Free Web NovelChapter 60: Chapter 60; Su Wan
Servants turned toward them, confused by the paper bags, boxes, and containers in their hands, and the faint scent of fried food drifted into the room. The contrast against the formal Lu family dinner felt almost absurd.
Lu Meiqi frowned. "What is this?"
Li Chen stopped near the entrance. "Madam requested evening food deliveries earlier."
Several expressions changed. Even Old Master Lu looked faintly caught off guard. Inside the Lu Residence, meals were prepared exclusively by private chefs. Michelin Chef. No one ordered outside food casually. Yet Su Wan looked completely unsurprised—for the first time since entering dinner, something close to genuine interest appeared in her expression.
"I forgot about that."
Mo Chen stepped forward. "The kitchen delayed part of the order, so we brought it directly." The atmosphere became strangely quiet again—not tense, but confused. The image before them felt disconnected from the cold succession conflict that had dominated the residence all day.
Su Wan calmly placed down her utensils and stood carefully from her seat. The movement pulled faintly against her injured arm, though she hid it well. "Excuse me. I suddenly lost interest in this formal dinner."
Lu Meiqi stared. "You’re leaving?"
"Yes." Simple, direct, impossible to stop naturally. Su Wan looked briefly toward Old Master Lu. "I’ve already handled today’s crisis. I trust the rest of you can survive one meal without me. Goodnight."
The older uncles exchanged awkward glances. Even Second Madam remained silent. No one could fully argue with her anymore, not after earlier. Su Wan turned calmly toward the door. Li Chen and Mo Chen followed with the food containers while the dining hall remained suspended in strange silence.
Across the table, Su Yao watched everything carefully—the ease with which Su Wan moved through the Lu Residence, and the way Lu Shaohan had not stopped her from leaving, that part unsettled her most.
---
The hallway outside felt colder and quieter compared to the dining hall. Wind pressed softly against the long corridor windows while garden lights flickered beyond the glass. Once they moved far enough away, Li Chen’s expression sharpened.
"The first transfer already cleared."
Su Wan continued walking without slowing. "How much?"
"Three hundred million so far." Mo Chen lowered his voice. "Second Madam’s offshore accounts were easier to move through than expected. She buried too many transactions beneath the pharmaceutical laundering structure."
"She won’t dare report missing funds publicly." Exposing the theft meant exposing the accounts themselves. Second Madam would rather bleed money quietly than invite investigation.
Li Chen adjusted the bags in his hands. "The secondary Lu branch accounts were more difficult, and we only managed partial movement before triggering internal alerts."
"How much?"
"Almost two hundred million."
Su Wan’s eyes darkened—not enough yet, but acceptable for one afternoon’s work.
Mo Chen continued quietly. "We also identified two smaller shareholders vulnerable to pressure."
"Details."
"One has a gambling debt hidden through private intermediaries. The other used company collateral against illegal foreign investment structures during the last market collapse."
Good. Fear and desperation moved people faster than greed ever could.
Li Chen lowered his voice instinctively. "We can begin contact tomorrow night if you want."
"No." Both men looked at her. "Tonight."
The corridor fell silent except for the distant wind. They all understood the same thing now: the Lu Residence was already shifting too quickly. If they slowed down, someone else would move first.
Mo Chen glanced over his shoulder toward the distant dining hall before lowering his voice further. "There’s more."
"The Zhang family accounts held far more liquid capital than we expected," he said quietly. "Most hidden through layered overseas structures tied to the fertility financing network." Li Chen adjusted the food containers in his arms. "We initially estimated several hundred million." A pause. "It was over two billion."
Even in the dim corridor light, the number settled heavily. Su Wan’s expression didn’t change, though her eyes cooled. That amount of emergency liquidity hidden offshore during a succession conflict meant the Zhang family had been preparing for instability long before today.
"How much did you move?"
"One point two billion cleared before their systems reacted," Mo Chen answered. "The remaining funds froze once internal alerts were activated." Li Chen allowed himself the faintest smile. "By the time they discover it, the money will be layered through too many channels to recover quickly."
Su Wan nodded once. Financial destabilization worked fastest when panic followed confusion.
Wind pressed harder against the corridor windows as they continued walking. "Buy your own car tonight," Su Wan said suddenly.
Li Chen blinked. "A car?"
"One not connected to the Lu family, the Su family, or any company records tied to either. You’ll need independent movement from now on." Mo Chen understood immediately. "We’ll arrange it."
"And the shareholders?"
"We identified two vulnerable ones," Li Chen replied. "Both tied to secondary Lu branches." Mo Chen added, "One is drowning in gambling debt through private lenders. The other leveraged company collateralized against illegal foreign investment structures after the market collapse."
Perfect. People buried beneath hidden debt rarely showed loyalty for long.
"I want those shares secured by tomorrow," she said evenly.
Li Chen hesitated. "Even if pressure becomes necessary?"
"I don’t care how it’s done. By tomorrow morning, those shares belong to me." Neither man questioned her again.
"And monitor the Su family closely."
Li Chen’s expression sharpened. "You think they’re already reacting?"
"They sent Su Yao into the Lu Residence within hours. That wasn’t a concern. That was positioning." The corridor fell quiet. Mo Chen nodded. "We’ll start surveillance tonight."
Su Wan slowed near the final corridor leading to the master suite. "One more thing. My old room at the Su mansion. Search it."
Li Chen frowned. "You think something’s hidden there?"
"Yes. And also Father’s study."
The atmosphere shifted. The Su family patriarch was not easily searched without consequence. Su Wan continued calmly. "The west corridor study has a secondary coded lock." She recited the numbers from the previous Su Wan’s memory. "My old bedroom balcony entrance has a concealed override behind the left bookshelf panel."
Li Chen went silent. Even now, the level of detail unsettled him sometimes, Su Wan ignored it. "Search everything. Hidden safes, old files, transaction records, anything tied to the Lu family or inheritance structures."
"And if someone notices?"
"They won’t. Father never imagined I’d be the one searching him."
They reached the master suite entrance. Mo Chen handed her the food containers. Li Chen lowered his voice one final time. "We’ll move tonight."
Su Wan nodded agreeably. "Good."
Li Chen and Mo Chen exchanged a glance before turning away. Su Wan pushed open the bedroom door, but before she could step inside, another presence entered the hallway behind her. Her fingers paused on the handle. She recognized the footsteps immediately: steady, controlled, unhurried.
Lu Shaohan.
---
Su Wan turned as he approached the end of the corridor, his gaze lowering briefly to the food containers in her hands before lifting to her face. Neither spoke immediately. The hallway remained quiet, softened by dim wall lighting and distant wind against the windows. freewebnovel.cσ๓
Then finally: "You abandoned dinner for that?" His voice was calm, though something quieter sat beneath it—not judgment, but observation.
Su Wan glanced at the bags. "I lost interest in family politics halfway through the soup." A faint shift crossed his expression—almost amusement, almost.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Lu Shaohan followed seconds later without invitation. The room was dimly lit from the bedside lamps, warm compared to the colder hallways. Su Wan placed the containers on the small sitting area table near the windows before lowering herself onto the sofa. The movement still pulled faintly against her injured arm.
Lu Shaohan noticed. His gaze lingered on the bandaged sleeve before shifting to the spread of food containers: fried chicken, spicy noodles, sweet drinks, and several unfamiliar snack boxes. The contrast against the rigid formality of the Lu Residence felt strangely out of place.
"You ordered enough food for five people."
Su Wan opened one container calmly. "I was under stress."
"That’s your solution?"
"It’s one of them." This time, the faintest trace of amusement actually appeared in his eyes before disappearing again. The silence afterward settled more naturally—not comfortable, but less hostile.
Su Wan pulled several documents closer while opening another container one-handed, balancing the papers awkwardly against the table, Lu Shaohan closely watched her. "You’re still working."
"I’m still alive." The answer came too quickly, too naturally. Wrong. Not the words, but her. The woman before him did not resemble the reports he had reviewed earlier.
