Chapter 32 – Enjoying the Beating of a Fallen Dog

When Su Rong was with Qin Chufeng, she always treated Qin Yu kindly—always giving way to her, even sharing good things with her. In Qin Yu’s mind, Su Rong was the weak and gullible type, easy to bully. As long as the money didn’t go to Sheng Qiye, Qin Yu thought she had a way to get out of paying.

She pulled Su Rong aside and said, “You and my brother were at least in a relationship once. We’re already miserable enough today. Anyway, Sheng Qiye said the money is to be given to you. For the sake of our friendship, why don’t we just forget it? I was only joking with you earlier, don’t take it seriously.”

Su Rong found it laughable. “What friendship do we have? You really think highly of yourself. Why can’t I take the money? Ever heard of a bet’s a bet?”

Su Xue’er leaned in. “Sister, Qin Yu is right. We’re all one family. Let’s just let this go, don’t let others laugh at us. So it’s settled—the money doesn’t need to be paid.”

Su Rong couldn’t be bothered to argue with them. She went back to Qin Chufeng without giving him any face.
“Young Master Qin, your sister and your fiancée are trying to renege on the debt. What do you say to that?”

Qin Chufeng felt his head about to explode. He wasn’t the type who couldn’t afford to lose, but especially in front of Su Rong, he couldn’t afford to lose face.
“Don’t worry. Since I lost, I’ll pay. But I don’t have that much cash right now—it may take a few days. Or… you could take this gemstone as payment for our gambling debt.”

Su Xue’er was immediately upset. “How could you! This gem is what you bid on for me. It’s the token of our love!”

Su Rong sneered. So this was Qin Chufeng’s mistress—at a time like this, all she thought of was herself.
“You hear that? Your fiancée doesn’t want to part with it. I won’t force you. Just write me an IOU instead.”

Qin Yu thought it was still like a few years ago. “Su Rong, you actually want my brother to write an IOU? How can you be so heartless? Aren’t you afraid we’ll cut ties with you?”

Su Rong laughed in anger. “Do I need you in my life?”

Liu Xu, watching, looked excited—she loved nothing more than kicking someone when they were down.
“Qin Yu, how do you even have the face to say that? Who do you think you are?”

Qin Yu’s face flushed scarlet. “I…”

Qin Chufeng took paper and pen, his hand trembling as he wrote the IOU. The nib pressed through the sheet. He rewrote another, the heavy strokes betraying how much pain and humiliation he felt. After signing, he handed it to Su Rong.
“When I have the money, I’ll pay you back.”

Su Rong folded the IOU neatly and slipped it into her bag.
“Good. Pay me back when you have the money. Don’t wait until I have to come knocking.”

There was no repayment date on the IOU, but Su Rong didn’t care. She was in a good mood today, just wanted to teach Qin Chufeng and the others a lesson. Whether the money came back or not didn’t matter—she wasn’t relying on it.

Qin Chufeng stormed off with the gemstone he had bid for. Su Xue’er shot Su Rong a venomous glare and hurried after him. Qin Yu followed as well.

Su Heng had been watching from a distance the entire time. He didn’t intervene or comment. At last, the farce was over, and he, too, left.

After seeing Sheng Qiye cut a gemstone out of a scrap piece from the basket, others rushed to buy the rest of the stones. But to their disappointment, out of the entire basket, only the one Su Rong had chosen yielded a gem; the rest were ordinary jadeite.

Sheng Qiye gained another gemstone and had also stood up for Su Rong, so his mood was quite good.

Leng Xiao praised, “Miss Su, you’re amazing. To be able to pick out treasure from such a pile.”

Su Rong was modest. “Just luck.” And indeed, ever since she’d returned, her luck had been excellent—meeting Sheng Qiye, gaining entry into the Imperial Palace to study, even finding a divine doctor to treat her hand. Everything seemed to be turning around.

Liu Xu bubbled with excitement. “Such a great day—shouldn’t we celebrate?”

Sheng Qiye smiled. “My treat. What do you want to eat?”

“Seafood feast!” Liu Xu added quickly, “Rongrong loves seafood.”

They went into the city and found a renowned seafood restaurant, ordering fresh Australian lobsters and king crabs, cooked in various styles.

Su Rong finally felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She no longer owed Sheng Qiye such a big favor.
“President Sheng, if there are future auctions like this, call me along. I feel like my luck is booming lately—I might keep finding treasure in the scraps.”

Sheng Qiye chuckled. “Alright.”

Leng Xiao, recalling the auction scene, said, “Qin Chufeng suffered a huge loss. Su Xue’er will probably stir up trouble again—you should be careful.”

Su Rong already guessed it. “Even without today, Su Xue’er would still cause trouble. Let her come. I’ll deal with it.”

Sheng Qiye’s phone rang. The caller ID showed Xie Lijia. His brows furrowed as he stepped outside to answer.
“What is it?”

“Brother Qiye, where are you? I’m at the airport now. My flight takes off in half an hour, I’ll arrive in the capital around 3 a.m. Can you come pick me up?”

Sheng Qiye paused for a while before replying, “I’ll arrange someone to pick you up.”

“Ah? You won’t come yourself? I really miss you.”

For some reason, hearing her sweet voice made Sheng Qiye uncomfortable.
“I’m busy. That’s all. Safe travels.”

He hung up and returned to the restaurant. His good mood was spoiled by the news of Xie Lijia’s return.

They had been engaged long ago, but each lived their own life, rarely contacting each other. At most, they’d occasionally share a meal when she came back—there was nothing deeper between them.

Meanwhile, Liu Xu was still gleefully recounting the auction scene.
“Qin Chufeng must be kicking himself. I don’t know what he was thinking, letting go of such a good girl like Su Rong to cheat with Su Xue’er…”

Su Rong cleared her throat, signaling Liu Xu not to bring up her private matters. No need to spoil the mood.

After taking that call, Sheng Qiye was noticeably quieter, occasionally checking his phone and handling some work. But in Su Rong’s impression, he had always been cold and aloof, so she didn’t find it strange.

After dinner, Liu Xu accompanied Su Rong to Divine Doctor Hua’s for acupuncture. This time, she brought a box of pineapple cakes.

When Su Rong returned to the Su household that evening, she sensed the atmosphere was off. Usually, if Su Xue’er was home, the courtyard would be lively with laughter. But tonight it was heavy, with Su Xue’er’s eyes still red from crying, Qin Chufeng sitting dejectedly at her side.

Su Rong went up to greet the elders. “Grandmother, Father, Mother.”

She didn’t see Su Heng—probably not back yet.

Old Madam Su gestured for her to sit.

Su Jiancheng’s tone was sharp. “What happened today, Rongrong? How could you collude with outsiders to scheme against Chufeng and Xue’er?”

Su Rong frowned. “Dad, what do you mean?”

Su Jiancheng snapped, “Xue’er told me everything about the auction. Because of you, Chufeng lost sixty million!”

Su Rong laughed in disbelief. “Dad, he was the one raising his paddle, calling out the bids. How is that my fault?”

It was only after Qin Chufeng reminded her that Su Xue’er thought of it:
“You were whispering with Sheng Qiye, deliberately leading Chufeng on. Don’t tell me you weren’t!”