Persistent Criminal Intent

"Hua'er."

Grandpa Su handed the document back to Su Hua.

"Hurry back to the company," he urged.

The sooner she returned, the sooner she could handle the situation regarding Xiao Xuan.

Xiao Xuan was his, Su Guoxiong's, grandson-in-law. The Su family would not tolerate any slander against their own.

"Mm."

Su Hua didn't linger at the old Su residence. Taking the document, she rose and left.

Grandpa Su watched her retreating figure, shaking his head with a helpless smile.

"Hua'er used to be so cold, with nothing but work in her heart. If any man dared to touch her, she'd practically dislocate their arms. I was worried she'd end up alone forever. I never expected her to find a boyfriend at twenty-four, let alone like him this much. It really caught me by surprise."

All that time spent praying to the gods and Buddhas hadn't gone to waste.

Thank goodness he had prayed Xiao Xuan into her life.

Without him, Hua'er really might have become a nun.

Xiao Xuan was truly the Su family's lucky star. He gave Hua'er someone to keep her company and could even bring her back when her illness flared up.

Speaking of Su Hua's condition, a look of worry rose in Grandpa Su's eyes.

It was true.

With Xiao Xuan there, whenever Hua'er had an episode, she would regain her senses quickly. She wouldn't lock herself in her room and cover herself in cuts and bruises like she used to.

But Hua'er hadn't made a full recovery; her condition remained a ticking time bomb.

And then there was the matter of... him still not having a great-grandchild to hold. He wondered if that had something to do with Hua'er's illness...

Huo Shen kept a dark expression on his face and remained silent.

"Xiao Shen," Grandpa Su continued with a smile, "I trust that you, too, will be like Hua'er and meet the love of your life."

"I've always looked at you as my own grandson. When you get a girlfriend in the future, remember to bring her back for me to see," Grandpa Su instructed.

"Mm."

Huo Shen lowered his gaze, his eyes filled with a gloom.

Heh... treating him like a biological grandson. What pretty words.

But the reality?

Even though the old man knew full well that he loved Hua'er and had waited for her for so many years, he didn't support them being together.

And another thing.

He clearly treated Lin Xuan better than him.

Was this the attitude one should have toward a "grandson"?

"Enough of that, Xiao Shen. Let's get back to flaming these internet trolls," Grandpa Su said, currently brimming with combat readiness.

Hmph!

If they dared to slander his grandson-in-law like this, they couldn't blame him for cursing them into oblivion.

Huo Shen finally couldn't take it anymore.

He stood up abruptly from the sofa.

Grandpa Su looked at Huo Shen in confusion. "Xiao Shen, what's wrong?"

Why did he feel like Xiao Shen's complexion wasn't looking too good?

Huo Shen took a deep breath, trying hard to keep his tone steady. "Grandpa Su, it's nothing. I just suddenly remembered there's an urgent matter at work I need to handle. I'll be heading back first."

"Alright, go ahead." Grandpa Su didn't doubt his words and nodded.

Huo Shen left the Su residence.

The servants, seeing the look on Huo Shen's face, discussed it with great puzzlement.

"What's going on? Young Master Huo is usually all smiles. Why is his face so dark today?"

"Have you forgotten? Young Master Huo likes the Young Miss. Just now, the Master was talking at the TV about how people who meddle in others' relationships will suffer karma. Plus, the Master made Young Master Huo argue with the people insulting Young Master Lin. How could his face not be sour?"

Young Master Lin is Young Master Huo's romantic rival, after all. Who would be willing to do favors for their rival?

"It seems to me that Young Master Huo still hasn't given up on her. Do you think he'll actually try to break up Young Master Lin and the Young Miss later on, and try to steal her away from him?" one servant said worriedly.

The only person the Young Miss liked was Young Master Lin.

If Young Master Huo really used some underhanded means to separate them, the Young Miss would probably refuse to marry or have children, and her temper would become as volatile as it was before.

Although the Young Miss rarely came to the old residence, the Master's temper would suffer. He certainly wouldn't be as cheerful every day as he was now.

And if the masters were in a bad mood, how could life be easy for us servants?

"Just relax. Given how much the Young Miss likes Young Master Lin, no matter what tricks Young Master Huo pulls, he won't be able to break them up."

"That may be true, but I always get the feeling that Young Master Huo is no saint. He's very good at hiding his true nature. And he comes over every few days to keep the Master company—I feel like it's not out of filial piety, but to curry favor with the Master so he can find a chance to break the couple up later."

Young Master Huo always gave her a gloomy feeling, like he was plotting something bad.

With people, you don't fear those who are openly bad; you fear those who seem warm and easy to get along with on the surface, but stab you in the back when you're not looking.

A maid retorted, "What you're saying is even more impossible. Our Master likes Young Master Lin so much; how could he possibly help Young Master Huo break them up?"

The previous servant muttered to herself, "I hope I'm just overthinking it."

Inside the living room.

"Old Chen, come on, let's get back to it," Grandpa Su said to the butler.

"Alright."

The old butler nodded.

The two old men continued sitting on the sofa, holding their phones and engaging in an online flame war.

"Old Man Su, what are you doing?"

Old Man Li, Old Man Chen, and Old Man Han walked into the living room together.

The three of them had made plans with Grandpa Su to come to the Su residence for a game of chess.

"I'm in a flame war," Grandpa Su replied without lifting his head, currently locked in a fierce battle with a hater.

"A flame war?"

The three old men exchanged glances, confusion visible in their eyes.

What kind of war?

Grandpa Su's fingers got tired from tapping the screen, so he switched directly to voice-to-text.

He shouted into the phone, "You little troll! Xiao Xuan hasn't even started his research yet, so how do you know it won't work? The Qing Dynasty fell ages ago, so why is your brain still bound like a pair of feet? Your mouth is so filthy—did you eat shit while you were in the toilet?"

This sudden stream of profanity made the other old men stare wide-eyed.

Their eyes were filled with shock.

Wait, since when did Old Man Su have such a foul mouth?

And since when was he so good at cursing?

He used to show off a lot, sure, but they had rarely seen him actually curse at people.

"That felt good."

After letting out that string of curses, Grandpa Su felt a sense of relief wash over his entire body.

"Old Man Su, who were you cursing at just now?" Old Man Li couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

He wondered what could have possibly angered Old Man Su to such an extent.

"I'm yelling at those keyboard warriors. Isn't my grandson-in-law leading a group of students to research some chip and lithography machine project? Those keyboard warriors are all mocking him, saying he's wasting resources and that he won't be able to develop it. What a joke! My grandson-in-law is amazing. It's just mere chips and lithography machines—how could my grandson-in-law possibly fail to develop them?" Grandpa Su ranted.

Mere... chips and lithography machines.

The three old men shook their heads.

Wasn't Old Man Su being a little too confident in Lin Xuan? Were chips and lithography machines things that could be developed just by saying so?

It wasn't just the people online who didn't believe it; they didn't believe it either.

A group of students developing chips and lithography machines—isn't that just a fantasy?

Old Man Su sure is brimming with confidence in that future son-in-law of his.