Chapter 69: 69, send money and appoint you to a high office!

“Dad, have you been in Sha Country for the past four years? This Prince… why does he seem so unreliable?” Su Gang asked, his voice a mixture of surprise and doubt as he held his bowl and chopsticks from his wheelchair in the corner of the private room.

Zhang Meili and Yang Tingting both turned to look at Stubborn Su Gang.

“Dad, why is the Prince so close to Lin Fan? You… you haven’t been deceived by him, have you?” Su Mengqing asked, her expression souring as she couldn’t resist another glance toward the main table.

The man they called a prince was currently eating with incredible enthusiasm. He was practically wolfing down his food! Su Mengqing exchanged a look with Su Gang and Zhang Meili; all three of them were filled with suspicion. Those table manners… he looks like he hasn’t eaten in days. What kind of damn prince is this? He’s more like a beggar!

“Stop talking nonsense. The Prince’s identity is beyond doubt. Don’t you even trust me?” Stubborn Su Gang shot back. He swallowed hard and miserably chewed on the white rice in his bowl. Damn you, Lin Fan!

Forcing himself to remain calm, he put on a stern face and shook his head at Su Mengqing and the others. “The Prince was on a trip when his plane crashed into the sea. He was the sole survivor and had to escape on his own. That’s when he ran into me and Second Master Yuan.”

Stubborn Su Gang explained in a low voice, pulling out his phone to show them a photo. “See this? This is a group photo from seven years ago when the Prince attended a military parade in the Imperial Capital! Would I dare bring him here without proof? If Second Master Yuan hadn’t told me that our Su Family’s stock price had plummeted and we were in big trouble, I never would have begged the Prince to come to Haicheng. I would have already gone back with him to Sha Country to enjoy a life of wealth and luxury!”

Hearing this, everyone’s expression changed. Stubborn Su Gang’s story was surprisingly plausible.

“Dad, then what’s the deal with Lin Fan and the Prince?” Su Gang and Zhang Meili nodded eagerly. Amid his excitement, he couldn’t help but ask again.

“Who knows? Maybe it’s because Lin Fan knows a little of the Sha Country language, and it made the Prince feel like he’d met a fellow countryman,” Stubborn Su Gang said, rubbing his nose as he grudgingly recounted what had happened at the woodworking shop. Of course, he deliberately omitted the part where Xiao Jie knelt to beg Lin Fan for help.

“Lin Fan can speak the language of Sha Country?” Su Mengqing asked skeptically, her brow deeply furrowed. “Dad, what is this Prince’s name? As far as I know, the Sha Country Royal Family is large and has many princes.”

As she spoke, she secretly shot a look at Yang Tingting. Understanding the signal, Yang Tingting turned away and pulled out her phone to start searching online.

“Abdullah Bulger. He’s a direct descendant of the royal family, not from one of those messy collateral branches!” Stubborn Su Gang declared confidently, a proud look on his face.

“It’s true, Director Su!” Just then, Yang Tingting let out a low gasp. She turned around excitedly and handed over her phone. “There really is a direct-line prince in Sha Country named Abdullah Bulger! He’s the youngest son of the current old emperor!”

On the screen was a photo from the previous year, showing the old emperor of Sha Country’s family attending a national event. In the corner of the picture was a young man in a white robe. He looked exactly like Xiao Jie, the man currently wolfing down food at their table! The black mole on his right cheek was in the exact same spot!

“It… it really is the Prince!” Su Gang grew even more excited, his hands gripping the armrests of his wheelchair.

Zhang Meili’s chubby face beamed with joy. “Director Su, we’ve really latched onto someone powerful this time!”

Yang Tingting shed tears of joy.

“But… why didn’t the Prince contact Sha Country first?” Su Mengqing asked, biting her red lip. Amidst the elation, she still held onto a sliver of caution. I can’t help it… Dad almost ruined our whole family before. A leopard can’t change its spots, so I can’t just blindly trust him.

“For security reasons, of course!” Stubborn Su Gang snorted, looking annoyed. “Do you think the Prince’s plane crash was an accident? Obviously, someone was trying to harm him!”

He had already prepared his story, so the words flowed smoothly. “His enemies probably think he’s dead. If our Su Family puts up the money and manpower to help the Prince return home safely, we’ll be his saviors! When the old emperor of Sha Country kicks the bucket, Xiao Jie will be the new emperor, and the Su Family will be hailed as founding supporters. When that time comes, with a single word from him, we could all become high-ranking officials in Sha Country!”

As he finished speaking, the other four were left stunned. They never imagined such a secret plot was at play. If this was true, the Su Family had truly hit the jackpot!

“Dad, just tell us. How much does the Prince need? Our family will cover it all!” Su Gang declared gallantly, his face flushed with excitement. Zhang Meili and Yang Tingting nodded vigorously in agreement.

“Dad, if it’s possible, I hope the Prince can help Su Pharmaceutical break into the medical market in Sha Country.” Su Mengqing took a deep breath, finally casting aside her last shred of doubt. She grew cheerful and pleaded with Stubborn Su Gang.

“As for the money, the more the better, naturally.” Under their four pairs of intense eyes, Stubborn Su Gang secretly gulped. The plan is going unexpectedly smoothly! This is the crucial moment. I have to convince Su Mengqing to cough up a huge sum!

“I already mentioned our pharmaceutical company to the Prince. It’s not that he won’t help,” Stubborn Su Gang said with a dry cough, raising one finger. “But it takes money to grease the wheels over in Sha Country. We can’t expect the Prince to pay out of his own pocket, can we?”

“Ten million? Isn’t that a little expensive?” Zhang Meili’s eyes went dull, clearly feeling the sting.

“You bumpkin! Not ten million, one billion!” Stubborn Su Gang snapped, rolling his eyes.

HISS!

The three gasped, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Su Mengqing bit her lip hard, her heart sinking. Back in the day, she could have scraped that much money together. But now, even if she sold off Su Pharmaceutical entirely, she wouldn’t have that much capital!

“Dad, I don’t have that much… Could you please have a word with the Prince and ask him to reduce the amount?” Su Mengqing forced a smile, her tone low and submissive.

“How could I do that? You have no idea how much the Prince is worth! Before this incident, he wouldn’t have even glanced at such a paltry sum!” Stubborn Su Gang was ecstatic inside, but on the surface, he shook his head with a stern expression, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

“Dad, if we hadn’t been ruined by Lin Fan, we wouldn’t be in a position where we can’t come up with the money,” Su Gang said with a pained expression. “This is the Su Family’s only chance for a comeback. No matter what, you have to help us out!”

“That’s right, Old Su,” Zhang Meili chimed in with a fawning smile. “Right now, the company accounts have less than six hundred million. Where are we supposed to get the other four hundred million? You can’t just stand by and watch us fail, can you?”

“I don’t care about that. Do you think this one billion is just for show? Over on Second Master Yuan’s side, they might be able to raise tens of billions!” Stubborn Su Gang was about to pass out from happiness, but he fought to keep his lips from grinning. Six hundred million! A full six hundred million! I thought the Su Family was on the verge of collapse, but they still have this much? If I can get my hands on all of it, I could live out the rest of my days in leisure!

“Don’t say I never looked out for the Su Family. The one thing Sha Country has no shortage of is oil and gas fields. As long as the Prince is happy, he could give you a few oil wells with a single word, and the Su Family wouldn’t have to worry about money for the rest of your lives!”

BOOM!

His words sent a tremor through the four of them, leaving them so shocked they couldn’t close their mouths. Our ambitions really were too small. We were only thinking about breaking into Sha Country’s medical market. We never dared to dream of their thousands of oil and gas properties!

“Mengqing! Don’t hesitate! Listen to your father and support the Prince with everything we have!” Zhang Meili urged, her eyes burning with excitement.

“She’s right, Sis! This is a godsend! We’ve stumbled into some insane luck!” Su Gang was getting anxious, terrified of missing out on this heaven-sent fortune.

“Director Su, if we can really get the mineral rights, we’ll be set for life!” Yang Tingting’s breath hitched as she added her plea.

“I…”

Under their anxious gazes, Su Mengqing’s scalp tingled with indecision. Bet everything we have to support this fallen prince from Sha Country? This is nothing less than a massive gamble!

“Su Mengqing! Your Su Family scammed us out of our life savings, and you have the nerve to come to a fancy hotel for a feast?”

BANG!

The next moment, the door to the private room was violently shoved open, and a group of furious people stormed in.

Su Mengqing looked toward the commotion, her face instantly turning pale. They were all relatives and friends of the Su Family, clearly here to cause trouble over the recent stock market crash.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep