Chapter 44 Lure the snake out of its hole
Lu Jingyan tightened his arms around her, wishing he could meld her into his very bones, as if only in this way could he fill the void in his heart that had been gnawed out by ten years of loneliness and suspicion.
Su Wantang did not struggle.
She could clearly feel the frantic beating of the man's heart in his chest, and she could also feel the uncontrollable trembling of his arms.
This man laid bare his most vulnerable and unbearable side to her.
She raised her hand and gently patted his back.
"Alright, stop acting like you're about to die, it's bad luck." Her voice regained its usual coldness, but it was no longer barbed.
Lu Jingyan's body stiffened, and he slowly released her.
Su Wantang ignored his emotions and went straight to the bedside table. She took out an exquisite white porcelain bottle from her small bag.
As soon as the cork was pulled out, a refreshing scent with a hint of herbal fragrance instantly filled the air.
She picked out a smear of bright green ointment with her fingertips, and without saying a word, pulled over Lu Jingyan's uninjured right hand. When she saw the wound on the back of his hand from hitting the wall, her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
The ointment felt cool and smooth to the touch, with a strange sense of comfort. As the ointment was applied to the wound, the burning pain subsided at a visible speed, replaced by a refreshing coolness.
Lu Jingyan's gaze slid from her focused profile to her delicate earlobe, and finally landed on her fingertips as she applied medicine to him.
Her movements were very light and gentle.
“I…” His Adam’s apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something.
"Shut up." Su Wantang said without looking up. "Save your energy."
After treating the wound on his hand, she got up, walked around to the other side, and looked at his left arm in a cast and the abrasions on his forehead, her eyes deepening.
“I will collect this debt, one by one, with interest.” As she spoke, she picked up another dollop of ointment and carefully applied it to the wound on his forehead.
The two were very close, so close that Lu Jingyan could see every curve of her long eyelashes and smell the sweet fragrance in her hair.
The coolness emanating from the wound contrasted sharply with the burning sensation welling up in his heart.
“Wantang,” he finally couldn’t hold back, his voice hoarse, “they… will blame everything on you.”
Su Wantang paused in her movements, looked up at him, and a smile suddenly appeared on her lips.
"So what? Can reputation feed you? I only care whether my man lives or dies."
My man.
These three words brought a sweet feeling to Lu Jingyan's heart.
“So,” Su Wantang withdrew her hand and closed the porcelain bottle, “let’s play along and put on a good show for them.”
She lowered her voice to a whisper: "Just stay 'unconscious,' and leave the rest to me."
Lu Jingyan looked at the glint of "calculation" in her eyes, and his heart skipped a beat.
He knew that he was completely doomed by this woman.
"Okay," he replied, a single word conveying his complete trust.
Soon, the door to the ward opened. Old Master Lu walked in, leaning on his cane, his face ashen.
When he saw Su Wantang standing unharmed by the bedside, while Lu Jingyan's eyes were closed and the waveform on the electrocardiogram monitor was strangely flat, a glint of light flashed in his weathered eyes.
Su Wantang nodded slightly to him and silently mouthed four words: "Use their plan against them."
Old Master Lu's aura suddenly changed, and he slammed his cane on the ground with a loud thud.
"You bastard!" he roared at Su Wantang, his voice booming so loud it could be heard throughout the corridor. "What bad luck has our Lu family had to let a jinx like you into our home! If anything happens to my grandson, I'll skin you alive!"
This performance was truly Oscar-worthy.
Ye Manrou and Grandma Lu, who were standing guard at the door, heard it all clearly.
A victorious smile curled at the corners of Ye Manrou's lips. She knew it; Su Wantang was finished! The Lu family would never tolerate a jinx who brought misfortune upon her husbands!
She quickly stepped forward, supporting Grandma Lu, who was trembling with anger, and gently comforted her: "Grandma, don't get too upset. Brother Jingyan is a lucky man, he will be alright. The most important thing right now is to prevent certain shady people from disturbing his recovery."
These words were clearly meant for Su Wantang's ears.
The news that the Lu family was going to hold Su Wantang accountable spread like wildfire throughout the entire Beijing compound.
In Lu Wenbo's study, he hung up the phone, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.
"It's done?" Ye Manrou asked eagerly from the side, her face showing undisguised excitement.
"She's unconscious, and whether she'll wake up is anyone's guess." Lu Wenbo picked up his teacup and took a slow sip. "The old man has already declared that Su Wantang should be kicked out of the Lu family."
"That's great!" Ye Manrou clenched her fist excitedly. "Second Uncle, what's our next step..."
"The next step is to make sure you stand rightfully by Jingyan's side." A ruthless glint flashed in Lu Wenbo's eyes behind his glasses. "However, simply driving Su Wantang away isn't enough; we need to ruin her reputation so she can never recover!"
Ye Manrou instantly understood what he meant.
Her eyes gleamed with malice as she gritted her teeth and said, "Second Uncle, don't worry, I'll handle this! I'll make sure everyone knows what a promiscuous and shameless woman Su Wantang is! She's the one who ruined Brother Jingyan!"
The next day, an inconspicuous tabloid in Beijing published a highly inflammatory article.
The article's title is sensational: "Department Store Heiress Cheats on Two Men, Military Elite Heartbroken, Suffers Bizarre Car Accident Late at Night!"
Although the article does not name names, keywords such as "Shanghai Department Store King", "Lu Family in Beijing", "Peace Hotel" and "North Suburb Cement Plant" have already pointed the finger at Su Wantang and Lu Jingyan.
The article vividly describes how a "Miss Su" broke off her engagement with her fiancé and then had a whirlwind marriage with a military officer. However, she was unfaithful after marriage and had a secret rendezvous with a mysterious man in an abandoned factory, which caused her husband to become mentally unstable, get into a car accident, and remain in a coma to this day.
This article, like a bomb, caused a stir in the peaceful courtyard.
In an instant, Su Wantang became a "poisonous woman" and a "jinx" despised by everyone in the entire compound.
Tangdixuan.
Qin Zheng slammed the newspaper on the table, his face turning ashen with rage: "Young Miss! These people are going too far! I'm going to drag that reporter out right now and tear his mouth apart!"
Su Wantang, however, remained unusually calm. She picked up the newspaper, read it carefully, and even showed a hint of amusement on her face.
“Not bad, the story is well-written and very imaginative.” She put down the newspaper and tapped the table with her fingertips. “Ye Manrou is trying to kill two birds with one stone, to smear me and then clear her name herself.”
"So we're just going to let them smear us like this?" Qin Zheng asked anxiously.
“Of course not.” Su Wantang raised her eyes, her gaze sharp as a knife. “She’s made a move, so naturally we have to respond. And we have to give her a hard one.”
She looked at Qin Zheng and lowered her voice, "You, go and spread a message."
"I have evidence that the Ye family and Lu Wenbo colluded to illegally sell military supplies. This newspaper incident has completely enraged me. I'm going to compile the materials and personally hand them over to the disciplinary department."
Qin Zheng's eyes suddenly lit up.
Is this... the Empty City Stratagem?
"Young Miss, that's a brilliant move!"
“Being high-ranking isn’t enough,” Su Wantang sneered. “I want him to be afraid.”
The news quickly reached Lu Wenbo's ears through Tangdixuan's channels.
Lu Wenbo was reading documents in his office when he heard his secretary's report, and the pen in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".
Reselling military supplies?
evidence?
His face turned deathly pale instantly, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.
This matter was the foundation of his cooperation with the Ye family, and also his biggest weakness! How could Su Wantang know? Did that good-for-nothing Liu Mazi say something? Or did that little beast Lu Jingyan leave a backup plan?
No, we can't wait any longer!
He had initially thought that with Lu Jingyan unconscious, he could calmly make his plans. But now it seemed that Su Wantang was even more troublesome than he had imagined!
The longer the night, the more things could go wrong! We must go all the way and see this through!
A murderous glint appeared in Lu Wenbo's eyes. He picked up the phone on the table and dialed an encrypted number.
"Gecko, activate the final plan." He spoke into the microphone, his voice as cold as a viper's. "I want him to never wake up."
In the dead of night, the General Hospital of the Military Region was completely silent.
A dark figure, like a ghost, silently slipped into the floor where the VIP wards were located. He was wearing a white coat, a mask, and a hat, looking exactly like a doctor on night shift.
He skillfully evaded the surveillance cameras, used a special key to open the door to Lu Jingyan's hospital room, and slipped inside.
The ward was dark, with only the faint green light from the electrocardiogram monitor and the regular beeping sound.
The shadowy figure walked to the bedside, looked at the lifeless man on the hospital bed, and a hint of disdain flashed in its eyes.
He took a syringe filled with a clear liquid from his pocket.
Potassium chloride can cause a person to die peacefully in their sleep, and it is very difficult to detect.
He raised the syringe, aimed it at the IV line in Lu Jingyan's arm, and was about to insert the needle—
"drop--"
The steady waveform on the electrocardiogram monitor suddenly turned into a glaring straight line, emitting a long, sharp beep.
The assassin was startled!
At that very moment, Lu Jingyan, who had been "unconscious," suddenly opened his eyes!
There was no trace of illness or drowsiness in those eyes, only a sharp killing intent like that of a falcon!
Oh no! We've fallen for their trap!
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