The guests had all left late into the night.
In the spacious living room, Shen Dianlan dismissed all the servants, wanting a private talk with her youngest daughter, Su Ru.
After so many years apart, Shen Dianlan was overjoyed at their reunion.
The two talked at length.
Su Ru recounted the hardships she had endured over the years, sharing every bit of her arduous journey with Shen Dianlan.
They chatted until past one in the morning.
Before going to sleep, Shen Dianlan asked the last question: "Little Ru, Mom doesn't understand, why did you voluntarily give up the competition for the family head tonight? Didn't we discuss it all? As long as you returned, Mom would have no hesitation in supporting you to the top. No matter if others opposed or not, Mom would have stood by you to the end!"
Su Ru listened and gave a ghost-like smile.
She didn't rush to answer but quietly walked to the side and poured herself a glass of water.
As she drank, she said, "Mom, if you had really pushed me to the top tonight, it wouldn't have been love, but harm. It would have plunged me into an abyss from which there is no return!"
Huh?
Shen Dianlan was startled. Was it that exaggerated?
Su Ru explained, "If I had taken the position tonight, I would have faced two major challenges."
"What challenges?" Shen Dianlan asked.
Su Ru raised a finger. "The first challenge: legitimacy and justification! Everyone knows the old man's dying words – whoever researches the Shui Bo Ying will become the family head. Su Wanran researched it, yet she's not allowed to be the head, while I am. Heh, how can this win over the masses?"
Then, she raised her second finger. "The second challenge: factions! Whether it's Su Fei'ang or Su Wanran, they are both vice-presidents of the Su family and have a large number of followers within the clan. I'm new here and don't have a single confidant. To ascend rashly would mean being attacked by the factions of both of them, constantly setting obstacles for me. Everything I do would be restricted, and I would only be the nominal family head, unable to control the overall situation."
"So..." Su Ru looked at Shen Dianlan and said, "Mom, can I still be the family head?"
This was precisely why Su Ru wholeheartedly supported Su Wanran to be the family head, and why she voluntarily withdrew.
Inability to win over the masses, coupled with the numerous followers of Su Fei'ang and Su Wanran, these two major challenges placed before Su Ru made it impossible for her to be the family head with peace of mind.
Shen Dianlan was also intelligent and understood with a little prompting.
She sighed deeply and said, "How could Mom not understand what you're saying? But Mom truly wants to make up for what she owes you, wants you to be the Su family head, and doesn't want that little girl Su Wanran to benefit."
Su Ru smiled slightly and said, "Mom, why be so pessimistic? I didn't say I wouldn't be the family head. It's just that the time isn't right yet. I'm temporarily ceding the position to Su Wanran. When the time is truly ripe, I will still take it back."
Oh?
Shen Dianlan's interest was piqued.
She inquired, "Then when will be the right time?"
Su Ru said, "Firstly, although Su Wanran is in power now, Su Fei'ang's followers are still around. They will definitely fight Su Wanran! I'll sit back and watch them fight, letting Su Wanran help me eliminate Su Fei'ang's followers!"
Shen Dianlan analyzed, "With Su Wanran's capabilities, she'll likely clear out Su Fei'ang's followers quickly, and then she'll have absolute power."
Su Ru smiled, "I won't let it be that easy. I have my own ways to plunge the Su family into crisis. Then, when the Su family is in utter chaos, Su Wanran is criticized, and Su Fei'ang's remaining loyalists fan the flames, I will step forward as the 'savior' and personally resolve the Su family's crisis. By then, won't Su Wanran have to willingly cede her position as family head?"
Su Ru took the last sip of water with great satisfaction. "At that time, I will have popular support and will have cleared out the followers of both of them. Then I can sit on the family head's seat peacefully! No one will be able to gossip."
Such meticulous thinking.
Shen Dianlan suddenly felt a chill and a touch of fear.
Despite Su Wanran's frail appearance, wearing glasses, her entire body as pale as paper; in Shen Dianlan's eyes, Su Ru was like a viper with its tongue flicking, sinister and terrifying.
This woman had suffered too much, leading to psychological distortion and extreme sensitivity, making her incredibly meticulous in her thoughts.
Such a woman was frightening.
"Hoo—" Shen Dianlan shook her head gently, pushing the thought away.
So what if she was a viper? She was Shen Dianlan's viper!
Shen Dianlan made up her mind. No matter what kind of woman Su Ru was, she would resolutely support her to the end!
...
At the same time, at the villa on the mountainside.
Everyone, having showered and changed into their pajamas, sat on the living room sofa, chatting while eating fruit.
Su Wanran was very happy. Tonight's events had been a rollercoaster, full of twists and turns. Several times Su Wanran thought the position of family head was beyond her reach, but thankfully, the outcome was good in the end.
However, Jiang Mengxin was more concerned about something else.
She looked at Lu Ming and asked, "I'm really surprised, did you learn Naruto's 'mouth escape'? How did you manage to make the Mist City Dragon Han Shichong understand everything with just a few words?"
Lu Ming chuckled.
Did she think he could persuade Han Shichong with just his words?
What was she thinking?
It was because Lu Ming was the Dragon Warlord that he had indeed intimidated Han Shichong!
Lu Ming coughed and said, "You're overthinking it. Actually, Han Shichong and I had contact a long time ago, and I knew him inside out. So when he saw me, he knew all his lies couldn't be hidden and voluntarily became a monk. If he had continued to pretend, and I had exposed his affairs, then who knows, I could have even summoned the Dragon Warlord to deal with him. He wouldn't have been able to handle it."
Jiang Mengxin was even more confused and asked, "You had contact with Han Shichong long ago? When?"
This...
Lu Ming's mind raced.
Soon, he concocted an excuse: "I told you before that I was visiting the martyrs' cemetery. Han Shichong was kneeling and repenting at the cemetery then. I remember giving him water at the time. I know he was expelled from his sect and was a deserter."
"Oh, I see." Jiang Mengxin believed him without reservation.
It wasn't that Jiang Mengxin wanted to believe Lu Ming, but she couldn't find any other reason.
However.
Su Wanran narrowed her eyes and quietly observed Lu Ming.
Her intuition told her that Lu Ming was lying!
But Su Wanran couldn't figure out Lu Ming's true identity or the real relationship between him and Han Shichong.
One thing was certain, however – Lu Ming's background was definitely not simple!
Su Wanran took a bite of an apple, and it tasted sweeter and sweeter.
The apple was sweet, but her heart was even sweeter.
She said to herself, Lu Ming, oh Lu Ming, tonight I almost gave up on recruiting you. Thankfully, you didn't disappoint me and once again turned the tide. The more you are like this, the more I like you. I can't wait to recruit you and make you my true support!