The people waiting in line thought Su Qingyue had been shaken by what just happened.
“Director, the young girl looks so pitiful—just approve her leave,” someone pleaded.
Director Zhang sighed. “Go take care of your own matters first. Come back as soon as you can.”
Su Qingyue broke into a smile, lifted the hem of her dress, stepped over the threshold, and ran after Pei Huaiye.
Jiang Meng felt bitter that her scheme had failed. She followed Director Zhang into the office to report on work and once again brought up Su Qingyue’s accounting mistake.
“Director Zhang, please don’t blame Su Qingyue. She definitely didn’t do it on purpose. She’s very capable—making an occasional mistake really isn’t a big deal.”
“What do you mean, ‘isn’t a big deal’?” Director Zhang snapped. “Everything in the supply and marketing cooperative is allocated according to plan. Every cent affects the lives of the masses! Our Red Flag Cooperative already performs worse than Victory Cooperative. If employees aren’t conscientious, what happens when customers stop coming? You go out first. When Su Qingyue is back on duty, I’ll talk to her myself!”
Jiang Meng suppressed the satisfaction in her eyes and politely closed the office door.
……
Yuan Guang kept glancing at the rearview mirror. “Colonel, Comrade Su is still running after the car.”
Pei Huaiye had already seen Su Qingyue running in the mirror. His expression hardened, his jaw tight. “Stop the car!”
He got out and walked toward her.
He really wanted to see what exactly this woman was trying to do.
Halfway there, a young man in a black Zhongshan suit stepped out of another jeep.
He was handsome and tall, looking about twenty years old.
He waved with a smile, jogged up to Su Qingyue, and even reached out to pinch her cheek.
Su Qingyue stopped, flashed him a radiant smile, then got into the car with him.
Pei Huaiye’s breathing stalled. He nearly ground his back teeth to dust, his cold eyes filled with disbelief.
Shen Xunbao was her fiancé—then who was this man?!
Pei Huaiye yanked open the car door, his voice icy without a trace of warmth. “Follow them. See where they’re going.”
The air in the jeep grew heavier by the second. Yuan Guang barely dared to breathe, tailing them all the way to the entrance of a luxurious guesthouse before pulling the handbrake and bolting out of the car.
Su Qingyue hadn’t expected her second brother, Su Yuan, to come all the way from the capital to Xichuan.
“Second Brother, why are you here?”
After sitting on the train all night, Su Yuan looked a little worn despite his handsome features. “Mom and Dad sent me. We received a telegram from Xichuan a few days ago.”
The relaxed smile on Su Qingyue’s face slowly froze. Her heart sank. “It was about Su Qianqian, wasn’t it?”
Su Yuan’s gaze wavered slightly. His silence was answer enough.
Su Qingyue raised her voice. “So you all know already? Who sent the telegram? What exactly did it say?”
Su Yuan sighed. “Qingyue, calm down. Let’s go upstairs and talk.”
He got out of the car, supported Su Qingyue—whose face had turned pale—and the two of them entered the guesthouse side by side.
At the front desk, Su Yuan presented his letter of introduction and proof of his sibling relationship with Su Qingyue before they were allowed upstairs.
Pei Huaiye’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel, almost snapping it in half. Watching all this from afar, he felt as if he had fallen into an icy sea, his heart aching unbearably.
After closing the door, Su Yuan carefully looked Su Qingyue over, his eyes full of pain. “You’ve lost a lot of weight. You’ve suffered.”
“Second Brother, I’m fine… it’s just—what did Mom and Dad say about Su Qianqian?”
Su Yuan spoke a little stiffly. “Qingyue, this time we all owe you. I just came from the police station and saw Qianqian as well. She didn’t do it intentionally and will be released without charges.”
He paused. “Zhou Wenfang has already taken full responsibility. If you’re willing, she can apologize to you in person. Don’t worry—Mom and Dad canceled Su Qianqian’s quota to return to the city and made her continue her reform in the countryside.”
Before Su Yuan could finish, Su Qingyue swayed to her feet. Her face was deathly pale, devoid of all color.
“Who says she didn’t do it on purpose?! She did it deliberately!”
Tears brimmed in Su Qingyue’s eyes as she shouted at Su Yuan. “Do you know that if someone hadn’t saved me, my whole life would’ve been ruined?!”
Su Yuan’s expression was filled with grief. He wanted to hug his pitiful sister, but the icy hatred in Su Qingyue’s eyes stopped him cold.
“Qingyue, I know… but Su Qianqian is still Mom and Dad’s biological daughter!
“She was switched at birth and only just returned to the city after seventeen years—then she went to the countryside in our place.
“Mom and Dad’s guilt toward her outweighs everything else, especially Dad…”
Su Qingyue trembled all over, her face ashen. She let out a self-mocking laugh as tears streamed down.
“So no matter how many times Su Qianqian hurts me, you’ll all protect her, won’t you?!”
“Qingyue, I’ll discipline her on behalf of Mom and Dad. I guarantee she won’t target you again.”
Her chest felt tight, her voice hoarse. “And how exactly do you plan to discipline her, Second Brother?”
Su Yuan tried to reassure her. “Qingyue, I’ll make Qianqian apologize to you and get along with you from now on. Losing her chance to return to the city is already the greatest punishment for her!
“These are the money and ration tickets Mom and Dad gave you—one thousand yuan, including five hundred jin of grain tickets. Your birthday’s coming up. Use them to buy something you like.”
Su Qingyue pulled her hand back, her tone icy.
“Thank you, but there’s no need. I work at the supply cooperative and earn a salary to support myself. I already told you last time not to send me money or tickets anymore. The debt of raising me—I’ll repay it slowly.”
Seeing how resolute she was, Su Yuan was momentarily at a loss.
Back in the capital, the telegram had shocked him. The whole family refused to believe Su Qianqian could be so vicious.
What’s more, she had gone to the countryside in place of her two brothers, and she was the biological daughter Su Weixin had worked so hard to find.
Su Weixin had immediately sent several telegrams and instructed Su Yuan to personally make the trip, ensuring Su Qianqian walked out of the police station unscathed.
As punishment, her return to the city was delayed by one year.
But in front of Su Qingyue, Su Yuan didn’t dare say that. He deliberately claimed that their parents had stripped Su Qianqian of her chance to return to the city, hoping it would ease Su Qingyue’s heart.
Yet this time, Su Qingyue was hurt all the same.
She pressed down the disappointment in her heart.
“Second Brother, I still have things to do. I’m leaving.”
Su Yuan pleaded, “Qingyue, I’ve been traveling all day and haven’t eaten yet. Stay and have a meal with me, alright?”
Su Qingyue paused. “I don’t have time. Second Brother should go find Su Qianqian instead.”
She walked out of the guesthouse on unsteady feet, tears falling like broken beads down her soft cheeks.
Yes—Su Qianqian was, after all, the Su family’s biological daughter, Su Yuan’s real sister.
So what could she really do to her?
Her nose was red from crying as she staggered along the wall. Strands of hair at her temples were blown loose by the wind, making her look as though a slightly stronger gust might carry her away.
Seeing her cry so heartbrokenly, Pei Huaiye’s heart suddenly clenched, as if someone had grabbed it, leaving him unable to breathe.
With a face full of dark fury, he yanked open the car door and strode after her.
Not knowing where else to go, Su Qingyue walked until she reached a bridge, where she finally stopped.
The veins on Pei Huaiye’s face bulged. Thinking of the man at the guesthouse, of Su Qingyue crying as she left and then coming to the bridge, he suddenly quickened his pace and rushed forward, pulling her into his arms.
“What foolish thing are you trying to do?!”
As his stern, furious shout rang out, surprise flickered across Su Qingyue’s upturned eyes—then her lips trembled.
Like a weary bird returning to its nest, she threw herself into Pei Huaiye’s arms and burst into sobs.
A hundred meters behind them, Su Yuan came running, panting hard.
Pointing at Pei Huaiye’s hands around Su Qingyue’s waist, he shouted loudly to the surroundings,
“Comrades, help me catch a hooligan!”