The male prostitute incident this morning and Li Qianxue’s statement combined were two extremely scandalous matters.
Even if Su Peizhen was the illegitimate daughter of the Su family previously, at least on the surface, no one knew and would therefore at least give her some face.
Now, the most direct effect of this move was cutting off Su Peizhen’s escape route. Because there was no longer any polite pretense about Su Peizhen, no one in the entire Lin City would give Su Peizhen any face in the future.
If that was the case, even if she wanted to harm Su Qingsang, she wouldn’t have the ability to do so.
Su Qingsang could think of these things and understood what this punishment meant to Su Peizhen.
She didn’t speak, but her expression seemed to be somewhat conflicted.
“Please don’t tell me that you still sympathize with that woman.”
A woman like Su Peizhen wasn’t worth sympathizing with. Didn’t she make things difficult for Su Qingsang again and again in Rong City, not to mention this time?
If Su Qingsang was soft-hearted towards her, Huo Jinyao would probably be ruthless again.
“I’m not.” Su Qingsang wasn’t that saintly.
If Su Peizhen really had her way, she would be the one to lose her reputation.
“Then why don’t you seem to be happy?”
Su Qingsang shook her head. She didn’t sympathize with Su Peizhen. She only thought of Xiang Caiping.
What would happen if Xiang Caiping found out that Su Peizhen had fallen into such a predicament?
“Qingsang?”
“I just feel sorry for Auntie.” Su Qingsang had been with Xiang Caiping for a few months, so they had affection for each other. She didn’t believe that Huo Jinyao did not have any compassion for Xiang Caiping.
Huo Jinyao fell silent. From the beginning to the end, Xiang Caiping was innocent no matter what happened.
Moreover, Xiang Caiping was indeed a good person. She treated him and Su Qingsang well. At that time, she had treated them wholeheartedly.
“Don’t think about it. You didn’t want to do this either.”
“But I still feel sorry for her.”
Su Qingsang hugged Huo Jinyao’s waist and murmured softly, “I can’t help but feel sorry for her.” Her voice was close to murmuring, “I can’t help but think that if I insisted on not saying it out loud, if I pretended that nothing happened, if I continued to be a illegitimate daughter and lived with Auntie, would she be better off now?”
“Don’t you dare think that way. It’s not your fault.” Huo Jinyao hugged her waist tightly to give her strength and support.
“I know.” Su Qingsang understood that all this had nothing to do with her, but she said, “I can’t control myself. You didn’t see Auntie like that.”
Before she left Rong City for C City, she had gone to see Xiang Caiping. She didn’t look well.
“You didn’t see the difference between what she looked like in the few months she was with us, and what she looks like now, but if you did, you wouldn’t be able to bear it.”
Su Qingsang knew that Xiang Caiping’s loneliness had something to do with Su Peizhen.
But it was because she knew that she couldn’t bear it anymore. What Su Peizhen did was Su Peizhen’s business, but Xiang Caiping was the one who had to bear the consequences.
“If Auntie finds out, she will break down.”
She had gone to look at Xiang Caiping a few times. Even though she couldn’t treat her as her daughter like before, she was still very close to her.
Su Qingsang pressed her face against Huo Jinyao’s chest, as if it would make her feel more at ease.
“I don’t even dare to think about what will happen if Auntie finds out.”
“If you’re worried about her, just go back to Rong City and see her.”
“I was afraid that my mother would be unhappy.” She could sense that Li Qianxue didn’t like her being too close to Xiang Caiping.
“I don’t think so. You just have to keep it from Mom.”
Su Qingsang nodded. She looked up at Huo Jinyao and said, “Sometimes, I feel like I can’t handle anything well. I can’t seem to do anything right.”
It was natural to want to get close to Li Qianxue, but there was always a part of her that missed Xiang Caiping. She knew that this would make Li Qianxue unhappy, but she couldn’t care less.
“You’ve done well.” Huo Jinyao ruffled her hair and said softly, “Don’t think too much about it.”
Su Qingsang glanced at Huo Jinyao and said, “I don’t want to. But I must go back and see Auntie. With Su Peizhen like this now, she no longer has any future in Lin City, so she can only go back to Rong City. When the time comes –”
“You can tell Auntie what she did. I’m sure Auntie will understand.”
“Forget it. Let’s not talk about it.” Su Qingsang shook her head. She couldn’t bear to hear it. “Auntie might not be very old, but she’s not in good health. I won’t let her worry if I can help it. Let’s not talk about it.”
“It’s up to you.”
Huo Jinyao’s words made Su Qingsang give him a sidelong glance. She glared at him with a look of dissatisfaction. “You keep saying it’s up to me, but why don’t you give me an idea?”
“Honey, you’re wronging me. Don’t you know that I have no bottom line when it comes to you? Of course I’ll do whatever you say.”
Su Qingsang finally smiled. She punched Huo Jinyao in the chest.
“Let’s go. Grandpa and the others are still outside.”
“Okay.”
Huo Jinyao and Su Qingsang walked towards the living room outside. They didn’t notice that Li Qianxue was standing at the other end of the corridor, and her face was pale.
..
Su Peizhen was holed up in her apartment. She looked at the television screen in front of her.
Heh, not only was her news trending, it was even on television. She really didn’t know that she, Su Peizhen, was so famous.
There were many wine bottles on the coffee table in front of her. A third of them were already empty.
Su Peizhen poured herself a glass of wine. Before she could drink, the doorbell rang.
Su Peizhen didn’t want to open the door, but the doorbell kept ringing. Su Peizhen looked impatient, but she still stood up to open the door.
Surprisingly, the person outside the door was Su Chenghui.
Upon seeing that it was Su Chenghui, Su Peizhen smirked.
“What are you doing here? Are you here to watch me make a fool of myself?”
Su Chenghui thought of today’s news and couldn’t believe that the woman on the news was his daughter.
“Peizhen, aren’t you in Rong City? Why did you come back? Also, how did you become like this? You –”
“Mr. Su.” Su Peizhen interrupted him. “If I remember correctly, you had already broken off your relationship with me before. So, what identity are you using to lecture me now?”
“When did I say that I had broken off my relationship with you?”
“Did I remember wrongly?” Su Peizhen sneered. “Why do I remember that when I was in Rong City, you said that I had nothing to do with you?”
“Su Peizhen.” He didn’t say that. What he said was that Su Peizhen had nothing to do with the Li family.
“Alright. If you have any lecturing, just say it now.” Su Peizhen leaned against the door and had no intention of letting Su Chenghui in.
Su Chenghui looked at her face and was shocked by her indifferent attitude. “You, how did you become like this?”
Not only her attitude, but her face was also really unsightly. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face also had a despondent expression.
He also smelled the reek of alcohol on Su Peizhen.
“What did I become?” Su Qingsang sneered. “What? You came here today to avenge your precious daughter? Then come. I’m all ears. After you’re done, you can leave.”
“Avenge who?” Su Chenghui didn’t understand. “I’m talking about today’s news. How can you be so depraved?”
“Depraved?” Su Peizhen laughed. Her voice was very cold. “I’m depraved? Why don’t you ask your good son-in-law what he did?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do I mean?” The corner of Su Peizhen’s lips was full of mockery. “Do you think I’m that horny? Huh? So horny that I have to call a male prostitute for myself?”
Su Chenghui was silent. Of course, he didn’t want to believe that the daughter he had raised would do such a thing.
It was precisely because of this that Su Chenghui came to find her and wanted to ask her clearly.
“Your good son-in-law helped call the male prostitutes for me yesterday. I was knocked unconscious by someone, and he rubbed salt into the wound.”
Su Chenghui’s eyes widened. He didn’t believe Su Peizhen’s words. “Impossible.”
“Fine, if you say it’s impossible, then it’s impossible. Please, I have nothing to say to you.”
Su Chenghui stood still. His face was filled with grief at Su Peizhen’s current state.
“You, Peizhen. Tell me honestly, what did you do? If you didn’t do anything, why would Huo Jinyao target you?”
“Mr. Su, your question is so strange. What did I do? What can I do now? Don’t forget, Su Qingsang is now the wife of the president of the Tianyu Group. Huo Jinyao is the president of the Tianyu Group. What can I do? You should ask Huo Jinyao what he did. He just dealt with Huo Yifan a few days ago and kicked him out of the Huo family. Now it’s my turn.”
“Mr. Su, I also want to ask. Is it because I’m no longer the daughter of the Li family that I’m no longer even a person? I don’t even have the right to stand in the same city and breathe the same air as them?”
Su Chenghui didn’t understand, but he could guess that things weren’t that simple.
“Alright, I already know anyway. Whether it’s you or Li Qianxue, you both no longer treat me as your daughter. Since that’s the case, you don’t have to come here to express your hypocritical concern. I don’t need it.”
“Peizhen.” Su Chenghui had a stomach full of words, but he didn’t know what to say now.
His expression appeared a little conflicted. He felt more heartache than helplessness over Su Peizhen becoming like this.
“You can go abroad, whichever country you want to go to. I’ll help you complete all the procedures. You can leave here and live abroad. You can –”
“Mr. Su, you have nothing to do with me anymore. Since that’s the case, where I go and how I live has nothing to do with you. Now, please, you’re not welcome here.”
“Peizhen?” Su Chenghui really felt that it would be better to let Su Qingsang leave here and start over.
“Please –” Unfortunately, Su Peizhen didn’t want to give him such a chance. She slammed the door shut with a bang.
Su Chenghui looked at the tightly shut door for a long while, then raised his hand and put it down again. In the end, he left helplessly.
..
Su Qingsang and Huo Jinyao stayed in Lin City for another two days before returning to Rong City. Su Qingsang was fine. She had participated in the rescue, so the hospital gave her a break and she would be rewarded when she returned.
However, Huo Jinyao had been away for so many days, and his work had been delayed a lot. Although he had already handled a lot of work through emails and video conferences, there were still a lot of things that needed to be resolved when he went back.
Especially when he heard that Huo Yifan had gone to look for Huo Mingguang yesterday. After leaving Huo Mingguang’s office, Huo Yifan had actually returned to the Tianyu Group.
Although he was no longer the vice president, Huo Mingguang had given him a separate task force.
In just two days, things had changed so much. Huo Jinyao really wanted to know what kind of plan Huo Yifan had come up with to make Huo Mingguang take it so seriously.
After mealtime, Old Master Li called Huo Jinyao to the study to play chess. When Li Qianxue entered the room, she saw Su Qingsang packing her luggage.
There weren’t many things. Most of them were gifts that Li Qianxue and Old Master Li asked Su Qingsang to bring to Old Master Huo.
“Mom?” Upon seeing Li Qianxue enter the room, Su Qingsang put down the things in her hands. “Why are you still awake?”
“I came to see you. I want to talk to you.” Li Qianxue looked at Su Qingsang. Su Qingsang had rested well for the past few days, and her complexion was much better than when she had just returned from the disaster area.
“You’re leaving tomorrow. I will really miss you.”
“I will miss you too.” These few days, Li Qianxue had been trying all sorts of ways to treat her well in terms of food, clothing, shelter, and travel. She had been very thoughtful in all aspects.
She knew in her heart that Li Qianxue had treated her well, and she was very grateful.
“Mom, don’t worry. It’s only two hours to fly from Rong City to Lin City. I’ll come back to see you often when I’m free. Besides, you can come and see me when you’re not busy.”
“Two hours isn’t a long time, but it’s another city after all. I’m not by your side, so I’m always afraid that you can’t take care of yourself.”
“How can that be? I’m not a child.”
“In my eyes, you’re just like a child.” After this incident, Li Qianxue was completely disappointed in Su Peizhen.
“You can encounter such a thing just by going out for a meal. Qingsang, do you know how I feel? I’m really worried about you.”
“Mom, I’ll be careful next time.” Su Qingsang also knew that she had been careless this time, but how could she have known that Su Peizhen would play such a dirty trick?
“I promise, there won’t be a next time. Don’t worry.”
Li Qianxue knew that she was simple-minded. When it came to scheming, she was afraid that she was no match for Su Peizhen.
Now that Su Peizhen had nothing left, she was afraid that Su Peizhen would go completely crazy.
“Why don’t you ask Huo Jinyao to find two people to follow you back to Rong City to protect you?”
“Mom.” Su Qingsang touched her forehead. “Do you think it would be reasonable for me to bring two bodyguards with me as a doctor?”
“Why wouldn’t it be reasonable? Your safety is always the top priority.”
“Mom.” Su Qingsang felt extremely helpless. “Don’t worry, I’ll really protect myself. I’ll definitely be careful when I go out next time.”
Naturally she would be careful when she went out, but what if she came to the door?
She heard the conversation between Su Qingsang and Huo Jinyao that day. She knew that after Su Qingsang returned to Rong City, she would undoubtedly look for Xiang Caiping.
No matter how annoyed Li Qianxue was about that point, it was pointless.
Who asked Xiang Caiping to acknowledge Su Qingsang first? Who asked her to get along with Su Qingsang and develop affection?
However, Xiang Caiping was Su Peizhen’s biological mother. Now, Su Peizhen had become like this because of their relationship.
Su Qingsang had good intentions and sympathized with Xiang Caiping wholeheartedly. However, what if Xiang Caiping felt that Su Peizhen had become like this because of her and Huo Jinyao and wanted to take revenge instead?
Li Qianxue did not want to think too badly of others, but as a parent, she always had her concerns.
“Mom?”
Su Qingsang’s voice brought Li Qianxue back to reality. She looked at Su Qingsang and was about to tell her not to look for Xiang Caiping after her return to Rong City.
It wasn’t entirely because she was petty and envious, but that was part of the reason. More importantly, she was worried that Xiang Caiping might hurt Su Qingsang because of Su Peizhen.
However, before she could finish her sentence, Yuu came upstairs and said that Su Chenghui was there.
When she heard that Su Chenghui was there, Li Qianxue’s face immediately darkened.
“Why is he here? Get him out of here. The Li family doesn’t welcome him.”
“Madam, Sir said that he is here to look for the young madam.”
When Su Qingsang came downstairs, Su Chenghui was sitting on the sofa in the living room.
There was a big box in front of him. She couldn’t tell what was in it.
“Dad?”
“Qingsang.”
Su Qingsang walked to sit across from Su Chenghui. “How did you know I was here?”
“I found out after asking.” Upon thinking about what happened to Su Peizhen the day before yesterday, Su Chenghui couldn’t help but glance at Su Qingsang a few more times.
Her eyes were calm and her expression was peaceful. It didn’t seem like something had happened.
“Qingsang, have you, have you seen Peizhen recently?”
“Peizhen? No.” She was just drugged by Su Peizhen and wanted to make her lose her chastity, but the two of them really didn’t meet.
“No?” If they hadn’t seen Su Peizhen, then didn’t that mean that the two of them didn’t have any conflict?
“Yeah.” Puzzled, Su Qingsang raised an eyebrow. “Dad, why are you asking about this?”
“You must have heard about Peizhen, right?”
“A little.”
Didn’t knowing a little meant knowing a lot? Su Chenghui looked at Su Qingsang as if he was trying to find out her true thoughts.
“Huo Jinyao did that?”
“Yes.”
It was indeed Huo Jinyao’s doing. Su Qingsang didn’t want to deny it.
Su Chenghui’s face flushed red. He sat there and seemed to have sunk into a gloomy state.
“You, you guys…”
He suddenly stood up and looked at Su Qingsang. “Why?”
“Why what?” Su Qingsang seemed to be confused.
“Why did you do this?” Su Chenghui knew that he had made a big mistake, but now he really felt stifled in his heart.
He paced back and forth and suddenly stopped to g;are at Su Qingsang.
“You can’t tolerate her anymore? Just because she made things difficult for you at the Tianyu Group’s banquet last time?”
Su Qingsang didn’t answer Su Chenghui. She looked at Su Chenghui and lamented inside.
No matter how taken aback Su Chenghui was at Su Peizhen’s actions, in his heart, he still cared about Su Peizhen. He had a pure-hearted father-daughter relationship with Su Peizhen.
“Qingsang, I, why didn’t I know that you guys had become like this?”
Finding male prostitutes for Su Peizhen was already bad for her reputation. She even made Li Qianxue issue a statement to sever their mother-daughter relationship.
“You guys are too ruthless.”
Su Qingsang didn’t speak. She had always known that in Su Chenghui’s heart, her status wasn’t as important as Su Peizhen’s.
Therefore, she couldn’t be bothered to refute the accusations against her and the blame that he had for her now.
Su Chenghui knew that he owed Su Qingsang a lot, but this debt was caused by him, not Su Peizhen.
“Qingsang, Peizhen is your sister after all. She is innocent in this matter. You, how could you do this? You –”
“What about Qingsang?”
Li Qianxue went downstairs and heard the last few words. Her expression changed.
“Su Chenghui, tell me. Why is Qingsang so vicious?”
Su Chenghui looked at Li Qianxue. At this moment, her eyes were fierce and aggressive. For a moment, he almost thought that the two of them had returned to the time when they were butting heads.
“Qianxue, I know that you hate me. I also know that all the mistakes were caused by me, but Peizhen was raised by you. She’s your daughter who has been by your side for more than 20 years. Don’t you think that the way you’re treating her now is too cruel?”
“Su Chenghui.”
Li Qianxue had long given up on Su Chenghui. She no longer loved this man.
But his accusations, especially his accusations against Su Qingsang, made Li Qianxue extremely angry.
“Su Chenghui, who did you just say was cruel?”
She took two steps forward. That aggressive look made Su Qingsang a little worried. She stood up as if to stop Li Qianxue, but Li Qianxue waved her hand away.
She stood in front of Su Chenghui. The expression on her face was one of disdain, disgust, loathing, and deep-rooted hatred.
“Su Chenghui, who can be more cruel than you? Who can be more cruel than the two of you? Huh? You said I was cruel, and you said Qingsang was cruel? Why didn’t you say how cruel you were when you replaced my daughter?”
Su Chenghui’s lips moved. He wanted to say that he had already realized his mistake and had been punished. However, Li Qianxue didn’t give him a chance.
“Yes, you’ve now come to my door and criticized Qingsang, but why don’t you think about what your good daughter, your precious daughter, has done?”
“If I was really cruel, I would have broken off my relationship with Su Peizhen long before I came back from Rong City. Why didn’t I?”
“I cared about that last trace of mother-daughter affection, but what about Su Peizhen? Do you want to hear what she has done?”
“Before you blame Qingsang, why don’t you ask what Su Peizhen did to Qingsang?”
Every time she asked a question, she would take a step forward. Su Chenghui was repeatedly questioned by her. He had already retreated to the corner of the sofa.
“Qianxue, you –” Su Chenghui thought of Su Peizhen’s grievance and thought of how she had lost everything. Now, even her reputation was ruined.
For the past two days, the trending topics on Weibo and local news had been reporting on this matter. There was no sign of the popularity of the scandal subsiding.
Thinking of Su Peizhen hiding in the house drinking alone and that she was the child he had raised, Su Chenghui felt his heart ache, so he wanted to ask Su Qingsang.
Of course, he also hoped that the relationship between the two sisters could be eased, instead of them becoming like enemies.
But now, seeing Li Qianxue’s attitude, he suddenly felt uncertain and panicked. That kind of panic made him look at Li Qianxue differently.
“Qianxue?”
