Volume 1, Chapter 1: The Gorgeous Older Sister

This was the second time in her life that the stunning Su Qiuyu had been mobbed.

Bruised and swollen, she sat in the corridor outside the police station lobby, her head lowered as she replied to messages on her phone.

On one end was her mother, hounding her to pay a bill as if her life depended on it; on the other was her furious, frantic boss.

The culprit who had caused her to be beaten so miserably sat right beside her—a little girl not yet four years old.

Xiaotao rested her chin in her hands, her beautiful large eyes staring infatuatedly at Su Qiuyu's face, unable to look away.

The beautiful sister's hair was incredibly thick, her black locks gathered into a ponytail that fell softly and lightly against her slender neck, resembling the ribbons wrapped around the gifts Xiaotao received on her birthday.

Stray strands framed her cheeks, and the sunlight outside gilded her sharp, delicate profile with a soft golden glow, making her look exactly like a beautiful princess from a fairy tale.

Except, there were so many bruises and blood clots on her face, standing out in stark contrast against her translucent, snow-white skin.

Feeling sorry for her, Xiaotao reached out her hand, wanting to rub the bruises. "Beautiful sister..."

Su Qiuyu quickly dodged and looked down at her coldly.

Xiaotao said pitifully, "I was wrong. Will you forgive me, please?"

The little girl was fair, translucent, and exquisitely fashionable. Her eyes, in particular, reminded Su Qiuyu of her older sister.

An hour ago, she had been riding her electric scooter to deliver porcelain to a major client. On the way, she saw this little girl, who was under four, looking around alone at an intersection. She stopped to ask where the girl's parents were, only for the little girl to suddenly grab her wrist, wail at the top of her lungs, and point at her, screaming "kidnapper!"

Consequently, a mob of enthusiastic passersby rushed forward, gave her a severe beating, and dragged her to the police station.

The porcelain her boss wanted her to deliver to the client was smashed to pieces on the spot, and she felt just as shattered.

Fortunately, once they reached the police station, her innocence was quickly proven.

The police said they had already contacted the girl's family. Su Qiuyu was now waiting to see what kind of people had raised such a willful and bizarre child.

"Heehee!" Xiaotao giggled again, her eyes curving like crescent moons. "Beautiful sister, you look so beautiful even when you're angry! Can Xiaotao cuddle with you?"

The way the little girl's eyes looked when she smiled brought a wave of bitterness to Su Qiuyu's heart. It really was identical to her sister.

Su Qiuyu put away her phone and stood up. "I'm going to wash my face. You sit here quietly and don't run off again."

Watching the beautiful sister's slender figure disappear around the corner, the little girl shifted her chin to her other hand and muttered to herself, "She's so pretty. Could it be this sister?"

Before long, hurried footsteps sounded from behind. Zhuang Jian ran over, panting. "My little ancestor! What on earth are you doing? Why haven't you stopped causing trouble for even a single day since we returned to the country?"

Xiaotao turned her head and looked around. "Did you come alone?"

"Yes!"

"How boring! By the way, is the white moonlight named Su Xiaowu?"

"Su Xiaowu? Who's that?"

"The kidnapper! The ID card she produced had the name Su Xiaowu on it!"

Zhuang Jian's anger flared. "What kidnapper? Didn't you frame her?"

The little girl knitted her small brows. "Did I mistake her again? ...Hmph!"

She jumped down from the chair and stomped out with her hands behind her back.

Zhuang Jian hastily followed. "My little ancestor, stop running around!"

Su Qiuyu splashed water on her face several times and looked up at her reflection in the mirror.

Droplets of water slid down along the bruises and swelling. The corner of her eye was black, her cheekbones were swollen, the corner of her lip was split, and there were traces of dried blood under her nose.

It really hurt.

When she was young, her mother beat her every day. Once her mother could no longer overpower her, she thought she would never be beaten again. As it turned out, the beatings she received now were even more brutal.

Four years ago, she was mobbed by a crowd. Today, she was mobbed by a crowd again.

But she was lucky today; at least her ribs weren't broken, and she didn't end up in the hospital.

Pulling out a tissue to wipe her face, Su Qiuyu left the restroom.

Returning to the corridor, she found the little girl gone.

Su Qiuyu froze. She ran away?!

After asking a staff member nearby, she immediately rushed outside.

A Cullinan was parked at the entrance of the police station, with the driver, Old Zhou, standing respectfully outside the door.

Seeing the little girl running out, Old Zhou opened the car door. "Little Miss, slow down!"

Xiaotao ran as fast as her chubby little legs could carry her, but just as she scrambled halfway into the car, she suddenly froze.

She looked up at the young man sitting inside the car, her large eyes wide and her little face filled with astonishment.

The man wore a very formal black suit with a crisp white shirt. Tall and imposing, his broad frame blocked almost all the light from the opposite window. The faint light outlined his sharp, handsome profile—half of his face in the light, half in the shadow. His dark eyes were cold and deep, exuding the natural authority of someone long accustomed to being in power.

Under his silent gaze, the little girl's mischievous look instantly turned into one of obedience.

"U-Uncle..."

Zhuang Jian had been delayed by a few police cars entering the station. Arriving late and out of breath, he said, "My little ancestor, do you have any idea how dangerous that was? Running around like that, if those police cars had a blind spot, you could have gotten yourself killed!"

Xiaotao gave a soft huff. "And you said you came alone. Isn't my uncle here too?"

Zhuang Jian looked at the man in the car, immediately straightening his posture, and said respectfully, "Mr. Gu, Miss Xiaotao ran out first. I haven't seen Miss Su yet, so I haven't apologized or offered compensation."

Gu Moting glanced at Xiaotao. He didn't say a word, but the oppressive aura radiating from him made the little terror bow her head.

In the entire Gu family, Xiaotao only feared him.

Gu Moting looked back at Zhuang Jian, his voice slightly deep. "Go back and find Miss Su. Take her to the hospital for a checkup. We will pay double the value of her damaged goods. Ask for her home address as well; I will bring Xiaotao to apologize in person tomorrow."

Zhuang Jian bowed his head. "Yes, sir."

Gu Moting looked at the little girl and commanded calmly, "Get in."

The little girl seemed like a completely different person. She meekly climbed into the car, folded her chubby little hands over her lap, and stared straight ahead in a perfect, lady-like posture.

The driver returned to the car, and the vehicle started up and drove away.

Zhuang Jian turned and walked back toward the police station.

Just as Su Qiuyu ran out of the police station entrance, she saw the car door closing and the Cullinan driving away. Frowning, she was about to give chase when she saw Zhuang Jian turning around.

Su Qiuyu froze and stopped in her tracks.

Panting, Zhuang Jian walked quickly, raising a hand to adjust his collar.

Sensing something, Zhuang Jian looked up. Startled, Su Qiuyu hurriedly hid behind a large stone pillar.

Her beautiful eyes stared blankly into space, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

It pounded hard, as if it had grown legs, bringing back a tidal wave of memories that left her with a dull ache.

Once Zhuang Jian stepped up the stairs, Su Qiuyu slipped away to the other side.

Making sure Zhuang Jian had gone inside, Su Qiuyu left immediately.

*

Her electric scooter and the broken porcelain had been brought to the police station as evidence.

Su Qiuyu couldn't get the scooter to start.

Though it was secondhand, she had bought it for a four-figure sum.

Helpless, she could only push it along, hoping it could still be repaired.

Putting on her helmet, which had been cracked by someone's boot, Su Qiuyu made her painful way back home. Before heading upstairs, she bought a few tubes of ointment from the small pharmacy downstairs.

She needed to tend to her injuries and change out of her torn clothes before she could go and beg her boss's forgiveness.

After showering, applying the ointment, and putting on a face mask, Su Qiuyu changed into clean clothes and prepared to head out.

As she picked up the box on the table, she looked up at the two black-and-white photos hanging on the wall.

Next to her father, her sister smiled sweetly. Her curved, bright, watery eyes overlapped with those of the little girl she had met today.

Tears rolled down Su Qiuyu's cheeks.

"She might be your daughter..." Su Qiuyu said softly and slowly. "You insisted on giving birth to her, insisted on it. The daughter you traded your life for bullied me on the street today. The two times I was beaten by a crowd, it was all because of you... Look at my face."

Wiping away her tears, Su Qiuyu left the house holding the box.

Half an hour later, Su Qiuyu returned to the workshop.

She slowly opened the box. The completely shattered porcelain inside made her startup boss clutch his chest, his face contorted in pain.

The boss looked at her. "You still haven't told me how it broke."

"I tripped over a curb. I'll pay for it."

"How are you going to pay?" the boss cried out in anguish. "This entire set cost thirty thousand yuan!"

Su Qiuyu silently raised her hands and clutched her own chest.

A few minutes later, she steeled herself, looking ready to face death. "Thirty thousand it is. I'll pay!"

Staring at the boss's outstretched palm,

Su Qiuyu asked weakly, "Can I... pay in installments?"