“Good morning,” Lan Yurou politely greeted.
Su Banxia nodded and turned towards the kitchen, searching for something to eat. She felt extremely hungry, and if it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t have wanted to get out of bed. At first, she thought it was due to her lack of energy, but Ao Bai told her that she had caught a cold.
Last night, she had fallen into the pool to save Shang Lu and hadn’t changed her clothes promptly. She had stood in an air-conditioned environment for a long time. After returning, she had not taken a hot shower, which led to her catching a cold today.
She had skipped breakfast and lunch, not knowing if there was any food left in the kitchen.
Lan Yurou instructed the maid not to bother Su Banxia, and the leftovers from lunch had been thrown away. The kitchen was cleaned spotlessly.
There was only uncooked fresh food in the refrigerator. She managed to find a bottle of milk to temporarily satisfy her hunger.
Outside, there were women she didn’t know. Su Banxia didn’t go out; instead, she stood in the kitchen, drinking milk. Little did she know that after briefly greeting Lan Yurou and entered the kitchen, she had upset the group of women.
“Yurou, your daughter-in-law doesn’t know how to be polite; she didn’t even greet the guests.”
“She’s still the Su family’s heiress; she should have some manners.”
“Could she at least say ‘hello, auntie’? Shang Lu married such a woman; it’s really bad luck.”
Lan Yurou sipped her coffee and listened to their complaints before saying, “Maybe she was pampered at home while growing up. She’s like this with me too, don’t mind her.”
“I told you, as a mother-in-law, you should still set some rules,” Gao Xiumei said with a cold expression. “Wait a moment; I’ll teach her later.”
Su Banxia was about to go upstairs to change when she heard a woman’s voice from behind, “Miss Su.”
She turned around to see the women sitting on the couch and asked, “Auntie, do you need something?”
These women were friends of Shang Jingyao’s mother, Lan Yurou, so Su Banxia wasn’t in the mood to pay them any attention.
Gao Xiumei took a deep breath and said, “Miss Su, maybe your mother didn’t teach you in the past, so Auntie will teach you today.”
“When you get married, it’s different from when you were at home. You married Shang Lu as your husband, so you can’t behave recklessly like before. Do you understand?”
Su Banxia smirked and glanced at the smiling Lan Yurou.
Oh well, she was setting rules in front of her now.
Since the lecture had come to her, she would patiently listen to see how well she could dance.
“Young people can love sleeping in, but sleeping until the afternoon, what kind of behavior is that… When guests come to the house, serving tea and welcoming them is what you should do…”
Su Banxia listened for a while, then turned and went upstairs.
Gao Xiumei wanted to continue scolding, but her words got stuck in her throat. She was infuriated and turned to Lan Yurou, saying, “Look at your daughter-in-law; she doesn’t even listen to what people have to say.”
The other two women chimed in, “No wonder she pulled off that runaway bride stunt.”
Lan Yurou gently said, “She might not have slept well. Let’s not mind it, everyone.”
Gao Xiumei sneered, “Indeed, a perfect match with Shang Lu – one with disabled legs is worthless, and one without manners or upbringing…”
“Smack!” A loud slap echoed in the air.
Silence followed for a moment.
Gao Xiumei held her burning cheek, looking at the young girl in disbelief.
Lan Yurou also stood up, her eyes slightly widened. She had expected Su Banxia to be an arrogant and overbearing heiress, but she hadn’t expected her to dare to physically strike an elder.
Su Banxia’s eyes were cold and bright as she said, “Mind your words!”
Gao Xiumei was on the verge of losing it. Anger had consumed her rationality, and she instinctively tried to slap back.
Su Banxia blocked her hand with one hand, and with unexpected strength, she delivered a second slap with her other hand.
“Smack!” The second slap landed heavily, completely bewildering Gao Xiumei.
Now, the wealthy woman’s face had two perfectly symmetrical red marks from left and right slaps.
Su Banxia gave a cold and intimidating sweep of her gaze, her aura surprisingly reminiscent of Shang Lu’s. “Don’t think that just because you’re older, you can freely spout nonsense.”
Lan Yurou interjected, “Su Banxia, why are you treating Auntie Gao like this?”
“You better be quiet,” Su Banxia retorted mercilessly. “She’s your friend, but she talks behind Shang Lu’s back. If you didn’t stop her, isn’t it intentional? I know you can’t stand Shang Lu, so hearing someone slander him probably makes you ecstatic, wishing they’d say more.”
Lan Yurou’s face alternated between red and white.
Su Banxia sneered, “If you have the guts, go say those things to Shang Lu’s face.”
The faces of the wealthy women turned pale in an instant. Shang Lu’s reputation in their circle was akin to the God of Death. Who would dare to speak recklessly in front of him unless they had a death wish?
Having vented her anger and not wanting to move due to her severe cold, Su Banxia returned to her room and fell asleep.
In the evening…
The members of the Su family gradually returned home. A long dining table was set with a variety of dishes, and everyone took their seats one by one. However, Su Banxia’s figure was conspicuously absent.
Shang Lu furrowed his brows and called a servant, “Where is our young mistress?”
The servant replied, “She’s sleeping in her room.”
Shang Lu ordered, “Tell her to come down for the meal.”
The servant went upstairs but found no response despite repeated knocking. They returned downstairs to report to Shang Lu.
Putting down his chopsticks, Shang Lu went upstairs himself. The bedroom was shrouded in darkness, but he quickly turned on the lights. From a distance, he saw someone curled up on the sofa under a blanket. The person’s face was flushed, their forehead covered in sweat, their lips dry and peeling, in a very bad condition.
Shang Lu’s expression grew serious as he quickly called the family doctor. “Come over.”
The family doctor thought it was Shang Lu who had an issue and rushed to the villa. Pushing open the bedroom door, he found Shang Lu sitting by the sofa, his gaze fixed on the unconscious girl, wearing an expression of surprise.
He had heard about Su Banxia’s situation but had never seen her in person. This was the first time, and it left him astonished.
Shang Lu was actually showing concern for someone.
“Dr. Song, please come and check on her,” Shang Lu instructed.
Dr. Song raised his hand to test and, with a solemn expression, said, “She has a severe cold and needs immediate intravenous fluids. Why was she lying on the sofa?”
He bent down to pick up the girl and asked, “I’ll put her on the bed. Is that alright with you?”
“Quickly get her the IV,” Shang Lu ordered.
The man’s hand on the armrest of his wheelchair tightened slightly. When he was disabled and couldn’t use his legs, he had resented it, felt defeated, and thought of himself as useless. Eventually, he had accepted his leg disability, and even without his legs, he could accomplish many things. However, now he had that feeling once again, of being powerless in certain situations due to his inability to walk.
Dr. Song placed Su Banxia on the bed and efficiently took her temperature. The butler had also brought the medication.
A needle punctured her pale hand, and the girl on the bed furrowed her brow in discomfort. Dr. Song suddenly felt a pressure, and his actions became gentler.
“I’ll leave for now. Call me when the IV is almost done,” he said.
Shang Lu nodded slightly.
He hadn’t expected that in just one day without seeing her, the lively and energetic girl from yesterday would become so severely ill.
When Su Banxia woke up, she found herself lying on Shang Lu’s bed, and he was sitting nearby, reading a book. She immediately tried to get up, saying, “How did I end up on your bed?”
Shang Lu heard the movement and said in a deep voice, “Don’t move.”
Feeling a stinging pain on the back of her hand, she looked at Shang Lu with tears in her eyes and said, “The needle slipped.”
Shang Lu called Dr. Song to come in and fix it for her, then he looked at her with a furrowed brow and said, “Stay still and finish the IV.”
Su Banxia lay on the bed and said, “I’m a little hungry.”
Shang Lu called a servant to bring her a bowl of porridge. Su Banxia sat on the bed, looking at the scattered pieces of green vegetables floating in the bowl, feeling somewhat unappetized.
“I want to eat crayfish, hairy crabs, and boiled beef slices…” She swallowed her saliva.
Shang Lu glanced at her pale face and asked, “Changed your mind?”
The man’s gaze was sharp, as if her life depended on her compliance. Su Banxia hesitated and stirred the porridge, slowly taking a sip.
The next day, Su Banxia’s mother received news somehow and rushed to the Shang family in the morning. When she saw the girl lying in bed with an IV, tears welled up in her eyes.
Su Banxia watched her mother cry, feeling uncomfortable all over, and quickly said, “Mom, I just have a cold, don’t cry.”
Su’s mother wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said, “I knew you would suffer after marrying Shang Lu. It’s only been a short time since you married into this family, and you’re already this sick.”
“I heard that you fell into the swimming pool yesterday, didn’t you? My poor daughter, why have things been so difficult for you since you married Shang Lu?”
Su’s mother thought about the rumors she had heard about Shang Lu and asked, “Has Shang Lu ever hit you?”
Shang Lu was nothing like that kind of person, so Su Banxia quickly said, “No, no.”
Su’s mother had a look as if she didn’t believe her and said, “I think you’ve been bewitched. For the sake of Shang Jingyao, you had to marry Shang Lu.”
“Xiaxia, listen to your mom. Don’t tie yourself to one tree. There are so many trees in the world. If this one doesn’t work, then change to another. You can have two or three. Ruining your whole life for a man is not worth it.”
Su Banxia thought, “Mom, you’re surprisingly open-minded.”
“Mom, it’s not just for the sake of Shang Jingyao that I married Shang Lu,” Su Banxia said earnestly. “I really do like Shang Lu.”
Su’s mother still didn’t believe her, remembering how Su Banxia had acted so crazily try to drug Shang Jingyao.
“Mom knows you don’t want to marry Shang Lu. He has leg disabilities, a solitary personality, and he’s not a match for you. As long as you say you don’t want to, Mom will take you back right now.”
At the bedroom door stood Xiang Lei, his rugged face tensed with anger. He looked very furious.
Shang Lu’s expression remained emotionless as he activated his wheelchair and headed toward the elevator.
Xiang Lei followed him, speaking angrily, “Young Master.”
Shang Lu glanced at him and said, “Dispose of the things.”
Upon hearing this, Xiang Lei immediately threw the bag he was carrying into the nearby trash can next to the elevator, still with a hint of anger in his eyes.
Inside the bedroom, the two of them were completely unaware that their conversation had been overheard.
Su Banxia’s smile disappeared from her face as she listened to her mother saying that Shang Lu was not a match for her. Her expression turned serious, and she said, “Mom, please don’t say such things in the future. Shang Lu is a good person.”
“If you say such things again, I will be angry.”
Su’s mother was taken aback. “Xiaxia, have you really fallen in love with Shang Lu?”
Su Banxia nodded. “Mom, he’s your son-in-law. If you look down on him, others will too, and they’ll look down on me.”
“Mom understands.”
Before leaving, Su’s mother asked, “Has the money in the bank card I gave you last time run out?”
Su Banxia couldn’t help but remember the night before she moved into the Shang family. Her mother had handed her the bank card, tears in her eyes, as if she were sending her into a dangerous place, fearing that she would be mistreated after marrying Shang Lu.
She smiled warmly and said, “No, I haven’t used it all up. Don’t worry, I have enough money.”
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