Everyone's eyes were fixed on Lu Shiyan. He had previously been very certain he wouldn't have the child.
After learning of his condition, would he still be able to hold out?
"Brother..." Su Ning'an stared at him nervously.
After a moment, Lu Shiyan slowly spoke, "I want to keep the child."
As expected, nothing outweighed his own interests.
Su Ning'an had already laid the plan, and naturally, she wouldn't let anyone disrupt it.
"But I won't marry her." This was the only thing Lu Shiyan insisted on. It was likely that the old man had also made this decision in his heart, simply expressing it through Lu Shi'an. Su Ning'an looked at Lu Shiyan with grievance. "Brother, I've already given you my body. If you don't marry me, what should I do?"
"What should I do? Didn't you offer yourself up to me in the first place? You said it wouldn't affect my relationship with Su Wan, but you said one thing and did another. How could I get pregnant just by taking medicine?"
Lu Shiyan erupted, leaving Su Ning'an no room for shame.
"When Su Wan was around, she warned me you were two-faced, especially with your mouth. You never tell the truth. It's because I didn't listen to her that you deceived me like this! Su Ning'an, I told you I don't love you. I recognize this child as Lu's, but you, don't even think about marrying into the Lu family!"
So, no matter how perfect the plan, after all, it involves a child, and there are bound to be unexpected things.
Su Ning'an was indeed a little anxious. If she hadn't seen me and Lu Yanchen getting married so quickly, and if the old man hadn't trusted me so much, she would have gone ahead with the original plan and wouldn't have incurred such disgust from Lu Shiyan. It's a shame that many things are irreversible once the arrow is shot. We can't turn back now.
Mrs. Su spoke up for her daughter, "Lu Shiyan, that's not what you said. Su Wan is dead, after all. Our Lu and Su families have always had a good relationship. Everyone has witnessed your and An'an's friendship over the years. If it weren't for the childhood sweetheart relationship between Gu Nian and Su Wan, I'm afraid..."
I stared intently at the woman I'd called "Mom" my entire life in my previous life. A few days ago, I thought she'd turned gray because of my death.
Just a few days later, to protect Su Ning'an, she's blamed my relationship with Lu Shiyan on responsibility.
I wonder if she'll still be able to defend Su Ning'an when she finds out it was Su Ning'an who killed me?
I said coldly, "Mrs. Su, are you saying that Su Wan and Xiao Lu were just siblings, and that Xiao Lu married her out of a sense of obligation?"
Mrs. Su had already spoken, so she was determined to follow through. "Yes, we can all prove that Su Wan was the one who kept pestering Shi Yan all these years..."
"Haha..." I laughed, but I actually wanted to cry.
Even though I was already dead, they still wouldn't let me go.
"What are you laughing at? What's so funny?" My smile infuriated Mrs. Su.
"I'm just mourning your eldest daughter. She devoted her whole life to him, and what did she get in return? Her husband abandoned her at the wedding, and on their wedding night, he slept with his own sister. Even you, the family, still tout the brother-sister relationship. How ridiculous! If it's just brother-sister, why didn't you let her go earlier?"
Lu Shiyan said, "It wasn't brother-sister. I know very well that from the beginning, the only person I loved was Su Wan. She deliberately seduced me. Our relationship was purely a novelty, not love."
He stared at Mrs. Su and said word by word, "I'll keep the child, and you can take her back."
Su's father looked at Old Master Lu. "Old Master, "What do you think we should do about this? My daughter was still a virgin, and your grandson broke her virginity. She also has a heart condition, and she took this risk to give birth to a child..."
Old Master Lu interrupted calmly, "Relationships are based on mutual consent. Everyone can see clearly that your daughter was willing from the beginning. My grandson didn't force her. If he did, we'd have another say. Of course, your daughter is pregnant with our Lu family's child, so I won't let you suffer any loss. Here's a check for 10 million yuan, which will be used as her meal allowance. I'll also transfer the ownership of a villa to her as compensation."
To the Lu family, this was like giving away a beggar.
Father Su frowned, and for the first time, he defied the old master: "My Su family has no shortage of money and property. Old Master, although our Su family may not be as good as yours, we won't let anyone bully our daughter for nothing."
"And the right to cooperate in the West City project." The old master offered a sky-high contract worth tens of billions of yuan, effectively silencing Father Su. His dark pupils fixed upon Father Su, his voice steady and forceful, "What do you think, Mr. Su?"
The middle-aged man, whose fury had just flared up, immediately cooled down. "Since the Lu family has this attitude, I have no objection, as long as it doesn't affect the relationship between the Su and Lu families."
So, whether it's me or Su Ning'an, we're all the same in the eyes of Father Su, who prioritizes profit above all else.
Even if everyone present didn't show mockery on their faces, they likely felt disdain for Father Su's actions.
In his eyes, his daughter was nothing more than a tool.
"If that's the case, then it's a deal. You take the money, the house, the cooperation. My Lu family only wants the child she's carrying."
"Yes, we'll definitely take good care of An'an." Father Su's fawning manner was sickening.
Of course she had to be taken care of. This multi-billion dollar project was bought with this cash cow. "But we need to sign two agreements. The first is that Su Ning'an will sever all ties with the Lu family from now on."
Bai Lan was displeased at this. "Dad, although An'an isn't my biological daughter, we've shared joys and sorrows in the early years, and I've long considered her my own. Severing ties with her would sever our mother-daughter bond as well."
Old Man Lu sneered, "You're reluctant, huh? It's simple. Move out of the Lu family, cut ties with my son, and you can rekindle your relationship with your adopted daughter."
Bai Lan fell silent immediately after this.
Su's father immediately agreed: "Okay, no problem."
"Second, the agreement we need to sign is to guarantee the child's safe birth and successful delivery to the Lu family. If, for whatever reason, the child doesn't survive, the money and the villa will belong to you as compensation, and the project cooperation will be over."
Although it seemed a bit harsh, he was doing it for the child, so Su's father gritted his teeth and agreed. "Okay."
Old Master Lu had the butler bring the agreement. He looked at Su Ning'an, "If you have no objections, please sign this agreement to sever kinship. From now on, you will have no further ties with the Lu family. Even if the child is born, it will have nothing to do with you! You must not attempt to reclaim the child by any means."
As expected, the experienced are the wisest. Old Master Lu cut the Gordian knot, completely extinguishing Su Ning'an's thoughts.
Su Ning'an had no choice but to sign to keep the child.
I'm afraid she was secretly planning to keep the child and then use it to gain leverage over the Lu family. After all, she was the child's biological mother and could use it to control the Lu family. Little did she know that I had already devised a solution. After she signed, I slowly said, "Dad, given Xiao Lu's circumstances, there are many people who want to marry him. Although a recent funeral in the family makes it difficult to hold a wedding, Xiao Lu has this illness, so the better to get married sooner rather than later. We need to make plans early!"
"Yes, this is a temporary solution, but how should we explain it to others..."
I slowly said, "It's simple. Just say that my eldest brother is in poor health and needs a wedding to bring good luck. I'm sure it won't go unnoticed."
"You're so thoughtful. I'll leave the blind date to you. Do you have any objections?" Right?"
My peripheral vision fell on Su Ning'an's face. "Dad, don't worry. I'll definitely find a good match for Xiao Lu. At this dinner, I can spread the word and invite some noble ladies to come and see me. It's my eldest brother..."
I looked at Lu's father. "I might have to ask you to pretend to be sick."
Although reluctant, Lu's father knew I was right. We didn't know how serious Lu Shiyan's condition would be in the future. We had to get married as soon as possible while his condition wasn't serious, to see if there was a chance of giving birth to the Lu family's legitimate eldest grandson.
"Okay, as you say."
I curled my lips into a smile. "Ning'an, Xiao Lu, you don't mind, do you?"
I stared at Su Ning'an with a smile. "Didn't you work so hard to marry into the Lu family? Now I've cut off your support and let someone else take your place. How can you marry again?"
What if another woman has Lu Shiyan's child? That would be even more exciting.
I admit that Su Ning'an's plan is meticulous. Once it's unraveled, there's a way to break it. For example, right now, Su Ning'an is looking at me with eyes that make her want to devour me alive.
But how else can she recover?
After so many losses, isn't it time for me to win?
Does she think killing Su Wan will lead to success? There are so many ladies from noble families, can she kill them all?
And I will closely monitor her every move. If she shows any sign of weakness, I will pounce on her like a hungry wolf and rip her throat out!
Su Ning'an, you are my pawn in this game.