Investigations revealed the vehicle was an old car with fake plates, its specific information currently untraceable.
It seemed Su He’s intuition was correct; someone was indeed targeting the Su family. Or, more precisely, targeting Su He herself!
As this thought formed, Lu Yanbei's eyes darkened with a growing intensity.
He instructed the driver to maintain a distance from the Su family's vehicle and ordered the bodyguards to keep a close watch on the fake-plated car, ensuring they identified anyone intending to harm Su He.
The bodyguards accepted their mission and silently followed.
Just as the car turned onto a quiet, less-trafficked road, the fake-plated vehicle suddenly accelerated, cutting in front of the Su family's car. It then braked sharply, forcing the black sedan behind it to stop.
With a loud crash, the black sedan, unable to stop in time, rammed into the white car ahead.
“Can’t you drive?!” The Su family's driver, seeing his boss's car damaged, broke out in a cold sweat.
The owner of the white car slowly alighted. He surveyed the dented bumper and proceeded to berate the Su family's driver, “You rear-ended me, and you’re blaming me?”
“Everyone, please, judge for yourselves. Who is at fault here!”
The owner of the white car was a burly man with slightly curly hair tied in a small bun at the back of his head. A tattoo below his ear suggested he wasn't exactly a respectable individual.
He had likely scouted the area beforehand, deliberately choosing a spot without surveillance to carry out his plan. Even if the traffic police arrived, it would be difficult to determine fault.
The Su family's driver's face turned red with anger, “Don’t slander me! You suddenly swerved out and braked sharply. I couldn’t react in time, which is why I hit you!”
“Do you have proof? Did anyone see?”
“You!”
An impasse was reached.
With both cars stopped on the road, a long traffic jam quickly formed behind them.
“Hey, are we moving or not?”
“If you want to argue, do it by the side of the road. Don’t block the traffic!”
Drivers stuck behind honked incessantly, eager to pass.
Su He frowned, “Is that white car trying to scam us?”
Lu Yanbei held her hand, gently stroking it. “There are so many luxury cars on the road, yet he specifically targeted the Su family's car. This was clearly premeditated.”
“Besides, most cars have dashcams nowadays. Why would he try to extort money this way? Isn't he asking for trouble?”
“So, it’s intentional targeting. But what’s the motive?” Su He was perplexed.
As they watched the scene unfold, the owner of the white car suddenly got back into his vehicle, muttering angrily. He pulled open the door, stepped on the accelerator, and sped off.
Su He: …
What was this move?
Qiao Wenhong, while driving, called Su An'an. “Sis, didn’t you say Su He was returning to the Su family today? I followed your instructions and forced the car to stop by the roadside, but there was no one in it except the driver.”
“Impossible!” Su An'an’s immediate reaction was disbelief.
“I confirmed it myself. She wasn’t in the car,” Qiao Wenhong irritably ran a hand through his hair. “Was your information incorrect?”
Su An'an’s expression darkened. “I’ll call the driver to confirm. You go back to the hotel and wait for my news.”
Qiao Wenhong grunted. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“What is it?” Su An'an felt a sudden sense of dread.
“When I forced their car to stop just now, I accidentally rear-ended it…” Qiao Wenhong rubbed his nose.
“Is it serious?” Su An'an raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconcerned. After all, the car she had arranged for Qiao Wenhong wasn’t worth much, so a crash was a minor issue.
“My car is mostly fine, just the bumper is damaged. But the Su family’s car… it’s not looking good. The entire front end is caved in… Cars these days are so flimsy. What’s the point of being a luxury car if it can’t withstand a crash…”
“What did you say?” Su An'an’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing the words ‘luxury car’.
“Just, just the Su family’s car,” Qiao Wenhong, startled by her sudden sharp tone, stammered.
Su An'an was furious but couldn’t vent her anger in front of Qiao Wenhong. After a long pause, she regained her composure. “Don’t worry about this matter. I’ll handle the rest myself.”
“Can you handle it alone?” Qiao Wenhong asked, feigning concern. He felt no affection for the sister he had lost for decades. His attempts to get close to her were solely driven by a desire to benefit from her.
After all, she had made it clear that she would be staying with the Su family from now on and not returning to the Qiao family.
Moreover, after spending time together recently, he had long recognized Su An’an’s true nature. She wasn’t as delicate and innocent as she appeared; she was quite cunning.
Su An'an replied with a cold expression, “There will be a way.”
“Alright, call me if you need anything,” Qiao Wenhong readily agreed. However, before hanging up, he asked Su An'an for some living expenses.
He couldn’t be staking out near the Su family’s place for free, after all.
Su An'an cursed Qiao Wenhong a thousand times in her heart but still obediently transferred him five thousand yuan.
“Don’t your adoptive parents spend quite a bit on you? Why only five thousand?” Qiao Wenhong seemed a little displeased.
“That was before. Now, I have no blood relation with the Su family, so my treatment is naturally different. This is all I have left,” Su An’an pursed her lips tightly.
Qiao Wenhong pouted but reluctantly accepted.
After transferring the money to Qiao Wenhong, Su An'an heard Qin Ruofang calling her from downstairs, “An'an, are you ready? They'll be here soon.”
Su An'an responded.
As she walked out of her room, she had once again transformed into the obedient and sensible innocent girl.
***
Lu Yanbei’s car slowly pulled into the Su family villa. Su Chenghai adjusted his suit and stepped forward with a smile, “Didn’t I ask the driver to pick them up? Why would Young Master Yan need to come all this way yourself?”
Lu Yanbei harbored no fondness for his father-in-law and responded indifferently, “I happened to have some free time. I’ll be entrusting Su He to your care for the next few days.”
“Young Master Yan, you jest. This is Su He's home, and we will naturally not mistreat her.” Su Chenghai said, forcing a smile. He had wanted to assert himself as an elder, but facing those unfathomable eyes made him falter.
Despite her immense reluctance, Qin Ruofang feigned concern and took Su He's hand, asking solicitously, “Why aren’t you wearing more? Your hands are so cold!”
Su He was unaccustomed to physical contact with people she didn't know well and uncomfortably withdrew her hand.
“Sister.” Su An'an furtively glanced at the handsome and tall Lu Yanbei, then obediently stepped forward and addressed her.
Hearing the saccharine voice, Su He couldn’t help but shudder. Why was she calling her so sweetly? It was creepy. Besides, she didn’t acknowledge her as a sister, so she shouldn’t address her that way.