“Do you need something, mom?” she asked upon answering.
“What, I can’t call just to call? Have you ever called your mom when you
“Looks like it’s time for us to make a move again.” She was also happy that she shared such great tacit understanding with her brother.
“Mhm. We’ll talk about it when I get back. I’ll be back before Grandpa’s birthday.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
“Bring Jiran along too. He’s also a part of the Su family, so it’s about time he learned about some of our secrets.”
“Mhm, alright.”
. . .
On the day before Grandpa Su’s birthday banquet, Su Yanmo returned to the country and Su Yanyi brought Qin Jiran to the manor. The family of six sat together for dinner and began to talk.
Qin Jiran felt both nervous and expectant, but more so expectant. Although he had never attended a meeting like this before, he knew that it was basically a stamp of recognition for him.
“Jiran, did you know that the Wang family and Qin family are working together now?” Su Yanmo got straight to the point. Qin Jiran’s connection to the Qin family was completely unexpected, but fortunately, Qin Jiran was not close to that family. It would be troublesome if he was.
“Yanyi already told me. Big brother, the Qin family has nothing to do with me. No matter what you guys do, I’ll always be on the Su family’s side,” Qin Jiran promised solemnly.
Su Yanmo shot him a look of admiration before turning to ask Grandpa Su, “Grandpa, you and that old man Qin could be considered old friends. Do you want to save him some face?”
Grandpa Su smiled, his eyes curving into crescents. He sat with his back as straight as a ramrod and didn’t get mad at his grandson’s inquiry. “Old man Qin is very ill, let’s wait a while if possible,” was all he said in response.
“Well, I’m afraid the Wang family and Qin family won’t be able to.” Su Yanmo was unmoved. Instead of saying more about the issue, Grandpa Su turned to Qin Jiran and advised him kindly, “Jiran, I know you don’t want to get involved with the Qin family, but they’ll try to get you involved. You have to be prepared.”
If the Su family really did end up having to deal with the Qin family, then the Qin family would most likely try to use Qin Jiran as a lifeline. They might even pull pressure from the public to force him to help them. The one in trouble then would be Qin Jiran.
“Thank you for your concern, Grandpa. I understand, and I don’t mind.”
Grandpa Su laughed. “Alright. Don’t worry though—it’ll be troublesome, but you are a member of the Su family. We’ll help you no matter how troublesome it is. Zheng Tian, Xiao Mo, Jiran is also a member of our family. The two of you have too much work on your hands, so why don’t you each pick out a few things and hand them to Jiran?” He was evidently very satisfied with Qin Jiran’s response. When he turned the topic of conversation to business, it was an obvious sign that he was giving Qin Jiran permission to partake in the Su family’s core business affairs.