The Modern Martial Immortal-Chapter 27: Benefits

"Su Yaoguang!" His attitude pushed Zhang Ya’s patience to its limit.

She had raised her son strictly ever since he was a child. Her goal was to mold him into someone exceptional, someone who would shine and earn achievements so great that, one day, he would be able to bring her into the upper circles of Tiannan. Once they acquired that kind of status, Yaoguang's biological father, Su Huaifeng, would finally regret abandoning them.

In earlier years, she thought she had succeeded. Her son had indeed been obedient, timid, and would never have dared to talk back. But in recent years, as the Zhang family began to rise, she believed she could rely on her clan’s power to reclaim her dignity. At the same time, Su Yaoguang had proved to be a disappointment. She had poured years of meticulous training into him, yet he still failed to meet her expectations in every aspect. Completely disappointed in her son, Zhang Ya had shifted her attention back to the family and relaxed her control over him for a year or two.

However, matters within a prestigious family were never so simple. She had been away from home for so many years that she had already grown estranged from the elders.

After returning and struggling for two years without accomplishing anything notable, she had no choice but to set her sights once again on Su Yaoguang. She planned to use her son as her entry ticket and then rely on the Zhang family's influence to extract a large sum of money from the Su family to strengthen herself.

However, it had taken only a couple of years without proper discipline, and her once obedient and docile son now dared to rebel and talk back.

Zhang Hong saw that his cousin was about to get angry, and to prevent the conflict from escalating, he quickly spoke up first. "Did the Su family say something to you? Did they promise you anything?"

"Whether it's you or the Su family, I don't want to get involved with either one," Yaoguang said calmly.

"Don't want to get involved? Then why did Su Yaoyu rush all the way to Yunmeng City a few days ago? Was she going there to meet a lover?" Suddenly, a man in his early thirties gave a cold laugh.

Yaoguang glanced at him. "And you are?"

"Zhang Rufeng. If we take seniority into account, you should address me as your older cousin—"

He had not even finished speaking when Yaoguang raised a hand and cut him off. "If you can't speak properly, speak less."

Zhang Hong continued in the tone of an elder instructing a junior. "Listen, my dear nephew, you've already stepped out into the world during the last couple of years. You've seen the schemes and deceit out there, so you should understand how important status and background are when navigating the world.

"With status and background, you can thrive in any industry with ease. Others work themselves half to death, and earning just one hundred thousand dollars a year is considered successful. But with connections and relationships, you can take one big contract, transfer it once, do nothing, and easily earn tens of millions. That's money ordinary people couldn't earn even if they worked themselves sick or dropped dead from overwork. So listening to me and your mother won't do you any harm."

He paused, then added, "Besides, what we plan to retrieve from the Su family is originally yours, something others have encroached upon."

"And then?" Yaoguang looked at him. "Once you retrieve it, who handles it? You?"

"You're young. If you suddenly receive a large sum of money, you might lose control and waste it all. That would ruin your life. Letting us elders hold it for you is for your own good. And we'll invest it properly. Every year, you'll receive a generous dividend. With that alone, you can live a carefree life," Zhang Hong continued, his tone full of feigned concern.

Yaoguang shook his head. He had already lost all interest in speaking with them.

Heavy footsteps suddenly rushed in from outside.

Soon, Su Yaoyu, Caiyun, Lin Xiaowei, and a middle-aged man in a suit hurried toward them.

When Su Yaoyu saw Zhang Ya and the others blocking the doorway, her expression grew complicated. Even so, she still called out, "Mom."

"Hmph. I don't have a daughter who bites the hand that feeds her," Zhang Ya said coldly. "I carried you for ten months, gave birth to you, and you refuse to do even one thing for me. What use are you?"

"Mom, what you've been doing... is illegal...," Su Yaoyu said softly. Considering the outsiders present, she did not go into detail. She only said, "I need to take Yaoguang home. What are you all doing here?"

"Something urgent?" Zhang Ya sneered. "Su Huaifeng's illness flared up again? This time, he probably won't make it. Taking Yaoguang to see him for the last time? If that's the case, he should have thought of all this earlier!"

"Mom, he was with you... even if it was only three years. A husband and wife should share lasting affection—"

"Shut up!" Zhang Ya snapped before she could finish. "The moment I walked in, while being pregnant, and caught him sleeping with three women, there was no longer any affection between us. Only hatred."

Su Yaoyu opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.

Yaoguang simply stood to the side and watched, his expression calm.

He was not the original owner of this body, so whether it came to Zhang Ya or Su Huaifeng, he felt little attachment. Even hearing that Su Huaifeng was about to die stirred no great emotion in him.

If he had not taken over this body and inherited its karma, he would not have wanted to see any of these people at all.

Zhang Hong had been observing Yaoguang quietly. Seeing this scene, he felt regret. Using Yaoguang as their entry ticket to carve a piece of flesh off the Su family would not be easy after all.

Still, if playing the emotion card failed, then he would play the benefit card. In the adult world, benefits mattered far more than so-called emotions.

"Su Huaifeng bet on the right opportunity during the past ten years. His assets expanded more than tenfold. He even entered the board of the Buzhou Group. His net worth should be at least five or six billion. Just the Xingyu Center alone is worth no less than three billion. But how much do you think the Su family will actually give Yaoguang? One-tenth? The rest will be swallowed up by his uncles."

He turned to Su Yaoyu. "And as for you, once Su Huaifeng dies, you will have no parents and no one to defend your rights. A married daughter is like spilt water. The Su family might toss you one or two million as a dowry out of kindness. Your position as general manager of the Xingyu International Hotel will also be taken away. The current Su family head might politely call you Miss Su, but once you return home, there might not even be a seat for you at the table."[1]

"This is a matter of our Su family. No need for you to worry about it," Su Yaoyu replied, her tone nothing like the soft, gentle one she'd used with Zhang Ya.

"I don't care about the Su family's affairs, but I can't ignore assets rightfully belonging to my nephew being stolen," Zhang Hong said righteously. "Su Xiangyang has a massive criminal case hanging over him. With such a big scandal, the Su family can't protect him. He'll be going to prison soon. That means Yaoguang is Su Huaifeng's sole heir. And he is already an adult. Even if he doesn't get all of Su Huaifeng's five or six billion, he should at least inherit half. If the Su family tries to dismiss him with one or two hundred million, we on his mother's side will never agree."

He looked at Yaoguang. "Don't worry, nephew. We will stand behind you."

"About this—" Su Yaoyu was about to refuse.

"Wait!" Yaoguang stepped forward. "Su Xiangyang is going to prison?"

"The matter was massive, and the evidence is solid. The first trial is over. He will serve twenty years," Zhang Hong said with a smile. "Perhaps with some maneuvering it might be reduced to fifteen, or maybe ten, but when it comes to dividing the inheritance Su Huaifeng leaves behind, he definitely won't make it in time."

"Twenty years? Ten years?" Yaoguang listened, then glanced at Su Yaoyu. "Is this how the Su family's Family Laws Hall carries out the family law?"

"The family patriarch will compensate you...," Su Yaoyu said quickly.

"No need," Yaoguang replied. "Haven't you always wanted me to return to the Su family? Let's go."

1. "A married daughter is like spilt water" is a Chinese saying, meaning that a daughter married off cannot be taken back. She will belong to the husband's family. This has very strong traditional ties. ☜