The Female Cannon Fodder With Boundless Merits-Chapter 150 - 154: The Woman Who Married into a Wealthy Family (14)
Chapter 150: Chapter 154: The Woman Who Married into a Wealthy Family (14)
Yuan Jingran looked at his composed younger cousin, sneered, then considerately brewed a cup of hot tea and brought it over to the elderly patriarch.
"Grandfather, have some tea before you upset your health. I’ll be heartbroken."
As he got older, the patriarch really became more and more taken by Yuan Jingran’s smooth talk. The tension in his face also eased slightly.
Mulan watched, her heart seething with resentment. This damned young man was getting better at ingratiating himself with the old man. Anxiously, she feared Yuan Jingran might say something offensive.
The young man was notoriously reckless, speaking carelessly and heedlessly, saying things out of place, which could cause the patriarch to grow even more dissatisfied with their main branch.
In recent years, the patriarch seemed to become more muddled. They were the eldest son of the main branch, yet the patriarch had allowed them to be trampled upon. If it weren’t for the patriarch’s indulgence, these people wouldn’t dare to undermine her dignity in public.
No matter what Mulan thought, Yuan Jingran glanced at his cousin and said unhurriedly, "Qi Ran, you too, why create turmoil at home over a woman? Your wife became so angry she divorced you, and the cooperation with Mr. Smith fell through as well."
"You should know, the company had been following up on the partnership with Mr. Smith for a long time, this is a huge loss for us."
No matter how much the patriarch appreciated Su Li, in the end, he still cared a little more for his own grandson, so he was very dissatisfied with Su Li’s sudden divulgence of the divorce news.
But at that time, the patriarch didn’t know the backstory that had kindled this cooperation nightmare.
He was slightly angered, but his kung fu in maintaining composure was good. Besides Yuan Jingran, who was standing next to him and noticed something off, no one else realized the patriarch’s mood had soured.
Seeing Yuan Jingran bring up Su Li, even with Yuan Qiran’s stoic face, a discerning person could detect a flicker of anger in his expression.
Being taken advantage of by the same woman time and again was clearly unacceptable to Yuan Qiran, who was used to having everything his way.
The findings of his assistant showed that the money Su Li had asked for, and the assets divided during their divorce, had all been transferred away by her.
Evidently, she had premeditated her actions regarding the current situation, which implied that he, the great eagle hunter, had been blinded by the eagle. She had orchestrated so much right under his nose without his knowledge.
This was particularly intolerable for the proud Yuan Qiran.
"Yuan Jingran, as for Mr. Smith’s case, I have already explained it to Grandfather. It’s not your place to question me."
"Tsks, look at you, so arrogant now. You’re even calling me by my name, not even ’brother.’"
The brothers’ verbal sparring was unbearable for the patriarch, who cherished family harmony.
Mulan, lacking any sense of propriety, also interjected herself into the situation.
Mulan, with a cold face, sternly supported her son, "Jingran, you have the nerve to criticize Qi Ran? Just look at yourself, acting without any proper conduct all day, and always picking on your own family’s trivial faults..."
Before Mulan could finish, Mr. Yuan, who had been standing there like a wooden figure with little presence, suddenly tugged at his wife’s clothes and hissed, "Stop talking..."
Mulan, not conceding, replied, "Why pull on me, why can’t I speak..."
"Don’t anger Dad, you imbecile," Mr. Yuan finally regretted his decision to marry her for her beauty.
He knew Mulan wasn’t very smart, but he hadn’t expected her to be this foolish.
Everyone saw the patriarch’s unusual expression, yet she continued to prattle on.
Thankfully, the son she bore wasn’t as foolish as her; otherwise, he would have to consider bringing back those other children from the outside.
However, this time, his shrewd-looking son did something stupid. There were people on the outside who could be relied upon, so why divorce his own wife for that reason? He really must have lost his mind.
Mr. Yuan still held a great deal of appreciation for his daughter-in-law, Su Li, who was much better than his own foolish and unclear offspring. Without Su Li’s support, Qi Ran wouldn’t have had it so easy and successful in every affair.
Sometimes the wife’s diplomacy proved more effective than many other methods.
"Alright, stop talking, all of you," the elder spoke up, prompting everyone present to promptly shut their mouths.
"The Yuan Family tradition has always been to keep illegitimate children out of the main house. Since a mistake was made, we should bring the child back. There is still substantial room for maneuvering here. We must change the outside world’s perception of our Yuan Family. At the end of the day, that woman’s greed is never satisfied..."
The elder’s words were clear to everyone; they intended to push Huayin, the woman who sparked all this trouble, to the front and claim that, out of spite, she secretly switched the two children.
The first step was to disassociate Yuan Qiran from the Yuan Family.
This approached seemed straightforward and simple, but it greatly upset Mulan.
She immediately cried out, "Not acceptable, unacceptable. Ming Ting is my grandson, and I won’t let that woman take him away."
She had raised her grandson with her own hands; how could she bear to let him suffer out there? Just the thought of him leaving her side made Mulan feel as if her heart was being torn apart, the pain intense.
It wasn’t only Mulan who was unwilling. Yuan Qiran too showed reluctance—Yuan Mingting was someone he held in high regard.
Even though he was always busy with work, he had never neglected the child’s education. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had taught the boy himself.
Yuan Qiran thought for a moment, then, under the piercing gaze of the elder, nervously weighed his words before finally speaking up.
"Grandfather, the gap between Ming Ting and that child must be quite significant by now. After all, one received an elite education from a young age, while the other..."
"Qi Ran, what you’re saying doesn’t sound very nice. Are you being biased because of blind love? The child isn’t that old. Even if something is amiss, we can teach him slowly. If worse comes to worst, we still have our robust elder who can teach the child himself. Are you worrying needlessly? If you carry on like this, you’ll just make a laughing stock of us in front of outsiders."
While Yuan Jingran put Yuan Qiran in his place, he didn’t forget to flatter the elder.
"Right, Grandfather? If such a thing really happened in our family, even walking outside, I fear those little people would laugh me to death."
Despite being nearly thirty, Yuan Jingran pandered in a manner that was effortless and unabashed, charming the elder into a smile.
"Let’s do it my way," he said.
"And tomorrow, Jingran will go to the company to assume the position of deputy director. The recent cases you’ve been handling should be passed on to your brother."
"Dad, you must be confused," Mulan voiced her anger.
Yuan Qiran was also visibly stunned. Parting with half of his cases was akin to giving away his power, a significant blow to him.
Mr. Yuan was also displeased, but he kept his composure better than both his wife and his son. He struck his wife across the face, "You fool, how dare you speak to Dad like that."
Then he turned and cautiously asked, "Dad, it’s not that I, as his eldest uncle, can’t accommodate him, it’s just that... I fear he may treat the company as a plaything. The cases in Qi Ran’s hands are very important..."
The elder didn’t say a word but simply looked at Yuan Jingran.
Yuan Jingran spoke up with a smile, "Thank you for the concern, Uncle. The partnership case with Mr. Smith that Qi Ran lost—I’ve already successfully persuaded the other party and the contract is signed. You can rest assured about my abilities, Uncle."
