Chapter 33: I Don’t Want Xue’er to Get Hurt!

Su Rong said coldly,
“Sheng Qiye and I were sitting on the other side. What whispering did we do?”

Su Xue’er cried and complained,
“Yet Sheng Qiye deliberately raised his bid right after Brother Chufeng did. Brother Chufeng only wanted to win me a gemstone, but Sheng Qiye kept luring him on. In the heat of the moment, Brother Chufeng ended up shouting a sky-high price of sixty million.”

Su Rong replied,
“You already knew it was an auction. Isn’t it normal for people to place competing bids? Besides, what ability do I have to make Sheng Qiye listen to me?”

But Su Xue’er insisted on pushing the blame onto her:
“Can you swear you didn’t give Sheng Qiye ideas? Later, you even deliberately picked out a rough stone for him, leading us into a wager against you.”

She turned to the elders,
“Dad, Mom, Grandma, Sister even forced Brother Chufeng to write an IOU for ten million to her. It would’ve been fine if she didn’t help us, but instead she colluded with outsiders to harm us.

“I know Sister resents me for being with Brother Chufeng, that she can’t stomach it. But can you blame me for this? It was decided long ago by the Qin and Su elders. Brother Chufeng and I are genuinely in love…

“No matter what, you shouldn’t team up with outsiders in public to harm your own family, Rongrong. You’re not a child anymore. Don’t you know any better? And you even made Chufeng write you an IOU…”

Bai Fei’s face showed a kind of helpless anger.
“The Su family hasn’t treated you poorly, has it? Don’t you think this is going too far?”

Her words implied: the Su family raised Su Rong for nineteen years. Instead of being grateful, she turned against her own family.

Ever since Su Xue’er returned, Bai Fei had gradually distanced herself from Su Rong, transferring all the affection she once had for her onto Su Xue’er.

Su Rong was speechless.
“Big Brother was present at the time. Dad, Mom, Grandma—if you really want to know the truth, just ask him.”

Qin Chufeng sat slumped on the sofa, more humiliated than ever. He had planned to sell the gemstone he won, as people had already offered 6.5 million for it. But Su Xue’er refused, insisting that since he had bid it for her, it must be turned into a jade bracelet and a gemstone necklace for her.

Qin Chufeng had no choice. The Qin family was about to launch a new project in partnership with the Su family, and their development depended on them. He could only swallow his loss.

Just then, the sound of an engine came from outside—Su Heng had returned.

The moment he stepped into the house, Su Xue’er burst into tears again.
“Brother, don’t you think Sister is deliberately trying to harm Brother Chufeng?”

Everyone turned to look at Su Heng.

He sat down on the sofa and said calmly,
“It’s perfectly normal for there to be competing bids at an auction. Compared to that, Sheng Qiye was more rational and had his own limits.

“Su Rong does have some talent in judging jade. She even reminded me not to continue bidding, otherwise I too might’ve ended up with an overpriced, low-quality stone.

“As for the wager, that was started by Xue’er and Qin Yu. I tried to stop them, but they wouldn’t listen.”

His words were objective. Since even he put it that way, the Su elders couldn’t keep blaming Su Rong.

The Old Madam spoke,
“Chufeng was just being hot-blooded. He should be more careful in the future. Rongrong, if something like this happens again, make sure to remind them.”

Su Xue’er kept sobbing,
“But what about the IOU? We can’t really let Brother Chufeng pay Sister ten million. We’re all one family. If word gets out, what will people think of our Su family?”

Su Heng added flatly,
“A bet is a bet. If you can’t afford to lose, don’t gamble.”

He was clearly disgusted with Qin Chufeng’s behavior that day. It was obvious to him that Qin Chufeng had only kept bidding out of spite toward Sheng Qiye—and that spite likely came from jealousy.

A man who eats from one bowl while eyeing another deserves a lesson.

Su Rong hadn’t expected Su Heng to actually stand on her side.

Su Xue’er’s voice choked,
“Dad, Mom, Grandma, the truth is… the wager was my idea. So, really, I’m the one who owes Sister ten million. But I don’t have that kind of money. What should I do?”

Her story shifted quickly. Earlier she accused Su Rong of forcing the wager, but now she admitted it was her idea.

Qin Chufeng promised to give her the gemstone—on the condition that she persuade Su Rong to return the IOU.

So she took the debt upon herself. After all, hadn’t Su Rong lived nineteen years in her place, enjoying a good life? How could she possibly demand money from her now?

Bai Fei followed up,
“We’re one family. Why bother with an IOU? Rongrong, how about this—Mom will think of a way to pay Snowy back for you?”

Her tone carried reproach, dissatisfaction, even sarcasm.

Su Xue’er inwardly applauded her own cleverness. She had successfully shifted the IOU onto herself—which meant, onto the Su family. And they had readily accepted it.

Su Rong was dumbfounded. They can really twist things like this?

The Old Madam sighed,
“Rongrong, what do you say? Since it was a bet, if you truly want that ten million back, Grandma will support you.”

It sounded like she was standing up for Su Rong, but in truth it was forcing her to make a choice.

Su Rong calmly took out the IOU and handed it to her grandmother.
“Grandma, I’ll leave this in your hands. You decide what to do with it—I’ll follow your judgment.”

The Old Madam hesitated, but Su Xue’er quickly snatched it away and tore it into pieces.
“Thank you, Sister! We’re family. It was just a joke, yet you took it seriously.”

Qin Chufeng breathed a sigh of relief. In an instant, his ten-million debt vanished. But the scornful look in Su Rong’s eyes cut him deeper than the debt ever could.

“Xue’er, you…”

The Old Madam shook her head in helplessness.
“Rongrong, shall Grandma give you the money instead?”

“It’s fine, Grandma, you don’t need to. I never really intended to collect it. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go rest now.”

Su Rong bowed politely, went to the kitchen to heat up a packet of medicine, drank it, and headed upstairs.

It was just as well the IOU was torn—she owed the Su family one debt less.

Once, she believed Qin Chufeng was the best man in the world, worthy of her lifelong devotion. But now, she suddenly realized—he was nothing special.

The current Qin Chufeng had even become someone she looked down on. To escape paying that ten million, he allowed Su Xue’er to use such a despicable trick to destroy the IOU.

Su Heng followed her upstairs, walking right behind.
“Not bad. You dug quite the pit for Qin Chufeng.”

Su Rong’s heart skipped a beat. She slowed her steps. So he had seen through her too.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hands in his pockets, Su Heng smirked.
“You can’t fool me. You deliberately urged Sheng Qiye to bid on rough stone No. 2 because you knew Qin Chufeng. In that situation, he would definitely keep bidding. You provoked him. He was jealous.”

In truth, he only realized it afterward.

“So what you mean is—I should thank you for not exposing me downstairs just now?” Su Rong asked.

Su Heng studied her closely. She seemed different now—not the carefree, lively girl she once was, but deeper, more calculating.

“How did you gain such knowledge about jade? To be able to recognize quality so keenly?”

Su Rong answered lightly,
“Just luck. Nothing worth mentioning.”

He didn’t like her cold evasiveness, and his face darkened.
“Whatever is between you and Qin Chufeng ends here. Don’t make things hard for him again. I don’t want Xue’er to get hurt.”

Su Rong’s chest tightened. In his heart, he was always thinking of Su Xue’er!

“So… this is a warning for me?”