Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Chu Suosuo clutched her face, following Chu Mochen out of the restaurant in a foul mood.

The moment they stepped outside, she began to complain. “Are you even my real brother? Su Hua hit me so hard my face looks like this-why didn’t you demand justice for me instead of just dragging me away?”

Chu Mochen turned to look at her face. Five bright red finger marks stood out starkly against her pale skin.

His eyes darkened. “What did you say to her? She hit you with quite a bit of force.”

Chu Suosuo said huffily, “I just said her grandmother died at the perfect time-dying right on schedule just to stop her from getting a divorce. Was that really so over the line?”

She had originally intended to use those words to provoke Su Hua into acting out, hoping to garner sympathy from Gu Beixian. However, since Su Hua had been the one to strike first this time, Gu Beixian hadn’t sided with her at all.

Her plan had backfired, leaving her exasperated and bitter.

Chu Mochen’s lips curled into a mirthless smile. “It’s no wonder she hit you. If I were her, I would have hit you too. Try to show some restraint next time.”

Chu Suosuo shot him a sidelong glance. “Sometimes I really wonder if you’re Su Hua’s brother instead of mine. You’re always taking her side.”

“You were clearly in the wrong. You and Gu Beixian broke up a long time ago. You shouldn’t still be harboring fantasies about him, let alone plotting to marry him.”

Chu Suosuo snorted. “They were supposed to get a divorce anyway. Besides, the fact that Beixian found Su Hua as a stand-in for me proves he’s still hung up on our past.”

Chu Mochen stopped in his tracks, studying her for a moment. “He might just like your type of looks; that doesn’t mean it has to be you.”

Chu Suosuo rolled her eyes at him.

Chu Mochen twisted the knife further. “To be honest, Su Hua is prettier than you, and she has better grace. She’s elegant, poised, and has a refreshing, scholarly air about her. She’s pleasant to look at.”

He tugged at the latest Paris haute couture she was wearing. “Now look at you. From head to toe, you reek of nothing but money.”

Chu Suosuo swung a fist at him. “Chu Mochen, I’m disowning you! How dare you say that country bumpkin is prettier than me! Is there something wrong with your eyes?”

Chu Mochen grabbed her wrist and barked, “Stop it.”

The two of them got into the car.

Chu Mochen started the engine and began to reverse. Chu Suosuo pulled her seatbelt on and said, “I spent some money to get information from the nurse who was looking after Su Hua’s grandmother that day. The nurse said that while the old woman’s health was poor, she could have easily lived another two or three months. On the day they were supposed to divorce, the old woman sent everyone out of the room and secretly turned off her own equipment. See? People from those low-class families are so calculating. To stop Su Hua and Beixian from divorcing, the old woman actually committed suicide.”

Chu Mochen fell silent for a moment. “Back then, Su Hua married Gu Beixian to pay for her grandmother’s treatment. Now, the old lady killed herself to keep them together. The bond between that grandmother and granddaughter is incredibly deep.”

Chu Suosuo didn’t see it that way.

She said indignantly, “If that old woman hadn’t died right at that moment, they would have been divorced by now. As soon as Su Hua was gone, Beixian would have gotten back together with me sooner or later. It’s all that dead old woman’s fault for ruining everything!”

“Show some respect for the dead and watch your mouth,” Chu Mochen said, stepping on the gas and accelerating.

Chu Suosuo turned to look at him with a strange expression. “Brother, do you like Su Hua?”

Chu Mochen snapped, “Don’t talk nonsense. How could I possibly like her?”

Chu Suosuo pinched the tip of his ear. “If you don’t like her, then why are your ears red?”

Chu Mochen brushed her hand away. “My ears are red because you pinched them. Don’t make jokes like that; they aren’t funny.”

Chu Suosuo rested her elbow on the car window, propping her chin in her hand. After watching him for a long time, a plan suddenly formed in her mind.

She leaned toward him and said coaxingly, “Brother, my dear brother… why don’t you sacrifice yourself a little and go seduce Su Hua?”

Chu Mochen’s face darkened. “Say one more word of that nonsense and you’re walking!”

Meanwhile, in another car.

Gu Beixian was driving Su Hua down Binjiang Avenue.

Realizing something was off, Su Hua asked, “This isn’t the way home, is it?”

“No. I’m taking you somewhere.”

“Where?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

An hour later, Gu Beixian parked the car by the river. The wind was howling over the churning water, and they were surrounded by a dense thicket of trees.
The surroundings were desolate, with not a soul in sight.

Su Hua looked through the car window at the roaring, churning river outside and asked curiously, “What are we doing here?”

“Let’s get out.” Gu Beixian pushed open the car door and stepped out.

Su Hua followed him.

Gu Beixian handed her the car keys. “Help me get something from the trunk.”

Utterly confused, Su Hua took the keys and walked to the back of the car.

As she opened the trunk, her heart leaped with a sudden surge of joy, her eyes widening in wonder.

The trunk was packed to the brim with red roses.

They were imported Dutch Legend roses.

The petals were as large as the rim of a bowl, possessing a velvet texture and a seductive, vibrant red hue. With their unique vintage scorched edges, they were both brilliant and elegant.

They were beautiful.

With one hand in his pocket, Gu Beixian leaned lazily against the car, his handsome and gallant figure casting a long shadow. He lowered his gaze slightly, looking at the stunned Su Hua, and asked nonchalantly, “Do you like them?”

“Of course I do!”

Su Hua’s face lit up with a radiant smile. She gently brushed her fingertips against the rose petals; the tiny, soft fuzz on them sent a tingling sensation through her.

It felt like a gentle breeze blowing through her heart-itchy, yet filled with immense happiness.

This was the first time Gu Beixian had ever given her flowers.

Gu Beixian said calmly, “I didn’t know what kind of flowers you liked. The florist said red roses represent sincere love, so I chose these.”

“Sincere love.” Those two simple words were even more heart-stirring than the entire trunk full of roses.

An ocean of emotion surged within Su Hua. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling and filled with affection.

Gu Beixian felt a fire ignite inside him under the gaze of those watery, beautiful eyes.

He took a step forward, caught her by the wrist, and pulled her into his arms. Tilting her face up, he began to kiss her, his hand reaching under her clothes.

Su Hua pressed her hand against his. “Don’t.”

She had never tried being intimate with him outdoors.

Gu Beixian bent down and swept her up in his arms, carrying her to the front of the car like one would carry a child.

Su Hua hooked her arms around his neck and smiled. “What are you doing?”

“You.”

The smile on Su Hua’s face froze.

Realizing what he intended to do next, the tips of her ears turned a faint shade of red.

Gu Beixian held her with one arm while he opened the car door and placed her inside.

He leaned over her, kissing his way down from her earlobe.

Su Hua offered a weak resistance.

He pinned her shoulders down, preventing her from moving, and began to kiss her lips.

In a brief moment to catch her breath, Su Hua panted softly and asked, “Why not go home? Why here?”

Gu Beixian kissed her neck and said casually, “I heard that doing it outdoors makes it easier to conceive a son.”

Su Hua didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I didn’t realize you preferred boys over girls. What if I have a daughter?”

“It’s not me. I don’t mind; as long as it’s yours, I’ll love the child regardless. It’s mainly because Grandfather and Grandmother want a boy. If we have a son the first time, you won’t have to give birth again. If it’s a girl, you’d have to go through the pain of childbirth a second time.”

Su Hua smiled. “You certainly know how to look out for me.”

“You’re the only one I have. Who else would I look out for if not you?” His breath was hot and damp against her ear and neck.

Su Hua felt an involuntary flutter in her heart.

This man had always been cold and abstinent, projecting an aura that warned both strangers and acquaintances to keep their distance.

In their three years of marriage, they had always treated each other with the polite distance of guests. He rarely spoke, let alone said anything romantic.

Lately, however, it was as if he had suddenly seen the light. He was full of sweet talk, coaxing her until she felt soft and tingly all over.

Su Hua wasn’t quite used to it.

As he moved her clothes aside, her skin brushed against the cool leather of the seat.

A strange sense of excitement rose within her.

Abandoning her reservations, Su Hua wrapped her arms around Gu Beixian’s waist and returned his kiss with her soft lips. She whispered, “How are you so good at this? You’re like an old pro.”

What she actually wanted to ask was: Were you like this with Chu Suosuo too?

Gu Beixian guessed her thoughts.

As a playful punishment, he gave her shoulder a firm but gentle bite.

He whispered, “She and I never got to this stage. You’re my first woman, so remember to take responsibility for me.”

Usually, women said things like that to men.

Coming from a man’s mouth, it sounded particularly flirtatious and a bit humorous.

Su Hua burst into laughter and made a promise. “Fine. As long as you don’t leave me, I won’t abandon you.”