Deep in the night.
Jiang Mengxin lay on the bed, too angry to even wash up, her body trembling.
She had come to Wudu to help out of goodwill, purely for the sake of their friendship. In the end, she gained nothing and was even despised.
Who could stand this?
"If you want me to leave, I'll leave."
"Hmph, who cares?"
"I'll go back to Jinling, eat well, drink well, and everyone under me will obey my orders. Isn't that more comfortable than being here?"
"That's right, I'm leaving tomorrow!"
Jiang Mengxin was arguing with Su Wanran, having already decided to completely give up on her, disregarding all their sisterly affection.
She took off her clothes to sleep.
Just as she took off her camisole and reached to unfasten her bra, the door to the room suddenly opened.
Standing at the door was none other than her fiancé—Lu Ming!
Their eyes met.
After a long silence, a sharp scream erupted from Jiang Mengxin's room: "Pervert, you disgusting pervert!!!"
Although they were engaged by name, there had been no consummation.
Jiang Mengxin was now completely exposed in front of Lu Ming, and she was overcome with shame.
The sound reached Su Wanran's room, further agitating her already unsettled mood. She angrily threw a pillow, muttering, "Showing off your love? Pretending to be pure, hmph!"
Ten minutes later.
Jiang Mengxin was dressed and sitting on the bed. Lu Ming gently closed the door and approached her.
Jiang Mengxin said irritably, "Please knock before entering in the future. Even elementary school students know this rule, and you, as an adult, still don't understand? Really."
Lu Ming scratched his head awkwardly and said with a smile, "I was just too anxious and didn't think about it. But Mengxin, your figure is indeed quite good, really great."
This was strange.
They had been together for quite some time, and this was the first time she had seen Lu Ming so flirtatious.
Did this quiet person know how to flirt now?
Jiang Mengxin snorted proudly, "You don't need to be so attentive. So many people envy my figure; you're not the only one. Hurry up and say what you need to say, and stop being so polite in front of me."
Lu Ming nodded and asked softly, "Are you really planning to leave tomorrow morning?"
"Nonsense!" Jiang Mengxin retorted, "Since they've already asked me to leave, why should I stay? It's better to go back to Jinling early and avoid being an eyesore here."
It seemed Jiang Mengxin was determined to leave.
But Lu Ming couldn't leave.
Setting aside other matters, the mere task of finding their goddaughter, Chen Xian, required Lu Ming to stay.
Lu Ming understood Jiang Mengxin's temperament: she was soft-hearted but stubborn. The harder you pushed, the less likely she was to comply. You had to go with her flow.
So…
Lu Ming deliberately provoked her: "If you leave like this, you'll have lost to Su Ru. Mengxin, I believe with your intelligence, you can see that Su Ru's visit tonight was like a weasel visiting a chicken, deliberately trying to provoke us. She used a stratagem of sowing discord, intentionally driving a wedge between you and Su Wanran. If you just leave, Su Ru's plan will truly succeed."
He paused, then continued, "Moreover, if we leave, Su Wanran will lose her support. Coupled with the fact that Su Wanran lost people's hearts during today's team-building event, it will be easy for Su Ru to deal with her. Mengxin, if you leave, not only will you have lost to Su Ru, but you will also cause Su Wanran to completely fall into Su Ru's hands. Can you bear to do that?"
"I..." Jiang Mengxin was stunned.
Indeed, Jiang Mengxin was very angry, but upon calming down and thinking carefully, Lu Ming's words made a lot of sense.
Leaving would be satisfying in the moment.
But it would mean falling right into Su Ru's trap!
Jiang Mengxin was such a proud woman; how could she swallow this humiliation?
She said with great displeasure, "Of course, I don't want to lose to Su Ru. The problem is, Wanran has already asked me to leave. Even if I weren't ashamed, I couldn't be so shameless as to force myself to stay, could I?"
"You don't need to force yourself to stay," Lu Ming said. "Su Ru wants us to leave, so we'll show her we're leaving. Tomorrow morning, we'll buy plane tickets and go to the airport. But, once the plane arrives, we won't board. We'll make a surprise return, find a place to stay in Wudu."
This was somewhat interesting.
"And then?" Jiang Mengxin asked.
"Then..." Lu Ming smiled mysteriously, "We'll secretly investigate Su Ru and see what tricks she's up to. At that time, she'll be in the open, and we'll be in the dark, giving us enough confidence to foil her plan. Also, you'll have a chance to reconcile with Su Wanran. This way, you'll both defeat Su Ru and preserve your sisterly bond with Su Wanran. It's a win-win situation."
After Lu Ming's analysis, Jiang Mengxin nodded repeatedly, finding it very reliable.
She had indeed been too emotional just now.
Now that she had calmed down, she felt that doing as Lu Ming suggested was the correct choice.
"Alright, I know what to do. You can go now," Jiang Mengxin said.
Lu Ming nodded and walked towards the door.
At the doorway, he suddenly stopped, turned back to look at Jiang Mengxin, and said, "Mengxin, although your figure has a great curve, in terms of visual impact, Wanran is still stronger than you. After all, she's much bigger."
Jiang Mengxin was stunned for a few seconds. When she finally reacted, her face turned bright red, and she grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.
"You pervert, you're shameless!"
"Get out, get out!"
...
Late at night, at the main residence of the Su family.
After Su Ru returned, she saw the old matriarch, Shen Dianlan, still sitting in the living room, wrapped in a blanket, her eyes slightly closed.
Hearing footsteps, Shen Dianlan opened her eyes.
She looked back at Su Ru and asked sleepily, "You're back, are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat."
As a mother, Shen Dianlan's first concern was whether Su Ru was hungry or not, not about power struggles or schemes.
However, Su Ru did not appreciate it at all.
Su Ru sat down, her face beaming with excitement, "I just went to the villa on the mountainside. The gifts have been delivered, and I've sowed discord between them brilliantly! Mom, you should have seen Su Wanran's angry face, like an overinflated balloon ready to burst. As for Jiang Mengxin and Lu Ming, they saw through my scheme, but they were powerless! Hahahaha, this feeling is absolutely wonderful."
Seeing Su Ru so happy, Shen Dianlan was also deeply pleased.
Shen Dianlan asked again, "Are you hungry? Mom will make you a bowl of noodles?"
"No need," Su Ru refused directly. "I don't want noodles. I want a glass of champagne to celebrate properly."
"It's late at night, don't drink that stuff. It's bad for your health," Shen Dianlan said anxiously. "Your physical condition is already poor, and you have to take medicine every day. You need to take care of yourself and not act recklessly."
"Mom, stop nagging, you're annoying." Su Ru walked directly towards the second floor. Halfway up, she turned back to Shen Dianlan and said, "Mom, have you contacted Mr. Xiao that I asked you to?"
Shen Dianlan nodded heavily, "I've contacted him. I explained the entire plan to him as you instructed."
"That's good," Su Ru said excitedly. "Mr. Xiao is the key to my next plan. Now Su Ru has lost people's hearts and the support of Lu Ming and Jiang Mengxin, making her truly isolated. The one who loses the way has few helpers. Su Wanran's position as family head is coming to an end!"
She became more excited as she spoke.
Su Ru strode upstairs.
All the grievances she had suffered abroad over the years, she would repay them all at once.
She wanted revenge on the descendants of the Su family, she wanted to seize the Su family's assets, and she wanted to get revenge for all the pain Old Master Su had caused her!
Now, her goal was within reach.
Just one more step, and Su Ru would win!
Watching Su Ru's elated and overconfident demeanor, Shen Dianlan's heart ached inexplicably.
Was this the daughter she had hoped for?
"Alas..."
Shen Dianlan shook her head slightly, feeling a bit sad and lost about the current situation.
However, one thing was certain: no matter how Su Ru changed, or what she wanted to do in the future, Shen Dianlan would unconditionally support her with all her might.
She would not hesitate to sacrifice her own life!
...
The next morning.
When Su Wanran walked downstairs after getting dressed, the living room was empty.
Jiang Mengxin and Lu Ming were nowhere to be seen.
"Did they... really leave?" Su Wanran felt a pang of loss.
The housekeeper, Anna, approached and said, "Madam Su, Madam Jiang and Mr. Lu bought tickets to Jinling for eight o'clock and went to the airport early this morning. Before they left, they asked me to convey a message to you: they want you to work hard, take care of your health, and not fall for Su Ru's tricks."
"Oh, I see."
Su Wanran sat on the stairs, her eyes staring blankly at the steps, her mind a blank.
Regret, melancholy, confusion.
Actually, Su Wanran had also realized that Su Ru had deliberately provoked her last night.
Who couldn't see such a simple stratagem of sowing discord?
But even seeing it, she couldn't break free.
It was because Su Wanran had genuinely fallen for Lu Ming. When she saw Lu Ming wearing a couple's ring with Jiang Mengxin, she couldn't suppress her jealousy.
What she had said to Jiang Mengxin afterwards were all angry words.
But once the words were spoken, it was too late for regrets.
Su Wanran looked up at the ceiling, feeling pain, loneliness, and helplessness.
She had not only lost the man she loved but also her dear best friend, and it was all Su Ru's fault!
Not only that.
She had also lost people's hearts.
This was also Su Ru's doing.
Now Su Wanran's reputation was completely ruined, and she had lost her support. How long could she hold onto her position as family head? How could she deal with Su Ru?
This sister-in-law who had returned from abroad was truly cunning and ruthless.
Far beyond what Su Wanran could match.
Just as Su Wanran was lost in melancholy, a series of clear telephone rings sounded.
Her eyes immediately lit up, "Anna, quickly check if it's Mengxin calling! Does Mengxin have anything else to say to me? Did the plane get delayed, and she wants to come back?"
Anna went over and looked at the caller ID, shaking her head. "It's not Madam Jiang. The caller ID shows—Shengjiang International's Xiao Teng."
"Xiao Teng? Mr. Xiao?" Su Wanran frowned slightly. "Why is he calling so early in the morning?"