Chapter 61: 61. The Su family has risen again!

Wh-what? Su Guang, the man who had disappeared for four whole years, had the nerve to call them? Su Mengqing was stunned for a moment. She shot up in bed and snatched her phone, her eyes instantly turning bloodshot as she stared at the number on the screen.

“Mengqing, answer it! I’m going to curse that bastard to hell and back!” Zhang Meili, who had been hiding her head under a blanket, whipped it off to reveal her tear-streaked, puffy face and shouted viciously.

One second, two seconds, three seconds passed. Finally, under the intense gazes of Yang Tingting and Zhang Meili, Su Mengqing gritted her teeth to steady herself, reached out a trembling finger, and pressed the speakerphone button.

“…Hello, is that you, Mengqing? It’s your dad, Su Guang… Bah! I spent a fortune to have a master change my name. I’m called Stubborn Su Gang now!”

A man’s cheerful voice came from the phone. It was distant and unfamiliar, yet it was still the same intimate, familiar voice from the depths of her memory. Su Mengqing was lost in a daze and didn’t respond for a long time.

Instead, it was Zhang Meili who erupted in a rage, snatching the phone and shrieking through her sobs, “Su Guang! You goddamn bastard! What the hell is this ’Stubborn Su Gang’ nonsense? I think you should be called ’Lost It All’! Do you have any idea what a mess you’ve made of this family in the four years since you ran off?”

“Zhang Meili, who gives a damn about your nagging, you old hag? The name’s Stubborn Su Gang, and I’m now the personal Xia Country advisor to the Prince of Sha Country!” the man retorted sarcastically, not intimidated in the least.

Zhang Meili was stunned. Yang Tingting was dumbfounded. Su Mengqing, who had been about to speak, also found her eyes widening, the corners tightening in shock.

Her deadbeat, gambling father had always been weak and spineless; he would never have dared to talk back to Zhang Meili. And now he was the one calling them? Not only did he show no guilt or shame for running off with their money, but he had actually grown a backbone?

A knot of unease formed in their stomachs. Su Mengqing and Zhang Meili looked at each other, their expressions changing.

Could it be that Su Guang… no, Stubborn Su Gang, has actually made it big?

“Su Guang, d-don’t try to fool us! With your skills, how could you possibly cozy up to the Prince of Sha Country?” Zhang Meili stuttered, her voice clearly lacking conviction.

“Heh, you think you’re something, Zhang Meili? If that old man hadn’t forced me to marry you, do you really think I would have ever looked twice at a fat pig like you?” Stubborn Su Gang’s tone grew louder. “And I told you, my name is Stubborn Su Gang now!”

“You… you damn gambler! Tell it to the ghosts!” Zhang Meili’s face flushed red with rage. She let out a shrill cry and was about to slam the hang-up button.

“Dad, where are you? Are you planning to bring the Prince back to Haicheng?” Su Mengqing reacted quickly, snatching the phone back. She asked in a low voice, her expression complex.

Frankly, she didn’t want Su Guang to come home. But if he wasn’t lying, if he really had an incredible connection like the Prince of Sha Country, this could be the godsent opportunity for the Su family to rise again!

“Mengqing, my dear, the reason I resolutely set off across the ocean back then was to make something of myself, to show all those people who looked down on the Su family.

“Haha! And now I’ve finally succeeded, so of course, I’m going to return home in glory!

“By the way, I know you’ve done well these past four years. You’ve grown our family’s pharmaceutical business and even taken it public.

“The Prince is also very interested in traditional Xia Country medicine. His visit to Haicheng this time is to procure a batch to take back with him.”

What? The Prince was going to buy a large quantity of medicine to take back to Sha Country?

As soon as he said that, the hospital room fell silent. Zhang Meili’s mouth hung open in shock, while Yang Tingting was both stunned and overjoyed. As for Su Mengqing, she drew a sharp breath and clenched her fists in excitement.

It’s like a light at the end of the tunnel! My hunch was actually right!

“Dad, where are you? We have to come and pick you up!” Su Mengqing’s face was alight with ecstasy, and her voice became tender.

“Old Su, just bring the Prince to stay at our house! I’ll… I’ll go to the market right now and cook a feast of all your favorite dishes!” Zhang Meili chimed in shamelessly, smiling at the phone.

“We’re close; we’ll be there soon. Yuan Ruohai, Second Master Yuan, is returning with us as well.

“I have some things to take care of, so I’ll contact you when I’m done. That’s all for now.”

The man on the other end hummed lazily and hung up, leaving the three women staring at the phone and listening to the dial tone as they exchanged excited glances.

Even a big shot like Yuan Ruohai was with him. That confirmed it. Su Guang—no, Stubborn Su Gang—must have become a big shot too!

“Congratulations, Director Su! Congratulations, Mrs. Zhang! The Su family is going to rise from the ashes and make a comeback!” Yang Tingting said, her face wreathed in joyous smiles.

“Mengqing, it looks like we misunderstood your father. He didn’t just run off with the money four years ago; he really went out to make something of himself!” Zhang Meili said, beaming as she eagerly defended Stubborn Su Gang.

“Let’s hope so,” Su Mengqing replied, clenching her teeth privately as a smile she couldn’t suppress spread across her lips. “If Dad can really bring the Prince of Sha Country here and open up the international pharmaceutical market, who in all of Haicheng will dare to look down on Su Pharmaceutical then?”

Lin Fan, Yuan Youwei… compared to the Prince of Sha Country, they’re nothing! I could even use my looks to my advantage. Maybe I could enchant the Prince, marry into a royal family overseas, and become the admired Princess of Sha Country!

The more she thought about it, the more excited and feverish she became. Unable to contain herself, Su Mengqing pressed the call button by her bed to summon the nurse on duty.

“Increase my dosage! I want to be discharged this afternoon!”

「Meanwhile, at the Haicheng International Dock」

A rundown, battered, eighth-hand fishing boat was slowly docking. Inside its rusty, drafty cabin, a tall, skinny, middle-aged man in a colorful short-sleeved shirt and beach shorts was jubilantly putting down his phone.

“Second Master Yuan, I’ve handled things on the Su family’s end. I guarantee there won’t be any trouble, heh heh!” he said, looking at the man across from him and cocking an eyebrow proudly.

“Good. I’ll handle things on the Yuan family’s side quickly, then we’ll grab the money and run,” Yuan Ruohai replied, his expression cold as he nodded curtly. The smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes.

A few days ago, Mr. Yuan Sr. had ordered him onto a ship, sending him penniless to the southern seas. Who would have thought the cargo ship would encounter a storm and nearly capsize? Yuan Ruohai got lucky and was rescued by a small passing fishing boat. That was how he met Stubborn Su Gang, another native of Haicheng.

“Xiao Jie, it’s all up to you now. Don’t drop the ball,” Yuan Ruohai said, pulling himself from his thoughts and turning to the young man standing behind Stubborn Su Gang.

The man also had East Asian features, though his skin was slightly darker and his eyes were brown, giving him the distinct appearance of someone from Sha Country.

“That’s right! With Second Master Yuan as a guarantor, who would dare doubt your identity?” Stubborn Su Gang said with a laugh, casually slinging an arm around the young man’s neck. “Once we score big, we’ll split it three ways! Then we can live the good life, eating and drinking our fill. No more sleeping under some damn bridge!”

He had met this man on an island in South Asia after gambling away all his money. At the time, they had nearly come to blows over a spot to sleep for the night under a bridge. Later, the man boasted that he was a displaced Prince of Sha Country, spinning a tale so convincing that Stubborn Su Gang was completely fooled.

Stubborn Su Gang had a flash of inspiration and immediately concocted a get-rich-quick scheme. Ever since he ran off with the money four years ago, he had been too ashamed to contact his family. To his surprise, however, Su Pharmaceutical had thrived under his daughter, Su Mengqing, and was now a successful company worth billions. He had long been looking for a chance to sneak back to Haicheng and live comfortably off his family’s success.

His original plan was just to bring along the man who called himself Abdullah Bulger to bluff his family. However, running into Yuan Ruohai on the way and learning that the Su family was on the verge of collapse changed everything. The two of them put their heads together and decided to go all in, planning to use Xiao Jie’s fake identity to scam their respective families out of a pile of money and then disappear.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep