Chapter 157: The Toyed-With Goddaughter (End)
“Don’t you like this gift?” the woman behind her asked, her hand still on Yu Nian’s back, a comforting weight.
But she didn’t give Yu Nian a chance to answer, her hand moving to cover Yu Nian’s lips, her voice a low murmur by her ear: “Do you think one pen is too thin?”
Yu Nian: “!”
She shook her head frantically, even turning her head slightly, her amber eyes glistening with tears, pleading with Su Mingxiu to stop.
Her clear eyes, usually a sign of innocence, now, combined with the memory of their earlier intimacy, were incredibly alluring.
Su Mingxiu kissed her eyes, catching a stray tear, her breath warm against Yu Nian’s skin. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“It makes me want to make you cry even harder.”
Yu Nian, flustered by the blatant desire in Su Mingxiu’s words, looked at her with a hint of委屈 (grievance, feeling wronged), as if Su Mingxiu was the one who should be apologizing.
She gently bit Su Mingxiu’s finger, their playful struggle easily broken. She blinked back her tears. “Let’s go back, I don’t want to stay here anymore.”
Mainly because being back at the apartment would limit their activities, unlike Su Mingxiu’s office, with its… possibilities.
“Go back?” Su Mingxiu, watching her try to suppress her desire, her tone casual, “Alright, but you have to promise me one thing.”
A loud, obnoxious ringtone…
Yu Nian stirred, her fingertips aching, then, hearing voices nearby, she opened her eyes, finding herself in a warm bed.
Her fingertips ached because Su Mingxiu, remembering her earlier bites, had retaliated, leaving marks all over her body.
Her fingers hadn’t been spared.
Remembering her promise last night, in the darkened villa, pressed against the floor-to-ceiling windows… then the dining table, the sofa… she turned over, thinking she would probably die in a peony-filled fantasy.
But then she realized the ceiling was different, not Su Mingxiu’s villa, nor her own home. She turned her head and saw a figure changing clothes, a silver-trimmed black bathrobe concealing her back—
Only her long, dark hair, cascading down, matched the silk of the robe.
She reached for the phone on the nightstand, and just then, she heard a familiar voice: “I’ve consulted someone, June next year is the best time. I’m booking a wedding planner, you should start planning your schedule.”
It was Yu Wanru.
But…
What date? What planner?
Yu Nian, confused, pulled back the covers, about to speak, when Su Mingxiu turned around. Perhaps because she was distracted, or perhaps because of the assumed privacy of the room, her bathrobe was loosely tied, the collar slipping open, revealing a glimpse of her fair skin.
“Awake?”
Su Mingxiu sat beside her, placing the phone on the nightstand. “Your mom is planning our wedding, listen in.”
Yu Nian: “?”
She wondered if she had been… thoroughly loved for an entire month last night. Otherwise, how could she have woken up in an unfamiliar place,
With her wedding to Su Mingxiu already being planned? Had someone cast a time spell on her?
Still in a daze, she heard Su Mingxiu say to Yu Wanru: “Thank you for your concern, Ms. Yu, but Niannian and I will discuss the arrangements ourselves, you don’t have to trouble yourself.”
Yu Wanru, annoyed by her nonchalant tone, said to Yu Nian: “Niannian, before we register the marriage, I’ll have our lawyer prepare a prenuptial agreement.”
Yu Nian: “??”
She looked at Su Mingxiu, then at the phone, a headache forming. Not because she was worried about Su Mingxiu, but because she was afraid that after helping Su Mingxiu, Yu Wanru would end up back in the ICU.
She grabbed the phone and, after a few noncommittal responses, pretended to have a bad signal and hung up.
Then, she sat on Su Mingxiu’s lap, demanding an explanation. “Why are we here?”
Su Mingxiu leaned back, letting Yu Nian straddle her, a smile still in her eyes, unfazed by Yu Nian’s hanging up on Yu Wanru. “You said you didn’t want me to live in a Tianyan property anymore, that you would take me to your place, and that we would enjoy the hot springs together, have you forgotten?”
Yu Nian vaguely remembered having said that, in her eagerness to limit Su Mingxiu’s contact with the other contestants, even offering her own properties.
Like the one at One Mansion, where Heartthrob was filmed. She knew Su Mingxiu had liked the hot springs there, but she hadn’t had a chance to enjoy them before leaving the show.
The villa they had used for the show, although spacious, had a small hot spring pool, mainly for decorative purposes.
But Yu Nian’s villa, “The House of Rising Sun,” was different. It was the “crown jewel” of the complex, the most luxurious unit with the best view.
Not only was the interior exquisite, but the outdoor hot spring was also grand, a taijitu-shaped pool, large enough for several people, with partitions for privacy, and options for herbal baths, milk baths, flower petal baths… a luxurious experience.
“So you brought me here… this morning?”
While she was still asleep.
“Yes,” Su Mingxiu nodded, confirming that the hot springs were indeed excellent. She had already enjoyed a soak while Yu Nian was still asleep.
Yu Nian: “…”
She tugged at Su Mingxiu’s bathrobe. “I get it now, your true love is the hot springs.”
Su Mingxiu: “?”
To prove her wrong, she pulled Yu Nian into the pool, the warm water enveloping them, Yu Nian’s rationality melting away, her protests lost in the steamy embrace.
Two months later…
Yu Nian, having taken over Wanda’s investment projects, sold the land in Northern Europe at a loss and, after carefully analyzing the domestic market, outsourced some of Wanda’s less profitable projects in smaller cities, using the recovered capital to focus on major developments, pulling the company back from the brink of collapse.
Although Wanda’s operations had scaled down, this focused approach was more suitable for their current situation, prioritizing stability over expansion.
One day, after work, Yu Nian was about to visit Su Mingxiu at XU Studio when Su Mingxiu arrived at Wanda’s headquarters, and they were both summoned by Yu Wanru to a nearby five-star hotel.
Today’s agenda: Choosing flowers for the wedding.
Yu Nian donned a mask of suffering.
She accompanied Su Mingxiu to the banquet hall, filled with a dazzling array of flowers, both local and imported. Before she could recover from the sensory overload, Yu Wanru waved them over.
“Mom.”
“I’ve already looked, for the ceremony, we need large, vibrant flowers. There are many types of roses suitable for your wedding…”
Here we go again.
Yu Nian closed her eyes, counting down: Three, two, one—
“Wait,” Su Mingxiu interrupted with a smile. “You like roses, don’t you? There are many other options, I think carnations are nice too.”
Yu Wanru: “?”
Yu Nian opened her eyes, meeting Su Mingxiu’s gaze, remembering her first gift. As Yu Wanru looked at Su Mingxiu with a “Are you crazy?” expression, Yu Nian poked Su Mingxiu’s waist and whispered: “Are you still on about this?”
Su Mingxiu, touching her chin, her words both a challenge to Yu Wanru’s control and a playful tease towards Yu Nian, “I think carnations are… meaningful.”
Meaningful?
A symbol of this forbidden love?
Yu Nian was speechless. As she remained silent, Yu Wanru and Su Mingxiu started arguing, from “who knows more about weddings” to Su Mingxiu’s subtle jabs at Yu Wanru’s business decisions, then, Yu Wanru, losing face, turned her anger towards Yu Nian.
“And those jewelry pieces you chose for the wedding photos are unsuitable, especially that Serpenti set, is Miss Su short on cash after that big project? I have two tickets for the XV Auction on the 15th, Niannian, take my card and buy whatever you like, don’t use such cheap trinkets.”
Su Mingxiu chuckled and, bringing up Wanda’s stalled project, asked if Yu Wanru was having trouble securing loans again, offering to put in a good word with the bank.
Before their argument escalated further, Yu Nian quickly intervened. “Mom… I chose the Serpenti set, I like it.”
Yu Wanru looked at her. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Su Mingxiu pulled Yu Nian slightly behind her. “I think it’s perfect.”
Surprisingly, despite their constant bickering, the wedding preparations proceeded smoothly.
The day before the wedding…
Yu Nian was writing wedding invitations, the gold ink shimmering against the paper.
Su Mingxiu was helping her tie her hair, glancing at Yu Nian’s phone. “Dong Lin is asking what dress she should wear, she sent over a dozen pictures.”
“Hmm…” Yu Nian, carefully writing Sheng Qian’s invitation, looked up. “I’ll reply later. By the way, where’s your… former agent? I haven’t seen him recently.”
“Oh, he’s grounded,” Su Mingxiu replied casually. “He claimed to have found a once-in-a-century acting genius and almost got tricked into being trafficked to Southeast Asia. Sheng Tianheng was so embarrassed that he grounded him for three months and enrolled him in a bunch of anti-scam classes. He probably won’t be allowed out without an anti-fraud app on his phone.”
Yu Nian, messing up the last stroke of Sheng Qian’s name, put the invitation aside and asked to switch places with Su Mingxiu.
A few minutes later…
Su Mingxiu, sitting properly, glanced at Yu Nian’s reflection in the mirror, her expression unchanging. “Causing trouble again?”
Yu Nian, eager to see the jewelry she had designed on Su Mingxiu, a replica of the flower necklace she had made, now adorned with precious stones and diamonds, a dazzling display of luxury that only someone like Su Mingxiu could carry, had pulled down Su Mingxiu’s dress from behind.
In the mirror, it looked like a precious bird being adorned with jewels.
Yu Nian felt a surge of satisfaction, even hugging Su Mingxiu from behind, her head resting on Su Mingxiu’s shoulder, admiring her work.
The sound of the brush being placed on the brush rest brought her back to reality.
Su Mingxiu, turning her wrist, asked calmly: “Done playing?”
Yu Nian, pretending to consider it, nodded, then quickly slipped away.
But as Su Mingxiu grabbed her waist, she wondered how Su Mingxiu had managed to stand up and turn around so quickly.
Does this woman have superpowers?
Pinned against the bed, she heard Su Mingxiu’s amused voice above her: “My turn now?”
Yu Nian, thinking quickly, put on a serious expression, pushing against Su Mingxiu’s shoulders. “Actually, I have another question—”
“Hmm?”
“It’s…” Yu Nian’s eyes darted around. “If I hadn’t liked you first, would you have liked me?”
She had considered this question before. Now that she had trapped the system, she didn’t have to risk Yu Nian’s reputation with this forbidden love. She could play the role of the perfect Little Mom, always there for Yu Nian, but never crossing the line.
But there were no “ifs” in this story.
After a moment, she smiled. “Whether you like me or not, I love you.”
A love that allowed her to be by Yu Nian’s side in any form: as family, as a friend, as a mentor, as a mother…
Whether Yu Nian reciprocated her feelings or not, no matter their predetermined ending, as long as Yu Nian sent out a signal, she would respond.
Her love for this person… could be summarized in:
As long as you need it, as long as I have it, I’ll give you everything I can, everything I have.
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