Shang Lu’s gaze fell on Su Banxia.
Previously, he had only seen Su Banxia briefly a few times, without any interaction. To him, she was just a stranger.
Even after waking up in the same bed together due to an unexpected event, he didn’t remember her face and didn’t really know what kind of person she was, aside from some rumors he had heard in their social circle.
Su Banxia was infatuated with his younger brother, Shang Jingyao, using her family background to arrogantly bully and drive away any women who showed interest in Jingyao.
Clearly, she wasn’t very smart, as her persistent entanglement only made her more disliked.
Marrying her was arranged by the elderly lady of his family, and for Shang Lu, whom he married didn’t really matter. However, the elopement incident had indeed caused him great embarrassment, and the Su family owed him an explanation for the unpleasant gossip and ridicule that followed.
He hadn’t expected Su Banxia, known for her proud and domineering nature, to soften and apologize to him, even saying she wanted to be with him.
Shang Lu’s gaze was deep as he stared at the girl looking at him with sincerity and expectation.
Her features inherited the best traits of her parents: delicate facial structure, a small and perky nose. However, perhaps due to lack of rest or some other reason, there were significant dark circles under her eyes. Her skin was pale, lending a somewhat gloomy air to her large eyes, which appeared somewhat hollow.
The air in the hospital room felt heavy and oppressive.
Su Banxia didn’t really understand Shang Lu. The book only described him with a few words, portraying him as a paranoid antagonist who became gloomy and reclusive after developing a leg problem in his youth.
Everyone was afraid to approach him, treating him as a temperamental monster. No one dared to get close, not even daring to look at him directly.
Su Banxia was nervous, unsure if he had forgiven her for fleeing the wedding.
Both the Su and Shang families were waiting for Shang Lu’s response. If he refused to be with her, she would have to find another way to approach him to survive.
The man in hospital clothes gazed at her pensively, his lips parting slightly: “I’ll listen to Grandma.”
Shang Jingyao and Mu Ruxue looked a bit stiff. With Shang Lu’s response, it seemed he was willing to put aside past grievances and be with Su Banxia.
Lu Yurou’s face showed a slight change. It was both laughable and frustrating that, to secure his position in the Shang family, Shang Lu would resort to such extremes.
Su Banxia’s father and Shang father both looked pleased, understanding each other’s intentions. For them, Shang Lu’s agreement was the best outcome, as their interests were paramount.
Su Banxia’s mother, however, looked at Shang Lu reproachfully, tightly grasping her daughter’s hand, lamenting in her heart. Her poor daughter was about to marry this devil.
For Su Banxia, the Shang family was like a den of demons. Her mother was convinced she would suffer if she married into it and was firmly against it.
Shang father spoke: “Since that’s the case, it seems our families are destined to be connected by marriage. I’ll discuss this with the elder lady when I get back.”
“There’s no rush,” Su Banxia’s father said cheerfully. “Shang Lu is still hospitalized. Let’s wait until he’s better.”
Then, looking at Su Banxia, he added, “You should visit the hospital more often these days and take good care of Shang Lu.”
Although Su Banxia disliked her father, getting closer to Shang Lu was necessary for her survival. She responded, “I understand.”
The Shang family members left first. Su Banxia’s mother wanted to find an excuse to take her daughter away, but her father, insisting that there was no one to care for Shang Lu, asked Su Banxia to stay.
Su Banxia stayed in the room as a matter of course.
Shang Lu, with an indifferent gaze, said, “I don’t need your care.”
He didn’t believe Su Banxia really wanted to stay and care for him. Nobody would willingly sacrifice their time to take care of a disabled person, and he didn’t need her help.
Su Banxia, initially planning to rest on the sofa, was taken aback by his words. “So should I leave?”
Shang Lu’s deep eyes were unfathomable as he responded indifferently, “You can leave.”
Su Banxia sat on the sofa, head bowed, motionless.
Shang Lu intended to tell her not to come again, but seeing her show this vulnerable side, he was at a loss for words, Shang Lu furrowed his brows and looked at her bowed head.
Su Banxia suddenly raised her head, her gaze colliding with his deep eyes, and she declared, “I’m not leaving.”
She got up to pour him a glass of water, saying, “There’s no one else in the hospital room. If I don’t stay to take care of you, who will attend to your needs?”
Shang Lu was momentarily taken aback.
“Here, have some water,” Su Banxia offered the glass to him.
Shang Lu’s handsome face was somber, his gaze cold and indifferent as he refused to even glance at her, rejecting her approach.
Seeing him not accepting the water, Su Banxia placed the glass on the table, closer to him.
“Aren’t you thirsty?” she coaxed gently, “Your lips look dry, you should drink some water.”
Shang Lu suddenly turned his head, his cool gaze fixing on her: “What more do you want from me?”
If she intended to marry him to get close to Shang Jingyao, he had already agreed to her request. What else did she want to do?
After being rebuked by him, Su Banxia immediately showed a wronged expression, “I just want to be with you.”
The sincerity and innocence in the girl’s eyes were unmistakable, without a hint of impurity, her words sounding even more pleasant than a song.
Shang Lu almost believed her, but at that moment, a man and a woman in professional attire entered the hospital room, surprised to see a woman who shouldn’t be there.
“President Shang,” Secretary Lin Xuan and Assistant Zhou Zhou approached the bed.
Seeing that Shang Lu’s subordinates seemed to have something to report, Su Banxia felt it was inappropriate to stay in the room. She said, “Shang Lu, I’ll go back now and come to see you again tomorrow.”
To her surprise, Shang Lu unexpectedly responded with a nod, eliciting a surprised look from Lin Xuan.
After reporting their business, the two left the room.
Lin Xuan, musing to himself, asked, “Is that the Su family’s young lady who fled the wedding?”
Assistant Zhou adjusted his glasses and replied, “Yes, I don’t know why she came back.”
Lin Xuan tentatively asked, “So, does her engagement with President Shang still stand?”
Assistant Zhou answered flatly, “The Su family and the Shang family have no intention of canceling the marriage alliance.”
Recalling the face he had just seen, with its old-fashioned wine-red curls and a gloomy aura like someone addicted to drugs, contrasting her indifferent makeup, Lin Xuan thought it was incomparable.
Despite being a daughter of a wealthy family, Su Banxia’s appearance after fleeing the wedding seemed unworthy of President Shang.
Lin Xuan’s lips curled into a mocking smile, “I thought she would be as beautiful as Miss Mu. Seeing her in person is quite disappointing.”
“President Shang is really unlucky to have to marry such a woman.”
Assistant Zhou glanced at him with a serious expression, warning, “Let’s not discuss President Shang’s private matters too much in private.”
Lin Xuan’s face stiffened slightly, and he said, “Understood.”
…
Su Banxia walked out of the hospital, thinking about going to a hair salon to fix her hair, when she unexpectedly ran into Shang Jingyao on the street.
She thought that the male lead and the Shang family had already left the hospital. Shang Jingyao, dressed in formal attire, stood out in the crowd. Even standing by the roadside, he attracted frequent glances from passersby.
Originally, the main character and Shang Jingyao met at a business banquet, after which she inexplicably fell in love with him.
“Su Banxia,” Shang Jingyao approached her.
Only then did Su Banxia realize he was waiting for her. “Do you need something?”
Shang Jingyao spoke in a serious tone, “Come with me.”
Su Banxia, not wanting to interact too much with him, said, “If there’s something, just say it. I’m busy.”
Shang Jingyao’s expression changed, and he frowned, “Are you sure you want to talk here on the street?”
“Yes,” Su Banxia, preparing to hail a taxi with her phone in hand and not looking up, said, “Just say it quickly.”
Shang Jingyao’s handsome face darkened as he stared at the girl in front of him, feeling something was off.
The girl stood on the street, not looking at him, showing a hint of impatience.
This cold Su Banxia was nothing like the arrogant and entangled young lady from before.
Shang Jingyao said coldly, “Su Banxia, I advise you to stop playing any tricks. If you’re marrying my brother just to annoy me, it will only make me dislike you more.”
Su Banxia looked up at him and couldn’t help but sneer, “Aren’t you a bit too confident?”
She unreservedly criticized, “Do you think you are some kind of treasure? Does every woman have to like you? The world doesn’t revolve around you. My relationship with Shang Lu is our own business and has nothing to do with you.”
The former Su Banxia would never speak to Shang Jingyao like this; she always approached him with a soft and pretentious voice.
Shocked, Shang Jingyao watched as Su Banxia hailed a cab, got in, and drove away, leaving him standing there stunned.
Shang Jingyao’s face turned gloomy and ugly. It seemed that Su Banxia’s hatred for him had grown from love, determined to marry Shang Lu and cause trouble in the Shang family.
…
Su Banxia went to the hair salon that the original character often visited, dyed her hair back to its natural black color, got a shoulder-length haircut, and did a hair treatment before leisurely returning to the Su residence.
The servants hardly recognized her and looked at her with surprised eyes.
Back in her room, Su Banxia thought about her visit to the hospital and quickly went to the bathroom to thoroughly clean herself from head to toe. Then, wrapped in a bath towel, she looked at herself in the mirror.
Her body and the original character had some similarities, giving her the feeling of looking at another version of herself.
After dyeing her hair black, she looked younger and more innocent than before, resembling an expensive doll from a display window, exuding a gothic and eerily beautiful vibe.
After changing clothes and drying her hair, she lay on the bed and opened the ‘Dimensional System’ app on her phone.
“Number…” Su Banxia paused, trying to remember the number.
Suddenly, a ball appeared in the air, like something from a futuristic sci-fi world. “Master, you called me.”
Su Banxia: “…”
Why was the system’s number so long? It was cumbersome to remember.
Su Banxia asked, “Can I rename you?”
She recalled that in the novel, the master could name the system. She decided to give the system a new name.
“Of course,” the system responded. “You have one opportunity to rename the system. Master, would you like to do it now?”
“Yes.”
Su Banxia gave the system an interesting name — Ao Bai.
The system, pleased with its new name, asked, “Master, does this name have any meaning?”
Uh…
How to explain?
Should she tell it that she named it after a famous villain, Ao Bai?
“Because it sounds cool and domineering.”
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