Chapter 15

Su Ran sat completely frozen, her mind a blank slate. For a long moment, she couldn’t muster a single word of defense.

Those exact arguments were indeed the very ones she had used on Su Miao. But back then, she had merely been desperate to sabotage Su Miao’s confession to Feng Bai, blurting out whatever manipulative nonsense came to mind. Who could have predicted that Su Miao would memorize her words so thoroughly and throw them back in her face like a set of razor-sharp daggers?

Her complexion shifted through a rainbow of embarrassment as she scrambled to regain control of the narrative. “I know, but…”

Su Miao fixed her cousin with a look of profound, solemn concern.

“Cousin, there are no ‘buts’! Look at the man sitting right beside you! The second you brought this up, his immediate, instinctive reaction was to refuse. He doesn’t want you begging my father, and he certainly doesn’t want to work at my father’s company!”

“Besides, your boyfriend is such an extraordinary talent, finding a prestigious position elsewhere must be a walk in the park for him! Why on earth would you stomp all over his fierce male pride?”

Su Ran: “…”

Fu Xizhou: “…” No, you don’t understand! I literally want nothing more than to break into the Su family business!

My earlier refusal was pure performance!

I genuinely do not care about my pride!

Fu Xizhou ground his back molars together, forcing his facial muscles to maintain a calm, gentlemanly smile.

Su Ran was on the verge of tears from sheer, unadulterated fury.

They had spent weeks meticulously crafting this exact strategy to slide Fu Xizhou into the Su family’s inner corporate circle! How could it be blown to pieces in a matter of seconds by this spoiled brat?!

To make matters worse, Su Miao wasn’t done pouring fuel on the fire.

Su Miao turned a bright, radiant smile toward Fu Xizhou. “Mr. Fu, tell me, you treasure your independence and self-respect above all else, don’t you? Please, say it out loud for my cousin so she can rest easy! Tell her that you are more than capable of forging your own brilliant future! Tell her that you’ll work hard to build an empire of your own, give her an extraordinary life, and take care of her forever!”

Free motivational speeches for the soul were always readily available upon request.

Beside her, Wen Jiu was fighting a losing battle against a burst of laughter. Unable to hold it in any longer, she chimed in with graceful authority. “Miao Miao makes a valid point. Ran, you’re being far too impatient, and impatience leads to sloppy thinking. I know your intentions are pure and that you only want the best for Xizhou, and I’m sure Xizhou doesn’t blame you for the overstep. Isn’t that right, Xizhou?”

Wen Jiu turned her sharp, smiling eyes toward Fu Xizhou.

Fu Xizhou ground his teeth, offering a stiff, forced nod. “Yes… Auntie is absolutely right. Su Miao is correct as well.”

With the conversation backed into this corner, what else could he possibly say? He couldn’t destroy his own refined facade just to argue with an eighteen-year-old girl! Even if he didn’t care about his pride, could he actually say that out loud? If he admitted to wanting a free handout, what would Su Hang think of him? The pristine, noble image he had worked so hard to cultivate would shatter into a million pieces.

Su Miao delivered the final, biting blow. “See, Cousin? Your boyfriend agrees completely. Oh, don’t look so down! The two of you share such a deep, beautiful bond. I can tell a little misunderstanding like this won’t cause a fight. One of you is so sweet, generous, and forgiving, while the other is noble, humble, and fiercely independent. It’s a match made in heaven!”

Underneath the dining table, Su Ran dug her fingernails so deeply into her own thighs that her knuckles turned white, forcing out a rigid, painful smile.

“I was being short-sighted… Thank you for reminding me, Miao Miao.”

Su Miao smiled back sweetly. “Oh, don’t mention it! You gave me the exact same reminder a while back.” Consider this a full refund.

Su Ran’s smile faltered, her expression a contorted mask of suppressed rage. “…”

Oh, she certainly knew how to ‘remind’ people!

She stared intently at Su Miao. A sudden, chilling suspicion flared in her chest, was Su Miao intentionally targeting her?! Did Su Miao somehow know about her past confession to Feng Bai?!

Out of nowhere, a violent, bone-chilling cold washed over her spine. A dark, murderous gaze locked onto her. Su Ran instantly ducked her head, not daring to utter another syllable, let alone glance in Su Miao’s direction.

“…” He was terrifying!

In her blind rage, she had almost forgotten Feng Bai was sitting right there. His lethal warning from two nights ago felt as fresh as if it had happened five minutes ago…

A wave of icy dread swept through her veins. Since when had a single glance from Feng Bai possessed the power to paralyze her with pure terror?

The remainder of the meal passed in excruciating silence.

Su Hang sat there looking entirely bewildered. “…”

Wait, he hadn’t even gotten a chance to speak yet? How had the entire matter been settled without his input?

He glanced at his wife, then at his daughter, noticing their complete agreement. Realizing he was outvoted, he wisely kept his mouth shut. He had no desire to spend another solitary night sleeping on the cold study couch.

Shortly after lunch, Fu Xizhou took his leave. As his girlfriend, Su Ran hurriedly escorted him out to his car, her movements tense and frantic.

Having successfully dismantled Fu Xizhou’s scheme to infiltrate her family’s firm, Su Miao was in a grand mood. Still, she knew that given the situation, Su Ran and Fu Xizhou would inevitably cook up another dark plot before long.

Meanwhile, Feng Bai kept his dark gaze fixed on Su Miao, looking as though he had something important to say.

Su Miao thought it over for a second before offering softly, “Want to go for a quick walk outside?”

“Okay,” Feng Bai agreed without hesitation.

Watching the two young people stroll out into the garden together, Su Hang felt a wave of deeply complex emotions. “…”

Ah, kids these days certainly possessed thick skin, flaunting their romance right under their parents’ noses.

He let out a heavy sigh and trudged upstairs.

The moment they stepped beyond the front gates and turned the corner into a secluded pathway, Feng Bai took Su Miao’s hand, pulling her back and pinning her gently against the brick wall.

“Back then… the reason you kept hot and cold with me… was it really because of what Su Ran told you?”

He had never quite understood her sudden distance in the past, but everything had finally clicked into place. All he needed was her final confirmation.

Su Miao gave a shy, sheepish nod.

“Yeah… Do you think I was really stupid?”

Just because of Su Ran’s manipulative words, she hadn’t dared to get close to him, let alone confess her feelings, terrified that her love would invite cruel gossip and ruin his reputation.

She really had been a fool. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been played so easily by Su Ran in her past life.

The dark intensity in Feng Bai’s eyes softened completely. The single lingering thorn in his heart had finally been extracted. He nodded with helpless affection. “Yeah… foolish, silly, and ridiculously naive…”

Su Miao: “???” Hey! I was just being modestly self-deprecating!

Wasn’t he supposed to reassure her and offer sweet comfort?!

She shot him a deeply dissatisfied pout, waiting for his follow-up words.

Feng Bai’s dark eyes were sharp enough to see right through her childish, unhidden thoughts. Reaching out with a long, elegant finger, he gently pinched her soft cheek, his voice dropping into a low, hypnotic purr.

“But… I love every bit of it.”

Su Miao’s face exploded into a fiery, crimson blush. Wait, wait, wait! She had come out here expecting sweet comfort, not an out-of-nowhere, heart-stopping confession!

Hold on…

Flustered beyond belief, her brain completely short-circuited. She needed time to breathe, time to process.

Watching the adorable wave of panic washing over her face, Feng Bai’s heart melted into complete tenderness. “Close your eyes.”

“Huh?” Su Miao blinked in total confusion.

Before she could process his command, the world before her went dark.

With a heavy sigh, Feng Bai covered Su Niao’s eyes with one hand. His other arm slid around her waist, pinning her firmly against the wall before he drew her into a deep, breathless kiss…

Over in the corner, Su Ran and Fu Xizhou were at each other’s throats. Their failed scheme had quickly devolved into a bitter shouting match. It was the first time Fu Xizhou had ever snapped at her, leaving Su Ran seething with a mixture of rage and helpless frustration. But how could she have predicted Su Niao would throw her exact words back in her face? Who could have possibly seen that coming?

Su Ran was so furious she was on the verge of tears. Self-pity gnawed at her, she felt utterly wronged, yet there was no one to comfort her. She couldn’t confide this bitter grievance to a single soul; all she could do was swallow it down in silence.

This was the path she had chosen.

It took Su Ran a long time standing outside to gather herself. She couldn’t let anyone in the Su family catch on that something was wrong. But as she rounded the quiet corner leading to the house, she froze.

Her feet felt anchored to the ground, heavy as lead. All she could do was stand there, staring in utter disbelief. There he was, the boy who usually appeared as aloof and untouched as the distant moon, yet treated her with cold indifference, pinning Su Niao against the wall, kissing her senseless.