CHAPTER 4: Misunderstanding

Everyone in the room turned to look at her, each wearing a different expression.

Xiao Qi reacted the strongest—his brows furrowed tightly. Clearly, he hadn’t expected her to refuse him with such an excuse.

Striding over, he asked coldly, “So if you never find your real parents, you’ll never get married? Or is this just a random excuse because you don’t want to marry me?”

Meeting his gaze, Su Yuan’s reply was firm and unyielding. “Until I know the truth about my origins, I won’t marry. Maybe it’ll take a year, maybe ten. Youth is short—you’d better marry someone else.”

Seeing that she clearly looked down on their son—and truly meant it—Madam Xiao’s pride shifted instantly. There were plenty of eligible young ladies in the compound with good family backgrounds; Su Yuan was hardly irreplaceable. And with her origins in doubt, who knew if some hidden scandal might one day blow up in their faces?

Xiao Qi opened his mouth to make a promise, but Madam Xiao cut him off. “Yuan Yuan is quite determined. Since she’s made up her mind, let’s drop the matter.”

Her words made Xiao Qi anxious. “Mom, what are you saying? I’ll only marry Su Yuan!”

He’d thought his parents would back him up, but they were turning into obstacles instead. He regretted not persuading them beforehand.

The atmosphere grew awkward. Zhang Lanjun coughed lightly. “Xiao Qi, your mother only wants what’s best for you. My Yuan Yuan is a woman who keeps her word. Best you look at other young ladies.”

Because of her ankle injury, Zhang Lanjun hadn’t heard the rumors going around outside. She only felt that the Xiao family had acted rather high and mighty—coming to propose with such an air of superiority. Since Su Yuan didn’t like him, better not to marry.

With things turning out like this, Xiao Qi was the only one who looked truly upset. Knowing he couldn’t salvage the situation today, he left the gifts behind, politely took his leave, and hoped at least to leave a good impression.

Zhang Lanjun didn’t say much and asked Su Yuan to see them out, but Zhao Xiaoxue jumped in. “My sister hasn’t finished the laundry. Why don’t I go instead?”

Her voice was gentle, drawing the Xiao family’s attention. Xiao Qi glanced at her, his eyes flashing with disdain. He almost wished he could shove this meddlesome woman out of the way.

“I have something to say to Su Yuan. I won’t trouble you.”

He was tall and imposing, and when he got stern, he could be quite intimidating. Zhao Xiaoxue, though angry, didn’t dare provoke him further, and could only watch as Su Yuan saw the Xiao family out—losing her chance to shine.

Zhang Lanjun noticed her staring toward the door and couldn’t help asking, “What are you looking at? Are you upset? Next time we have guests, I’ll let you see them out.”

“…”

Zhao Xiaoxue quietly rolled her eyes and said, “I just envy my sister’s good fortune. She’s a true lady—no wonder so many people want to marry her.”

Compared to her, she was just an ugly duckling, forever gazing up at the white swan.

Hearing this, Zhang Lanjun’s heart ached with pity, wishing she could give Xiaoxue all the best things in the world.

“Xiaoxue, you’re the real lady here. Don’t envy anyone else. Mama will pave the road ahead for you.”

Zhao Xiaoxue raised her brows in surprise, then quickly hooked her arm through Zhang Lanjun’s and acted coquettish again.

“Thank you, Mom~ I’m so happy! In my next life, I still want to be your daughter!”

On the other side.

The Xiao parents had already left. Xiao Qi deliberately slowed his steps, keeping Su Yuan from walking away quickly, and said in a low voice,
“I’m not giving up on you. Marrying me doesn’t conflict with finding your birth parents, so don’t use your background as an excuse.”

Su Yuan stopped, deciding to take the chance to make things clear.

“Xiao Qi, you’re nothing but a petty, despicable man. Don’t think I’m unaware of the gossip in the compound. If you truly liked someone, you would never trap her in a difficult situation. From now on, don’t use your so-called affection to disgust me.”

Being rejected so bluntly by the woman he loved, Xiao Qi’s face darkened with anger. He defended himself hotly:
“Recently, Matchmaker Wang’s doorstep has nearly been worn down by men wanting to propose to you. Those people are blinded by lust—only caring about your looks and throwing caution to the wind. If I didn’t act, would they leave you alone? In terms of looks and ability, aside from Fu Mobai, who can compare with me? Yuanyuan, I’m your best choice.”

Su Yuan almost laughed in disbelief, and decided to anger him in return.
“My life is none of your business. To tell you the truth, Fu Mobai is my best choice. I like him, and in this lifetime, I’ll only like him. If it’s not him, I’m not marrying. You might as well give up now!”

The two glared at each other, the tension crackling like drawn swords.

Just then—BANG! A loud crash shattered the moment, like breaking a spell. Su Yuan snapped back to her senses, realizing there had been a third person within earshot the whole time.

She turned toward the sound and saw Sun Xiaohu standing not far away, frozen in shock.

He quickly scooped up the mesh bag from the ground and shook his head frantically.
“Sis, I didn’t hear anything just now! I just… my hand slipped and I dropped the lunch box.”

That explanation only made things sound even more suspicious. Su Yuan’s face turned bright red, and she wished she could crawl into a hole.

With an outsider present, Xiao Qi swallowed back all the words he wanted to say, his face black as ink. He turned to leave, but not before shooting Sun Xiaohu a vicious glare.

Feigning innocence, Sun Xiaohu secretly felt pleased. At this moment, he had already started thinking of Su Yuan as his sister-in-law.

Once Xiao Qi was gone, he came up to Su Yuan with the mesh bag, offering it proudly.
“Si— uh, Sis, I brought you something tasty. Three boxes in total, all dumplings stuffed with pure lean meat.”

Su Yuan’s cheeks were still burning. She didn’t take the bag, but instead asked cautiously,
“Just now… you really didn’t hear anything?”

“Nope. What were you two talking about?” Sun Xiaohu played dumb without missing a beat.

Seeing this, Su Yuan pressed her lips together, hesitating for a few seconds before forcing herself to warn him,
“Whether you heard or not, you must never repeat it to anyone. Especially not to Fu Mobai.”

Looking at her flushed cheeks, Sun Xiaohu swore solemnly,
“Sis, don’t worry. I’m not the kind of loose-tongued person—and I really didn’t hear a thing.”

With things said to that point, Su Yuan couldn’t bring herself to press further.

She took the mesh bag home, where Zhang Lanjun stopped her and asked,
“The stuff you’re holding—did Xiao Qi give it to you?”

“No. Sun Xiaohu brought it.”

Knowing she was close with Sun Xiaohu, Zhang Lanjun didn’t pry further, but instead brought up Xiao Qi.

“Xiao family’s boy is in good shape. Why didn’t you take a liking to him?”

“Don’t like him,” Su Yuan replied simply.

Zhang Lanjun clearly wasn’t satisfied with that answer.
“Actually, Xiao Qi’s not bad. Yes, his parents are a bit proud, but tell me—who in a high position isn’t? Still, if you don’t like him, then forget it. Don’t worry, no matter when, your mom will always put your wishes first.”

Su Yuan looked at her silently, her mind drifting to the events in the book.

In the book, when the Xiao family visited today, Zhang Lanjun hadn’t asked for her opinion at all—she had agreed to the marriage on the spot. Later, when Su Yuan tried to break off the engagement, Zhang Lanjun persuaded her over and over to give up the idea.

It was only when Zhao Xiaoxue asked for the match that Zhang Lanjun agreed without hesitation. But Xiao Qi had been stubborn to the end, only set on Su Yuan.

In the end, Zhao Xiaoxue schemed to get into Xiao Qi’s bed, and only then was the engagement canceled.

Though reality had shifted and those events hadn’t played out exactly the same, Su Yuan no longer believed her words.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a week passed.

On Friday morning, Father Su—Su Jianguo—finally returned, dragging two large leather suitcases.

After riding the overnight train, his brows were shadowed with exhaustion, and the dust of travel clung to him.

Seeing him, Zhang Lanjun was overjoyed. She leaned on her crutch and went up to greet him.
“What took you so long? Where’s your sister? Why didn’t she come back with you?”

A trace of discomfort flashed across Su Jianguo’s face. In a low voice, he asked,
“Where’s Yuanyuan? I have something to say to her.”

Though puzzled, Zhang Lanjun obediently called upstairs. Before long, both Su Yuan and Zhao Xiaoxue came out of their bedrooms.

Their reactions upon seeing Father Su were quite different.

Zhao Xiaoxue was slightly nervous—after all, in her previous life, when she returned to the Su family, Su Jianguo had already passed away from illness. They had never interacted before, so she had no grasp on his temperament.

Su Yuan, however, looked calm, simply waiting for what he would say next.

Su Jianguo spared Zhao Xiaoxue only a glance before saying to Su Yuan,
“Let’s talk in the study.”

Five minutes later, the two sat facing each other. Su Jianguo mentally reviewed the script he’d prepared, then finally spoke.
“This trip to the Northeast… I met with your aunt. She recently suffered some sort of shock—her mind’s not right now, so I couldn’t get anything out of her. After that, I investigated the little clinic from back then, but too much time has passed; I found nothing. We’ll have to take things step by step.”

His words were exactly what had been written in the book. Su Yuan froze for two seconds before asking,
“How did Aunt get sick? There are good hospitals in the capital. They should be able to help her.”

Seeing that she wasn’t pressing to uncover her background, Su Jianguo’s taut nerves slowly eased.
“She was frightened by bad people. They’re still investigating over there. Your uncle says her mood is unstable, so she can’t travel far for now. Once she’s better, we’ll bring her to the capital for treatment. Don’t worry—everything will come to light in the end.”

In the book, Su Yuan had believed these words, obediently staying in the capital. Even though life in the Su family was bitter and exhausting, she had continued to trust that one day, she could learn the truth from her aunt.

But until the very end of the book, she never got an answer.

These past days, Su Yuan had been mulling over those plot points again and again, and she finally realized — Father Su must have been hiding something.
The reason she hadn’t moved out yet, was simply to wait for him to return and confirm her suspicion.

Now, getting the Su family to investigate the truth was impossible. She could only rely on herself to uncover everything.

“Dad, Auntie’s illness is the most important thing. Let her focus on recovering. It’s already been eighteen years — there’s no rush to find out right away.”

Su Jianguo looked at her deeply, the corners of his mouth lifting into an unusually gentle smile.
“You being able to think like this… your mother and I can rest easy. We were afraid you’d get hung up on it. Yuanyuan, you’re the most sensible child in our family, and our pride. Whether or not you ever find your biological parents, your mother and I will always be your family.”

If it had been in the past, hearing such words, Su Yuan would have been deeply moved. Even if it meant wronging herself, she wouldn’t want to disappoint them.

But now, she only felt it was hypocritical.

Leaving the Su family was the next step in her plan. Before that, she had to get her aunt’s exact address and the address of that clinic.

To avoid arousing suspicion, she couldn’t just come right out and ask Father Su.

Still, she believed that if she was patient, clues would eventually show themselves…