Chapter 16

It felt as though something inside Su Ran shattered into a million pieces. The tears she had been desperately holding back finally spilled over.

She stared at them through gritted teeth. Feng Bai’s touch had softened, handling Su Niao as if she were the most precious treasure in the world. The envy that had long taken root in Su Ran’s chest now flared up, consuming her completely.

Forcing herself to look away, she dragged her heavy steps forward.

Once inside the Su estate, she headed straight for the living room and sank into a chair, lost in thought. A moment later, a scheming smirk curled at the corner of her lips.

Meanwhile, Su Niao floated back to her room in a daze, still trying to make sense of how things had gotten so out of hand. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, a goofy grin spread across her face—until she suddenly froze.

Her reflection stared back at her: cheeks flushed, earlobes burning a deep crimson. But that wasn’t even the worst of it… Her lips were visibly swollen.

Su Niao’s head buzzed. “…”

It took a few long seconds for her brain to come back online.

Wait a minute, wasn’t the timeline a little out of order? She hadn’t confessed to Feng Bai, and he hadn’t confessed to her either. How on earth had they ended up kissing?

She tilted her head, trying to piece it together, but her mind was an absolute blank.

Whatever, she thought. I’ll just confess to him first! Who says the guy has to make the first move anyway?

Giddy with anticipation, Su Niao pulled out her phone. She spent the next hour researching confession tips, and, as an afterthought, looking up how to reduce lip swelling.

She didn’t leave her room for the rest of the afternoon. When dinner rolled around, she gave herself a thorough once-over in the mirror, checked that her face looked normal, and finally headed downstairs.

Three steps down, she hesitated, turned right back around, and meticulously touched up her makeup.

When Su Niao finally reached the dining room, she noticed only Wen Jiu and Su Ran were seated at the table.

“Wait, where’s Feng Bai?” Su Niao asked, caught off guard.

Wen Jiu glanced up at her. “He had some business to take care of right after he got back from your walk. He won’t be eating with us tonight.”

Su Niao’s heart instantly plummeted. She had built up all this courage to confess, and now she wouldn’t even get to see him?

Noticing her crestfallen expression as she sat down, Wen Jiu chuckled. “Niao Niao, make sure you take small bites while you eat.”

Su Niao looked at her, bewildered. “Why?”

“Oh, no reason,” Wen Jiu replied, her voice laced with deliberate amusement. “It’s just that when Feng Bai was leaving, I noticed the corner of his lip was split. He claimed he accidentally bit himself during lunch. So I’m just reminding you to be careful, wouldn’t want you biting your own lip, too.”

Su Niao stiffened mid-motion, her face flushing crimson as she gave a sheepish nod. “Okay…”

Her mother’s subtle jab wasn’t subtle at all. Instant heat rushed to her ears, sending her thoughts into a tailspin.

Wait… earlier this afternoon… did I bite his lip? Was I really that aggressive?!

Su Niao buried her head, silently chewing her food. A moment later, Wen Jiu’s soft chuckles broke the silence.

“…”

How was she supposed to eat under these conditions?!

Su Niao looked up, pouting in protest. “Stop laughing!”

“Why shouldn’t I laugh?” Wen Jiu teased. “I’m laughing at your father! Something urgent came up at work and he had to dash back to the office, so he’s missing his favorite dinner tonight. Isn’t that hilarious?”

“…Not funny at all,” Su Niao mumbled.

“Alright, fine, I’ll stop,” Wen Jiu said smoothly.

“…” Su Niao was ninety-nine percent sure her mother was laughing at her, but she had zero proof.

Having been ignored the entire time, Su Ran seemed to have reached her absolute limit. She abruptly stood up, cutting through their banter. “I’m done eating. I’ll be in my room.”

Wen Jiu didn’t even bother looking at her, keeping her warm smile fixed on her daughter instead. Good things were clearly on the horizon.

Once Su Ran was out of earshot, Su Niao looked over at her mother. “Mom, you don’t feel bad for her, do you?”

Wen Jiu raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

“Niao Niao, what are you talking about? I’m no saint. She waltzed into our family with malicious intentions, why shouldn’t we retaliate? Feel sorry for her? Please, do I look like I’ve lost my mind?”

If they didn’t fight back, they would be the ones played for fools. This wasn’t some playground game anymore.

Speaking of which, Su Hang really was a piece of work. Wen Jiu still couldn’t fathom how he could be so dense. What had she ever seen in him back then? Thank goodness her daughter had inherited her brains!

Su Ran had picked up whispers about the internal power dynamics of the Fu family. Currently, the lion’s share of the family assets was controlled by Fu Chengyu. If Fu Chengyu wanted to crush Fu Xizhou, it wouldn’t take much effort at all.

Still, Fu Xizhou hadn’t provoked Fu Chengyu lately, so why had he suddenly landed in his crosshairs?

“Su Ran, you’re my only hope now,” Fu Xizhou said, his tone dead serious. “We need to get our hands on the Su family’s project proposal, fast. It’s the only bargaining chip I have to secure my position in the Fu family.”

“I get it,” Su Ran replied, settling her expression. “I’ll… I’ll try again!”

Hanging up, determination hardened in her eyes. This time, she couldn’t afford to fail.

There was a major joint venture on the line, with subsidiaries of both the Fu and Su corporations competing fiercely for the contract. If Fu Xizhou could secure the Su family’s proposal, the credit would be entirely his—and it would be his golden ticket into the upper echelons of the Fu family!

Meanwhile, Wen Jiu urged Su Niao to finish her meal, refusing to let Su Ran ruin her mood.

Truth was, ever since Fu Xizhou left that afternoon, Wen Jiu had already dispatched her people to look into him. Her gut had told her he was trouble.

If Su Niao hadn’t stepped in to stop it, Su Hang might have actually let Fu Xizhou slide into the company. No matter how you looked at him, the guy was up to no good.

Back in her room, Su Ran dialed Fu Xizhou again. This time, her tone was soft and accommodating, shedding her earlier hostility.

Fu Xizhou, however, sounded completely frayed.

“Su Ran, something came up on my end. I’ll call you back later.” Before she could reply, the line went dead.

Su Ran stared at her phone, a cold sense of dread settling in her chest. She waited anxiously for nearly an hour before he finally called back.

“Fu Xizhou? What happened? Is everything okay?”

Fu Xizhou struggled to keep his panic and rage under control. “The Fu family… they sent someone after me.”

“The Fu family…?” Su Ran froze. “You mean… Young Master Fu Chengyu?”

Time was running out. Su Ran had to get her hands on that project proposal immediately.

What she failed to realize, however, was that pulling off dirty tricks was rarely as easy as it seemed…

After her shower, Su Niao picked up her phone out of habit. Right on cue, Su Ran’s recorded voice began playing through the speaker. Hearing Su Ran plot her move against the company’s project proposal, Su Niao merely shook her head. She tucked her phone away, tossing it casually in her hand.

On the very first day of her second chance at life, the morning Su Ran first set foot in the Su house. Su Niao had planted a hidden listening device in the living room. Now, it was finally paying off.

Call her ruthless if you wanted, but when her family had been torn apart in her past life, Su Ran hadn’t felt a single shred of remorse.

With a faint smirk, Su Niao saved the recording and headed out of her room to find her mother.