Although he wasn’t yet familiar with his future wife, when they were outside, her dignity was his dignity. So if it was her stage, he would back her up.
Xu Suyu tilted her head slightly, meeting his gaze. At a critical moment, this kid hadn’t dropped the ball. Not bad.
She took the candied hawthorn skewer and smiled faintly. “Mm, thank you.”
Han Shumo watched the two of them looking into each other’s eyes and unconsciously furrowed his brows. Qin Wanqiu, standing beside him, noticed his expression and immediately reddened her eyes. “Jiang Sun, why are you using my looks to humiliate me?”
“Who’s humiliating you?” Jiang Sun shot her an arrogant glance. “I’m telling the truth. If an ugly freak like you can’t even handle hearing the truth, then cut off your ears and feed them to the dogs.”
“You—”
Han Shumo gently patted Qin Wanqiu’s shoulder in reassurance and looked at Jiang Sun with displeasure. “Jiang Sun, I don’t care if you act recklessly with others, but please don’t insult Wanqiu. In my eyes, she’s very beautiful.”
Jiang Sun burst out laughing. The mockery in his tone was impossible to suppress—completely impossible.
He pressed a hand to Xu Suyu’s shoulder and turned her around to face the crowd. “If you’ve never eaten fine grain, at least look at some. Compare that ugly freak beside you to this lady’s face. If you can’t even tell beauty from ugliness, you might as well gouge your eyes out. Perfect timing—you and Qin Wanqiu can form a deaf-and-blind duo.”
“Jiang Sun!”
“Oh? So the upright and well-mannered young master of the Han family can get angry too? Publicly defending that ugly thing—don’t tell me you’ve fallen for her?”
Han Shumo’s expression tightened. He instinctively glanced at Xu Suyu before turning to Qin Wanqiu. So many people were watching. If he confessed publicly and Wanqiu wasn’t prepared, wouldn’t that cause her trouble?
Sure enough, whispers had already begun.
“Seriously? The Han commander’s son is excellent in every way. How could he like Qin Wanqiu? With her family background, who would dare?”
“I saw Little Han take Little Qin to watch a model opera before. They grew up in the same compound and are classmates. Feelings developing is normal.”
“Even if there are feelings, it won’t matter. I’m close with Sister Cao from the Han family. The Han family would never agree to an alliance with the Qin family!”
Even if Han Shumo had feelings for her, as long as he didn’t say it out loud, she would be the only one losing face.
She had to shift everyone’s attention.
“Jiang Sun, what right do you have to question Shumo like that? By your logic, since you’re defending Comrade Xu so fiercely, does that mean you like her too?”
That successfully redirected the crowd’s focus to Jiang Sun and Xu Suyu.
“Hey, yeah. The Jiang family’s boy has never defended anyone in public before. Who is this girl?”
“I know her. Isn’t she the young lady who came from out of town a few days ago to visit relatives at the Han family’s place?”
“Wasn’t she supposed to marry Little Han? Why is she standing with Jiang Sun, the little tyrant, now?”
Jiang Sun publicly answered their doubts. He draped his arm over Xu Suyu’s shoulder, a lazy, wicked smile curling at his lips. “She’s my fiancée. If I don’t defend her, should I defend you, you ugly freak?”
The crowd was stunned.
Jiang Sun—the troublemaking little devil who gave the entire compound headaches—actually had a fiancée? And she was the very same country girl who had been rumored to marry Han Shumo?
Wasn’t this relationship a complete mess?
But Qin Wanqiu felt a surge of joy.
So what Han Shumo said earlier was true—he wasn’t going to marry Xu Suyu.
She could feel the heat in his gaze when he looked at her. He even wanted to buy her clothes. The person he liked had to be her.
But unless he said it himself, their relationship could never be acknowledged openly.
She had to make Han Shumo admit his feelings in public.
“I’m sorry, Jiang Sun. I didn’t know you and Comrade Xu were engaged. I didn’t mean to question your relationship. It’s just that what you said earlier affected Shumo’s reputation. I panicked and lost my composure.”
Jiang Sun tilted his head toward Xu Suyu. “Sis, look at this ugly freak. What kind of play is she acting out now?”
Han Shumo said coldly, “Jiang Sun, hasn’t Old General Jiang taught you how to respect others?”
“She’s scheming against me and still wants my respect? What kind of stinking rock from a latrine have you mistaken her for, licking her so eagerly? And you can’t even admit whether you like someone—what a coward. You’re not worthy of talking to me.”
“You—”
Qin Wanqiu held Han Shumo back. “Jiang Sun, don’t humiliate Shumo. When he defended me earlier, it was only out of friendship. He has always been proper and courteous toward me. It’s me—I know I’m not worthy of him, yet shamelessly like him on my own.”
When Han Shumo heard this, it was as if boundless light filled his brows and eyes. He stepped in front of Qin Wanqiu. “Wanqiu, is that true? You… like me?”
Qin Wanqiu bit her lip shyly, mist gathering in her eyes. “Shumo, I’m sorry. I know there are issues with my family background. I never meant to cause you trouble. I only wanted to like you quietly, without you ever knowing for my whole life. I didn’t expect… Have I dragged you down?”
“No, no,” Han Shumo shook his head in delight. “Wanqiu, you haven’t dragged me down. Actually, I—”
“Hey, you blockhead!” Before he could finish, Jiang Sun’s voice rang out again. “I heard your life was saved by Grandpa Xu. You owe him your life. Not repaying that kindness is bad enough, but you just tried to morally blackmail my sister. You must apologize to her!”
“I didn’t! I only wanted—”
“I don’t care what you wanted! You made my sister uncomfortable and insulted her by offering more money—that’s bullying. If she’s with me, she won’t suffer even the slightest grievance. If you don’t apologize, I won’t let you and this ugly freak have an easy time either!”
Han Shumo had long heard about Jiang Sun’s unreasonable nature, but this was the first time he’d been personally entangled in it. Since reason wouldn’t work with him, he turned to someone else.
He looked at Xu Suyu, a trace of coldness on his face. “Comrade Xu, are you just going to watch Jiang Sun make a scene? Or do you also believe that I was bullying you just by asking to buy one piece of clothing from you, and that I owe you an apology?”
It wasn’t the first time Xu Suyu had seen Han Shumo look like a scholar facing a soldier—unable to argue clearly.
In the past, when she had stood by his side, whenever they encountered someone unreasonable, he wouldn’t even need to speak. She could step forward and defuse the situation effortlessly, allowing him to sit steadily in the seat of the good and righteous man.
But now…
“Comrade Han, let me ask you one thing. If someone else had just bought those three pieces of clothing, and they told you they couldn’t spare any—would you chase after them like this and pressure them to give you the clothes?”
Han Shumo froze for a moment. Would he?
He had never been someone who liked troubling others.
He was only acting this way because the person was Xu Suyu. In his eyes, Xu Suyu had always been easy to talk to.
But in this lifetime, in Xu Suyu’s eyes, he was merely a man deeply infatuated with someone else. What did his affairs have to do with her?
“Comrade Han probably wouldn’t, right? I am the granddaughter of your savior, yet just now you put me in an awkward and humiliating position. So when A-Sun asked you to apologize to me, it wasn’t unreasonable.
“As for the clothes—I will not spare them for you. Whether you choose to apologize or not depends entirely on your conscience, Comrade Han.”