Chapter Fifty-Nine: Go Cool Off Somewhere Else!

Su Zheng and Chen Muxue exchanged a knowing smile, their eyes clear and bright, both harboring a faint disdain for Chen Wenli’s tricks.

Chen Wenli’s body froze half-crouched, her face flushed deep red. She truly did not want to kneel before Chen Muxue, especially in front of so many people—how would she ever show her face again after this? It was almost harder for her to accept than death itself.

In that moment, she was so vexed she felt like slapping herself: why had she said she would beg on her knees? Who could have predicted that Chen Muxue would act so out of character today? In the past, a smile or a pleasant word from Chen Muxue would have left her flattered and overwhelmed, let alone having her kneel.

Still tormented, Chen Wenli suddenly realized, after the words of Shen Qingqiang and the others, that her grandmother too had fallen silent. For the sake of the family's interests, she had been abandoned!

Her mind went blank, and at last she tasted the pain Chen Muxue must have felt when their grandmother had treated her with such heartless disregard.

“Daughter, it’s up to you now…”

At some point, Chen Xiong had come out of the kitchen. He spoke in a low, conflicted voice to Chen Wenli.

A sudden buzzing filled her ears—her composure finally shattered.

She understood her father's meaning perfectly: for the sake of profit, even he wanted her to kneel.

With a heavy thud, Chen Wenli knelt hard in front of Chen Muxue, all her usual arrogance and pride utterly gone. Her pale face was awash with shame and humiliation as she spoke in a low voice:

“Wenli begs her younger sister Muxue to continue as general manager of Haoyuan Trade. If you refuse, I will not rise from my knees.”

A dead silence filled the room.

No one spoke; all eyes were drawn to Chen Wenli’s act of kneeling. Every movement in the room had stilled, expressions ranging from shock to confusion.

“Do you realize your mistake?” Chen Muxue’s voice was cold and detached from above.

Her words were pointed, referring not only to Chen Wenli’s attempt to frame her, but also to her ordering Chen Peng to dispose of her.

“Yes.” Chen Wenli, still kneeling with her head bowed, replied, “I know I was wrong. I dare not ask for anything else, only that you let me keep some dignity. I promise to change my ways and do good from now on.”

Chen Muxue fell silent.

She hesitated for a long moment, then looked at Su Zheng. Upon seeing no objection from him, she nodded ever so slightly.

“Ah, daughter, get up, get up! Muxue has agreed—ha! She agreed!”

Chen Xiong, seeing Chen Muxue had granted his daughter’s request, let out a relieved laugh.

But Chen Wenli only felt more humiliated than ever. She cast her father a disappointed glance, then slowly got to her feet and wandered off in a daze to a far corner.

Before long, the sound of muffled sobbing rose from that corner.

Always so proud, she had suffered a crushing defeat today, forced to kneel and apologize to Chen Muxue before everyone because of her own poor judgment and the relentless pressure of the moment.

Tears streamed down Chen Wenli’s face as she bit her lip, her expression twisted with hatred. She regarded today as the greatest disgrace of her life and swore to herself that no matter the cost, she would reclaim her lost honor.

“Haha… Congratulations, President Chen! In that case, we brothers will take our leave. After all, this is your company now—we’d be out of place to stick around, right?”

Shen Qingqiang was first to rise. Seeing the task entrusted by the divine doctor Su finally accomplished, he prepared to take his leave.

The others did not dare tarry either. They rose, congratulated Chen Muxue with smiles, and glanced respectfully at Su Zheng, nodding politely.

Su Zheng showed little joy—this still fell short of the scene he had envisioned. But, all things considered, they were still family; there was no need to be utterly ruthless, so he held his tongue.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Chen Xiong, your daughter’s apology just about passes muster, but you haven’t expressed anything yet. Still, your Chen family isn’t exactly lacking in money, so why not just buy back some face with cash—how generous!”

Wei Lao’er, tipsy and satisfied, belched and gave Chen Xiong a thumbs-up with a broad grin.

“What… what do you mean?”

Chen Xiong felt uneasy. There was something in Wei Lao’er’s smile that made him nervous.

“What do I mean? We’re letting your daughter off, but why should you get away with playing dumb? We recalculated the compensation—you get a family discount. Just two hundred million, all told. Fair enough, right?”

Wei Lao’er sounded hearty and magnanimous.

“What? You still want compensation? You—”

Chen Xiong’s jaw dropped, his face full of indignation, though he dared not speak too harshly for fear of antagonizing them.

“Everyone, isn’t this going a bit too far?”

At last, the old matriarch spoke. Her face was dark as she swept a cold gaze across the room, her tone resolute.

“Too far? I don’t think so. Of course, you have another option. We can give you one day. Transfer one hundred million from the Chen family to Haoyuan Trade as a goodwill donation, and we’ll let the matter of the contract drop. If Haoyuan Trade doesn’t receive the funds within a day, we’ll come back again—and next time, we’ll bring the lawsuit papers with us, save everyone the trouble. Right?”

Shen Qingqiang’s voice was cold and sinister.

Having said his piece, he didn’t bother to see how the old lady would react. He waved his hand, and the group truly departed.

Only Su Zheng, Chen Muxue, the old matriarch, the dejected Chen Xiong, and Chen Wenli in her corner remained.

“President Chen, since you’re back, shall I notify everyone to gather for a meeting and make an announcement?”

Jin Wei appeared at the door, her excitement barely contained as she addressed Chen Muxue.

“Shut up! Get out! When did I say she was the general manager of Haoyuan Trade? How dare an outsider like you fan the flames—leave!”

The old matriarch nearly screamed, her voice hoarse and her lips trembling with rage as she berated Jin Wei.

Jin Wei’s face flushed with embarrassment. Head bowed, she quickly scurried out.

“Look at this—are you satisfied now?”

With no outsiders left, the old matriarch pointed a trembling finger at the weeping Chen Wenli and the shattered Chen Xiong, scolding Chen Muxue:

“You just had to make such a scene to feel content, is that it? Fine! I’ll say it plainly: the more you play your little games, the less I’ll give you any chance!

“They want compensation? Easy! I’ll swallow my pride, refund all the payments, and ask the Chamber of Commerce to help me dissolve Haoyuan Trade! I’ll see it bankrupt and closed, so no one gets anything!

“If your grandfather has any complaints in the afterlife, let him blame me alone!”

Her expression was savage, convinced that everything was Chen Muxue’s fault and ready to sever all pretenses.

Chen Muxue felt deeply aggrieved. She had done nothing—everything had been the work of Chen Wenli and Chen Xiong. But the old lady simply would not believe her!

“I thought it best to let things be, to give you some dignity. But never did I expect you, at your age, to be so blind to right and wrong, so eager to blame Muxue. In that case, let us do as I said at the ancestral home: you will apologize to Muxue yourself.”

Su Zheng’s voice was cold as ice.