Chapter 143: The Toyed-With Goddaughter (18)
After stating her reasons, Yu Nian even checked the price, thinking it was beyond Su Mingxiu’s budget. The thought of one-upping her rivals and seeing their reactions made her offer: “I’ll pay.”
She took out her card, and the live stream chat, although the brand logo was blurred, quickly identified the watch and its price.
[Whoa, a 1.7 million yuan watch, just like that. I get it now… Yu Nian isn’t just a top student, she’s a rich kid!]
[I’m calling her “wife” from now on!]
[When a beautiful woman is smarter and richer than you…]
[Scary story: One of the top 5 real estate tycoons in the country is a local businesswoman surnamed Yu.]
[Another scary story: The villa complex where the show is being filmed is also owned by the Yu family.]
[Shocking, the investor is personally participating to…]
As the netizens started investigating Yu Nian’s background, news of the events on Heartthrob finally reached Yu Wanru’s office.
She hadn’t expected such a surprise from her daughter after just a two-day trip abroad.
“Have you contacted the program team? Now, immediately, have them remove Yu Nian from the show.”
She didn’t throw anything or yell, but her gaze was terrifying, the temperature in the office plummeting.
“Right away.”
“And how did she even get on the show?” Yu Wanru stared at her secretary, demanding an answer.
The secretary, clinging to her job, wanted to cry. If it weren’t for the first episode airing today, and a colleague mentioning Yu Nian’s appearance, she wouldn’t have known.
After all, she was swamped with work.
But facing her boss’s interrogation, she quickly came up with an answer: “I assume it’s because Miss Yu interned in the marketing department. Since we’re investors, she has direct contact with the program staff.”
Yu Wanru, for the first time, lost interest in the documents before her. After a moment of silence, she said: “Find me a device, I want to see what kind of miracle this dating show is, that she would even skip university registration to participate.”
Her subordinate’s heart sank.
What miracle?
It’s your divorced ex-wife, causing chaos with her beauty!
She could already imagine Yu Wanru’s fury upon discovering the truth, but defying her now…
It’s either a quick death or a slow one. The secretary resigned herself to her fate and showed Yu Wanru the live stream on her phone.
The screen showed Yu Nian paying for Su Mingxiu’s gift.
And the comments in the live stream chat, like “Is this a dowry?” and “If I were Su Mingxiu, I would marry her,” made Yu Wanru’s grip on the phone tighten, wanting to smash it.
But a shred of rationality remained.
What was the point?
Yu Nian’s actions on this show, broadcast for all to see, were more humiliating than anything she had ever done.
On the show…
Yu Nian, carrying the watch box, accompanied Su Mingxiu to the women’s clothing section. She saw a beautiful dress on a mannequin, but before she could approach, she sneezed.
A sudden unease.
“Caught a cold?”
Su Mingxiu walked over and touched her forehead, checking for a fever.
If it weren’t for the cameras and the other shoppers, Yu Nian would have held Su Mingxiu’s hand, wanting her touch.
She had close friends at school, physical contact wasn’t uncommon, but no one had ever made her feel this way.
She wondered… what it would be like to hold this person while sleeping.
Just the thought made her recall the intimacy of last night, Su Mingxiu applying medicine to her back. Seeing her blush, Su Mingxiu, thinking the mall was too warm, looked at her strangely, then turned to the dress Yu Nian had been looking at earlier.
Yu Nian followed her to the fitting room and, after waiting for a while, asked through the curtain: “Need any help?”
Since this was a private area, the cameras remained outside, Yu Nian’s figure on screen now tiny.
A faint chuckle came from inside. “Are you sure you’re here to help?”
Not sure.
Yu Nian glanced at the camera and didn’t answer.
She looked around, her gaze falling on a white birdcage at the end of the hallway, decorated with vines.
She stared at it—
Her thoughts took a different turn.
She wanted to lock someone inside, that person wearing the flower necklace, a golden dress, like a flower fairy, scattering golden dust with every movement, yet unable to escape.
Hers.
Only hers to see.
“Hey.”
A flick on her forehead startled her. Yu Nian looked up and saw Su Mingxiu, now wearing the dress and the ranunculus necklace, the vibrant purple against the plain fabric, surprisingly alluring.
Yu Nian gulped.
Su Mingxiu had wanted to ask if she looked good, but seeing Yu Nian’s stunned expression, she chuckled, amused, then, about to tease her, a staff member hurried over and handed Yu Nian a phone.
A call.
Seeing the caller ID, Yu Nian’s expression changed. She walked away to answer the call, almost running, quickly distancing herself from Su Mingxiu.
Whatever she had wanted to say was now lost.
When she returned, she seemed distracted, not even hearing Su Mingxiu’s question. Su Mingxiu flicked her ear, and she finally turned around. “What?”
“Lost your soul?” Su Mingxiu narrowed her eyes, observing her. “They’re going to a bar tonight, it’s Tracy’s birthday.”
A bar?
A dangerous place.
Yu Nian frowned, wanting to tell Su Mingxiu not to go, but remembering Tracy’s interest in Su Mingxiu, and now with her birthday as an excuse, it would be inappropriate to object in front of the cameras.
“Okay,” she said.
Su Mingxiu looked at her for a moment. “You look…”
Yu Nian, hearing her drawn-out words, instinctively wiped her face, smudging her lipstick without realizing it. “What about me?”
“Like you haven’t finished your homework and snuck out to play, about to be caught by your parents.”
Yu Nian: “…”
She pouted. “What a stupid analogy, I would never not finish my homework.”
Su Mingxiu smiled faintly. “The point is the second half.”
Yu Nian was silent for a longer time, then, afraid of appearing cowardly, she reached for Su Mingxiu’s dress, but Su Mingxiu dodged.
“This dress is new, and expensive, clean your hands first.”
Yu Nian: “?”
She looked down and saw the lipstick stain on her hand.
After a moment, she realized she was wearing makeup, looked at her reflection in the car window, seeing that her lipstick had faded, and asked: “Do you have any lipstick?”
Su Mingxiu suddenly leaned closer.
Yu Nian instinctively closed her eyes.
Su Mingxiu’s breath warmed her lips.
[Ahhhhh So exciting! Kiss her!]
[The other contestants: ?]
[Cameraman, nudge their heads together!]
After a moment, Su Mingxiu pulled away and replied seriously: “I don’t have your shade.”
Yu Nian: “??”
She opened her eyes, her amber-colored gaze fixed on Su Mingxiu, realizing that she had only leaned in to… check the color.
She was so angry that she wanted to grab Su Mingxiu’s collar and kiss her, using Su Mingxiu’s lipstick to reapply her own.
“We’re here.”
As if knowing her thoughts, Su Mingxiu pointed ahead, the car stopping in front of the bar.
10:30 PM.
With the cameras rolling, the contestants didn’t drink much. After celebrating Tracy’s birthday and watching her dance, they applauded enthusiastically.
Thankfully, they were on the show and had to follow the “no direct confessions” rule. Otherwise, judging from Tracy’s intense gaze, Yu Nian suspected she would have kissed Su Mingxiu right there on the sofa.
“What’s so great about dancing…” she mumbled.
Su Mingxiu, hearing her jealous tone, remembering the dancing mermaid from a previous world, teased: “Can you dance?”
Yu Nian was speechless.
She was about to say that kind of dancing was inappropriate when Su Mingxiu, imitating her earlier smugness, said slowly: “I can.”
“Ah!” Yu Nian’s eyes widened in surprise.
She grabbed Su Mingxiu’s sleeve, her eyes sparkling, imagining Su Mingxiu dancing on stage, alluring and captivating. “Then, then you—”
“Let’s go back,” Rong Hua said, brushing sunflower seed shells from Xu Wenbai’s hands.
Su Mingxiu, as if she hadn’t said anything, immediately stood up and followed them.
On their way back, Yu Nian was thinking about how to see Su Mingxiu dance.
Even a cute bunny dance would be fine.
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice they had arrived back at the villa.
Professor Tang was the first to enter the courtyard. Seeing that the cameras were off, she looked around in surprise. They hadn’t filmed much at the bar because of the crowd, but now, back at the villa…
“Due to an emergency, filming will be suspended for one hour, thank you for your understanding,” the director’s voice announced.
The viewers, who had been struggling to follow the events at the bar with the flashing lights and lack of audio, were frustrated.
They flocked to the official website, demanding an explanation.
But the dark live stream screen offered no answers.
Yu Nian, still thinking about Su Mingxiu’s dancing, wanting to try acting cute, took a couple of steps forward and reached for Su Mingxiu’s sleeve, but Su Mingxiu didn’t turn around.
She followed Su Mingxiu’s gaze and saw a figure she couldn’t mistake, standing amidst the program staff.
Remembering the phone call earlier, Yu Nian’s lips parted, and she finally managed to utter a single word: “Mom…”
Yu Wanru stood there, her secretaries behind her. Seeing this, the other contestants quickly retreated inside.
But the floor-to-ceiling windows connecting the living room to the courtyard offered a clear view.
Su Mingxiu didn’t leave. She also saw Yu Wanru.
But Yu Wanru’s gaze was fixed on Yu Nian, her hand still holding Su Mingxiu’s sleeve, her eyes filled with a mixture of pain and anger, perhaps even more so than if she had seen Yu Nian holding something she had dug out of the trash.
“You still remember I’m your mother?”
Yu Wanru finally exploded, the lines on her face deepening, her voice full of authority.
Yu Nian, startled, loosened her grip on Su Mingxiu’s sleeve. She wanted to approach Yu Wanru, to explain, to take the blame, to protect Su Mingxiu.
But she didn’t have a chance to speak.
Yu Wanru’s voice, sharp and commanding, stopped her in her tracks. “Kneel!”
Yu Nian hesitated for a split second, a hesitation that didn’t escape Yu Wanru’s notice.
“What, are you embarrassed?”
“You used your future as a bargaining chip, worked so hard to get into a domestic university, yet you skipped registration, wasting your life on this ridiculous show, and you’re not embarrassed?”
“Letting everyone see you chasing after your ex-stepmother, you’re not embarrassed?”
Yu Nian had wanted to argue, but seeing the anger directed at Su Mingxiu, she couldn’t bear it.
She knew Yu Wanru hated defiance. She wanted her to kneel. If she didn’t, Yu Wanru would only say worse things to Su Mingxiu.
Just as Yu Nian’s knees buckled, Su Mingxiu grabbed her arm, her grip firm. “You did nothing wrong, don’t kneel.”
Yu Wanru chuckled softly, her gaze contemptuous as she looked at Su Mingxiu, as if asking: What right do you have to interfere?
The debt of gratitude, heavier than blood ties, was a mountain on Yu Nian’s shoulders. She gently pulled away from Su Mingxiu’s grasp—
A soft sound echoed in the courtyard.
Soft,
Yet heavy.
The sound of a young person’s dignity shattering on the cold stone.
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