Morning light filtered through the sheer curtains, casting dappled patterns onto the expensive Persian rug. Su Wan reclined against the plush velvet headboard of the master bedroom's imposing bed, swathed in a soft eiderdown. Her face retained the pallor of recent convalescence, the faint shadows beneath her eyes unyielding, lending her an air of fragile vulnerability.
Lu Zeyu sat on the edge of the bed, meticulously feeding her spoonfuls of freshly prepared bird's nest congee from the kitchen. His movements were tender, his gaze intensely focused, as if she were the most precious treasure he would ever possess.
"Slowly, mind it's hot," he murmured, blowing gently on the spoon. His voice was a low, pleasant baritone. "The doctor was clear – you need complete rest. Don't worry yourself about the company for now. Leave it all to me."
Su Wan obediently swallowed the warm congee, her long lashes lowered, perfectly masking the icy scorn deep within her eyes. She played the role of the carefully tended, traumatised "mother-to-be" flawlessly, without a single crack.
"Mmm, I'll listen to you," she whispered, her voice soft, carrying just the right note of dependency and weariness. "It's just... it must be so tiring for you, Zeyu. Running between the company and home." She lifted her gaze, eyes shimmering with manufactured "concern" as she looked at him.
Lu Zeyu inwardly preened, though his expression remained nonchalant. He reached out, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his fingertips deliberately brushing her cool earlobe. "For you and the baby, a little fatigue is nothing. Just focus on resting and getting better, that's all I need." He paused, the transition seemingly casual. "By the way, the Nan Cheng regeneration project... the groundwork is all laid. A few key subcontracts need finalising this afternoon. Chairman Li is pressing..."
Here it comes. Su Wan's internal alarms blared. In her previous life, this very "Nan Cheng Regeneration" project had been the black hole through which Lu Zeyu siphoned vast sums from the Su Corporation! Using inflated quotes and layers of subcontracts funneled to shell companies he controlled, he'd laundered enormous funds. The project had ultimately collapsed, incurring massive losses, and the blame had nearly landed squarely on her elder half-brother, Su Heng, who was overseeing project supervision!
"The Nan Cheng project..." Su Wan furrowed her delicate brows, feigning confusion and a touch of worry. "Is it important? I think I heard Brother mention it once... said it was a huge investment?"
"Indeed, one of the group's flagship ventures this year." Lu Zeyu sighed, injecting a note of "concern" into his tone. "Massive investment, significant risk. Especially the resettlement compensation and initial demolition phase – treacherous waters. It's been giving me headaches these past days, trying to ensure progress, control costs, and watch out for any underhanded dealings below..." He watched Su Wan's expression closely. Seeing only a trusting nod, he pressed on, "But don't worry, I'll keep a tight rein. The subcontractors signing this afternoon have been rigorously vetted. Solid credentials, reasonable quotes. Should be straightforward."
"Oh..." Su Wan nodded, the picture of trusting incomprehension. She reached out, her fingers cold, and lightly grasped Lu Zeyu's hand resting on the bed. "Zeyu, I trust you to handle things. Only... don't push yourself too hard. Your health matters too." She timed a couple of light coughs perfectly, amplifying her frail image.
Lu Zeyu's last vestiges of doubt evaporated. This was still the same Su Wan – understanding nothing, concerned only for his wellbeing. He turned his hand to clasp hers, giving it a reassuring pat. "Understood, little worrier. Get some more sleep. I'm off to the office. I'll sign the contracts and come back early to be with you."
He leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to her smooth forehead. Then he rose, adjusted his impeccably tailored suit jacket, and strode with easy confidence from the bedroom.
The instant the door clicked shut, the mask of fragile docility Su Wan wore froze and shattered. She scrubbed the back of her hand fiercely across her kissed forehead, as if erasing some vile contamination. Her eyes, sharp as honed steel, bored into the closed door.
The Nan Cheng project... Subcontracts... Solid credentials? Reasonable quotes? Lu Zeyu, your countdown begins today!
She snatched up the old-model mobile phone beside her pillow. Its screen cast an eerie glow on her cold profile. A pre-written message flew out:
[TARGET: Nan Cheng Regeneration Subcontractors signing TODAY. FOCUS: Hongda Construction, Jinding Earthworks. Investigate: Ultimate Beneficial Owners, links to Lu Zeyu & Lin Weiwei, past project scandals, anomalies in current quotes. Key findings REQUIRED by midday.]
The message sent, a stone dropped into deep water. Su Wan shoved the phone back under her pillow, lay down, and closed her eyes, regulating her slightly rapid breath. The physical weakness was real; the lingering ache deep in her abdomen was real. But the heart of vengeance within her chest beat a cold, hard rhythm, gathering strength for the approaching storm.
---
2:00 PM, Su Corporation Headquarters, Top Floor. The heavy mahogany door of the CEO's office was shut, sealing off the bustle beyond. Beyond the vast floor-to-ceiling windows sprawled the steel-and-glass jungle of the city. Su Heng sat behind his expansive desk, his computer screen displaying a complex project budget spreadsheet. His brow was furrowed, long fingers tapping an unconscious, muted rhythm on the polished wood.
The Nan Cheng Regeneration project. Massive investment, far-reaching implications. Lu Zeyu was handling the initial push. The key subcontract agreements he'd submitted carried total figures that were... jarringly high. Particularly the foundation work quote from "Hongda Construction" and the earth removal costs from "Jinding Earthworks" – 15% to 20% above standard market rates. Lu Zeyu had provided detailed "market analyses" and "risk assessment reports" arguing their "reasonableness," but Su Heng's instincts, honed by years navigating treacherous corporate waters, screamed – something's rotten.
He reached for the intercom, about to summon Zhao Lei, when the office door gave a soft rap.
"Enter."
The door opened. It was Su Wan. She wore a loose, comfortable cashmere dress under a beige wool coat, her hair falling softly to her shoulders. Her complexion was still pale, but her eyes seemed clearer than usual, less timid, possessing a new... stillness? She carried a substantial paper bag bearing the logo of a renowned sportswear brand.
"Brother." Su Wan's voice held a rasp of recent illness, yet her gaze held an unusual clarity, shedding some of its habitual timidity, gaining a touch of... composure?
Su Heng was surprised. Since being brought back into the family fold, his half-sister's thoughts had revolved solely around that Lu Zeyu. Towards him – her cold, imposing half-brother – she'd always maintained a wary distance. Her appearing in his office voluntarily was unprecedented.
"Hmm. Feeling better?" Su Heng replaced the phone, his gaze sweeping over her pale face. His tone was its usual detached flatness, revealing little.
"Much better, thank you, Brother." Su Wan approached the large desk, placing the paper bag carefully on its corner with a hint of tentative caution. "I... I was tidying yesterday and found this..." She indicated the bag, her voice dropping slightly. "It seemed... something you've been looking for? That limited edition? I overheard Secretary Zhang mention it once..."
Su Heng's eyes fixed on the bag. The sharp gaze flickered almost imperceptibly. AJ1 Chicago, the OG colourway retro release. Rare. He'd been searching for the right size for ages. How did Su Wan...?
Su Wan seemed flustered, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her coat, her voice even softer. "I... I happened upon it shopping... got lucky... bought it. Forgot to give it to you... Hope the size is right..." She lifted her eyes, darting a quick, nervous glance at Su Heng before looking down again, like a startled fawn.
Su Heng looked at the bag, then at this sister who seemed clumsily, almost comically, trying to bridge a gap. The irritation sparked by the Nan Cheng project strangely ebbed. He was silent for a few seconds, then reached out and took the bag. He opened it. A pristine shoebox, the familiar red, white, and black. Size 45. Exactly what he'd coveted.
"Hmm." His acknowledgment was characteristically uninflected, but the tension in his jawline softened fractionally. "Thoughtful. Leave it."
"Oh, good." Su Wan seemed to exhale, a faint, slightly foolish smile touching her lips. But it vanished as swiftly as it appeared. Her gaze seemed to wander casually over the papers spread on Su Heng's desk, landing on the words "Nan Cheng Regeneration," "Hongda Construction," "Jinding Earthworks."
Her heart leapt. The moment!
She gave a small, hesitant gasp, as if suddenly remembering something. "Brother... are you looking at that Nan Cheng project? I... I was waiting downstairs in the lobby earlier... I think... I think I overheard two people talking near the pantry..." She paused, as if straining to recall. "Something about... 'Hongda' having problems on that resettlement project in West City last year? Cracks in floor slabs... caused a huge fuss... paid out loads... then I think they changed their name and started taking jobs again? And that 'Jinding'... their boss, surname Ma? Heard... he might have some murky ties to loan sharks...?"
Su Wan's voice was faint, coloured by the weakness of illness and uncertainty, like mere overheard gossip, even disjointed. She spoke while carefully observing Su Heng's expression.
Su Heng's grip on the mouse tightened abruptly! His eyes instantly sharpened to a predatory hawk's focus!
The West City resettlement accident! He had a vague memory! It had been a scandal, later suppressed. The company involved had supposedly dissolved? Changed its name? And loan shark connections? Lu Zeyu's submitted due diligence reports had been utterly silent on these points! Instead, they'd sung the praises of these very companies!
A wave of icy fury shot up Su Heng's spine! If Su Wan's words held even a grain of truth... No, even a hint of it was enough to expose a colossal, potentially deliberate, lapse – or worse – in Lu Zeyu's subcontractor selection!
He snapped his head towards Su Wan, his gaze electric. "You're sure you heard 'Hongda' and 'Jinding'? What else?"
Su Wan flinched visibly under his sudden intensity, her pallor deepening. She shook her head, flustered. "I... I didn't hear clearly... just passing... they were whispering... something like... 'the quotes are so high this time, bound to go through'... Brother, did I say something wrong?" Her eyes rapidly filmed with tears, radiating genuine-seeming alarm.
Su Heng looked at her frightened state, drew a deep breath, forcibly quelling the surging anger. He couldn't frighten her. But the information Su Wan had inadvertently provided was a key, unlocking every suspicion festering in his mind! The exorbitant figures on the spreadsheets, the seemingly thorough yet glaringly evasive "risk assessment" – now reeked of calculated omission!
"No. You didn't say anything wrong." Su Heng's voice regained its calm, even carrying a barely perceptible note of reassurance. "Thank you for telling me. Go back and rest." He pressed the intercom. "Zhao Lei. My office. Now."
Su Wan knew the objective was achieved. She played the shaken role, casting one last timid glance at Su Heng. "Then... Brother, I'll go back." She turned and walked out, her steps deliberately unsteady.
Behind her, Su Heng's icy voice cut through the air: "Zhao Lei, get me everything on Hongda Construction and Jinding Earthworks! Focus: previous identities, linked companies, owner backgrounds, past project disputes – especially the West City accident and loan shark rumours! Use every contact. I want raw, unfiltered details! This afternoon's signing ceremony – postponed!"
Su Wan gently closed the door, shutting out the suffocating pressure within. Leaning back against the cold wood, the feigned alarm melted from her pale face. A slow, cold, satisfied curve touched her lips.
Lu Zeyu, your "reasonable" quotes just hit a wall. How does that first nail taste?
---
Evening. The dying sun stained the garden of the Su family villa a warm gold. Su Wan stood for a long time at the third-floor study window, watching the vibrant hues bleed into twilight. Physical exhaustion washed over her in waves; the dull ache in her abdomen sharpened after standing.
She rubbed her temples, deciding to go downstairs for water.
As she reached the top of the sweeping staircase leading down from the second floor, a cluster of deliberately hushed yet viciously acerbic whispers drifted up from the servants' break area below.
"...Thinks she's real gentry now? One little fall and she's precious as porcelain! Demands meals brought up, only the finest bird's nest, even changed rooms! Doesn't know her place! Thinks landing in the nest makes her a phoenix?" It was Cook Wang's voice, dripping with contempt. A younger maid chimed in: "Exactly! Cook Wang, did you see her today with the Young Master? All that simpering! Giving him shoes? Pure flattery! Think he cares for her cheap gifts?" "Hmph! A country bumpkin dredged up, with ambitions far above her station! If not for dumb luck, would she be marrying our Young Master? He's the real deal, the real talent! Treats her like gold, and she's still never satisfied! Always moping about, sickly... just a bad luck charm!" Cook Wang's tone grew nastier. "I'll wager that baby won't even stick! She hasn't the blessing for it..." "Cook Wang!" a clear voice snapped in anger, another servant clearly appalled. But Cook Wang was undeterred: "Am I wrong? Look at her face! Like a consumptive ghost! Just clings to the Young Master, no poise at all! Not fit to touch a fingernail of Miss Lin! Miss Lin is grace itself, treats us staff so well..." Su Wan froze in the stairwell's shadow. The colour drained from her face, leaving only icy whiteness. Not anger, but a deeper, blood-chilling cold. In her past life, this very Cook Wang, at Lin Weiwei's behest, had sabotaged her constantly – switching her medication, tampering with her food, and ultimately becoming a key "witness" testifying to her "mental instability"! Slowly, step by deliberate step, she descended. The sharp click of her heels on the polished marble stairs echoed, cold and precise, cutting through the sudden, dead silence of the hall below. The whispers ceased abruptly. By the break room door stood Cook Wang and two younger maids, their faces a mixture of embarrassment and panic. Cook Wang met Su Wan's glacial stare, her heart lurching. But relying on her "seniority" and Su Wan's perceived "weakness," she forced a simpering smile. "Miss, you're downstairs? What do you need? Just call us..." Su Wan ignored the younger maids. Her gaze, like an ice-pick, pinned Cook Wang's face – a canvas of hypocrisy and malice. She stopped directly in front of her. Though slight and pale, the aura of absolute cold emanating from her forced Cook Wang back half a step. "You were saying," Su Wan's voice was low, almost soft, yet like steel wire dipped in ice, scraping across every ear, "that I'm a bad luck charm? That I'm not blessed? That my child won't stick?" She enunciated each word with chilling clarity. Cook Wang's false smile froze, her eyes darting. "M-miss, you misheard, I wouldn't dare..." "Wouldn't dare?" Su Wan's lips curved in a humourless smile, her eyes growing even sharper, colder. "I think you dare a great deal. Daring to curse the Su bloodline, the future heir." She leaned in fractionally, invading Cook Wang's space, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly soft, yet oppressive whisper. "Who gave you the gall? Lin Weiwei?" Cook Wang shuddered violently, her face draining of all colour. How... how did she know?! "I... I didn't! Miss, you slander me!" Cook Wang denied desperately, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "Slander?" Su Wan straightened up, her gaze sweeping over the woman with undisguised disgust, as if viewing refuse. She dismissed the denial, turning her attention to a middle-aged maid nearby who looked solid and reliable. "Sister Zhang. You heard her too, didn't you?" Zhang, named, flinched. She looked from Cook Wang's ashen face to Su Wan's implacable, icy stare. Her lips moved soundlessly before, under that undeniable pressure, she gave a difficult nod. Su Wan's gaze shifted to the other young maid. The girl was already terrified, deathly pale, and nodded frantically. Only then did Su Wan return her attention to the ashen Cook Wang. Her voice resumed its flat, icy calm, yet held the weight of a sentence pronounced: "Cook Wang. You served the Su family for fifteen years. The Su family treated you well." "But your heart is twisted. You stir trouble, spread malice, overstep your place. You cursed the family bloodline." "The Su family has no place for you." "Now. Immediately. Pack your things. Get out of this house. Your wages and severance will be settled according to regulations." "From this day forth, do not let me see you within the Su family, or even within this city." "Miss! You can't—!" Cook Wang was thunderstruck, shrieking, trying to lunge forward to beg. She couldn't believe it! This weak, timid Su Wan – how dare she?! Fire her, a senior servant?! "Security!" Su Wan's voice sliced through the air, sharp with absolute authority and glacial command! Two large, imposing security guards stationed near the entrance marched in instantly, seizing the struggling Cook Wang by each arm. "Miss! Miss, I was wrong! Forgive me this once! It was Miss Lin who... No! I was bewitched...!" Cook Wang wailed incoherently as she was dragged bodily towards the door. Su Wan didn't grant her another glance, as if she were merely refuse being cleared away. Her eyes swept calmly over the other servants, frozen in terror. Her voice, clear and resonant, filled the hall: "Remember. This is the Su house." "I am a Su." "Let me hear one more word out of place..." "The consequences will be far worse than hers." The hall was tomb-silent. The servants stood rigid, heads bowed, not daring to breathe. The pale, sickly young mistress before them radiated a chilling aura and ruthless decisiveness they had never witnessed, filling them with unprecedented dread and awe. Su Wan finished speaking. Without lingering, she turned to ascend the stairs. Her body felt leaden; she desperately needed rest. But as she turned, her peripheral vision caught— The villa's front door stood slightly ajar. A tall, imposing figure stood motionless in the opening. How long had he been there? The last sliver of sunset gilded his sharply defined profile, leaving his expression unreadable. It was Su Heng. He had returned.