16: Chapter 16 The Aloof and Wise Older Sister!

Zhou Liangan's gaze fell, almost uncontrollably, onto the woman opposite him.

The warm light from the crystal chandelier scattered like crushed gold over her long, dark, curly hair, making her typically cold face appear unexpectedly gentle.

To be honest, he was just a Transmigration traveler who had arrived in this body, and he should have had absolutely nothing to do with this woman named Su Wanyun.

Zhou Liangan suddenly recalled that earlier at the Zhou Family, when Su Wanyun had stepped out in her high heels and commanded the entire room with her overwhelming aura, his heart had skipped a beat.

Seeing Su Wanyun now, having shed her sharpness, lounging lazily on the sofa with her fingertips carelessly tracing the rim of her wine glass, that mature charm of hers made Zhou Liangan unable to resist... taking a few extra glances.

Seeming to realize this was inappropriate, Zhou Liangan was just about to look away when he met a pair of smiling eyes.

Su Wanyun had clearly noticed Zhou Liangan's gaze.

On that usually expressionless face of this mature woman, not only was there no anger at being offended, but a faint smile played on her lips, hiding an indescribable meaning within her cold demeanor.

She leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees, her gaze shooting straight at him. Her beautiful eyes seemed to hide a sharp edge as she asked, "What? Is there something on my face?"

Su Wanyun's voice was low, carrying a hint of lazy hoarseness.

Zhou Liangan steadied himself and raised his glass. "It's nothing, I just thought you looked so cool when you made your entrance today, Mom."

This was half-truth, half-lie.

The scene where Su Wanyun had appeared at the Zhou Family earlier was truly stunning.

That aura, that capability—she was truly a major figure who could stir up trouble in the Late Stage of the original work.

Upon hearing Zhou Liangan's words, Su Wanyun chuckled softly, her beautiful peach-blossom eyes fixed on him. "You weren't bad either. Even if I hadn't come, you could have controlled the whole situation, right?"

Zhou Liangan put down his wine glass and tapped his fingertips lightly on the sofa armrest, making a soft tap-tap sound. "Perhaps not. Without you there to intimidate everyone, knowing the Zhou Family Head's personality, he might have become angry."

The Zhou Family Head was a man who was nostalgic and soft-hearted; he was especially prone to being emotional when it came to people and things related to his so-called 'first love.'

If Su Wanyun hadn't appeared, even if he had produced that evidence, the Zhou Family Head might not have believed him, and might even have thought that he, as a son, couldn't tolerate that manipulative woman.

Su Wanyun raised an eyebrow, her red lips curling slightly, her tone laced with certainty. "That might not be true. You should have had a backup plan; it's just that when I appeared, you didn't need to use it."

That light sentence was like a thunderclap, exploding in Zhou Liangan's heart.

His pupils contracted sharply.

How did this woman know?

He did indeed have a backup plan.

Liang Zichen's calculations were exquisite; he had forged Wu Andong into the son of the Zhou Family Head's first love from his youth and had even forged a pile of so-called 'evidence.'

If it had only been that, it might not have been enough to fool everyone, but no one could have expected Director Xin Linyu, a key figure, to suddenly defect.

Zhou Liangan had long since persuaded Director Xin Linyu.

Director Xin Linyu held something of vital importance in her hands—the organ sample donated by the Zhou Family Head's first love when she was critically ill.

As long as they extracted DNA from that sample and compared it with Wu Andong's, the truth would be immediately clear.

By then, the Zhou Family Head would be as angry later as he was touched now.

As long as he investigated even a little, the dirty schemes of Liang Zichen and Wu Andong would be exposed completely.

Su Wanyun saw the expression on Zhou Liangan's face clearly. "Just as I expected. My precious son did indeed have a backup plan."

Zhou Liangan steadied himself, suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart. "Mom, it's all in the past now. Let's not talk about those frustrating things. Cheers."

Zhou Liangan raised his glass in a gesture.

Su Wanyun picked up her glass, parted her red lips slightly, and took a shallow sip. The cold liquid slid down her throat, but she seemed not to feel it.

She put down her glass and let her gaze fall on Zhou Liangan's face, her eyes complex and her tone filled with a hint of melancholy. "You've changed. You've changed so much that I almost don't recognize you anymore."

Zhou Liangan's heart jolted!

Could this woman be suspecting his true identity?

He was a Transmigration traveler!

He was just using the original owner's identity.

He had absolutely nothing to do with the original owner.

If Su Wanyun really became suspicious and wanted to do some sort of DNA test, wouldn't he be exposed on the spot?

Once discovered, Su Wanyun would inevitably turn all her power against him.

Zhou Liangan dared not hesitate, and with a thought, he immediately summoned the System panel.

The pale blue light screen flashed before his eyes, and among the dense list of function options, he locked onto the one marked in red font at a glance—

［Disguise: Perfect Identity Disguise］

［Cost: 300 destiny points］

Three hundred it is!

As long as he could successfully disguise his identity, spending these 300 destiny points was worth it.

The woman in front of him was no pushover.

In the original work, she had been able to carve a bloody path through the Su Family's internal strife and stand firm; it was never because of gentleness or virtue, but because of her thunderous methods and a crafty, brilliant mind.

If he let her discover that he wasn't the real Zhou Liangan, the consequences would be unimaginable.

This amount of destiny points had to be spent!

Zhou Liangan didn't hesitate at all and mentally whispered "Confirm."

The next second, the number of destiny points on the System panel jumped rapidly.

A warm current seemed to surge through his body, as if coating it with an invisible protective film.

［Disguise activated］

The System's cold notification sound rang out, and Zhou Liangan's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

He let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

He looked up at Su Wanyun with a perfectly appropriate bitter smile. "Mom, although the Zhou Family is under the control of the Zhou Family Head, in fact, there have been undercurrents for a long time. Steel is easily broken, and the tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind. I still understand these principles."

His words were half-explanation, half-probing.

The original owner was an out-and-out playboy with no ambition, who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun.

But now, he was steady, calm, and could even set up a chain of schemes to deal with Liang Zichen.

It was reasonable for Su Wanyun to be suspicious.

Su Wanyun raised an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth curling into a charming arc, but her smile held a hint of scrutiny. "Oh? My son has really grown up. To understand so many principles—Mother is very gratified."

Su Wanyun's tone didn't reveal whether she was happy or angry, but Zhou Liangan felt like prey being watched by a hunter, feeling uncomfortable all over.

Su Wanyun slowly stood up and walked step by step towards Zhou Liangan with an elegant gait.

She stopped in front of Zhou Liangan, leaned over slightly, and placed her hands on his shoulders.

Her fingers were slender and slightly cool, but held an irresistible strength.

Zhou Liangan could smell the faint scent of perfume on her, which was inexplicably pleasant.

Su Wanyun's body leaned forward slightly, her warm breath brushing against Zhou Liangan's ear, carrying a hint of seduction and a hint of coldness. "It's just that I raised my son from a young age, and it wasn't until a few years ago, when the Zhou Family Head and I divorced, that I left Jiangcheng and returned to the provincial capital. How could I not know what kind of character my son has?"

"My son was uneducated, impulsive, and never used his brain when doing things. He didn't have your scheming and depth," Su Wanyun said coldly.

Zhou Liangan's body instantly stiffened.

This woman really did suspect his identity!

Zhou Liangan steadied himself, forcing a calm smile, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness. "Mom, after all, we haven't seen each other for so many years. People always change, don't they? Over these years, although I haven't read many books, I've had plenty of in-depth exchanges with talented women who graduated from prestigious universities. It's not strange that I've learned some principles through osmosis, right?"

Su Wanyun acted as if she hadn't heard him, chuckling softly. Her laughter carried a hint of mockery. "Oh? Then tell me, how did you find out things that even the Su Family's intelligence network couldn't?"

The Su Family's intelligence network was laid out across the country.

How could Zhou Liangan, a playboy from Jiangcheng, find out things that even they couldn't?

This was Su Wanyun's biggest point of suspicion.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Liangan was speechless.

It was coming.

What was coming couldn't be avoided.

He couldn't tell her that he was a Transmigration traveler with a god's-eye view who knew all the plot points of the original work, could he?

Zhou Liangan gave a bitter smile and spread his hands, his tone carrying a hint of pleading. "Mom, everyone has their own secrets. Of course, I have my own secrets too. I hope you can understand me, Mom."

Su Wanyun reacted as if she had heard some huge joke, letting out a cold laugh filled with a hint of sorrow. "Understand? How do you expect me to understand?"

Su Wanyun tightened her fingers abruptly.

"Tell the truth!" Su Wanyun's voice rose sharply, carrying a hint of hysteria. "Where is my good-for-nothing son?"

Every word was squeezed out from between her teeth, carrying endless pain and anger.

Zhou Liangan's heart sank heavily.

"Mom, have you been too tired lately?" Zhou Liangan could only bite the bullet and put on a look of helplessness. "Or is it that the power struggle in the Su Family is too intense, which is why you've become so suspicious?"

He took a deep breath, turned his head, and looked at Su Wanyun with an open gaze. "If you don't believe me, I can provide you with a blood sample right now. You can go wherever you want to check the DNA. That should be enough, right?"

With the System's perfect disguise, he would definitely not reveal any flaws regarding DNA.

The pressure of Su Wanyun's palm increased a little more.

Her gaze was as sharp as a knife, shooting straight into the depths of Zhou Liangan's eyes. "Since you can say all this, it means you aren't afraid of me checking your DNA. You might have a way to forge everything, am I right?"

Zhou Liangan's heart sank completely.

This woman was simply too smart.

Wise as a demon!

Zhou Liangan was speechless.

No wonder she could become one of the big bosses in the Late Stage of the original work.

This insight, this Heart-Nature—it was simply terrifying.

Zhou Liangan showed a bitter smile on his face and spread his hands. "Mom, I really don't know what I can do to make you believe me! If you like the way I was before, I can revert to that state right now—eating, drinking, having fun, and causing trouble all day long. That should be fine, right?"

Zhou Liangan was almost at the point of giving up.

Su Wanyun acted as if she hadn't heard him, her slender, jade-white fingers tightening again, her knuckles turning white.

Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, and tears welled up uncontrollably, sliding down her cheeks and landing on the back of Zhou Liangan's hand.

"What exactly do I have to do to get my son back?"

Su Wanyun's voice carried a thick, sobbing tone, like a wounded mother beast, desperate and helpless.

Su Wanyun's gaze was fixed intently on Zhou Liangan. "As long as you can bring my son back, I will do anything. I beg you, bring my son back, okay?"

Su Wanyun's voice was humble to the point of dust.

Zhou Liangan frowned tightly.

The next second, Su Wanyun suddenly stretched out her arms and hugged Zhou Liangan tightly from behind. "As long as you can return my son, I will do anything you ask!"