At lunchtime, Su Jianguo stood up, his middle-aged successful businessman’s beer belly prominent, and headed toward the dining room.
Su Lingyu followed and soon saw the dining table laden with an abundant spread of dishes.
She wasn’t sure which dishes the original owner had particularly liked, but fortunately, she wasn’t very picky and could eat a little of everything, so she probably wouldn’t give herself away.
“Here, try this.”
“And this was another one you used to like.”
“Hmm, this meat is very tender—you’ll definitely find it delicious.”
In high spirits, Su Jianguo kept finding excuses to put food into the bowl of the person sitting beside him.
“Um, maybe I should just help myself.”
Even if she had a big appetite, there was no way she could finish all this!
Looking at the mountain of food piled in her bowl, Su Lingyu suddenly felt that this kind of paternal love might also be a burden.
“Alright, then help yourself to whatever you like. Make sure to eat more—look how thin you are!”
Suddenly realizing his behavior might be overbearing, and worried his daughter might abruptly put down her chopsticks and refuse to eat, Su Jianguo quietly placed the food he had been about to give her into his own bowl.
The atmosphere at the table gradually grew more harmonious.
Suddenly, a phone rang.
“Hello?”
Su Jianguo answered the call casually.
“Hey~ What are you up to?”
Hearing the woman’s voice on the other end, Su Jianguo’s expression changed. He glanced cautiously at his daughter, then lowered his voice:
“Ahem, I’m having a meal. What do you need?”
“…Oh, company matters? Hold on a moment!”
Covering the phone’s receiver, he whispered to Su Lingyu, “I’m going to step out to take this call. Take your time eating—I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
Not long after, Su Jianguo returned from his call.
As he sat back down, he said, “Ugh, there’s been a lot going on at the company lately. Come on, let’s keep eating.”
Based on his subconscious reaction, Su Lingyu guessed it definitely wasn’t about company business.
However, it was someone else’s privacy, so she didn’t expose Su Jianguo’s cover-up. She just nodded and said, “Mm.”
After the meal, Su Lingyu watched TV out of boredom.
After all, Su Jianguo was still somewhat unfamiliar to her, and with the generational gap between them, there wasn’t much they could talk about.
Throughout history, villains often met their downfall by talking too much, and suspects usually tripped themselves up over small details.
So, after mentally rehearsing it several times, Su Lingyu spoke up:
“I have some things to do this afternoon, so I’m planning to head out soon.”
“What things? Is it urgent?”
Su Jianguo immediately put down the remote control.
“I made plans with someone.”
“A man or a woman?”
“…”
Su Lingyu was momentarily at a loss for words.
How was she supposed to make this up?
What if she casually mentioned a gender and he asked her to call the person right in front of him?
Were all fathers this strict?
“Ahem, since you have plans, you should go. Just remember to come back early for dinner. I had the housekeeper clean and tidy your room again yesterday.”
Thinking his daughter might be upset and not want to talk, Su Jianguo immediately backed down.
Did that mean he expected her to stay overnight?
If so, what was the point of her making an excuse to leave now?
Su Lingyu suddenly felt weary, but she still had to cover for herself:
“Mm, I just realized it’s still early for my appointment. I’ll go rest in my room for a bit first.”
“Alright then, go ahead. I’ll call you when it’s dinner time.”
“…”
Just finished eating and already planning dinner?
This is practically living like a raised pig!
Holding onto the mentality that being alone in her room was better than watching TV with Su Jianguo in the living room, Su Lingyu went up to the second floor.
Led by the aunt who held the keys, she smoothly entered the room.
It was a bedroom with a princess-like style—light purple bed curtains, curtains embroidered with small purple flowers, and matching sofas and other furnishings—revealing the original owner’s girlish heart.
Thanks to the aunt’s tidying up, all the items inside were neatly arranged.
When she came up, the aunt mentioned that this room was only entered during cleaning times and remained locked at all other times.
It seemed even Su Jianguo couldn’t casually enter his daughter’s room.
From a privacy perspective, that was quite good!
Casually tossing her bag onto the sofa, her work pass slipped out from the unzipped inner pocket and fell onto the carpet by the sofa leg.
Su Lingyu didn’t notice; her attention was entirely focused on the photo on the bedside table.
She speculated that the photo likely showed the original Su Lingyu and her mother.
Unfortunately, perhaps due to age-related deterioration or improper storage, the part with the original owner’s mother had become somewhat grayed out, making it hard to discern her appearance.
However, the original owner was quite adorable as a child, bearing some resemblance to how she herself looked when young.
Besides the photo, Su Lingyu noticed several locked drawers in the room, which probably contained many details about the original owner.
But she didn’t have the keys!
“Logically, where would a normal person keep the keys?”
Su Lingyu rubbed her chin. She had almost thoroughly searched the house she lived in over there and hadn’t found any trace of keys.
“Should I just let it go then?”
Hmm, no—knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle!
Su Lingyu reached for the drawer handle, testing it, and pulled slightly harder a couple of times.
Unexpectedly, the drawer opened without any resistance!
“This lock on the desk doesn’t seem very reliable!”
Su Lingyu pulled out a yellowed notebook. It didn’t seem like a formal diary, filled with random doodles and a few brief complaints about her father.
For example: “I’m so sick of my dad” and similar remarks.
So, the original owner and Su Jianguo didn’t have a very good relationship.
No wonder Su Jianguo had been acting so… strangely since she returned.
He probably felt guilty toward his daughter, harboring a sense of indebtedness since her childhood and wanting to make amends!
Although she didn’t know exactly what had caused the rift between father and daughter… she wasn’t this Su Lingyu after all.
When it came to family matters between them, it didn’t seem appropriate for her to interfere too much.
Nor did she particularly want to take over someone else’s life.
Perhaps if she avoided the original owner’s fate of death, or if by some accident she returned to her own world, the Su Lingyu of this world could come back?
Thinking this, Su Lingyu placed the notebook back in the drawer without reading further.
Afterward, she quietly informed the aunt and left while Su Jianguo was asleep.
Since she had been picked up by a dedicated driver when she arrived but was leaving stealthily now, Su Lingyu had to rely on her own two feet to walk out of this villa area.
During the entire time, she didn’t spot a single taxi.
And there were pitifully few people around.
Su Lingyu also tried to book a ride-hailing service on her phone, but unfortunately, this place was too far from the city center, and there were simply no ride-hailing drivers nearby—so no one accepted the order.