hand, pouting slightly to show her dislike for his words.

His gaze softened as he looked at her across the table. Then his other hand reached over, his fingers threading through her long hair, gently ruffling it. Well, if she refused to sleep, she could keep him company...

"I have money," she suddenly said.

He paused momentarily.

Her face flushed slightly, "Not as much as before Dad did, but... there’s still some."

His eyes shone with softness; normally, he would have joked, but now he couldn’t bring himself to smile. His eyes gently watched her, "Alright, will you support me then?"

She seriously pondered for a moment, nodding, and then, worried he hadn’t seen it clearly, nodded again forcefully.

He was choked up.

How could he let her support him? Yet, in this sudden, cold winter night, he felt warmth, his body, and mind immersed in warmth.

Meanwhile, Su Rongxing and Shang Qingmei were both preparing to go out late at night.

Su Rongxing left first.

Shang Qingmei intended to go to Yangrou Geda Alley, but as soon as she changed and left the house, she saw a car returning, and it was Su Ronggui’s car.

Her expression turned cold. She no longer needed to go out; she wrapped her coat tighter and stood by the entrance to wait.

Su Ronggui had to pass by Shang Qingmei to enter the house.

He silently got out of the car and, standing in front of her, called, "Mom," Before saying nothing more and heading inside.

Shang Qingmei followed him in, her expression cold, and her words were sharp. "You still have the face to come back? I don’t deserve you calling me Mom! I’m not worthy of such an excellent son!"

Su Ronggui’s steps faltered momentarily, without another word, he kept heading upstairs.

Shang Qingmei’s fury went unanswered, and she grew even angrier, quickening her steps to intercept him, blocking his path. "Journalist Su, isn’t it bad enough at home for you yet? Is there any news here worth digging?"

Su Ronggui looked at his mother. She was familiar in her hysteria, now more worn and aged. In just two days, all her youthful spirit had utterly vanished.

As her son, had he ultimately betrayed her?

"I’m sorry, Mom." He wasn’t looking for forgiveness, and he knew with her temperament, she wouldn’t forgive him. Mother and son had finally ended up standing on opposite sides of an unbridgeable gap.

"Sorry?" It was better when he didn’t speak; Shang Qingmei’s attacks felt like they landed on soft cotton. Once he opened his mouth, Shang Qingmei’s fighting spirit quickly reignited. Her sharp voice was piercing enough to seem it could shatter the ceiling. "Do you think apologies help? Can sorry bring your father back? Both your fathers fell at the hands of that ungrateful little wretch! You begged me to save her back then? And what mess did you save? If she knew gratitude, would she do this to you? To the Su family? She led you astray with her, and now you know no kin! How did I raise such a heartless son!"

The commotion was loud enough to alert those in the study.

Xin Wan’s voice echoed from the stairs, gentle yet penetrating. "Has Ronggui returned? Your big brother is waiting for you in the study."

With Su Zhen gone, Su Rongcheng naturally became the head of the family. Shang Qingmei wouldn’t stop him from seeing Su Ronggui. On the contrary, she wanted to see how Su Rongcheng handled Su Ronggui’s betrayal!

When Su Ronggui entered the study, he had an illusion that it was Su Zhen sitting behind the big desk. Every time he returned home, the first thing he did was go to the study to see Su Zhen and say, "Dad, I’m back."

But he knew it wasn’t. Su Zhen had been taken away, and now it was his brother waiting for him, sitting in the spot his father once did. He didn’t even know if they’d still be brothers.

"Back? Sit," Su Rongcheng’s voice betrayed nothing unusual.

He sat down, and Xin Wan, who’d followed them in, brought in a bottle of wine and two glasses.

After opening the bottle and pouring each a glass, Xin Wan left, closing the door behind her.