Su Liumeng found Su Luo by a small river, where she was picking up pebbles.
The young girl was like a free-spirited elf of the forest. She picked up a beautiful stone, and a happy smile immediately spread across her small face. After playing with the glittering stone for a moment, she tossed it directly to the maid waiting nearby.
“Take this. When we go back, put it in Chuhua Palace.”
Su Liumeng walked up to stand in front of Su Luo.
A slender shadow fell before the girl, who was currently bending over.
Su Luo rarely used her perception skills while within the clan. Her pretty nose wrinkled, and she suddenly took two steps back.
“What are you doing?”
Su Liumeng had not expected Su Luo to be so repulsed by her presence.
She gave an awkward smile. “Want to cooperate?”
Su Luo’s gaze was suspicious, and she took another cautious step back. “What’s wrong with you this morning? Did you tell your wife you were coming to find me for a secret meeting by the river? Heh, is your wife no longer enough for you, or is my charm just at its MAX? If you dare to be unfaithful, I really will steal your wife away.”
She felt that a certain person was being mistreated.
Su Liumeng’s face darkened.
What on earth was she talking about?
She made her sound like some kind of scoundrel.
“Can your brain function normally for once? Is there nothing left in there but romance and love?”
“I’m here to discuss a business cooperation with you.”
Su Luo rolled her eyes.
‘Fine, your head isn’t filled with romance.’
‘You’ve already caught your prize, so you can act all noble.’
‘If you were like me, forced to act like a “Waiting Wife” stone every day, you might be even more ridiculous.’
Su Luo was fuming internally.
She rolled her eyes again, too lazy to argue with someone who enjoyed making sarcastic remarks.
“Why cooperate with me? My head is only filled with love. I’m different from someone like you. You definitely shouldn’t look for me to cooperate. What if I mess things up?” Su Luo’s tone was mocking. She was not actually joking; she had been a bit out of it lately, spending her days in a daze because of her unrequited love. She even spent clan meetings staring blankly at the table, looking exactly like a young girl suffering from a broken heart.
Su Liumeng paused. “You weren’t like this before.”
The old Su Luo might not have been a workaholic, but she certainly would never have ignored profits that were within her reach.
Su Luo forced a smile.
Then, she looked at Su Liumeng playfully. “Like you said, that was before. Now, I just want to be a quiet little princess. I don’t want to be involved in any disputes.”
‘What is love that it can bind one until death?’
How could she, Su Luo, not be willing to give her life for it?
This thing called love could make one’s will as firm as iron, driving them to work as if they had been injected with adrenaline, or it could make one’s will wither, leaving them with no desire to care about outside affairs.
Su Luo could not see any hope for the moment, so she could only choose the latter.
Thinking of this, she patted her small hands. Her light pink princess dress was spotless. “Alright, this lady is going home. We can talk again if something comes up.”
She gave Su Liumeng a playful wink.
Su Liumeng fell into silence once more.
She intended to test her further to see if Su Luo truly wanted to be a hands-off manager. “I have a proposal here that will definitely get you the benefits you want.”
Su Luo stopped in her tracks, her tone becoming flirtatious. “What benefits? Even if you plucked the stars from the sky for me, I might not be interested. As for the word ‘power,’ how much of it do you think it takes to satisfy a person? I lack nothing right now. Anything I like is within my reach. In other words, I’m not interested in anything you’re talking about…”
“I’m really leaving this time.” Su Luo seemed to think of something and suddenly turned back, revealing a sly smile. “I do have one thing I cannot obtain. If you’re willing to part with what you love, this cooperation isn’t entirely off the table.”
She was currently only interested in one person.
Su Liumeng could not hold back anymore and drew her sword.
*Shing!*
The sound of the blade leaving the scabbard echoed.
The surrounding area was suddenly coated in a layer of frost.
Su Luo’s figure stumbled and then dissipated into a cluster of flower petals.
‘What a joke. You dare try to steal my wife? Have you asked the sword in my hand?’
Su Luo had refused the cooperation.
After she left, Su Liumeng walked along the riverbank, rubbing her brow tiredly.
How was she supposed to implement the reforms?
Given the current situation, a quick fix seemed impossible.
It seemed she only had one path left.
She had to further consolidate power in the shadows.
Once the Su Family became her personal domain, she would be able to implement any policy smoothly.
Or…
Su Liumeng stopped walking.
Actually, there was another option.
Cultivation.
As long as she was strong enough, there would be no more voices of opposition.
***
Su Liumeng arrived at the Great Elder’s workplace and began handling clan affairs with an expressionless face.
Suddenly, she slammed her red brush down. She didn’t need to shout to look imposing, yet her presence made everyone as quiet as cicadas in winter. “Who wrote this document? Can you stop talking nonsense? Look for yourself. What’s written here? You’re asking me… ‘Good morning’? And that’s it?!”
“My morning is not good, thank you. Just looking at you gives me a headache.”
“There are so many affairs in the clan. I, as the Great Elder, truly didn’t know there was ever a time with ‘nothing to report.’ Next time, if anyone cannot get straight to the point and report matters concisely, go to the Cliff of Reflection and accept your punishment.”
Below her, a group of mid-level managers trembled.
It was just like facing the big boss of a company.
Except this was more brutal; one wrong word and you could be taken to the square for execution.
***
Tianxin Hall.
The little dumpling was lying on top of me, fast asleep.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a head of black hair.
“…”
Xi Zhiruo’s eyelashes also began to flutter.
‘I am your mother, not your bed. Can you stop crushing my ribs…’
I forced myself to move.
It hurt.
Anyone would feel uncomfortable after being pressed down by a 23-pound weight for several hours.
Xi Zhiruo tilted her head, and her small body rolled over.
Amidst the sound of my sharp intake of breath, she rolled to my left side.
The little girl lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, her little head still a bit dizzy.
Xi Zhiruo shook her head, finally realizing what she had done. “Mommy.”
Whenever she started acting sweet and spoiled like this, it meant she knew she was in the wrong.
I was speechless, one hand clutching my ribs. It still hurt quite a bit.
‘Stay… calm.’
‘Right, I’m the one who gave birth to her.’
“Waaa, I was just groggy from sleep.” Xi Zhiruo blinked her big, cute eyes. “Can you forgive Zhizhi this once?”
I was silent for a second.
Every time this girl slept, she either stepped on my stomach or crushed my ribs. I didn’t know who she had learned such bad habits from.
“There won’t be a next time.” I pretended to be angry, first pinching her soft little face into a ball and then pulling it toward both sides.
She looked exactly like a piece of gummy candy that could be pinched and kneaded into any shape.
Xi Zhiruo mumbled, trying to express her dissatisfaction.
I finally let out a small smile.
As expected, happiness is transferable.
“Mommy, you’re a bully.” Xi Zhiruo finally escaped my clutches, her small hands rubbing her cheeks.
“This is your punishment. Who told you to crush me until I was in pain?”
“I’m just a mortal. I don’t have the recovery abilities those people have.”
Hearing this, Xi Zhiruo stopped talking and lowered her head in repentance.
Breakfast was eaten at 9:35 AM.
Su Liumeng rushed back, travel-worn, arriving just in time for the steamed buns.
I took a bite of a bun, and my gaze met the little dumpling’s in mid-air.
There was no need for words between mother and daughter.
Xi Zhiruo immediately understood her mother’s thoughts.
She was the most suitable person to say these things.
Her small face suddenly became serious as she spoke to Su Liumeng.
“Su Liumeng.”
“I am about to tell you something very serious.”