CHAPTER 286: CHAPTER 87: THE PAST THAT SHOULD NOT BE MENTIONED (PART 2)

Su Qingzhang stood up, his hand tightly clutching his cane, staring at Su Ziceng in shock, "How could you possibly know about these things?" His expression was tense, like a snake being stepped on at its vital spot.

"I happened upon Ye Taina’s diary," Su Ziceng sighed long, "and learned about some things that happened between her and my mother back then."

What happened back then? Which incidents from the past? Who told her? Question after question flashed through Su Qingzhang’s mind. He was anxious and agitated, tossing aside the previous matter about the Subi Auction House that he and Su Ziceng discussed.

"What on earth happened back then?" Su Ziceng’s tone became more cautious as she asked; she rarely saw Su Qingzhang like this. At this moment, Su Qingzhang was enveloped in various emotions, completely unable to listen to what Su Ziceng was saying.

"It’s none of your business," Su Qingzhang’s voice came out twisted from his throat, his face growing paler, and a sharp pain struck his chest.

"What’s going on?" Chang Mei and Chang Chi entered the room, seeing Su Qingzhang’s complexion and his trembling hands; Chang Mei rushed forward.

"You’ve made your godfather angry again," Chang Chi also reproached. This Su Ziceng, going out and messing around was bad enough, but as soon as she returned home, she managed to infuriate her godfather considerably, with no clear idea what she was plotting.

Su Ziceng too was frightened by Su Qingzhang’s appearance, hastily defending, "I didn’t have any other intention; I just wanted to ask what happened in Africa back then?"

"Shut up," Su Qingzhang raised his cane high, slamming it down towards Su Ziceng. The three in the hall were stunned; Su Qingzhang actually raised his hand to hit someone.

The cane was raised mid-air, but ultimately it did not fall. Su Qingzhang’s gaze fixed on Su Ziceng’s face, his mind flashed with Qiao Chu’s face. He trembled even more violently, repeating, "Come upstairs with me, come upstairs with me." Chang Mei gestured to Chang Chi to help Su Qingzhang up the stairs first.

While going upstairs, Su Qingzhang’s shoulders slumped, the leg that was lame seemed to suddenly worsen, limping even more severely. Relying on just the cane for support, he began to shake.

It was only after their figures disappeared around the staircase that Chang Mei and Su Ziceng withdrew their gazes.

"From now on, you are forbidden to mention anything related to Ye Taina to your father, especially about Africa," Chang Mei warned, looking at Su Ziceng’s somewhat pale face.

Su Ziceng opened her mouth, recalling what the old servant had said about the possibility of Chang Mei having caused Qiao Chu’s death. She "hmphed" dismissively, turning to fetch her suitcase, unwilling to deal with Chang Mei any longer.

The luggage, still wet, rolled on the floor and hadn’t gone far when Chang Mei blocked her way, "Recently, Qingzhang had chest pains and went to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor said his heart isn’t in good condition, and he cannot be angered or stressed."

Her father’s health? Su Ziceng’s eyes widened in disbelief; how could this be? She distinctly remembered that Su Qingzhang’s health hadn’t been so precarious more than a decade ago. Could his past collapse not be accidental, but... Reflecting that she lacked such basic knowledge about her own father’s health, Su Ziceng felt somewhat despondent.

Seeing that Su Ziceng didn’t reply, Chang Mei continued, "You know, the Su family has no heir, and everything in the future depends on him and...you. The recent cross-border project got stuck at the final approval stage, and almost all the money that the Su Family invested has gone down the drain."

When it came to business, Su Ziceng lacked both the capacity and the authority to intervene, but she believed that Su Qingzhang could turn the situation around.

"Moreover, your dear friend Yan Wuxu is causing a fuss about setting up a fund at this crucial juncture," Chang Mei thought angrily. Yan Wuxu’s actions greatly irritated her; if she hadn’t been concerned about the child in her womb and been so busy lately, she wouldn’t have allowed her to stir up trouble.

"Setting up a fund is just to secure something for her and her son," Su Ziceng had heard Yan Wuxu mention this, and she could understand her feelings. With Chang Mei dominating everything, Yan Wuxu had no choice but to focus on her child.

"You sure are generous," Chang Mei felt even less understanding of Su Ziceng after hearing this. If it were her or her daughter Xiao Chi’s personality, what belonged to their family should never be coveted by outsiders. Yet Su Ziceng seemed all too willing to let Yan Wuxu fight for it.

"If you don’t want me to ask about Africa, fine, but then you tell me, why did my father and Ye Taina go to Africa in the first place, and what exactly happened there? Why did my father react like that at the mere mention of Africa?" Su Ziceng posed a string of questions to Chang Mei.

"I don’t know," Chang Mei dismissed with one sentence, "All I know is that Qingzhang has always disliked anyone mentioning those days, not even a question. After he returned from Africa, aside from his lameness, his spirits were very low."

"Wait, you said my father’s leg became lame in Africa; I distinctly recall hearing that it was caused by childhood paralysis," Su Ziceng noticed something was off. What exactly happened in Africa? Ye Taina died, and Su Qingzhang’s leg became lame.

"That was the story for the public. Do you think the Qiao family would allow Qiao Chu to marry a crippled poor boy?" Chang Mei spoke, "After returning from Africa, Qingzhang... learned of Qiao Chu’s death. During that period, both his mental and physical health completely collapsed. It took half a year after the funeral before he began to recover."

Since then, no one in the Su family has mentioned Su Qingzhang’s experience in Africa. His health eventually recovered, but his leg did not, remaining lame ever since.

"So, when father returned from Africa? Did he bring anything back?" Su Ziceng hesitated for a long time before asking, wanting to know if "Mussen’s Blessing" disappearing was also connected to her father. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to cast your recommendation and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)