No wonder the Su family had been in such a hurry to bring her back. So they wanted the benefits of an alliance with the Huo family, but they couldn’t bear to let their precious daughter, Su Mengyao, marry a vegetative man who was on the verge of death. Naturally, that left their own biological daughter—the one who didn’t matter—as the perfect substitute.
“Miss, do you need me to do anything?” After Lin Ya learned of the Su family’s scheme, she had already prepared for both possibilities.
Su Ni rested her chin in one hand and thought for a moment before saying, “You don’t need to get involved in this.”
“Yes.” Lin Ya didn’t ask why. She simply answered respectfully.
She placed another box in front of Su Ni. “This is the phone prepared for you, Miss, along with some other electronic devices.”
Su Ni accepted them readily. “This is exactly what I need.”
Before coming to Jingbei, she had lived in the mountains with her master. Less than a year after arriving at the Su family home, they had tricked her into being sent to a mental asylum, where she had been cut off from the outside world for five years. She knew nothing about the current situation in Jingbei.
She would need to carefully plan what she was going to do next.
But there was no way the Su family would have prepared these things for her. In their eyes and hearts, there was only their adopted daughter, Su Mengyao.
After delivering the clothes, the people from Jinxiu Pavilion left. No matter how the butler tried to fish for information, Lin Ya’s answers were flawless.
“I think Sister has lost so much weight. She must have gone hungry and lacked proper clothing all these years in the mental asylum.” Su Mengyao called over her personal maid. “Go and take good care of my dear sister.”
Su Ni had humiliated her so badly earlier. How could she possibly let her off so easily?
“Yes, Miss.” Qu Wen was the butler’s daughter. She had been by Su Mengyao’s side since she was seven and was now her most capable assistant.
Su Ni looked at the food Qu Wen had brought over. The bowl of soup was still steaming, filling the room with a rich aroma.
“This is our young miss’s kind gesture. She specifically sent it over to help the eldest young miss restore her health.” Qu Wen called her “eldest young miss,” but there wasn’t the slightest trace of respect in her tone.
Su Ni gave her a faint glance, immediately understanding that there was probably more to this meal than met the eye.
“Put it down,” she said calmly.
Qu Wen refused to leave. Instead, she insisted, “Miss said I’m not allowed to leave until I watch you finish it.”
Su Ni gave Qu Wen a long, penetrating look. A flash of icy light flickered through her eyes.
“Fine.”
With that, she picked up the bowl and, without the slightest hesitation, tipped her head back and drank the entire bowl in one go. Then she handed the empty bowl to Qu Wen.
A smug look flashed across Qu Wen’s face as she reached out to take it.
Without seeming to pay any attention, Su Ni lightly tapped her fingernail and said, “Tell Su Mengyao thank you for her kindness. I’ll send her a return gift shortly.”
Qu Wen, however, paid no attention to her words. The soup might have been laced with something, but it contained genuine bird’s nest made from blood-red swiftlet nests. With Su Ni looking as poor and pathetic as she did, what decent gift could she possibly have to return?
Holding the bowl, Qu Wen turned and left, immediately going to report to Su Mengyao.
Su Mengyao was just about to leave when she heard that Su Ni had drunk the entire bowl of soup. She covered her mouth and laughed gleefully.
“What a shame. I’m heading out to a party now, so I won’t get to see the show with my own eyes.”
With that, she strutted away in her high heels, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.
Qu Wen waited outside Su Ni’s room, keeping track of the time. She had set up a camera beforehand, planning to capture Su Ni’s humiliating downfall on video so she could claim credit with Su Mengyao.
But half the day passed, and there was still no movement from inside.
“That’s strange. I definitely put in enough laxatives. Even if she hasn’t been completely drained yet, she should at least be showing some reaction by now.” Qu Wen was puzzled. Afraid she wouldn’t be able to complete the task Su Mengyao had given her, she gradually began to feel uneasy.
She waited a while longer. When there was still no sound from Su Ni’s room, she decided to go inside and take a look.
Just as she was about to unlock the door with her key, she discovered that it wasn’t locked at all. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she pushed the door open and walked in.
All the curtains in the room were drawn, leaving it pitch-black inside. The silence was terrifying, and goosebumps inexplicably broke out all over Qu Wen’s arms.
She swallowed hard and, as though trying to summon her courage, called out loudly, “Eldest Young Miss, I know you’re in here…”
**BANG!**
With a deafening crash, the door behind her suddenly locked itself.