Just when I had just emerged from the entanglement of love, I thought I had glimpsed the whole story and could use the golden finger of rebirth to crush Su Ning'an.
Only then did I realize how naive that idea was!
Even the hypothesis I've concocted now is just a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg. The truth lurks beneath the sea, like a giant beast from the abyss, staring down at all with cold eyes.
Her target was never me, or rather, not just me!
Killing me was just a side job. Her back seemed to be covered in a dense spider web.
When I realized this, I felt a chill run through my body.
Such a terrifying person, such a meticulous plan.
If I hadn't been reborn, I would have died in obscurity, believing to my death that she had simply hired someone out of passion.
"Are you hungry?" Lu Yanchen seemed to see through my thoughts and reached out to hold my hand. The warmth of his palm slowly dispelled the chill from my fingertips. "Would you like to get something to eat first?"
"It's okay." My attention was solely on the old man. I wanted to know what he would do, and in my desperation, I didn't let go of Lu Yanchen's hand.
He gave me a deep look, but didn't pull away, letting me hold it tightly.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for Old Man Lu's answer.
Should Su Ning'an keep the baby in her womb or not?
If she didn't, as the doctor had said, if her sperm quality deteriorated, even if someone was willing to marry her in the future, it would affect the child.
Kidney failure is like cancer. While acute cases can be cured through treatment, chronic cases are incurable and can only be managed.
After all, this concerns the future of the Lu family.
Old Man Lu pondered for a long time before speaking: "This matter is of grave importance. Go and get the Su family here."
"Okay."
Upon hearing the news, the Su family hurried over.
Su Ning'an was also invited in. Mrs. Su saw the fingerprints and redness on Su Ning'an's face. Lu Shiyan's slap last night had been quite forceful.
But the Lu family had an ointment that could invigorate blood circulation and dissolve blood stasis, so it should have faded overnight, but the marks on her face were still very noticeable.
Look, this person is really good at acting, even her makeup is top-notch.
A truly cruel person would do something to themselves, but she hadn't even applied the ointment all night.
So now, when she appeared, looking sickly, with her face still scarred, she looked so pitiful that the Su family instantly forgot all her foolish deeds.
As if anything she did was forgivable!
Mrs. Su was the first to meet her, holding her. "An'an, what's wrong with your face?"
Su Ning'an's gaze fell on my face, and her usual disgusting words came out: "It's none of my sister's business, it's all..."
She wanted to repeat her old tricks, but unfortunately, I had already been wronged by her many times. Even without saying a word, I knew what she would do next. Before she could finish, I interrupted her spell: "Mrs. Su, it's all my fault. I was thinking of Ning'an because she hadn't eaten all day, so I wanted to bring her some chicken soup to nourish her. I forgot she was in a bad mood, so she spilled the soup and burned her hand."
Xiao Tao, standing nearby, quickly added: "Yes, the young lady was kind enough to bring chicken soup to the young lady, and she dumped the scalding hot soup all over our young lady. She almost got her hand burned. It was horrible."
Neither Su Ning'an nor Mrs. Su expected this move. Mrs. Su's words of blame were about to reach her throat, but Xiao Tao held them back for three seconds before swallowing them. From defense to scolding: "What's wrong with you, child? The elders offered you chicken soup, and you splashed it all over them! Madam, I'm truly sorry. Our family finally found our daughter, and we've spoiled her too much, spoiling her temper. Please forgive me."
Su Ning'an hadn't expected that Xiao Tao and I would collaborate to defeat her tried-and-true tactics.
If it weren't for this moment, why would I bring Xiao Tao, with her bitter heart, bitter mouth, and loud voice, to witness it?
Although I couldn't guess Su Ning'an's true motives, I was familiar with her tactics.
Su Ning'an swallowed her anger, which didn't achieve the desired effect. She swallowed her anger and pretended to apologize: "Aunt, what happened last night was my fault. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me."
"Ning'an, you're being polite. We're family after all. Even if you did get burned, I wouldn't blame you. I know it was an unintentional mistake."
I deliberately exposed the back of my hand.
Unexpected, right? I can use that trick too!
Last night, in front of Lu Yanchen, I couldn't disobey him, so I turned around and immediately washed the ointment off with water. I even rubbed the wound with my hands to make it look worse.
The back of my hand was noticeably red and swollen; one spot had indeed been burned.
Seeing this, Old Man Lu's face hardened. He glared at Su Ning'an fiercely, "You've really not changed!"
If it weren't for the Su family being present, I think he would have pounced on her and hit her.
Old Man has been in poor health for the past few years, spending much of his time in a nursing home.
Father Lu is a soft-spoken man who only listens to Bai Lan's advice. Su Ning'an has been playing tricks on me many times.
He clearly knew I was being wronged. As the head of the family, if he had prevented this from happening the first time, instead of always giving it up and letting it go, there wouldn't have been any further complications.
I was filled with grievances, but Su Ning'an only gave me a few gentle scoldings. Nothing was lost. I'll continue next time. Father Lu's blind eye, coupled with the Su family's tolerance and indulgence, has led to the current situation.
Although the old man didn't witness it personally, he learned some things from the housekeeper. If he were there, he certainly wouldn't have let me suffer any injustice.
His words were probably a way of defending my own actions.
Su Ning'an quickly restrained his expression, not daring to act rudely in front of the old man.
"Dad, don't be angry. I'm fine. It just hurt a little, and now it's..."
The old man took my hand and merely touched the wound, causing me to frown. "Hiss..."
The old man's face was filled with heartache. "You and that girl are so much alike, Wanwan. Now you're Mrs. Lu, the mistress of the household. You must assert your authority. Don't be too gentle or submissive, or you'll be the one to suffer. Do you understand?"
Hearing these words, my heart warmed. "Okay, I'll take note. Don't be angry anymore. Sit down and rest." I helped the old man sit down, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd. "I called you here today because I have an important matter to discuss, concerning these two evildoers."
The old man looked at Lu Shiyan. "You're the one who caused this trouble. Tell me, how should we deal with this?"