Chapter 34 Sheng Qiye’s Fiancée

Su Heng actually wanted to talk with her properly, but somehow she always managed to put him in a foul mood.
“Think whatever you want. You and Chufeng are already over. Don’t go bothering him anymore.”

Su Rong’s eyes reddened at the corners.
“Me, bothering him? Is he even worthy? You should be warning him not to come and harass me again!”

Su Heng frowned. Could it be that Qin Chufeng still hadn’t let go of Su Rong?
It made sense—after all, they had grown up together as childhood sweethearts. Back then, Su Rong had shone brilliantly. Even though she had been locked away for three years, the moment she came out she immediately drew Sheng Qiye’s attention. She truly had ability—or perhaps it was simply her charm that remained undiminished.

Still, he tried to argue,
“Xue’er feels insecure. You’re her elder sister. For all the suffering she’s endured on your behalf over the years, can’t you be more understanding of her?”

Su Rong shot back,
“You were there the whole time today. Didn’t you see it was Su Xue’er who provoked me first…”

Forget it. What was the point of arguing? In the end, Su Xue’er was his biological sister, while she was nothing more than a cuckoo in another’s nest, an imposter.

“Fine, I understand.”
With that, she turned and went back to her room, closing the door behind her.

Su Heng would rather she argued with him than shut down like this. He was five years older than Su Rong, and he could still vividly remember lifting his little sister high in the air when he came home from school. Back then, Su Rong was a chubby little thing who loved going with the driver to pick him up after class, always pouncing into his arms, clinging to him, calling “Brother” over and over again.

But those days were gone forever. And the realization made his heart ache.

On Monday morning, Su Rong went to the Imperial Palace Academy. She had a piano lesson scheduled.

The pain in her left hand was occurring less frequently now and wasn’t as severe, but it still affected her performance on the piano. Every time she played, the pain would flare, making her hands uncoordinated, her music flawed.

Seeing her struggle, Su Xue’er ran over with a bright smile.
“Sis, at the end of the month there’s a talent competition. I’ve already signed you up for piano and painting! You’d better work hard!”

Liu Xu immediately snapped,
“Are you sick or something? You know Su Rong’s left hand has problems, yet you still registered her?”

Su Xue’er blinked her wide, innocent eyes.
“What can I do? I’ve already submitted the forms. It might not be possible to withdraw now.”

Liu Xu looked exasperated.
“Since when do you care so much about Su Rong?”

In truth, Su Xue’er was still nursing her grudge from the auction fiasco. She knew Su Rong’s left hand was injured and wanted to see her humiliated on stage. The piano competition’s judging panel even included Bai Fei. This time, she was determined to win.

“She’s my sister. I’ve always cared about her. Surely she won’t admit defeat before even competing, right?”

Qin Yu was even more furious. Because of that jade auction, the Qin family had lost a huge sum of money. She didn’t blame Qin Chufeng’s impulsiveness, instead placing all the blame on Su Rong.
“Don’t forget—she’s just a convict who was released from prison. How can she have the face to compete?”

Su Xue’er wore her most aggravating expression.
“Oh my, I completely forgot about that. Maybe she could use this competition to clear her name?”

Liu Xu sneered,
“You two really are birds of a feather. Don’t forget, you still owe Su Rong ten million. When do you plan to pay it back?”

Su Xue’er laughed behind her hand.
“Aren’t you supposed to be her best friend? Didn’t she tell you? I already tore that IOU to shreds ages ago. Ten million? Where would that come from?”

Qin Yu snorted coldly.
“She made us lose so much money. I still haven’t settled that debt with her!”

Liu Xu turned in surprise.
“You tore up the IOU? Su Rong, you—”

Su Rong hadn’t had time to explain it to her yet.
“I’m curious. The Qin family is supposed to be a prestigious household, yet you couldn’t even cover a ten-million debt. Instead, you let your own fiancée beg, crying and humiliating herself before the Su family, just to trick me into tearing it up.”

Liu Xu understood immediately.
“So that’s how it was? The Qin family has fallen so far they don’t even care about their fiancée’s dignity? If you can’t afford to play, don’t play. Why stoop so low? Rongrong, thank goodness you broke up with him. Otherwise, you’d be the one suffering now.”

Qin Yu snapped,
“Your family is the poor one! Our Qin family is doing just fine. We just don’t want to be cheated!”

Su Xue’er suddenly thought of another move.
“Su Rong, if you’ve got the guts, let’s compete in the piano contest. I know you don’t have much money, so… let’s make the bet five million. That won’t be too hard for you, right? And the loser has to leave the Imperial Palace. How about it?”

She thought the outcome was obvious. Even if Su Rong’s hand were perfectly fine, she couldn’t possibly beat her. Driving Su Rong out of the Imperial Palace was only the first step of her plan. She wanted Su Rong to sink back into the gutter, a rat who could never climb out.

She hated that Su Rong had stolen her life. She hated even more that Qin Chufeng still couldn’t forget her. Since Su Rong’s release, Chufeng’s thoughts had drifted back to her, driving Su Xue’er mad.

There were still about ten days until the end of the month. Su Rong wasn’t sure if her hand would recover by then.
“Why should I compete with you?”

“What’s wrong, are you scared? A few years ago, you were known as the number one talented young lady in the capital. If you won this contest, wouldn’t that restore your reputation?”

That, indeed, was a good point. Since Su Xue’er had already signed her up, she could just compete directly. Besides, teaching Su Xue’er a lesson would be satisfying.

Su Rong looked down at her left hand, then nodded.
“Fine. I’ll compete with you.”

Su Xue’er’s lips curled into a vicious smile.
“Everyone heard that, right? Su Rong agreed to a wager at the talent competition.”

The others in the room had been busy, but they’d caught enough of the conversation. Ladies of society were still women, after all—they loved gossip.

“The Su sisters are competing against each other? Isn’t that infighting?”
“What sisters? One’s biological, the other was swapped in by a scheming mother. If I were Su Xue’er, I couldn’t tolerate her either.”
“You’re right. Su Xue’er’s already been quite kind. If it were me, I’d have kicked her out long ago.”
“Su Xue’er, we’ll all be witnesses. You two go ahead and compete.”

Everyone wanted to be the number one talented lady. Many of them had heard of Su Rong’s former fame, some had even known her personally. But now the tide had turned—when a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a push. They all wanted to see her fall.

Su Xue’er looked smug, as if she had already won. Soon she wouldn’t even need to pretend anymore.
“Sis, you’d better practice hard. Don’t lose too miserably.”

Su Rong understood perfectly well—prejudice was like a mountain in people’s hearts, hard to move. Not only these socialites, but everyone else would think the same. If she wanted to regain respect, she would have to prove herself.

Liu Xu waved a fist at Su Xue’er.
“Su Rong, you must beat her!”

The next class was painting. Su Rong and Liu Xu went to the studio.

When Ye Shuyi entered, she brought another girl along, chatting happily with her. Ye Shuyi’s eyes were full of affection.
“Let me introduce you all—my daughter, Li Jia.”

Xie Lijia wore a custom-tailored outfit, a faint perfume clinging to her. Her long straight hair draped elegantly over her shoulders. Fair-skinned, beautiful, with big eyes and a high nose bridge, her refined presentation carried a noble air. She bowed gracefully.
“Hello, everyone.”

The socialite circle was small; many already knew her and greeted her warmly.

Su Xue’er’s eyes lit up—she felt as though she had just spotted an ally.

Xie Lijia… wasn’t she Sheng Qiye’s fiancée?