Volume One, Chapter Fourteen: Suspected of Seeking Another Man

“My second brother worked so hard to get this job. Do you want me to kneel and apologize to you all?”

Hearing that her precious daughter had suffered such humiliation, Mrs. Su’s brows immediately knitted in distress.

“What kind of lousy job is this? Our Su family isn’t short on money. If worst comes to worst, just quit. Second, can you really stand to see your sister bullied like this? Pack your things and come home right now! Who would want to stay in that shabby little clinic of yours!”

Director Hong was so furious he nearly fainted. As for Su’s second son, he was almost at his wit’s end. So many people fought tooth and nail to get in, and now his mother dismissed it as a worthless job with a single sentence.

He walked up to Director Hong, wanting to say something, but the other man simply glared at him.

“Get out, now!”

The job was lost, and there was no saving it.

Mrs. Su shielded Su Tingxue as they left, comforting her along the way. “Tomorrow, I’ll make Ningxia come back and apologize to you properly! No one who bullies my precious daughter will get away with it!”

Su Tingxue lifted her brows. “Mom, why don’t we go right now? I want to see what my sister is up to.”

Mrs. Su considered this. If Su Ningxia had gone astray outside, it would be the Su family’s reputation that suffered.

A bowl of steaming hot noodle soup was delivered to Qin Zhaochuan’s door. He paused in surprise, only to meet Su Ningxia’s gentle, friendly face.

Lately, she had seemed intent on currying his favor, often bringing him small gifts or food.

“Brother Qin, there’s also a poached egg, just for you. From now on, please don’t…”

Forget about me.

The words nearly slipped out, but Su Ningxia quickly changed course. “From now on, please don’t blow up the kitchen again.”

It was true—Qin Zhaochuan couldn’t cook. He was skilled in many things, but cooking seemed to be his Achilles’ heel.

A look of dejection passed across his handsome face. Just today, the gatekeeper had teased him, “That young lady on the third floor is really something—cooking for you and all. Such a good wife! You should marry her soon, or else the kitchen will go up in flames again.”

The teasing had made Qin Zhaochuan’s ears turn red.

He accepted the bowl, about to invite Su Ningxia to stay, when a sharp cry echoed from the end of the corridor.

“Ningxia, what are you doing!”

Mrs. Su and Su Tingxue stood there, stunned, witnessing Su Ningxia and a man together.

Su Tingxue stared at the man’s face, momentarily dazed.

How handsome…

But anyone living in this sort of dormitory clearly didn’t come from a wealthy family. Certainly not as well off as Fu Zhilin, who had a steady job and generous benefits in the military!

At that thought, Su Tingxue let out a derisive snort. “Sister, you’re engaged. How can you go around flirting with men? It’s one thing if it’s inside the dorm, but if someone saw you out on the street, it would be a disgrace to the Su family!”

Mrs. Su frowned. “Your sister is right. Come with us and go home, and stop consorting with these unsavory types! Our family is engaged to the Fus, and you and Zhilin are to be formally betrothed by next year at the latest!”

At these words, Qin Zhaochuan’s expression stiffened slightly.

She was engaged.

Su Ningxia merely glanced indifferently at Su Tingxue, who looked positively gleeful at her misfortune.

Not to mention whether she and Fu Zhilin would ever be engaged; Fu Zhilin was probably already being bewitched by Su Tingxue. If anyone was to be engaged, it should be Tingxue and him.

“Sister, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. I have to tell Brother Zhilin about this. You need to apologize to him!”

If Fu Zhilin found out, he would surely despise her even more.

All of Su Tingxue’s schemes were about to blow up in her face.

“He’s just a friend from the dorm, and we exchanged gifts. Is there a problem?” Su Ningxia raised her brows.

Her calm, unruffled demeanor suggested a clear conscience.

Mrs. Su was momentarily speechless but persisted, “Even so, you’re still a young lady. You shouldn’t be so close with a man!”

“My sister was out with Fu Zhilin at the army base not long ago,” Su Ningxia replied smoothly. “Fu Zhilin is my fiancé. They went out alone together. Mom, shouldn’t you be concerned about that?”

Mrs. Su’s eyes widened, and she turned to Su Tingxue. “When did this happen, Tingxue?”

Su Tingxue gritted her teeth and glared at Su Ningxia. “Sister, I’m your sister—are you jealous of me? Isn’t that a bit petty? There’s nothing going on between me and Brother Zhilin. If there was, he’d have broken off your engagement long ago!”

“Mom, she just can’t stand to see me happy. She’s trying to drag me down with her! Don’t forget, it was her fault our eldest brother was sent to the front!”

Mentioning her eldest son, Mrs. Su’s expression grew stern—though directed more toward Su Tingxue.

“Tingxue, you can’t blame Ningxia for everything. She meant well and you both agreed to it.”

Su Tingxue pressed on, “And what about Second Brother? She deliberately encouraged me to go, just to ruin him!”

Seeing Mrs. Su about to waver, Su Ningxia interjected, “Mom, I was the one who secured Second Brother’s job. I worked at that clinic for over half a year. My hands were covered in chilblains that winter—have you forgotten?”

Mrs. Su was taken aback and looked at Su Ningxia with a complicated expression.

It was impossible not to feel anything for a daughter raised for decades. But blood was blood, and Su Tingxue had clearly suffered more.

She sighed, and all her words condensed into a single sentence: “You’re the elder sister, so you should give way to your younger sister.”

Until there’s nothing left to give—would that be enough?

“Tingxue, let’s go home and stop bothering your sister.”

Mrs. Su pulled Su Tingxue away. Deep down, she felt guilty, unable to face Ningxia or demand anything from her.

Su Tingxue was unwilling to accept this outcome.

How had Su Ningxia learned to talk back? She used to be so silent, never saying a word! Clearly, she was scheming to steal their parents and brothers away. After all those years of hardship, how could she let Su Ningxia take everything?

“Don’t be upset,” came a gentle male voice.

Qin Zhaochuan approached Su Ningxia, pulling something from his pocket and placing it in her hand—a small, plump, white snow bunny.

Her eyes lit up instantly.

Her brothers used to tease her with these when she was little; she never expected Qin Zhaochuan to know she liked them.

She bit her lip, smiling. “Thank you, Brother Qin.”

She cradled the little snow bunny carefully in her palm, as though the warmth she’d lost had finally returned.

Qin Zhaochuan’s gaze was full of tenderness.

Especially when Su Ningxia was being scolded—if it hadn’t been her mother and sister, he would have stepped in to defend her.

How could the Su family not know how to cherish such a wonderful girl?