Chapter 160: Whose Shadow Envelops the Su Family

**Whose Shadow Looms Over the Su Family?****The Shameless Capital Playboy**

Over the past few days, I've read many things and re-read a particular book from beginning to end. After finishing the last chapter, "Chill," I couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, that "Banana" (the author) had deliberately hidden something. This feeling grew stronger the further I read, especially with the final arrangements and as the situation gradually became clear. This sense of having overlooked something, yet not knowing what it was, became increasingly unsettling.

After much deliberation throughout the night, just before falling asleep, I suddenly understood the source of this unease: everything was simply too smooth, too convenient.

The Wu family fell into the trap far too easily. The plan against them was executed perfectly; a slight deviation would have aroused suspicion, while anything less would not have enticed them into the trap. The strategy was meticulously designed, seamless, and incredibly smooth. Ning Yi's acting was also too smooth. He led everyone from the Jiangning Weaving Bureau in seemingly pointless circles, playing childish games and acting utterly naive. It was flawless, encountering no resistance whatsoever—too smooth. The handover between Su Tan'er and Ning Yi was exceptionally smooth. After Ning Yi’s final act of feigned innocence on the first day, Su Tan'er took charge the very next, fully prepared with everything needed for a full-scale confrontation. Then, the entire First Branch of the Su family seemed to become "blind." Despite their verbal accusations and complaints, they continued to work tirelessly, following Su Tan'er’s "antics" without missing a beat—far too smooth. The Su family's internal strife was also suspiciously smooth. Despite such a massive incident, a huge loss of face, and the destruction of a significant business, the Second and Third Branches, who had been sharpening their knives, were unable to make any moves. They merely sat by, awaiting the clan meeting, which gave Su Tan'er and Ning Yi—this perfect match of a fox and a viper—ample time to complete the final piece of their strategy. It was all too smooth.

There are simply too many instances of things going too smoothly—too many coincidences that appear reasonable but are, in fact, highly suspicious, scattered throughout the entire text. As the saying goes, "anomalies signal something unnatural." Such anomalies must indicate a problem. Everything unfolded so flawlessly that it cannot be attributed simply to luck. There must be someone whom "Banana" deliberately hid, a hand that "Banana" downplayed, pulling the strings from behind. While we happily mumbled, "Anyway, the son-in-law is amazing," and admired Su Tan'er for being a woman who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with men, perhaps we overlooked that they were merely two pieces on a chessboard. Behind them, there might be an unseen hand, gradually setting the stage for a deadly checkmate.

Who is this person? Whose hand is it? After much thought, only one person fits the description, someone "Banana" consistently downplayed—Su Yu. That's right, it's Su Yu, often referred to as Old Master Su or Third Master Su. The patriarch with white hair and beard but still brimming with vitality, who had gradually mellowed in recent years, his face becoming kind and serene.

Who truly knows what Su Yu did in this grand drama, which could determine the Su family's future "survival" or "sustainable development"? This is the same Su Yu who single-handedly elevated the Su family from a second-rate to a first-rate cloth merchant, who held firm control of the family for decades, who gradually entrusted the business to Su Tan'er, a mere girl, disregarding gender, and who remained unshaken even when his own son's fate was unknown.

"Banana" mischievously informs us that the Old Master did only three things—three minor actions. First, he knocked out half of Su Wengui's tooth. Second, he told Ning Yi and Su Tan'er, with a complex expression, to take care of each other. Third, he used his connections to make Chen Er confess that the assassination was paid for, not an act of revenge. And that's it. Nothing else.

Is this suspicious? Is it believable? People say Su Yu is old, that his spirit is failing. Is that truly the case? Could a patriarch who has battled in the business world for decades, who single-handedly forged the current situation, a centuries-old tree with roots deep within every corner of the Su family, be so easily defeated?

Perhaps, we should consider this from a different angle.

Consider this: perhaps nothing in the Su family could escape Old Master Su's eyes and ears. Every elder, manager, or servant in the Su mansion might be his informant. Perhaps Old Master Su was perfectly aware of everyone's every subtle move. Without Old Master Su's approval, could almost the entire Su family have blindly followed the son-in-law's "nonsense," unaware of anything? Without Old Master Su's nod, would almost every manager from the Su family's First Branch, after losing the imperial merchant status, still have united to support Su Tan'er in what outsiders perceived as madness? Without Old Master Su's checks and balances, after losing the imperial merchant status, could the Second and Third Branches of the Su family have had their internal conflicts precisely orchestrated—visible to outsiders yet not harming the family's foundations? Without Old Master Su's decades of experience battling the Wu family, could the son-in-law and Su Tan'er have orchestrated their plan so smoothly?

Is that possible? I think it's highly unlikely. If so, can we then conclude that the one truly turning the tide and summoning the winds was not Tan'er and Ning Yi, as we perceived, but this calm, unshakeable old man who subtly orchestrated everything behind the scenes?

Perhaps everyone in the Su family understood that as long as the Old Master was present, the Su family would not fall. Even in such a tense situation, the Su family's Second and Third Branches confidently engaged in their internal struggles, precisely because they subconsciously knew that no matter how critical the situation, as soon as the Old Master's cane tapped the ground, any obstacles before the Su family would naturally transform into a smooth path.