Chapter 134: The Toyed-With Goddaughter (9)
Yu Nian stared at Su Mingxiu, then chuckled softly and returned to her room.
Su Mingxiu, swirling the water in her glass, guessed something from Yu Nian’s expression and smiled faintly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.
She had intended to avoid romantic topics with Yu Nian recently. But a few weekends later, she received a bouquet of beautiful, unopened water lilies, their fragrance intoxicating.
She searched for a card, finding none, and asked the delivery person: “Are you sure this is for me?”
“Xiangjiang Huafu, Building 9, Apartment 808, Su Mingxiu, is that correct?”
It was.
After checking the bouquet, she signed the receipt and turned around, bumping into Yu Nian, who had come out of her room.
“Received flowers?”
“You sent them?” Su Mingxiu raised an eyebrow, then, seeing Yu Nian’s expression, guessed the answer.
Yu Nian nodded. “Didn’t you say you liked lotuses?”
Su Mingxiu had thought Yu Nian hadn’t heard the rest of the flowers she had mentioned. Now, receiving this gift, she instinctively checked the date—
Oh, it’s Mother’s Day.
She smiled at Yu Nian. “I love them, thank you for the gift.”
Yu Nian, watching her hold the water lilies, returned to her room without a word. She was now even more determined to study in the country. Only here could she obtain what she desired.
Su Mingxiu watched her leave, breathing a sigh of relief. She had been prepared for Yu Nian to make a fuss, to bring up other matters, but Yu Nian had said nothing, making her see the girl in a new light.
It was as if those fleeting moments of unspoken intimacy had been Su Mingxiu’s imagination.
But as a seasoned player in the game of love, she knew that young love was often stubborn and intense, like the summer sun, burning brightly but briefly if released too quickly.
But if hidden, suppressed, the longer it simmered, the deeper the burn, like embers, seemingly extinguished, yet still scorching hot.
Thankfully, the college entrance exam was approaching.
Once Yu Nian went to university, entered the real world, these unspoken feelings, even if they lingered, would eventually fade with time.
Su Mingxiu thought.
May arrived, the weather growing hotter after the Labor Day holiday.
As the college entrance exam approached, the pressure on the students eased, the school’s discipline relaxing, even allowing students to take leave to study at home.
Yu Wanru, seeing that Yu Nian hadn’t sent out her recommendation letters or transcripts, realized that she was determined to apply to domestic universities.
As a parent, she still wanted her child to succeed. In the last half month, she sent Yu Nian messages, urging her to come home and study, even hiring a tutor to help her.
But Yu Nian didn’t accept her offer, sticking to her own schedule, doing practice exams and reviewing at school, preparing for the exam at her own pace.
The days flew by, and amidst the anxiety of countless students and parents, June arrived.
The day before the exam, Yu Nian still chose to stay at school, following her usual routine. But while studying in the classroom at night, she called Su Mingxiu.
“I have my exam tomorrow, have you thought about the celebratory menu?”
“Manhan Quanxi is really not an option.” The person on the other end of the phone was arranging the fresh flowers in a vase, a gift from Yu Nian that had started on Mother’s Day and continued until now. Water lilies, bowl lotuses, Chinese roses, roses… a different variety every day.
Su Mingxiu even wondered if the little one had spent all her allowance on these flowers.
Yu Nian chuckled, surprisingly not arguing with her. “Anything you make is fine—oh, no raw food, I refuse raw salads too.”
Whenever they argued, Su Mingxiu would always serve her raw dishes, from seafood to salads. Yu Nian felt like she had seen all the dishes she hated most in her life on Su Mingxiu’s dining table.
“Don’t you have to go back to the Yu residence after the exam?”
“Whether I go back or not, your celebratory meal is a must.”
“Okay,” Su Mingxiu, having just finished trimming the flowers, changed the subject. “How many days did you order these flowers for? I’m running out of vases.”
“Until my exam is over,” Yu Nian replied.
Touched by this filial child’s Mother’s Day gift, Su Mingxiu asked: “Other kids have their parents accompanying them for the exam, does our Yu Nian need this service?”
“I want to, but… no,” the reply surprised Su Mingxiu.
She looked up and saw her reflection in the living room window, dressed in a gold-embroidered cheongsam. She frowned slightly. “Why?”
“The weather forecast says it will be sunny these next few days, over 30 degrees Celsius, scorching hot. You shouldn’t suffer like that.”
She truly wanted Su Mingxiu to accompany her, the thought even making her heart race.
But in the end, she remembered Su Mingxiu’s meticulous bathing rituals and the expensive skincare products on her vanity table. She couldn’t bear the thought of Su Mingxiu waiting outside in the heat with the other parents.
“Oh, since when did you become so considerate?”
Su Mingxiu’s voice was filled with surprise.
“Not everyone can make me feel this way,” Yu Nian mumbled softly, then quickly retracted her unintentional confession, her voice returning to its usual coldness. “I need to study now, see you in a few days.”
“Okay,” Su Mingxiu, knowing that the college entrance exam was the most important thing right now, played along, pretending not to have heard her words. “I wish you success, may you achieve the results you desire.”
The afternoon of June 8th.
Su Mingxiu still drove to Yu Nian’s school. Her red Ferrari, adorned with a banner that read “Wishing Yu Nian victory! May you answer all the questions correctly, and guess all the right answers!”, attracted the attention of other parents.
As the final bell rang, more and more students emerged from the school, some dragging suitcases, others carrying stacks of books, their faces beaming as they greeted their families.
Before the results were released, there were no unhappy students.
Yu Nian didn’t have many belongings at school, and she had finished the exam early. So she was among the first to come out. Seeing the familiar car at the school gates, she paused, then walked towards it, pulling her suitcase. She raised her chin at Su Mingxiu. “Guess all the right answers? What do you take me for? There are no questions that require guessing.”
Su Mingxiu, taking off her sunglasses, also looked at the banner. “Really? Should I cross out the second half?”
Yu Nian smiled, her eyes crinkling. She was clearly in a good mood today. Seeing that Su Mingxiu was actually looking for a pen to cross out the words, she stopped her. “Forget it, it’s fine like this.”
She got into the car, put her suitcase in the back, and fastened her seatbelt. As Su Mingxiu also got in, she said casually:
“It’s my birthday today.”
Su Mingxiu paused, her hand on the car door. The original owner’s memories didn’t include such details.
So she didn’t know when Yu Nian’s birthday was. She had even assumed that Yu Nian was already an adult during her conversation with Yu Wanru.
“Happy birthday,” she said, reaching for her phone. Although she had carefully planned the meal, she hadn’t expected this. “What kind of fruit do you like?”
She needed to order a cake.
Yu Nian, who had been so well-behaved just moments ago, stared at her. “I’ve been living with you for months, and you don’t know what kind of fruit I like?”
Su Mingxiu raised an eyebrow, about to reply, when an unfamiliar ringtone came from Yu Nian’s phone.
Yu Nian looked at her, then, remembering that she had finally changed her ringtone after the exam, she took out her phone, her expression changing as she saw the caller ID. She answered, her voice slightly lower.
“Mom.”
“Finished your exam? I’ve sent you an address. It’s your birthday today. I’ve booked a banquet, and I’ve also arranged your summer internship at the company. There are a few people you need to meet, you have one hour, don’t be late.”
Yu Wanru’s words were so rapid-fire that there was no chance to interrupt. By the time Yu Nian wanted to speak, Yu Wanru had already hung up, seemingly oblivious to how unreasonable her demands were.
The car’s interior was small, and they were sitting close together, so Su Mingxiu had clearly heard the conversation. As Yu Nian looked at her, she smiled reassuringly.
“It’s okay, I can put the groceries in the fridge, they’ll keep for a few days—”
“Do you want me to drive you there?”
The girl in her school uniform, a shadow in her light-colored eyes, seemed reluctant to show Su Mingxiu her helplessness before Yu Wanru. But her rationality prevailed, a voice in her mind reminding her that being impulsive now would only cause trouble.
After a long silence, Yu Nian finally lowered her eyes and asked seriously: “Will you wait for me?”
Wait for me to have this dinner.
And give me enough time to grow, to gain the strength to defy her arrangements, and… to be able to stand before you as an equal and pursue you.
“Of course,” Su Mingxiu replied.
She drove Yu Nian to the address Yu Wanru had sent, a luxurious five-star hotel. After watching Yu Nian leave, just as she was about to drive home, she received a call from Sheng Qian.
“Sis, interested in a high-paying variety show?”
Su Mingxiu leaned back in her seat, her arm resting on the window, casually fixing her wind-blown hair in the rearview mirror. “Variety show? I’m not a celebrity, how can I participate?”
“An amateur dating show! A friend of mine is looking for beautiful single people. Payment is guaranteed, you just have to live there, the persona is simple, much easier than acting—just think of it as a paid vacation, once it’s over, you get paid and leave. Interested?”
Su Mingxiu was indeed intrigued. She asked about the payment, then fell silent.
—It was… a lot of money.
Sheng Qian knew that this would tempt her. He added: “The sponsor is Wanda Group, even the villas where the guests will be staying are sponsored by them, a new development project, designed by a famous architect, very nice environment…”
Then, remembering Su Mingxiu’s past with the CEO of Wanda, he changed the subject: “Of course, you’ve seen it all, living in a villa isn’t a big deal for you. Anyway, as long as we don’t mention the past, just play the role of a beautiful, quiet extra, easy money, isn’t that great?”
It was.
Su Mingxiu admitted that the original owner’s materialistic heart was tempted. She asked: “When does the filming start?”
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