Chapter 75 Part 1

Sang Wan felt her head buzz when she received the message. She had known that Ming Qisang was greedy and foolish, but she never imagined he could be quite this stupid.

“Ming Qisang got caught by Grandpa red-handed while embezzling company funds,” Sang Wan said, showing them the message she’d just received.

It was from Sang Lin.

Her brows twitched uncontrollably. Ming Qisang’s position had been a sinecure arranged by Grandpa Sang out of respect for her mother’s memory. But she’d been pushing him hard lately, which had driven him to the desperate idea of siphoning off company assets.

Yue Bai didn’t know the details, so she kept her big eyes blinking silently without interrupting. Embezzling company funds sounded like it could land someone in prison, though.

Wen Mo’s expression remained as cool and detached as ever. Since this was Sang Wan’s family matter, she didn’t pry, offering only a few brief words before heading back into the restaurant.

Sang Wan hailed a taxi by the roadside, gave the driver an address, and then fell silent.

Yue Bai knew she was deep in thought and didn’t disturb her.

She had no idea what the situation was now that Ming Qisang had done something so outrageous. With a glance from the corner of her eye, Yue Bai saw Sang Wan’s slightly furrowed brow and wanted to reach out to smooth it away—but she held back, afraid of disrupting her train of thought.

The car pulled up in front of a towering office building. Sang Wan got out without a word, grabbing Yue Bai’s hand and pulling her inside.

They passed through without any obstruction.

Yue Bai pressed her lips together. She rarely set foot in places like this. The area was filled with employees dressed in all sorts of professional attire.

Sang Wan led her straight to the elevator and took the executive lift to the top floor.

“Senior Sister.” Yue Bai’s wrist hurt from the grip—Sang Wan wasn’t aware of her own strength.

Yue Bai endured it for a moment but finally spoke up. “You’re hurting me…”

Sang Wan’s attention snapped back at the sound of her voice. She stared blankly down at the wrist in her hand, where red marks stood out against the delicate skin.

“Sorry.” Sang Wan quickly let go and apologized. “Senior Sister, let me rub it for you.”

Yue Bai shook her head gently, dodging Sang Wan’s reaching fingers. “You should take care of your business first.”

She looked at Sang Wan with gentle understanding. Whatever it was, it had to be serious to make Senior Sister this urgent.

Sang Wan forced a smile at the corner of her mouth. She raised her arm and, out of habit, ruffled Yue Bai’s hair. “Mm.”

At the door to the chairman’s office, several secretaries stood ramrod straight, their faces all grim.

The chief secretary spotted Sang Wan approaching and hurried over, murmuring a low report of the situation. “Manager Ming was caught in the act trying to divert company funds. The chairman’s throwing a fit right now—no one’s daring to go in.”

“Has the police been called?” Sang Wan asked.

“Not yet,” the chief secretary replied.

Sang Wan nodded and gestured for her to open the door.

With Sang Wan here, the chief secretary felt a bit less terrified. She cautiously pushed the door open just a crack.

A booming voice erupted from within.

“You backstabbing ingrate! The Sang Family’s kept you living like a king for over twenty years, and you’ve forgotten what you really are!” Grandpa Sang’s furious roar was punctuated by violent coughing.

The elderly man doubled over, coughing hard. Sang Lin supported him with a displeased expression, glaring coldly at Ming Qisang kneeling wretchedly on the floor without a trace of respect left.

“Grandpa.” Sang Wan stepped inside and called out.

“Hello, Grandpa Sang,” Yue Bai said, following behind her.

“Good, good, good.” Grandpa Sang caught his breath after a couple of gasps.

He pointed at the disheveled man kneeling on the ground, his eyes filled with undisguisable pain and regret. “How on earth did your mother ever fall for a piece of trash like this?”

Sang Wan pressed her lips together. Her original intention had simply been to kick Ming Qisang out without a penny.

“Clean break” or not, he was still her biological father—she couldn’t bring herself to be too ruthless. She’d planned to let him keep the villa he was living in, deeding it over to his name.

But that clearly wasn’t happening now.

Grandpa Sang was helped into his office chair, still fuming.

Ming Qisang’s head, which had been bowed, snapped up the moment he heard Sang Wan’s voice. He looked pleadingly at his biological daughter.

Sang Wan didn’t spare him so much as a glance.

She turned away and went to Grandpa Sang’s side. “Grandpa, your health comes first.”

A cold glint shone in Grandpa Sang’s cloudy eyes. Ever since learning that Ming Ye was Ming Qisang’s biological son, his hatred had only deepened.

He’d never met the boy, only heard snippets—a child around ten years old.

Sang Wan’s mother had passed away just six years ago, yet the boy was already ten. The implications were obvious.

The more Grandpa Sang thought about it, the angrier he got, the more heartbroken he felt for his own daughter.

“Right now—get out. You and Qin Yan take your son and get the hell out of the Sang Family,” Grandpa Sang said, reining in his rage.

Yue Bai shrank back, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.

Sang Wan’s grim expression eased considerably. She looked at Ming Qisang through half-lidded eyes and parted her thin lips. “Dad.”

Ming Qisang’s eyes lit up. But Sang Wan’s next words sent him crashing into despair.

“This is the last time I’ll call you that. When you cheated, did you ever think about the woman who resolutely chose to be with you—my mother? Did you think about me and Little Lin?” Sang Wan’s words fell like precise blows.

She thought she was spitting them out in fury, but they came out flat, devoid even of inflection.

Yue Bai, standing behind her, clearly saw Sang Wan’s body trembling faintly. Her heart ached; she wanted to hug Senior Sister, feeling a sour pang as if someone had twisted it.

From the time she’d met Senior Sister until now, there had already been three awful incidents she knew of: He Shichun, Li Yi, and now her father.

Yue Bai had no idea what kind of days Senior Sister had endured in the past, or how she could still wear that soft smile every day, treating others with such gentleness.

Yue Bai gently hooked her pinky finger around Sang Wan’s, offering silent comfort.

Sang Wan seemed to sense her emotions and tilted her head slightly.

Ming Qisang had been kneeling for so long that his knees were unsteady. He tried to shift his position.

“Kneel properly!” Grandpa Sang slammed the solid wooden desk. “Can’t even handle this much?”

Ming Qisang froze, not daring to move.

“Little Wan, I did think about you all—really, I…” Ming Qisang desperately tried to defend himself.

“But you cheated anyway,” Sang Lin cut in with a cold laugh. “So what were you thinking? How to cheat and still leech off the Sang Family?”

Ming Qisang opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound. He turned beseechingly to Sang Wan, the daughter he’d always been able to count on. “Little Wan, say something for your dad.”

“It’s meaningless now,” Sang Wan said, lowering her gaze. “No chance anymore.”

“My mother can’t come back.” The woman who had praised and comforted her no matter what was gone forever.

In the end, security dragged Ming Qisang away by force.

Grandpa Sang sank into his office chair and let out a long breath.

Sang Wan’s face was calm as still water. “Grandpa, did you set him up?”

It was phrased as a question, but her tone left no doubt it was a statement.

Otherwise, Ming Qisang wouldn’t have been caught the moment he tried to act.

Grandpa Sang didn’t shy away from Yue Bai’s presence. “It wasn’t a setup—he just couldn’t keep his cool. I leaked a little information, and he panicked, grabbing the money to flee the country.”

Sang Wan said nothing more.

“Little Bai’s here too.” Grandpa Sang caught his breath and finally had a moment to speak with Yue Bai. “Did this scare you? Grandpa’s usually very approachable.”

Yue Bai managed a strained smile but didn’t respond directly. “Hello, Grandpa.”

Grandpa Sang’s eyes were sharp and keen. “Has Yue Yi said anything about you two being together?”

Under Yue Bai’s puzzled gaze, he explained, “Your sister got in touch with me a few times recently. She seems to fully approve of you two.”

Yue Bai nodded. “My sister has no objections.”

Grandpa Sang nodded in satisfaction. “At least one of them turned out decent.”

Yue Bai didn’t understand what he meant by that.

Sang Wan lifted her eyelids. “Grandpa’s very pleased with you.”

Yue Bai got it then.

Ming Qisang was completely expelled from the Sang Family, and even the furnishings in his villa were all replaced.

Yue Bai followed Sang Wan out of the company building. She gazed at her timidly.

“Does it seem strange?” Sang Wan asked.

“Hm?” Yue Bai looked curious.

“I didn’t expect Grandpa to act so quickly. My original plan was to deal with Ming Qisang after Little Lin came of age. But Grandpa found out he’d been cheating even before Mother passed, and he couldn’t swallow his anger. So he baited Ming Qisang into doing something unforgivable ahead of schedule.” Sang Wan spoke flatly, as if it were someone else’s story.

“But I’m not sad at all. In fact, I feel relieved.” Sang Wan smiled faintly and turned to look at Yue Bai. “I’m very possessive in relationships. I even find Ming Qisang filthy.”

“From the day he cheated, that stain could never be washed away. But I know right from wrong—Ming Ye is innocent. He didn’t choose where he was born or who his parents are.” Sang Wan continued, “The Sang Family will support him through graduation.”

Ming Qisang had lived a life of luxury for over twenty years; he probably couldn’t adapt to earning a living anytime soon. And Qin Yan was even less likely.

“Senior Sister,” Yue Bai promised, “you’re my only girlfriend.”

“How many did you want?” Sang Wan arched a brow playfully.

Sure enough, only Little Bai could always bring her joy.

“One is enough,” Yue Bai murmured softly.

“For me too.” Sang Wan smiled.

They’d barely eaten any lunch before leaving the restaurant. Now that things were settled, Yue Bai felt hungry.

“Senior Sister, shall we grab something to eat?” Yue Bai suggested.

Sang Wan agreed with a hum. She glanced around and spotted a small diner specializing in covered rice dishes. “How about covered rice?”

Yue Bai nodded—she wasn’t picky.

After eating, the two returned to the Teachers’ Apartment to rest.

Yue Bai had evening self-study that night. She buried her face in Sang Wan’s embrace, her expression bitter as she rubbed against her reluctantly over and over. “Wah wah, I don’t want to go to evening self-study. I don’t want to. It’s so painful, really so painful.”

Sang Wan curved her lips into a smile and hugged her, offering an idea. “How about this? Tonight, when the Student Council checks attendance, I’ll pull some strings for you?”

“Really?” Yue Bai’s eyes lit up with surprise.

“JK.” Sang Wan flicked Yue Bai’s forehead helplessly. “Be good and go to your evening self-study properly. No skipping class.”

“Oh~” Yue Bai poked her head out. “Then what you said about pulling strings was a lie.”

“How about I go with you instead?” Sang Wan tried a different approach.

“How?” Yue Bai asked.

“I’ll come to your classroom and keep you company.” Sang Wan pinched Yue Bai’s chin, forcing her to look up. “Is that okay?”

“Um…” Yue Bai pretended to think it over. “It’s not impossible. Beg me, and if I’m satisfied, I’ll let you.”

At those words, Sang Wan chuckled softly, her chest trembling with the motion.

She was the one supposed to be keeping Yue Bai company during self-study, yet here she was, having to beg for it.

Yue Bai poked her chest. “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.” Sang Wan cleared her throat, her voice gentle and flowing. “My dear girlfriend, can I please come with you to evening self-study?”

Her voice suddenly dropped lower, her gaze tender and affectionate. “Pretty please?”

Yue Bai’s pupils dilated as she blocked those tempting lips. “Sure.”

During evening self-study, Yue Bai stared longingly at the classroom door.

Why hadn’t Senior Sister arrived yet?