Chapter 137: The Toyed-With Goddaughter (12)
Yu Nian rarely discussed her family matters with her friends. But in their small, elite circle, gossip spread quickly, especially about divorces and incompetent heirs.
When Yu Wanru’s kidnapping had become public, other wealthy families had become wary, hiring full-time security.
And when same-sex marriage was legalized, these traditional families had looked down on it, especially the older generation, who wouldn’t allow their children to choose such a path.
But Yu Wanru had married a woman, a young, seemingly naive woman who couldn’t offer her any support in her career.
Even their business partners gossiped, wondering how Yu Wanru planned to have children.
Then, a few years later, she had brought home a seven or eight-year-old child, who resembled neither her nor her “wife.”
The gossip intensified.
It was in this awkward situation that Yu Nian became Yu Wanru’s chosen heir. Perhaps having exhausted her youthful rebelliousness, Yu Wanru was strict with Yu Nian, demanding she follow the path of an elite, carefully planning her future—
And because Yu Nian was capable, she gradually gained acceptance among her peers.
They knew about her complicated family situation and avoided mentioning it. After all, who didn’t have their own secrets?
But Su Mingxiu’s case was particularly eye-catching. Since the day she married Yu Wanru, people had been waiting for the inevitable downfall. They had assumed the divorce would be the end of her story. Who could have imagined that this practically penniless ex-wife would appear on a Wanda-sponsored show, flaunting Wanda’s resources, playing the role of the charming heartbreaker? Those who knew the inside story couldn’t help but be shocked.
Now, seeing Yu Nian’s expression, her friends, putting themselves in her shoes, felt suffocated.
A strict mother, and a shameless, attention-seeking ex-stepmother, if it were them, they would probably run away from home.
It was absurd.
“Niannian…” Dai Yan, nudged by the others, had to speak up. “Out of sight, out of mind. Just… stay offline for a while, don’t watch that show, it’s just upsetting, right?”
The others quickly agreed. “Yeah, or if it bothers you that much, just have her removed from the show. We’re the investors, it’s just a matter of saying the word.”
…
Dong Lin, listening to their suggestions, felt uneasy. She knew that Yu Nian had been spending a lot of time at Su Mingxiu’s apartment recently, even bringing back snacks. Their relationship wasn’t as distant as these people thought.
Did Yu Nian also think… that Su Mingxiu joining a dating show after her divorce was shameful?
Dong Lin looked at her friend with concern.
Just as she was about to speak, Yu Nian walked towards the door. “Put it on my tab. I suddenly remembered something, I have to go.”
It was obvious that she was upset by Su Mingxiu’s appearance on the show.
Since the gathering was meant to be a farewell party, with the main character leaving early, the others also found excuses to disperse.
“Dong Lin, right? Where do you live? I can give you a ride,” a boy offered.
Dai Yan kicked him lightly. “Get lost.” Then, she showed Dong Lin her Ferrari keys. “I just got a new car, want to try it out? Don’t worry, I have a license.”
“Ding.”
The elevator reached the ground floor. Yu Nian, in a classic Burberry trench coat, walked towards the hotel exit, the iconic pattern accentuating her elegance. Heads turned as she passed.
But Yu Nian didn’t notice. She didn’t even realize that despite the sudden drop in temperature and the return of summer-like heat, she was dressed for autumn while everyone else was in shorts and t-shirts.
Her friends’ words echoed in her mind.
“Upsetting.”
“Annoying.”
These words swirled in her head, like intrusive thoughts, fueling her anger.
The more she thought about it, the more upset she became, the images from the live stream replaying in her mind.
But…
Was that the real reason for her anger?
Yu Nian tugged at the collar of her shirt, feeling the heat, her rationality being overwhelmed by emotions. And the dominant emotion was anger.
Anger at Su Mingxiu’s gentle promises, her assurances that she wouldn’t rush into a new relationship, that she would put Yu Nian’s feelings first, making Yu Nian believe that she could change Su Mingxiu.
Until she saw this show, Su Mingxiu’s same gentle smile directed at others, her acceptance of expensive gifts—
Yu Nian scoffed.
What am I to her?
A “cheap daughter” whose value would only be realized in the future. For someone like Su Mingxiu, someone who could offer her a comfortable life, a walking ATM, was more important, right?
Meanwhile, at One Mansion, the House of Elegance…
It was the second day since the contestants had moved in. Besides the audience, they didn’t know who else was interested in whom. They only knew who they had sent their first-night text message to, the rest was unknown.
But in this second season, due to Su Mingxiu’s exceptional beauty and the impressions from their first meeting, several contestants had already identified the competition.
“Dinner’s ready!”
The cheerful call from the dining room made Su Mingxiu close the lid of the expensive gift box and head towards the sound.
“Coming,” she replied, opening her door. Unlike yesterday’s pure white dress, which emphasized her innocence, today she wore a playful black dress, a design meant for both formal and casual occasions, with a cute bow detail.
Since the contestants had been at work during the day, the live stream only started at 5 PM. The viewers, eager for more drama, were excited to see her walking towards the dining room.
[Heehee, I’ve already created a document, ready for live blogging.]
[Did you see Shao-jiejie’s smug smile? I hate to break it to her, but Su Meiren had a late-night snack with Tracy last night, they talked for an hour, already exchanged preferences, handsome T x beautiful P is the best!]
[You ShaoSu and TracySu shippers are too obvious, SuTang is the real deal! Dr. Tang bought a book, I predict a romantic scene tonight—candlelit reading perhaps?]
[SuBai shippers, important message, repeated three times: Su Mingxiu sent her text message to Baibai last night! To Baibai! To Baibai!]
[Is SuRong not worthy?]
As the fans argued in the live stream chat, Su Mingxiu entered the living room and saw Shao Chen, who was still working. Attorney Shao was wearing a different suit today, a subtle yet luxurious design with gold and silver threads.
Su Mingxiu stopped before her, about to mention the gift, when Shao Chen interrupted: “Wait, you guys eat first, I need five more minutes.”
Just then, Rong Hua, carrying dishes to the dining table, called out to Su Mingxiu. “Come and sit, Xiuxiu, Dr. Tang and Xiao Xu’s cooking is amazing, I can’t be the only one to be impressed.”
Su Mingxiu, abandoning her plan to talk to Shao Chen privately, walked towards the dining table. Yesterday, she had sensed the strange atmosphere and had waited for everyone to sit down before choosing a seat. But today, she had no such opportunity—
Rong Hua practically pushed her between Tang Jiansue and Xu Wenbai, then sat across from her.
The live stream chat was filled with question marks, then exclamation points.
[This is a bottom alliance! While those two tops are still fighting each other, the bottoms have united! Well done, Professor Rong!]
[Shao Chen, are you still sitting there? Your back is on fire! Your bag is about to be snatched!]
“Ding!”
The oven timer beeped. They turned around and heard Tracy’s voice: “Make way, this is hot.”
Xu Wenbai, the obedient little bird, immediately stood up, and Tracy placed a seafood pizza, topped with colorful bell peppers, before Su Mingxiu.
Tracy, not leaving yet, glanced at the three “bottoms” surrounding Su Mingxiu, one hand on the back of her chair, her body leaning close. “You told me last night that you couldn’t find good seafood at the supermarket and that you were too lazy to go to the wet market, so you hadn’t tried this pizza yet. I had a colleague buy some fresh seafood today, want to try mine?”
The other dishes on the table—braised chicken wings, beef stew, stir-fried cabbage, fish head with chopped chili peppers—were all visually appealing.
But compared to Tracy’s pizza with its backstory, they seemed less enticing.
[Tracy: You might have captured her body, but I have captured her heart.]
Shao Chen, still working, closed her laptop and stood up, her sharp eyes fixed on Tracy, her expression cold, as if she was jealous of Tracy’s time alone with Su Mingxiu.
Tang Jiansue smiled warmly and asked Su Mingxiu: “Do you have any particular preferences? We can all share, so we can cater to everyone’s tastes tomorrow.”
[Lol, Tracy thought she had the cheat sheet, but Dr. Tang is asking the teacher for the answers.]
[That analogy is so accurate!]
Xu Wenbai, looking from one to the other, asked Su Mingxiu softly: “Can… can we eat now?”
“Of course, everyone’s here.”
Su Mingxiu, seizing the opportunity to escape the tension, turned to Xu Wenbai, even offering her a slice of pizza.
Tracy, seeing this, straightened up, as if hearing the live stream audience’s commentary: “First blood!”
Just then, Shao Chen walked between Su Mingxiu and Tang Jiansue, seemingly wanting to get some soup.
Standing there, her imposing aura made Tang Jiansue, who had been about to talk to Su Mingxiu, give up.
Rong Hua, sitting across from them, said: “Attorney Shao, there are seats here, no need to crowd over there, come sit here.”
“I prefer to stand—”
Before Shao Chen could finish her cold refusal, Su Mingxiu stood up and said: “Attorney Shao seems to want to sit here, I’ll switch places with you.”
Before Shao Chen could react, Su Mingxiu had already moved, leaving her surrounded by Tracy, still reeling from the pizza incident, Xu Wenbai, quietly eating, and Tang Jiansue, her smile unchanging.
[Tsk, tsk, tsk, double kill!]
[Suddenly reminded of that meme: Cupid: I don’t believe my arrows can’t hit you; Su Mingxiu, standing in a rain of arrows: I’m single by choice.]
[Haven’t you noticed? With this seat change, Professor Rong is the biggest winner. I’m getting inspiration for a腹黑 (black-bellied) x beautiful older sister fic, the kind where the seemingly cheerful professor, while wiping the sweat from her lover’s brow, asks with a smile: Can’t go on anymore? Want me to take over?]—Is the live stream chat turning into an erotic fiction writing session?]
[Who says she can’t go on?! Su Mingxiu is a top! Tops don’t admit defeat!]
Su Mingxiu, unaware that she had become the subject of numerous fan fics, sat beside Rong Hua, politely refusing her enthusiastic offers of food, finishing her meal quickly. Wanting only to play the role of the beautiful extra and collect her paycheck, she was about to leave when Shao Chen stopped her.
“Everyone worked hard preparing dinner, except for Mingxiu and me. Let’s do the dishes together.”
Together.
Tracy, having just recovered from the pizza incident, was about to sit beside Su Mingxiu when she heard those words.
[Baibai, Dr. Tang, Tracy: We were wrong to have hope.]
Su Mingxiu couldn’t refuse, she couldn’t be too obvious about avoiding work. She slowed down her eating, then, following Shao Chen’s lead, stayed behind to wash the dishes.
Shao Chen put on an apron and walked over to Su Mingxiu, seeing that she had already cleared the table. “Alright, leave the rest to me, don’t come into the kitchen, you’ll get your hands dirty.”
With cameras everywhere, Su Mingxiu couldn’t just leave. She smiled faintly. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?”
Shao Chen looked at her for a moment, then smiled. “There is.”
She gestured towards her neck, revealing the collar of her shirt and her tie.
“Untie my tie for me, it’s been a long day, it’s a bit tight.”
After a moment of silence, Su Mingxiu stepped forward, her white fingertips touching the gold and red tie, her red manicure complementing its color.
Su Mingxiu thought her actions were perfectly innocent, unaware of how intimate they appeared on camera.
[Oh my god, untying the tie, I’m dead, Shao Chen, you’re so smooth! Don’t bother with Su Mingxiu, just take me!]
[Everyone knows, untying a powerful woman’s tie, slowly unbuttoning her collar, is the most irresistible scene.]
[My tears are flowing, is this really free content?]
As the tie loosened, its edges falling around Su Mingxiu’s wrist, Shao Chen looked down at her delicate skin and suddenly said: “My tie’s color… suits you.”
[What tie color? Just say you two are a perfect match!]
[Shao Chen: Bound by program rules, I must be subtle.]
Su Mingxiu removed the tie, twirling it around her finger, then looked up at Shao Chen with a playful smile, her eyes full of unspoken meaning. “Really? Suits what? My hands?”
She casually draped the tie over her arm, its long, gold and red fabric swaying in the air, seemingly loose, yet, after her words, it evoked images of being tightly bound.
[Ahhhhhh I can only scream!]
[Is this the tension between two top-tier alphas? I’m dying, my neighbors are going deaf, the old man down the street just ripped off his hearing aid and suddenly recovered!]
[Can we get a demonstration of this bondage play? I’m not familiar with this.]
Even Shao Chen, who considered herself experienced, was momentarily stunned by Su Mingxiu’s gaze and smile, her heart skipping a beat, as if…
The prey she had thought was within her grasp had suddenly roared like a tiger.
Su Mingxiu’s application hadn’t been a lie.
While she was still in a daze, Su Mingxiu, as if it had all been a joke, asked again if there was anything she could do.
After Shao Chen shook her head, she put the tie on the sofa and meticulously wiped the table.
“Thud…”
The sound of a water bottle falling to the floor.
Yu Nian, who had chosen to stay at a hotel instead of returning to the Yu residence, knocked over the bottle, her face dark as she watched the intimate scene between Su Mingxiu and Shao Chen, their suggestive words.
So this is her type?
Yu Nian angrily closed her phone. From dinner to dishwashing, her mood had been a rollercoaster, her emotions controlled by Su Mingxiu.
Seeing others flirt with Su Mingxiu, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. Seeing Su Mingxiu unaffected, she felt both relieved and worried, wondering if Su Mingxiu was playing hard to get.
And all these emotions had exploded during Su Mingxiu and Shao Chen’s private moment.
Staring at Shao Chen’s face, Yu Nian saw only the allure of wealth. As Su Mingxiu and Shao Chen interacted, she couldn’t help but criticize them internally.
Are the viewers blind?
How are these two a match?
Shao Chen is clearly just treating Su Mingxiu as a temporary plaything, at least the others put some effort into their gifts, but her? She just throws money around, so vulgar!
Someone like that could never be sincere with Su Mingxiu!
Yu Nian couldn’t stand watching the show anymore. She couldn’t even understand why Wanda would invest in such a trashy program.
Frustrated and sweating, she reached for her water bottle, forgetting that she had knocked it over. Looking around, she could only get a new one from the fridge.
The suite was quiet, only her own movements breaking the silence.
She sat back down, opened a can of soda, the cool liquid calming her anger slightly. But the silence in the room made her restless.
Not watching the show was even worse—
Because she didn’t know how many more “wildflowers” would appear around Su Mingxiu.
She took a large gulp of soda and turned her phone back on, only to see Su Mingxiu at the desk, teaching Tang Jiansue how to paint the patterns on porcelain, similar to traditional Chinese painting.
Tang Jiansue had learned Chinese painting before. They had been discussing a book about antiques, the conversation drifting towards porcelain patterns and painting.
With the paper spread out, a paperweight holding it down, Tang Jiansue drew a design for a porcelain vase, decorated with silk tree flowers. As they were talking, Su Mingxiu’s sleeve accidentally brushed against the wet ink.
“Let me roll up your sleeve,” Tang Jiansue said, her fingers already touching Su Mingxiu’s sleeve. Su Mingxiu’s black dress had semi-transparent long sleeves, a subtle hint of allure.
But as the sleeves were rolled up, the allure intensified, like polishing jade, revealing its inner brilliance.
[Silk tree flowers… tsk, is that a double entendre?]
[How can intellectuals be so seductive? Forget the vase, paint me! I’ll be the canvas!]
[Give us the R-18 content!]
“Crack.”
Yu Nian crushed the soda can slightly.
She didn’t even notice the soda spilling onto her hand and dripping onto the carpet, her gaze fixed on the screen.
Silk tree flowers?
Really?
Just as she was about to get up and pace around, she noticed a small exclamation mark in the corner of the live stream. She clicked on it, intending to watch other contestants to calm down, but she saw Professor Rong holding a small plastic ball.
“Congratulations to the first guest to find the date invitation ball! Please give this ball to the contestant you’d like to go on a date with within 24 hours. The recipient cannot refuse—”
Rong Hua, hearing the announcement, tossed the ball in her hand and asked, her voice cheerful and direct: “Any kind of date invitation?”
—
[What are you planning, Professor?]
[This is a date invitation, not a hookup invitation!]
Thinking about Rong Hua’s earlier actions at the dinner table, Yu Nian’s expression froze.
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