The night was half over. Huo Yan left, his graceful silhouette like a judge who concludes a cold case.
It wasn’t until the luxury car at the entrance sped away, disappearing into the dark night like a stone dropped into the sea, that the tightly secured rope around her heart finally loosened.
In turn, an overwhelming torrent of jealousy from the entire Lan family descended upon Lan Su.
Lan Haotian was lean, and when he glared, the veins on both sides of his brow bone bulged and twitched, closely resembling an alien from a sci-fi movie.
“Look at the mess you’ve made!” he roared.
Lan Su, however, seemed deaf to his words. She slowly rose from the armchair, the hem of her long dress trailing and sweeping the floor, making a rustling sound.
Having been the Lan family’s “blade” for 11 years, her body possessed a certain uprightness—thin and slender, yet harboring the explosive power of a leopard ready to tear someone to shreds at any moment. Coupled with her net height of 168 cm, this action of standing up gave her a commanding view over the furious Lan Haotian sitting on the sofa.
She moved her lips:
“After all this trouble tonight, Father must be tired.”
She looked at Lan Haotian, yet it seemed she was piercing through his soul, looking at the space behind him.
The light shone on her face, carving out a straight nose, and the lines of her lips became distinct at that moment.
“From now on, I am the Second Miss of the Lan family.”
Lan Haotian was so angry he gasped for air, his raised finger trembling uncontrollably:
“When did you hook up with Huo Yan? How dare you conspire with an outsider to scheme against me, putting up such a big fuss! Do you think you’ve grown wings, is that it! Do you think you can escape the Lan family, is that it!”
Lan Su’s eyes were indifferent, still looking at him in that manner, her gaze focused on the area behind the sofa:
“Lan Su wouldn’t dare. It’s just that everything is already a foregone conclusion. Father knows better than I what kind of person Huo Yan is.”
Just before, Huo Yan said one sentence upon leaving:
“I will come to pick her up in a month.”
Even more crucial was the precise instruction given by Huo Yan’s assistant right after he left the door:
“Please take good care of the Second Miss, Mr. Lan. Should anything happen, Mr. Huo will be displeased.”
In other words, if any accident were to befall Lan Su, the entire Lan family would likely be trampled into ruins by this “Jade King of Hell.”
Lan Haotian dared not oppose the Huo family.
Precisely because he dared not, he held an even greater loathing for Lan Su, the “blade” who, since childhood, had treated his words as gospel.
“You! You’re using her to pressure me now, are you! You—”
His words were lightly interrupted by Lan Su:
“—It’s getting late. I’m going to tend to my wound. Father should also rest early.”
With that, she lifted her skirt and went upstairs.
Just like before, her steps going up the stairs were extremely light, making no sound, like any pitiful creature living under someone else’s roof, minimizing her presence.
What was different was that spine, which had always been slightly bowed, now stood perfectly straight, as if someone were supporting it from behind.
That sight stung the eldest daughter, Lan Shan.
Because she realized that this Lan Su, whom she had never truly noticed, was unexpectedly elegant, resilient, and unforgettable.
Two days passed as the Lan family absorbed the reality of “Lan Su becoming the Second Miss.”
Lan Haotian finally recovered his wits and, in his capacity as head of the family, knocked on Lan Su’s door.
No longer was there anger, accusation, or scolding.
Instead, there was the same flattery he reserved for Huo Yan.
“Xiao Su, how is your wound? Does it still hurt?” His aged eyes were crinkled into a smile.
Lan Su had traveled all over the country and had seen this expression many times; often, the people who smiled on the surface were not smiling in their hearts.
Knowing his true intention was elsewhere, Lan Su answered perfunctorily:
“I put medicine on it. Much better.”
“That’s good, that’s good.”
Lan Haotian sat down on the single armchair opposite, using a counseling tone for the first time when speaking to Lan Su:
“In a couple of days, once the cut on your arm heals, we’ll go together for a full-body scar removal surgery. Have your hair extended, too, and get rid of the calluses on your palms and the backs of your hands. I’ve already sent someone to buy you clothes. The Second Miss must look like the Second Miss.”
Doing so much suddenly was naturally not out of genuine concern to furnish Lan Su.
Lan Su listened quietly without responding. Sure enough, with the next sentence, Lan Haotian revealed his purpose.
“If Huo Yan were to discover your true identity, you’ll probably have a difficult time explaining it. Your fate is one thing, but don’t forget, your sister is still in the hospital.”
Lan Su’s eyes narrowed, a flash of ferocity crossing her pale face. “Are you threatening me?”
Lan Haotian continued to smile, his parted lips exposing nicotine-stained yellow teeth:
“Not a threat, a reminder. If your identity is exposed, you won’t escape, and the Lan family definitely won’t. If the Lan family is gone, no one will look after your sister.”
A snake slithers in the depths of a tropical rainforest, hidden beneath the dark, damp leaves, flicking its tongue, searching for stray prey. If one step is wrong and it catches the prey and bites, the venom will travel through the wound into the bloodstream, poisoning the entire body.
Lan Su still had a soft spot.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
Lan Su underwent full-body scar removal surgery, leaving only the one from saving Huo Yan. The numerous thick calluses on her hands and feet were scraped off, leaving a thin layer of skin. To embody the constitution of a “long-sleeping” fragile beauty, she had full-body whitening done, and her short hair, which used to reach her shoulders, was extended to her waist, making her look exactly like a delicate hothouse flower.
She was going to an actor’s appointment, with no NG, no script, no chance to turn back—a single, continuous shot.
And the audience was the “Jade King of Hell,” Huo Yan, who was slowly stopping in the black sedan at the entrance of the Lan family mansion.
Her second meeting with Huo Yan felt much the same as the first.
She sat in the back seat of the car. Over a black shirt was a gray-blue lapel coat, not too thick or thin, quite textured, hanging down her body to her feet, just above the wheelchair’s footrests.
Lan Su looked at the hem of the coat, wondering if the dust kicked up when the wheelchair moved would dirty the light-colored garment.
But as she watched, her eyes involuntarily slid down to the slender ankle exposed by the wide-leg trousers.
More precisely, the ankle bone.
A small ball protruded, delicate, porcelain white, fine, like a pearl.
What a pity.
Lan Su thought to herself.
Such beautiful feet, such a pretty ankle bone, unable to walk.
“Mr. Huo.”
She greeted him politely and properly, even imitating the slight head nod she had seen young ladies use when greeting distinguished individuals during her years of accompanying projects.
Huo Yan turned his head to look at her, calmly scrutinizing her from head to toe. After a month, Lan Su had become much more natural.
Her previous makeup was too refined, always giving the impression of a female celebrity on the red carpet. Today’s makeup was very light, with only eyebrows and lip gloss over the foundation.
The hair, too. Looking at that small bun before, one might have thought she had thin hair or short hair. Today, however, her dark hair flowed down to her waist, and her hair volume was greater than expected, possessing a natural fullness at the crown even without styling.
“Get in.” she said.
So, Lan Su lifted the hem of her half-length skirt, bent over, and climbed in.
The modified back seat had only one single seat; the remaining space was left open specifically for Huo Yan’s wheelchair. Lan Su naturally sat down on the single seat beside her.
Sitting next to Huo Yan was quite challenging; despite it being just a simple distance, the side of her body nearest to her, from shoulder to heel, was inexplicably enveloped in a chill. It was like dry ice wrapped in smoke, rolling over the skin, inch by inch invading the pores, gnawing at the bone.
Lan Su felt a little uneasy and shifted outward slightly, turning her face toward the window, pretending to look at the scenery outside.
This movement was silent but caught by Huo Yan’s peripheral vision.
His fiancée felt distant from him.
This fact did not anger him; instead, he found it quite agreeable.
His previous wife talked too much and was too curious, and ended up dying less than half a year after the marriage.
Lan Su was very observant and, among all the Lan family members he had met so far, the most proper.
When he spoke again, his tone softened slightly: “Do you know where we’re going?”
“Yes.”
Lan Su looked at the crystal-like dew drops gathered on the rose petals in the garden outside the car window, her voice clear:
“The Civil Affairs Bureau.”
This was their second meeting, and they were going to get their marriage license.