After Being Betrayed I Married the Glamorous CEO-Chapter 75, Just a Bunch of Beasts, Why Bother with Them?!
「The next morning.」
Su Xiyang was suddenly woken up by a phone call. After a brief exchange, all desire for sleep vanished, and her face turned deathly pale. "What?"
"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice urgent and her palms trembling.
The commotion roused Shen Fanyun, who lifted his head and asked what had happened.
"Su Ziye is missing," Su Xiyang said, her voice filled with panic.
"Hm?" Shen Fanyun raised an eyebrow. For that woman to go missing is a cause for celebration. She never does anything productive, only thinks of ways to challenge Su Xiyang.
"Don’t be like that. We’re family, after all, and we grew up together."
"No matter how fiercely we usually fight, when something like this happens, I don’t want any harm to come to her."
Su Xiyang scrambled out of bed, stumbling and nearly falling over. She shot a furious glare back at Shen Fanyun. Their night of passion had left her more exhausted than ever before. This is getting in the way of serious business.
"I’ll come with you," Shen Fanyun said, getting up as well.
Su Xiyang considered it. Since she had never experienced anything like this before, having a reliable man by her side might make a significant difference.
"Alright, then hurry up," Su Xiyang urged, impatiently whipping the blanket off Shen Fanyun, revealing him lying spread-eagled.
Immediately regretting her rash action, Su Xiyang cursed quietly, turned her back, and urged him to get dressed quickly so they could leave.
「The Su Family Estate.」
Old Master Su sat on a chair with both hands resting on his cane, his face dark and silent. A gorgeously dressed woman was sobbing, heartbroken. She kept muttering that she shouldn’t have let Su Ziye go out alone, convinced that the accident wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
The other Su family members also looked downcast, a collective gloom hanging over them.
"Grandfather." Su Xiyang had rushed home as fast as she could.
Su Ke looked up and saw Shen Fanyun following her, immediately bristling with unconcealed anger. It was obvious Shen Fanyun was not welcome.
"He’s here to help," Su Xiyang explained.
Su Ke scoffed, "This old man doesn’t need any help."
"Su Xiyang, you’re finally back! You... you give me back my daughter! Give me back my daughter!" The woman, worn out from crying, suddenly erupted in fury and lunged for Su Xiyang’s neck.
Su Xiyang gasped in shock. "Aunt, what... what are you doing?"
Fortunately, Shen Fanyun’s quick reflexes saved her as he stepped between them.
This woman, Chen Wen, had never met Shen Fanyun before and had no idea what kind of person he was. Seeing him block her, she snarled, "Who the hell are you? Get out!"
"This is a private matter for the Su family! Get out!"
Shen Fanyun sneered, "Say one more filthy word and I’ll slap you."
Chen Wen was left speechless.
Still shaken, Su Xiyang couldn’t understand why her own aunt had been so violent. Was she really trying to strangle me to death?
"It’s all your fault! All your fault!" Chen Wen shrieked, her voice cracking with anguish.
Su Xiyang was completely bewildered. "What do you mean?"
"Ziye’s confirmed to have been kidnapped," Old Master Su said slowly. "You were the original target. Ziye took the bullet for you!"
Chen Wen grew hysterical again. "You owe me my daughter’s life!"
"If anything happens to my daughter, I will never forgive you, Su Xiyang!"
Su Xiyang forced herself to be patient and tried to reason with her. "I’m also heartbroken that Ziye was kidnapped. The most important thing now is for us to get through this together and figure out a plan."
"Hmph! It’s still all your fault!" Chen Wen spat, her eyes filled with resentment and rage as she glared at Su Xiyang.
Shen Fanyun interjected, "Are you looking for a beating?"
"Go on, act tough again. See what happens."
Chen Wen fell silent again.
"She’s been kidnapped, so go deal with it. What’s the point of shouting in here? You think yelling is going to bring her back?"
"Who is this man?" Chen Wen demanded, turning to Su Xiyang. She was deeply offended by Shen Fanyun’s words and actions and desperately wanted the butler to throw him out.
"He’s a friend of mine," Su Xiyang said. "He’s very capable and will be a great help." Even now, Su Xiyang was trying to speak gently, hoping to calm Chen Wen down.
Chen Wen blurted out, "And what if he can’t help? Will he pay with his life?"
"If I can’t help, I can’t help. What do you expect? We’ll just part ways. It’s not like I’m your daughter’s father, so why should I be responsible to the very end?" Shen Fanyun said with a raised eyebrow.
Pah. What a disgusting thought. If I were really Su Ziye’s father, wouldn’t that make Chen Wen my wife? He couldn’t stand the sight of this fat-headed, heavily-powdered, ugly woman. That would be pure agony for his little brother—he couldn’t even imagine it!
"All of you, stop arguing! Can arguing solve anything?" Finally, it was Su Ke who put an end to it.
Then, the old man glanced at Su Xiyang and continued, "The kidnappers say that if you want Ziye to live, you, Xi Yan, must take her place."
"They will provide the exchange location. You are forbidden from bringing anyone with you. You must go alone. Otherwise, they’ll kill the hostage!"
A life for a life?
Su Xiyang stood frozen, stunned for a long time as she struggled to process the news. From her grandfather’s attitude, it was clear he had already made his choice: he was going to make her trade herself for Su Ziye.
Yes! In Grandfather’s eyes, Su Ziye had always been the most important one. If it ever came to a day where only one of them could live, Grandfather would always, without a moment’s hesitation, choose to save Su Ziye. And as for her, Su Xiyang? From the very beginning, from the day she was born, she had always been expendable!
"You agreed?" Su Xiyang asked, knowing the decision was final but still clinging to a desperate sliver of hope.
She yearned for a change of heart, for any hint of pain, reluctance, or concern for her in her grandfather’s eyes. But there was nothing.
Su Ke lifted his head, his tone more certain and unchallengeable than ever before. "Yes!"
In that instant, Su Xiyang’s eyes welled with tears. This is so unfair. But she forced them back. She hated the thought of anyone seeing her looking weak and defeated, so she forced a smile and nodded. "Fine, I’ll go!"
"Give me the address!"
A muscle in Chen Wen’s cheek twitched. Before Su Xiyang could leave, she added a final warning, "Don’t try any tricks. Just cooperate."
"If anything happens to Ziye, you can forget about living, too!"
From top to bottom, not a single person in the Su family spoke up for Su Xiyang. There wasn’t even a simple word of comfort or sympathy.
Shen Fanyun scoffed. He had seen elders who were worse than beasts, treating certain descendants with cold indifference, but a whole house full of them was a rare sight indeed. However, maybe this was for the best. I hope this is enough for Su Xiyang to finally see the true faces of her "beloved" family. When the time comes to sever all ties, she can make a clean break, without having to worry about so-called family bonds!
