Since hearing that she was called the Su family’s future Dragon Seed, the little one had been full of anger, itching to storm out and beat someone up. But her own mother always stopped her.
Now she was finally satisfied.
With Su Liumeng’s new nickname coming from Si Xinyan as “that bad woman,” someone’s happiness meant someone’s innocent suffering.
Su Liumeng stared at the little head below, her arm still itching from the bite.
Almost instinctively, she looked up and saw the elders calmly watching.
The Grand Elder was the first to look up, pretending not to have seen anything.
His leisurely expression seemed to say, “You young people’s little romantic games have nothing to do with this old man.”
She didn’t return to my side right away, wanting me to have contact and practice with others, learning things I hadn’t known before.
This wasn’t about learning social skills for their own sake, but about building courage. Cultivation is also about cultivating the heart. A clear mind leads to great progress.
From what I saw, her spirit of speech was still excellent.
Still the verbal genius in her heart, able to handle any occasion alone.
I slowly lifted the juice on the table and toasted the Grand Elder.
At the family head’s seat, there was silence all night.
Suddenly, a slightly noisy voice came from the entrance.
A young girl dressed in traditional clothing, with two cute braids, walked into the hall under the gaze of others. “Sorry, I’m late. Su Luo didn’t arrive on time for the banquet. I’ll punish myself with three cups to apologize.”
Su Luo was deliberately late.
As another heir of the Su family, arriving too early at Su Liumeng’s celebration banquet would steal the spotlight from the main character.
So they usually kept a low profile, like the other heir who hadn’t shown up at all.
She didn’t need to come either.
But she was too curious about the girl Su Liumeng liked—what she looked like.
Arriving fashionably late near the banquet’s end, it was perfectly timed.
Su Luo’s arrival reignited the banquet’s enthusiasm.
She took the three cups of white wine offered by a servant, lifted her elegant swan neck, and downed them all at once.
Three cups, all in one go.
Naturally, it was Su Liumeng’s turn to speak. She offered some polite words, expressing honor at Su Luo’s presence and avoiding any offense.
I made a simple mental note.
Su Luo’s gaze shifted away from Su Liumeng’s face.
Compared to the real Su Liumeng, she was now more curious about another person—the one who could make such a cold-hearted person show unconditional tenderness—a goddess-like figure.
Su Luo was not yet eighteen, cheerful and bouncy. She approached her father, linked arms affectionately, then fixed her surprised gaze on me, saying, “This sister is so beautiful. How come no one introduced me?”
“Forget it, I’ll introduce myself.”
“Pretty sister, I’m Su Luo—Luo as in the Luo River. Nice to meet you.”
“Si Yixin.” I showed little enthusiasm, even some coldness.
Smelling her faint fragrance, my eyes revealed a deep hostility only Su Luo herself could see.
The eyes of these two beauties collided in the suddenly quiet banquet hall, as if an invisible flame was igniting.
Then Su Luo covered her lips, giggling sweetly. “Pretty sister, don’t be hostile toward me. I’m not your enemy.”
She showed goodwill again, her gaze briefly passing over my abdomen, a flicker of deep emotion flashing away.
At this moment, Su Liumeng was no longer her focus, but this peach-blossom-like girl before her.
The enthusiasm of youth comes and goes quickly—arriving fast and fading fast.
Like trying a new game, once another more interesting thing appears, the old one loses its charm.
I didn’t quite understand the sudden words, so I relied on my professional skills to reply politely and gracefully, hiding a subtle jab beneath.
When someone attacks, if you don’t respond, you become an easy target.
“Su sister and I just met, it’s even our first time speaking. Where does this hostility come from? I’m a young girl new to the Su family’s territory, naturally powerless. Who knew I’d be branded as hostile toward the Su family’s heir? I don’t know if I offended you before, but if I did, please tell me, so there can be no misunderstanding.”
I lowered my eyes slightly, looking fragile and pitiful.
Su Luo looked at my thin, pitiful figure, her pretty face stiffening. She inwardly realized she’d met a tough opponent.
She’d never met someone so difficult to handle, who with just a few words could paint herself as a pitiable underdog, placing Su Luo in the moral high ground of bullying a weak girl, while still clarifying she’d never offended me before.
The moment she said this, she felt nearby elders’ expressions change.
Su Luo was skilled at tea ceremonies and quickly adjusted her wording. “Sorry, sister, I misspoke earlier. It’s just that you look a lot like an old friend of mine, so I spoke without thinking. We’ll be living under one roof from now on, naturally becoming close sisters. Since we’re sisters, there’s no resentment or misunderstanding. This small gift is a token of our first meeting and my apology. I hope you’ll accept my apology.”
My mouth twitched.
I hadn’t wanted to accept a gift.
You’re my rival, yet I’m supposed to accept your gift? What about my pride?
But her words turned the original gift into an apology gift, so I had to accept it.
Refusing would be like publicly rejecting the Su family heir’s apology—what about the family’s face?
Suddenly, a thought struck me.
Could her initial words have been deliberate, just to give the gift smoothly?
If so,
Why was she so determined to give me something?
Pure goodwill? That seemed unlikely.
I couldn’t understand why she wanted to show goodwill and silently dismissed the thought.
I looked up instinctively and saw a servant handing over a small jade bottle, and Su Luo’s sparkling eyes openly watching.
“This is a third-grade pregnancy protection medicine. Please accept it.”
The Grand Elder’s spiritual perception swept over the bottle and, seeing no danger, handed it to me. “Accept it. It’s indeed a rare and good item.”
Seeing that the medicine was a precious-grade pill, I was even more sure of my suspicion.
This must have been prepared in advance.
Maybe she heard about me before entering the banquet hall and had already started preparing the most suitable gift.
But why pregnancy medicine?
Hasn’t Su Luo’s target always been Su Liumeng?
Since entering the hall, Su Luo had stayed near seat one and hadn’t spoken privately with Su Liumeng once.
This strange behavior filled me with questions.
From afar, Su Luo saw the girl accept her small surprise and smiled even more happily.
The gift was indeed prepped.
After all, when you see someone you like, how could you not bring a small gift?
She wasn’t a dull girl without any charm.
After seeing the real person, Su Luo knew her gift was not wasted.
They say hearing about someone isn’t as good as seeing them. To be chosen by Su Liumeng was truly unparalleled grace.
Especially those watery, affectionate eyes, touched with the gentle warmth of an expectant mother—every smile was priceless.
Of course, her interest was fleeting. Su Luo had many interests—hundreds if not thousands—and no one was singled out for special treatment. Most things only kept their freshness for a few days.
The turning point came just moments ago, when she heard that sentence and suddenly felt something.
In this world, there was someone very similar to her. The feeling wasn’t rivalry but a bittersweet desire to explore. Meeting another self always brought a sense of closeness—not love, but the longing to play with a rare new toy, to see what other interesting words she might say under her teasing.
This strange mood made Su Luo restless.
But such behavior was like stealing another’s love—troublesome indeed.
Better to do it secretly, then.
Hmm… what should I do? Maybe pretend there’s something interesting going on.
Right.
Su Liumeng probably wouldn’t be angry once she knew?
After all, she’s not trying to steal the toy, just borrowing it briefly for fun and expecting an interesting follow-up. Surely she’d forgive that.
At this moment, the hostility in my eyes remained strong. Su Luo, seeing the emotion in my gaze, knew exactly what I was thinking. Yet her dark, smiling eyes suddenly held a hint of teasing words and a shallow dimple. “Pretty sister, goodbye. I have some things to handle, so I won’t bother you. See you next time.”
Su Luo smiled, waved behind her, and slowly turned away, leaving only a straight back. Her pale pink traditional dress trailed naturally, and her jet-black hair was partially loose, making her slender waist look even more delicate and graceful.
Su Liumeng appeared by my side without me noticing and said suddenly, “Su Luo is pretty, isn’t she? She’s exactly your type—must be quite cute.”
“You, what nonsense are you talking about?” I immediately flared up, my cheeks flushing red as I turned around and raised my voice, “Get this straight—I’m her rival, okay?”
“Couldn’t I tell? Last time you smelled just like her.”
Su Liumeng was genuinely a little jealous.
Who was whose rival was obvious—only a certain ‘pregnancy brain’ little girl couldn’t see.
Oh well, why bother worrying about such things.
Su Liumeng quickly soothed herself. Just as she was about to say something, a cute furry head popped out towards her. In her gradually dumbfounded eyes, a faint bite mark appeared on her arm.