Chapter 12

Feng Bai’s voice dropped an octave, devoid of any warmth. “I don’t recall making any promises to you.”

The smile on Su Ran’s face froze mid-curve.

“Didn’t we just agree?” she stammered, thrown off balance.

She couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was playing at.

Feng Bai offered her a smile that was entirely devoid of humor. “Now it’s my turn to speak. Those eyes of yours might not be anything special, but they serve a purpose. That said, I thoroughly despise the way you keep staring at me.”

The frigid tone suddenly warped into something dark, heavy, and downright suffocating.

Instinctively, Su Ran took a frightened step back.

The young man took a slow step forward, his voice a low, lethal murmur. “If you ever let those eyes linger on me again… it would be a terrible shame to lose them.”

A second passed. Su Ran suddenly remembered where they were, right in the front yard of the Su mansion. Feng Bai wouldn’t dare do anything to her here.

Yet despite that logical thought, an overwhelming, primal terror seized her throat.

“I… I… I won’t look at you anymore,” she trembled out. The boy standing before her shared the same face, yet his entire aura had transformed into something horrifyingly alien.

Feng Bai let out a low, cold sneer.

“Good. But more importantly—you will never cause trouble for Su Miao again. Do you understand me?”

Su Ran whipped her head up in shock.

Why was he dragging Su Miao into this?!

Her eyes locked onto his, and a violent chill raced straight down her spine. The young man’s eyes were as pitch-black as an endless abyss—something she had never seen in a human being before. In their depths, she saw a terrifying promise of sheer, unadulterated violence.

Under the weight of that single gaze, Su Ran nodded frantically. “I won’t… I won’t cause trouble…”

Her legs gave out, pinning her to the stone pavement. The blood in her veins felt like it was running backward.

She had no idea how much time passed before a housemaid stepped out onto the porch, calling out her name into the night.

Like a woman who had lost her soul, Su Ran stumbled back to her room. Trembling violently, she slammed the door shut and curled into a tight ball in the corner.

He was terrifying!

Feng Bai was an absolute monster!

They hadn’t seen each other in months, how had he turned into a demon?!

Su Ran wrapped her arms tightly around herself, shivering uncontrollably. It took a long time before warmth slowly trickled back into her limbs. Slumping against the door, she replayed every second of their conversation in her mind.

Feng Bai had threatened her: don’t look at him again. If she did, her eyes…

The brutal promise behind his words nearly made her faint.

She knew, with absolute, terrifying certainty, that he hadn’t been bluffing. In that moment, she didn’t doubt for a second that he was capable of taking her life.

It took forever for Su Ran to stop shaking.

Clutching her phone with icy hands, she dialed Fu Xizhou, desperate for comfort.

Fu Xizhou listened patiently, offering a few smooth, soothing assurances.

Only then did Su Ran’s frantic heart begin to settle.

Fu Xizhou was an illegitimate son of the powerful Fu family. As long as he could establish his own successful enterprise out in the corporate world, he would eventually force his way back into the Fu family estate as an official heir.

He could even challenge the legitimate line and claim the family fortune for himself.

As for Feng Bai?

No matter how brilliant Feng Bai was, he was just a lone wolf stripped of his family’s wealth. How could a broke former prince ever compete with the vast empire of the Fu family?

The thought restored Su Ran’s resolve. She needed to help Fu Xizhou execute his plan as quickly as possible. Once he succeeded, she could wash her hands of the Su family and leave this place for good.

That way, she’d never have to face Feng Bai or Su Miao ever again.

Still… no matter how much she rationalized it, a bitter resentment gnawed at her core. Su Miao and Feng Bai shouldn’t be together!

Su Miao wasn’t worthy of him!

Following Feng Bai’s lethal warning, Su Ran behaved herself for two full days, keeping her head down and staying out of sight.

Meanwhile, Feng Bai became an instant favorite among the Su family household. He was polite, poised, strikingly handsome, and effortlessly charming.

He was the polar opposite of the terrifying monster who had threatened her in the garden.

Had the memory of that encounter not been burned into her soul, Su Ran would have convinced herself she had dreamed the whole nightmare up.

With Feng Bai staying under their roof, Su Miao stopped running out of the house. She spent every waking moment glued to his side.

Watching their effortless closeness day after day pushed Su Ran to the absolute brink of envy.

Moreover, with Su Miao constantly lounging around the estate, Su Ran couldn’t find a single window of opportunity to slip upstairs into Su Hang’s private study. After a frantic exchange of messages with Fu Xizhou, they decided to fast-track their backup plan.

That evening…

The family gathered around the grand dining table.

Su Miao sat right beside Feng Bai, who attentively placed choice pieces of food onto her plate throughout the meal.

Su Ran watched the sweet interaction, her face twisted in quiet jealousy. She turned to Su Hang. “Uncle, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

Su Hang paused, setting down his chopsticks. “Go ahead, Ran.” It was rare for her to ask for anything, especially since she had been unusually quiet ever since Feng Bai moved in.

Wen Jiu’s hand paused for a fraction of a second before she resumed eating normally.

Su Miao lowered her head, a flicker of sharp vigilance crossing her eyes.

Beside her, Feng Bai’s gaze darkened slightly.

Around the table, everyone possessed their own silent suspicions regarding Su Ran’s sudden request.

Unaware of the unspoken currents in the room, Su Ran put on a shy, hesitant smile. “Well… it’s like this… I… I actually have a boyfriend. He knows I’ve been staying with you and Auntie for a while now, and he asked if he could come over to pay his respects… I was wondering if that would be convenient?”

Su Hang blinked, surprised. It turned out Su Ran had a boyfriend too.

His gaze instinctively drifted toward his own daughter.

Honestly, both girls were in college now; having a boyfriend was completely natural.

He stole another glance at Feng Bai…

Well, at least the kid was undeniably good-looking!

Noticing Su Hang’s hesitation, Su Ran called out softly, “Uncle?”

Su Hang snapped back to reality. “Of course it’s convenient! I’m sure Ran’s boyfriend is an exceptional young man!” Before even meeting the guy, Su Hang handed out a generous compliment.

Su Miao let out a series of dry, dramatic coughs, shooting her father a deeply unimpressed glare.

Feng Bai had been living here for days, and she hadn’t heard her dad compliment him once! When Feng Bai was clearly the most brilliant guy on the planet!

And Su Ran’s boyfriend?

Fu Xizhou?

To call him ‘exceptional’ was an absolute joke!

Su Miao remarked sweetly, “Dad, you haven’t even met her boyfriend yet, and you’re already calling him exceptional?”

Su Hang: “…” What was he supposed to do? Criticize the girl’s boyfriend to her face during dinner?

Wen Jiu offered a smooth, graceful smile, throwing her husband a lifeline. “What Miao Miao means is that if you’re throwing out compliments to Ran’s boyfriend, you should give little Bai his fair share too.”

In Wen Jiu’s eyes, a young man of Feng Bai’s rare caliber was destined for extraordinary success. His future was blindingly bright.

More importantly, he adored her daughter. As for why he hadn’t formally confessed yet, she understood completely.

Young men possessed fierce pride. Since Feng Bai was currently building his empire from scratch, he naturally wanted to establish a solid foundation before asking for her daughter’s hand.

And don’t ask how she knew, the restrained devotion in his eyes spoke volumes. She was basically reading off a crystal-clear script!

Su Hang stared at his wife in sheer disbelief. “Little Bai??? Since when did his name change so drastically?!”

Wen Jiu raised an eyebrow, her expression plainly asking: Got a problem with that?

Su Hang looked at Feng Bai, a sudden wave of existential panic settling in his chest. It had only been a few days, and ‘Feng Bai’ had already evolved into ‘Little Bai.’ Was this kid basically part of the family now?!