Su Wan set the teacup down gently. "But until then, I don’t want to hear another word about inheritance negotiations, recognition demands, or family pressure." Her gaze shifted straight to Zhang Wei. "Especially from people currently standing one investigation away from collapse."

The temperature in the hall dropped instantly.

Zhang Wei’s face darkened violently, but before he could speak, Su Wan continued. "Your sister will be treated properly inside the Lu Residence. Medical care will be provided. Security will be arranged." Her expression remained perfectly calm. "In return, your family remains quiet."

Not a request. Terms—simple, brutal, final.

The silence afterward felt almost unreal.

She had dismantled the entire confrontation in less than a minute.

No screaming.

No emotional instability.

No negotiation.

She had removed the Zhang family’s ability to pressure publicly while preventing the Lu family from appearing cruel or irresponsible.

And worse—she had done it flawlessly.

Old Master Lu stared at her for several moments without speaking. Not because he disagreed, but because even he had not anticipated that move.

Near the far side of the room, Lu Shaohan remained completely still.

The earlier suspicion and calculation remained in his eyes, yet now something else lay beneath them: recognition. Because Su Wan had just done what none of them had managed since the Zhang family arrived. She had taken control of the room completely.

Zhang Wei finally spoke through clenched restraint. "And what if we refuse?"

Su Wan looked at him quietly. Then she lightly tapped the black folder resting beside her chair. The soft sound was barely audible, yet devastating.

"You won’t," she said calmly.

And somehow—that made it terrifying.

Su Wan’s voice remained quiet, almost gentle.

"And if you do," she said, "your family will only sink deeper."

The hall stayed completely silent. She had not raised her voice, nor had she threatened them emotionally. The calmness in her tone made the words far more unsettling than anger ever could.

Her fingers rested lightly against the black folder beside her chair. "If the Zhang family insists on forcing this publicly," she continued evenly, "then I will release everything inside this file and watch your entire structure collapse alongside the investigation already waiting beneath it."

Zhang Wei’s expression darkened at once.

Mr. Zhang’s composure cracked for the first time since entering the Lu Residence—a tightening around the eyes, a pause too long before he breathed again. They both understood she was not bluffing.

The evidence in that folder was more than enough to trigger regulatory intervention, media exposure, and criminal review all at once.

Once that happened, their current financial instability would become impossible to contain. And the murder case alone could bury the Zhang family permanently.

Su Wan looked directly at Zhang Wei. "You came here looking for protection. Do not mistake desperation for bargaining power."

The pressure in the hall became suffocating. Even the servants along the walls had lowered their eyes completely, terrified of being noticed.

For several long seconds, no one spoke.

Then Su Wan turned her attention away from the Zhang family entirely, as though the conversation had already ended in her mind. "Bring the other two women here," she said calmly.

The servants froze for a heartbeat before quickly bowing and leaving the hall.

That single order shifted the atmosphere again. Old Master Lu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Lu Meiqi looked visibly confused, unable to follow where the situation was moving. Even Lu Shaohan’s gaze sharpened further. Because Su Wan had no intention of resolving this piece by piece. If she was going to regain control, she intended to do it completely.

Zhang Wei finally spoke, his voice colder now. "You’re making decisions very quickly for someone who may not remain Mrs. Lu for long."

This time Lu Shaohan’s expression darkened immediately.

But before he could speak, Su Wan smiled—faint, cold, unaffected. "Then perhaps," she said softly, "your family should survive the month before worrying about mine."

The silence afterward was devastating.

Mr. Zhang rose first, slowly and carefully. Not because the confrontation had ended well for them, but because staying longer would only worsen their position. "We will continue this discussion later," he said.

"No," Su Wan corrected calmly. Her gaze lifted fully to him. "We won’t."

The words landed with quiet finality. She had already established the terms. The Zhang family no longer controlled the direction of the negotiation. They barely controlled their own exit.

Mr. Zhang’s jaw tightened faintly before he finally turned away. Zhang Wei followed beside him, the hostility in his eyes unmistakable. As they moved toward the exit, the bodyguards near the entrance straightened and followed in silence.

The hall remained still until the doors closed behind them. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Only then did the pressure inside the room shift slightly.

But not enough.

Because before anyone else could speak, footsteps approached again from the corridor. The remaining two pregnant women were being brought into the hall.

And this time, everyone understood the situation was no longer temporary chaos.

Su Wan was restructuring it herself.

The atmosphere inside the hall had not settled by the time the remaining two women were brought in.

If anything, the tension had only changed direction.

The women entered carefully under the servants’ guidance, visibly aware that whatever fragile protection or uncertainty they had arrived with earlier no longer existed.

The confrontation with the Zhang family had already altered the balance inside the Lu Residence completely. One wrong word now could destroy them along with the families standing behind them.

Su Wan remained seated as the two women stopped several steps from the center of the hall. Her expression did not soften, but neither did it turn hostile. She simply looked at them steadily.

"I’ll make this simple," she said. The room quieted at once. "From this moment onward, I don’t want any additional family members arriving at the Lu Residence unexpectedly. If your families have questions, tell them to wait until the children are born."

The women exchanged brief, uncertain glances.

Su Wan continued without pause.