Su Xuxu would have been better off not saying anything, but once she did, everyone couldn’t help but let their minds wander in that direction.
Right, it seemed like Su Qingqing, jealous because the Su family had found their biological daughter, had thrown a huge tantrum and been kicked out of the house with nothing.
Was she coming back now because she couldn’t make it on the outside, or was she short on cash and needed to grab something?
What if she randomly grabbed things or stole something?
This time, Su Qingqing caught the insinuation in Su Xuxu’s words.
She looked at Su Xuxu with a faint, knowing smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not like you. I’ve never stolen anything.”
Su Xuxu froze, her smile stiffening slightly. “What is sister babbling about? I don’t understand again.”
The mockery in Su Qingqing’s eyes was plain to see. “How could you not understand? The person who stole someone else’s life should understand best.”
Su Xuxu gritted her teeth. “Is sister still resentful about the conflict you had with Mom and Dad after they brought me back, which made you run away from home…
I… I never meant to steal your life. I just came back…”
As she spoke, her voice grew more and more aggrieved, her eyes turning red, on the verge of tears, looking like a pitiful thing being bullied.
Su Qingqing was utterly stunned. Were those tears and emotions that came on so easily actually real?
Maybe the one in the Su family suited for the entertainment industry wasn’t Su Qingqing, but Su Xuxu?
Just as Su Qingqing was about to say something more, Su’s father, Su’s mother, and the Su family’s son, Su Quan, came down from upstairs.
The moment they came down, they saw Su Xuxu with reddened eyes, provoked by Su Qingqing.
Su Quan rushed down in a single stride, pulling Su Xuxu behind him to shield her, glaring furiously at Su Qingqing. “Su Qingqing, what do you think you’re doing now? You were always bullying Xuxu out of jealousy before, and now you’re back to pick a fight and cause trouble, aren’t you?
Do you know we didn’t even want to let you in? It was Xuxu who was kind enough to let you inside, and yet you’re still the same rotten behavior!”
He looked as if Su Qingqing were some man-eating flood or beast, and Su Xuxu was a pitiful little white flower.
Su’s father and mother also came down the stairs with grim faces, looking at Su Qingqing with anger and displeasure.
Fifteen years of raising the original daughter, and it couldn’t compare to the few days of affection after finding their biological daughter. It really did seem rather strange.
The whole family stood on the stairs, united in glaring down at Su Qingqing below.
A hint of smugness crossed Su Xuxu’s face. So what if you lived in this house for fifteen years in my place? What isn’t yours will never be yours.
That’s how it had been before—Su Xuxu would lightly fan the flames, and the Su family would all point at Su Qingqing and scold her, until Su Qingqing, furious, would have a big fight with them and eventually leave the house.
They’d expected Su Qingqing to do the same this time, to lose her temper and embarrass herself. Too bad—the Su Qingqing now was no longer the same person.
Su Qingqing spread her hands innocently. “You think I want to come back? Relax, no need to get worked up. I’m not here to stay this time. I came back to get something, and once I have it, I’ll leave. A family as jinxed as yours, doomed to bad luck soon, is not a place I want to linger.”
“Sister, it’s one thing to target me, but how can you curse the Su family like that? This is, after all, the home that raised you for fifteen years. How could you…” Su Xuxu’s eyes reddened again as she spoke.
Su’s mother was a well-preserved lady of leisure. In the original daughter’s memory, aside from giving her allowance, Su’s mother basically never paid her any mind. Even when she made mistakes, she was never scolded.
The original daughter had thought Su’s mother doted on her, but now it was clear—she simply couldn’t be bothered to discipline her, letting her grow up crooked or not as she pleased.
Now, Su’s mother looked at Su Qingqing with disgust. “Su Qingqing, how can you say such things?
If you really hate the Su family this much and want to curse it, then why are you coming back to take something?
The Su family raised you for fifteen years and invested so much money in your entertainment career. What on your body isn’t the Su family’s? And what you’re coming back to take—what of it isn’t the Su family’s?”
Su’s father, meanwhile, cast a contemptuous glance at Su Qingqing, his air of superiority suggesting she wasn’t even worthy of speaking to him.
The people around were also murmuring, mostly to the effect that Su Qingqing was indeed an ungrateful wretch—trying to come back to the Su family to grab things and take advantage, while also cursing the family.
Su Qingqing really couldn’t be bothered to argue with them any further.
This whole family was a bunch of drama queens, as if putting her down in front of all these guests would highlight their nobility and greatness.
Wasn’t that just pure lunacy?
Su Qingqing stopped beating around the bush, giving them no more room to perform. “What I came to get is nothing else—it’s the Ruyi Jade Pendant I had on me when you adopted me as a child. I don’t want anything else.
That pendant shouldn’t be Su family property, should it? Give me the pendant and I’ll leave, and I definitely won’t interfere with your family’s happy reunion.”
Su Xuxu turned to look at Su’s mother.
Mrs. Su sneered coldly, “You’ve eaten and drunk at the Su family’s expense for all these years, and now that you’re leaving, you still want to take that shabby jade pendant of yours with you. You really are something else.”
Su Qingqing once again wore that faint, ambiguous smile. “Why did the Su family choose me and raise me for all these years? Don’t you have any idea in your own hearts?”
“You!” This time, it was Mrs. Su who was left speechless by Su Qingqing’s retort. Her eyes flickered, and she silently wondered—could she know something?
She was about to say more when Mr. Su spoke up. “That’s enough. It’s just a jade pendant. If she wants it, give it back to her. It’s not like you two would wear something that cheap anyway. Why bother arguing with someone so beneath you?”
Only then did Mrs. Su and Su Xuxu fall silent.
Mrs. Su went back upstairs and tossed an old, worn-out little box at Su Qingqing.
She had expected Su Qingqing to catch it clumsily, like a dog scrambling for scraps. But Su Qingqing sidestepped, reached out casually, and caught it with effortless grace.
She opened it on the spot to check, confirming it was indeed the Ink Jade from her childhood—a pitch-black piece of jade, not of great quality, neither translucent nor lustrous, but with a certain weight to it. It wasn’t particularly good-looking, yet it was strangely captivating.
Su Qingqing raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn’t expected this piece of Ink Jade to contain Spiritual Energy Fluctuations. Its unassuming appearance was simply because it hadn’t been activated yet.
With the pendant in hand, just as she had said, she turned and left without a moment’s delay.
Su Quan’s mocking voice came from behind. “Look at that—just a worthless piece of jade, and she treasures it like that. Clearly, she’s gone mad from poverty after being kicked out.”
Su Qingqing had already stepped out the door, but she suddenly stopped.
She turned to face the family standing on the stairs, looking down at her with such superiority. “The heavens are watching everything you do. Even if you steal fortune that isn’t yours through underhanded means, it will never truly belong to you.
Besides, I’ve already taken back what’s mine.
The good days you Su family stole are just about over.
Within a month, your family will face a financial crisis and go bankrupt. At best, you’ll lose all your wealth; at worst, you’ll lose everything—your home, your family, your lives.”
Su Qingqing said all this with a blank expression. Her eyes were as calm as still water, and with her stunningly beautiful face wearing such an indifferent look, she spoke those chilling words.
Everyone present felt a shiver run down their spines, goosebumps rising involuntarily, a numbing cold creeping up from their feet as cold sweat broke out.
And behind the crowd, in the corner of the hall, a tall man had appeared at some point.
He was remarkably handsome, with a tall stature, long, straight legs, extraordinary elegance, and a refined, scholarly air.
Ordinary good looks seemed insufficient to describe him. He merely stood there, and it felt as though his very presence belonged to a different world from everyone else.
He watched Su Qingqing, who had just finished tearing into the Su family and was now striding out the door, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
He had thought today’s blind date banquet would be boring, but it turned out he got to witness a show after all.
Su Qingqing, about to step out the door, sensed someone watching her. No—many people were watching her, but this particular gaze felt different.
She turned toward that direction and precisely caught the man’s eyes.
With just one look, she raised an eyebrow in slight surprise as well, but in the end, she didn’t linger and strode away.
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