Chapter 19

Still, even Wen Jiu hadn’t anticipated that Su Ran’s heart could be so thoroughly rotten. Hearing those vile words would make anyone’s blood boil.

Su Niao nodded slowly. Fair enough. It was just a bit of a shame that Su Ran wouldn’t be sharing a prison cell with her father and brother.

As they were talking, the study door opened again. Su Hang stepped back into the hallway. As he passed Wen Jiu, his expression was completely composed.

“Contact the press,” he said calmly. “Issue a formal public statement announcing that our family has officially cut all ties with Su Ran.”

“Will do,” Wen Jiu replied, a faint smile touching her lips.

Su Hang was never one to wallow once his mind was made up. When it was time to be decisive, he moved swiftly and without hesitation, a quality that brought Su Niao immense satisfaction.

Publicly cutting ties meant there was no turning back.

“Oh, right, the documents Su Ran saw were all fake, weren’t they?” Su Niao asked.

Wen Jiu nodded. “Of course. It was all a trap to make her expose herself. Did you really think I’d let her lay eyes on the actual project plans?” She was hardly that naive.

With the whole Su Ran fiasco finally dealt with, a wave of relief washed over Su Niao.

She tilted her head, glancing up at Feng Bai. “Can I still come see where you work?” She had originally used that as an excuse while Su Ran was around, but deep down, she genuinely wanted to check it out.

Feng Bai had no reason to refuse. “Sure. How about we head over right now?”

“Sounds great!” Su Niao fell into step beside him, practically bursting with joy.

Exposing Su Ran felt like a far bigger win than almost anything else in her life right now.

Noticing her mood, Feng Bai looked down at her with fond amusement. “You’re that happy?”

Su Niao gave an honest nod. “Mhm.” Then, a sudden thought struck her. She had just slapped Su Ran earlier, would Feng Bai think she was some kind of aggressive bully?

She hesitated for a second before adding softly, “Actually, I’m usually very gentle… I don’t just go around slapping people.”

Leaning over, Feng Bai pulled the seatbelt across her and clicked it into place. “I know. Honestly, I’m pretty gentle myself. That kick earlier was strictly an issue with my force control.”

Su Niao: “…”

So, she landed a slap, he delivered a kick. Perfect match.

Quickly changing the subject, Su Niao asked, “Will my coming to your company distract you from your work?”

“Not at all.” Feng Bai reached out with one hand, gently patting her head. “If anything, having you there gives me motivation.”

Su Niao: “…”

Once again, her heart fluttered wildly at his effortless charm.

After fleeing the Su estate, Su Ran went straight to Fu Xizhou. She was fully expecting a shower of praise and gratitude for everything she had pulled off.

Instead, she was greeted with a stinging slap across the face.

Su Ran stared at him in utter disbelief. “Are you out of your mind?! I sacrificed everything for you! I burned every bridge I had with them, and you strike me?!”

Her cheek, already sore and tender from Su Niao’s slap, flared with fresh, throbbing pain. She hadn’t even bothered going to a hospital, choosing to bring the stolen files straight to him, and this was how he treated her?!

Fu Xizhou gripped his phone tightly, his eyes bloodshot and unhinged. “Do you have shit for brains?! Did you even bother reading the stuff you photographed?! It’s fake! All of it!”

Su Ran’s jaw dropped.

Fake?

How could it be fake?!

She had personally snapped those photos with her own hands…

Wait.

It hit Su Ran like a physical blow. If Wen Jiu and the others already knew what she was up to, then how could the sensitive documents left so conveniently in the study… ever have been real?

A sudden dizzying wave of nausea swept over her.

Of course. If those files were genuine, Wen Jiu would have never let her walk out of that house so easily.

Su Ran clutched her hair in sheer frustration. How could I have been so stupid?!

Losing his temper completely, Fu Xizhou slammed his phone onto the ground, shattering it. The raw, violent frenzy in his posture sent a cold shiver down Su Ran’s spine. She had never seen him look this terrifying.

Overcome by fear, she piped up cautiously, “W-we can figure out another way… If this project doesn’t work, we can find another angle to force the Fu family to recognize you…”

“AAAAAAHHH!”

Su Ran cowered in terror as Fu Xizhou began smashing everything within arm’s reach. Shrinking into a corner, she had no idea what she had said to trigger such a reaction.

Fu Xizhou glared at her with dark, hollow eyes, he looked completely unhinged.

“Another angle?! What other angle do I have?!” he roared. “Fu Chengyu came to find me again! He told me to get the hell out of Ancheng and never step foot on his turf again! But why?! We share the same damn bloodline! Why does he get everything while I get left with nothing?! I won’t accept this!”

Su Ran hung her head, her fingers digging into her palms. “I won’t accept it either… Why does Su Niao get everything?”

Su Niao had the backing of the Su family, and now she had Feng Bai, too!

Feng Bai was so gentle, so devoted to Su Niao. Meanwhile, what did she have?

Meanwhile, Feng Bai led Su Niao upstairs.

“This floor is our main office space.”

Su Niao nodded, glancing around. Suddenly, her brow furrowed. “Wait… Feng Bai, does your company not have any employees yet?”

Why was the entire floor completely deserted? She looked around, deeply confused.

Before she could ask, she turned around—only to find that Feng Bai had vanished into thin air.

Su Niao: “???”

She stood frozen in her tracks. Was she dreaming? Or did Feng Bai have some sudden emergency to attend to?

As she hesitated, her phone vibrated in her hand. It was a text from Feng Bai:

Don’t be scared. Just follow the signs.

“???” Signs?

Su Niao scanned her surroundings until her eyes caught a small white sign placed on a stand nearby: 【Walk forward five meters, then turn left.】

Su Niao: “…”

Ah, I get it now. A scavenger hunt! Smiling to herself, she happily decided to play along.

Following the instructions step by step, Su Niao quickly arrived at a spacious executive office.

Back in the apartment, Su Ran was under the delusion that Feng Bai was soft and gentle, conveniently forgetting that he was the one who had kicked her to the ground. She narrowed her eyes, a venomous glint flickering in her gaze.

No. She refused to let Su Niao live happily ever after while she suffered in the dirt!

“Xizhou… as long as we’re still breathing, we still have a chance to turn the tables, right?”

Su Ran looked up, a sinister smile creeping onto her face.

Fu Xizhou seemed to instantly read the malice behind her smile. His expression darkened, a cruel grin matching hers. “You’re right.”

At their core, they were the exact same kind of ruthless, desperate creatures. If they weren’t, they never would have ended up together in the first place…

Meanwhile, at the office, Su Niao looked around the newly decorated space.

Truth was, she had been wanting to ask Feng Bai about this for a while now. His company was originally supposed to launch in Jingcheng, why the sudden change of plans to relocate the entire operation to Ancheng? Setting up a corporate headquarters was a massive undertaking that dictated everything down the line.

She made a mental note to find a good time to ask him what had prompted the sudden pivot.

Looking at the sleek, minimalist interior design, it definitely carried Feng Bai’s signature taste.

“Feng Bai?” she called out tentatively.

She was completely in the dark about what he was setting up.

Just then, soft, melodic music began to swell through the hidden speakers. Vibrant, colorful balloons floated out from around the corner as if by magic. Su Niao heard the quiet cadence of footsteps behind her and turned around.

There stood Feng Bai, looking striking in a tailored black suit. He was walking slowly toward her, holding a lush bouquet of pure white roses.

Su Niao froze, her breath catching in her throat as she watched him close the distance between them. He stopped right in front of her, sank down onto one knee, and looked up into her eyes.

“Niao Niao, my career is just taking off, and right now, I don’t have much to my name. I can’t promise you grand treasures yet, but what I can give you is my whole heart. I love you, I adore you, and I want to cherish you in every single detail of our daily life.”

He looked at her with unreserved tenderness. “I won’t make empty promises about what kind of future I’ll build for you; I just want you to know that from this moment on, my future belongs entirely to you. So… will you marry me?”

He hadn’t originally planned to propose so soon. But he could feel it in his heart, she loved him just as deeply.