The two lackeys found the room in a state of utter chaos. Brother Leopard, Er Hu, and Ah Qiang were sprawled on the floor in bizarre positions, motionless. No matter how much the lackeys shouted, there was no response.
“Brother Leopard! Er Hu! Wake up!”
“What do we do?!”
Panic-stricken, the two scrambled to wake the men, but it was useless.
Finally, in a state of total disarray, they had no choice but to call for an ambulance.
...
The taxi pulled away from the chaotic urban village and merged into the traffic of the main road.
Su Wan gave the driver an address. “Sir, head to the west side of the city, to the Bishuiwan Villa Area.”
Hearing this, Liu Xin shuddered violently in the back seat, her face turning pale instantly.
She instinctively pulled Lele tighter into her arms, her fingers clenching unconsciously.
Bishuiwan Villa Area...
That was where the Liu family’s ancestral home was located. It was the place where she had been born and raised.
Thinking of the Liu family, a wave of bitterness and helplessness washed over Liu Xin.
The Liu family had originally been just one of many unremarkable mid-to-small-sized families in Jiangcheng. They ran several modest businesses and lingered on the fringes of the true elite circles, unable to even reach the threshold.
It was only when Liu Xin married Su Zhuo—the heir to the then-flourishing Su family—that the marriage acted as a stepping stone, opening the doors to the world the Liu family had always dreamed of.
Leveraging the Su family’s influence, the Liu family’s business ventures flourished, and their social network expanded. Finally, they managed to secure a tenuous foothold in that glamorous yet ruthless circle.
But all of that became a crushing burden the moment the great tree of the Su family came crashing down.
The pressure from the Bai and Gu families was relentless, their intent to devour and encroach upon the Su family’s remains sharp and fierce.
Liu Zonghan, the Patriarch of the Liu family—a man who valued family interests above all else—made his choice almost instantly.
He abandoned Liu Xin, along with the Su family she represented.
After the Su family fell, it wasn't that Liu Xin hadn't thought of her own family.
Dragging a young Lele along, she had returned to Bishuiwan several times. She had begged her parents and her grandfather, hoping they would lend the Su family a hand, even if only for the sake of their past ties.
But every time, she was met with closed doors, the dodging eyes of servants, and her parents' troubled refusals.
The last time, the butler had directly relayed the Patriarch’s uncompromising words:
“The Liu family has no room for daughters who marry out only to become a burden to their own kin.”
“From now on, she is forbidden from stepping foot through the Liu family gates!”
The coldness and humiliation of that moment still felt like a thorn stuck in Liu Xin’s heart.
She understood that in the eyes of her grandfather and the family, she had never been an indispensable relative. She was merely a tool for marriage used to secure interests.
Once the tool lost its value—or worse, threatened to bring disaster—it was naturally discarded without mercy.
The Liu family was flourishing with many grandchildren. As a granddaughter who had been gentle and unassuming since childhood, she had always been nearly invisible within the family. Sacrificing her came with absolutely no psychological burden.
“Wanwan... why are we going there?” Liu Xin’s voice trembled with suppressed panic.
“My grandfather... he won't let us in. If we go, we’ll only be inviting humiliation...”
Recalling the embarrassment of being turned away and those looks of disdain and pity, Liu Xin felt a suffocating distress.
She wasn't afraid of hardship, but she couldn't bear to have Lele endure that kind of blatant rejection and shame with her.
Su Wan turned back from the front seat, her gaze meeting Liu Xin’s terrified eyes.
She didn't explain immediately. Instead, she shifted her gaze to Lele in Liu Xin’s arms.
In just a few short months, this young master—who had been pampered and raised in the lap of luxury—had changed completely.
Now, Lele didn't cry or fuss. He huddled close to his mother, his small face etched with unease, no longer possessing the confidence and pride he once had.
The child needed a stable and safe environment to grow up in, not to be constantly hiding and living in fear with them.
Liu Xin, with her soft nature, also needed a place where she didn't have to be on guard against constant malice.
And as for herself...
A sharp, cold glint flashed deep within Su Wan’s eyes.
She had too much to do.
Managing the shelter in the Apocalyptic Plane to accumulate power, and on Blue Star, she had debts to settle—specifically, she had a blood debt to collect from Gu Huaiyu and Bai Ruochu!
She couldn't afford to leave any weaknesses exposed. She couldn't always be held back or manipulated because she was worried about the safety of her sister-in-law and nephew!
She had to properly settle Liu Xin and Lele.
This wasn't just for them; it was so she could fully unleash her potential and rise up to fight without any reservations!
The Liu family, though cold and opportunistic, was actually the most suitable place for them right now.
Returning to her “natal home” was perfectly legitimate.
As long as it was handled correctly, the Liu family could provide protection in terms of legal and social standing. Their relatively superior material conditions and environment would also be more conducive to Lele’s growth and Liu Xin’s recovery.
The key to all of this, however, was how to make the Patriarch of the Liu family—a man as shrewd as a devil who measured everything by profit—nod his head.
The corner of Su Wan’s mouth curled up almost imperceptibly, the curve cold and certain.
She had a way.
Not only could she make Liu Zonghan agree, but she could also make him treat Liu Xin and Lele like honored ancestors, never daring to neglect them again.
“Sister-in-law, don't be afraid,” Su Wan’s voice was calm and powerful, carrying a strange, reassuring strength.
She looked into Liu Xin’s eyes and said word for word, “I have a way to make the Patriarch agree. Just follow me and leave everything to me.”
Liu Xin stared blankly at Su Wan.
The Su Wan before her clearly looked a bit haggard, but her eyes were startlingly bright, filled with a confidence and a powerful aura she had never seen before.
This was no longer the girl who would huddle and cry with her.
Inexplicably, Liu Xin’s frantic heartbeat began to settle, and a sense of almost blind trust welled up within her.
She nodded, holding Lele more steadily in her arms. She whispered, “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”
The taxi crossed most of the city and entered the quiet, tree-lined Bishuiwan Villa Area on the west side.
Luxurious villas of various styles were nestled among the greenery, a world away from the urban village they had just left.
The car eventually stopped in front of an imposing Chinese-style courtyard villa.
High white walls with black tiles, a heavy red sandalwood gate tightly shut, and majestic stone lions at the entrance silently proclaimed the owner’s status and wealth.
This was the Liu family’s ancestral home.
Su Wan paid the fare, stepped out of the car first, and then opened the door for Liu Xin.
Liu Xin stood by the car, holding Lele. Looking up at the gate that was both familiar and strange, her body inevitably stiffened for a moment, her breathing becoming slightly hurried.
Su Wan walked to her side, patted her shoulder gently, and then stepped forward. She raised her hand and pressed the exquisite brass doorbell beside the gate.
“Ding-dong—”
The crisp, lingering chime of the doorbell echoed through the courtyard, breaking the silence of the luxury residential area.
Rate on N.U.
