Chapter 8: Tang Susu, What Do You Really Want?

Tang Susu said goodbye to He Zhimou and went straight home.

As soon as she stepped through the door, the aroma of food greeted her.

She passed through the living room and entered the dining room, where her family was already eating.

The kitchen was decorated in a European style—simple yet romantic—and it had clearly been recently renovated.

The family of three sat with smiles on their faces, chatting casually as they ate. It looked very warm and harmonious.

She stepped forward and greeted them.

All three were visibly stunned when they saw her.

Tang Susu’s father, Tang Honghou, was the first to react. He pointed to the empty seat, saying, “Have you eaten yet? If not, sit down and eat with us.”

Tang Susu nodded, politely greeted, “Dad, Auntie,” then scooped some rice into a bowl and found an empty seat.

She sat down and glanced at the food on the table. For a moment, she froze. The dinner was nutritionally balanced—four dishes and a soup, with both meat and vegetables.

But on the plate were three large hairy crabs—each big enough to count as two normal ones. Yet, there were only three.

In front of each of the three people at the table was a small porcelain bowl of ginseng soup.

They clearly hadn’t prepared any dinner for her.

Tang Susu couldn’t help but feel sorry for the original supporting character Tang Susu. No wonder she turned rebellious—her father had remarried and was clearly neglecting his biological daughter.

Stepmother Zhou Wei noticed Tang Susu’s gaze and quickly moved the bowl of ginseng soup in front of her toward Tang Susu while explaining, “When I was making the soup today, I was checking my phone and lost track of time. The soup ended up boiling down too much, so there were only three bowls. I haven’t touched mine.”

Tang Susu quietly looked at this gentle and elegant woman. If she hadn’t been sure before, she was now—this woman was definitely not simple.

Maybe Tang Susu’s bad relationship with her father wasn’t just because of her own rebellious personality, but also because this woman had been subtly stirring the pot.

“No need, Auntie,” Tang Susu said with a polite smile.

“I haven’t touched it,” Zhou Wei replied gently, pulling out her chair and pushing the bowl over.

“Really, it’s fine.” Tang Susu raised her pale, slender hand to block it.

Suddenly—splash!

The scalding hot soup spilled directly onto Zhou Wei’s hand, instantly raising a red blister.

Tang Susu was stunned. She hadn’t even touched the porcelain bowl—how did the soup spill?

Tang Honghou immediately jumped up, grabbing Zhou Wei’s hand anxiously. “Weiwei, are you okay?!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. I didn’t hold it properly. It’s not Susu’s fault,” Zhou Wei said understandingly, shaking her head and looking worriedly at Tang Susu. “Susu, are you alright? Did you get burned?”

Tang Honghou’s heart ached as he carefully examined Zhou Wei’s hand, eyes full of concern. “Stop worrying about her. Worry about yourself first—your hand has a blister!”

Then he turned toward Tang Susu, his eyes now filled with anger. “Your aunt offered you the soup out of kindness, and you threw hot soup on her in return?”

“You’re never even home. How were we supposed to know you’d come back for dinner today? Just because you didn’t get soup, you act like this toward your aunt?”

“She told you she was distracted on her phone—that’s why the soup dried out!”

“Do you have to be so hostile to your aunt all the time?”

Tang Susu tilted her head, her clear eyes filled with disbelief.

How could he twist things like this, flipping the truth around? She hadn’t even touched the bowl, yet he blamed everything on her?

She stood quietly without arguing, letting him finish his rant.

Finally, Tang Honghou stopped. He glared at her coldly. “Apologize to your Aunt Zhou.”

“I refuse,” Tang Susu said as she looked down at the shattered bowl on the floor. “I didn’t spill the soup, so I won’t apologize.”

She held up her slender hand and added seriously, “These hands are for playing the piano. They’re insured. Even the insurance company would be heartbroken if they got hurt. I’m not risking it.”

Tang Honghou was stunned. Her serious tone reminded him of the time he spent a fortune on tickets to hear a famous pianist—cool, aloof, and full of pride on stage.

Impossible.

His daughter had taken piano lessons for a few years, but he knew she never had any real talent. If she could play a tune that sounded halfway decent, he already considered that a win.

“Playing the piano? Insured hands? You’re delusional. Just apologize to your aunt already!”

Tang Susu shook her head again. “I didn’t do it. I won’t apologize.”

She pointed at the three crabs on the plate. “Yesterday, Auntie invited me home for dinner. I even said I’d be back today. She knew I was coming, yet only made three bowls of soup?

If that was an accident, then what about the three crabs? Was that an accident too?

Auntie invited me back for dinner, but only cooked three crabs? Was the market only selling three?”

She pulled out her chair, ready to leave. “If you really don’t welcome me, just say so. No need to beat around the bush.”

She walked a couple steps, then turned back. “By the way, Auntie—I won’t be back for dinner tomorrow. You can stick to three bowls of soup and three crabs.”

Tang Susu headed upstairs.

Behind her, she heard Zhou Wei’s gentle self-blaming and Tang Honghou’s soft voice comforting her.

Tang Susu shook her head in disappointment.

Her father wasn’t clueless—he was pretending.

…

Lingcheng No. 1 High School

The fourth period of the morning for Class 5, Grade 11, was PE.

Class 1 also had PE at the same time.

As soon as the bell rang, students ran to the playground.

Che Jinghan was a top student. Even during breaks, she kept studying.

Tang Susu was only familiar with her, and since she was now determined to study hard, the two sat quietly, working at their desks.

Che Jinghan glanced at Tang Susu and was surprised.

She had thought Tang Susu’s talk about studying hard was just a passing whim, but for the past two days, she had been serious. Her questions were simple, but it was clear she truly wanted to learn.

Suddenly, the girl beside her turned and smiled.

Che Jinghan blushed and quickly lowered her head to her book.

She never noticed it before, but now she thought Tang Susu had great presence. If her features were a little sharper, she could rival the prettiest girl in Class 1.

…

PE Class

Almost all students had lined up on the field, except a few late arrivals.

Tang Susu and Che Jinghan arrived just on time, hand in hand.

In Class 1’s lineup, Li Yang stood lazily in the back row, watching the latecomers. “I just don’t get it. It’s PE, and people are still late.”

Mid-sentence, he suddenly quieted.

Under the autumn sunlight, the girl’s slender figure was wrapped in a golden glow. Her face, though not flawless, had a quiet charm that naturally drew the eye.

He nudged Jin Yuhao beside him. “Whoa, Jin—look at Tang Susu. Without all that messy makeup, she actually looks pretty good. Kind of goddess-like. Maybe even better than Shu Xiaoshuang.”

Jin Yuhao gave him a cold glance.

Li Yang immediately shut up.

He knew how much Jin Yuhao disliked Tang Susu. That’s why he used to mess with her all the time.

The noise faded, and Jin Yuhao casually looked over at the other class.

The girl was smiling as she chatted with a friend.

Suddenly, she turned and looked straight at him.

His face went cold, and he looked away.

Tang Susu, mid-conversation, felt someone staring and looked over—meeting a pair of cold eyes.

Was Jin Yuhao looking at her?

She blinked in confusion. Didn’t he hate her?

Then she noticed Meng Xue standing behind her and suddenly understood.

Ah—he must have been looking at Meng Xue.

“Jinghan,” Tang Susu whispered, “after roll call, we’re free to do whatever we want, and the teacher won’t care?”

Che Jinghan looked at her oddly. Everyone knew that—why ask?

Still, she nodded gently. “Yeah, the teachers usually don’t bother us.”

Tang Susu smiled. “Great.”

She’d been worried she wouldn’t have time at lunch to see He Zhimou, but now, with this free P.E. class, she had a chance.

A sharp whistle blew, and the P.E. teacher, dressed in a tracksuit, approached.

He cleared his throat and raised his voice.

“I know your schedule is tight, but physical activity is still important. Girls can play badminton or go for a run. Boys can play basketball or soccer.”

It was standard talk, and the students responded in unison, “Got it!”

“Dismissed!”

Free Activity

The boys went to the equipment room to get basketballs. Aside from a few study nerds returning to the classroom, most of the girls swarmed the basketball court.

No exception—whether from Class 1 or Class 5—they were all there to watch Jin Yuhao play.

After all, he was not only extremely handsome but also had amazing skills. It was pure visual enjoyment.

Meng Xue had wanted to go back to the classroom to study, but her friend dragged her along to watch the game.

Seeing everyone cheering for the boys from Class 1, especially for the tall, cool guy in the center of the court, she felt a little bad for the boys from her own class.

So she mustered up some courage and shouted, “Go, Class 5! You can do it!”

The boys from Class 1 noticed. One of them nudged Jin Yuhao and pointed toward the corner. “Hey Jin bro, look at that girl—she’s actually cheering for her own class instead of being charmed by your good looks.”

Jin Yuhao didn’t even lift his eyelids. He snatched the ball from the guy with one hand, leapt—

Swish!

A perfect three-pointer.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Li Yang ran over and gushed, “Jin bro, that shot was incredible! Not even NBA pros can top that!”

“You could exaggerate a little more,” Jin Yuhao said coolly. He took a few steps back, preparing to defend. His posture was flawless.

Li Yang grinned and followed. “I’m not exaggerating, bro, you’re the best! Just listen to the cheers—all those girls are totally into you!”

He paused mid-sentence, looking around curiously. “Wait, where’s Tang Susu? She’s usually the loudest one cheering.”

He looked for her for quite a while. Just as he was still searching, someone bumped his arm.

He turned his head. Jin Yuhao’s long fingers were already pushing him away as he said indifferently, “Aren’t you going to defend?”

“Oh, right.”

…

The School Wall

The campus wall was two meters high—white with brown bricks lining the top.

Tang Susu stood below, at a loss. How was she supposed to get over?

Suddenly, her gaze fell on an old chair nearby. Her eyes lit up.

With her delicate fingers, she struggled to drag a heavy desk over to the wall.

Sweat soaked her bangs, but she didn’t notice. She climbed up on the desk and finally reached the top of the wall.

Lying flat against the wall, she looked down, her heart pounding.

This was her first time climbing over a wall.

She wasn’t afraid of heights—but she was still nervous.

Thinking of He Zhimou’s bloodied legs, she gritted her teeth and jumped down.

She misjudged her landing. Her knee hit the ground hard, and pain shot through her leg.

She rolled up her pant leg. Her fair skin was scraped, blood oozing out.

Wincing, she took a tissue from her pocket and roughly cleaned the wound. Then she headed off to find He Zhimou.

…

Urban Village

Tang Susu stood in front of a rundown house. It looked dangerous, like it could collapse at any moment.

Too bad she had no money. She touched her flat wallet helplessly.

The door was ajar, not locked.

“He Zhimou!” she stood upright at the entrance and shouted.

No response.

That’s odd. His leg was still injured, and the door wasn’t shut. He should be home.

Tang Susu waited a while, but still nothing.

“I’m coming in!” she raised her voice.

She waited two minutes. Still no reply.

Only then did she push the door open with her pale, slender fingers.

The next second, a pair of cold, sinister eyes locked onto her.

Her heart skipped a beat.

That look was terrifying.

She clutched her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. Then she walked over with a smile. “Were you waiting for me on purpose? I’m so happy!”

The boy turned his head with disdain. “Dream on.”

Tang Susu’s lovely face froze awkwardly. His mouth was sharp. Not cute at all. No trace of the greatness he’d show in the future.

Forget it. She wouldn’t argue.

She leaned down, meeting his peach blossom eyes at eye level.

And her heart skipped again—he was really good-looking.

Everyone said the male lead Jin Yuhao was handsome, but He Zhimou? He was stunning.

Too bad he always hid in the shadows, his bangs covering his beautiful eyes. No one knew how handsome he really was.

“We agreed yesterday—today you’re going to the hospital to check your leg.”

“Who agreed to that?” He Zhimou lifted his eyelids, eyes suddenly full of emotion.

Tang Susu felt like dealing with him was impossible. She crouched down—but winced at the pain in her knee before settling.

Looking up, she pulled out a fortune-telling book she’d picked up earlier. “Listen, I know how to read faces. You’re fated for a serious injury—related to your leg. If you don’t treat it, it could become a disaster.”

“But don’t worry. Once you get past this hurdle, your future will be limitless. You’ll be admired by thousands and become a role model.”

“You’ll help many people. You’ll be a philanthropist. People will be grateful to you.”

“So the most important thing now is to go to the hospital.”

While she spoke, she noticed his deep eyes fixed on her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

The boy stood up, towering over her. He sneered coldly, “You’re limping, and you’re telling me to go to the hospital?”

Tang Susu froze—he’d noticed her injury.

And yet, not a single word of concern—he even called her a cripple.

“Hey, don’t you have any sympathy? You saw my injured foot and still mocked me. I got hurt because I…”

She didn’t finish.

She got hurt climbing over the wall just to see him.

Tang Susu looked up. He Zhimou had walked away. She clutched her aching knee.

Her scrape hurt enough to make her cry—he must’ve been in even worse pain yesterday.

“He Zhimou, your leg must have hurt a lot yesterday, huh?”

His body tensed slightly. Then he gave a cold snort and took out iodine and cotton balls from a drawer.

Tang Susu followed him. She knew why he kept his distance.

After all, it was “her” who had ordered someone to hurt him, and now she was suddenly acting like she cared.

“I really know I was wrong. I’m sorry. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I honestly didn’t know I was the one who hurt your leg.”

“If you’re angry, you can hit me.”

“But I truly care about you. Can we please go to the hospital?”

Finally, the boy turned around.

His dark, cold peach blossom eyes wavered slightly.

“Tang Susu, what exactly do you want?”