Chapter 116 Su Ruan and I are together.
Su Ruan pondered for a long time without changing her expression.
If we really do as Lin Xuqiu says, the scene will certainly be ugly.
This further places Yan Tingnan in an unjust and immoral position.
In his fury, the schemes he has secretly laid out and the balance he has painstakingly maintained over the years may be completely overturned.
He had clearly stated that he would handle the marriage arrangements.
He said, "Trust me."
Then she believed it.
The most crucial thing right now is to keep Lin Xuqiu calm and absolutely prevent her from launching an attack prematurely, thus disrupting Yan Tingnan's plans.
We must not let Lin Xuqiu, this double-edged sword, hurt him.
Su Ruan raised her eyes, meeting Lin Xuqiu's scrutinizing gaze, and a smile played on her lips.
"Mrs. Lin, you've misunderstood."
"I never thought that relying on Yan Tingnan would guarantee me peace of mind."
"I never even considered going back on my word."
Lin Xuqiu raised an eyebrow but remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
"The marriage alliance must be destroyed, but how and when to destroy it is up to me."
"Instead of turning it into a farce that embarrasses everyone under your command."
Lin Xuqiu raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? You have a better plan?"
Su Ruan pressed on, her tone softening but becoming even more resolute.
"The matter will be resolved, in a more dignified and thorough way."
"After all, we share the same goal, don't we?"
Lin Xuqiu remained silent for a few seconds, looking at Su Ruan as if weighing the weight of the young girl in front of her.
"Decent?"
She suddenly chuckled.
"The marriage alliance between the Yan and Lin families is the most undignified joke in itself."
"I only care about the results."
"The results will be provided to you."
Su Ruan responded extremely quickly.
"But please allow me some leeway regarding how and when to give it to you."
The office fell silent for a moment.
After a long while, Lin Xuqiu finally slowly got up.
"Alright, Miss Su, I'll trust you one more time."
She straightened her skirt, her posture still elegant, but her words were firm and resolute.
"I want to see news of the marriage alliance falling through completely before the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Otherwise, you won't be able to control how things go."
The threat in Lin Xuqiu's words was clear and unmistakable.
Su Ruan then got up.
You will see.
Lin Xuqiu didn't say anything more, only leaving a meaningful look before turning and leaving.
The door closed gently.
Su Ruan stood still and slowly exhaled.
The tension in my shoulders and back instantly eased.
They needed to appease Lin Xuqiu, but they couldn't completely agree; they had to leave room for Yan Tingnan to maneuver.
Su Ruan returned to her desk, hovered her fingertip over the screen for a moment, and finally pressed the call button.
The phone was answered after only one ring.
"Hello."
Yan Tingnan's voice came through the receiver, calm and composed as always.
"Lin Xuqiu just came to see me."
Su Ruan got straight to the point, her voice calm and even.
"She knew about what happened in the Southwest, and she was hinting at something in her words."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed only by soft breathing.
"Um."
Yan Tingnan responded with a sound of surprise, showing no sign of it.
What did she say?
"At the Mid-Autumn Festival engagement banquet, I'll take the initiative to publicly announce our relationship, the bigger the fuss, the better."
I guessed it.
The sound of Yan Tingnan closing the document came clearly.
"Her patience is almost worn out."
Su Ruan's heart calmed down a little.
He really did know everything.
"I managed to keep her calm for the time being, neither agreeing nor completely refusing."
"Well done."
He spoke slowly and clearly.
There's no need to confront her head-on.
"Just play along and stall for time."
Su Ruan turned around and leaned against the glass window.
"Yan Tingnan, what exactly are you planning? I need to know where the bottom line is."
"The bottom line is that you are safe and sound, and that you can be completely extricated from the situation."
He answered very quickly, without the slightest hesitation.
"Everything else is a bargaining chip that can be sacrificed."
Does that include himself?
Su Ruan didn't ask the question, but her heart clenched.
She said that if she didn't see the marriage fall through before the Mid-Autumn Festival, she would resolve the issue in her own way.
"Um."
Yan Tingnan responded, seemingly unsurprised.
"It seems that matter needs to be brought forward."
Su Ruan pressed for an answer.
"What's up?"
"I'll pick you up tonight."
His voice deepened.
"Come with me somewhere."
"You just need to cooperate with me and put on a show."
Su Ruan agreed.
"good."
The call ended.
Su Ruan held her phone, looking out the window at the endless stream of cars.
The restlessness in my heart slowly subsided.
Trust him.
She has to trust him.
They have to fight this tough battle together.
...
Yan Tingnan took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, and dialed a number.
The gentleness on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a layer of cold frost.
"Hello?"
Lu Zhuo's voice was hoarse from just waking up and annoyed at being disturbed.
"Ancestor, what are you doing now?"
"It's immoral to disturb someone's sleep so early in the morning."
"Come out for a bit."
Yan Tingnan's voice was deep and cold, without a trace of pleasantries.
"You're back from the mythical mountains of the southwest? So soon?"
Lu Zhuo's voice carried his usual teasing tone.
"That's not like you."
"Is the matter settled? Are your inner demons cleared away?"
"Same place, see you in half an hour."
Yan Tingnan interrupted him.
"If you're even one minute late, you'll have to go and kowtow to the old man yourself regarding that Southeast Asian port project."
"Hold!"
Lu Zhu cursed, and the rustling sound of getting out of bed came from behind him.
"You win! Just you wait!"
...
10:30 a.m., VIP lounge area at Yijing Golf Course.
The window seat offers a wide view of lush green grass.
Yan Tingnan, dressed casually, sat on the sofa with a glass of water in front of him, untouched.
Lu Zhuo arrived late, sitting down with an air of nonchalant elegance.
He scrutinized Yan Tingnan, his gaze sharpening.
"After a trip to the Southwest, he came back like a completely different person."
"His brows held a hint of spring, but his eyes concealed a chilling intent. Had he encountered trouble? Or had he run into someone?"
Yan Tingnan ignored his teasing and focused her gaze on the undulating green lawn outside the window.
"Su Ruan and I are together."
Lu Zhuo paused in his hand as he lit the cigarette, the flame of the lighter hovering in the air for a few seconds.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, intrigued.
"Oh? You finally managed to eat him? How did it taste?"
Yan Tingnan raised her eyes, her gaze calm.
"I've taken it to heart."
Lu Zhuo's nonchalant expression vanished instantly, and he sat up straighter.
He looked at Yan Tingnan, as if to confirm the truth of her words.
Are you serious?
"Um."
"Hold!"
Lu Zhuo was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.
"I was wondering why you suddenly changed your mind, went to Yunqi Temple and then came back ahead of time."
"So that little vixen bewitched him!"
"Yan Tingnan, Yan Tingnan, you've finally met your match!"
"I thought you were planning to spend your whole life with prayer beads!"
He lowered his leg and leaned forward.
"How does it feel? How does breaking the rule feel?"
Yan Tingnan ignored his teasing and tapped the table lightly with her knuckles.
"I didn't call you here to talk about this."
He looked up, his gaze fixed on Lu Zhuo.
"The marriage alliance with the Lin family, as for the old man, cannot be delayed any longer."
"There are 15 days left until our engagement banquet during the Mid-Autumn Festival."
The playful expression on Lu Zhuo's face faded, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"Is the old man pressuring you too much?"
"It's not that it's tight, it's that there's no room for maneuver."
Yan Tingnan's voice turned cold.
"My relationship with Ruan Ruan is currently on hold."
"But Lin Xuqiu will not give up. She is waiting to book a banquet for the Mid-Autumn Festival and wait for an opportunity to make trouble in public."
Lu Zhuo exhaled a puff of smoke.
"She wants to expose your relationship with Su Ruan at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, forcing the old man to publicly declare that he will cancel the marriage."
Yan Tingnan took a sip of water.
"If it really comes to that, Ruan Ruan will become the target of everyone's criticism."
"The Lin family will vehemently deny that she was a third party, and the old man will see her as a troublemaker and a spoiler, and she will be torn apart by the anger and public opinion of both families."
“She can’t be dragged into this that day, and I can’t let her stand on that shooting range.”
"The plans I've laid out over the years will also be disrupted."
"We can't just sit and take the hits; we have to take the initiative to defuse the bomb."
Lu Zhuo flicked off the ash from his cigarette and squinted.
"so?"
"what do you want to do?"
A chill flashed across Yan Tingnan's eyes, his gaze chillingly calm.
"Go and get close to Lin Yiyao."
"Get her, and ideally, sleep with her."
—A side note—
Babies, I'm going into the "little black room" (a term used to describe a place where people are being frantically edited), so I won't be able to give you lots of "feeding" anymore. I'll basically be glossing over things from now on. I hope you can understand. Safety first!
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