As soon as Xu Suyu and Jiang Sun entered the courtyard, they saw the old commander leaning against the wall with his cane, clearly eavesdropping.
He forced a calm smile. “I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just came out for a stroll and happened to overhear.”
Jiang Sun scoffed. “If you were eavesdropping, just say so. It’s not illegal.”
The old man shot him a glare, then gave Xu Suyu a thumbs-up. “Suyu, you handled that very well. Looks like this brat really does need to be under your control.”
“Rest assured, Grandpa. I won’t disappoint you.” She stepped forward to support him, every movement graceful and refined. “Grandpa, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take Jiang Sun upstairs to study.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
Jiang Sun: …
“I only called you ‘little weakling’ a few times. We just fought side by side against that black-hearted lotus. Can’t we just cancel it out?”
Xu Suyu stared at him silently. Her face was delicate and pitifully soft, yet her gaze was firmer than someone swearing into the Party.
“No.”
After helping the old man inside, she went upstairs to her room.
At the doorway, she said, “Go back to your room and get your book.”
Jiang Sun followed her straight in. As if he’d go get a book!
He was Young Master Jiang, rebellious to the core. Acting for show outside was one thing—trying to control him in private? No way.
He decided to provoke her.
Bending down, he kissed her lips, then hooked her chin teasingly. “Sister, you’re really tempting.”
Xu Suyu grabbed the feather duster from the desk and smacked him hard on the leg.
He hissed. “You really hit me? I’m your man!”
She pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down, arms folded, legs crossed. “Grandpa said you’re under my control. If you don’t like it, endure it. Objections denied.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Then I’ll go complain to Grandpa.”
“Fine,” Jiang Sun gritted his teeth. “Fine, fine. Hitting is affection, scolding is love. I’ll forgive you this once.”
He was good at bending when necessary.
Leaning against the desk, he lowered his voice. “Didn’t you say you always get revenge? That woman Cao Meiru mocked me for having a mother who gave birth to me but didn’t raise me. I didn’t beat her up, but I can’t swallow this anger.”
Xu Suyu’s tone was calm. “So?”
“I want revenge. But she’s old and frail—if I sack her and beat her, she might not survive. Besides, if two people who offended me both get attacked in one day, the police might come knocking.”
She nodded approvingly. “Very logical. People say you’re reckless and brainless—clearly nonsense.”
Jiang Sun straightened proudly.
“Of course. I might be unruly, but I know limits. Some lines can’t be crossed.”
Someone who understood limits wouldn’t commit something like forcing a girl. So his death in her previous life had to be suspicious.
“I admire that sense of restraint,” she said softly. “Revenge means using the same method against them. She poked at your mother’s wound—then quietly seize hers.”
Jiang Sun thought for a moment. “Her family’s smooth sailing. What weakness could she have? Especially with that model son everyone in the compound praises. She’s unbearably proud of him.”
Mentioning Han Shumo irritated him. The man had perfect parents, top grades, good manners. He became a military doctor and rose quickly in rank. The elders all envied him. Every child in the compound grew up in his shadow.
In comparison, Jiang Sun became the cautionary tale—teasing animals, fighting, wasting potential. Parents scolded their kids with, “If you don’t study, you’ll end up like Jiang Sun!”
Xu Suyu noticed the resentment in his eyes and spoke gently, “Mm, Han Shumo is indeed quite good.”
Jiang Sun bristled instantly. “He pushed you onto me when you needed him most, and you still think he’s good? Xu Suyu, don’t tell me you like him and still want to marry him.”
“I came to the capital intending to marry him. Before noon today, I didn’t know he already loved someone else. He treated me thoughtfully, so yes, I did consider marrying him.”
Jiang Sun leaned closer, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “So when he didn’t want you, I became the backup? From marrying a prodigy to marrying a playboy. Sister, you must feel pretty unwilling. You probably cursed me plenty this afternoon.”
Xu Suyu stood and looked up at him. “I’m a capitalist’s daughter. Being avoided is normal. You and I were strangers; my life or death had nothing to do with you. When Grandpa asked you to marry me, you could have refused—but you didn’t. That proves you’re a very good person. Why would I curse someone who saved me?”
Jiang Sun raised a brow. This capitalist young lady was surprisingly sensible.
She continued calmly, “But it’s true I feel unwilling. After spending a day with you, I think you’re hot-tempered, sharp-tongued, impolite—indeed a playboy. But your nature is kind, you act decisively, and you’re clever. You’re a fine young man.”
“Of course, I—”
“But in others’ eyes, marrying you is different from marrying Han Shumo.” She cut him off with a sigh and sat back down. “People all say I came to marry a prodigy, yet I ended up with a playboy. Who knows how they’ll laugh at me in the future.”
Jiang Sun felt irritated. One moment she slapped him, the next she handed him a sweet date. What was she trying to do?
“If they mock you, I’ll mock them back.”
“It won’t matter. As long as you’re a playboy, I’ll remain a joke.”
“What do you want, then?”
“I stayed at the Han house for three days. Uncle Han told me many things about Han Shumo—how much effort he put in to achieve his success. If that effort were given to someone else, they could succeed too.”
Jiang Sun grew wary. “Wait… Xu Suyu, what exactly are you getting at?”
She looked at him earnestly. “If you truly committed yourself to something, you could surpass him. You’re kind—you wouldn’t let others…”
“…and slander your wife outside, saying she married a playboy, right?”
“Wait—are you saying you want me to beat Han Shumo?”
Xu Suyu nodded. “Yes. I want you to become someone even more outstanding than Han Shumo. I want people, whenever they mention Xu Suyu, to say: ‘Good thing she didn’t marry Han Shumo back then—she ended up marrying an even better man.’”
Jiang Xun instantly bristled. “Are you kidding me? There’s no way I can do that.”
Xu Suyu took the initiative to hold his hand, her expression utterly sincere.
“A’Xun, don’t look down on yourself. You can do it.”