Chapter 7 of 10
Unexpected message
545 words
Precision guided Sū Wǎntáng's every move. Her newly established business empire, built on the foundation of her miraculous healing remedies, blossomed with astonishing speed. She expanded aggressively, opening multiple branches in key cities across the country, each one a testament to her vision.
Only the most steadfast, honest, and hardworking women found employment within her rapidly growing enterprise. She personally vetted each hire, searching for integrity in their eyes, resilience in their demeanor. Loyalty was paramount; her formulas were priceless.
Trust was a luxury she rarely afforded. She invested heavily in advanced machinery, replicating the sophisticated equipment found in her private, hidden laboratory. These machines were installed in a secure, undisclosed location, known only to her.
Ingredients arrived, raw and unprocessed. Sū Wǎntáng, cloaked in secrecy, mixed and crafted every batch of product herself. The formulas remained her closely guarded secret, never shared, never exposed. Once prepared, the finished goods were discreetly delivered to all her branches, maintaining an impenetrable veil around their origin.
Business soared, revenues multiplying faster than she had ever anticipated. Her name, Sū Wǎntáng, became synonymous with beauty and wellness, a whispered legend among the elite and the ordinary alike. Demand for her products outstripped supply, fueling further expansion.
Months melted into a whirlwind of success. Her private life, however, remained exactly that: private. Until the journalists came. They hounded her, their requests for interviews piling up, turning into a relentless campaign for a glimpse into the enigma that was Sū Wǎntáng.
Finally, she relented. The sheer volume of their persistence wore her down, so she agreed to a single, random interview. A young reporter, eager and earnest, sat across from her in a lavish, rented studio, his pen poised.
Bright lights blazed, cameras clicked, capturing her every subtle gesture. The interview began with standard questions about her business, her education, her miraculous rise. Sū Wǎntáng answered with a practiced calm, revealing only what she deemed necessary.
Steady, her voice carried through the studio, recounting the bare facts of the body's previous owner. She spoke of the abandonment, the parents who vanished, the grandmother who had been her sole family, now also gone. Her education, sparse and self-taught in this life, was glossed over.
Stories of hardship resonated with the public. She mentioned her age, a mere two months shy of twenty-one, the legal age of adulthood in this country. And then, she spoke of the name change.
Sū Yuer was a ghost of a past she had chosen to shed. Sū Wǎntáng, she explained, was a new beginning, a name chosen to mark her fresh start after losing everything. It was a calculated move, designed to build a new identity, clean and unburdened.
Empathy poured in from every corner of society. The public, moved by her tale of resilience and solitary success, rallied behind her. Her story became a viral sensation, a symbol of overcoming adversity.
Sales soared beyond previous records. Her brand, already dominant, became an unstoppable force. Life, for Sū Wǎntáng, settled into a rhythm of controlled chaos and immense prosperity.
Days later, a chime broke the quiet of her apartment. An unfamiliar number flashed on her screen. A message, long and rambling, followed. Her eyes scanned the text, a familiar name sending a chill down her spine.