Shadow and Light: The Bride Who Clicks Her Way to Love-Chapter 463 - 476: Mountain Rain

What’s the point of reopening old wounds?

Su Xingyu looked at him incredulously, "Lu Shifeng, my grandfather nearly died in that fire, and lost the love of his life. Are you blaming me for wanting to investigate?"

Lu Shifeng looked down at her, his voice indifferent: "Xingyu, I’m not blaming you for investigating. It’s just that there’s no point in dredging up these old matters. Four years ago, I did suspect that my grandfather set the fire intentionally, but what good would it be to say this out loud now? To have my grandfather weep and apologize at your grandfather’s grave? To compensate you materially? I don’t know whether my grandfather ever apologized, but I can tell you that he has been paying for the upkeep of Mu Liancheng’s grave over the years. Otherwise, do you think Su Zhongxiao’s wealth and filial piety alone could have maintained your grandfather’s burial in such auspicious grounds? As for material compensation, there’s no need for my grandfather to step in; whatever you want, I will provide. A fortune in gold and silver is what you deserve as my wife, regardless of whether the incident with your grandfather happened, it makes no difference to you."

His words were lengthy, and it took her a few seconds to process them.

Suddenly, she fell silent. Yes, even if it could be proven four years ago that it was Mr. Lu who attempted to murder her grandfather, what then?

The dead cannot be brought back to life, and all these grudges are in the past. Bringing this up would only cause pain, particularly for Mrs. Lu.

Mrs. Lu loved her grandfather all her life, yet unwillingly married Mr. Lu and had two sons, and now has a large family. If she were to find out that there was foul play in that fire, and that she had abandoned the man she loved to marry the arsonist, she would live in suffering for the rest of her life.

For the living, there is only harm, no benefit.

Lu Shifeng gazed at her: "Xingyu, I know you feel indignant. Anyone in your situation would feel the same. But the affairs of our elders are not something for us juniors to meddle in. Besides, there is no conclusive evidence to prove that my grandfather set the fire; it’s been too long, and perhaps it truly was just an accident."

"Maybe Jinnian has evidence," she said softly.

Lu Shifeng replied, "I will talk to him."

She didn’t object. Although discovering there might be more to the fire at the tea plantation makes her angry, she understands, as Lu Shifeng said, what point is there in pursuing it now? Her greatest concern isn’t revenge but how Mrs. Lu will cope if the truth is unveiled. Between the man she passionately loved and the husband she has lived with for a lifetime, surrounded by children and grandchildren...

It’s Mrs. Lu who has truly sacrificed her life in this matter.

"You can go talk to him," Su Xingyu looked up, meeting Lu Shifeng’s eyes, "but promise me, whatever the outcome is, you will tell me. If there is concrete evidence that your grandfather was the one who set the fire, then I will ask him to stop maintaining my grandfather’s grave. He doesn’t deserve it."

Lu Shifeng said, "Don’t tell Su Jinnian about the grave maintenance fees yet. With your brother’s extreme temperament, even if it’s proven that my grandfather didn’t do it, I’m afraid he still won’t let it go."

Su Xingyu nodded, the nineteen-year separation having changed her brother’s personality drastically, making her uneasy.

Lu Shifeng went to negotiate with Su Jinnian.

The next day, Blade Group’s stocks were all suspended; those wanting to short sell couldn’t, and those wanting to offload couldn’t, resulting in a flurry of complaints.

Yet Blade stood firm amidst the criticism, and a public relations spokesperson made a statement, essentially asking all shareholders and consumers to remain calm: whether it’s the abnormal stock fluctuations or the death of the diving photographer, they would uncover the truth, shoulder any owed responsibilities and defend themselves with facts and evidence against any unjust accusations.

This public relations response was swift, but only partially curbed the boiling public opinion, without fully quelling it.

By now, anyone who wasn’t blind could see that this storm was premeditated against Blade, but all the competing camera brands were gloating, eager to watch and even kick them while they were down—after all, Blade had just initiated a technical overhaul not long ago, leaving competitors with unsold excess inventory. These brands didn’t mind seeing Blade bitten by a strong opponent.

Especially since even the Feiying Steinway Family had bared its fangs.

The Feiying Steinway Family had also lost heavily in the Blade Group’s product overhaul, accumulating massive unsold inventory. The family’s eldest, second, and third sons were heatedly criticized by the patriarch for being useless, and the youngest, Ouyang Yi, took the opportunity to volunteer to tackle the stockpile, offering to help the Feiying Group navigate this crisis in exchange for real power within the family.

After considering his options, the patriarch agreed to Ouyang Yi’s request.

His brothers were displeased, eager to see Ouyang Yi fail, but barely after Ouyang Yi took on the task of clearing the inventory, Blade Group encountered such a major crisis.

Ouyang Yi capitalized on the situation, launching an aggressive entry into the Chinese market with the cameras, drawing attention from the fashion and photography industries as well as ordinary fans, thanks to his status as a globally renowned supermodel. His every move was like a living advertisement, amplified by a massive promotional campaign. Soon, everyone knew that the fourth young master of the Feiying Steinway Family was now in charge of the camera business, personally endorsing it, determined to conquer the Chinese camera market and compete head-to-head with Blade cameras.

The mere buzz this news generated was enough to capture attention.

Under Ouyang Yi’s direction, Feiying Group’s promotions released numerous articles, one after another, listing the various flaws of Blade’s new camera models, criticizing everything from hardware quality to lack of brand culture, from capital greed to lack of human concern, even leveraging the diver photographer’s death to vociferously smear their competitor.

Soon, Feiying cameras’ sales skyrocketed.

Consequently, Blade cameras faced slow sales and returns.

Lu Shifeng, under pressure, stabilized the situation, managing the threats looming from all sides.

Su Xingyu grew increasingly anxious.

She didn’t understand business warfare, but she could see the alarming headlines in the media.

She went to Lu Shifeng’s office at Blade Headquarters: "How did your talk with my brother go? What does he want to stand down? And what’s going on with Ouyang Yi?"