Li Chen exhaled slowly. "Then what do we do?"

Su Wan’s eyes narrowed slightly in thought. "For now? We stay where everyone can see us."

That answer unsettled him more than expected. Visibility inside the Lu family could either protect someone—or destroy them faster.

Before he could respond, a sharp knock sounded against the door. Not polite. Urgent.

Li Chen’s expression sharpened the instant the knock sounded.

Su Wan straightened in her chair, the sudden movement sending a sharp flare of pain through her injured arm.

A faint crease appeared between her brows before vanishing just as quickly.

"Enter."

The door opened almost at once. One of the senior household servants stepped inside, visibly tense despite her attempt at composure.

Her breathing was uneven, as though she had hurried through the estate to reach them.

"Madam... Old Master Lu has requested everyone downstairs immediately."

Su Wan’s gaze lifted fully to her. "What happened?"

The servant hesitated. "The Zhang family has arrived."

The room fell silent.

Li Chen’s eyes darkened at once. Zhang Hui was one of the three pregnant women.

This meant that the situation Old Master Lu had been trying to contain within the residence was already spreading outward faster than expected.

Su Wan rose slowly from the chair. Pain shot through her arm with the movement, but she ignored it, steadying herself briefly against the edge of the table.

Li Chen stepped forward instinctively.

"Miss—"

"I’m fine."

The answer came automatically—not because it was true, but because she had no time for weakness now.

The servant remained near the door, clearly unsettled. "They didn’t come quietly," she added carefully. "Several people arrived with them."

Of course, they had. Families like the Zhangs would never enter a matter involving a potential heir to the Lu family alone.

Su Wan’s gaze lowered in thought. The timing was too fast—much too fast. Old Master Lu had only just begun containment measures. The women had been separated before any official communication could leave the residence. So how had the Zhang family already known?

The answer settled coldly into her mind almost at once. Someone had informed them deliberately. Someone wanted pressure placed on the Lu family before the situation could stabilize internally.

Li Chen reached the same conclusion at the same moment; his expression hardened noticeably. "Miss..."

"I know."

Su Wan adjusted the loose sleeve over her bandaged arm, then walked toward the door. The wind outside had grown stronger.

The corridor beyond the room felt colder than before, and the atmosphere throughout the estate had shifted. Servants moved faster. Voices carried faintly through distant hallways. The house no longer felt controlled.

It felt watched.

As Su Wan stepped into the corridor, Li Chen followed half a step behind her. "Do you think the other families already know too?" he asked in low tones worried.

Su Wan did not answer immediately. If the Zhang family had arrived this quickly, then the carefully timed release of information had probably already begun elsewhere as well. And if that was true, whoever orchestrated this no longer intended to pressure only the Lu family.

They intended to force the entire situation into public visibility before anyone could stop it.

Su Wan’s eyes darkened slightly.

The game had accelerated again catching her off guard.

And the only thing she thought of was how the plot had definitely changed from the initial flow.

Li Chen moved closer the moment Su Wan stepped into the corridor, his hand lightly supporting her uninjured side as they walked. The gesture was subtle and careful, steady enough to ease the strain on her injured arm without drawing attention.

The corridor felt colder than before. Wind slipped through the tall windows, carrying the tense atmosphere that had begun spreading across the entire residence. Servants moved quickly in the distance, avoiding prolonged eye contact.

They had just reached the turn leading toward the main Hall when Mo Chen appeared from the opposite corridor. He stopped in front of them, his gaze flicking briefly to Su Wan’s bandaged arm before settling on her face.

"Mo Chen.... Thank you." It was his blood that was now flowing in her veins.

"You welcome Miss..."

"I was looking for you."

Su Wan slowed. "Did you find it?"

Without a word, Mo Chen reached inside his coat and handed her a thin black folder. "I checked the Zhang family."

Li Chen’s expression sharpened at once.

Su Wan opened the folder as they continued down the corridor. Inside were detailed financial records, offshore transfers, hidden debt structures, and internal acquisition trails tied to Zhang family subsidiaries. Several pages carried regulatory markings linked to ongoing but sealed investigations. Her eyes moved quickly across the documents before stopping on a familiar name.

Zhang Wei. The eldest son. Vice Chairman of Zhang Holdings.

Beneath the corporate files lay another section entirely: private police records, witness statements, suppressed forensic reports. A woman had died almost eleven months earlier in what had officially been ruled a drunk-driving accident involving Zhang Wei. The evidence told a different story. The victim had been pregnant. There were traces of physical assault before the crash. Two witnesses had disappeared afterward. One investigating officer had abruptly transferred out of the province less than a week later.

The corridor suddenly felt quieter.

"He buried it using money and political pressure," Mo Chen said calmly. "The case was sealed before it reached prosecution."

Su Wan closed one section and opened another. Tax evasion. Shell companies. Illegal pharmaceutical financing tied to offshore accounts. And hidden among the records—large unauthorized capital movements connected to the same fertility subsidiary now under investigation.

Li Chen lowered his voice. "If this becomes public..."

"The Zhang family collapses," Mo Chen finished.

It won’t be gradual but immediate.

Su Wan closed the folder. Now she understood. The Zhang family had not rushed into the Lu Residence because they were confident. They had come because they were desperate. .

A child connected to the Lu bloodline would secure legitimacy, protection, and political shielding strong enough to stabilize their collapsing position.

Marriage into the Lu family would save them. Which meant Zhang Hui herself was likely only part of a much larger calculation probably she hadn’t thought she was in.

Su Wan adjusted the loose sleeve over her bandaged arm. "That’s why they moved first."

Li Chen looked at her carefully. "Miss... are you planning to threaten them?"

A faint smile touched Su Wan’s lips—cold and controlled. "Not threaten." Her fingers tightened slightly around the folder. "Remind them exactly how fragile they really are. And provoking the Lu family at this time would only invite their demise!"

Mo Chen watched her silently before speaking again. "The Zhang family arrived aggressively. Old Master Lu is already handling them in the main Hall."

Su Wan resumed walking through the corridor. "Good."

Li Chen glanced at her. "Good?"

Her gaze lifted toward the main hall. "If they arrived this quickly, it means they’re nervous." A faint pause followed. "And nervous people rarely negotiate carefully."

Wind struck sharply against the windows as they went down the hallway.

Su Wan hadn’t bothered with the three women from the time they entered the Lu Residence, but now she finally had leverage strong enough to push all of them back.

The closer they moved through the hallways toward the main hall, the heavier the atmosphere inside the residence became.

Voices carried faintly from ahead—not loud enough to distinguish every word, but tense enough for Su Wan to understand the direction of the conversation.

The Zhang family had not come quietly. They had come prepared to pressure the Lu family before the situation could stabilize internally.

Su Wan walked carefully, one hand brushing lightly against the wall once as pain pulled sharply through her injured arm.

Li Chen stayed close beside her, supporting her subtly without making the gesture obvious.

Mo Chen followed just behind, silent and watchful, his attention sweeping across the surrounding hallways.

The further they walked, the more servants they passed. None stopped. None spoke. But every pair of eyes lingered a second too long before quickly lowering again. The news had already spread through the estate.

By the time they reached the final corridor leading to the main hall, the tension in the air had become almost tangible.

Several unfamiliar bodyguards stood near the entrance—Zhang family people. Their presence alone made the situation worse.

Families like theirs never brought extra people unless they intended to establish pressure visibly.