He knew very well what the Su family’s situation had been like lately.
They had truly sold everything that could be sold and mortgaged everything that could be mortgaged. Liu Zonghan had seen exactly what kind of life Su Wan, the once-pampered young miss, had been living during this time.
If the Su family still had this much gold hidden away, Su Wan certainly wouldn't have lived so miserably.
So, where on earth did this girl get this gold?
The gold laid out before him seemed to confirm a certain suspicion in Liu Zonghan’s heart.
The Old Master gave a wave of his hand and instructed Liu Chengye, who was standing nearby, “Go and get the spare card from my study.”
Soon, a black bank card was delivered to Liu Zonghan’s hand.
He turned and handed it to Su Wan. “There is two million on here. Our Liu family will take the gold. We’ll calculate it at market price, and the extra can be considered a small token of the Liu family’s appreciation, as well as thanks for the... medicine you brought.”
“In the future, if Miss Su has any other special items, I hope you’ll keep our Liu family in mind.” His words were meaningful, and his gaze lingered on Su Wan’s face for a moment.
Liu Chengye stood to the side, his eyes complicated as he watched his father hand over the card. He looked at the gold and then at Su Wan’s calm face; he could likely guess his father’s intention.
His father was investing—or rather, he was placing a pre-emptive bet and currying favor with a “mysterious resource.”
He said nothing, his expression remaining placid.
However, Liu Chengren and Zhao Yufen were completely unable to comprehend it!
They had watched with their own eyes as Su Wan “robbed” ten percent of the Liu family’s shares, yet instead of holding her accountable for the assault and the disturbance, their father was actually rushing to give her money?
Two million!
That gold was worth nowhere near two million!
Wasn't the Old Master lowering himself too much?
What on earth had this wretched girl Su Wan done to deserve such treatment from the Old Master?
Resentment and confusion were written all over the couple’s faces, yet they didn't dare to question him in the Old Master’s presence.
Su Wan did not decline; she accepted the card naturally.
Money, after all, was better the more one had.
“I’ll take my leave.” She said no more, nodding to Liu Xin and gently patting Lele’s small head before turning and leaving the Liu family’s living room decisively. Her figure soon disappeared outside the door.
Once Su Wan was gone, the tense atmosphere in the living room eased slightly, but a different, complicated, and indescribable emotion began to spread.
Liu Chengren finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He was bursting with suppressed anger and grievance. When Liu Zonghan was helped back to the study to rest, he found an opportunity to follow him inside.
“Father!” Liu Chengren’s tone was full of indignation and bewilderment. “That Su Wan was so presumptuous at our home today. She hit people and... and she forced those shares out of us. Why are you still being so polite to her? You even gave her money! What right does she have?!”
Liu Zonghan leaned back into the wide chair, closing his eyes to rest for a moment before slowly opening them.
Those aged but sharp eyes looked at his failure of a youngest son, and he sighed. “Chengren, you still only see the surface of things.”
He pointed to his own chest. “How many years have I had this illness? How many famous doctors have I seen? How many exorbitant medicines and supplements have I used? Don't you know how effective they were?”
Liu Chengren was stunned.
“But with Su Wan’s medicine, I only drank a few drops, and my coughing stopped. Most of that suffocating feeling in my chest has dissipated.” A flash of fervor and wariness crossed Liu Zonghan’s eyes. “Have you ever seen such a thing before? Have you ever heard of it? Is there a second kind like it on all of Blue Star?”
He paused, his tone becoming even more solemn. “And look at that girl, Su Wan.”
“A few months ago, she was just a pampered young miss who chased after Gu Huaiyu, someone simple-minded who only knew how to cry when her family faced ruin.”
“But what about now? She came to our door alone, faced our entire family without being servile or overbearing, acted decisively when she fought, and was calculated in her negotiations. She even holds a miraculous medicine unheard of by anyone...”
“Do you think that’s normal?”
Liu Chengren was left speechless by his father’s questions. As he thought back carefully, a cold sweat began to break out.
Indeed, Su Wan’s change was too drastic!
It was bordering on eerie!
“This girl must have had a fortuitous encounter beyond ordinary imagination,” Liu Zonghan concluded. “It’s very likely she has more than just the medicine that treats me. Even the origin of that gold might not be simple.”
“Being on good terms with her might lead to more unexpected benefits in the future. As for making an enemy of her...” He shot a cold glance at Liu Chengren. “Haven't you had enough of a bitter lesson today? If we truly push her to the opposing side and she gives that medicine to our rivals, or uses other means...”
Liu Chengren shuddered.
“Therefore,” Liu Zonghan gave a final warning, “put away those little schemes and your dissatisfaction.”
“From now on, treat Liu Xin better. She is not only your daughter, but she is now the bridge connecting us to Su Wan, as well as the key to my monthly medicine.”
“If I find out that because of you and your wife, Liu Xin is mistreated or even offends Su Wan...”
“Then don't blame me, your father, for showing no mercy.”
Liu Chengren’s face turned deathly pale, and he completely wilted.
His father’s words were like a bucket of cold water over his head, leaving him thoroughly awake and completely resigned.
It turned out that in his father’s eyes, Liu Xin’s value was now entirely different, and all of it was tied to the now mysterious and unpredictable Su Wan.
No matter how unwilling he was, he didn't dare to gamble his future in the Liu family anymore.
...
The afternoon sunlight carried a hint of lethargy, casting mottled shadows through the gaps in the roadside trees.
Su Wan left the Bishuiwan Villa Area, her mind calculating her next move.
Liu Xin and Lele had a stable place to stay, and she had obtained two million in startup capital. The short-term crisis in the real world was temporarily relieved.
But a more fundamental problem rose to the front of her mind.
That unfinished building which served as the starting point and core of all her “fortuitous encounters.”
The existence of the Terminal Station shelter relied entirely on that building.
Whether it was the apocalyptic travel or the safety zone on Blue Star, both were bound to that structure.
If something happened to the building itself on Blue Star—such as a property dispute, it being reclaimed, or demolished...
Then the consequences would be unthinkable.
She had to keep the initiative firmly in her own hands.
The priority was to thoroughly uncover the background of this unfinished building: Who developed it? Why did it become an unfinished project? Who did the property rights belong to now? Was there any way to get it under her own name?
She searched through her memories and quickly locked onto a person—
Zhou Shikun.
He was a senior consultant for the Jiangcheng Planning Bureau who had been retired for many years. He was in his early sixties and was known as the “living dictionary” of the Jiangcheng real estate circle.
This man knew the city’s changes, land transfers, and the rise and fall of developments over the decades like the back of his hand. He had deep connections, an upright character, and a somewhat old-fashioned sense of integrity.
More importantly, Zhou Shikun had received some favors from Su Wan’s grandfather back in the day and shared a friendship with the old master of the Su family.
When the Su family was at its peak, he had been very kind to Su Wan as a junior. After the Su family’s downfall, while he hadn't been able to offer a helping hand openly, he hadn't kicked them while they were down either.
Asking him about the history of an insignificant unfinished building shouldn't be too difficult, nor would it attract too much attention.
Su Wan found a quiet spot and used her newly acquired unregistered burner card to dial a number from memory.
Rate on N.U.
