Victor Su had tried searching, but came up empty-handed.
He had even considered reaching out to Lin Yi through Wansheng Wang, but was flatly refused. Wang's reason was simple—even he didn't dare disturb Master Lin lightly.
This gave Victor Su a splitting headache.
Second Uncle Su looked at Victor Su's worried expression and understood just how dangerous the Su family's situation had become. Wolves in front, tigers behind—whether it was the Lin family, the Mu family, or other clans that had grudges with the Sus, they were all eyeing the Su family hungrily, waiting to tear off a piece.
If they didn't have a strong enough expert to hold the fort and drive the Lin family back, then after tonight's forced marriage, the Su family would officially start its downhill slide!
"Dad, I actually found a master. He's pretty powerful and promised me he'd come tonight. How about I call him now and see if he's here? If he is, I'll bring him over for you to meet?" As Second Uncle Su spoke, he pulled out his phone.
But Victor Su just shook his head. "A master? How many people in all of Jinnan actually deserve to be called that?"
"If you invited Master Whitecloud, maybe it would help. But besides him, who in Jinnan would dare stand at our Su family gate right now? Anyone stepping up now is either a fame-seeker looking to take advantage of our crisis, or someone with ulterior motives. Besides, the 'master' you're talking about is nothing like the person I want to see. Meeting him would only annoy me."
Victor Su snorted. He had three sons, and Second Uncle Su was by far the most troublesome. Even though Second Uncle managed most of the Su family's businesses, it was all just for show—the real backbone was still the eldest son.
The eldest had made it to lieutenant colonel in the Jinnan military district—a huge honor for an ordinary family. But for the Sus, expecting a lieutenant colonel to hold up the whole family was pure fantasy.
As for the third son—Su Mo's father—he passed away young due to illness. He'd been a beloved, patriotic official with a bright future, but died before his time, leaving only his daughter Su Mo behind. People couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
Now the Su family has no one left. They could have relied on the military district to pressure the Lin family, but with the Southriver Sword Sect supporting the Lins, the Sus are at a disadvantage. Unless the eldest son pulls off a miracle—his regiment achieves something big and he becomes a real general—the Su family remains in danger.
But that's just too hard.
"Yes, yes." Second Uncle Su listened to Victor Su and didn't dare argue.
He'd only invited Lin Yi to show some support, but Lin Yi looked so young and inexperienced. Whether he could actually hold the stage was another question entirely.
Second Uncle already had a bad reputation with Victor Su, always mixing with shady people. Now, being rejected so bluntly, he didn't dare say another word.
"Mo'er, don't worry. No matter what, I won't gamble your future happiness. I won't sacrifice your whole life just for the Su family's stability!"
Victor Su's expression was solemn, his voice booming.
Hearing this, Second Uncle's face kept changing, but he just kept his head down and didn't dare argue.
Before, when Victor Su's health was poor, Second Uncle had considered compromising. But now, after hearing Victor's words, it was clear he was being warned—he immediately gave up on the idea.
After leaving Victor Su's room, Second Uncle found Grizzly and asked him to contact Lin Yi, see where he was.
But when Grizzly dialed Lin Yi's number, all he got was, "Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable."
"Seriously? He's ghosting us at a time like this?" Second Uncle stomped his foot in frustration.
"Maybe he's already here. There are so many people today, the cell signal might be messed up," Grizzly guessed.
"Whatever happens, help me look for Master Lin later. My brother should be arriving soon, too." Second Uncle sighed, rubbing his temples.
He really didn't like dealing with his big brother.
Unlike the mutual support between other siblings, the eldest brother had always looked down on Second Uncle. In his eyes, Second Uncle was always causing trouble and showing off—a real piece of work. If not for brotherly ties, he would've dragged Second Uncle into the army to straighten him out ages ago.
Inside the hall, there were long tables loaded with all kinds of fruit, snacks, and drinks.
Waiters in suits and ties moved back and forth with trays of wine. The place was packed—absolutely packed.
Anyone who could get into the Su family's Jinnan mansion had even higher status than the folks at the Jingzhou Chamber of Commerce banquets.
At the Jingzhou Chamber of Commerce, they might try every trick to invite top officials to attend, hoping to get some inside info. But those bigwigs, for all kinds of reasons, usually just make excuses—they don't want to get involved in the mess.
But for Victor Su's birthday banquet, a ton of those officials were practically fighting to get in the door.
After all, a lot of the department heads around Jinnan used to be soldiers under Victor Su. He trained them himself, and after leaving the army, they went on to hold important positions all over.
Not to mention, plenty of people had come from other cities just to attend this birthday banquet. That alone showed how wide Victor Su's network was.
Looking around, there were hundreds of guests in the hall—this kind of scale was basically unmatched in all of Jinnan.
Lin Yi picked up a glass of juice, found a seat, and watched the crowd. Everyone wore a mask—flattering each other, hiding daggers behind their smiles, all sorts of human nature on display.
Victor Su hadn't come out yet, but that didn't dampen the guests' enthusiasm at all.
"Did you hear? Lin Nantian from the Lin family is personally coming to propose this time. That kid apprenticed to a Southriver Sword—he's going to be a disciple of the Southriver Sword Sect! The Su family must be thrilled," a wealthy lady gushed, full of envy.
"Thrilled? I heard Old Master Su isn't happy at all. Su Mo is so pretty and still way too young—she's not in a hurry," another woman cut in.
"Pretty doesn't matter these days. It's all about ability. Lin Nantian's future is limitless! If I had a son-in-law like that, I'd be grinning in my sleep!"
A few women gathered together, showering Lin Nantian with praise.
Some of the young girls looked especially dreamy at the mention of Lin Nantian's name.