Are you the helper called by Steward Xiao?

Run?
Easier said than done!
As the saying goes: you can run away from the temple, but you can't run away from the monk.
If he ran away now, he could kiss the company's listing goodbye, and bankruptcy would probably be the least of his worries.
What terrified him the most was the possibility that these wealthy tycoons might actually be begging Hong Yu for help. By then, his entire family would undoubtedly be finished.

At this thought, Dai Yanqiu immediately grabbed Chen Shufen and said in a low voice, "Running away is completely out of the question. Otherwise, all my hard work over the years will surely go down the drain, and it will very likely implicate our family as well."
"Isn't Hong Yu still in the Chen family's main hall? Hurry up and go apologize to him."
"You want me to go apologize to Hong Yu, that good-for-nothing live-in son-in-law?" Chen Shufen asked in astonishment, instantly shaking her head. "No! I can't bring myself to do that. Normally, I wouldn't even deign to glance at trash like him, and now you want me to bow down to him? Absolutely not!"
"Damn it! We've reached this point, and you're still throwing a little tantrum?" Dai Yanqiu scolded through gritted teeth, keeping his voice down. "If you don't go, we're getting a divorce right this instant! You've offended so many people in the past—if I fall, do you even know what the consequences will be?"

Chen Shufen felt a lingering wave of fear, but she still refused to yield.
With a sullen voice, Chen Shufen muttered, "I offended Hong Yu so bitterly just now; he will never forgive me. Husband, is there really no other way?"
"What the hell other way could there be? Look at those tycoons whose mere footsteps can make Hannan tremble—they are worried sick right now, let alone a small fry like me!" Dai Yanqiu snapped impatiently. "No matter how badly you offended Hong Yu, you're still Lin Shuyu's aunt. Go ask Lin Shuyu to put in a good word for you."
"I get the feeling that Hong Yu cares a lot about Lin Shuyu. As long as she's willing to speak up for you, this problem will be solved."
"Who knows, we might not only weather this crisis, but also hitch a ride on the big boats of these billionaires."

Hearing this, Chen Shufen's eyes lit up.
Before Dai Yanqiu could say another word, she scurried into the Chen family's main hall.
She had no confidence in her ability to persuade Hong Yu, but when it came to Lin Shuyu, Chen Shufen was quite confident.
After all, Lin Shuyu was a niece she had watched grow up; she knew something about the girl's temperament and disposition.
As long as she was willing to swallow her pride and beg, Chen Shufen refused to believe that Lin Shuyu wouldn't soften her heart.

At that moment, only Hong Yu and Lin Shuyu remained in the Chen family's hall. Everyone else—even the head of the Chen family, whose mouth was still stained with blood—had been carried outside to watch the commotion.
"Wife, are you thirsty? Have a sip of tea." Seeing Lin Shuyu standing on tiptoe to gaze at the situation outside, Hong Yu smiled and handed her a cup of warm tea.
Lin Shuyu shook her head, saying, "How could I possibly be in the mood for tea right now!"
"Hong Yu, aren't you worried at all? With such a huge commotion outside, what on earth is going on?"
Hong Yu shook his head. "Not at all! In my eyes, the only things that matter are those related to you. Everything else is just fleeting clouds."
"You... why are you suddenly so good with words today?" Lin Shuyu's face flushed slightly. But the moment she caught sight of Chen Shufen rushing in hurriedly, her brows knitted together at once.
In a soft yet urgent whisper, Lin Shuyu said, "Hong Yu, my aunt is back again."
"Promise me you won't throw any punches. As for whatever shouting match you two get into, I can't even bear to watch."
Hong Yu chuckled bitterly. "Do you think I want this? You know what your aunt is like. Your temper is still far too good; anyone else would have fought this shrew to the death long ago."

Lin Shuyu managed a wry smile as well. Meanwhile, Chen Shufen, seeing that Hong Yu and Lin Shuyu were still in the hall, excitedly dashed right up to them.
"Hah... hah... hah—"
Chen Shufen took a few deep breaths before beaming. "Thank goodness, thank goodness you haven't left yet."
Frowning, Lin Shuyu said, "Aunt, you're our elder. Why do you always have to bicker with us? There are some things I find awkward to say in front of outsiders, but if you keep hurling insults like this, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back one day."
Chen Shufen smiled broadly. "Oh Shuyu, what are you talking about? I'm your aunt, how could I ever bear to curse at you?"
"If I said a few harsh words earlier, it was only out of concern for you. Don't go getting the wrong idea."

Lin Shuyu was somewhat taken aback; she simply couldn't figure out what kind of medicine her aunt was selling in her gourd.
Hong Yu, on the other hand, merely offered a disdainful smile.
Seeing Chen Shufen do a complete one-eighty in attitude, Hong Yu knew instantly that whoever had arrived outside was definitely not sent by Steward Xiao.
Since Shen Chong had already rushed over here, Hong Yu guessed that tycoons like Liang Zhanpeng must have arrived as well. With all the roaring engines and screeching brakes outside, Hong Yu didn't even need to waste any brain cells to figure it out.

Lin Shuyu cast a troubled look toward Hong Yu.
Her gaze was asking Hong Yu to explain what was happening. Hong Yu shook his head slightly and gestured toward the outside world.
Could her aunt's sudden change in attitude be related to the commotion outside?
Lin Shuyu was quite clever and guessed the connection immediately.
Seeing that Lin Shuyu was ignoring her, Chen Shufen grew anxious. "Shuyu, what's wrong with you?"
"Could it be that you're still angry just because your aunt scolded you a little?"
"How about this, your aunt will apologize to you right here, alright?"

Lin Shuyu shook her head. "Aunt, it's not like that at all. I'm just feeling a bit caught off guard, that's all."
Chen Shufen smiled. "Caught off guard by what? We're the closest family in the Chen clan. When you were a little girl, I looked after you for a whole year. Every single day, I cleaned up your messes—I treated you even closer than my own daughter."
Chen Shufen's words caused Lin Shuyu to shake her head in helpless exasperation.
Whether those words were true or false was impossible to verify now.
However, judging by what her mother had said in the past, as well as how Chen Shufen treated both her and Chen Lan, Lin Shuyu figured there was a ninety percent chance Chen Shufen was just blowing smoke.
What on earth is this aunt of mine up to? Why is she suddenly acting so ingratiating toward me?
Lin Shuyu truly could not fathom it. She knew it had to do with whatever was happening outside, but she genuinely had no idea what was actually going on out there!

"Shuyu, are you going to forgive your aunt or not?" With no other choice, a woman in her older years actually began acting spoiled like a child in front of her niece.
"Pfft—"
Hearing Chen Shufen's sickening tone, Hong Yu couldn't hold it in and spat out a mouthful of tea.
He spat the tea out with such force that some of it even splashed onto Chen Shufen.
She was wearing an expensive, designer outfit today. Under normal circumstances—had this happened just moments ago—Chen Shufen would have flown into a rage, cursed up a storm, and verbally abused all eighteen generations of Hong Yu's ancestors.
But right now, she merely froze for a second before flashing Hong Yu an ingratiating smile.

Witnessing this transformation in Chen Shufen gave Lin Shuyu a headache.
Right at that moment, led by Shen Chong, the wealthy tycoons stepped into the Chen family residence and walked straight into the main hall.
Seeing Hong Yu sitting right there in the hall, Liang Zhanpeng let out a sigh of relief and immediately strode forward.
To everyone's surprise, Hong Yu stood up abruptly and raised a hand to stop Liang Zhanpeng from speaking.
"Liang Zhanpeng, are you the reinforcement sent by Steward Xiao?"