17: Shut up! How dare you disrespect the gentleman!

In front of the Long Group headquarters building, time seemed to have lost all meaning.

A full year.

Su Mucheng had sat in this empty plaza for an entire year.

Spring, summer, autumn, winter—the seasons cycled. The Chanel custom suit she wore had long since become tattered and dust-laden from the wind, sun, and rain. Her once stunningly beautiful face, which had captivated all and outshone the Jiangnan region, was now devoid of color, leaving only a sickly pallor and bone-deep exhaustion.

She was like a stubborn, weathering husband-gazing stone, physically and mentally drained, her will on the verge of collapse.

Over this year, she had become a peculiar sight in Yanjing City. Countless media cameras had been pointed at her, and innumerable passersby had pointed and whispered about her, from initial sympathy and curiosity to later numbness and mockery. She endured immense physical and psychological pressure, but she never left.

Because she knew this was her only, and last, chance.

The pride in her heart had long been worn away by a year of torment. What remained was only concern for her Family's fate, and a profound, bottomless mix of fear and reverence for the young man who resided high above the clouds.

Just as she felt she could no longer hold on, and her consciousness began to blur, a pair of immaculate black leather shoes, crafted from top-grade material, appeared in her line of sight.

Su Mucheng slowly, laboriously raised her head.

That figure, which had startled her awake countless times in her dreams, finally reappeared before her.

A year had passed, and the fourteen-year-old Lin Tian's figure was even more slender and tall, his features fully developed, as handsome as an exiled immortal from a myth. His deep eyes held an added sense of worldly wisdom and indifference compared to a year ago.

He calmly gazed at the disheveled woman before him, without mockery, without pity, and without making any demands. He simply stated, in a tone as if he were stating a fact:

"Get up."

These three simple words, however, seemed to contain a kind of magic, causing Su Mucheng's already numb body to tremble fiercely.

Immediately after, Long Ling'er stepped forward and placed a soft, warm cashmere shawl over her shoulders, which trembled slightly from weakness. She said in a cool voice, "Young Miss Su, Sir has reserved the presidential suite for you at Yanjing's most exclusive 'Cloud Top Heavenly Palace' club. Please come with me to recover."

As she spoke, she handed a completely black card, shimmering with dark golden light, into Mu Cheng’s hand.

"This is a black-gold consumption card with an unlimited credit limit, given to you by Sir."

This sudden “benevolence” left Su Mucheng’s mind blank. She stared blankly at Lin Tian, feeling no joy at all in her heart; instead, an even stronger sense of unease and panic surged within her.

She thought this was just the brief, eerie calm before the storm... Inside the presidential suite at Cloud Top Heavenly Palace.

After several hours of top-tier SPA, nutritious meals, and professional styling, Su Mucheng finally regained her radiant appearance.

However, in the depths of her beautiful eyes, there was no longer the confidence and arrogance of the past, only a deep sense of apprehension and unease.

She dared not mention anything about cooperation again, nor even think about her Family's future. She knew she was now like a fish on a chopping block, only able to await the young man's final judgment.

Seeing her restless demeanor, Long Ling'er, who was beside her, seemed to “inadvertently” remind her softly:

"Young Miss Su, it's been a year since you last contacted your Family, hasn't it? Why not make a call and let them know you're safe."

Upon hearing this, Su Mucheng’s delicate body trembled slightly.

Yes, it had been a year.

Half-believing, half-doubting, she used the encrypted phone provided by the club to dial her father Su Zhenhua's number.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"Mu Cheng! Is that you, Mu Cheng! You finally contacted Dad!" Her father's familiar yet unfamiliar voice, filled with excitement and wild joy, came from the other end of the line.

"Dad... I..." As soon as Su Mucheng spoke, her eyes reddened, and her voice choked.

"Good child, good child! You've suffered! Dad is sorry!" Su Zhenhua's voice was full of guilt. "But don't worry! Everything is over! It's all over!"

"What... is over?" Su Mucheng asked blankly.

"It's the Long Family! It's Your Excellency, the number zero heir!" Su Zhenhua's voice cracked with excitement. "Just two months after you went to him, the Long Group's 30 billion investment was fully credited! Not only that, they also sent the world's top operational and legal teams to help us win all our patent lawsuits and reopen all our sales channels!"

"Now Su's... no, now 'Long Bio-Gene (Jiangnan Branch)' has completely come back to life! With the Long Family's support, not only did we not go bankrupt, but we've developed even better than a year ago!"

"All of this is the grace bestowed upon us by Your Excellency, that Dragon-like Heir!"

Boom!!!

Each of her father's excited words was like a Heavenly God lightning bolt from Nine Heavens, striking fiercely into Su Mucheng's mind, making her brain go blank in an instant!

So... while she was kneeling downstairs, enduring wind, rain, and mockery, believing that she and her Family had fallen into the abyss of despair... he had already, without her knowledge, silently saved everything for her.

That year-long silent vigil, that seemingly cruel punishment, was not meant to torment or humiliate her at all.

Instead, it was to... grind away her ridiculous, foolish arrogance!

At this moment, Su Mucheng finally understood.

The gap between her and that young man was never about status or wealth.

It was about perspective, about cunning, about a Realm as different as heaven and earth, like clouds and mud!

The immense emotional shock, from Hell to Heaven, completely destroyed all her negative perceptions of Lin Tian.

She stood rooted to the spot, tears streaming down her face, weeping uncontrollably... Half an hour later.

Long Group Headquarters, top-floor office.

Su Mucheng stood before Lin Tian once more.

Only this time, her eyes held no trace of pride, calculation, or resentment.

Only the purest, most complete reverence and submission, emanating from the depths of her Soul.

Slowly, solemnly, she knelt on both knees.

This time, it was no longer for her Family, no longer for profit.

But for the young God before her, who had shattered her everything with thunderous methods and then reshaped her new life with a Bodhisattva's heart.

From Long Ling'er's hand, she accepted a "Highest Authority Employment Contract" valid for life. Without reading any clauses, she signed her name and pressed her handprint.

"Su Mucheng, I vow to serve Sir for life, as a slave, as a maid, daring not to disobey!"

"If I break this oath, may heaven and earth destroy me!"

Just as she swore allegiance, dedicating her body, mind, and even Soul completely—

"You dog thief! Let go of my woman!!!"

A furious roar, filled with endless rage and killing intent, erupted like thunder from outside the building, making the entire floor-to-ceiling window hum!

Ye Fan had arrived!

He arrived ostentatiously in his menacing hover armored vehicle and, through the building's transparent curtain wall, saw his beloved fiancée kneeling before another man!

In an instant, his eyes were bloodshot, jealousy consumed him, and he was practically exploding with Qi!

He thought he was about to enact a classic scene of "hero saving the beauty"!

He roared, kicked open the car door, and rushed into the building, ready to brutally trample the "power-abusing" scion underfoot!

"Mu Cheng! Don't be afraid! I've come to save you!"

Ye Fan's voice echoed across the empty plaza.

However, what answered him was not the emotional tears of his fiancée he had imagined.

Kneeling on the ground, upon hearing that voice, the pear-blossom-like tear-streaked face of Su Mucheng showed not surprise, but a cold, disgusted, and angry expression at having a sacred ritual interrupted!

She didn't even wait for Lin Tian to speak.

She suddenly turned her head, fixing her icy, bone-chilling gaze, like one would a stranger, on Ye Fan, who was rushing towards her.

Then, in a sharp tone filled with rebuke and protectiveness, she sternly shouted:

"You shut up!"

"How dare you be disrespectful to Sir!"

"Everything I do is of my own free will!"

Ye Fan's steps came to an abrupt halt.

He stood frozen, staring at Mu Cheng in disbelief, his mind a blank.

"Mu... Mu Cheng... you... what did you say?"

He was bewildered and utterly stunned.