The group split up, and Su Wanran, accompanied by the Su family's senior executives, endured immense public criticism as they arrived at the company entrance. There, they were met by the enraged families of the victims.
Just as Su Wanran had anticipated, each person was furious, practically wishing for the Su family's utter destruction. If not for the police maintaining order on-site, these individuals might have set fire to the Su family's property.
Su Wanran took a deep breath. In such a critical moment of crisis, it was precisely when her role as the family head was most important; she couldn't falter.
She held up a megaphone and addressed the agitated crowd, "Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me for a moment. Your..."
Just as Su Wanran was about to offer an explanation to the victims' families, an unexpected situation arose.
The crowd, having prepared eggs and tomatoes beforehand, hurled them en masse towards Su Wanran's face.
*Splat!*
Precisely.
An egg landed squarely on Su Wanran's forehead. Egg yolk dripped down her face, covering it entirely.
The security guards panicked, simultaneously pushing back the crowd and rushing forward with umbrellas and towels to shield Su Wanran from the barrage, also preparing to wipe the debris from her face.
The situation was somewhat out of control.
The Su family's senior executives looked at Su Wanran with unease.
If Su Wanran were to lose her temper, or if she felt these people were beyond reason and a confrontation ensued, the situation could escalate irreversibly, becoming even more dire.
If this were Su Ru in her place, she would have already been shouting curses into their faces.
But Su Wanran was not Su Ru.
She smiled gently, seemingly unfazed by the incident. She even pushed away the security guard in front of her, withdrew the umbrella, and deliberately took two steps forward.
"The Su family has committed such a grave error, and as the head of this family, I deserve this punishment!"
Su Wanran adopted a demeanor of someone willingly facing their doom.
She spread her arms, allowing the eggs, tomatoes, and cabbage leaves to strike her without any attempt to dodge. This spectacle moved the onlookers.
As they continued to throw, their projectiles ran out.
Su Wanran wiped her face. By now, it was smeared with egg yolk and tomato skins, looking utterly filthy, yet she showed no anger.
On the contrary.
She asked with great humility, "Everyone, have you finished venting your anger?"
This attitude left the victims' families, who were brimming with rage, at a loss. They couldn't muster further anger because Su Wanran had offered no hostile retort.
Seeing their silence, Su Wanran continued, "If you have mostly vented your anger, please allow me to speak for a moment. Such a serious incident occurring on the very first day of Su Wu's opening is my dereliction of duty, and I bear irredeemable responsibility. However, the incident has already happened, and mere blame is insufficient; we must find ways to rectify the mistake."
She surveyed the crowd.
Raising her left hand, she held up three fingers. "Here, I make three commitments to you. If even one of these is not met, I, Su Wanran, will step down as the head of the Su family and never set foot in Wudu again!"
She had gambled everything, staking her future and reputation as collateral.
The crowd suppressed their anger and listened intently to Su Wanran's promises.
Subsequently, Su Wanran recounted the three points that Lu Ming had previously mentioned to the assembled victims' families, one by one.
Each point was astonishing.
After listening, the victims' families exchanged glances. The anger within them instantly dissipated, and some even secretly rejoiced.
If Su Wanran's words were true, ensuring their safety, curing additional illnesses, and providing substantial cash compensation, they would be making a huge profit!
Could they be trusted?
Someone questioned, "Su Wanran, can your words be trusted?"
Su Wanran stated with conviction, "From this moment onward, the Su family will strictly adhere to these three points. If any one of them is not met, you are welcome to come to the Su family at any time to seek recourse!"
This sufficed.
With this assurance, the crowd nodded in satisfaction.
Initially, they believed the Su family was headed for ruin. However, thanks to Su Wanran's timely intervention, the Su family's immediate safety was secured.
From here on, everything depended on Lu Ming.
Putting down the megaphone, Su Wanran walked back, wiping the dirt from her face with a towel.
As she passed Su Ru, Su Ru grasped Su Wanran's arm and said earnestly, "Wanran, in the past, I always thought you weren't fit to be the family head, that you were just lucky. But this time, you've impressed me. If it were me, this situation would have escalated into an irreparable mess! Looking at the bigger picture, I'm not as capable as you."
Su Wanran smiled faintly and said nothing, continuing to walk inside.
Now was not the time for celebration.
For now, she had only managed to stabilize the victims' families with her three promises. If these promises were fully realized, the Su family's prestige would soar to unprecedented heights.
However, if even one promise failed, the Su family's reputation would be even more severely tarnished!
It was a high-stakes gamble.
Su Wanran had placed all her bets on Lu Ming alone.
She murmured to herself, "Lu Ming, please don't disappoint me."
...
At the same time, Lu Ming left the Su family to find someone – Xue Pan.
Xue Pan had worked for the Wu family for nearly twenty years and was a veteran chef. His culinary skills were exceptional, which was why he was appointed as the head chef for Su Wu.
As an experienced head chef, would Xue Pan commit such a serious mistake so easily?
Would he have no inkling of the ingredient issue?
Even if he didn't realize it beforehand, wouldn't he have noticed during the cooking process?
The difference between fresh and inferior produce, let alone for a chef who had dedicated his life to cooking like him, even a novice cook could easily distinguish.
Therefore, Xue Pan must have known about the problem with Su Wu in advance.
More than that.
Lu Ming believed Xue Pan was involved, a participant in the scheme to harm the Su family!
While the Su family members who falsified records were arrested, Xue Pan remained completely unharmed. After the incident at Su Wu, he immediately resigned as head chef and went home to rest.
This was likely arranged by Wu Lingxuan, designed to help Xue Pan lie low.
The car stopped.
Lu Ming alighted and walked towards a relatively upscale residential complex. Seizing an opportunity when the security guard at the entrance was distracted, he followed a resident into the compound.
Then, he found Xue Pan's residence.
Unit 704, Building 12, Block B.
Without knocking, Lu Ming plucked a few strands of hair, twisted them into a makeshift rope, and inserted it into the keyhole. With a few simple maneuvers, the door clicked open.
He had thoroughly investigated before arriving; Xue Pan was home alone. His wife and child were on vacation out of town.
Stepping into the apartment, he immediately saw Xue Pan in pajamas, sprawled on the sofa, eating a KFC family bucket while watching a popular TV drama.
Their eyes met.
Xue Pan froze, the chicken leg in his mouth forgotten, and dropped onto the carpet.
"You... Who?!"
Xue Pan became instantly tense, threw down the family bucket, and scrambled behind the coffee table, grabbing a small stool from the floor.
Lu Ming shut the door behind him, then drew a dagger and walked towards Xue Pan step by step.
An ordinary citizen like Xue Pan had never witnessed such a scene.
Xue Pan was utterly terrified, trembling all over. He backed away, saying, "Who are you? What do you want? Get out! This is my home, and if you don't leave, I'll call the police!"
*Heh.*
Would that be effective?
Lu Ming simply stared at him coldly, approaching with each step.
Xue Pan retreated all the way to the balcony, his back pressed against the window. He couldn't help but glance behind him.
His apartment was on the seventh floor. Jumping from such a height would be fatal!
He couldn't jump.
So, he would yell!
Xue Pan stuck his head out the window, preparing to seek help from passersby or perhaps a neighbor downstairs might hear his cries and come to his rescue.
Alas, he wouldn't get the chance.
Before he could even utter a cry for help, he felt a figure appear before him. Immediately after, he felt a blow to his neck, his mind went blank, and he lost consciousness.
*Clatter.* Xue Pan collapsed onto the floor.
When he next woke, Xue Pan found himself tied to a chair in the bedroom. A gleaming knife was stuck into the floor in front of him.
Lu Ming ignored him, instead sifting through photo albums in his drawers, looking at pictures of his wife and daughter.
Xue Pan panicked.
He swallowed and said, "You want money? I have money. I have three hundred thousand in my bank account. As long as you don't harm me, I'll give you all of it."
Lu Ming replied coldly, "I don't want money. I want your life, and the lives of your wife and daughter."
"This..."
Xue Pan cursed, "Bastard! If you dare touch a single hair on my family, I'll tear you limb from limb!"
"Is that so?"
Lu Ming picked up a family photo of Xue Pan and tore it to shreds in front of him.
Then, he picked up the knife from the floor and pressed it against Xue Pan's shoulder.
"Your life is in my hands. How will you tear me limb from limb?"
As he spoke, Lu Ming forcefully drove the knife into Xue Pan's shoulder, inch by inch, cutting through skin and flesh. The pain caused Xue Pan to let out a pig-like scream.
Xue Pan endured the pain and said, "If you wanted to kill me, you would have done so already. There would be no need to tie me up, threaten me, or torture me. You must have something to ask me, right? About Su Wu?"
"Clever." Lu Ming pulled out the knife. "Tell me the truth, and I'll ensure your safety and that of your family. Or remain silent, and I'll send your family to the afterlife together. Make your choice."
Xue Pan panted heavily. "I can tell you the truth, but... you can't say I told you, and you can't let Wu Lingxuan know."
Just as expected!
He knew it was Wu Lingxuan!
Lu Ming said, "I only want to know the truth, to know who my enemy is. I won't reveal anything else."
Xue Pan nodded. "Alright, I'll tell you the truth. The food poisoning incident at Su Wu was orchestrated by Wu Lingxuan!"