Fu Bing was already in a terrible mood, and being blocked and ridiculed by him made it even worse.
"Previously, I clung to the Qin Family for support and ended up in jail. If I clutch onto the Su Family, the result will probably be death."
Qin Jinhai’s pupils contracted slightly as he said stiffly, "It’s good that you understand."
"I’ve always understood. In the eyes of noblemen like you, people like me are just trash. I should be grateful even to be toyed with by you."
Fu Bing was furious inside.And that fury was compounded by the recent memory of the child who didn’t survive. At this moment, seeing Qin Jinhai again, intense emotions tore through her chest, threatening to burst through her veins and skin at any moment.
Seeing tears in her eyes, Qin Jinhai felt as though he had been punched hard in the chest.
"And then? Are you going to hand me over to Li Qing to deal with?"
"Rather than sending you to Li Qing, I might as well take you to my bed."
Old Madam Su had the dishes cleared, then said to Aunt Mei, "Go call Miss Fu back."
"Yes." Aunt Mei complied, taking several people with her to search.
A servant who went to look returned to report, "Miss Fu might have already left; she wasn’t found in the garden."
Su Kexin scoffed, "Gone out? She finally managed to latch onto the Su Family; would she really be willing to leave? Actors are so melodramatic. She’s definitely hiding somewhere. The more anxious we get, the more smug she’ll be."
The Su family members didn’t argue.
Su Junling’s face remained cold, holding back from making a scene. If he had known that inviting Fu Bing to their home would result in such treatment, he would never have invited her.
His family assumed that since she was now helpless and alone, the Su Family extending an olive branch was a blessing she couldn’t even have prayed for. Otherwise, she couldn’t contend with the Qin Family and Qin Jinhai. Based on this, even if they slapped her a few times, she wouldn’t dare utter a word.
Su Junling didn’t believe that someone as clever as Fu Bing couldn’t see this.
Servants searched again but still couldn’t find Fu Bing.
Unable to hold back any longer, Su Junling said, "Check the gate’s security footage. See if she left."
They checked the footage and discovered Fu Bing had left the Su residence right after leaving the dining room.
Su Junling gave a frustrated laugh. "Your deductions are truly fascinating."
He stormed upstairs in frustration.
The living room fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Su Kexin stubbornly said, "She’s definitely playing hard to get!"
Old Madam Su said, "That’s enough out of you. You’re 25, not a child anymore. When we have guests, you should behave like a hostess, not constantly mistake rudeness for a ’genuine personality.’"
Su Kexin felt deeply wronged. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. Her appearance was as pitiful as it could be.
Su Junzhe comforted her, "Don’t cry. If there are problems, we can work on them slowly. There’s no rush."
Feeling aggrieved, Su Kexin threw herself into Su Junzhe’s arms and began to sob. She choked out, "I—I just wanted to protect you all! Fu Bing just got out of prison; she’s picked up a load of bad habits. If we don’t teach her a lesson, she’ll definitely get carried away. Her leaving this time isn’t some display of backbone; it’s deliberate! She’s trying to make us feel guilty so we’ll invite her over for dinner again. Then she can go around telling everyone the Su Family hosted her twice..."
Old Madam Su, Su Jiang, and Su Junxian didn’t deny her speculations. There were too many people like that. Fu Bing might just be one of them.
Qin Jinhai drove the car to the Moat of Jiangcheng. By the river stood an ancient-looking shop. The shop had no customers, nor any staff in sight.
Qin Jinhai took Fu Bing’s hand, and they went up to a private room on the second floor. Inside, a table laden with steaming hot dishes was already set.
Fu Bing didn’t know what Qin Jinhai intended to do, and she was not in the mood to guess his thoughts. She’d only had a few bites at the Su family’s home and was starving. She sat down and immediately began to eat.
Seeing her eat, Qin Jinhai’s expression softened significantly.
The two ate quietly. It seemed like the countless ordinary meals they shared three years ago.After she finished work, he would join her for a meal.Often, after eating, she would gaze out the window at the river view and, while watching, she would fall asleep in his arms...
Whenever she was alone with Qin Jinhai, the past attacked her incessantly. The food in Fu Bing’s mouth suddenly felt like a fishbone stuck in her throat; she couldn’t swallow it, nor could she spit it out. The past was always warm yet hurtful.
Fu Bing couldn’t eat anymore. She put down her chopsticks and asked, "Li Qing’s public persona has collapsed. She can’t continue as an artist, and it will impact her in other industries too. This time, how do you plan to retaliate against me?"
Qin Jinhai had also lost his appetite and said coldly, "Because you’re afraid I’ll retaliate, you chose to latch onto the Su Family?"
"You know the answer."
"If you’re trying to win the Su Family’s favor by treating Su Junling’s mother, I advise you to give up that notion right now."
"Mrs. Su is barely hanging on by a thread. The world’s top doctors have all examined her, and they’re all helpless. Do you think you’re more capable than them?"
Her relationship with the Su Family should maintain its current balance; going any deeper would be beyond her control. The Su Family only truly considers their own people as ’people.’ For outsiders, even being allowed to enter Sully is, in their eyes, a tremendous honor. The closest an outsider could get to the Su Family is the kind of relationship Fu Bing currently has with them. Unless... she married into the Su Family.
At this thought, Qin Jinhai’s dark eyes flashed with a dangerous light. "Or have you taken a liking to Su Junling?"
Fu Bing was startled. Under Qin Jinhai’s glare, she laughed and said, "If I successfully marry into the Su Family, your Qin Family, capable as it is, wouldn’t dare to touch me easily."
Qin Jinhai snorted. "Do you have any idea why the five Su sons are still unmarried?"
"If you want to say something, just say it. Don’t beat around the bush."
Qin Jinhai wasn’t annoyed. "It’s because of Su Kexin. She was an orphan the Su Family adopted years ago, mainly to ease Mrs. Su’s longing for her lost daughter. The Su Family eventually came to genuinely dote on her as if she were their own flesh and blood; the entire family pampers her. Until her marriage is settled, none of the five Su sons will marry."
"What connection does Su Kexin’s marriage necessarily have with them?"
"If Su Kexin cannot marry me or my elder brother, the Su Family will keep her for one of their sons."
Fu Bing was left speechless. They’ve really thought far ahead for her.
"So, you never intended to marry Li Qing from the start?"
And he never intended to marry me either. Fu Bing dared only to keep this last thought buried deep in her heart.
Fu Bing felt a stab in her chest. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. Three years in prison, all for those three words.’Not worthy!’ Wasn’t he saying that about me too?
Fu Bing stood up, pale-faced.
"Where are you going?"
"My status is too lowly. I’m not worthy of sitting with Director Qin."
Fu Bing reached the top of the stairs, but Qin Jinhai’s next words stopped her in her tracks. "It seems you’ve forgotten what we said at the Imperial Garden."
Fu Bing didn’t turn around.
"Be my woman," he continued. "Your assets, your villa—everything can be returned to you."
"Qin Jinhai, am I really that cheap in your eyes?"
Qin Jinhai’s face turned pale, and he stared fixedly at her retreating figure. His next words were even more cutting.
"And what do you think?"
As Fu Bing’s hands clenched reflexively, the needles hidden in her sleeve pressed deep into her palm. It was intensely painful, yet it couldn’t compare to the searing agony inflicted by Qin Jinhai’s nonchalant words.
Fu Bing suddenly turned her head, her eyes bloodshot. "Qin Jinhai, listen carefully! Everything you owe me, I will reclaim it, piece by piece! Whether it’s from you, from Li Qing, or from the Qin Family!"