The poured-out bowl of ginseng soup hung in the air like a silent warning, making the atmosphere in the room feel several degrees heavier.
Su Wan watched as the leaves of the expensive orchid visibly wilted, however slightly. The change was minimal, but it didn't escape her eyes. Her judgment had been correct; something else had been added to the soup. The conflicting properties would damage one's foundation if consumed over time.
Who was it? The "Madam" who ordered the soup? Or someone else involved in the process? Was the target her, the new "Young Madam," or the still-comatose Leng Yecheng on the bed? Or perhaps... both?
The Leng family's gorgeous cage was indeed full of traps.
Su Wan cleaned up any traces of the soup bowl as if nothing had happened. She was孤立无援 (isolated and without support) for now; it wasn't wise to alert the enemy. Observing secretly and gathering information was the best strategy.
The next two days passed uneventfully.
Using "taking care of her husband" as an excuse, Su Wan barely left the master bedroom. She administered acupuncture and massages to Leng Yecheng on schedule, using the herbs she brought to carefully prepare gentle medicinal meals, slowly疏通 (dredging) his blocked meridians and neutralizing the cold toxin.
Leng Yecheng slept most of the time but occasionally woke up for brief moments. Sometimes late at night, sometimes early in the morning. Each time he awoke, his eyes were as sharp and scrutinizing as ever, but his body was extremely weak. He couldn't manage more than a few words before exhaustion would pull him back under.
He no longer directly questioned her identity like the first time, but whenever those bottomless dark eyes swept over her, Su Wan felt like she was being X-rayed from head to toe. He would ask seemingly unrelated questions while she fed him medicine, or suddenly open his eyes and glance in her direction when she was changing his clothes—each time full of试探 (probing).
Su Wan mustered all her focus to respond, perfectly performing "Su Qianqian's" timidity, worry, and joy at her husband's awakening, while simultaneously letting slip subtle flaws—like her overly professional massage techniques or her precise control of medicine dosage—like fishing, releasing information bit by bit to observe his reaction.
He seemed to see through her act yet strangely allowed her proximity and "treatment." A微妙 (subtle), unspoken balance formed between them: he tested, she disguised; he acquiesced, she treated.
This man was terrifyingly profound.
Besides dealing with Leng Yecheng, Su Wan also used every opportunity to observe the Leng mansion.
Through the hushed chats of the maids who delivered meals, she learned that the "Madam" who sent the soup was Leng Yecheng's stepmother, Lin Yarong. Leng Yecheng's birth mother had passed away early. This stepmother had a son, Leng Yexuan, five years younger than Leng Yecheng, who also worked in the Leng Corporation and was said to have designs on the CEO position.
The butler, Zhong Shu, was an old servant of the Leng family, having served the old master. He seemed to genuinely care for Leng Yecheng to some extent, but his loyalty lay more with the Leng family itself, making his stance微妙 (ambiguous).
Leng Yecheng's father, Leng Jianguo, often resided abroad for convalescence and had long since handed most of the corporation's affairs to Leng Yecheng. Since the incident, he had been giving remote commands without showing up.
The clues were fragmentary, but a picture of a wealthy family fighting for power and scheming in the shadows was beginning to emerge.
That afternoon, Su Wan needed to go to the kitchen to personally supervise the decoction of Leng Yecheng's medicine. She put away her silver needles, confirmed he was sound asleep, and gently closed the bedroom door behind her before heading downstairs.
The Leng mansion was enormous, decorated in a cold, modern style—luxurious yet lacking warmth. The servants she encountered along the way greeted her respectfully, addressing her as "Young Madam," but deep in their eyes was either curiosity, pity, or even a trace of barely perceptible disdain.
In everyone's eyes, she, this "substitute marriage for luck" bride, was probably just a pitiful and laughable existence.
Just before reaching the kitchen door, she heard a charming yet spiteful female voice inside.
"...She's just a substitute for luck, does she really think she's the mistress of the house? Won't drink the ginseng soup, insists on having medicinal meals instead. People from poor families are always so troublesome, putting on airs! That medicinal smell alone is bad luck!"
Another voice quickly agreed: "Exactly! Young Master Xuan said just yesterday, if the Eldest Young Master doesn't wake up, she'll have to get out quickly! Taking up space..."
Su Wan's steps halted, her eyes turning cold instantly.
She pushed the door open. The sound wasn't loud, but it was enough to startle the two gossiping maids into silence.
The speakers were two young women wearing maid uniforms made of明显更精致 (noticeably finer) fabric. One was holding a fruit plate, the other making coffee. Seeing Su Wan enter, panic flashed across their faces before they forced themselves to appear calm, offering a perfunctory "Young Madam."
Su Wan's gaze swept over them calmly, not immediately reprimanding them. She walked to the medicine pot, checked the heat, and using a gauze pad, filtered the decoction into a white porcelain bowl.
Throughout the process, the kitchen was dead silent, save for the sound of dripping medicine.
Once the medicine was filtered, Su Wan picked up the bowl and finally turned to face the two maids on pins and needles.
"You," she said, looking at the maid who had said "bad luck," her voice calm and even. "What's your name?"
The named maid paled. "R-reply, Young Madam, I... I'm Xiao Ling."
"Xiao Ling," Su Wan repeated, her tone still unreadable. "Do the Leng family's rules allow servants to gossip about their masters behind their backs?"
Xiao Ling's lips trembled. "I... I didn't..."
"The ginseng soup was a reward from Madam, and I appreciate the sentiment. But the doctor's orders are for me to carefully prepare medicinal meals according to Yecheng's condition. Are you suggesting Madam's intentions are more important than Yecheng's health?" Su Wan asked slowly, each word striking a nerve.
Xiao Ling was so scared her legs went weak. "I wouldn't dare! Young Madam, that's not what I meant!"
"Then what did you mean?" Su Wan picked up the medicine bowl and walked up to her, her dark eyes fixed on her. "And who told you Yecheng wouldn't wake up?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an invisible pressure that made Xiao Ling and the other maid break out in a cold sweat. They finally realized this seemingly weak Young Madam might not be as easy to push around as they thought.
"I... I was talking nonsense! Young Madam, please forgive me this time!" Xiao Ling was almost in tears.
Su Wan looked at her for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled faintly, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. "The Leng mansion doesn't keep idle hands, let alone gossips. Go to the butler yourself, explain the situation, and receive your punishment. If there is a next time..."
She didn't finish, but her icy eyes said it all.
The two maids scrambled out as if granted amnesty, both ashamed and terrified.
The other servants working silently in the kitchen lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.
Su Wan left the kitchen expressionlessly with the medicine bowl. She knew the effect of making an example out of a few to warn the others had been achieved. At least for the short term, there wouldn't be any more flies buzzing around openly.
She returned to the master bedroom and gently closed the door.
But as she turned around, she met a pair of deep, awake eyes that had been watching her for who knows how long.
Leng Yecheng was leaning against the headboard, his face still pale, but his eyes were clear and sharp, quietly watching her. A faint, elusive curve seemed to play at the corner of his mouth.
"It seems," his voice was still hoarse, but held a hint of amusement, "my 'little wife' has rather sharp claws."