After that night, the air in the manor seemed to have quietly changed. An intangible, highly taut string is stretched to the brim, yet it is desperately suppressed beneath the peaceful daily routine.
Lu Tingchen became extremely busy, even more elusive than when dealing with the crisis of the P.P. Foundation. He still came home on time for dinner and played with the children for a while, but Su Wanwan could sense that most of his mind had withdrawn and thrown itself into an area that she couldn't reach, at the center of the storm.
He made more calls and the light in his study stayed on later. Occasionally, when she woke up in the dead of night, she could hear his calls, which were kept very low and made in various languages, with a cold and resolute tone. Qin Hao also appeared more frequently, always in a hurry, with a solemn expression on his face.
Su Wanwan kept her promise and didn't ask any more about the USB drive or the investigation. As usual, she took care of her children, handled household affairs, and even began to transform the wedding dress drafts she had designed for the wedding but had put on hold into a small haute couture collection, attempting to fill the inner anxiety and the forcibly suppressed longing for the truth with her busyness.
But she knew that a storm was brewing. The calm yet terrifying aura that Lu Tingchen exuded was like the extremely suppressed low pressure before a storm, making her heart race and also making her faintly look forward to the thunderstorm that was bound to come and wash away everything.
She chose to trust him. Although this sense of being entrusted with everything made her feel a bit uncomfortable, she knew that it was currently the safest and perhaps the most effective way.
That day, Lu Tingchen rarely left home early in the morning. He had a leisurely breakfast with her and their son, and even fed the little one half a bowl of rice porridge himself. He didn't care at all that there were some marks on his tie.
What are your plans for today? He asked Su Wanwan casually and picked up a napkin to wipe his hands.
Su Wanwan glanced at the schedule: "I had an appointment with the pattern maker this afternoon to discuss the details of the new series. Tonight..." It's nothing."
"Um." " Lu Tingchen nodded, his gaze sweeping over the bright sunlight outside the window. "The weather is nice. Let's take Chenchen to the greenhouse garden to play this afternoon. He likes to look at those colorful flowers."
His tone was very natural, but Su Wanwan keenly sensed something unusual - he was suggesting that she stay in a specific indoor area that was easy to guard.
Her heart gave a slight tremor and she raised her eyes to look at her.
Lu Tingchen was also looking at her, his eyes deep and profound, carrying a silent comfort and an extremely subtle reminder.
In the blink of an eye, everything is understood without words.
"Ok." " Su Wanwan lowered her eyelids and replied softly, her hand holding the milk cup as steady as a rock. "Just then, I also want to see if that newly arrived orchid has bloomed." "
Lu Tingchen's lips curved almost imperceptibly, a gesture of admiration. His little wife was even more perceptive and composed than he had imagined.
After breakfast, he went to the company as usual. Just before leaving, he gave her a hug. That hug was more forceful than usual and lasted a little longer.
"Wait for me to come back." He whispered in her ear, his breathing warm.
"Ok." " She leaned against his arms, listening to his steady heartbeat and nodding gently.
In the afternoon, Su Wanwan, as promised, took her son and the nanny to the largest glass greenhouse garden of the manor. The temperature here is just right, and the flowers are in full bloom, presenting a riot of colors. The little one was indeed so excited that he was dancing around and crawling on the soft-padded grass.
Su Wanwan was sitting on a bench nearby, seemingly reading a book, but the corner of her eye swept over her surroundings imperceptibly. She found that the number of bodyguards outside the greenhouse had significantly increased, and their positions had formed a more effective joint defense. It seems that there are fewer unfamiliar faces among the staff in the greenhouse.
Her heart rate involuntarily quickened a little. She had no idea what would happen to the props, but she knew that today was the "liquidation day" chosen by Lu Tingchen.
Time passed second by second. In the greenhouse, there were only the fragrance of flowers, the babbling of children and the gentle background music, so calm that it was almost eerie.
Suddenly
Her phone vibrated. It was an encrypted message from Lu Tingchen, with only three short words:
It has begun.
Almost at the same time!
In a top-tier office building of an international financial center far overseas, several core shell company accounts under the name of the P.P. Foundation are being jointly frozen by financial regulatory authorities of multiple countries, and the huge flow of funds has instantly come to a standstill!
Almost at the same time!
In Europe, a secret biological laboratory hidden beneath an ancient castle was broken into by fully armed Interpol. The researchers were stunned, and the computer hard drives were directly physically dismantled and sealed!
Almost at the same time!
In China, several "experts" and "officials" who had long been whitewashed and held important positions and were related to the "new creatures" of that year and subsequent illegal experiments were taken away directly from their offices, meeting rooms and even their homes without a sound!
Almost at the same time!
The chief editors of several mainstream media outlets and authoritative academic journals around the world simultaneously received an anonymous email, which was accompanied by detailed evidence materials that could not be forged. The content directly pointed to P.P. For decades, the foundation has been conducting anti-human experiments and data fraud under the guise of scientific research!
There were no gunshots, no explosions, and no early media commotion.
This was a precise surgical strike that took place in silence. Lu Tingchen did not choose to confront the situation head-on. Instead, he used the core evidence in that USB drive as a fulcrum to move the Earth. Through a complex network of international connections and exchanges of interests, he united multiple forces and launched a fatal offensive at the same moment from multiple dimensions such as finance, scientific research, personnel, and public opinion!
Every strike was precisely hit at the seventh inch, fast, accurate and fierce! It leaves the other party no time to react or respond!
Su Wanwan in the greenhouse knew nothing about this. She was just holding her son, looking out of the window at the still bright sunshine, feeling the soft warmth and heavy weight of the child in her arms.
All she could do was wait.
In the evening, Lu Tingchen came back.
He looked no different from usual, except for a hint of faint fatigue on his brows. But his eyes were exceptionally bright, as if he had shed a thousand-pound burden, or like cold iron that had been tempered, even more sharp and intimidating.
He walked into the greenhouse and first climbed onto the carpet towards his son, lifting the little one high up in one go, which made his son giggle. Then, he held his son in his arms and walked up to Su Wanwan.
Their eyes met.
He didn't say a word. He just looked at her and then, extremely slowly, nodded.
A simple action, yet it seems to contain a thousand words.
It's over. At least, it is a phased and decisive victory. The obstacles that should have been cleared have been removed, and the price that should have been paid has begun to be paid.
Su Wanwan's heart, which had been in suspense for the whole afternoon, suddenly settled back to the ground. A huge emotion, mixed with relief, sadness and relief, welled up in her heart, making her eyes well up.
She doesn't need to know the details or witness the bloodshed and turmoil. All she needs to know is that he made it. He fulfilled his promise in his own way.
She stepped forward, not looking at the child but reaching out her hand, gently embracing him and burying her face in his strong chest.
Lu Tingchen held his son in one arm and hugged her with the other, drawing both her and the child into his broad embrace.
The little one was sandwiched between his parents, happily waving his little hands and making cooing sounds.
The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the glass dome, enveloping the embracing family of three in a warm and sacred halo.
Outside the window, the world might be experiencing a silent earthquake.
Inside the window, there is only the warmth and peace that have grown stronger after enduring the wind and rain.
Are you hungry? After a long while, Lu Tingchen's deep voice rang out above her head, returning to his usual mildness. "What would you like to eat for dinner?"
Su Wanwan raised her head from his arms, her tears mixed with a smile: "Everything is fine." "
She knew that the most thrilling battle might have come to an end, but life went on. And they will continue to walk hand in hand.