Su He arrived home as darkness fell.
She replied to a few congratulatory text messages, then suddenly noticed several missed calls. One was from Jiang Xiaoxiao, and the others were from the same unfamiliar number.
Su He first called Jiang Xiaoxiao back. Upon learning that the latter was busy, she didn't disturb her further.
As for the unfamiliar number, she could roughly guess who it was.
Since Su Chenghai signed the agreement severing their relationship, she hadn't seen them again.
Lu Yanbei had fulfilled every promise made to them. Unfortunately, Su Chenghai lacked the ability to manage his vast enterprise and could only watch it collapse.
Of course, he wasn't entirely at a loss.
At the very least, he still held the property deeds of the company, which could fetch a considerable sum when sold.
And the tens of millions in cash, Lu Yanbei had transferred to Su Chenghai without missing a penny. However, he had underestimated a woman's desire for revenge. After he divorced Qin Ruofang, Qin Ruofang had been plotting how to seek justice for herself.
Moreover, Su Chenghai's siblings were not to be trifled with. Upon hearing that he had received such a large sum from Lu Yanbei, they all wanted a piece of the pie.
Ultimately, in a conspiracy between Qin Ruofang and his second brother, Su Chengtou, they directly transferred Su Chenghai's tens of millions in cash from the bank. This left him penniless!
After receiving that sum of money, Su Chenghai spent his days carousing with his mistress, envisioning a bright future. Their illegitimate son was in his final year of high school, and they planned for him to study abroad for refinement. Upon his return, he would take over the family business, giving him a legitimate claim.
This trio lived harmoniously, with Su Chenghai completely forgetting his wife who had shared his hardships. Therefore, Qin Ruofang secretly colluded with his siblings, catching him completely off guard.
When he discovered the money was gone from his card, he was so furious he nearly had a stroke.
Of course, Lu Yanbei played a role in fanning the flames behind the scenes.
Su Chenghai's huge sum of money passed through Qin Ruofang and the others, and eventually returned to his hands.
This was a later development, and we shall not dwell on it for now.
After discovering the money was missing, Su Chenghai immediately went to the bank. Naturally, the bank would not admit to any work errors, as the person who withdrew the money was Su Chenghai himself. Furthermore, an ID card could not be forged.
Su Chenghai insisted on viewing the surveillance footage, and the bank was quite cooperative.
Upon seeing that the person who transferred his money was his own younger brother, Su Chenghai clutched his chest, speechless for a long time.
"Chenghai, what's wrong? Don't scare me!" the mistress, seeing his pale face, rushed to support him.
Her son, however, showed no concern for his father's health, solely focused on whether he could still study abroad. "Dad, who swindled the money away? Can it be recovered? I've already gotten my visa; you promised!"
Su Chenghai leaned against the counter, and it took him quite some time to recover.
He pushed away his mistress's hand and hurried out.
Seeing him staggering, the mistress followed, concerned. "Chenghai, where are you going?"
Su Chenghai gritted his teeth, slammed the car door shut, and began to curse fiercely. "That son of a bitch Su Chengtou, you ungrateful wretch! You'd better not let me find you, or I'll skin you alive!"
Frightened by his expression, the mistress didn't have time to get into the car before Su Chenghai sped off.
From the bank, Su Chenghai headed straight for his family home.
Su Chengtou naturally denied it, claiming he had been to the bank that day for business but had absolutely not taken his money. "Big brother, I am your biological brother; don't you trust me?"
"How much money you have, I have no idea. Besides, I don't have the capability."
"Transferring money requires the individual to go in person and needs an ID card. How could I possibly have your ID card!"
Su Chengtou defended himself with a poker face.
His other siblings also chimed in, advising him to be rational and not to damage their sibling bond.
Su Chenghai, in his fury, was in no mood to listen to advice.
He grabbed Su Chengtou by the collar and roared, "Dare you say that the person in the video isn't you? The bank was very clear; it was you who transferred my money! Give me back my hard-earned money!"
Su Chengtou adamantly refused to budge. "Big brother, I have always respected you; you cannot make baseless accusations!"
"I didn't touch your money; the bank is shirking responsibility!"
"Chenghai, calm down." The elderly matriarch of the Su family also intervened, leaning on her cane. "You know your brother's character; he wouldn't do such a thing!"
"If not him, then who?" Su Chenghai cast a fierce gaze around the room.
He had risen from humble beginnings in the countryside, enduring immense hardship to build his current fortune. Over the years, after he became successful, he had generously supported his siblings.
As the eldest son, he had always been instilled with the concept of the elder brother being like a father. The matriarch had advised him not to forget his roots, saying that his siblings were his closest kin and should help each other to ensure everyone lived a good life.
Su Chenghai had indeed lived by this principle, even arguing with Qin Ruofang over it.
He had lost count of how much money he had given to his family.
But how had they repaid him?
Besides causing trouble and forcing him to clean up messes, they only ever reached out to him for money.
His angry glare silenced everyone in the room.
The matriarch, unable to bear it any longer, said with a stern face, "I taught you from a young age that harmony in the family brings prosperity! Look at you, coming here to make such a scene during the New Year. Where is the demeanor of an elder brother!"
"Mom!" Seeing his mother's obvious favoritism, Su Chenghai felt a chill in his heart.
Had he not contributed enough to the family?
Why was his mother siding with the second son when trouble arose?
"Mom knows you're anxious. But what Chengtao said isn't wrong. Why would he steal your money? Banks aren't fools; would they just hand over money to anyone? Think carefully, is there perhaps a misunderstanding..."
"That's right, big brother. Something like an ID card isn't something just anyone can get. If you ask me, your closest confidante is the most suspicious!" his sister, Su Yuetao, said sarcastically.
Over the years, she had always been jealous of Qin Ruofang. Qin Ruofang came from a wealthy background, and from childhood, her clothing and daily necessities were treated as those of a pampered young lady. Unlike her, who had to wear hand-me-downs.
When Su Chenghai first married Qin Ruofang, it was the first time she met her sister-in-law, and she clearly detected a look of disdain and condescension. She would remember that condescending gaze for her entire life.
Now that Su Chenghai had divorced Qin Ruofang, she naturally wanted to trample on her.
After hearing her analysis, Su Chenghai suddenly regained his clarity.
Yes, how could he have forgotten this?
Qin Ruofang had always been in charge of household matters. His old, invalidated ID cards might still be in Qin Ruofang's possession. With an ID card, finding someone to impersonate him to withdraw the money would be foolproof.
Thinking that his ex-wife had colluded with his brother to transfer his vast fortune, Su Chenghai became furious.
He severely beat Su Chengtou, then drove straight to Qin Ruofang's parents' home.
Qin Ruofang, of course, did not confront him in front of his family. She had already conspired with her relatives and gone abroad for a holiday. Su Chenghai's visit there, naturally, resulted in finding an empty house.