Chu Zhen was busy with business and went out again in the afternoon. Before leaving, he wanted to say a few more words to Chu Susu, but after pacing at the door for a while, he ultimately didn’t say anything.
Not long after, Grandpa and Grandma got up. It had been a long time since she’d seen them, and Chu Susu missed them dearly.
She kept them company while they ate something, then took a stroll around the neighborhood, walking in loops. The two elders chattered on endlessly, asking her a bunch of questions.
It was all the usual stuff: whether she was eating enough, dressed warmly enough, how her health was, and if she’d found a boyfriend yet.
“Nope.” Chu Susu forced a smile. “Work’s too busy, no time for that, and I’m not in a rush.”
Grandpa, supported by her arm, suddenly grabbed her wrist in return and said earnestly, “No matter how busy you are, don’t forget to find someone! You’re 25 already. When your grandma was 25, she’d already given birth to your dad.”
Grandma shot him a reproachful look. “Oh, you old man, why bring that up out of nowhere? Our Susu is so beautiful, tons of people like her. She can find someone whenever she wants! The main thing is to take care of her health and not work too hard.”
Every word from them was filled with concern for her.
Chu Susu bit her lip, her heart aching sourly, but she still squeezed out a smile. “Got it. I’ll look into it once things aren’t so busy.”
Time flew by. After the walk, Grandpa and Grandma were sleepy again.
Chu Susu watched by the bedside as they drifted off peacefully, her head bowed in thought.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the bedroom door, followed by it being pushed open. A figure slipped in quietly.
Chu Susu turned her head. Upon seeing who it was, she instinctively stood up, stiffening rigidly.
“Sis,” she said softly.
Though the glaring sunlight had faded, the weather was still sweltering. Under the shade of the trees, the two sat side by side on the bench by their little home garden, silent for a moment.
In the end, it was Chu Qingyang who spoke first. “When did you get back?”
She and Chu Susu were about the same build, with similar features, but she had more heroism and mature poise.
“This morning.”
“Talked to Dad?”
“…Sort of.” If you could call a fight “talking.”
Chu Zhen had been doing business out of town since Chu Susu could remember, so home had always just been Grandpa, Grandma, and her sister.
Chu Qingyang was five years older and had played the role of half-mother growing up—attending parent-teacher meetings for her, managing her grades, even confiscating her phone.
Chu Susu had been a wild kid, and it was all thanks to her sister that she managed to study properly.
The sisters were close, but because Chu Susu had been dragged by the ear to do practice tests since childhood, it had conditioned a reflexive fear in her that lingered even into adulthood.
On top of that, Chu Qingyang had gone to police academy and was now a veteran cop, which added even more pressure to her presence.
“…” Judging by her expression, Chu Qingyang could probably tell that the father and daughter had fought again. She sighed. “Dad cares about you a lot. Don’t keep butting heads with him.”
Chu Susu pursed her lips. “You know how he talks about me.”
“I saw that video too. What exactly happened?”
Perhaps due to occupational habit, her questioning had the vibe of a cop interrogating a suspect.
Chu Susu didn’t hide anything and explained everything in detail.
After hearing it, Chu Qingyang nodded. “Got it. In a couple days, I’ll have someone look into whether your current girlfriend spread that video. It’s already a violation of privacy rights—solid evidence means we can detain her.”
The situation reminded Chu Susu of the old days when she’d get into trouble at school and her sister would clean up the mess, leaving her a bit ashamed.
She didn’t dare look at Chu Qingyang and asked softly, “You believe me?”
“…” Chu Qingyang glanced at her, her face expressionless. “I can tell when you’re lying to me.”
After all, she’d watched this kid grow up.
“I took leave specially to come check on you. As long as you’re okay, that’s fine.”
Chu Qingyang stood, pulling something from her pocket and handing it over. “Gotta head back to the station soon—time to go.”
It was a small bun in a transparent bag, topped with cheese and bacon.
Back in her senior year of high school, Chu Susu had late-night self-study until 11 p.m. every day. Chu Qingyang would pick her up and bring one of these buns in case she got hungry.
It had gradually become a habit—every time they met, she’d buy one for her on the way.
“See ya.”
Chu Susu cradled it in her hands, staring at it, then suddenly called out to the person about to leave. “Sis.”
She stopped in her tracks.
Chu Susu asked softly, “Do you think I’m disgusting too, like Dad does?”
Her long hair fell, hiding her side profile. She waited for an answer, but instead heard footsteps approaching again.
After a moment, a warm hand rested on her head, gently stroking it, then pinching her ear.
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Chu Qingyang said in a low, firm voice. “Say that again, and I’ll rip your ear off.”
Chu Susu burst out laughing with a “pfft.”
“Did you hear me?”
A few tears fell silently onto her skirt. She wiped them away slowly, then looked up at her sister and nodded vigorously.
After her sister left, Chu Susu’s mood improved considerably. She spent the rest of the weekend quietly with her grandparents before returning to her own apartment.
The following Friday, Xu Jiao, who had been messaging her frequently all week, invited her out for dinner. Chu Susu had no strong feelings either way, but since she was free, she agreed.
Before their dinner date, however, she had one stop to make. She couldn’t bring Pipi to the restaurant, so she needed to board him at the pet shop for the evening. Xu Jiao, eager to spend more time with her, offered to come along.
When they arrived at the shop, Chu Susu was busy filling out the boarding forms when she looked up and saw a familiar figure behind the counter.
How could there be someone whose looks, voice, and personality were all exactly her type?
Chu Susu snapped back to reality, remembered her purpose, and explained it to Han Xuan before asking, “Are you working here?”
It had only been a few days, and this was already the third time she’d coincidentally run into Han Xuan. Did this count as having a connection?
“Yeah.” Han Xuan verified the order number for her while sheepishly pursing her lips. “I’m waiting for the interview results while picking up a part-time gig, but I only work weekends…”
She quickly went inside and carried Pipi out, handing it over to Chu Susu.
What should’ve taken one minute ended up with her lingering inside for a full five. Xu Jiao waited a bit before coming in to check if she’d gotten the dog: “Susu…”
The three women’s gazes met.
Chu Susu wasn’t flustered at all. She beamed at Han Xuan and introduced, “My friend came with me.”
Then she frankly explained to Xu Jiao, “What a coincidence—turns out my friend works here. I had no idea before.”
When raising fish, the biggest taboo is letting them realize they’re in the pond. The best response is to handle it candidly.
They were all friends, after all.
Xu Jiao had just given an “oh,” but when her gaze swept over Han Xuan, she suddenly stared fixedly at the half-exposed face under the duckbill cap. Her expression changed:
“You… your friend? You’re Han Xuan?”
There was even a trace of fear in her tone, like she’d seen something terrifying.
Her words left Chu Susu briefly stunned too—she hadn’t expected this turn. She quickly regained her composure. “You two know each other as well?”
Behind the counter, Han Xuan thought for a moment before showing a puzzled look. “Sorry, miss, but how do you know my name? I don’t think I know you…”
The moment her gaze landed, Xu Jiao looked like she’d seen a ghost. Sweat visibly beaded on her forehead as she stammered even worse, struggling to get the words out after half a day.
“I-I… I also graduated from the Imperial Capital Academy of Fine Arts. We took the same elective class before.”
So they were alumni, but Chu Susu couldn’t figure out why Xu Jiao had suddenly started shaking like a sieve. It was pretty hot outside—had she gotten heatstroke from waiting?
“Oh, really? Now that you say it, you do look kinda familiar. Sorry I didn’t recognize you just now…” Han Xuan got it and immediately asked her with concern, “Want me to get you some water? You don’t look so good.”
“N-No, it’s fine.”
Almost instantly, Xu Jiao’s face drained of color as she refused. “Susu, my stomach suddenly feels off. I’m not gonna have dinner with you today—I wanna go home and rest.”
Her sudden freak-out left Chu Susu frowning in confusion. She wanted to ask what was wrong.
But Xu Jiao didn’t have time for that. After a quick goodbye to them, she hurried off, not wanting to stay a second longer.
She trotted straight to the subway station entrance, then pulled out her phone with trembling hands and called a friend.
“Hey, what’s up?”
Xu Jiao’s carefully done makeup was smudged in spots by sweat. Ignoring the weird looks from people passing by at the station, she slumped against the wall and squatted down helplessly:
“I just saw Han Xuan…”
“What?! You’re serious?”
“It’s true.” Xu Jiao closed her eyes.
Silence stretched across the phone line. After a long moment, her friend finally spoke up to comfort her. “She doesn’t know you, and there’s no bad blood between you. Nothing to be scared of.”
Xu Jiao: “I had a dinner date today with a girl I like, and I ran into Han Xuan right then. They’re friends. Han Xuan even asked how I knew her name…”
“Damn, you’re an idiot!”
“I-I just lied and said we took the same class.”
“Wait, the girl you like is friends with Han Xuan? Han Xuan actually has friends?”
“That’s what I’m wondering too.”
Her friend’s tone turned serious. “Then you should pick someone else to like. Don’t go getting yourself burned. After all…”
After all, three years ago, they’d witnessed that incident with their own eyes.
