Su Chengxi was taken aback for a moment, then looked hurt. “Yuqing, how can you say that about me? I know you’re upset, and I’ll talk to Dad about it. But you also know Dad, he… Ah, anyway, I’ll do my best. In another month, you’ll be an adult too, and you should have your own place.”
She emphasized the word “adult.”
Su Yuqing caught it immediately. Her eyes turned cold—being a minor really was troublesome.
“Keep the Su family’s house for yourself. I don’t want it. As for your talk about lying?” She curled her lips into a faint smile. “We’ll see about that.”
With that, she strode past the crowd. As she passed Jiang Chenan and Su Chengxi, she met Jiang Chenan’s furious glare and Su Chengxi’s reproachful yet helpless gaze. Unhurriedly, she added, “I hope you won’t regret it.”
Then, she walked away without looking back.
“Tch, ‘won’t regret it’? What a pipe dream.” Before Jiang Chenan or Su Chengxi could speak, Xia Chuwei sneered.
A stepdaughter—if the Su family didn’t value her, she was nothing.
“She really does blame me,” Su Chengxi murmured, her eyelids half-lowered, looking despondent.
Most of the men present felt a pang of sympathy.
Su Chengxi had a delicate, fragile appearance, and her public image was that of a pure and innocent ice queen—a persona that easily stirred protective instincts.
He Suyan glanced at her, noticing Jiang Chenan’s urge to pull her into his arms and comfort her. He scoffed inwardly, then calmly withdrew his gaze and followed Su Yuqing out.
Gu Zhan looked from one to the other before quickly trailing after the renowned actor.
“Relying on her looks to cling to men everywhere—that’s all she’s capable of,” Xia Chuwei muttered jealously, her voice echoing clearly in the quiet hallway.
Everyone had their own thoughts. Xi Yanhong recalled Su Yuqing lifting her eyelids earlier, her lazy demeanor suddenly igniting a spark of interest within him.
He had initially thought Su Yuqing was just a pretty face and rather dull, but now she seemed quite intriguing.
He Suyan, with his long strides, quickly caught up to Su Yuqing, who was waiting for the elevator. “The Jiang and Su families have probably already made statements online,” he said in his slightly deep voice.
Hearing him, Su Yuqing turned and smiled, the corners of her eyes lifting slightly as a glimmer flashed in her gaze. “I figured as much.”
But it was still uncertain who would come out on top.
He Suyan raised an eyebrow. “Need any help?”
How could he openly tie her to him? That was the question.
“Thanks, but not for now.” Su Yuqing knew that favors were the hardest to repay, especially in the murky waters of the entertainment industry.
Still, she might genuinely need help. Su Yuqing sighed inwardly.
Noticing the shift in her expression, He Suyan paused and said nothing more.
Just then, Gu Zhan arrived as well.
The three entered the elevator. They stayed on different floors—Su Yuqing on the sixth, He Suyan and Gu Zhan on the eighth.
“I’m here. See you tomorrow,” she said, stepping out first and waving without looking back.
Back in her room, Su Yuqing took a shower first, then ordered some food from the front desk. Only after that did she plug in her phone and turn it on.
Twenty-three missed calls and dozens of WeChat messages.
She glanced at them but ignored them all. Just as she was about to open Weibo, her phone vibrated again.
Talk about persistence.
Looking at the note above, she waited until the phone had rung for a long time before finally pressing the green button at the last moment.
“Su Yuqing, you’ve got some nerve! You won’t even answer your own mother’s call?!”
A furious roar erupted from the receiver, filled with anger.
Su Yuqing was glad she hadn’t held it to her ear. She spoke unhurriedly, “Is Ms. Ou going through menopause? So much anger?”
The line went quiet for a moment before an even fiercer rage exploded, “Su Yuqing, you ungrateful wretch! The Su family fed and clothed you, and now you’re spouting nonsense online, slandering your sister and Jiang—”
Click!
Su Yuqing hung up. The shrill voice was grating and irritating.
Then she opened her contacts, found the note, and blocked the number—all in one smooth motion.
Opening Weibo, she clicked on private messages and cleared them all with one tap. They were all trash, and so was what they said.
She tapped on the trending list.
#Su Yuqing’s Mother Speaks Out: A Lifelong Habit of Lying#
#Su Yuqing Ungrateful Wretch# #Su Yuqing Faked High School Grades# #Su Yuqing Once Falsely Claimed Company Harassment#
Several trending topics were about her.
She casually clicked on one, and the top comments were all insults.
【Su Yuqing, get out of the entertainment industry!】
【Who is Su Yuqing? Using this kind of tactic for attention?】
【Su Yuqing, may your mother and whole family die!】
【Which third-rate celebrity is stirring up drama again? Such low tactics!】
The comments below were flooded with hate. The few who spoke up for her were drowned out and disappeared without a trace.
She clicked her tongue and gave a like to the comment wishing death upon her mother and family.
Then she opened the video of Ou Yulan at the press conference, watched it once, and closed it.
After that, she toyed with her phone, hovering over the video Director Lin had sent her, but ultimately didn’t send it out.
She threw on a long coat, opened the door, and walked out.
Five minutes later, the doorbell rang outside He Suyan’s room on the eighth floor.
“Go answer the door,” He Suyan said, wearing only a bathrobe as he looked at online news on his laptop. He didn’t even glance up when the doorbell rang, directing Fu Jin instead.
Fu Jin was enjoying his meal and reluctantly stood up to answer the door.
“Miss Su?” He looked at Su Yuqing in surprise. “You…”
“I’d like to see He Shen,” Su Yuqing adjusted the collar of her trench coat. “Is it convenient?”
Fu Jin was uneasy and about to refuse when He Suyan spoke up, “Come in, I’m here.”
“Please come in, Miss Su,” Fu Jin rolled his eyes inwardly and pulled the door open.
After Su Yuqing entered, he glanced down the hallway. Seeing no one, he sighed in relief.
The deep blue bathrobe was loosely tied, revealing strong pectoral muscles and the faint outline of abs. The man’s hair was half-damp as he sat in a single armchair with one leg crossed over the other, a silver laptop resting on his lap. He looked up at her.
A flicker of confusion appeared in his eyes, his thin lips slightly pursed, exuding an air of restrained, extreme allure.
Su Yuqing swallowed, suppressing the heat rising within her. “Can I borrow your laptop?”
Her mind was still on He Suyan’s earlier words: Do you need help?
So she didn’t hold back.
He Suyan’s lips curved slightly as he chuckled softly, “Of course, use it as you like.”
Then he straightened up and placed the laptop on the coffee table in front of him.
Because of his movement, the collar of the bathrobe opened wider. Su Yuqing, sitting across from him, took in everything at a glance, her fingers subconsciously curling slightly.
He Suyan noticed her reaction, a flicker of light flashing in his eyes. It seemed he had found a way to bind Su Yuqing to himself.
For a moment, Su Yuqing felt as if she were being watched. But just as she tried to pinpoint the sensation, it vanished.
She paused briefly but didn’t dwell on it further.
She sat down, turned the laptop toward herself, and opened it with practiced ease, her fingers flying across the keyboard.
Fu Jin walked over curiously. “What are you doing?”
The screen was pitch black, displaying only a jumble of garbled code.