207: Chapter 207: Situ Yuan Apologizes 207: Chapter 207: Situ Yuan Apologizes The following morning at ten o’clock.
Su He received a phone call from Si Jinchuan.
After hanging up, the man sitting on the sofa looked at her and asked, “Why is he calling you?”
Su He replied, “He said, Old Mr.
Situ wants to invite me to the Situ Family’s house for a meal and to have Situ Yuan apologize to me.”
“What do you think?
Should I go or not?” She threw the question back at him.
Jiang Yan motioned for her to come over with a wave of his hand.
Su He walked over and sat down beside him.
The man then asked, “Are you worried this is a trap?”
Upon hearing this, Su He shook her head, “I don’t think it’s that serious.
Old Mr.
Hong isn’t that kind of person, or else he wouldn’t have become friends with Grandpa as well as Old Mr.
Yuan.”
“So, what are you hesitating about?”
“I am wondering if I should give Old Mr.
Hong some face since it’s his granddaughter after all.”
The man chuckled, raised his hand to rub the back of her head, and said, “Would you suffer such a disadvantage?”
After hearing his words, Su He pondered for a few seconds, “It seems not.”
“Then there’s no need to consider this matter,” Jiang Yan said.
Su He tilted her head to look at him, “Alright, then I’ll listen to you.”
…
At eleven-thirty, Su He and her husband, Jiang Yan, arrived at the Situ Family’s villa.
The Housekeeper greeted them at the door.
“Miss Su, Mr.
Jiang, the Old Master has been waiting for you in the living room.
Please follow me,” the Housekeeper gestured invitingly.
Su He smiled faintly and nodded, “Then we’ll trouble you, Lu Wei.”
Lu Wei, the steward of the Situ Family, had been seen by Su He many years ago.
With the Housekeeper leading the way, the couple passed through a garden to the main building’s lobby.
The spacious and bright living room was furnished in the old generation’s style with Chinese furniture.
At the same time, those knowledgeable could tell at a glance that every piece of decoration here was valuable, some even antiquities.
This also adequately reflected the Situ Family’s substantial wealth.
Situ Hong was seated in the place of honor, with Situ Yuan standing on his right and Si Jinchuan on his left.
The old man’s face was glowing with health as he looked spiritedly at the approaching Su He and Jiang Yan.
The couple greeted him in unison.
Looking at Su He, Old Mr.
Situ laughed heartily, “Su, it’s been many years since I’ve seen you.
You’ve grown more beautiful, much like your mother when she was young.
You resemble her in appearance and demeanor.
However, you differ from your mother in one aspect, regarding temperament, your style is much more decisive than hers.”
Su He graciously accepted Old Mr.
Situ’s compliment, “You flatter me, Old Mr.
Hong.”
Situ Yuan’s gaze was chilling, glaring fiercely at Su He as if harboring chunks of ice.
But Su He, as if she had not seen her look, continued to converse with a smile with Old Mr.
Situ.
Then, Old Mr.
Situ turned his eyes towards Jiang Yan, who stood beside her.
His cloudy yet sharp eyes sized him up.
From the moment Jiang Yan walked in, he knew this man was no ordinary individual.
Though he tried to restrain the strong aura he naturally carried, the innate air of authority he possessed was impossible to ignore.
“Su, you’ve certainly made the right choice,” the Old Master said looking at Jiang Yan.
Back when Su He got married, he was unaware.
He only heard it from that old man, Yuan Guohua, recently.
That old man Yuan Guohua had even thought of taking this girl under the Yuan Family’s wing but didn’t expect someone else to outpace him.
“Old Mr.
Hong, I apologize for the intrusion,” Jiang Yan said respectfully.
Indeed, Old Mr.
Situ had not mentioned Jiang Yan on the phone.
It was Jiang Yan himself who felt uneasy and insisted on coming.
“It doesn’t matter, I also wanted to meet you,” Situ Hong said, “I heard from Xiao Yuan that you saved her, right?”
Jiang Yan’s gaze was deep, showing no emotion, and his tone was even, “I just happened to pass by and lent a hand.”
These eight words held deep meaning, implying that it didn’t matter who it was at the time; he would save them regardless of whether they were from the Situ Family or not!
How could Old Mr.
Situ, cunning, and battle-hardened, fail to understand?
“Regardless, I, as an old man, should thank you.
If it weren’t for your presence, this girl would have suffered a great deal,” Situ Hong said sincerely.
“You’re too courteous, Old Mr.
Situ,” Jiang Yan replied.
After a few more exchanges, Old Mr.
Situ finally called out to Situ Yuan, “Xiao Yuan.”
“Grandfather.”
“Apologize to Su.”
“Grandfather!
I…”
“Shut your mouth!” Old Mr.
Situ shouted sternly, “If you can’t justify yourself, then apologize.
You were the one who started the trouble, not Su.”
Seeing her grandfather so protective of Su He, Situ Yuan felt extremely uncomfortable and even jealous!
Situ Yuan had always held sway in country X mainly because everyone knew she was the granddaughter Old Mr.
Situ cherished the most.
She had been raised by him since her parents perished in an air crash when she was two years old, so she had always been by his side.
Due to the lack of parental affection, her grandfather was extremely good to her, never willing to scold or punish her.
But now, he was shouting at her over an outsider!
“Grandfather, I am your real granddaughter!”
Through gritted teeth and with much reluctance, she spoke.
Old Mr.
Situ’s expression turned stern instantly, his voice loud and severe, “Situ Yuan, if it weren’t for your Situ surname and being raised by me, Situ Hong, do you think you would still be here after what you’ve done?”
Situ Yuan’s complexion became instantly pale, a hint of panic and nervousness flashing in her eyes.
When Old Mr.
Situ called out her full name, it meant he was indeed angry.
Su He and Jiang Yan sat there without making a sound, just listening quietly.
Situ Yuan looked toward Su He, her eyes seemed soaked in venom, wishing she could just kill her.
Su He was utterly indifferent; in fact, she smiled sweetly at Situ Yuan, appearing docile, understanding, and charming.
Seeing this, Situ Yuan, filled with fury, had no choice but to swallow her anger.
It took her a long time before she finally moved toward Su He.
After a few steps, she stopped.
Looking at Su He, the words of apology seemed stuck, unable to be spoken.
Su He was not in a hurry; her face still bore a smile as she quietly waited.
After all, she was not the one feeling awkward; she had nothing to be embarrassed about.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and reluctantly uttered three words: “I’m sorry.”
Su He didn’t dwell on her attitude either, smiling genially as she responded: “It’s no big deal.”
This was probably her way of showing Old Mr.
Hong some respect.
Sometimes, when you do things, you keep a little back to give to others; maybe later it will bring you even greater benefits.
For Situ Yuan, uttering those three words felt like swallowing fly excrement, bitter like eating coptis without being able to voice the bitterness.
Then, Situ Hong spoke up: “I’ll make the decision on this old man’s behalf; let’s put this matter behind us and hope you all don’t take it to heart.
Especially you, Xiao Yuan.
With your stubborn and competitive nature, your grandfather hopes that you will think before you act in the future.
If one day I’m no longer around, no one will be able to save you.”
Situ Yuan looked back at Old Mr.
Situ and frowned: “Grandpa, what are you babbling about?
You’re in good health, so why talk about such inauspicious things!”
Situ Hong was quite open and unafraid of death: “Grandpa is healthy now, but everyone has to leave someday.
It wouldn’t do for you to only start behaving sensibly after your grandpa is gone, right?”
Situ Yuan: “I…”
“Alright, no need to say more.” The old man raised his hand and waved, continuing: “Grandpa hopes you can learn more from Su.
She has many qualities worth learning from.”
After the old master had spoken, without waiting for her to retort, he turned to Su He and said with kindness: “Su, you wouldn’t mind my granddaughter, right?
She doesn’t really have many friends, and even if she does, they’re not of good standing and have nothing to teach her.
If she becomes friends with you, she’s sure to learn a lot.”
Su He was slightly taken aback; she hadn’t expected the old master to pull this move, so it was like he was waiting for her?
But she quickly regained her composure, with a slight smile she said: “I certainly wouldn’t mind, as long as Ms.
Situ doesn’t mind.”
Without waiting for Situ Yuan to answer for herself, Old Mr.
Situ made the decision for her, “She definitely won’t mind.
Besides, she doesn’t have the standing to do so.”
Situ Yuan: “…”
“…”
During lunch, only Su He and Old Mr.
Situ occasionally chatted, with nobody else getting a word in.
Moreover, to Situ Yuan’s surprise, chatting was forbidden at the Situ Family’s dining table — a rule set by her own grandfather.
But now…
The patriarch had broken his own rule for Su He.
It was evident to everyone that Situ Hong truly liked Su He, or perhaps it was more admiration.
It got to the point where Situ Yuan felt like Su He was the true member of the Situ Family, and she was just a stranger.
Afterward, as lunch ended, Su He accompanied the old master to play chess in the back garden.
Jiang Yan was with her the whole time, silently pouring water for her, taking care of her like an attendant.
The ones most lacking in presence were Situ Yuan and Si Jinchuan.
They sat in a pavilion not far away, and from time to time, they could hear her grandfather’s hearty laughter.
Feeling dull, Situ Yuan said: “What kind of charm soup has Su He fed my grandfather?
I’m not even as important as an outsider.”
Si Jinchuan’s dark, deep eyes, filled with profound emotions, glanced at Su He playing chess with the old man.
After a moment, he finally spoke: “The favor of saving a life, how could your grandfather not like her?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Situ Yuan turned to look at him, puzzled, barraging him with questions: “Saving a life?
Are you saying Su He saved my grandfather?
How come I don’t know about it?”
Si Jinchuan withdrew his gaze, his eyes dark as jet looking at her, a slight smirk crossing his lips: “Back then, when the old master was critically ill, you were not in Country X, and he had everyone hide it from you.
How could you have known?”
Situ Yuan was completely at a loss; she had no knowledge of this incident at all.
A trace of self-reproach flickered in her eyes, and then she asked: “But that’s not right, wasn’t Su He under eighteen seven years ago?
How could she have performed surgery on my grandpa?
Could it be he mistook her for someone else?”
Si Jinchuan let out a low laugh, his eyes containing an imperceptible unusual hue, as he countered: “Do you think your grandfather is someone who can be easily deceived?”
“Su He has been exposed to the art of medicine since she was a child; the Su Family is a medical dynasty, and her grandfather, Su Yiguo, is a prominent figure in the medical field and also one of her mentors.”
Si Jinchuan paused in his explanation, then continued: “When she performed the surgery on your grandfather, she had just turned eighteen, and by that time, her medical skills were already formidable.
However, to protect her from being influenced, the Su Family hadn’t let her show her face publicly.
But even then, she already had ten years of medical experience, performed many surgeries, and had been involved in clinical pharmaceutical research.”
Si Jinchuan had people revisit Su He’s past records last night, and this morning, Old Mr.
Situ also shared with him some details from that time.
“Not until she turned twenty did she appear in the medical field under the alias ‘Nil,’ referred to as the ‘surgical master,’ but she rarely revealed her face even then.”
Situ Yuan’s face grew darker as she listened, but she detected something amiss from Si Jinchuan’s words.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and asked: “Jinchuan, don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to Su He?”
Sometimes, a woman’s intuition is extremely accurate.
Much like her intuition at this very moment.
Si Jinchuan didn’t expect her to jump so quickly to that conclusion.
“…”
Su He and Jiang Yan didn’t stay at the Situ Family’s home for too long; around two o’clock, both of them prepared to leave.
“Old Mr.
Hong, thank you for the invitation today.
I will visit you again when I have time.
Please, there’s no need for you to see us out,” said Su He.
Situ Hong looked at her with kind and benevolent eyes: “It makes me very happy to see you again, despite the unusual circumstances.
Old Mr.
Yuan was just complaining to me, saying that meeting you is harder than meeting the President of the country.”
Su He smiled and replied: “My master tends to exaggerate; it’s not that I’m busy, but him.”
“…”
Following that, Old Mr.
Situ instructed Si Jinchuan to escort them to the door.
Su He did not refuse.
However, as they reached the gate and were about to get into the car, Jiang Yan suddenly turned to Si Jinchuan and said: “President Si, the one-day deadline is about to expire.”
Upon hearing this, Si Jinchuan’s expression was indifferent, his dark pupils harboring a hint of a smile that didn’t reach the bottom of his eyes: “Don’t worry, President Jiang, the person will be delivered into your hands.”
Jiang Yan returned with a smile: “That’s good to hear.
It seems that President Si is a man of his word, so we will head back now.”
After the man finished speaking, he got into the car with Su He, and soon the car started and left the Situ residence.
Si Jinchuan stood in place, his face suddenly darkened as if ominous clouds were looming, his expression frighteningly cold.
His dark eyes were deep, staring grimly at the direction in which the black sedan had disappeared, his narrow eyes filled with brooding.
In the car.
Su He asked: “You asked him to deliver the person, but Chi Tian is already in our hands, how is he supposed to deliver?”
Jiang Yan tugged at his thin lips, his almond eyes curving slightly, speaking softly: “That’s his problem now.”
…
It was around nine o’clock in the evening.
After having dinner outside, Su He and the others returned to the hotel.
Si Jinchuan sent someone over, who arrived just as they entered the lobby.
“President Jiang, our master instructed me to deliver the person into your hands,” a bodyguard said.
Jiang Yan’s brows lifted slightly, his voice cool and detached: “Where is the person?”