Su He thought long and hard, but ultimately decided to return the two million yuan.
She appreciated their intentions, and besides, she wasn't short on cash anymore.
Su He checked her bank balance. She was quite well-off now!
Having made up her mind, Su He drove to her adoptive parents' place early the next morning. However, no one answered her knocks. The neighbor next door informed her that the place had been empty for a long time.
Su He was stunned for a long while before snapping back to reality.
How could that be!
She had visited them for Lunar New Year, so how could no one be living there?
"They've moved to Hua Jing Yuan," a well-informed aunt told her kindly.
Hua Jing Yuan?
Su He's surprise deepened.
That neighborhood was notoriously a wealthy enclave!
Su He hesitated for a moment, then followed the navigation. This time, she hadn't informed them beforehand.
On the way, questions flooded Su He's mind, and she recalled what Lu Yanbei had told her. Was it possible she hadn't understood the situation at all?
Upon arriving at the entrance of Hua Jing Yuan, Su He's car was stopped by the gatekeeper.
"Who are you looking for?" As expected of a high-end community, the security guard was extremely thorough.
Su He thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have a resident named Su Dazhi here?"
"Ah, yes. May I ask what your relationship is with him?" the gatekeeper inquired diligently.
"I..." Su He opened her mouth, suddenly unsure how to answer.
Seeing her unable to answer, the gatekeeper immediately became wary. "Ma'am, please show your identification."
Helpless, Su He dialed Tang Jiaojiao's number. "Mom, where are you?"
"At home," Tang Jiaojiao replied, reclining on a massage chair, with a face mask on, engrossed in a drama.
"I'm at the community entrance, and the guard won't let me in," Su He said, pursing her lips aggrievedly.
Tang Jiaojiao gasped and sat up abruptly. "Which community entrance are you at?"
"Hua Jing Yuan," Su He said, deliberately drawing out the last syllable.
Tang Jiaojiao hadn't expected her to find her way here and inwardly cursed.
She seemed to have forgotten to tell them about the move!
With Su He showing up now, there was no way to keep it a secret.
As someone who had weathered many storms, Tang Jiaojiao immediately regained her composure. "It's okay, hand the phone to the gatekeeper, I'll speak with him."
Su He followed her instructions and handed the phone to the gatekeeper.
Upon hearing Tang Jiaojiao's voice, the gatekeeper's attitude changed instantly, and he politely let Su He into the community.
"The house number is 1808," the gatekeeper called out, waving his hand.
Su He felt an inexplicable sadness.
They still treated her like a child, unwilling to tell her anything!
She was probably the last to know!
After parking her car, Su He stared at the magnificent three-story villa before her, completely at a loss for words to express her current feelings.
Anyone with half a brain would know that this house was worth at least a hundred million.
"Susu, why didn't you call before you came? I haven't even bought any groceries," Tang Jiaojiao peeked out from the doorway in her loungewear, then ran a few steps to pull Su He inside.
The interior was so lavishly decorated it almost blinded her.
Su He was a bit dazed, thinking she had walked into a museum.
Seeing her expression, Tang Jiaojiao knew what she was thinking. "Ahem... the decoration might be a bit over the top, but it's beautiful, right? This crystal chandelier was custom-made from abroad. And these paintings are your artworks from when you were studying. And this furniture, I picked it all myself, isn't it great?"
As the mistress of the house, Tang Jiaojiao led Su He around, proudly introducing everything.
Su He remained silent throughout, unable to utter a single word.
After the tour, Tang Jiaojiao brought her back to the living room. "Susu, it's not that Mom didn't tell you. Actually, I just moved here not long ago and haven't had the chance to tell you..."
Su He touched the leather sofa beneath her and asked, "Where did you get the money to afford all this?"
She added, "Don't lie to me!"
Tang Jiaojiao picked up the coffee served by a maid and took a sip. "Mmm, imported coffee beans. The taste is indeed different."
"Mom~" Seeing her changing the subject, Su He couldn't help but pout.
Tang Jiaojiao patted her hand to comfort her. "Don't be impatient, I'll explain slowly."
Tang Jiaojiao set down her cup and began to narrate. "In the beginning, our family was indeed not wealthy. When I was with your adoptive father, he was just a poor boy."
"Don't let his honest appearance fool you, he had a sharp mind. After spending a lot of time at construction sites, he spotted a business opportunity. He sold scrap metal and also seized the opportune moment to buy land and property."
"In recent years, with the booming real estate market, the properties they invested in earlier have all appreciated in value, and they sold many for a good profit. Later, he partnered with others to open a real estate company, building houses on the land they had acquired. Yu Jing Ming Men in the south of the city and Bi Fang Yuan in the west suburb were both developed by your father's company."
Su He listened in a daze and only after a while did she react. "So, those bags in your closet aren't fake, they're all genuine luxury brands?"
"Yes," Tang Jiaojiao readily admitted. "My old classmates are all discerning people. How could I show up wearing fakes to show off! What if I were exposed? I'd lose so much face!"
"Then why did you hide it from me..." Su He felt like crying.
"We didn't deliberately hide it from you. You know, places like Fengxi Village are a mixed bag, and there are many gossips. If they knew about our situation, who knows what trouble it would cause!"
"Moreover, you, my dear, have always been too innocent. What if you let something slip when you're out?"
Tang Jiaojiao gently stroked her head. "The old saying goes, 'Wealth should not be ostentatiously displayed.' There must be a reason for it."
Su He knew she was referring to "keeping one's fortune hidden."
Prosperity could blind people and attract jealousy.
Su He could understand this point. What she couldn't understand was why they didn't correct her when she thought her family was poor from the beginning, and even went along with her, making her feel like a fool.
"Did Su Chen and the others know all along, and I was the only one kept in the dark!" Su He said with a hint of resentment.
"You're wronging me there! I treated everyone equally, I didn't tell anyone!" Tang Jiaojiao protested. "It's just that... Su Chen and Su Ying are too perceptive, they accidentally figured it out..."
Su He: ...
The damage was minimal, but the insult was profound!
"Su Lin only knew a few days before you did." Seeing her daughter's sad expression, Tang Jiaojiao quickly pulled her into a hug to comfort her.
Su He pouted. It would have been better if she hadn't said anything.
Even Su Lin, that simpleton, figured it out before her. How slow-witted was she!