She turned to look at Lin Xiwen, her gaze resolute. Just as she was about to declare that she would stand or fall with Hou Yuanwu, she heard Ye Jin's snarky thoughts ring out again.
[Was Hou Yuanwu sick in the head? Mother-in-law hadn't said a thing, yet he was acting as though he'd been insulted. Was he trying to manufacture a grievance?]
[Nobody stop him. Let him leave. I don't believe he can make it out of the Su Family's house!]
The words Su Chenglan had been about to shout immediately lodged in her throat, and in that moment of distraction, Hou Yuanwu had already nearly reached the door.
Then everyone watched as his steps grew slower and slower.
Hou Yuanwu was panicking, tiny beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. What was wrong with Su Chenglan? Why wasn't she coming to stop him? What would he do if he actually walked out the door and left?
An old fox like Lin Xiwen could hardly fail to see what Hou Yuanwu was plotting. Her anger grew fiercer, and she folded her hands, intending to see what other tricks he could pull.
As for Su Chenglan, the facts before her had cooled her head a little. She wasn't blind. How could she fail to see that Hou Yuanwu was deliberately slowing his steps, waiting for her to chase after him? Besides, Ye Jin was providing live commentary in her ears.
[Hahaha, I'm dying. His steps keep getting slower. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was practicing marching in place. I still overestimated him. He hasn't even made it out of the living room.]
Seeing that not a single person was coming to bring him back, Hou Yuanwu could only turn around sheepishly and gaze affectionately at Su Chenglan.
"Mrs. Su, I've thought it over. I can't abandon Xiaolan and be a coward! Please give me a chance. I'll prove that my feelings for Xiaolan are sincere, and that I'm capable of giving her a good life."
Once again, Ye Jin marveled at Hou Yuanwu's thick skin.
[He clearly can't give up the Su Family's wealth and glory, but he insists on claiming he can't abandon Su Chenglan. Stop fucking gilding your own face.]
Lin Xiwen sighed inwardly as well. He certainly knew when to bend and when to stand tall. He really was a dog-skin plaster that was hard to peel off.
An amused expression appeared on her face. "Oh? Then how do you intend to prove it?"
Hou Yuanwu furrowed his brows and put on a contemplative expression, as though he were making some difficult decision.
Ye Jin, however, leisurely added in her thoughts.
[Of course, the ideal would be for the Su Group to give him some vice president position. That way, he could throw his weight around and make a fortune selling company secrets.]
After a long while, Hou Yuanwu seemed to finally make up his mind. "Mrs. Su, to be honest, before returning here, I'd already secured a senior position at Company C, a multinational giant in Country A. But for Xiaolan's sake, I'm willing to return and work at the Su Group to prove my abilities to you. I know Brother Su still hasn't been able to return, and the company isn't stable, but as long as you give me a chance, I'll definitely lead the Su Group to new heights."
[Hahaha, how does he have the nerve to say that? He did get an offer from a big company, but unfortunately, he's only an intern. During his internship, he ranked at the bottom of his team and offended his superior, so securing a permanent position would be difficult. Where did he get the courage to ask the Su Group outright for a senior position?]
Actually, even without Ye Jin saying anything, Lin Xiwen could guess that Hou Yuanwu's claims were heavily inflated. After all, he was only a student who had just graduated. Still, she hadn't expected that he would dare boast to her like this when he was merely an intern.
She chuckled. "I see. All right, I'm not an unreasonable person. If you want an opportunity, I'll give you one."
[Aaaah, why did Mother-in-law suddenly give in? You can't go soft on him!]
Ye Jin grew a little anxious, but remembering how her mother-in-law had handled things before, she calmed down again.
[Mother-in-law is so smart. Surely she wouldn't go soft. She must have something up her sleeve!]
Hou Yuanwu's heart leaped with joy. He hadn't detected the chill in Lin Xiwen's words.
He hadn't expected Lin Xiwen to give in so quickly. It really was a woman's softheartedness-she couldn't bear to part with her daughter.
Yet the next second, he received a vicious slap in the face. "Our Su Group doesn't let just any stray cat or dog through its doors. With your qualifications and experience, even becoming one of our management trainees would actually be something of a stretch. But considering your relationship with Chenglan, I won't make things difficult for you. You can join the company with the latest intake of management trainees."
At the words "management trainee," Hou Yuanwu's face immediately turned livid, then pale. He blurted out, "How could I be nothing more than a lowly management trainee?"
Su Chenglan had long since been brainwashed by Hou Yuanwu into believing that her boyfriend was astonishingly talented and could manage a company with ease. She couldn't help protesting on his behalf. "Mom, how can you give Yuanwu such a low-level position? He won so many scholarships at university, and after he joined Company C, they entrusted him with important work."
Lin Xiwen's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, she grew even more disappointed in Su Chenglan. How had this naive daughter of hers been brainwashed by a man to this extent?
And when she turned to Hou Yuanwu, that disappointment became fury. She sneered. "Mr. Hou, do you need me to have someone list your university grades and your recent internship evaluations at Company C?"
Hou Yuanwu immediately broke into a drenching sweat, his earlier arrogance gone.
She knew. She actually knew everything!
Chapter 19
In the end, Hou Yuanwu agreed. After all, the benefits of becoming the husband of the Su Family's second daughter far outweighed those of being a lowly intern overseas.
He consoled himself inwardly: When Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility upon a man, it must first torment his spirit and toil his muscles and bones. Never bully a young man for being poor! Sooner or later, I'll get my revenge!
As for Su Chenglan, she had wanted to fight for more on Hou Yuanwu's behalf, but when she saw the look in her mother's eyes, she knew her mother was truly angry.
At any rate, her marriage to Hou Yuanwu hadn't been rejected outright. She believed that as long as her mother spent more time with Yuanwu, she would definitely be moved, so she agreed.
With all of this dealt with, peace seemed to return to the Su residence. The four of them even finished dinner together quite calmly.
Then, the next day, Lin Xiwen packed Su Chenglan off to a magazine in which the Su Group had invested.