Chapter 76 p2
“Just use these for now,” Xu Jinnan said, handing her a small package containing disposable underwear.
Shen Shu looked at it, puzzled. Why would she have such a thing in her office?
“I bought them for the swimming pool during the summer. I had some left over,” Xu Jinnan explained.
Shen Shu’s skirt was soaked, and she had no choice but to change.
“Can you get me some wet wipes?” she asked.
Xu Jinnan grabbed a pack from her desk and handed it to Shen Shu through the slightly open door, along with a paper bag for her wet clothes.
As for the skirt, she had Viola bring a hairdryer.
The buzzing sound of the hairdryer filled the small room, the faint scent of grape juice mingling with the warm air. After cleaning the stockings, Xu Jinnan carefully dried the skirt, a smile playing on her lips.
“What’s so funny?” Shen Shu asked from the other room, wrapped in a blanket.
“Hmm?” Xu Jinnan asked, turning off the hairdryer, not having heard her clearly.
Shen Shu repeated the question.
“It’s just… amusing,” Xu Jinnan replied.
The whole incident, while slightly embarrassing, had a strange, domestic quality, a slice of everyday life, with its unexpected mishaps and small moments of shared laughter.
Shen Shu didn’t reply, but she agreed; spilling grape juice all over herself was rather comical. Fortunately, they had a long break; otherwise, it would have delayed filming.
She leaned back in the massage chair, the soft leather conforming to her body, and turned it on, the gentle kneading motion easing the tension in her back and shoulders.
Within minutes, the skirt was dry.
Xu Jinnan’s office was soundproof, and with the hairdryer off, the small room was silent.
“That feels so good…” Shen Shu murmured.
Xu Jinnan froze, the words triggering a memory of another night, another moment of shared intimacy, Shen Shu’s soft moan echoing in her ears.
My thoughts are definitely inappropriate, she thought.
Her fingers, slightly warm from the hairdryer, felt the soft fabric of the skirt as she handed it to Shen Shu. “I ordered one for the apartment too. It should arrive in a couple of days. Do you want to lie down for a bit?”
Shen Shu, without opening her eyes, took the skirt, her fingers brushing against Xu Jinnan’s. “Okay, wake me up in half an hour,” she murmured.
“Alright, sleep well,” Xu Jinnan said, setting the timer on the massage chair for fifteen minutes.
Sleeping in a massage chair wasn’t good for you.
Shen Shu’s stockings were still draped over a chair by the coffee table, her bare feet, pale and delicate, peeking out from beneath the blanket.
Her toenails were painted a soft pink, the polish shimmering in the light.
She looked strangely vulnerable.
Xu Jinnan straightened the blanket, covering her feet.
She left the room, quietly closing the door behind her, then went back to the sofa and wiped the leather cushions with a wet wipe, removing the sticky residue from the spilled juice.
–A few minutes later, she leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly.
Why was she feeling so restless in the middle of the day?
As if in answer to her question, she felt a tingling sensation in her scent gland, a persistent itch.
She touched it, surprised to feel a slight swelling.
It was the first time she had had such a noticeable physical reaction.
Did this mean her sensitivity was increasing…?
Her brow furrowed, her earlier restlessness replaced by a growing sense of unease.
–A few seconds later, a knock came at the door.
“CEO Xu, Mrs. Lu is here,” Viola said, opening the door, then added, after a brief pause, “She doesn’t look well.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Yun appeared behind Viola.
“Move,” she said curtly.
Viola, glancing at Xu Jinnan, addressed Lu Yun respectfully. “Mrs. Lu.” While she was respectful towards Lu Yun, her loyalty was to Xu Jinnan, her employer.
Xu Jinnan’s first thought was that Shen Shu was still resting in the other room.
She gave Viola a look, and Viola left, closing the door behind her.
Lu Yun’s face was grim. “Nannan,” she said, getting straight to the point, “what did you get from Wang Zheng?”
Xu Jinnan’s eyes narrowed, her heart sinking.
Very few people knew about the photos from Wang Zheng – she, Shen Shu, Chen Yue, and Wang Zheng and his girlfriend.
None of them would have revealed it, especially not Wang Zheng, who had gone to great lengths to hide the information. Now that it was gone, he wouldn’t risk telling Lu Yun.
And he wouldn’t let his girlfriend talk either.
So, how did Lu Yun know?
And why now? Had she known all along, or was she just pretending?
Xu Jinnan’s mind raced as she stood up, the pieces clicking into place.
She sent Shen Shu a message.
[Don’t come out.]
She needed to get some answers from Lu Yun, and Lu Yun wouldn’t say anything if Shen Shu was present.
And this conversation could involve the Xu family’s secrets, which could put Shen Shu in danger if Lu Yun found out she knew.
Shen Shu replied almost instantly: [I know.]
—
Xu Jinnan looked at Lu Yun, her voice calm. “Mom, how did you find out?”
It had been a while since they had last seen each other, and Xu Jinnan hadn’t spoken to her this calmly since leaving the Xu residence.
Lu Yun’s expression softened slightly.
“It doesn’t matter how I found out,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Why? Why do you insist on investigating? What did you find?” Her voice was a mixture of anger, anxiety, and a hint of fear.
Seeing her distress, Xu Jinnan’s own anxiety subsided.
She poured Lu Yun a glass of warm water. “Mom, calm down. You must be tired. Have some water,” she said gently, her tone reminiscent of their earlier interactions.
“What did you find out? Nannan!” Lu Yun exclaimed, her voice sharp, pushing the glass of water away.
It splashed onto Xu Jinnan’s sleeve, the water darkening the fabric of her beige suit jacket.
Xu Jinnan didn’t react, and Lu Yun, after a moment, took a tissue and dabbed at the stain.
Xu Jinnan stopped her. “I know everything,” she said, her voice calm, her gaze fixed on Lu Yun’s face.
Lu Yun’s hand trembled.
Xu Jinnan, her expression unchanged, continued, “Mom, you shouldn’t have kept this from me. You must have suffered a lot all these years.” Remembering what you did, pushing a child into the hands of her abuser, must have been difficult.
Using your own daughter as a pawn, a tool for your own ambitions, must have been difficult.
Protecting an abuser, being his accomplice, must have been difficult.
Giving birth to a “failure” through an incestuous relationship must have been difficult.
—
Lu Yun felt a pang of guilt, a familiar ache in her chest.
No one had ever said such things to her before. She was usually the one offering comfort and reassurance, telling Nannan how much she had sacrificed, how hard she had worked.
She wanted Nannan to see her efforts, to understand her struggles.
She wanted Nannan to be the most successful member of the Xu family, for her own sake, and for Nannan’s.
“Nannan, tell me what you know,” she said, her voice trembling, tears welling up in her eyes.
Xu Jinnan saw the tears as a sign of self-pity.
“You and Xu Tao are close relatives,” she said, her voice calm and steady. “I’m… a product of your experiment, a failed experiment.”
Lu Yun’s lips trembled. “No! You’re not! You’re the best, in my eyes!” Xu Jinnan had heard those words countless times, words that had once made her believe Lu Yun’s twisted possessiveness was a form of motherly love.
“I also know you didn’t marry for love, but for… compatibility,” Xu Jinnan continued. “And I know the Xu family has been… raising children with high differentiation potential… I’m guessing those children…” She paused, watching as Lu Yun’s anxiety intensified. “…weren’t acquired through… legal means? Perhaps.”
“Trafficking.”
“Kidnapping.”
“Stop it! Don’t say anymore!” Lu Yun exclaimed, as if the words themselves were dangerous, reaching out as if to cover Xu Jinnan’s mouth.
“Nannan, please, just pretend you don’t know! Do you understand what this means for me? How can you ask me to pretend I don’t know?” Lu Yun pleaded, her voice breaking. “I’m a product of incest! What kind of risks am I facing? Those children… they were meant to be my mates! But I never even met them! Why? Because I’m a failure, no longer worthy? What am I to the Xu family? Why did my father abuse me? And why did you protect him?!”
Lu Yun’s carefully constructed facade crumbled under the weight of Xu Jinnan’s accusations, the unspoken truths now laid bare.
“I’m starting to remember things from my childhood,” Xu Jinnan added.
Lu Yun’s body stiffened. “What are you saying…?”
“Just fragments,” Xu Jinnan said, her tone softening slightly, as if offering a concession. “It’s strange. My childhood memories are mostly blank.”
She noticed Lu Yun’s eyes flicker downwards, tears still welling up.
“Xu Tao would beat me, and you would just stand there and watch. I don’t understand. Why? I’m your daughter!”
Lu Yun started to cry, her sobs muffled. “No, Nannan, listen to me…”
Xu Jinnan’s own eyes filled with tears. “What else are you hiding from me? Do I have to uncover everything myself?”
“No! Stop investigating! If anyone finds out, the Xu family is finished! Your life will be ruined!” And so would Lu Yun’s, after all these years of careful planning and manipulation.
She grabbed Xu Jinnan’s arm. “Nannan! I’ll tell you everything! Just promise me you’ll stop investigating!”
This was what Xu Jinnan had been waiting for.
She lowered her gaze, tears streaming down her face, her expression a mask of vulnerability.
“Mom, you’re my mother. Even if you tell me everything, what can I do? Would I ever hurt you?” she said, echoing Lu Yun’s own words, her voice soft and pleading. “I promised I would always be there for you.” She had become, once again, the child Lu Yun could control.
Hearing those words, Lu Yun’s defenses crumbled.
She pulled Xu Jinnan into a hug. “I’ll tell you everything, Nannan. Everything.”
“I don’t know anything about those children. They kept it a secret. But I think you’re right. It wasn’t anything good,” she said.
Xu Jinnan felt a pang of disappointment, but she didn’t press her, not wanting to interrupt Lu Yun’s confession.
Lu Yun’s story unfolded slowly—
Her marriage to Xu Tao had indeed been an experiment.
“It was an old Xu family tradition, a secret method passed down through generations, a way to ensure the purity of their bloodline, to produce superior Alphas. But coincidentally, by the time of your great-grandmother, the one-child policy was in effect, and there weren’t many high-ranking Alphas or Omegas in the Xu family, making it difficult to find suitable matches within the family.”
Until the current matriarch had given birth to Xu Tao, Xu Lian, and Xu Zhong.
She had been closely monitoring the newly differentiated members of the family, and when she discovered Lu Yun, a close relative with a high Omega differentiation probability and a 95% compatibility rate with Xu Tao…
She had made a decision – Xu Tao would divorce his current wife and marry Lu Yun.
Xu Tao, not wanting to disobey his mother, had agreed.
And Lu Yun hadn’t had a choice. Her life had been tied to that small town in Qucheng, her mothers having instilled in her from a young age the importance of obedience, of listening to her elders.
And her mothers had listened to the Xu family matriarch.
“Or rather, they feared her,” Lu Yun said, her voice trembling, the image of the elderly woman, her face etched with wrinkles, always dressed in traditional clothing, vivid in her mind.
She would sit on her rosewood chair, her eyes narrowed, her demeanor stern and imposing.
The sharp tap of her cane against the floor had always been a chilling sound.
Their wedding date, March 23rd, had been chosen by the matriarch and the other elders, a supposedly auspicious date.
“I didn’t realize the extent of their… cruelty at first. It wasn’t until our wedding night that Xu Tao… he…” Lu Yun’s voice broke, the memory of that night still vivid and painful.
“I had always felt uneasy around the Xu family, then I learned that all three of the matriarch’s children had violent tendencies. Not just them, but your grandmother too, and even your great-grandmother, I heard…”
That was why she had insisted on regular medical check-ups for the original Xu Jinnan, especially brain scans.
“Fortunately, the results were always normal. But…” She paused, looking at Xu Jinnan.
“But you noticed I was developing some… mental health issues,” Xu Jinnan finished for her. Multiple personalities, mood swings, perhaps even a tendency towards violence.
“But you’re fine now, aren’t you? That’s all that matters. Nannan, I’m so happy you’re better now,” Lu Yun said, her voice filled with relief.
Am I really fine, or is this just temporary? Xu Jinnan wondered. She couldn’t be sure.
After all, this was still the original Xu Jinnan’s body.
She glanced towards the bedroom.
“Xu Tao has two faces, one in public, one in private. I was scared, Nannan. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to protect you; I couldn’t,” Lu Yun continued, still clinging to the hope that Xu Jinnan only remembered fragments of her past.
Xu Jinnan silently finished the thought for her.
Afraid of being abused, afraid of the Xu family, gradually accepting the unreasonable, the illogical, the insane… Lu Yun’s own mind had become twisted, and when she realized she couldn’t even protect herself, she had stopped protecting her child.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t; she had simply given up.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t; she had been too scared, too consumed by her own survival, her actions driven by fear and a cold, calculating pragmatism.
And she had pushed her own child into the hands of a monster.
And when she realized that this act of sacrifice protected her from Xu Tao’s wrath, she had turned a blind eye to the abuse, even using it to manipulate her daughter, creating a shared sense of victimhood, a twisted bond of trauma.
Lu Yun’s ambition had grown, her desire for compensation, for a better life, intensifying.
She had convinced herself that Nannan should be on her side, that she deserved a share of the Xu family’s fortune, that Lu Yun deserved a share.
Perhaps, in the process, she had felt some guilt, some maternal affection.
But ultimately, it had been about her own survival.
Just like today, she had come here because she was afraid Xu Jinnan’s investigation would ruin the Xu family, ruin Xu Jinnan, and ruin Lu Yun herself.
Xu Jinnan suppressed her anger and disgust. “You could have fought back,” she said.
“Nannan, you don’t understand. Your grandmother controls everything in this family. How could I fight back? What would I gain? And what would happen to you? The Xu family is powerful. What good would rebellion do?”
Xu Jinnan paused, realizing there was some truth in her words.
That was why Lu Yun had been so insistent on Nannan inheriting the family business, on her fighting for her share.
“Mom, I understand now,” Xu Jinnan said softly.
“Nannan, you don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear those words. I thought you would never forgive me,” Lu Yun said, tears streaming down her face.
Xu Jinnan’s heart softened at the sight of her tears, but she didn’t look away, reaching out to gently wipe them away. “Mom, I’ll fight for the inheritance. I’ll get what we deserve.”
“What? Really?” Lu Yun’s eyes lit up.
Xu Jinnan looked at her, a sudden pang of pain in her chest.
Not her own pain, but a remnant of the original Xu Jinnan’s.
Because in that moment, she hadn’t seen any genuine maternal affection in Lu Yun’s eyes, only a desperate hope for her own survival.
“Really,” Xu Jinnan said firmly.
“But Xu Tao controls 65% of the shares. I need your help.”
—
After Lu Yun left, Xu Jinnan stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door, then heard the guest room door open.
She turned around.
Shen Shu stood at the doorway, her expression complex, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.
But somehow, Shen Shu seemed to understand.
“Are you going through with it?” she asked softly.
“Yes,” Xu Jinnan replied.
She had been planning this for a while.
Since that day at the Xu residence, the day Xu Tao had almost attacked her.
And after the repeated attempts to sabotage her, the dangers Shen Shu had been exposed to…
She had made her decision.
To protect herself and those she cared about, to retaliate, she had two choices – fight fire with fire, or become even more powerful, a force to be reckoned with, someone they wouldn’t dare cross.
She hadn’t had the power or the influence before.
But now, she did.
No matter who was behind those attacks, no matter their motives, it all led back to the Xu family.
And what the Xu family valued most was the Xu Corporation.
Their precious company, the symbol of their power and status in North City.
To bring them down, to make them pay for their sins, the first step was to dismantle their empire, to devour the Xu Corporation.
After a moment of silence, Xu Jinnan smiled faintly. “Shu Shu, I’m going to fight for the inheritance.”
“I’ll help you,” Shen Shu replied.
