Volume One, Chapter 16: At Last, You’ve Done Something Right

The astonishment in Su Wanqing’s eyes was fully absorbed by Su Wanning. The smile in her eyes deepened as she straightened her posture, lifted her skirt, and walked toward Su Wanqing, a trace of disdain flickering behind her seemingly innocent gaze.

Tonight’s dress had been custom-made by a top luxury brand six months in advance. Every cut, style, and detail was meticulously crafted by the designer, who repeatedly assured her that she would look seven times more beautiful than before once she wore it.

The Su family spared no expense in supporting her. Her parents were her eternal shield. Moreover, Xie Yancheng’s idealized memories of their past relationship magnified their bond, and her youth combined with her direct employment at Yongfang Technology made her undoubtedly the most famous woman in the entire city and even the nation’s future.

Su Wanqing, what do you have to compete with me?

Standing still, Su Wanqing watched this scene unfold and couldn’t help but recall the moment when she was researching a new project at the Xu family’s place. Suddenly, she received a call from Xu Qiuyun, saying her biological parents were looking for her.

For years, she had pushed her talents to the limit, driven by the desire to ask her biological parents why they had abandoned her.

So when she heard this news, she didn’t hesitate to meet them.

But only her biological father, Su Guoxing, was waiting for her—along with her stepmother Luo Qian and their precious daughter Su Wanning.

Before she could question them, Su Wanning rushed over, tears streaming down her face as she cried, “Sister, you’ve suffered so much.”

Su Guoxing, holding Luo Qian, also had tears in his eyes.

At that time, she naïvely thought this was a touching scene of father and daughter reuniting.

She cried so hard she could barely breathe, yet in her heart, she still wanted to know why they had sent her away to the countryside.

Their conditions were so good—why didn’t they raise her?

Before she could ask, Su Wanning, still crying, grabbed her sleeve again: “Sister, please save me. Help me!”

At that moment, not knowing what kind of person Su Wanning truly was, her inherent kindness led her to nod without hesitation: “Alright, alright, I’ll help you. Get up first.”

Later, she was told she had to marry Xie Yancheng in place of Su Wanning.

Although she had been taken in by Xu Jiang and became Xu Qiuyun’s apprentice, she had always stayed at the Xu family’s base in Yan City and knew little about Hai City’s affairs.

But she couldn’t agree to marry a stranger.

Until she saw a photograph of Xie Yancheng.

She would never forget those eyes for her entire life.

“Sister, I’m really glad you came. I thought you might be mad at me for what I said this morning.”

Su Wanqing felt her hand being pulled. Blinking, she realized Su Wanning had already come to her side, holding her hand with a pretense of sisterly affection.

But Su Wanning’s acting was poor; though she smiled, the joy did not reach her eyes, creating an unsettling feeling.

Goosebumps rose all over Su Wanqing’s skin. She withdrew her hand. “Sorry, I’m not here for your banquet. Dad called me.”

Seeing her still forcing calm, Su Wanning was not annoyed. She smiled faintly: “It’s okay. Whoever called you, now that you’re here, you’ll definitely have dinner with us.”

She glanced toward the dining table, then suddenly seemed to realize something, panicking: “Oh no, I forgot the seating was just perfect today. There’s no room to add another seat…”

Patting her head in frustration, Su Wanning complained to Su Guoxing, “Dad, I told you Yancheng will host a big banquet in a few days, so we don’t need to celebrate with the Xie family first. Our home is small, and look what you did—there’s no place for my sister to sit!”

Su Wanqing knew Su Wanning never intended to invite her. This was just to make things difficult. She was about to say she would leave after the meeting, but Su Guoxing spoke first:

“How can she attend a banquet dressed like that?”

He glanced at Su Wanqing with a look of disdain. “Come in. I have something to tell you.”

Inside the study.

Su Guoxing, dressed in a suit, sat in the position of authority. Su Wanqing sat beside him.

He seemed truly pressed for time—he hadn’t even poured her a cup of tea.

“I heard from A’ning that you’re divorcing President Xie?” Su Guoxing asked.

Su Wanqing nodded.

He mused with satisfaction, “Hmm, after five years, you’ve finally done something right.”

“Five years ago, although A’ning begged you to marry President Xie on her behalf, they hadn’t even gotten a marriage certificate then. I thought you two would separate quickly, but to my surprise, you threatened President Xie with pregnancy and forced him to legally marry you. You got what you wanted, but you didn’t realize this decision caused our company to stop cooperating with the Xie Group, costing the Su family a huge loss.”

“But I can’t really blame you. After all, you grew up in the countryside, never exposed to the finer things. Suddenly becoming Mrs. Xie, using and consuming things so different from before—you naturally did everything to hold onto that.”

He sighed, magnanimously continuing:

“Forget the past. The important thing is you have self-awareness. A’ning and President Xie had deep feelings for each other. Even if you had been Mrs. Xie for a long time, you wouldn’t have been happy. Returning that position to A’ning now is a way to make up for the loss to the Su family.”

From the moment she entered, Su Guoxing never mentioned money outright but implied it in every sentence.

Su Wanqing clenched the hand resting on her lap and couldn’t help but ask, “Make up for the Su family’s loss? Why didn’t you ever think about making up for my loss?”

“I’m also a daughter of the Su family. Why was I abandoned in the countryside from childhood while Su Wanning could live as a highborn lady in Hai City?”

“Five years ago, she wanted me to marry into the Xie family on her behalf because the wedding date was already set. If she ran away, the Su family couldn’t bear the Xie family’s wrath. So you sacrificed me to satisfy her.”

“I bore that wrath in place of her, in place of the Su family. And now you talk to me about loss? Isn’t that ridiculous?”

Her voice unintentionally rose, her eyes reddened with grievance.

But this stirred no pity from Su Guoxing. He looked at her with disgust and scolded, “You’re even feeling wronged?”

“Your immoral mother was caught red-handed after giving birth to you. I was annoyed just seeing you. It’s a blessing I didn’t strangle you!”

Su Wanqing had never heard this before. She had seen a photo of her mother—a graceful, dignified woman with immense poise—someone utterly incapable of such deeds. Besides, if there was infidelity, it was clearly Su Guoxing who had betrayed first!

Su Wanning was only two months younger than her!

Gritting her teeth, she voiced this.

But before she could finish, Su Guoxing suddenly slapped her hard. The sharp sound echoed through the room. She couldn’t withstand it and collapsed onto the table.

The teacup that had been on the table toppled to the floor, shattering loudly.

Su Wanqing turned her head and saw Su Guoxing’s eyes reddened with fury as he pointed at her. “You can’t even control your own husband, so how dare you meddle in your father’s affairs?!”