Chapter 20: Stepmother Forces Her to Call Zhou Beiming

At Zhou Beiming’s residence, Aunt Zhang always called Su Nian “Young Madam.” Su Nian had gotten used to it.
“It’s my duty,” she replied.

Aunt Zhang didn’t linger long and soon left with the movers.

Su Nian closed the door and turned to look around the apartment.

Not much had changed. Everything still looked the same.

Except now, a few pairs of men’s shoes sat in the shoe cabinet, and there was an ashtray on the coffee table.

When Su Nian went to the bedroom to change, she saw the large bed—it was sturdy, the same model as the one at Zhou Beiming’s place.

They had slept on that bed for two years, and apparently, the quality was indeed quite good.

Her cheeks flushed again. She quickly looked away and opened the wardrobe to get some clothes.

One side of the wardrobe now belonged to Zhou Beiming.

Aunt Zhang was meticulous. His clothes were folded neatly, like they had just been taken from a boutique.

His underwear was placed inside the same storage box where Su Nian kept hers.

Aunt Zhang had brought it over because the old box Su Nian used for her underwear was too small.

The box had two compartments—one for her underwear, one for his.

Su Nian quickly moved her own items to the other side, putting a gap between their intimate clothing. Only then did she feel a bit more comfortable.

Looking at the orderly wardrobe made Su Nian feel a little stressed.

She wasn’t someone good at housework. Folding Zhou Beiming’s clothes that neatly was going to be a serious challenge for her.

She didn’t want to think about it for now.

—

On Friday evening, Su Nian received a call from Qin Xiu, telling her to come to the Su household to try on a dress.

The family had hosted several banquets before, and Qin Xiu, fearing Su Nian might outshine Su Feixiao, always personally selected the dresses for her.

Most of them were gaudy and tasteless. One time, Qin Xiu even made her wear a discarded stage costume, making her look like a performer in a traditional opera. She became a joke that night.

Despite that, Su Nian still agreed this time.

Half a month ago, she had returned to the Su residence once to retrieve her belongings.

Now that she was back again, all traces of her past life there were gone.

Even the sunflowers she had planted in the front yard had disappeared.

Su Nian put on the guest slippers at the door and entered. She was greeted by Aunt He, one of the household staff.

“Miss Nian, have you eaten?” Aunt He asked.

“No,” Su Nian answered. She had come hungry.

She still needed to go back later and watch housekeeping tutorial videos. She wanted to try on the dress and leave quickly.

Aunt He led her to the dining room.

At the dining table, the family of three was eating and chatting happily.

Aunt He said to her father, “Sir, Miss Nian is back. She hasn’t eaten yet. I’ll go get her a bowl and chopsticks.”

Su Haiping turned around. When he saw Su Nian, his smile faded a little.
“You’re back. Come, have a seat.”

Su Feixiao also stood up to greet her.
“Jie, ever since Mom turned your room into my studio, I’ve been worried you might feel upset and wouldn’t come to my celebration on Saturday.”

Qin Xiu chuckled coldly. “Your dad bought your sister an apartment downtown. You don’t have one. You think she’d still be unhappy about losing a room at home?”

Su Nian’s expression was calm. “I’m not upset.”

She sat at the table, and Qin Xiu exchanged a glance with Su Haiping.

Su Haiping knew Qin Xiu wanted him to bring up the marriage proposal from the Liu family, but he really didn’t want to say it.

The Liu family was indeed wealthy, but the groom wasn’t exactly normal—he was dim-witted. When they met in private last time, the guy was even drooling.

No matter what, the Liu family would never let a fool inherit their fortune.

Su Nian marrying into that family would just mean being a plaything for an idiot—and a baby machine.

Su Haiping kept stalling, so Qin Xiu finally couldn’t hold it in.
“Nian Nian, you’re already twenty-four. Aunt Xiu found a good match for you. In a couple of days, we’ll go meet the family. What do you think?”

Su Nian frowned. Qin Xiu knew full well what her situation was.

She looked toward Su Haiping, who turned to Su Feixiao.
“Feixiao, if you’re done eating, go back to your room. Your mom and I need to talk to your sister.”

Su Feixiao looked curious but obediently nodded. “Okay, Dad.”

She ran out of the dining room.

Only the three of them remained, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

Qin Xiu was the first to speak.
“Nian Nian, Aunt Xiu is thinking of your future. You’re not some pure young thing anymore. Wait too long, and you’ll only be left to be picked over. It’s better to choose now while you’re still young. The Liu family’s boy is handsome and well-mannered. More than enough for you. And they’ve agreed—if you marry in, the dowry will be ten million. Given your current situation, where else are you going to find that kind of offer?”

Su Haiping secretly admired Qin Xiu’s ability to lie through her teeth. But with things said this far, he couldn’t walk it back.

Especially since the Liu family also promised that if Su Nian gave birth to a healthy child, they’d invest in Su Fu Group.

No one knew when Zhou Beiming would lose interest in Su Nian. She had to have a backup plan.

Su Haiping reluctantly echoed her words.
“What your Aunt Xiu said makes sense. We just want you to have a good future. You know what your mom’s like—she wouldn’t care about your marriage. But Aunt Xiu does. You should be grateful to her.”

Su Nian had heard these kinds of words all her life.

Qin Xiu belittled her. Her father belittled her mother.

She listened without much reaction.

Not once did they mention her current situation in detail.

Su Nian only said, “If he doesn’t contact me again, I’ll consider meeting the Liu family.”

He referred to Zhou Beiming.

Both Su Haiping and Qin Xiu understood.

Under the table, Qin Xiu kicked Su Haiping with her foot.

Su Haiping knew what she was thinking—getting Su Nian married off to a fool was perfect. That way, if she kept seeing Zhou Beiming, the fool wouldn’t even know he was being cheated on.

Qin Xiu wanted Su Nian to sleep with Zhou Beiming and marry into the Liu family at the same time.

Previously, he’d even knelt down to beg Su Nian to become Zhou Beiming’s mistress.

Now asking her to serve two men—wouldn’t he have to kowtow a few more times?

Su Haiping ultimately couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud and let Qin Xiu stew in her frustration.

He placed a shrimp in Su Nian’s bowl.
“Alright, if things end with him, we’ll talk about the Liu family.”

Su Nian looked at the shrimp. She was allergic.

Back in middle school, Qin Xiu had thrown Su Feixiao’s leftover shrimp into her bowl. The shrimp was expensive, and Qin Xiu didn’t want to waste it—so she forced her to eat it.

Afterward, Su Nian went into anaphylactic shock.

She nearly died. And her father still hadn’t remembered she couldn’t eat shrimp.

Su Nian quietly moved the shrimp to the side of her bowl and took a bite of rice. It tasted like nothing.

She remembered what Zhou Beiming had said.
“He’s on a business trip. He won’t be coming tomorrow.”

Su Haiping and Qin Xiu exchanged glances.

Qin Xiu complained, “Can’t you at least try to convince him? If he doesn’t show, a lot of others won’t either.”

Su Nian was unfazed. “I’m nothing. My words don’t matter.”

Qin Xiu couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, “Useless…”

A sharp look from Su Haiping made her quiet down a little.

Su Haiping spoke.
“Nian Nian, how would you know unless you try? Why don’t you call him, ask again?”

Seeing Su Nian’s reluctance, Qin Xiu got up and walked over to her.
“Give me your phone.”

Su Nian didn’t move. “Aunt Xiu, he’s abroad. He’s working right now.”

Qin Xiu didn’t care.

Tomorrow’s celebration was for two reasons: one, to impress the Gu family; and two, to pave the way for her daughter to transition from a painter to a celebrity.

If Zhou Beiming didn’t come, several major business figures wouldn’t show either. That would mean losing valuable connections.

Without hesitation, Qin Xiu went straight to Su Nian’s bag, pulled out her phone, unlocked it in front of her face, found Zhou Beiming’s number, and pressed call.