Chapter 72: Chapter 72; Map
Footsteps approached from outside the dining hall, and the atmosphere shifted at once. Lu Shaohan entered beneath the soft morning light, dressed in a dark tailored suit. His expression remained cold and unreadable as ever. The remaining conversation around the table died instantly. Family members straightened subtly in their seats, and even Old Master Lu lifted his eyes from the documents before him.
Lu Shaohan’s gaze swept across the table, pausing briefly on Su Wan before shifting to Li Chen and Mo Chen standing behind her. Neither man lowered his eyes or moved. For a moment, the silence sharpened. Very few people were permitted to stand so close to the Lu family during meals—especially armed men. Yet Lu Shaohan said nothing. His attention returned to the untouched dishes in front of Su Wan, then to the empty seat beside her. He pulled out the chair and sat down calmly.
Only then did the servants step forward again, serving him fresh tea and breakfast. The restrained atmosphere lingered.
Lu Meiqi finally broke the silence. "Second Madam isn’t joining breakfast?"
One of the older servants lowered his head. "Second Madam isn’t feeling well this morning."
Several people around the table exchanged subtle looks but wisely chose not to press further. Su Wan continued sipping her tea quietly. Across from her, Zhang Hui kept her eyes lowered, while the other two pregnant women remained visibly cautious, the earlier removal of Su Yao still hanging over the room. No one inside the dining hall felt truly secure anymore.
A servant soon approached Lu Shaohan and handed him a tablet containing the morning reports. He glanced through them in silence, the faint clink of utensils the only sound in the hall.
Then, without fully lifting his eyes from the screen, he spoke.
"Your room was searched before dawn."
The statement was directed straight at Su Wan. The entire table stilled instantly.
Su Wan slowly lowered her teacup to the table and looked at Lu Shaohan, her expression calm and steady. The entire dining hall had fallen silent the moment he spoke, and even the servants paused briefly in their movements.
"Which room?" she asked.
"The guest room."
Across the table, Lu Meiqi frowned at once. "Someone entered her room again?"
Lu Shaohan finally lifted his eyes fully from the tablet. "The security system detected movement near the western corridor around four-thirty this morning."
The atmosphere sharpened. Everyone understood what that meant: despite the increased security following yesterday’s attack, someone inside the Lu Residence was still moving through the estate in secret.
Old Master Lu’s expression darkened. "Did they find anything?"
"No," Lu Shaohan replied, setting the tablet down beside his plate. "The room was entered, but nothing appears to be missing."
Li Chen and Mo Chen remained motionless behind Su Wan, though both men immediately registered the implication. Someone had acted again—and with alarming speed.
Su Wan rested one hand lightly beside her teacup. "And the person responsible?"
"They avoided most camera angles," Lu Shaohan answered evenly, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.
The revelation unsettled several people at the table. Bypassing the Lu Residence’s surveillance system was not something an ordinary servant or guest could manage easily. One of the older uncles lowered his utensils quietly.
"This residence is becoming chaotic."
No one responded, because no one could deny the truth. In just a short time, the household had faced public pressure over the succession, Su Yao had been removed, and now an intruder had entered a private room before dawn. The instability had escalated far too quickly.
Zhang Hui finally spoke, her voice soft and cautious. "Should security around the women be increased?"
"It already has been," Lu Shaohan replied calmly.
Su Wan picked up her utensils again and continued eating as though the conversation no longer concerned her directly. Her composure unsettled the table more than open fear would have. Everyone was beginning to notice the same thing: the more unstable the Lu Residence became, the calmer Su Wan seemed to grow.
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Second Madam’s bedroom remained dark despite the late morning light outside. The heavy curtains were still partially drawn, allowing only thin strands of sunlight to fall across the polished floor. The air inside felt cold and suffocating as servants moved quietly around her.
No one dared speak more than necessary. Not after watching her return that morning.
Second Madam sat near the edge of the sofa in the sitting area, still dressed in black from the night before. One hand rested against her temple while the untouched breakfast tray beside her had long gone cold. The leather case was gone. The hidden reserves were gone. And so was the map.
A servant approached the doorway cautiously. "Madam... should I replace the tea?"
"No," she answered sharply.
The servant lowered her head at once and retreated. The room fell silent again.
Second Madam slowly lowered her hand and turned her attention to the security reports scattered across the low table. Vehicle routes, camera interruptions, traffic blind spots—none of it was useful. Whoever had attacked her last night had planned every detail with meticulous care: no identifiable plates, no visible faces, and no unnecessary violence. They had taken only the money.
Her expression darkened. Random attackers would have taken the vehicle as well, or killed her outright. These people had targeted the reserves specifically, which meant they knew exactly what the cash represented.
A soft knock sounded at the bedroom door. One of her private assistants entered, carrying a tablet.
"Madam."
Second Madam did not look up immediately. "What."
The assistant swallowed before speaking. "The Su estate has been sealed internally since dawn."
That made her lift her eyes. So Chairman Su had already discovered the missing map. At least she was not the only one suffering losses this morning.
The assistant continued carefully, "And Chairman Su has requested complete silence regarding last night’s losses."
Of course he had. If the hidden reserves became public knowledge, financial investigations would follow immediately.
Second Madam leaned back against the sofa. "Has anyone inside the Lu Residence been questioned yet?"
"Quietly. Mostly the security staff."
Her eyes narrowed. It was too slow. Someone inside the Lu Residence was already moving against them—she could feel it. Not openly, but structurally and with precision. The timing was too exact: the succession instability, the attack, the disappearance of the reserves, and now the map. Everything was accelerating at once.
The assistant lowered her voice. "Madam... should we begin deeper internal investigations inside the residence?"
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Then Second Madam smiled, cold and faint. "Yes. But quietly."
Her gaze dropped back to the reports on the table.
"Because whoever moved against us last night already understands too much."
Second Madam remained seated for several moments after the assistant fell silent. Then she reached for the phone beside the untouched tea tray.
The atmosphere in the bedroom shifted at once. Everyone present understood that Second Madam only grew truly dangerous once she began to move.
The first call connected quickly. "Freeze the western transfers temporarily," she said, her voice cold. "No electronic movement until I approve it personally." She listened briefly before continuing. "And pull back the coastal shipments. I want every distribution route reviewed again."
The call ended. Another followed, then another. Quiet, efficient, and calculated, her orders spread rapidly across the city while the dim bedroom remained silent except for the sharp precision of her voice.
"Replace the compromised accounts."
"No public retaliation yet."
"I want names from every security checkpoint between midnight and four a.m."
"Recheck the Lu Residence staff records from the last three months."
With every instruction, the servants standing near the walls lowered their heads further. None of these conversations sounded legal, and none of them felt safe.
When the calls finally paused, Second Madam rose from the sofa and walked slowly toward the windows overlooking the estate grounds. She pulled one curtain aside. Far below, the Lu Residence appeared perfectly normal: servants moved through the gardens, security teams rotated positions, and family members gathered for breakfast. Everything looked orderly and routine.
Yet somewhere beneath that calm surface, someone had just stolen from her successfully.
Her expression darkened.
Another call connected. This time her voice dropped lower. "I want surveillance on every unusual movement connected to the residence." She listened carefully, then added, "No. Don’t touch anyone yet. Just watch."
The line disconnected. Second Madam lowered the phone slowly, her gaze still fixed on the western wing of the estate.
The room behind her stayed completely silent.
"Prepare my schedule," she said calmly without turning around. "I’ll be attending lunch downstairs."
"Yes, Madam," the servants replied at once, straightening immediately.
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Chairman Su had not slept.
After sealing the study at dawn, he had remained inside for nearly two straight hours while his private security teams searched the estate floor by floor under his direct orders. Nothing was found. No forced entry, no missing files except the map, and no visible breach in the surveillance system. The intrusion had been too clean.
