Su Ning'an probably never dreamed that the child she'd carefully planned to conceive, her greatest bargaining chip, would be so vulnerable before Old Master Lu.
Perhaps she was too self-righteous. If she had claimed that her status was higher than Lu Shiyan's, then this matter could have been resolved.
The problem was that the Su family had always wanted to connect with the Lu family through marriage. The main reason I was able to marry Lu Shiyan was because I was a childhood sweetheart.
Old Master had watched me grow up. Even though the Su family was in no way worthy of the Lu family, no one questioned the marriage.
Even after I turned eighteen, both the Su and Lu families had groomed me as the future Mrs. Lu.
I cherished this hard-earned marriage, and for a time, I felt blessed.
Marrying my childhood sweetheart, supported by my family, and with both families being wealthy, it was like a fairy tale.
Su Ning'an was different. She had been staying in the Lu family as a younger sister, and she was my biological sister.
If this were to get out, would the Lu and Su families ever be able to live in peace? Once my mourning period is over, the Lu family can easily choose a suitable Young Madam Lu. How could Su Ning'an be chosen?
Besides, Su Ning'an's little tricks only work on those who truly love her.
Old Master Lu has no blood relationship with her, and usually treats her as just a toy.
The Lu family can afford to support her, so they don't interfere much.
But it's absolutely impossible to let such a scheming woman become Mrs. Lu.
"Hit her? Old Master, my An'an has a heart disease. She..."
See, Mrs. Su, who previously accused Su Ning'an of being shameless, still couldn't bear to hurt him when it came to actually harming his interests. Old Master Lu didn't want to hear any more nonsense and interrupted Mrs. Su. "The doctor will assess whether the injection is possible. Housekeeper, please have Miss Su leave. She's pregnant, so find a few more people to look after her."
"Yes."
It was Old Master again. What he meant by "taking care of her" was actually just putting Su Ning'an under house arrest to prevent her from causing trouble again!
And he kept mentioning Miss Su, deliberately creating a clear distinction between Su Ning'an and the Lu family.
Once I'm dead, the Lu and Su families will have no ties.
Inviting the Su family to dinner today was originally Old Master's way of appeasing them.
After all, to outsiders, my death was more or less linked to Lu Shiyan's escape from marriage. Unfortunately, Su Ning'an's move not only failed to achieve its goal, but also made her lose face with Old Master.
Forget about marrying into the Lu family anymore. Old Master made it clear he no longer wanted anything to do with the Su family.
Su Ning'an didn't make a fuss as she was taken away, but her eyes were fixed on me. At that moment, I had the illusion that she saw through my true identity.
But I wasn't afraid anymore!
I knew too well how vicious she was. Even if I didn't take action, Su Ning'an wouldn't let me go just because of this face and the power the old man had bestowed upon me as Mrs. Lu!
It didn't matter if I was Su Wan or Jiang Wanwan, she wouldn't let anyone who stood in her way go unpunished.
After such an incident in the Su family, everyone's faces were etched in dismay, and they all left one after another.
Old Master Lu looked at his unfilial grandson, furious. "You, get out of here and kneel in the ancestral hall! Su Wan's body is still warm, and you've truly failed her!"
I pushed Lu Yanchen back to the room. He remained silent the entire way until the moment we closed the door. He spoke calmly, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"
Such a soft, calm voice, not interrogative, not even devoid of emotion, yet it frightened me. I walked over to the wheelchair and squatted, looking aggrieved. "Actually, I noticed something wasn't right between them when we were in the car. I was furious that he couldn't contain himself right after his wife died, so I took advantage of the Su family's presence and wanted to expose them..."
Lu Yanchen's eyes were deep, their dark gaze making it impossible to discern even a single thought, giving off an unwarranted sense of danger.
"Jiang Wanwan, you're using me," he said firmly.
I quickly shook my head. "No, no, you know my life in the Jiang family wasn't easy. If it wasn't you, there would have been someone else. At the time, I just thought you, though cold, weren't a bad person. I..."
Lu Yanchen's bony hand lifted my chin, a casual sneer flickering across his lips. "What makes you say I'm not a bad person, huh?"
"I..."
My heart was racing. Yes, Jiang Wanwan and he didn't even know each other. What made me think I was?
Is it because he was the only one searching for me after my death? Or because of the bouquet of black roses in front of my tombstone? In a moment of desperation, I broke free from his grasp and flung myself into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"I just believe you! Brother Yanchen, you won't hurt me, right?"
From an angle I couldn't see, Lu Yanchen's eyes trembled violently.
A look of disbelief crossed his face, and finally he tightened his arms around my waist.
His lips landed behind my ear, and he said solemnly, "Yes, I will never hurt you."
Is that all?
He believes me?
Lu Yanchen stared at me, stunned, and reached out to ruffle my hair.
"It's late, go to bed."
This was the first time Lu Yanchen had touched me! It felt unreal.
Before I could ask more, he had already gone to the bathroom to wash up, leaving me alone, disheveled in the wind.
What did he mean by this? Was he letting me off so easily?
I tossed and turned that night, my mind filled with gloating over tonight's conquest and anticipation for tomorrow's arrival. The next day.
Although this blow to Su Ning'an wasn't enough to shake her foundation, it was at least a victory for my revenge.
I even wore a bright red dress for the occasion, so festive!
She'd been doing this since my miscarriage, even deliberately carrying the baby's clothes to provoke me.
Lu Yanchen stared at me, smug in the mirror. "Are you happy?"
"Yes, I had a good sleep last night."
For some reason, I had a feeling that Lu Yanchen wouldn't hurt me, and I felt increasingly at ease in his presence.
He didn't say much, just a deep look in his eyes. There seemed to be a suppressed emotion in his eyes that I couldn't quite understand. When I went downstairs, the Su family had already arrived, though everyone looked haggard, likely from a sleepless night.
The Lu family's personal doctor had already arrived to examine Su Ning'an and handed the results to Old Master Lu.
When Old Master Lu saw the words "approximately seven weeks pregnant," his expression suddenly changed.
Judging from the timeline, it would have been around the time of my death, perhaps even on our wedding night. Old Master Lu threw the medical report directly at Lu Shiyan, who had just come out of the ancestral hall and hadn't even sat down yet. "You beast! You little beast! I'm going to beat you to death today!"