At this moment, I could clearly sense the tension among the Su family.
They certainly didn't want to reveal Su Ning'an's pregnancy right now, otherwise the marriage they had agreed to with the Fu family would be off the table.
Mrs. Su's gaze, which had just been threatening to eat me up, suddenly changed, a pleading look in its depths.
I curled my lips into a smile, "Of course she's furious. After being scolded like that today, I'm sure Sister Ning'an must be feeling bad."
The Su family visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Mrs. Fu stared at me with a hint of disapproval. "Mrs. Lu, I'm not saying anything, but we're actually relatives. Isn't that a bit too heartless?"
Mrs. Su also chimed in, "What have we ever done to you that would have you push our Su family to this point?"
I ignored Mrs. Su and instead said to Mrs. Fu with a look of grievance, "This isn't my fault. I just questioned S that day, and it was Sister Ning'an who exposed me online. I've been hounded and scolded for days."
Reflecting on Su Ning'an as the instigator, Mrs. Fu's tone softened. "Then you shouldn't have humiliated her in front of everyone. Her face may not be worth much, but our Fu family suffers as a result. Besides, isn't that Su Wan already dead? How do you know she's S and has depression?"
As soon as she asked this, everyone in the room focused their attention on me.
Su Ning'an's face was especially filled with resentment, as if she wanted to transform into a ghost and tear me apart right then and there. I guess this was the question she wanted to ask. I said calmly, "It's really a coincidence. I used to suffer from depression myself, so I was lucky enough to meet Dr. Zhou and learn Miss Su's secret from him. This online uproar has caused a lot of controversy, and Dr. Zhou and I both want to seek justice for Miss Su, which is why today's incident happened. But..."
I looked at Su Ning'an, "I suggested that she withdraw from the competition early on, so this wouldn't have happened. I gave her that leeway, but she didn't take it, so you can't blame me."
"You..." Mrs. Su pointed at my face, wanting to say something but unable to. I gave her a cold smile. "Mrs. Su, I'm really curious. They're both your daughters, but your treatment of Su Wan and Su Ning'an is worlds apart. Could it be that Su Wan isn't your daughter at all? Otherwise, why would you be so cold and indifferent?"
"That's nonsense! Su Wan's unfortunate death is none of our business. Jiang Wanwan, you're so cruel and ruthless at such a young age. You'll get your comeuppance one day."
I met her sinister eyes, feeling a pang of pain.
After all, I'd called her mother for so many years, and yet she cursed me like this.
She was right. My dismembered body in my previous life was my retribution, wasn't it?
I had come here to watch a show, but her words were like a bucket of water that doused my good mood. I stopped arguing with them and said calmly, "Mrs. Su, I'm telling you this exactly as it is. If you're too cruel, you'll suffer retribution sooner or later. Since Miss Su is safe, I won't bother you any more. You two can chat."
I turned and left, returning to the car. Lu Yanchen noticed my low mood.
"What's wrong?"
I shook my head. "Nothing."
I just feel a little wronged. My family didn't value me when I was alive, and even in death, it's still the same.
What were those brief twenty-odd years of my life worth?
Lu Yanchen pulled me into his arms. "Didn't I tell you never to waste your energy? Don't forget you've had depression before. Do you want to be depressed again?"
He peeled back the scar under my sleeve. It was the mark of Jiang Wanwan's wrist slashing.
The wound had already formed a scar, resembling a centipede, and was quite ugly.
People have a good ability to heal themselves. As long as I don't press on it, I don't feel the pain anymore.
He suddenly showed me the scar, asking me to look directly at it. "You must remember this scar. Never let it happen again. If someone makes you unhappy, it's not you who should be hurt, but them!"
"Yes."
Although I've been reborn, those memories haunt me, and I can't let go.
"It's getting late. Are you hungry?"
After a long day, I was exhausted and hungry.
"Hungry..."
"I'll take you somewhere."
Lu Yanchen took me to a private restaurant by the sea. After dinner, I sat on the spacious observation deck.
Although the sea breeze was cold, it seemed to blow away my unhappy emotions, brightening my mood.
The sun gradually set, burying the night in darkness.
Suddenly, a flash of light flashed before my eyes. Lu Yanchen, at some point, handed me a sparkler.
I was a little flustered. "I'm already this old, and this is just for little girls."
I used to see teenage girls taking pictures with sparklers all the time, but I'm past that age now. He chuckled. "You're only twenty, how old can you be? Little girl, you should be happy at twenty."
I watched the fairy wand slowly go out. He handed me another, and the flame burned even brighter.
"Look, this world is always full of light. If it goes out, we can just relight it. Taiwan, let's keep it sweet day by day, and it will be sweet day after day."
I grabbed the fairy wand and danced it in the night. Yes, a twenty-year-old should act twenty-year-old.
I used to be used to digesting negative energy alone, but it turns out that venting can be so refreshing.
He handed me a can of fruit wine. "Want some? I heard young people like this."
I blacked out last time I drank, so I won't dare touch alcohol again this time. "I..."
"Don't worry, it's not too strong, just a drink."
Seeing he acted like an elder, I jokingly said, "Thank you, uncle!"
"Little girl."
I took a sip, and sure enough, the alcohol content was quite low. I handed him a can. "Uncle, would you like to try it?"
He held out a glass of brandy. "This is the kind of wine uncle should drink."
I was a little greedy. I hadn't touched alcohol since I got pregnant in my previous life. That night, I got drunk before I even tasted it.
"Can you give me a sip?"
"No, you'll get drunk. Don't forget you can't hold your liquor." He raised the glass with a stern face. I straddled his lap and reached out to grab it.
"Good uncle, give me a sip, just one sip..."
"Greedy girl, I can't do anything with you. Just a taste."
He handed me the wine. I had only intended to take a sip, but the strong liquor sliced through my throat like a knife.
I used to love that tearing feeling the most. Because only when I'm drunk can I forget the unpleasantness of real life, and my body has a very good alcohol tolerance, so I need to drink one drink after another to get completely tipsy.
After one drink, he stared at my unsatisfied eyes and said, "No more."
I raised a finger. "I promise this is the last one, Yanchen. Give me a little more."
He sighed and poured me another drink.
The drink was a quick drink, and the aftereffects came quickly. By the time I tried to grab his bottle, I was already feeling dizzy.
My body lurched and I almost fell, but Lu Yanchen quickly caught me. I mumbled, "Yanchen, drink..."
He stared into my dazed eyes, his voice low and coaxing, "Want a drink?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Baby, call me 'husband' and I'll give you a drink."
I tilted my head, my mind completely devoid of thought, and stammered, "Husband..."
"Not 'old husband,' 'good husband."
Like a parrot, I counted on my fingers and said earnestly, "Good husband, drink."
The next second, a hand gripped my chin, and warm lips met mine. Wine filled my lips and teeth. I swallowed helplessly, some spilling out from the corners of my mouth...