Chapter Seventy-Eight: He Is Your Son-in-law!

Chen Jianguo and his wife could hardly imagine what would happen next. The world spun before their eyes, and they felt as if their entire family was about to be reduced to beggary because of Su Zheng’s arrogance and ignorance. They even feared they might end up in prison for failing to repay what was owed.

“Old woman, help me up. Let’s go. We should get home and pack up a few things. From now on... from now on, we may have no choice but to find a place to live out in the countryside. Ah...” Chen Jianguo spoke feebly, struggling several times to stand but failing each attempt.

At this moment, his legs were like jelly, refusing to obey his will.

Sobbing, Lü Hongmei cried out, “Su Zheng, you bastard, you’re nothing but a bastard! Why... why must you bring such ruin upon us?” She wept bitterly as she helped Chen Jianguo to his feet, and together they walked out, overwhelmed with grief and indignation.

They didn’t even say a word to Chen Muxue, clearly resentful of her unwavering support for Su Zheng.

Chen Muxue wanted to run after them but stopped herself. With a disaster of this magnitude befalling the family, perhaps it was best to let her parents have some quiet to recover.

She glared at Su Zheng with anger, but after a brief, pensive silence, she spoke. “Su Zheng... let me do it. I’ll apologize. As for the money... we’ll pay it back when we can... someday...” Her words faltered, and she could not finish.

Haoyuan Trading had only just gotten off the ground. They had signed quite a few contracts, and things were just beginning to look up. Yet now, with a few careless words from Su Zheng, the family was suddenly saddled with a hole of a hundred million to fill. She felt utterly powerless, unsure how they would ever move forward.

Still, she resolved not to let Su Zheng, a grown man, be humiliated in front of all these people. She would take the fall and apologize on his behalf.

Su Zheng was deeply moved. He had always known Chen Muxue had made great sacrifices for him, though it was only something he'd heard about after the fact, never experienced firsthand. Now, in the face of crisis, Chen Muxue once again stepped forward without hesitation. How could he not be touched?

“Muxue, don’t worry. We haven’t lost yet,” Su Zheng said gently but firmly, holding her hand.

Chen Muxue frowned, about to protest, when suddenly the bespectacled female assistant cried out in alarm, her voice tinged with panic.

“Ah—President Jiang, President Jiang, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me, President Jiang!”

Everyone turned toward the commotion. The president, who had seemed visibly better just moments before, was now gasping desperately for air, his face flushed an alarming red, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead in torrents. His features twisted in agony; his condition was even worse than before. His whole body seemed shrouded in the pallor of death, as if he would not last much longer.

The scene left everyone present frozen in terror, faces ashen. None of them had ever witnessed such a critical medical emergency.

Ye Lang and Cui Lin’s smiles vanished in an instant, replaced by shock and dread as they stared at President Jiang lying on the floor, paralyzed with indecision.

“Divine Doctor Cui, what’s happening to President Jiang?!” Li Yanze was the first to react, seizing Cui Lin’s arm in panic. “Did we not give him enough medicine?!”

“That’s... that’s impossible...” Cui Lin’s face was grim. He himself had no idea what was happening, and he was clearly at a loss.

The truth was, among the disciples of Yuwan Hall in the capital, he was the least gifted—only admitted because of distant family ties. He had been permitted to observe and learn medicine on the side, but while his skills were better than most outsiders, he was far from a true master. Faced with an unexpected crisis, he was bound to panic.

“Cui Lin, hurry! Save President Jiang!” Ye Lang’s earlier arrogance had vanished, replaced by gravitas as he shouted at Cui Lin.

But Cui Lin only backed away in fright. He had never seen anything like this and had no idea what to do.

“President Jiang! President Jiang! You must hold on!” The female assistant, seeing President Jiang’s breathing grow weaker and his face turning purple, was so terrified she began dialing emergency services with trembling hands. Pointing at Cui Lin, she shouted furiously, “Quack! You quack, you’ve killed President Jiang!”

If Cui Lin hadn’t sworn up and down that he could cure him, she would never have administered the medicine. If she hadn’t given him those pills, perhaps President Jiang would have stood a chance.

The crowd looked at President Jiang’s frightening complexion and shuddered. Fear crept into their hearts, worried they too might become implicated.

By now, Cui Lin, who had been so arrogant moments ago, was pale as death, his previous bluster utterly gone.

“Why... oh heavens, why is this happening? How could this happen!” The assistant’s voice was choked with tears. She stared helplessly at President Jiang, hands fluttering aimlessly, tears streaming down her face.

Chen Muxue watched the president’s alarming symptoms, clenching her fists in anxiety.

But then she suddenly remembered what Su Zheng had said earlier, about not administering medicine, and turned toward him abruptly.

“I just said, he was exhibiting bradycardia. He should not be given that kind of medicine,” Su Zheng said gently to Chen Muxue, before speaking calmly to everyone.

Those whom Su Zheng’s gaze fell upon showed embarrassment and fear. After all, they had just joined in mocking and rejecting his advice.

“It’s you! It’s you!” Cui Lin suddenly spun around, pointing at Su Zheng. “You jinxed it! You killed President Jiang!”

Despite his panic, he still sought to shirk responsibility and blame others.

“Hmph!” Su Zheng sneered coldly. “Are you a mad dog? If they test his blood at the hospital and find trimetazidine, we’ll see who really killed him!”

Cui Lin shuddered uncontrollably at these words, and his bravado instantly collapsed. He stood there, utterly defeated and silent.

At this point, Li Yanze and his brother Li Yanjun were consumed with regret. If only they had heeded Su Zheng’s warning, none of this would have happened.

Li Yanze gritted his teeth, sprang to Su Zheng’s side, and pleaded anxiously, “Divine Doctor Su, I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have ignored your advice. Can you... can you save President Jiang?!”

His eyes brimmed with remorse and a touch of awkwardness. After all, it was a bit late to ask for Su Zheng’s help now.

Why hadn’t he done so earlier? It was all because he’d trusted Ye Lang from the capital and bet everything on Cui Lin, making the situation even harder to resolve.

“This is not your fault. You don’t need to apologize. I myself said it was inconvenient for me to step in,” Su Zheng replied with a gentle smile, not blaming Li Yanze for his earlier negligence. Then he turned to Chen Muxue. “Will you allow me to help now?”