The midsummer sky was already volatile, and now it seemed as if a furious dragon-shaped storm was pressing down from above. The sky darkened in an instant.
A muffled thunderclap exploded. Su Ran’yue’s heart clenched violently. She looked up in panic and met Cui Qingshu’s eyes—completely devoid of warmth.
“You… why did you come back so soon?”
Every time they went out, it usually took quite a while. She had deliberately chosen this timing to sneak in and search for the jewelry box.
Losing that box had broken her heart.
Those were treasures she had saved for years—she would never let it go.
For days she had been secretly scouting the place. A box that large couldn’t possibly disappear without a trace if she searched carefully.
She had also quietly inquired—no one had ever seen Cui Qingshu carrying such a large box out of the house.
She was certain: it had to still be in Cui Qingshu’s room.
Cui Qingshu’s gaze swept across the room, now in complete disarray from the search. Slowly, she raised her hands and flexed her wrists.
Then she tilted her head, looking at Su Ran’yue with a voice cold as ice.
“What am I doing?” she said. “Catching a thief in my room.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Su Ran’yue snapped, furious. Being called a thief was an insult she could not tolerate.
“If you’re not here for that box of jewelry, then why are you in my room? It’s not like this is your first time stealing from me.”
“You even stole my mother’s jade pendant. And now you feel wronged?”
“Which word did I say wrong?” Cui Qingshu stepped closer and closer.
Under that gaze—cold, emotionless—Su Ran’yue’s face turned pale. She staggered back.
Her hands clenched tightly under her sleeves. She kept telling herself: not yet, not now. She couldn’t break with her yet. She had to wait until her father left.
Just a little longer. She had to endure.
Then she would see Cui Qingshu’s downfall.
Cui Qingshu watched her struggle to keep calm and leaned in closer, her tone suddenly vicious and low, like a devil whispering in her ear:
“You’re enduring so patiently… because you’re sure that once Cui Yuanwei leaves for Hong Kong, you’ll take over the entire Cui family fortune, right?”
Su Ran’yue felt as if her blood had frozen instantly. Her pupils contracted violently, and her whole body began to tremble.
“You… you…”
She couldn’t believe it.
She knew.
Cui Qingshu actually knew.
How did she know?
All of Su Ran’yue’s doubts over the past days suddenly made sense.
So she had known all along—and had been silently watching her act.
The “foolish” Cui Qingshu she remembered was gone.
A flash of malice passed through Su Ran’yue’s eyes.
No matter what, the Cui family fortune had to be hers. It was her rightful due.
But now… Cui Qingshu had become dangerous.
And the Cui family’s “capitalist” label was like a ticking bomb.
If she married Shen Ziming, she could escape that identity and become the respectable wife of a soldier.
But what if Cui Qingshu tried to compete with her?
A thought suddenly struck her: Wen Jingci.
Right—Cui Qingshu must have learned all this from Wen Jingci.
Wen Jingci could secure an extra ship ticket.
Compared to marrying Shen Ziming and living a restrained life on the mainland…
She longed more for the luxury and extravagance of Hong Kong.
Su Ran’yue stared at Cui Qingshu, greed almost spilling from her eyes.
“I won’t fight you for Shen Ziming,” she said quickly. “Let him marry you right away. As long as you give me the ticket to Hong Kong.”
“I’ll cut ties with him completely once I’m there.”
Just imagining herself becoming a Hong Kong socialite made her breath quicken.
Cui Qingshu looked at her and let out a cold laugh.
“I don’t pick up trash that others have thrown away.”
Her expression suddenly shifted. The cold sharpness faded, replaced by a deliberately playful, almost infuriating softness. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, smiling lightly:
“You can keep your trash~ I’m going to Hong Kong with my Brother Wen~”
Su Ran’yue was stunned.
Her anger surged.
Why did everything good belong to Cui Qingshu?
Why could she only pick up what Cui Qingshu discarded?
Even her best skill—pretending to be pitiful—was now being copied better than she could do it herself.
She hated her.
Cui Qingshu kept pressing forward.
Su Ran’yue retreated step by step until her back hit the cold stair railing.
For a moment, she remembered—this was the same place where she had once pushed Cui Qingshu down the stairs.
If Cui Qingshu died…
The ship ticket would be hers. The Cui family would be hers.
She wouldn’t have to struggle or please anyone anymore.
The thought ignited her malice.
Push her. Push her down.
She lowered her head, then glanced toward Cui Qingshu’s mother standing not far away. A trace of regret flashed through her eyes.
What bad timing—if only she weren’t here.
The moment she looked over, Lin Weihua’s heart tightened. She instinctively rushed toward the stairs.
She saw it clearly—the unmasked murderous intent in Su Ran’yue’s eyes.
This was the same person who had once harmed her daughter.
And now she wanted to do it again, right in front of her.
Her daughter was her life.
Lin Weihua’s expression turned fierce as she stared at Su Ran’yue’s raised hand.
No mother could stand by and watch her child be hurt.
The world dimmed like dusk. Lightning lit up Su Ran’yue’s distorted face.
Cui Qingshu smiled faintly.
“You really have a death wish, Su Ran’yue.”
She stepped forward.
Her hand lifted—
But instead of striking Su Ran’yue, it landed on her mother’s hand.
Their eyes met. In perfect understanding, they pushed together.
A synchronized shove.
“Ah—!”
A piercing scream echoed as Su Ran’yue fell down the stairs, crashing heavily to the ground.
Cui Qingshu stood at the top, looking down coldly.
“This is for the time you pushed me down the stairs,” she said. “If you try again, it won’t be just a broken finger.”
At that moment, Cui Yuanwei entered.
He saw his precious daughter on the ground and froze in shock.
Before he could react, Cui Qingshu instantly switched expressions, tears welling up:
“Dad… Su Ran’yue said you were planning to flee to Hong Kong. Is it true?”
Her voice trembled.
“Are you trying to force me and Mom to our deaths as capitalist families?”
Cui Yuanwei’s face changed drastically.
He turned sharply toward Su Ran’yue.
“Su Ran’yue! What nonsense are you talking about?”
Su Ran’yue, pale and in pain, shook her head frantically.
“Dad, it wasn’t me… it was her… Cui Qingshu…”