Susu had no choice but to sit on the bench outside the emergency room. Lawyer Liu sat beside her, opened a folder, and said, "Miss Gu, please review Mr. Shu's will. If you find it satisfactory, please sign it."
"A will? What will? Why should I sign it?" Susu asked, utterly bewildered, without looking at the document the lawyer handed her.
Lawyer Liu produced a piece of paper and placed it in front of her. "This is the paternity test report between Mr. Shu and you, proving you are his biological daughter. He made this will with me some time ago, stipulating that all his assets, real estate, and control of the group are to be inherited by you. In other words, you are his sole heir."
Susu felt as if she were dreaming. "Don't joke. He has so many children, why would it be me?"
"I'm not privy to Mr. Shu's thoughts. I am merely executing his instructions and the will," the lawyer replied.
Susu looked again at the closed door of the emergency room and said, "But he's still in surgery, he hasn't passed away..."
The lawyer interrupted, "I am aware of that. It's wonderful if Mr. Shu recovers, but you can sign it now. If something were to happen to Mr. Shu later, this will would prevent any disputes."
"I can't sign this. I don't want to inherit any of his assets," Susu refused.
The lawyer seemed a little surprised. After a pause, he continued to persuade her, "If you are unwilling, you can always donate the assets after inheriting them."
Susu found this preposterous. Just as she was about to retort, the light outside the emergency room went out. She immediately stood up, wanting to end the conversation with the lawyer.
At that moment, a doctor emerged from the emergency room and asked, "Who is the family?"
To escape the lawyer, Susu quickly stepped forward and said, "I am."
"The patient has been resuscitated. Fortunately, he was brought in promptly. He just needs plenty of rest and should not be subjected to any more stress," the doctor instructed.
Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. Susu looked at the people waiting outside the emergency room and realized that, apart from herself, there wasn't a single relative of Shu Zhongze. He was truly alone.
Shu Zhongze was wheeled out of the emergency room and into a VIP ward.
Lawyer Liu still wanted to discuss the inheritance with her, but she stated firmly, "I will not sign this. Don't waste your time."
Secretary Zhan emerged from the ward and asked, "Miss Gu, won't you go in to see Mr. Shu?"
Susu saw Shu Zhongze, covered in tubes and still unconscious, from a distance at the doorway. It reminded her of Yuan Shuna's serious illness, and her mood immediately became dejected. "No, I'll just stand here by the door."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Gu Susu for the moment and Shu Zhongze was temporarily out of danger, the lawyer stopped bothering her and went into the ward.
Only Susu and Secretary Zhan remained in the corridor. Susu asked, "Did he have heart problems before? How did he fall ill?"
"Yes, Mr. Shu had undergone two heart bypass surgeries. His health has been quite good. Perhaps it's because of the recent troubles within the group, and also because Huo's Group is taking this opportunity to pressure Mr. Shu. A batch of imported building materials couldn't be delivered on time, and they've initiated legal proceedings, demanding double compensation from our group. If they win, our group's cash flow will be cut off."
"Is it that serious?" Susu had thought Tianyi mentioned that Shu's Group had a strong foundation and wouldn't collapse so easily. She never imagined it had reached this point.
With internal high-level issues and external pressure from Huo's Group, facing difficulties from all sides, it was no wonder Shu Zhongze couldn't cope.
Secretary Zhan said worriedly, "Mr. Shu is ill again. What will happen to the group?"
Susu glanced into the ward again and asked, "Besides Lawyer Liu, who are those other two or three people? They're about Mr. Shu's age."
"Oh, they are Mr. Shu's confidantes and veteran executives within the group. At this time, only they can step forward to support Mr. Shu."
Susu let out a breath. "That's good. At least he still has loyal confidantes and isn't completely alone."
"Miss Gu, I've been working for Mr. Shu for several years, and he has always taken good care of us," Secretary Zhan said, her eyes reddening. "Since he wants you to inherit Shu's Group, you must have abilities that others don't. You must save the group and save Mr. Shu at this critical juncture!"
"Me?" Susu found it amusing. "I'm probably the least capable among his children. I know nothing about business. I can't do anything. He'll change the will when he wakes up."
"He won't," Secretary Zhan insisted. "I understand Mr. Shu. He doesn't make decisions lightly, but once he does, he doesn't change them easily. Miss Gu, you are too modest. You are Mrs. Qin Tianyi, aren't you? Even if you don't understand much, Mr. Qin is a business prodigy. He can definitely turn Shu's Group's current situation around."
Susu was momentarily stunned into silence. It was because she and Shu Zhongze were related by blood that she didn't want to drag Tianyi into this mess.
Although she didn't understand their business struggles, even Shu Zhongze was helpless and fell ill from anger. Solving Shu's Group's current predicament wouldn't be easy.
"Miss Gu, you can't stand by and do nothing," Secretary Zhan pleaded, grabbing her sleeve. "Although Mr. Shu hasn't woken up yet, he has placed all his hopes on you. If Shu's Group collapses, not only will Mr. Shu be unable to bear the blow, but it will also affect the livelihoods of thousands of Shu's Group employees! Miss Gu..."
Susu pulled her hand away, feeling a sense of suffocation. "Since Mr. Shu is no longer in danger, I should be going. Please take good care of him."
Without waiting for the secretary to plead further, she turned and left immediately.
The secretary tried to chase after her but was stopped by the bodyguards accompanying Susu. The bodyguard politely said, "Please do not approach her further. She does not wish to speak with you."
With that, the two bodyguards escorted Susu away from the hospital.
On the way back, the thought of the paternity test report made Susu feel uneasy. It turned out Shu Zhongze had known about their father-daughter relationship all along.
When had he found out?
When she, Tianyi, and Xiao Anjing went to the Shu residence to ask him to acknowledge Xiaoxiao as his granddaughter, he already knew their blood relationship, yet he had been so heartless.
He had never acknowledged her. Did he never intend to?
Now that Shu's Group was in such a crisis, he had thought of her, perhaps believing Tianyi could save Shu's Group.
She wasn't a savior. How could Shu Zhongze treat her like this? When she was useless, he didn't acknowledge her, and when everyone abandoned him and he had no one left, he wanted to dump the mess on her and Tianyi!
She trembled with anger and told herself that Shu's Group's affairs were none of her business, nor would she let Tianyi get involved. They should stay out of it and live their own lives.