Chapter 480: Chapter 232: An Assist from the Father-in-law
Fortunately, Su Ziyue didnât seem to blame him. After looking Li Changâan up and down, he spoke first. "No need to be nervous. I only came here today to see what kind of man has my daughter so captivated she doesnât even want to come home. Now that Iâve met you, you seem even more outstanding than Iâd imagined!"
Li Changâan replied humbly, "Uncle Su, you flatter me. I suddenly couldnât get in touch with Ruo Bing, so I may have been a bit rude to you. I hope you wonât take offense."
After the two exchanged a few brief pleasantries, the three of them returned to Linjiang Prefecture City.
The servants at the City Lordâs Mansion had already prepared a lavish banquet. It seemed Su Ziyue had anticipated that Li Changâan would come.
Throughout the banquet, Su Ziyue drank a great deal, causing Su Ruobing to keep secretly rolling her eyes at her father, but he ignored her completely.
Under normal circumstances, Li Changâan didnât touch a drop of alcohol.
But he made an exception today and drank a fair amount.
After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere between the three of them finally relaxed.
Su Ziyue, whether truly drunk or just pretending, was the first to speak. "Changâan, giving Ruo Bing shares in your company was a nice gesture, but youâve offended so many people and landed yourself in so much trouble. Didnât you ever think that Ruo Bing would get caught in the crossfire?"
âAfter all this beating around the bush, this is the real reason for tonightâs dinner,â Li Changâan thought. âSu Ziyue can only say what he really wants to by pretending to be drunk, giving himself plausible deniability.â
Hearing the slightly probing question, Li Changâan mulled it over for a moment before nodding. "Of course, Iâm aware. But how can you build something great without taking risks?"
"Besides, Iâm the one managing Cangxuan Cityâs technological development and arms production. Ruo Bing just collects a share of the profits; she has no decision-making power in the company. So if theyâre going to target anyone, itâs far more likely to be me than her!"
Su Ziyueâs eyes narrowed. He chuckled, "Haha, bold words, young man. But youâve underestimated how low your enemies will go. You think that by shouldering all the responsibility, your opponents will see you as a thorn in their side and target only you? The reality is the exact opposite. When they hate your guts but realize they canât touch you, they start going after everyone and everything connected to you..."
Su Ziyue paused, not continuing.
After another sip of wine, he continued with a grin, "To be honest, some people contacted me a while back. They secretly promised me all sorts of benefits, using a mix of threats and temptations. They wanted me to use my own daughter to pressure you, to force you to expose an opening so they could make their move..."
At these words, Li Changâanâs mind jolted.
The alcohol heâd just consumed seemed to vanish in an instant, leaving him completely sober.
In recent times, the Energy Particle Beam Cannons and Super Electromagnetic Cannons produced in Cangxuan City had become wildly popular. Orders were already backed up into the next year.
The arms market is a fixed-pie game.
The pie is only so big. For every slice Li Changâan took, the other great families got less.
They were all direct competitors.
Li Changâan had found it strange. Despite having such a large share of their market encroached upon, the other families had remained quiet for a long time, like timid turtles in their shells.
He never imagined they had actually been making plenty of moves in the shadows; he just hadnât been aware of them.
Su Ziyue paused, waiting for Li Changâan to process this before he continued, "I, Su Ziyue, may not be a perfect Patriarch, but I consider myself a decent father. Of course I would never agree to something like selling out my own daughterâespecially not when the young man in question is as outstanding as you are!"
"I refused them on the spot, but I kept my guard up. After all, theyâd already come to me. After being rejected, would they resort to desperate measures? So I arranged for some people to secretly protect Ruo Bing..."
"And Iâm sure you can guess what happened next. This afternoon, Ruo Bing was attacked by three Tier Eight Evolvers. She almost lost her life!"
Hearing this, Li Changâan finally understood everything.
No wonder Su Ziyueâs tone had been so strange on the call. It was because Su Ruobingâs life had been threatened.
Li Changâanâs expression darkened. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Uncle Su, Iâm sorry. This is my fault. I wasnât careful enough..."
Su Ziyue waved his hand dismissively and smiled. "Donât be. You were right about something earlier: how can you achieve anything great without taking on the associated risks?"
"Since Ruo Bing is willing to stick with you through thick and thin, these are risks she must be prepared to face!"
"The angrier those people get, the more desperate and unscrupulous their methods become, the more it proves youâre on the right track. If you werenât making them feel the sting, they wouldnât even bother to look your way, would they?!"
Li Changâan remained silent. âHow can I prevent this from happening again?â he wondered. But rack his brain as he might, he couldnât think of a perfect solution.
âWhen it comes down to it, itâs because Iâm still too weak.â
âIf I were a Tier Eight Peak or even a Tier Nine Evolver right now, my enemies would have to think twice before pulling any of their dirty tricks.â
âEven the top families of the Main World would have to tread carefully when facing the retaliation of a Tier Eight Peak, let alone a Tier Nine Evolver!â
Seeing Li Changâanâs silence, Su Ziyue didnât get angry. Instead, he said with a beaming smile, "My Su Family will find a way to ensure Ruo Bingâs safety. And if you need itâand if you can trust meâI can also send a group of my men to your territory to serve as guards..."
"I believe that with the talent youâve demonstrated, you wonât disappoint me if youâre just given a little more time!"
At this, Li Changâan snapped out of his thoughts. He glanced at Su Ruobing, who still looked a bit embarrassed, then back at the beaming Su Ziyue. After a momentâs hesitation, he said, "If Uncle is willing, then of course, I would be grateful!"
âThis is no time to worry about pride.â
âBesides, he did have feelings for Su Ruobing.â
âThough he often didnât want to face it, a man could lie with his mouth, but he couldnât fool the little guy downstairs.â
Seeing that Li Changâan wasnât opposed to getting closer to the Su Family, the smile on Su Ziyueâs face grew even brighter, like an old fox that had just successfully snatched a chicken from the coop.
âAre you kidding me!?â
âMy daughter found such a perfect son-in-law. When I first heard the news, I was so happy I was laughing in my sleep. How could I possibly stand in their way?â
âIf it werenât for this incident putting my daughter in dangerâwhich Iâm not happy about at allâI would have already been pushing her to set a wedding date and marry Li Changâan.â
Of course, Li Changâan was oblivious to these cunning little plans of his.
He was still busy contemplating his next move.
After a little more food and drink, a thoroughly satisfied Su Ziyue made the excuse that he couldnât hold his liquor and departed, leaving just Li Changâan and Su Ruobing alone in the massive dining hall.
Seeing that her father had left, Su Ruobing spoke up cautiously, "My dad likes to talk nonsense when heâs drunk. Donât take what he said to heart. And about today... even if my dad hadnât stepped in, I could have handled it myself!"
Li Changâan looked up at Su Ruobing.
Perhaps because of her fatherâs arrival, the Su Ruobing he saw today was a world away from the cold goddess he was used to. There was a newfound shyness and tenderness about her, making her seem more like a vibrant young woman than the untouchable, ice-queen CEO.
Li Changâan didnât say anything, remaining silent for a long while.
Before today, his relationship with Su Ruobing had been somewhat ambiguous, but there had always been an unspoken barrier between them that had never been breached.
But with the sudden appearance of her father, Su Ziyue, that unspoken barrier between them had been shattered.
As a result, they both felt incredibly awkward.
So much so that Li Changâan found he had no idea what to say.
...