The tension inside the Lu mansion was thick enough to choke on. Every tick of the clock echoed through the marble hall, sharp and accusing. Reporters had begun to swarm outside the gates, their flashes glinting through the curtains like bursts of lightning, each snap capturing fragments of chaos brewing within.
Lu Hongwei stood in his study, his face shadowed beneath the dim lamplight, anger radiating from his rigid frame. His usually calm eyes were now blazing with fury. "I want every trace of this removed! Every article, every post must vanish before the board meeting tomorrow!" His voice thundered across the room, shaking the thin veneer of composure among the PR staff lined nervously, their heads bowed as they shuffled papers and avoided his piercing gaze.
"Chairman Lu," one of them ventured cautiously, their voice trembling, "we've already issued takedown requests to all major platforms, but the public thinks we're hiding something."
Hongwei slammed his hand on the table, the sound sharp as a gunshot. "And whose fault do you think that is?!"
Lu Shenyang stood off to the side, shoulders stiff, his face pale as he struggled to maintain a sense of authority. His tie hung loosely around his neck, starkly contrasting his usual polished appearance. "Father, shouting won't help. I'll handle it. I've already called in favours..."
"Handle it?" Hongwei barked, whipping around to face his son. "You should have handled your marriage even before this scandal erupted! Do you realise what this does to our name?" His words dripped with disappointment and anger, each syllable piercing through the already fraught atmosphere.
Shenyang clenched his fists, his body taut with frustration. "That woman, she's gone now, and I know this isn't her doing."
From the corner, his mother, Zhao Meilan, rose from the couch, her voice trembling with contained anger. "Who else would benefit from humiliating you like this? The timing is too perfect, Shenyang! Just after the divorce, and now the entire world is painting her as a victim and you as the villain!"
"It's not her, Mother," Shenyang repeated, his tone low and strained, attempting to remain steadfast against the accusations.
Yet even as he said it, a whisper of doubt clawed at him. Su Ruoyan had always been quiet, proud, and unreadable. Perhaps this was her form of revenge, a subtle yet powerful reckoning for the years of silence.
The PR manager swallowed hard, sensing the volatile emotions in the room. "Chairman, if I may, the trending tag is now number one nationwide. Every deletion seems to double public curiosity. Sentiment is turning against us, and if we continue to suppress this..."
"Enough!" Hongwei's patience snapped, cutting the manager off. "You think I'll let a few gossipmongers dictate my company's image? Buy them out, threaten them, do whatever it takes!"
"Yes, Chairman," the manager replied, bowing stiffly, backing away as if escaping from a bear.
When the door slammed shut, silence returned, thick and suffocating. Only Zhao Meilan's uneven breathing filled the air, heavy with the weight of their predicament.
"Shenyang," she said, turning toward her son, seeking resolve, "you need to start showing your face again. Host a charity event or make a statement. The public needs to see you're still respectable. For heaven's sake, keep Meixuan away from you for now. You know how the media will devour you if they see her near you at this time."
Shenyang's jaw tensed. "Mother, Meixuan is innocent."
Zhao Meilan's eyes narrowed. "Do you think all the media in Capital City is stupid? With your scandal still making headlines, do you think people would believe that any woman besides you would appear innocent?"
Hongwei poured himself a whiskey, his voice dropping ominously. "I warned you before, don't let emotion cloud your judgment. Su Ruoyan was merely a shadow you could have controlled, but now she's becoming the fire threatening to burn this house down."
Shenyang fell silent, his expression hardening with internal conflict. He wanted to argue that Ruoyan would never stoop to such tactics. But her absence, her silence, haunted him. She had left without a word, and now the world spoke for her, weaving a narrative that seemed dangerously close to the truth.
Meanwhile, in the Su mansion, the Su's gathered again in the main study. News updates flooded in, each headline was bolder than the last, striking like arrows directed at the Lu family.
Su Haoran, sitting at his desk, was reading one aloud with quiet satisfaction. "'Sources claim Mr Lu's ex-wife once gave up her career to support him through his early years.'"
Su Yichen smirked from the couch. "The media's once again doing our work for us. We haven't lifted a finger, and Lu Shenyang's empire is starting to sweat."
Su Haoxuan leaned against the window, arms crossed, amusement dancing in his eyes. "The irony's perfect. They made her invisible, and now they can't escape her ghost."
Su Ruoyan entered the room silently, dressed in soft grey, her hair still damp from her shower. Her calm demeanour belied the storm brewing within.
Su Chengyuan glanced up. "Have you seen the latest reports?"
Su Ruoyan nodded, a subtle curve of her lips betraying her composure. "Yes, I have."
Su Yichen grinned. "Don't tell me you're not enjoying watching them scramble?"
Her lips curved slightly. "Enjoyment? None for me, but perhaps relief." She crossed to the desk, setting her phone down, the reflection of the Lu Group logo flashing briefly across the glass. "For years, they defined me through my weaknesses. Isn't it fitting that those same weaknesses are now unveiling themselves?"
Haoxuan tilted his head, with a spark of curiosity in his eyes. "Are you sure you don't want us to step in?"
"No." Her tone was soft yet unwavering, an anchor in the tempest. "If we intervene now, it'll look deliberate. I want the world to turn on them naturally."
At that moment, fierce determination settled over her. With the stage set, she would no longer be a pawn in their game; now, it was time for the truth to take centre stage.