These past few days, Su Baiyang had a miserable time. His clothes were wrinkled, and there was no trace of the playboy image he used to have. He looked more like a chastised dog, hanging his head and begging for forgiveness.
Su Banxia stared at her younger brother, who appeared slightly scared and had red eyes. She thought that her decision to let him be for a few days was the right one. Sometimes, people only realize who truly cares for them when they are in the most dangerous predicaments.
Su Baiyang finally understood that if he wanted to get out of jail, he could only rely on his sister, who had been playfully teasing him since childhood.
After talking with the lawyer and realizing the seriousness of his situation, he couldn’t bear even a few days in jail. He couldn’t imagine spending several years there.
“Sis,” Su Baiyang’s voice trembled as he begged, “please save me, I’m begging you, sis, don’t abandon me.”
Su Banxia stared at him and asked, “Do you really understand your mistake?”
Su Baiyang nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with exhaustion. He said, “I know I was wrong, sis. Please, find a way to help me.”
Su Banxia comforted him and urged him not to hide anything. She advised him to be honest with Shang Lu’s lawyer about what happened that day.
Everything was arranged, and they both left the police station.
As evening approached, the streets were bustling with traffic.
Su Banxia squinted her eyes, feeling tired. She hadn’t rested well in a while due to Su Baiyang’s situation.
A hand reached over and gently pulled her into an embrace from the side.
Su Banxia stared absentmindedly at the front car seats. Shang Lu, who she was leaning on, remained silent in the car.
“Don’t overthink it,” Shang Lu’s deep voice said. “Once we gather the evidence, Su Baiyang will be able to get bail quickly.”
Su Banxia looked up at him for a moment and replied, “I’m not thinking about him.”
“Then what are you thinking about?” Shang Lu asked.
Su Banxia sighed and said, “I’m thinking about you.”
Her delicate and fair hand rested on his knee as she continued, “It has been raining a lot lately. How are your legs? Are they still as painful as before?”
Shang Lu held her hand, his fingers clearly defined as he gently massaged it. “They are much better than before.”
Rehabilitation was showing results, but he knew it would take a long, long time of continuous treatment before he had a chance to stand up again.
…
On the day Su Baiyang was released on bail, she and Shang Lu went to pick him up.
After going through this experience, Su Baiyang had matured a bit. When he saw her and Shang Lu, he politely called them “sis” and “brother-in-law.”
Su Baiyang’s entry into the police station was kept secret. Neither their father nor their mother knew that their son had been arrested. Before returning home, they all went to a restaurant together to have dinner, and they planned to let Su Baiyang clean up before going back in the evening.
Inside the private dining room:
The table was adorned with exquisite dishes, and Su Baiyang, who hadn’t had a good meal in a while, eagerly devoured the food without caring about his appearance.
Su Banxia said, “Slow down, no one is competing with you.”
Su Baiyang paused, wiped his mouth, and looked at the man beside her, Shang Lu.
The young, mature man was dressed in a dark suit, exuding an air of nobility and charisma that made people feel captivated at a glance.
According to what Su Banxia told him, Shang Lu played a crucial role in getting him out of the police station so quickly.
Su Baiyang hadn’t interacted much with Shang Lu before, but he had heard some rumors about him. While out with friends, some people made crude jokes about him, saying that his sister had married a disabled man.
These remarks had angered him, and he had even gotten into a few fights as a result.
He didn’t openly acknowledge Shang Lu as his brother-in-law, but upon closer examination, he realized that Shang Lu was reasonably good-looking, maybe even more so than him, just by a tiny margin.
Su Banxia couldn’t help but find it amusing as she noticed her younger brother sneakily glancing at Shang Lu while eating.
“Here, Shang Lu, this is your favorite,” she said as she served a dish to Shang Lu.
Su Baiyang’s attention returned to Su Banxia, and he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Even though he had just been released from the police station, he didn’t see his sister showing much concern for him.
“Sis,” he pointed at the dish in front of Su Banxia, “I want that one.”
Su Banxia and Shang Lu both looked at him.
Su Baiyang felt a bit uncomfortable and said, “Sis, I can’t pick it up. Can you serve it to me?”
Su Banxia was about to help when Shang Lu took the dish and placed it in front of Su Baiyang, his deep, cold eyes fixated on him.
Su Baiyang squirmed in his seat, feeling neither here nor there.
“Thanks, brother-in-law,” he mumbled, almost inaudibly.
Pretending not to hear clearly, Su Banxia asked, “What did you say, little brother?”
Su Baiyang glared at her and felt like his mouth was glued shut. He lowered his head and started eating as if his life depended on it.
Su Banxia couldn’t help but chuckle and leaned in close to Shang Lu, whispering, “Did you hear that just now?”
Shang Lu’s eyes subtly flickered, and he gave a faint smile. “Yes, I heard it.”
…
In the afternoon, when they were returning Su Baiyang to the villa, he requested it. When a child makes a big mistake, they always want someone to support them before going back home.
This time, he had made a serious error, and Su Baiyang was afraid of facing his parents’ anger and disappointment. He quietly begged Shang Lu to take him back.
As they arrived outside the villa, they heard quite a commotion.
Su Banxia’s expression changed, and she rushed into the house. The maid who was cleaning the table in the living room saw her and hurried over, saying, “Miss, you’ve returned just in time. Please go upstairs and check. Madam and the master are in the study.”
There were sounds of things crashing and breaking upstairs, the distinct noise of glass or porcelain hitting the floor, which sounded quite alarming.
“Sis, let’s go upstairs and check,” Su Baiyang said while running.
Worried about her mother, Su Banxia quickly headed upstairs.
As they reached the door of the study, they could hear heart-wrenching, self-mocking laughter from inside, filled with deep resentment.
“Even if you smash everything in the study, I will never divorce you,” a voice said amidst the maniacal laughter. “Unless I die, you will never be with that woman for the rest of your life!”
*Smack!* A loud slap echoed.
Su Baiyang kicked the door open, and Su Banxia rushed in, “Mom.”
Su Father looked at his hand that had just slapped Su Mother, trembling uncontrollably.
“Dad, how could you hit Mom!” Su Baiyang’s forehead veins bulged, restraining his anger from delivering a direct punch.
Su Banxia supported her mother, who was sitting on the ground, and asked with concern, “Mom, are you okay?”
Su Father’s slap had not been light, and it left half of Su Mother’s face badly swollen. She had given up all hope, her voice filled with bitterness and hatred.
“Su Qingde, you never went to the hospital to get checked, did you? I might as well tell you, you’ve long lost your ability to have children. It was me who tampered with your medication.”
Su Father widened his eyes, his chest heaving violently, and pointed at her, cursing, “You poisonous woman!”
Su Baiyang was stunned for a few seconds, then immediately stood in front of Su Banxia and Su Mother, saying, “Dad, let’s talk this through.”
“I started tampering with your medication a long time ago. I don’t care what you do outside, but if you dare to bring that woman’s illegitimate child into this house, our entire family will be handed over to her in the future.”
“The facts prove that I was right all along.” Su Mother’s eyes were filled with resentment, and she sneered, “All of this is your own doing, and you deserve it!”
Su Father’s face contorted, as being unable to father a child was a disgrace for a man, something he couldn’t bear.
“You wretched woman! Poisonous harlot!” he kept cursing.
Su Banxia never expected her mother to go to such lengths for her and her brother.
Legally, a man’s illegitimate child born outside of his marriage could inherit the family’s assets. Therefore, after Su Mother severed her ties with Su Father, the Su family’s wealth could only be inherited by her children.
Su Mother fell to the ground, her hands covered in blood from the shards.
Leaving Su Father in the study, Su Banxia and Su Baiyang helped their mother tend to her wounds. The Su family’s villa didn’t have an elevator, so Su Banxia and Su Baiyang went upstairs while leaving Shang Lu in the living room.
In the bedroom, Su Banxia bent down to urgently treat her mother’s wounds. “Mom, if you’re not happy, you should divorce him.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already collected a lot of evidence of his infidelity. If we go to court, you will definitely win. All the assets he gave away over the years can be reclaimed.”
Su Banxia’s voice was filled with determination. “Mom, if you want, you can sue him for cohabitation, and he can go to jail.”
“So, I was the only one who didn’t know anything…” Su Baiyang’s face was filled with anger and sadness from being deceived. He yelled, “Why was everything kept from me!”
He had thought his family was happy, but in reality, his parents’ marriage had long been broken, and his father was still keeping a mistress outside, even treating her daughter as his own. He had felt closer to Mu Ruxue than to his own sister, and during his time in prison, he had agonized over why Mu Ruxue didn’t answer his calls or come to see him. Now, he finally understood it all. He cursed himself for being such a fool.
Su Baiyang suddenly got up and rushed out of the room.
“Banxia, your younger brother,” Su Mother said anxiously.
Su Banxia held her and said, “Mom, don’t worry about him. He’s an adult now, and there are many things that shouldn’t have been kept from him in the first place.”
Princes in ivory towers should see through things sooner. Beneath the beautiful surface, there are foul undercurrents, and life’s cruelty forces people to grow. He would inherit the Su family’s company in the future, so he needed to mature sooner.
After soothing her mother to sleep, Su Banxia went downstairs to find Shang Lu. “Let’s go sit outside for a while.”
Night had fallen over the land, and the villa’s lights shone through the windows onto the small garden. During dinner time, the members of the Su family were scattered and didn’t have the mood to eat.
In the garden, there were only plants. The temperature was lower at night, and she wrapped her coat tightly.
“I’ll stay at home to accompany my mom for the next few days,” she said.
Shang Lu held her ice-cold hand and replied, “If you need anything, just let me know.”
Su Banxia crouched down, looked up at him, and instructed, “If your leg hurts, have the housekeeper give you a massage.”
There was a faint smile in Shang Lu’s eyes, and his well-defined fingers lifted her chin. “Instead of worrying about me, take good care of yourself.”
Su Banxia felt her face heat up and kissed his thin lips gently. “I know.”
—
Su Baiyang hadn’t come home for two days, and Su Mother was worried. She asked Su Banxia to go out and find him.
Through information from a few friends, Su Banxia found the drunken Su Baiyang in a bar. She poured a glass of cold water on him and then slapped him across the face.
“Who the hell hit me?” Su Baiyang shouted angrily.
Su Banxia looked at him with a cold expression. “Do you remember what you said to me when you came out of the police station?”
Su Baiyang, with wet hair and a pained expression, tried to explain, “Sis, I…”
He couldn’t accept the reality. When he was drunk, he didn’t have to think too much, hoping that everything could be like it used to be.
If his parents divorced and the family fell apart, he would have no home, and his life would be a mess. His father didn’t love him or the family as much as he had thought; he had an affair outside, possibly hoping to have another son to replace him.
Su Baiyang was overwhelmed with grievances and had nowhere to vent. He knelt down and hugged her legs, crying like a child, “Sis, you can hit me if you want. It’s all my fault, it’s all because of me.”
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