My head was held down from behind, and I was kissed so fiercely I nearly suffocated.
Can you imagine it?
It’s like my mind went completely blank, unable to tell up from down.
My clothes were already a mess, and I shoved Su Liumeng away with all my strength.
Just who did she learn this from?!
A kiss is one thing, but why did her hand have to sneak under my clothes as well?
Damn it, I glared at her angrily, my voice gritted through clenched teeth, “Su Liumeng, do you already know what I want to say?”
At this point, how could I not realize the tricks she was playing.
All that stuff about not hearing me in the classroom—every bit of it was a lie.
She did it on purpose, just to keep me from saying those words.
I took a deep breath, forced down my emotions, and prepared to keep my promise—to give her a chance to explain.
“Yes, I’ve always known,” Su Liumeng replied in a low voice.
“You—” My tone faltered. Fine, she’s not even willing to lie to me anymore. My voice suddenly rose.
“You knew I wanted to confess, and you still deliberately stopped me? Su Liumeng, if you didn’t want to date me, why did you keep teasing me from the very start?”
A tightness pressed on my chest, my anger refusing to dissipate, so I stomped hard on her foot.
“Baby, let me explain.” Su Liumeng hurriedly said, about to drop to her knees in surrender at any sign of trouble. I snapped back, “I already told you last time, who taught you this? You’re not allowed to just kneel whenever you want.”
“It’s not like I won’t listen to your explanation.”
Su Liumeng squeezed out a reply, “From the domineering CEOs on TV.”
“……”
I twisted my head stubbornly, like a mule, but still let Su Liumeng pull me out to the balcony to sit down.
I stared at the beautiful profile of the girl beside me.
Su Liumeng, you’d better give me an answer.
Don’t let me down.
“The first thing is important: I can’t let you confess first. This kind of thing should be done by me. Otherwise, how could I say I’ve chased you for almost ten years?” Su Liumeng was concise, keeping it short.
“The second thing, and the most important one…”
Ten minutes later.
I hung my head obediently, no longer showing any trace of anger, and summarized what she’d just said, “This trial at the Su Family is extremely important—it decides whether you can become a true power-holder in the future. So you want to wait until you have enough strength, until you’re no longer afraid of the Su Family’s control, and then you’ll officially confess to me, so we can be together openly?”
To be honest.
Hearing her explain how she wanted to let the whole world know about our love, I was genuinely moved. The little bit of grievance I’d felt earlier vanished instantly.
Since she already has her own plans, what right do I have to be angry?
It’s only a month—am I really so impatient that I can’t wait?
Su Liumeng clapped her hands and replied, “That’s about it.” Who said Si Xinyan wasn’t smart? Her little Yan was pretty clever.
“Alright.” My eyes curved like a crescent moon as I gently took her hand. “I’ll wait for you.”
With my wish fulfilled, I felt wonderful, my feet unconsciously swinging back and forth.
Suddenly, Su Liumeng grabbed my ankle. As I stared at her in a daze, she slowly placed both my legs on her knees. I was about to say something when she said, “Don’t move. Let me massage your legs for a while.”
“Okay.” I shrank my body a bit to give her more space.
In this moment.
I wished there weren’t so many storms in life, so this warmth could last forever.
*****
October 28.
Su Liumeng was obviously busier, on the phone all day long.
When she argued with Su Mother, I listened from the side, hearing that familiar, suffocating voice through the receiver. My heart felt as if it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.
Su Mother was born into another prestigious family, and her marriage to Su Father was a business arrangement.
Su Father had no one he truly loved. To climb higher, he readily agreed to his father-in-law’s plan.
Su Mother had once lost in the struggle for power, so she poured all her unwillingness into the next generation. It was as if only by raising a true dragon among people could she prove she wasn’t a failure and hold her head high in her own family again.
Her entire life was bound by the rules of a great clan. Deep down, she was more like a feudal, old-fashioned matron, every word and deed carrying the authority of an ancient household’s mistress. Fortunately, there was no longer much preference for sons over daughters. Otherwise, Su Liumeng would surely have a brother burdened with even greater expectations.
“This trial, all the other main bloodlines will participate. Your father was useless back then, only getting a sequence three spot. You are the genius our Third Main Bloodline is raising with all its strength. If you get a worse result this time, don’t blame me for not treating you as my daughter.”
Facing Su Mother’s pressure, Su Liumeng replied steadily, “Your daughter will give it her all.”
“There will be about a hundred people participating in the trial, but only seven will succeed in the end—those are the candidates for the seven positions of power in the future.” Su Mother suddenly snorted coldly.
“One last reminder: Yuheng will also be in the trial. How you weigh the pros and cons—I don’t need to tell you, do I?”
Su Liumeng’s fists clenched tight.
I reached over and held her hand, giving her a gentle smile, trying to ease her tension.
Su Liumeng shook her head at me, then spoke into the phone, “Your daughter understands.”
“Time to stop playing around. Have you broken up with that plaything from Beiqing yet?”
Su Mother’s sudden words made my face go pale.
“I understand you’re under pressure, and as your mother, I know sometimes you need someone to have fun with, to relax. I’ve been there, I understand how you feel.”
“But now it’s time to focus. Give him some money and send him away.”
Su Liumeng’s eyes lowered, “Yes.”
“People from great families can’t afford to indulge in romance. Now repeat it for me.”
Biting her silver teeth, Su Liumeng’s heart was in agony. Looking at my ashen face, a faint mist formed in her eyes. Finally, she closed her eyes and spoke heavily, “I can’t have any feelings. I will obey Mother’s orders and finish in the top two in the Su Family’s trial.”
Su Mother let out a satisfied laugh, “Good, good, that’s the daughter I raised. Don’t forget your promise. If I find you tangled up with anyone again, don’t blame me for using the Su Family’s rules.”
“Your daughter knows. I won’t trouble Mother.”
A teardrop fell on the back of Su Liumeng’s hand.
She instinctively turned to look and saw the girl’s eyes already red, still caring for her, trying hard not to make a sound as she cried silently so as not to reveal her presence.
Su Liumeng’s eyes suddenly reddened as well.
Such a strong person, but in the face of her beloved’s tears, she couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore.
Su Mother was still chuckling, but suddenly her tone turned vicious, “Jiujiu, you know, Mother doesn’t like failures.”
“Let me be clear.”
“Yuheng is your father’s illegitimate son. He won’t put all his eggs in one basket. If you don’t succeed, he’ll abandon you without hesitation.”
“When that happens, I’ll have to protect myself, so don’t blame me for not recognizing you.”
Su Liumeng gulped down two big breaths just to steady her voice, “There is no such word as ‘failure’ in your daughter’s dictionary.”
Beep, beep, beep.
The call ended.
Su Liumeng was about to explain, but before she could, I threw myself into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably, “Su Liumeng, you don’t need to explain. I understand… I really do. You’re saying all this just to protect me.”
“I’m just sad that I never knew how much pressure you’ve been bearing behind my back.”
Su Liumeng gently patted my back. “For this trial, I have only one goal: to take first place. Only the first place is a candidate for the head of the family, with a status equal to the former heir. The heir has entered the center of power and holds a crucial voting right. Then I won’t be controlled by them anymore. Even if they want to settle accounts with me, I’ll have the confidence to break with them and gain my own freedom.”
Hearing the determination in Su Liumeng’s voice, I suddenly grew anxious. Biting my lip hard, I looked up sharply, “No, I just want you to survive.”
A bigger goal means greater risks.
The Su Family is such a huge clan. This generation alone produced more than a hundred prodigies, all competing in one place. Isn’t that the same as raising venomous insects against each other?
It’s truly a Dragon Pool Tiger Den.
Si Zhiruo still hasn’t awakened, and I can’t bring myself to say I’ll kill the whole Su Family.
After spending so long with Gui Ying, my personality seems to have been influenced a little.
But once I calmed down, I realized that no matter what, Su Liumeng still has Su Family blood. I couldn’t do such a heartless thing.