Chapter 173: The Su Family Yields

"That... that was all in the past, Mr. Jiang. I know what I did before was wrong, even terribly so, but I've realized my mistakes. Can't you just let me apologize to you now?"

Pan Yixuan spoke with a wretched expression, and as soon as he finished speaking, he began kowtowing loudly and repeatedly to Jiang Hao.

Looking at Pan Yixuan, who resembled a pathetic kowtowing bug, the members of the Su family wore expressions of utter contempt.

As for Su Qingli, she felt a profound sense of disgust, as if she were looking at a pile of humanoid garbage!

Turning her head, Su Qingli looked at her mother, Zhang Liping, and said, "Mom, take a look! This is the exact man you desperately forced me to marry! Open your eyes and look at him!"

Su Qingli's words were so humiliating that Zhang Liping felt as though she could claw a map of the world into the floorboards with her toes.

She kept her head lowered, too ashamed to utter a single word in rebuttal.

Beside her, Su Bingming sighed helplessly and said, "Qingli, none of us could have anticipated that Pan Yixuan, the young master of the Pan family, would turn out to be such scum! We were completely blinded by his glamorous exterior!"

"Then I hope you'll keep your eyes wide open in the future and not let yourselves be blinded again!" Su Qingli said coldly.

As parents being berated by their own daughter in front of so many people, Zhang Liping and Su Bingming were overwhelmed with mortification.

Jiang Hao chuckled and said, "Forget it, Qingli. You've already severed ties with them anyway, what's the use of dwelling on this?"

"I'm just furious." Su Qingli turned her face away, refusing to even look at Pan Yixuan's groveling form before them.

Jiang Hao said to Su Tianming, "Since this young master of the Pan family has already kowtowed and begged for forgiveness, let's leave it at that... Su Tianming, untie him and send him on his way."

Right now, Pan Yixuan was treated like garbage, reviled by everyone, and no one wanted to have anything to do with him. Su Tianming was naturally no exception.

So upon hearing Jiang Hao single him out to untie Pan Yixuan, Su Tianming immediately became displeased.

"Jiang Hao, why me..."

Before Su Tianming could finish, Jiang Hao said with a meaningful smile, "Weren't you and this young master of the Pan family quite close before? You two are birds of a feather. Now that you won't untie him, do you expect someone else to do it?"

Hearing Jiang Hao's words, the expression on Su Tianming's face froze entirely.

He knew Jiang Hao was humiliating him in front of all these people, but he didn't dare to utter a single word of defiance!

Jiang Hao's current status and power had far surpassed the Su family; how could he possibly dare to talk back?

Pan Yixuan, however, acted as if he had just grasped a straw to save his life, and quickly urged Su Tianming, "Tianming, hurry up and untie me! Didn't you hear? Mr. Jiang told you to untie me!"

Su Tianming cast a disgusted glance at Pan Yixuan, but ultimately took a deep breath, suppressing his nausea and contempt as he walked over and untied the ropes binding him.

"Get lost!" Su Tianming barked coldly.

Not daring to linger for even a second, Pan Yixuan scrambled to his feet and bolted out of the East Suburb Villa.

Watching Pan Yixuan retreat into the distance, the members of the Su family felt as though they were living in another lifetime, experiencing the surreal sensation of waking from a long, long dream.

Just this morning, Yang Yunhua, the head of the Yang family, had forced them to seek out Jiang Hao and Su Qingli, compelling them to come and apologize in person.

Yet mere hours had passed, and Yang Yunhua had stood right here apologizing personally in front of a crowd, while Pan Yixuan had been trussed up like a beast, kneeling and kowtowing for mercy!

The Yang family, the Pan family—which of them was not vastly more powerful than the Su family?

Yet facing Jiang Hao, both of these great families had withered and cowered!

This was the absolute best proof of the strength and influence Jiang Hao possessed!

At this very moment, every single member of the Su family harbored an unshakeable image of Jiang Hao's overwhelming might deep in their hearts. Even if beaten to death, they would never dare to cross Jiang Hao again.

Old Madam Su even walked over with a ingratiating smile and said to Su Qingli and Jiang Hao, "I'm so sorry for disturbing you... But rest assured, we will never bother you again in the future."

"I certainly hope so," Jiang Hao said coldly.

Old Madam Su no longer dared to put on airs in front of Jiang Hao; even if Jiang Hao gave her a cold shoulder, she had to accept it with a smile!

"Jiang Hao, I'm so glad you didn't divorce Qingli back then. Seeing the two of you living such a happy life together now makes this grandmother happier than words can say! When are you planning to have children? You must do it soon, don't drag it out too long."

Old Madam Su spoke at length in the capacity of an elder, acting as though she had completely forgotten all the unpleasantness between the Su family and Jiang Hao in the past.

Had this been before, hearing Old Madam Su speak this way would have made Su Qingli immensely happy.

But now, it simply made her want to vomit!

Jiang Hao didn't offer Old Madam Su any warmth either, saying bluntly, "Old Madam Su, given the circumstances, you can stop trying to cozy up to us! Your Su family and the two of us no longer have any connection whatsoever. I hope you won't stab us in the back in the future; otherwise, I won't be as magnanimous as I am today. You'd better remember that!"

Jiang Hao's sharp words made Su Tianming and the other Su family members feel thoroughly humiliated.

The former live-in son-in-law of the Su family was now riding roughshod over them, even publicly berating the head of the Su family, Old Madam Su, to her face.

Yet did they dare to utter a single word of dissent?

Did they dare to talk back even a fraction?

They simply didn't have the guts right now!

Because the disparity in power between Jiang Hao and themselves had reached an indescribable abyss!

"All right, you can leave now. Don't loiter around here anymore. Since everything is settled, why are you still standing around? Hoping for a free meal?" Jiang Hao taunted sarcastically.

Su Tianming's body trembled, as if he wanted to retort, but ultimately lacking the courage, he lowered his head, walked over to support Old Madam Su, and said, "Grandma, let's go. They clearly don't welcome us."

Old Madam Su hardly needed Su Tianming's reminder; Jiang Hao's attitude was already glaringly obvious—he might as well have written "not welcome" across his forehead.

Nevertheless, she still smiled warmly at Jiang Hao and Su Qingli as she said, "Alright, alright, then we'll be leaving... Jiang Hao, Qingli, if you have time in the future, do come back for a visit. The doors of the Su family will always be open to you."

With that, Old Madam Su, accompanied by Su Tianming and the rest of the Su family, finally walked toward the gates of the villa courtyard.

Zhang Liping and Su Bingming, however, remained rooted to the spot.

With awkward expressions, they looked at Jiang Hao and Su Qingli, seemingly brimming with thousands of words they longed to say, yet unable to voice a single one.

"You should leave too."

This time, it was Su Qingli who spoke.

They were her parents; although they had severed ties, blood was ultimately thicker than water.

It wouldn't be appropriate for Jiang Hao to drive them away, so Su Qingli had to be the one to prompt their departure.