SAG -Chapter 56 Susu’s Change

Zhang Ran walked over to Zhang Siyan and Susu.

Before he could speak, Susu called out to him on her own for the very first time.

“Grandpa.”

She climbed down from her mother’s arms, hurried over to Zhang Ran, hugged his leg, and looked up at him with her little head raised.

In Susu’s large eyes, Zhang Ran saw trust.

Or perhaps dependence.

Because Susu had grown up in such a family, she was more mature than children her age. Not only was her personality cold and withdrawn, but she also seemed timid when facing certain situations.

All of that had been caused by her family environment.

That coldness was, in truth, a layer of protection the little girl had wrapped around herself.

Recently, although Zhang Ran had tried every way possible to win her over, he had only managed to make her attitude toward him soften a little.

But today, the two great demons in Susu’s young heart seemed to have been defeated by her grandfather.

And her grandfather had also said he would protect Susu and her mother.

So in that instant, Susu developed a sense of dependence on Zhang Ran.

Seeing her like this, Zhang Ran felt both happy and deeply heartbroken.

His anger toward Sun Ermin and Zhao Chunlan grew even stronger.

If analyzed carefully, Susu’s dependence on Zhang Ran was actually an instinctive search for a strong protector for herself and her mother.

That desire for protection far exceeded ordinary familial affection.

The little girl herself simply didn’t realize it.

Zhang Ran could guess some of this from Susu’s sudden change, and his heart ached even more.

He held her in his arms and said softly, “It’s all right now. From now on, Grandpa will protect Susu and Mommy. No one will ever bully you again.”

“Mhm.”

Unlike before, Susu’s little face now clearly carried trust.

“Are you all right?” Zhang Siyan asked worriedly.

“I’m fine.”

Zhang Ran replied, “They were only two small fry. What could happen to me?”

His tone naturally carried a trace of contempt.

In his eyes, Sun Ermin and his wife had never amounted to anything.

“I never expected that the grievances you and your daughter suffered all these years were because of me.”

“I’m sorry.”

Zhang Ran spoke with guilt.

But Zhang Siyan didn’t see it that way.

“You don’t need to blame yourself.”

“I’ve thought it through.”

“The way they treated me actually didn’t have much to do with you.”

“Even without what happened between you and them, they still wouldn’t have treated me well.”

“No matter what happened in the past, Sun Gaixin and I would still have reached this point.”

“That’s the essence of the matter.”

“It wasn’t because of you.”

At first, Zhang Siyan had perhaps felt that way a little.

But during the time she had waited outside, she had already figured it out.

The core issue wasn’t how Sun Ermin and Zhao Chunlan had treated her.

It was Sun Gaixin’s attitude.

“By the way, can you tell me what exactly happened?”

“Was his leg really broken by you?”

Zhang Siyan asked curiously.

At the same time, she wanted to learn more about what her father had been like in the past.

Before Zhang Ran returned, her impression of him had always come from Yu Qingwan’s descriptions.

In Yu Qingwan’s words, Zhang Ran had been nearly flawless—gentle, refined, confident, strong, kind to others, and possessing unique insight into the future.

But today, she had seen a different side of Zhang Ran.

Her father really did seem somewhat mysterious.

Qian Li and Meng Mingxuan also looked at Zhang Ran curiously.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Ran felt there was no need to hide it.

It would be better for Zhang Siyan to know the full story.

“Back then, Sun Ermin was involved in trafficking women and children.”

“I happened to run into it and ruined one of their deals, so they tried to retaliate against me.”

“At the time, I had people around me as well, so they ended up falling into my hands.”

“I broke the legs of several of them and sent them to prison.”

Zhang Ran gave a simple explanation, leaving out Huo Zhiyuan’s part.

That wasn’t a happy memory for Huo Zhiyuan.

The fewer people who knew, the better.

“From what you said earlier, that old woman was one of the people you rescued back then?”

Qian Li couldn’t help asking.

Zhang Ran nodded, then gave a self-mocking smile.

“I suppose so.”

“But she definitely wouldn’t think of it that way.”

“That old hag really deserves to die.”

Qian Li cursed angrily.

“How can someone be so evil? Uncle Zhang clearly saved her, yet she repaid kindness with betrayal.”

“You did the right thing back then.”

Zhang Siyan said firmly.

“You weren’t wrong at all.”

She had already figured things out earlier.

Now that Zhang Ran had explained the whole story, she had even less reason to blame him.

“Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore.”

“Did you get everything?”

Zhang Ran asked.

“We did.”

“They’re not valuable things, really. I just couldn’t bear to leave them behind.”

Zhang Siyan gestured to the bags in her hands.

“Then you two go back and sort things out first.”

Zhang Ran then looked at Susu.

“Susu, shall we go pick up your brother from school together?”

Susu wrapped her fair little arms around Zhang Ran’s neck and nodded softly.

“Mhm.”

After that, Zhang Ran parted ways with Zhang Siyan and Qian Li.

Zhang Siyan and Qian Li returned to organize the belongings and prepare for the contract signing the next day.

Zhang Ran, meanwhile, went to pick up Zhang Xiaotao from school.

Once in Meng Mingxuan’s car, perhaps because of Susu’s change, Zhang Ran’s mood relaxed slightly.

Then he remembered Zhang Sicheng’s home renovation.

He still hadn’t mentioned it to Meng He.

“Mingxuan, when you go back later, tell your father that he can give Sicheng and the others the renovation as his meeting gift.”

“You arrange the renovation company, then let Sicheng and Liu Lu choose the style they like.”

“You should know how to explain it to Sicheng and the others, right?”

Zhang Ran said.

Meng Mingxuan nodded.

“I know.”

“I’ll say my dad heard about the house and wants to gift them the renovation.”

Meng Mingxuan understood this sort of thing well.

Soon, however, he looked at Zhang Ran nervously.

“Then, Uncle Zhang… does that mean I don’t have to come tomorrow?”

These past few days, he had been reporting in every day like he was going to work.

And staying by Zhang Ran’s side made him feel uneasy, especially after what had just happened.

Zhang Ran saw through him immediately.

“Fine. You can rest for two days.”

“Tomorrow and the day after are the weekend anyway. Take a break.”

“Thank you, Uncle Zhang.”

Meng Mingxuan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Still, he planned to get the renovation company arranged as soon as possible.

He truly didn’t dare be careless with anything Zhang Ran instructed anymore.

What Zhang Ran had done at Sun Ermin’s place had genuinely frightened him.

This man, who had always been kind and gentle around him, clearly wasn’t as simple as he appeared.

After dropping Zhang Ran off at Zhang Xiaotao’s school gate, Meng Mingxuan drove away.