Chapter 71: Chapter 71; Su Wan
Residence."
The command fell quietly, yet it carried absolute finality. For a moment, no one moved. Even Su Yao looked stunned. Then her expression sharpened.
"What?"
Lu Shaohan finally looked at her directly. "You’ve stayed long enough."
The public dismissal struck her harder than anything that had come before. In front of the servants, the household staff, and the security personnel, there was no privacy to soften the blow. Su Yao rose slowly, clutching the blanket around herself.
"Old Master Lu already agreed to let me stay."
"That was before you entered my bedroom," Lu Shaohan replied, his voice level.
The corridor grew colder. Several servants lowered their heads further, understanding that Old Master Lu’s permission no longer mattered once Lu Shaohan had decided otherwise.
Su Yao’s face lost even more color. "You’re sending me away over one night?"
"No," he said evenly. "You’re leaving because you no longer have a reason to remain."
Her fingers tightened violently around the blanket. Disbelief gave way to anger beneath the humiliation as she stared at him. "And what about my sister? She’s still staying here while three other women carry your children."
Lu Shaohan’s expression did not change. "That’s between me and my wife."
The words landed with quiet force. In a single sentence, he had publicly acknowledged Su Wan’s position without hesitation or ambiguity. Su Yao understood the implication immediately. The silence that followed stretched painfully through the corridor.
Finally, Lu Shaohan looked back at the household manager. "Prepare a vehicle."
"Yes, Young Master," the older servant replied with an immediate bow.
Su Yao’s grip on the blanket tightened one last time before she turned sharply away. Humiliation radiated from every movement, but beneath it simmered a cold, quiet anger. Lu Shaohan watched her briefly as two female attendants escorted her toward the eastern guest wing to change before her departure.
Only after she had vanished completely did the atmosphere in the hallway ease, if only slightly. The servants resumed their work, moving faster and more carefully than before. Everyone inside the Lu Residence now understood one thing with painful clarity: the household had grown so unstable that even someone connected to the Su family could be removed overnight. No one’s position within the estate felt truly safe anymore.
Su Wan returned quietly to the guest room, leaving the tension of the master suite corridor behind her. Inside, the space remained calm and undisturbed, a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding elsewhere in the residence. Soft morning light filtered through the curtains, while faint sounds of servants moving through the halls echoed distantly.
She closed the door behind her and stepped straight into the bathroom. Warm water cascaded from the showerhead, filling the room with steam as the lingering chill faded from her skin. She washed quickly but carefully around the bandaged wound on her arm before turning the water off.
After drying her hair, Su Wan changed into fresh clothes—a cream silk blouse, dark tailored trousers, and simple yet elegant jewelry suitable for the Lu family breakfast table. Once ready, she glanced briefly at the neatly made bed, picked up her phone, and left the guest room.
The residence had grown noticeably busier. Servants moved through the corridors with breakfast trays, and the low murmur of several Lu family members drifted from somewhere ahead. Su Wan moved through the hallway toward the dining hall with calm, measured steps.
The moment she approached the entrance, the conversation inside softened noticeably.
Su Wan stepped into the dining hall with calm composure. The long table was already nearly full, morning light spilling through the tall windows while servants moved quietly between the seats, pouring tea and arranging breakfast dishes beneath the room’s heavy atmosphere.
Conversations softened the moment she appeared. Not into complete silence, but enough to make her entrance felt by everyone. Old Master Lu sat near the head of the table reviewing documents, while Lu Meiqi spoke quietly with one of the older uncles further down. Zhang Hui and the other two pregnant women were also present, noticeably subdued this morning. Several family members glanced at Su Wan briefly before looking away again. No one mentioned Su Yao, yet the tension around the table made it clear that everyone already knew what had happened.
Su Wan walked to her seat without hesitation and sat down beside the empty chair reserved for Lu Shaohan, who had not yet arrived. A servant immediately stepped forward.
"Madam."
Fresh tea was poured, followed by several breakfast dishes placed carefully in front of her. The atmosphere remained restrained, even the clink of silverware against porcelain sounding quieter than usual.
Then footsteps approached from the main doorway. Li Chen and Mo Chen entered, both wearing calm, professional expressions as they crossed the hall like any other morning. When they reached Su Wan’s side of the table, however, the atmosphere shifted once more.
Li Chen lowered his head politely. Without a word, Mo Chen began checking each of her dishes, teacup, and utensils with practiced precision. The entire room fell quieter as the family watched. Only after Mo Chen gave a small nod did Li Chen step back.
"You may eat now, Madam."
The silence deepened. This was no longer discreet caution—it was open protection, displayed in front of the entire Lu family.
Lu Meiqi frowned. "Is that really necessary during breakfast?"
Su Wan lifted her teacup calmly before either man could respond. "After being attacked inside the Lu Residence?" she said evenly. "Yes."
Her words settled heavily over the table. No one questioned the matter again.
Li Chen and Mo Chen stepped back into position once the inspection was complete—one to her left, the other slightly behind her right side. Quiet and unmoving, their presence transformed the atmosphere around the breakfast table. It no longer resembled ordinary household service; it was clearly security, openly displayed.
Several members of the Lu family exchanged brief glances but said nothing. Su Wan picked up her utensils and began eating calmly while the servants moved through the hall with even greater care than before.
