In the end, Lu Huaiyu took over handling the online controversy, mainly because Grandma and Grandpa weren’t home.
Otherwise, with two of the old folks away, there would still have been two others for him to squeeze for help!
Xie Tangning was promptly conscripted into service by him and made to help deal with Su Xiaoye’s situation.
The child had initially tried to resist, but the moment she heard that it was for Su Xiaoye, she finally gave up and obediently followed her big brother into the study to draft a plan.
The plans Xie Tangning wrote at her age were still a little immature, but with her brother guiding her from the side, it wasn’t a problem.
Xie Changyu followed Mrs. Lu into the kitchen to lend a hand. Lu Qiwu had said she would personally cook a feast to help the three children recover from their shock, and she had always been a woman of her word.
Xie Yanxun went to deal with the files that had piled up because he had left work early that afternoon to pick up the children.
Old Master Xie continued happily watching his addictive short dramas. Everyone had their own clearly defined task.
In the study, Xie Tangning contacted the lawyer who had been staying with Su Xiaoye.
After filming for the show ended, Lu Huaiyu had already arranged for a lawyer to remain with Su Xiaoye around the clock.
Su Xiaoye was determined to break free from the Su family’s quagmire and had been extremely cooperative. She had not returned to the Su family, choosing instead to stay in a hotel.
Because this was a sensitive period, it would not be convenient for Su Xiaoye to appear at the Xie family home or at the homes of any of her friends, such as Qin Shuchun.
Otherwise, not to mention Xie Tangning and Qin Shuchun, even Xie Wanwan would have packed her up and brought her home. There was no way they would have let her stay in a hotel.
Su Yue'er and Shi Jiahui had originally intended to forcefully take Su Xiaoye back, but with bodyguards and a lawyer present, there was nothing they could do.
Xie Tangning sent over the plan she had prepared and Lu Huaiyu had reviewed, along with all the relevant evidence they had collected.
Professional matters should be left to professionals. Someone would naturally deliver the final result she wanted right to her door.
“Big Brother, doesn’t Xiaoye have any other relatives?”
She couldn’t quite understand it. After Su Xiaoye’s biological parents died, there had been a substantial compensation payout, not to mention the inheritance they had left behind.
Why had the Su family ended up adopting Su Xiaoye? Shi Jiahui’s husband had merely been an ordinary coworker of Su Xiaoye’s parents.
Lu Huaiyu didn’t look away from the computer. “She really doesn’t. Both of her parents came from orphanages and only met after they started working.”
Su Xiaoye’s parents had met Shi Jiahui’s husband after quitting their jobs to go into business with a coal mine owner.
Su Xiaoye’s father had been in charge of the project, while Shi Jiahui’s husband had merely been one of his employees.
In just a few years, Su Xiaoye’s parents and Shi Jiahui’s husband had become close friends. But later, when the mine collapsed, Su Xiaoye’s parents had died in the accident.
That was when Shi Jiahui’s husband developed ulterior motives. He adopted Su Xiaoye for the sake of the large compensation payout and the inheritance her parents had left behind.
At first, the couple had only intended to obtain the compensation and inheritance before abandoning Su Xiaoye, whom they considered a burden.
However, Su Xiaoye’s parents had had the foresight to prepare a will in advance, fearing that something might happen to them while working at the mine. The inheritance had been placed under the management of a trust company.
The inheritance would only take effect once Su Xiaoye reached adulthood.
So, while Shi Jiahui and her husband wanted the inheritance without genuinely adopting Su Xiaoye, they had pulled strings to obtain a fake certificate.
Xie Tangning was silent for a while before nodding. “Does Xiaoye know about all this?”
Lu Huaiyu glanced at the concern on Xie Tangning’s face. He set aside his work and spoke seriously.
“Ningning.”
Xie Tangning instinctively turned to look at him. Lu Huaiyu rose from his office chair, walked over to the small sofa, and reached out to ruffle the child’s fluffy hair.
“She’s much stronger than you imagine. Don’t feel sorry for her. You should be proud of her strength.”
Xie Tangning immediately understood what her big brother meant. Su Xiaoye had known about this for a long time and had already accepted the fact that she no longer had any family in this world.
She shook her head. “I just feel sorry for her. I always think that a girl as strong as her deserves a more complete, happier life.”
Lu Huaiyu smiled. “Regret is the norm in life. But this time, she didn’t give up on herself. That regret of hers will become another kind of fulfillment.”
Xie Tangning understood quickly. “You’re right, Big Brother. I was just getting stuck in my own head. But will things be difficult from here on out?”
Once he saw that she had come around, Lu Huaiyu sat back down in front of the computer and continued, “There will be some difficulties. Although Su Xiaoye is already sixteen, she’s still considered a person with limited civil capacity.”
“But you need to trust our group’s legal team, as well as the Women’s Federation. If we trace the matter back to what happened all those years ago, Shi Jiahui’s actions have already crossed the legal line.”
“If Shi Jiahui refuses to move Su Xiaoye’s household registration out of the Su family, then she’ll have to face a lawsuit. Given her personality, she wouldn’t dare take that risk.”
After hearing what her brother said, Xie Tangning gave him a sly grin. “As expected of Big Brother. You really have thought of everything!”
“But whether she agrees or not, and no matter how this is handled, she’s definitely going to face legal consequences, right?”
Lu Huaiyu’s fingers moved so quickly across the keyboard that they were almost a blur, but it did nothing to affect his ability to multitask. “Of course. The law’s boundaries cannot be violated.”
“Even if I don’t send her to prison, your good friend Su Xiaoye will find a way to do it herself.”
Xie Tangning shook her head, clearly unconvinced.
“I’m not so sure about that. Su Xiaoye has been manipulated for so many years, and she was still raised by the Su family, no matter what.”
“Although Shi Jiahui raised her for the sake of the compensation and inheritance, it still counts as years of care and upbringing.”
“And Xiaoye is too softhearted. She places too much value on loyalty and affection.”
If Su Xiaoye weren’t someone who valued loyalty so deeply, she wouldn’t have trusted Xie Tangning so completely simply because Tangning had helped her once by chance.
Su Xiaoye was strong, but at the same time, she was also gentle and kind.
Lu Huaiyu’s hands never slowed, but his words were almost ruthless. “Learning when to let go is an important lesson in life.”
“She has no other choice. If she doesn’t completely tear those bloodsucking leeches off her, she’ll never escape the quagmire.”
“She has lived with Shi Jiahui and Su Yue'er for so many years and knows them better than anyone. Even if she moves her household registration out of the Su family…”
“Once the online controversy dies down, Shi Jiahui and Su Yue'er will immediately use that so-called debt of upbringing to bleed her dry even more ruthlessly.”
“She has no room to be softhearted—unless she wants to remain trapped in that quagmire forever.”
Xie Tangning sighed. “I understand the reasoning, but Xiaoye…”
Lu Huaiyu let out a soft laugh and interrupted her. “Ningning, this isn’t something you should look at from the perspective of a friend.”
The implication was clear: She shouldn’t put on such thick rose-colored glasses for Su Xiaoye as her little brother did!
Xie Tangning opened her mouth, but in the end, she couldn’t say a word.
Her big brother was right. Su Xiaoye had her own path to walk, and she would learn to grow on her own.
Once she had figured it out, Xie Tangning stopped dwelling on it. She turned around and began pestering Lu Huaiyu instead.
“Big bro, are you done yet? Your efficiency is seriously lacking!”
“Just as I thought—take a few days off, and your skills get rusty! Tsk, tsk, tsk~”
