Chapter 15 The Great Northwest Labor Reform Package

It was late at night.

The earth-shattering fight between mother and daughter in the Su family finally ended with Liu Liyun's exhaustion and Su Yuting's fainting.

The lighting in Su Wantang's bedroom was soft.

She took out the dozen or so ledgers of evidence that smelled musty from the Begonia Space and spread them out on the desk.

These things are heavier than gold and sharper than a knife.

Instead of using her right hand, which she was more comfortable with, she picked up the pen on her left. The nib was full of ink, and it hovered above the letter.

An unfamiliar, rigid printed style slowly flowed from her pen.

Each stroke is deliberate and devoid of any personal emotion.

"To the responsible comrade of the Beijing Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection: This is to report Su Zhenhong, chairman of a Shanghai department store, for many years..."

She meticulously listed every single instance of Su Zhenhong's bribery, tax evasion, and speculation, with each item precisely corresponding to a specific page and line in the ledger.

She even "kindly" pointed out several locations where other crucial evidence was hidden, such as a secret compartment under a floorboard in his office, or a safe in a lover's residence.

After finishing writing, she took out several sheets of old-fashioned copy paper, unique to this era, from her spatial library and copied the most shocking pages from the ledger. The texture of the paper and the color of the ink were perfectly copied, without any flaws.

After doing all this, she stuffed the letter and the copy into a kraft paper envelope and carefully sealed it with glue.

The night was as dark as ink, and a cool breeze was blowing.

Su Wantang changed into an inconspicuous gray cloth dress and slipped out of the Su family mansion quietly. She didn't drive, but chose to walk.

She walked through several alleys and took a long detour before arriving at an old mailbox.

She pulled open the mailbox, and the cold metallic touch sent a chill down her spine.

“Clatter.”

The envelope slid into the abyss of darkness.

Mailing address: Beijing Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

She knew very well that in Shanghai, the territory Su Zhenhong had run for over a decade, any report could be ignored. But the thunderous force from Beijing was something no one could suppress or stop.

A single letter can decide life or death.

For the next two days, the atmosphere in the Su family mansion became extremely oppressive.

The air seemed to be filled with invisible ice, and even breathing carried a bone-chilling cold.

Liu Liyun and Su Yuting were like two defeated chickens, each hiding in their rooms and not even stepping out of their doors.

The mother and daughter, who used to flaunt their power in front of the servants, now even their eye contact is filled with fear and avoidance. After their frenzied tearing at each other, all that remains is an endless fear of the unknown.

Su Wantang, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

She leisurely directed Wang Ma to pack her few belongings.

Lu Jingyan leaned against the doorframe, watching her fold a lake-blue dress and put it into her suitcase. He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing his strong, well-defined muscles.

"Is everything packed?" His voice was deep and had a reassuring magnetic quality.

"Okay, that's about it." Su Wantang closed her suitcase, turned around and smiled at him, a hint of slyness in her smile. "Just waiting to set off."

Lu Jingyan's gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds, his deep eyes seeming to see through everything, yet also as if he hadn't asked anything at all.

He simply stepped forward, naturally took the suitcase from her hand, weighed it in his hand, and frowned almost imperceptibly.

"Too light."

Su Wantang chuckled, "I'll buy it when we get to Beijing. It'll be a good opportunity to test how thick Lieutenant Colonel Lu's wallet is."

“What’s mine is yours.” Lu Jingyan said matter-of-factly, casually tucking a stray strand of hair that had fallen across her cheek behind her ear. His fingertips brushed against her earlobe, sending a slight shiver through her.

On the morning of the third day.

The sun is shining brightly.

Su Wantang and Lu Jingyan carried their suitcases and walked down the stairs.

Everything is ready. Once you step out of this door, everything in Shanghai will be a thing of the past.

Just then, several black cars silently stopped in front of the Su family's gate. They didn't honk their horns, but they exuded a chilling aura.

The car door opened, and a dozen or so middle-aged men in Zhongshan suits, their expressions serious, filed out. The man in the lead, with a square face and sharp, eagle-like eyes, strode to the door and presented a document.

A red seal, a prominent header.

"We are the joint investigation team from Beijing, ordered to investigate Su Zhenhong and his associates. This is the investigation order. From now on, seal off the Su family residence; no one is allowed to move!"

The voice wasn't loud, but every word struck like a heavy hammer blow to everyone's heart.

Startled, Wang Ma's hand trembled, and the rag in her hand fell to the ground.

Upstairs, Liu Liyun and Su Yuting rushed out upon hearing the commotion. When they saw the imposing presence of the people and the unquestionable investigation order, their faces drained of color instantly.

"No...it's impossible..." Liu Liyun's lips trembled. The thing she had feared most these past few days had become a reality in the most direct and cruel way.

"Mom! What should we do! They're from Beijing!" Su Yuting grabbed Liu Liyun's arm, her voice trembling, her eyes filled with despair.

The investigators gave them no time to react, and the group went straight upstairs.

"take away!"

Liu Liyun and Su Yuting were grabbed from the left and right and dragged down the stairs.

Liu Liyun tried to struggle, screaming, "Why are you arresting me?" Su Yuting, on the other hand, was completely limp and her face was ashen.

"Reporting to the team leader, we've made a discovery!" An investigator emerged from Liu Liyun's bedroom, carrying a small leather suitcase.

The suitcase was opened in public.

Stacks of large unison notes, neatly arranged small yellow croakers, and a thick wad of foreign exchange certificates—considered prohibited items in those days—gleamed sinfully in the sunlight.

This is Liu Liyun's backup plan.

Upon seeing these items discovered, Liu Liyun's last shred of psychological defense completely crumbled. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Where is Su Zhenhong?" the group leader asked in a cold voice.

A servant answered tremblingly, "Master...Master is still in the hospital."

"Take him to the hospital and get him there immediately!"

The order was issued swiftly and decisively.

In an instant, the business world of Shanghai underwent a dramatic transformation. Su's Department Store was shut down, and all core members of the Su family, along with the local network of connections implicated in the incriminating ledger, were apprehended without exception. A major upheaval triggered by an anonymous letter completely overturned the landscape of Shanghai.

Amidst chaos.

Su Wantang pulled her suitcase while Lu Jingyan carried another. The two of them walked out of the Su family's gate calmly, like outsiders.

The sunlight at the entrance was a bit too bright.

Su Wantang subconsciously narrowed her eyes, turned around, and glanced at the villa that was sealed with white tape.

That place was once her home, but it was also her prison.

Now, it's all over.

Her gaze passed over the serious-looking investigators and landed on Su Yuting, who was being escorted into the car.

Su Yuting also saw her.

In that instant, Su Yuting stopped struggling. She stared intently at Su Wantang, her eyes, which she once thought were beautiful, now filled only with resentment and madness.

She mouthed a sentence to Su Wantang without speaking.

—I will not let you go.

Su Wantang understood.

Instead of being afraid, she smiled sweetly and brightly in return.

The sunlight fell on her face, dazzlingly bright.

Go to the Great Northwest and do some hard labor and reform, my dear sister.