Even the Jinling mayor had been cursed out like that; Hua Linglong and her colleague exchanged a glance and couldn't help swallowing hard.
A big figure like Jiang Dao still had to greet Su Hao with a flattering smile and respectfully address him as Mr. Su.
What on earth kind of big figure was this guy?
"The Jinling mayor is gone, what are you two still doing here? Trying to die?" Jiang Dao glanced sideways at Hua Linglong and her companion, his expression emotionless.
"Sorry, War Department Head, we're leaving right away."
How dare Hua Linglong linger? She and her colleague looked disgraced as they drove the wrecked car away.
"Mr. Su, I'm truly sorry that such small fry ruined your mood." After the eyesores left, Jiang Dao welcomed Su Hao back with a smiling face.
"Why are you looking for me? Have you made your decision already?"
Jiang Dao shook his head slightly. "A decision like this isn't up for me to make, but constantly running over to find Mr. Su is a bit troublesome, so I wanted to get your contact information."
"......"
Su Hao never expected the other party to have such a reason, and for a moment he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Remember, make a decision within three days. The longer it drags on, the lower the probability of success. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Jiang Dao nodded and replied, "Rest assured, Mr. Su, I'm very clear on that."
The two of them chatted here for a few minutes, while Hua Linglong and her colleague watched from just outside the residential compound for those same few minutes.
"That's the War Department Head! A big figure that even the Jinling mayor has to bow down to, how could he show such respect to a nobody?"
Her colleague was terrified, and Hua Linglong was no different.
"No wonder Su Hao's ID card is different from everyone else's. I need to report this matter to the captain to avoid some other blind fool offending him."
With that, she quickly called Team Leader Wei Qiang.
After listening to the whole sequence of events, Wei Qiang lowered his voice and warned, "There's no need to investigate that guy named Su Hao anymore. Being able to interact with someone at the level of the War Department Head means there's no need for him to personally engage in such petty, thievish acts."
"Continue investigating the people of the Xue family; the problem should lie within their own family members."
Hua Linglong nodded and hung up the phone, but deep inside, she had developed an interest in Su Hao.
***
Meanwhile, Su Hao only chatted with Jiang Dao for a few moments before turning back to the Xue family residence.
At that moment, Xue Rou was making tea. Seeing him approach, she asked, "Where did you go wandering off to?"
"A big figure got sick and wanted to ask for my help to take a look."
Upon hearing this, Xue Rou's eyes lit up. "Not bad! With medical skills as brilliant as yours, once you make a name for yourself in the future, you're bound to make a fortune."
"The richer people are, the more they cherish their lives. How about I get you a license? If Shangxue Company goes bankrupt one day, we'll have to rely on you."
"Handsome Su, if you attain wealth and honor, don't forget your old friends!"
Facing Xue Rou's teasing, the corners of Su Hao's lips curved into a smile. "You don't need to worry about money. With this ability of mine to bring the dead back to life, making money is quite easy. In the past, every time my master sent me down the mountain on a mission, I could make hundreds of millions each time."
"Are you telling the truth or making things up? It's not underworld bank notes, is it?" Xue Rou asked somewhat incredulously, in a joking tone.
"How could that be? You really look down on people."
Xue Rou pursed her lips. "I'm not looking down on you. I just feel that if you really make money that fast, why don't you even have a bank card of your own? And your cell phone is still that super old-fashioned model!"
"I donated all the money," Su Hao said casually.
Xue Rou stared dumbfounded at Su Hao, unable to recover her senses for a long time.
Donating all the money she earned was something she had never even imagined before.
Although Shangxue Company also did charity work every year, that was mainly for tax evasion. In comparison, Su Hao and his master were truly benevolent and charitable to a degree that put others to shame.
What Su Hao didn't tell Xue Rou was that even if he did nothing right now, as long as he made a casual call to any contact in his phone, hundreds of millions in pocket money would be credited to his account.
"Rou Rou, there's still a company stamp missing, you should go take care of it," Shen Yue interrupted their conversation.
"Su Hao, you go along too, so you can look out for each other."
Recently, the Xue family had been hit by wave after wave of turbulence. Without Su Hao by Xue Rou's side, she was very worried about Xue Rou's safety.
"Alright."
Su Hao nodded, and just as he and Xue Rou left, Xue Aohan and her family of three rushed over in a flurry.
They had received the news of Xue Kangning's amnesia.
If you asked whether they were happy, it certainly wasn't as happy as the old master simply dropping dead.
But if you asked whether they were unhappy, at least after the old master lost his memory, compared to Xue Er, he favored Xue Yi more. This point was still quite worth celebrating.
Watching Xue Kangning and Xue Aohan's family of three chatting cordially while leaving him and his wife out in the cold and ordering them around like servants, Xue Er felt a deep sense of grievance.
What made him feel even more aggrieved came next: after the couple bustled about all morning, they were served a notice to leave at noon.
Xue Kangning was going out to eat with Xue Aohan's family of three, and not only did he refuse to take Xue Er and Shen Yue, but he also told them they didn't need to live at the Xue family residence to take care of his daily life—they should just go live their own lives.
To put it nicely, the old man didn't want to trouble his juniors.
To put it bluntly, he simply didn't want them around.
Xue Er felt a bitter taste in his heart, yet he couldn't bring himself to argue with his elderly father for fear of angering him into a relapse, so he could only leave in desolation with Shen Yue...
***
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Pitiful and Despicable Person Kept in the Dark
Having lost his memory, Xue Kangning had no idea that Aunt Qin was already dead.
Along the way, Xue Aohan bluntly told Xue Kangning about this matter, but in her version of the story, Aunt Qin's death was purely an accident, completely unrelated to any person or event.
As for Shen Yue compensating Aunt Qin's family with insurance money, Xue Aohan didn't mention a single word of it; instead, she misled Xue Kangning into believing that Xue Yi had paid the money out of his own pocket.
Upon learning that Xue Yi had handled the matter so properly, Xue Kangning was extremely satisfied.
Speaking of money, he seemed to remember something, and turning his head, he instructed Xue Yi, "Find some time in the next couple of days to talk to a real estate agency and have them help sell that villa in Peach Blossom Spring. Estimate a reasonable price and get rid of it as soon as possible."
Xue Yi never expected that Xue Kangning's amnesia would be so thorough that he had completely forgotten about the fact that he had already given the Peach Blossom Spring villa to Su Hao.
For their family, this was undoubtedly good news.
Yet compared to selling the villa, Xue Yi had an even better idea.
"Dad, why sell such a nice house? It's bound to appreciate in value in a few years anyway."
"Besides, you're not short on money, and my Aohan and Young Master Zhao are getting married soon."
"No matter how you look at it, this marriage is us marrying above our station into the Zhao family, so we have to bring out some decent dowry, right?"
"Why don't you just give this villa to the two of them as a wedding gift?"
"I know this is costing you a pretty penny, but I'll make up for it with some money later. How about it?"
Xue Yi spoke very nicely, but in reality, he had no intention of paying any money at all.
At Xue Kangning's age, there was no telling how much longer he had to live—what did he need so much money for?
"Alright."
Xue Kangning thought about it and felt the proposal was not bad.
Zhao Tai came from a prominent family, and if they could truly secure this grandson-in-law firmly, it would be an advantage without a single drawback for their Xue family.
It was very necessary for him to spend a little to solidify the relationship between the two families.
"Transfer the house directly into Aohan's name. I'm getting old, it's better to be safe than sorry."
Aunt Qin's death had clearly dealt a heavy blow to Xue Kangning, causing him to start worrying about his own future as well.
To process the property transfer, Lawyer Wang was indispensable.
Xue Yi impatiently called Lawyer Wang, eager to get the transfer procedures completed as soon as possible.
However, upon receiving the call, Lawyer Wang was filled with puzzlement.
They said a woman's heart is an ocean floor, but why was Xue Kangning, at his advanced age, changing his mind morning and night?
That wasn't what he'd said a couple of days ago!
"Mr. Xue, is what you're saying true? Is the Old Master really going to transfer this property to Ms. Xue Aohan?"
"Why do you have so much nonsense to say? I'm calling you right in front of my dad right now, could this possibly be fake?"
With absolute confidence, Xue Yi snapped right back at Lawyer Wang.
Even so, Lawyer Wang didn't relent.
"Mr. Xue, it's not that I don't believe you, but a property transfer must be handled in person. Since the Old Master is right beside you, I need to confirm it with him myself."
Seeing that Lawyer Wang didn't take him seriously, Xue Yi flew into a rage. With a dark face, he turned on the speakerphone and said to Xue Kangning, "Dad, Lawyer Wang doesn't believe me, he thinks I'm trying to steal your house. Tell him yourself!"
Xue Kangning couldn't fathom which nerve Lawyer Wang had gotten crossed to be so uncooperative.
Speaking into the phone with a displeased tone, he said, "Lawyer Wang, the order just now was indeed given by me. Please process the procedures as quickly as possible."
Hearing Xue Kangning's annoyance, Lawyer Wang assumed the old man was irritated by him—an outsider—asking too many questions and meddling in family business, so he had no choice but to obediently take on the task.
After hanging up, Xue Kangning couldn't help muttering to himself.
Lawyer Wang had never been this nosy before; what on earth was going on this time?
On the other end, Wang Fugui hung up the phone and scratched his head, pondering for a long time without figuring out what was happening.
He stared at the transfer documents he had just prepared for Xue Rou and Su Hao not long ago, falling into deep thought.
Had Xue Rou done something wrong?
Or had Su Hao offended Xue Kangning?
Unable to find a logical explanation, Wang Fugui finally decided to call his old acquaintance, Sister Liu, another housekeeper of the Xue family, to make indirect inquiries and see if anything else had happened in the past couple of days.
Sister Liu had a good relationship with Wang Fugui and didn't hold anything back, spilling everything about the situation.
"So that's how it is." Wang Fugui had a sudden flash of insight.
After all that fuss, it turned out Xue Kangning had amnesia and had forgotten about transferring the villa to Xue Rou and Su Hao.
Compared to Xue Yi and Xue Aohan, Wang Fugui had much more respect for the character of Xue Er and Xue Rou.
Xue Kangning's sudden change of heart definitely had something to do with Xue Yi; nine times out of ten, he had been deceived.
He had to set things right and let Xue Kangning know the truth!
However, Wang Fugui lacked good luck.
When he drove to the Xue family residence, Xue Kangning wasn't home, but he ran into Xue Aohan, who had come back to pick up her cell phone.
"Lawyer Wang, what brings you here?"
Wang Fugui cut straight to the point: "I'm looking for the Old Master, I have something to tell him."
"My grandfather is currently eating out with my parents and is going to the company later. If you have anything to say, tell me, and I'll pass the message along later."
"This matter needs to be told to the Old Master in person. I'll go wait for him at the company."
Hearing Wang Fugui's words, Xue Aohan immediately realized that this fellow must have found out about Xue Kangning's amnesia and wanted to inform him about the plan to transfer the Peach Blossom Spring villa to Xue Rou.
Naturally, she wouldn't let Wang Fugui succeed. Pondering for a moment, she waved her hand and said, "Lawyer Wang, come to the study for a moment, I have something to say."
Wang Fugui didn't want to go, but since Xue Aohan insisted, he had no choice but to compromise.
At the same time, under Xue Yi's instigation and sowing of discord, Xue Kangning was flying into a rage.
"This Xue Er, how can he bungle everything he touches?"
"A while ago the company showed signs of improvement, and I thought that even though he was incompetent, Xue Rou was a good sort who wouldn't let me down."
"Never did I expect that the upper beam is crooked, causing the lower ones to twist—this Xue Rou is even worse than her father! In the span of a mere week, all the clients ran off? And they were all old clients of many years cooperation! Isn't this trying to ruin the company?!"
Xue Kangning was extremely furious.
Even if Xue Er and Xue Rou couldn't expand the family business, they should at least have guarded the fruits of his many years of labor.
After all that, they couldn't even defend the homestead, losing the family fortune so quickly—what a pair of good-for-nothings.
He had only been sick for a few days, and this family couldn't wait to show their true colors and act wildly. If he hadn't managed to pull through and had died of illness, wouldn't this family have staged a rebellion?
Seeing Xue Kangning blazing with anger, Xue Yi was filled with boundless joy.
"Don't be angry, Dad. People have different talents; although Xue Rou lacks business acumen, at least she's pretty."
"When I ran into Qian Duoduo the other day, he even said that for a young girl like Xue Rou to struggle in the business world was far too exhausting, and she might as well marry him. By then, the Qian and Xue families would join forces and inevitably climb even higher."
Xue Kangning's eyes lit up.
A commercial marriage was, by nature, a mutually beneficial method.
The Qian family was considered a household of considerable wealth and status; although not as formidable as the Zhao family, they were still quite outstanding.
Zhu Bi looked at Xue Kangning expectantly, hoping he would issue an order forcing Xue Rou to marry Qian Duoduo.
That way, Su Hao, who had nowhere to stay, would have no choice but to scram obediently, and the biggest threat to their family would be eliminated.
After all, their family had painstakingly operated for so many years, waiting to take charge of the household, only for everything to be ruined overnight by the appearance of Su Hao.
Although that threat was temporarily lifted due to the old master's sudden amnesia, she still felt a lingering fear and didn't want to see Su Hao ever again under any circumstances.
"Does Qian Duoduo really like Rou Rou?"
Being his granddaughter after all, Xue Kangning was tempted, but he hadn't intended to treat Xue Rou like an object to be casually shipped off to someone else's house.
"Of course he likes her! He's been pursuing Xue Rou for several years now; it's just that Xue Rou refused to give her consent, which is why the matter never went anywhere!"
Understanding Xue Kangning's intent, Xue Yi quickly put in a good word for Qian Duoduo, wishing he could paint him as a paragon of unmatched devotion in this world.
Upon hearing this, Xue Kangning was indeed very satisfied and nodded. "Since that's the case, let's fulfill their wishes. Have Qian Duoduo send betrothal gifts, but my granddaughter mustn't be wronged—if the betrothal gifts are too meager, then don't even talk about it."
"Great, I'll go notify him right now!"
Radiant with joy, Xue Yi was just about to contact Qian Duoduo when Xue Kangning suddenly seemed to recall something and raised a hand. "Wait, there's something I need to ask. Xue Er mentioned to me earlier that it seemed I had agreed to a marriage match; what's that about?"
"They're talking nonsense!"
Without a second thought, Xue Yi immediately refuted it. "Dad, you don't know this, but when Xue Er saw my daughter together with Young Master Zhao, his eyes turned green with envy, and he also wanted his daughter to latch onto a higher branch."
"I casually mentioned Qian Duoduo's situation in front of him the other day, and he got super unhappy, so he pulled some bumpkin down from the mountain to impersonate Xue Rou's fiancé just to go against me!"
"The guy's name is Su Hao, but he's nothing more than a shield. Even if Xue Er went crazy, he couldn't possibly agree to let his daughter go up the mountain to become a village wife, could he?"
Xue Yi rattled off a string of nonsense, yet Xue Kangning blindly believed these ghost stories of his.
"Good grief, so that's what's going on! This fellow Xue Er is getting more and more out of hand!"
Furious, Xue Kangning told Xue Yi to go notify Qian Duoduo right now and make sure the matter was handled as quickly as possible.
Extremely satisfied with this outcome, Xue Yi walked merrily to the restaurant corridor and dialed Xue Aohan's phone.
"Everything is progressing smoothly on my end. How's it going on yours? Did you successfully bribe Lawyer Wang?"
"With me making a move, of course it succeeded," Xue Aohan said with a smug smile.
"But Dad, to prevent the lie from being exposed, we need to clear out all the home surveillance footage as soon as possible so Su Hao doesn't get any leverage against us."
Nodding in agreement, Xue Yi immediately arranged for people to handle it...
***
Chapter Twenty-Four: A Brief Parting Makes for a Good Reunion
Some are happy while others are sorrowful.
Things were progressing smoothly for Xue Aohan and her father, but Shen Yue and Xue Er were facing heavy difficulties.
When Xue Rou and Su Hao came over for lunch, they found their parents sitting at the table with gloomy expressions, as if they had suffered a massive blow.
"Mom, Dad, what's wrong with you two?"
"Don't even mention it, your grandfather chased us out of the Xue family residence," Xue Er said bitterly.
"Just now Lawyer Wang called again, saying the Peach Blossom Spring villa is going to be transferred to Xue Aohan..."
Seemingly anticipating this long ago, Xue Rou wasn't sad in the least; instead, she laughed and said, "This kind of thing isn't happening for the first time, there's no need to be upset!"
Hearing this, Shen Yue was left not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"You know very well what kind of configuration the Peach Blossom Spring villa has. To just lose it like that is truly a pity."
"Besides, I utterly despise the ugly faces of Xue Aohan's family. We were the ones who suffered and labored, yet all the benefits were scooped up by her family—by what right?"
Hearing this, Xue Rou opened her mouth, hesitated, and stopped.
This was precisely what she felt was most unfair!
Her own family did all the heavy lifting while her uncle's family reaped the rewards; the effort and the return were completely disproportionate!
"Su Hao, you have to think of something. I know you're an easygoing kid who doesn't contend with others, but we can't just let them snatch that villa away like that," Xue Er pinned his hopes on Su Hao.
"You need to hurry up and restore the old master's memory. Otherwise, once Xue Aohan finishes the transfer procedures, it won't matter even if the old master recovers his memory." Sighing and pressing a hand to his brow, Xue Er added, "Based on my understanding of their family, this matter definitely involves more than just a villa. You've offended their family to the death, they're bound to have a backup plan!"
Xue Rou thought about it, and the relaxed expression on her face instantly vanished.
Catching Su Hao's hand, she worriedly said, "My dad is right. Without Grandpa's protection, they will definitely come after you. You must be careful."
Su Hao, however, didn't care about this in the least.
He shook his head with an air of breezy indifference. "That family doesn't amount to much, no need to worry."
"As for restoring Grandpa Xue's memory, I can indeed do it with medicine, but haste makes waste, and I dare not administer the medicine too aggressively. So the recovery time is estimated to take a few days."
"However, given Grandpa Xue's current attitude toward me, he most likely won't believe the prescription I write. How to get Grandpa Xue to take his medicine is something you guys will have to put some effort into."
Hearing this, Xue Er immediately began pondering countermeasures.
Yet before he could figure anything out, Xue Kangning's call came through, full of accusations and demands for accountability.
The content was very straightforward: he blamed Xue Er for making Shangxue Company leak like a sieve on all sides, stated he would personally come over tomorrow to inspect the situation, and ordered him to have all documents prepared.
The most crucial point was telling him to drive Su Hao away—he didn't want to lay eyes on this obnoxious fellow!