Morning light spilled gently over the Su family’s elegant spiral staircase, making the carved railing gleam like it had been dusted with gold.
Su Wanli followed behind Meng Wange step by step, quietly observing her surroundings and trying to memorize the key areas—she didn’t want to end up lost in her own house.
‘Okay, that’s the bathroom… that one looks like a guest room… and over there, probably a gym…’
[The system will soon provide the host with a complete map of the Su residence. Don’t worry about memorizing the layout—basic functions like this won’t require your attention.]
‘Fine. At least you’re not totally useless.’
Su Wanli withdrew her gaze and focused intently on the girl walking ahead of her—Meng Wange, the heroine, who somehow even made walking look graceful.
It had only been a few minutes since they left her room, yet Meng Wange had already changed into a crisp white jacket and tied her brown hair into a sleek high ponytail.
With every step, her hair swayed gently—first to the left, then to the right—drawing the eye without even trying.
There was also a faint scent lingering in the air—something sweet and fruity—but Su Wanli couldn’t quite identify it, and it was beginning to irritate her.
‘It shouldn’t hurt to get a little closer and take a sniff, right?’
She inched forward, leaned in slightly, and carefully took a whiff.
‘Hmm… fruity. Cherry, maybe?’
Still not sure.
One more sniff…
“…”
For some reason, Meng Wange suddenly stopped walking.
She turned her head, and before Su Wanli could react, their faces were nearly touching—she almost bumped her nose into Meng Wange’s.
Caught off guard by the sudden closeness, Su Wanli stumbled back a couple of steps, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.
“Meng—Meng Wange! What are you doing!?”
“…Sorry. My back just started itching all of a sudden.”
Meng Wange scratched the back of her neck, offering an apologetic nod.
Her eyes flicked briefly to Su Wanli’s hands.
That odd itchy feeling on her back—she hadn’t felt something like that since someone had once tried to stuff something down her shirt.
A childish bullying tactic, really.
But Su Wanli didn’t seem to be holding anything.
She had gotten awfully close, though.
‘Was she planning something?’
‘Maybe she tried to smear some kind of invisible irritant on her back—something that wouldn’t show up, but would cause an allergic reaction during the banquet…’
Meng Wange glanced at Su Wanli’s expression.
Aside from some surprise and an ambiguous blush on her face, she didn’t look guilty.
‘…I’m probably overthinking things.’
***
The Su residence was even larger than Meng Wange had expected.
Her and Su Wanli’s bedrooms were on the third floor, while the dining hall was on the first, just off the main lobby.
The way down was lined with sculptures, crystal ornaments, and ornate paintings—so many that they were impossible to count.
Even a small fraction of these decorations probably cost more than the entire orphanage Meng Wange used to live in.
She silently sighed and continued leading Su Wanli down the stairs.
Guided by memory, she turned left at the bottom.
The banquet hall stood just beside the grand entrance hall—
Its wide doorframe was carved from golden nanmu wood, with delicate crystal curtains cascading down from the top like a waterfall of stars.
Inside the hall, a long white dining table stretched across the room, covered in intricately patterned silk.
Dozens of exquisitely plated dishes filled the length of the table.
Interestingly, one side had several plates of plain home-style food, which clashed oddly with the luxurious feast—probably added specifically for Meng Wange’s taste.
At the end of the table sat a tall man with a square jaw, dressed in a sharply pressed suit.
Time had left its marks on his face, giving him a stern and imposing presence—the kind of man who looked impossible to please.
He was glancing down at the silver watch on his wrist, his right index finger tapping impatiently on the table.
His whole demeanor exuded authority.
Su Wanli raised an eyebrow slightly.
‘So this is my overbearing CEO of a dad? He really does look the part.’
“Mr Su, sorry to keep you waiting,” Meng Wange said, stopping at the doorway and knocking politely on the threshold.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it—make yourself at home.”
He heard Meng Wange’s voice.
The man put away his watch, looked up, and gave her a brief nod, expressionless.
Then his gaze immediately shot straight toward Su Wanli.
“…Hmph, some people really don’t treat this place like their home, yet they still know how to show up for meals.”
“…”
Seeing Su Wanli looking a little stunned, the system whispered a reminder.
[This is Su Heng, the head of the Su family—a man who nearly doubled the family’s assets over the past decade.]
[However, after the death of his wife, he became too focused on work and neglected his daughter, resulting in a strained relationship. Host, please pay attention to your tone when speaking to him.]
‘…Alright, system mission is system mission…’
Even if she suddenly had to insult some stranger who happened to be a CEO, well, it had to be done.
Su Wanli took a breath to prepare herself, then dramatically rolled her eyes at the man sitting at the far end of the long dining table.
“…I just heard that someone is planning to randomly adopt a new daughter from an orphanage—one who’s supposedly around my age.”
“That thought disgusted me so much I got goosebumps. What kind of idiot would do something like that? Don’t tell me that’s my dad. What an embarrassment.”
With that, she kicked her chair sideways and sat down with a swagger, like a rebellious delinquent.
She picked up a fork from the table, stabbed a piece of steak, and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing with exaggerated force.
‘Okay, better eat something good before Dad explodes. If we end up fighting, this whole spread might go to waste.’
Sure enough, after hearing Su Wanli’s words, the man’s expression darkened.
He slammed his hand on the table and glared at her furiously.
“…”
The domineering aura that came with his glare scared Su Wanli so much that she had to swallow the steak multiple times before it finally went down.
“W-what are you glaring at me for? I’m telling you now—I absolutely won’t accept some random girl as my new sister! So you’d better give up on that idea!”
“…Hmph.”
Su Heng’s expression grew even more severe.
He let out a cold snort and didn’t bother arguing.
Instead, he calmly rang the bell on the table and gestured to the servant behind him.
“Old Zhang, bring us two more dishes.”
***
‘Phew.’
‘Scared the hell out of me… I really thought that cheap dad of mine was about to slap me just now…’
‘So good at keeping his temper. No wonder he’s a CEO.’
Su Wanli mentally bumped Su Heng’s danger rating up two levels.
She noticed Meng Wange was still standing at the doorway.
Su Heng paused to think, then made an effort to curve his lips into a welcoming smile.
“Wange, why are you still standing there? Don’t be so reserved—come sit wherever you like.”
“Alright.”
Meng Wange nodded and quietly sat beside Su Wanli, keeping a fair distance from Su Heng.
‘Hmph. Totally forgot this is supposed to be Meng Wange’s welcome dinner. Looks like the great head of the Su family really does value her. He probably doesn’t want to start a fight with me during her party, so he’s just swallowing his anger for now, huh?’
Su Wanli side-eyed Su Heng.
For some reason, his brows had relaxed quite a bit compared to earlier, and the leg he had crossed under the table was now bouncing slightly, as if in a good mood.
‘He’s this happy just because Meng Wange came to the Su family? Don’t tell me he’s interested in her!’
‘That won’t do. If Meng Wange ends up becoming my stepmother, I’ll completely lose my right to bully her!’
‘More importantly… Meng Wange is someone I’m going to be entangled with for the rest of my life…’
‘No, what really matters is that those two don’t match at all! If Meng Wange is really as amazing as I keep saying she is, then there are barely a handful of people in this world worthy of her! No way am I letting my cheap dad lay a hand on her!’
While Su Wanli was busy spinning wild scenarios in her head, Su Heng was silently replaying every painful memory in his life to stop himself from grinning like an idiot.
His daughter… hadn’t called him “Dad” in years.
And now she was actually saying that his actions were embarrassing.
In the past, she would’ve insisted his life had nothing to do with hers.
If she thinks he’s embarrassing, doesn’t that mean… she’s admitting he’s her dad? That’s basically like calling him “Dad” twice!
In an unusually good mood, Su Heng even looked at Meng Wange with gentler eyes than before.
‘Yes, this is the right move—showing concern for someone else’s daughter. That’ll make Wanli realize just how much I care about her!’
With that thought, Su Heng completely ignored the death glare Su Wanli was shooting at him and clapped his hands with a smile.
“Zhang Ma, bring out the gifts I prepared for Wange. Show them to her first, then move them to her room later.”
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