Morning light filtered through the sheer curtains, casting delicate patterns across the bedroom. Su Wan had been awake for hours, leaning against the headboard, her old-model phone in hand. The screen displayed an encrypted message from the early hours:
[Wang Mei (Cook Wang) entered Lin Weiwei's apartment at 22:47 last night, departed at 05:12. During that time, Lin Weiwei contacted Lu Zeyu three times—call contents encrypted, unobtainable. At 06:30, Lin Weiwei transferred 200,000 RMB to Wang Mei from a rarely used account. Attached: surveillance photos & transaction records.]
Su Wan's fingertip traced the grainy image of Wang Mei's furtive figure slipping into the luxury apartment. A cold smirk curled her lips.
Two hundred thousand for silence? Lin Weiwei is generous. Clearly, Wang Mei knew far too many of her "dear friend's" secrets.
She deleted the message and moved to rise, but the phone buzzed again. Another alert, this time from Zhao Lei:
[Urgent: Confirmed—Stellar Advertising has illicit ties to Wei Guang Culture. Over the past two months, 3.87 million RMB in Su Group project funds were diverted. Evidence secured. Additionally: Lu Zeyu met urgently with Hongda Construction's Ma Qiang at 07:00, location: West City Teahouse. Surveillance arranged.]
Su Wan's gaze sharpened like honed steel. Meeting this early? The halted Nan Cheng project had struck a nerve. She typed swiftly: [Continue surveillance. Prioritize recording their discussion. Simultaneously investigate financial links between Hongda and Jinding.]
A soft knock interrupted her.
"Miss, are you awake?" Sister Zhang's voice, cautious. "Madam requests your presence for breakfast."
Su Wan's brow arched. Qin Wan rarely sought her company—their relationship had been distant in her past life. So, word of Wang Mei's dismissal has reached her.
"I'll be down shortly," she replied, rising to dress.
Twenty minutes later, Su Wan descended the stairs in soft beige loungewear, her hair loosely pinned up. The pallor of illness still clung to her, but her eyes were clear and steady—a stark contrast to the timid girl she'd once pretended to be.
Qin Wan sat at the dining table, her breakfast untouched before her. She wore a lavender qipao, every inch the poised matriarch, though the faint lines at her eyes betrayed her tension.
"Mother." Su Wan took the seat opposite.
Qin Wan glanced up, her gaze unreadable. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much." Su Wan accepted a glass of warm milk from Sister Zhang with a quiet thanks—a courtesy that made Qin Wan's fingers pause on her teacup.
They ate in silence, the air thick with unspoken questions. Finally, Qin Wan spoke. "I heard about Wang Mei."
Su Wan set down her chopsticks. "She cursed the Su bloodline and spread malice. I dismissed her."
Qin Wan's fingers traced the rim of her cup. "She served this family for over a decade. Always dutiful. Could there have been… a misunderstanding?"
Su Wan's expression frosted over. Just like before—so easily swayed. She placed her glass down with deliberate calm. "Do you know where Wang Mei went after leaving, Mother?"
Qin Wan blinked. "Where?"
"Lin Weiwei's apartment." Su Wan held her mother's gaze. "She didn't leave until dawn. This morning, Lin Weiwei transferred her two hundred thousand."
Qin Wan paled. "That's—impossible."
Without another word, Su Wan slid her phone across the table, the surveillance image glaringly evident.
Qin Wan's breath hitched as she studied it. When she looked up, her voice trembled. "Wanwan, how did you—?"
"Mother." Su Wan's interruption was gentle but firm. "I know you've always thought me weak. Gullible. But believe me now—I see clearer than anyone who is true, and who deceives."
Qin Wan's eyes glistened. She reached for Su Wan's hand, her grip unsteady. "I only ever wanted to protect you."
Something in Su Wan's chest tightened. In her past life, she'd mistaken her mother's hesitation for indifference. Now, she recognized it for what it was—a flawed but fierce love.
"I know," she murmured, squeezing back. "But trust me when I say I won't be victimized again. Not by anyone. Especially not Lu Zeyu and Lin Weiwei."
The names dripped like venom.
Qin Wan recoiled. "What have they done?"
Before Su Wan could answer, heavy footsteps echoed in the hall. Su Heng appeared in the doorway, his expression thunderous.
"Mother. Wanwan." The greeting was curt. "I'll skip breakfast. Urgent business."
"Wait." Su Wan's voice halted him. "Is this about Nan Cheng? Hongda Construction? Ma Qiang?"
Su Heng went utterly still. His gaze locked onto hers, razor-sharp. "How could you know that?"
Su Wan turned to Qin Wan. "May we speak privately? It concerns the company."
After a hesitant glance between her children, Qin Wan nodded and withdrew.
Alone, Su Heng advanced on Su Wan, his voice a low growl. "Explain."
She didn't flinch. "Hongda's predecessor, Hongfa Construction, caused the West City resettlement collapse—three dead, seven injured. Ma Qiang and Jinding's Ma Yong are brothers. Their current bids are inflated by twenty percent, the excess funneled to Lin Weiwei's Wei Guang Culture." A beat. "And at seven this morning, Lu Zeyu met Ma Qiang at West City Teahouse."
The temperature in the room plummeted. Su Heng studied her for a long moment, then turned abruptly. "With me."
He led her to his study, sealing them inside. With a few keystrokes, an audio file crackled to life.
Lu Zeyu's voice, tight with fury: "—must've leaked. Did your people slip up?"
A gruff reply (Ma Qiang): "Impossible! Last year's incident was buried! Unless someone's digging—"
"Enough." Lu Zeyu's snarl. "Get those contracts signed. Funds transfer in four stages. Wei Guang's channels are ready."
Ma Qiang, uneasy: "This is too risky. Su Heng isn't a fool."
A cold laugh. "Who cares? If things go south, we pin it on Su Wan. That idiot's the perfect scapegoat."
The recording ended.
Su Wan's face was bloodless, but her eyes burned with lethal calm. She'd known, of course—yet hearing his malice aloud was still a knife to the ribs.
Su Heng shut the file. "This arrived half an hour ago. I intended to handle it before—" He hesitated. "You knew?"
She met his gaze without blinking. "If I told you Lu Zeyu and Lin Weiwei have been plotting against this family—against me—from the beginning, would you believe me?"
Su Heng's jaw tightened. He turned to the window, his back rigid. "Why tell me now? Before, you—"
"Because I'm awake." Her whisper cut through the room like steel. "And this nightmare ends today."