HBWMA -Chapter 400 Visiting to Apologize

The four girls chatted casually from all directions, and before they knew it, the sun had already set.

Su Miao glanced at the time, stood up, and took her leave.

Since Jiang Huashan was in a less convenient condition, she asked Shen Mianzhi to see her out. The two had just stepped out of the Shen residence gate when they saw a long black convoy lined up in the front courtyard.

Elderly Madam Gu of the Gu family got out of the car with the support of her eldest son, Gu Cifeng. Shen Zhi had been waiting outside for a while and immediately went forward to greet them.

Following behind them was a man she didn’t recognize. Dressed in a suit and leather shoes, slightly overweight, he stepped out of the car one after another with Lan Dai, both of them wearing polished, polite smiles.

Although Su Miao hadn’t spent much time with the Su family in recent years, she still recognized Old Madam Gu. She gently nudged Shen Mianzhi’s arm and asked in a low voice, “I heard the North District mountain villa gathering this time was personally organized by Grandma Gu?”

Shen Mianzhi nodded and, taking Su Miao with her, stepped forward to greet them proactively. “Grandma Gu, Uncle Gu.”

The old lady smiled kindly, her face full of warmth. “This must be Mianzhi, right? You’re getting more and more beautiful.” Then she turned to Su Miao. “Oh, Miao Miao is here too.”

Back then, the matter of the Su family’s real and fake daughter had caused a huge uproar. Even though people didn’t say it openly, many still looked down on Su Miao because of it. Especially the wealthy ladies in their circle—those who once fought to have her as a daughter-in-law before she came of age now avoided her like the plague after she grew up.

Yet the old lady’s familiar and affectionate attitude showed no trace of awkwardness.

Su Miao politely nodded. “Grandma Gu, Uncle Gu.”

Gu Cifeng nodded in return. “Send my regards to your father.”

The middle-aged man behind him froze slightly. Chairman Gu was a member of the judicial supervisory committee—yet he was speaking so politely to this girl.

Lan Dai noticed her father’s confusion and leaned in to whisper, “Her father is Su Zhuli from the State Council.”

The man lowered his gaze at his daughter, his smile becoming even more eager and flattering.

The Lan family was only able to stand in this circle because of the Gu family’s influence. Without their introduction, they wouldn’t dare to speak freely, so they could only smile more.

Su Miao responded politely, “Of course. It’s getting late now. Grandma Gu, Uncle Gu, I’ll be leaving first.”

Shen Mianzhi naturally added, “I’ll see you off.”

The others nodded in response. When their gazes passed over Lan Dai, Shen Mianzhi remained polite as usual, while Su Miao directly ignored her with an eye-roll.

Lan Dai’s expression stiffened slightly, but she quickly masked it.

“Please, everyone, this way.” Shen Zhi stepped forward and led the group into the garden.

Shen Mianzhi walked Su Miao out a little further, then asked with some confusion, “You don’t like Lan Dai?”

Su Miao replied, “It’s not about liking or disliking her. I just don’t want to waste time dealing with her.”

After two years of growth, she was no longer the impulsive girl she once was. With just one glance, she could tell the relationship between Lan Dai and the man beside her. She also clearly saw the ambition hidden in their eyes.

These people were simply trying to use her as a way into the Su family. If she showed even a hint of friendliness, it would only bring endless trouble. So that eye-roll was purely for convenience.

Shen Mianzhi immediately understood and smiled. She waved over her driver. “It’s getting late and it’s not safe to take a taxi. I’ll have someone take you home?”

Since Su Miao had applied for a student housing apartment, she had moved out of the Su family. Shen Mianzhi guessed that with her personality, once she chose independence, she wouldn’t want to rely on Su family resources again. It wouldn’t be good for her to walk all the way down the mountain just to take a taxi home.

Su Miao nodded in agreement.

Her identity as a fake daughter had not eroded her attitude toward life. She accepted kindness from friends without hesitation or awkwardness.

Meanwhile, Shen Zhi followed Shen Zhuang’s instructions and directly led the group toward Qinyuan.

Lan Xiangyang cautiously followed behind Madam Gu, and while glancing around at the scenery, secretly signaled to Lan Dai with his eyes.

Lan Dai deliberately lagged a step behind, looking at her father in confusion.

Lan Xiangyang cautiously glanced ahead. Seeing that Old Madam Gu was speaking with Shen Zhi, he lowered his voice and asked very quietly, “Didn’t you say you were on good terms with the Su family’s young lady?”

Lan Dai replied, “The Su family has two daughters. The one you just saw is the adopted daughter. The one I’m close to is the Su family’s biological daughter.”

Hearing this, Lan Xiangyang slowly let out a breath of relief.

After walking for another fifteen minutes or so, a screen wall opened into view, revealing a courtyard villa. The Lan father and daughter initially assumed this was the main residence of Old Master Shen, and were about to straighten their appearance, when they noticed workers everywhere along the corridor by the courtyard pond, digging into the ground.

Both of them were slightly stunned. The sun was already setting, yet the craftsmen showed no intention of stopping. With a single swing of a hammer, slabs of fine white marble were smashed apart without hesitation.

Lan Xiangyang usually collected antiques and treasures, so he had a deep understanding of classical architecture. From the moment he stepped into the Shen estate, he had already been shaken by its overwhelming grandeur.

He had thought they had reached the end after walking for over ten minutes—only to realize it was merely a side courtyard within a winding corridor system.

Old Madam Gu followed the sound and looked over. “Why are they demolishing such a fine corridor?”

Shen Zhi replied, “You may not know, Madam. Miss Jiang injured her leg this time, and the doctor said she needs proper rest and recovery. Our old master was worried she would have difficulty getting around, so he ordered all steps and narrow paths in the Shen estate to be removed. This way, it will be easier for Miss Jiang to move around the garden.”

At these words, the expressions of everyone present subtly changed.

The North District resort project was handled by the Lan family, with the Gu family as the initiator. Their visit today was precisely to offer an explanation to the Shen family.

Since Lan Xiangyang was not part of the Whaling Port circle, he was unaware of Jiang Huashan’s position within the Shen family. When he first heard that the injured person was merely an adopted daughter, he had even felt a trace of relief—at least it wasn’t a young master or a legitimate heir of the Shen family. But now, suddenly hearing that the old master was demolishing the estate for an adopted daughter, he was momentarily unable to make sense of it all.

Could it be that Old Master Shen already knew they were here to apologize, and was deliberately demolishing the estate to intimidate them?

Old Madam Gu, aware of the situation, spoke lightly to steer away from the point. “The old master is truly meticulous.”

“The noise may be disturbing. Please forgive us, Madam.”

With that, they arrived outside Qinyuan Courtyard.

A courtyard within a courtyard?

Lan Xiangyang was secretly amazed. Even in Xiwai, constructing such a large-scale estate would be an astonishing feat—let alone in land-scarce Whaling Port. The Shen family truly lived up to its reputation as the number one aristocratic family in the country.

“The old master is in the flower hall.”

Passing through the lotus pond and floral pools, a classical glass flower hall stood at the center of the corridor frame. Inside were all kinds of rare and exotic plants, filling the air with a delicate fragrance.

Old Madam Gu led the group inside. Before Shen Zhuang even had a chance to stand up, she quickly stepped forward to the main seat with an apologetic expression.

“Last night I heard there were intruders at the estate and was so frightened I couldn’t sleep all night. I shouldn’t have come to disturb you at a time like this, but thinking that the two children suffered because of my impulsive idea, I couldn’t rest easy without coming to see for myself.”

Gu Cifeng stepped forward as well, gently supporting the old lady’s arm, his attitude respectful. “Old Master.”

Lan Xiangyang and Lan Dai greeted somewhat stiffly, “Old Master Shen, we hope you are well.”

Shen Zhuang nodded warmly. “We’ve known each other for decades, why still be so formal? A-Ci, why don’t you help your mother sit down? Guests are guests—everyone, please sit and have some tea.”

“Yes.”

Gu Cifeng helped Old Madam Gu take a seat. Lan Xiangyang carefully observed the situation, and only after the Gu family sat down did he cautiously take a seat at the end. Lan Dai hesitated for a moment and stood behind him.

Regarding the attack at the resort, the Shen family had no intention of holding innocent parties accountable, and Shen Zhuang directly stated that the Shen family would not pursue the matter further.

Lan Xiangyang hadn’t expected the Shen family to be so easy to deal with and immediately felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

For the North District project, the Lan family had already invested 2.5 billion. If the Shen family had chosen to make things difficult or shut the project down because of this incident, the Lan family would not only have suffered enormous losses but also lost their qualification to enter Whaling Port’s elite circle.

That the Shen family was willing to let it go was, for the Lan family, nothing short of excellent news.