With a splash, the figure in a skirt was suddenly shoved to the ground. Rainwater pooled into a small puddle behind her, and she fell right into it.
In an instant, the girl was drenched from head to toe, utterly disheveled. Her long hair clung wetly to her body, and the look she gave upon lifting her head was dazed and fearful, unable to move.
Chu Susu had just stepped out the door when she witnessed this scene.
She saw Xia Zilu angrily raising the umbrella in her hand, as if about to hurl it at Han Xuan. “You fucking bitch, you shameless—”
“Stop it!”
The moment she saw her, Chu Susu’s temple throbbed for no reason. After clearly seeing who the fallen girl was, her face immediately darkened.
Why was it Xia Zilu again? She’d even chased her all the way downstairs to the company? Why was she bullying Han Xuan again? What would it take for her to finally back off? Chu Susu found her utterly clingy and troublesome.
“What are you doing?”
Chu Susu strode forward and unceremoniously knocked the umbrella out of Xia Zilu’s hand. “Get out of the way. Don’t touch her.”
She hadn’t controlled her strength, and Xia Zilu was wearing high heels to begin with. She couldn’t keep her footing and slipped to the ground, crying out in pain.
But Chu Susu didn’t even glance at her. She went straight to help the thoroughly soaked Han Xuan, holding the umbrella over her. “Are you okay?”
Han Xuan seemed badly frightened. Her eyelashes were wet with rain. She blanked out for a moment before standing up with Chu Susu’s support, saying softly, “I’m fine.”
But how could she be fine? Chu Susu had already seen the scrapes on Han Xuan’s legs from the ground, the wounds turning pale as rainwater washed over them.
“You…” Xia Zilu’s eyes were red from the fall, but no one helped her up. She had to prop herself against the door and struggle to her feet. “Susu, I…”
“Shut up.”
Chu Susu had never hated anyone so much. No manners, no bottom line, never facing reality, only taking it out on the innocent.
No, not even hate—it was more like bad luck. It felt like even glancing at her would bring misfortune.
Xia Zilu choked up, all her earlier arrogance gone. “Listen to me explain. It was her who took the umbrella I gave you…”
It was this bitch who provoked her first! It wasn’t her fault! Especially with that pitiful look hiding behind, it made her so furious she wanted to kill.
Chu Susu stared at her for a moment before saying softly:
“Was the last lesson not enough for you? Do your parents know you’re mixing with women? Bet they’re thrilled.”
“My parents?”
Tears still hung on Xia Zilu’s face as she stared in a daze.
Wasn’t it because that video went viral that her parents found out? What did this mean? Could it be…
“Yeah.” Chu Susu stared into her eyes, a bit surprised she didn’t even know who was behind it. “Thanks for making me lose face in front of the whole family. A little payback, nothing much.”
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Xia Zilu’s sweet face instantly turned deathly pale, filled with disbelief.
She’d always thought her parents found out because she’d been too careless. But how could it be Chu Susu who did it?
Hadn’t Chu Susu always obeyed her every whim before? How could she be so vicious as to tell her parents? They were getting on in years, with bad hearts—what if they got so mad something happened to them?
Chu Susu didn’t care about her feelings and mocked outright:
“I’ve said it clearly enough, but you still don’t get it. Get as far away from me as you can.”
“Maybe I really should go to a temple and get a talisman. Meeting you is seriously bad luck.”
“And this isn’t over today.”
Xia Zilu knew Chu Susu had been pushed to her opposite side.
Every word cut like a blade into her heart, leaving her weeping silently, unable to speak.
She watched as Chu Susu held that girl and walked farther and farther away in the rain. The umbrella she’d given was discarded on the ground, ignored, covered in mud, reduced to trash.
It wasn’t even quitting time yet, no one around. Xia Zilu stood there alone, feeling like the whole world had abandoned her.
How did it come to this? It felt like overnight, an irreparable rift had formed between her and Chu Susu.
But it hadn’t been like this before, had it?
Before, whatever she wanted to eat—even in the middle of the night—Chu Susu would go buy it for her without a single complaint about the trouble.
They’d been so close once… But now, even though that shameless little third had provoked her first, Chu Susu had chosen to defend someone else.
Tears blurring her vision, Xia Zilu called her bestie in a choked sob. “Hey, come pick me up.”
“What happened? Didn’t you go to apologize?”
Her throat felt dry. “It fell through.”
“Ah? How?”
Yeah, Xia Zilu didn’t understand either—how had everything turned out like this?
But she absolutely wouldn’t let it go.
She swore that even if she and Chu Susu were done for, she wouldn’t stand by and watch those two together. She wouldn’t swallow this insult.
Earlier, Chu Susu seemed to mention that girl’s name. She said she was called…
Han Xuan?
The car had emergency supplies. Chu Susu first dried Han Xuan’s legs with a towel, then disinfected the wounds with alcohol on a cotton ball.
“I’ll take you to the hospital.” She sighed, feeling like she’d truly let Han Xuan down and not knowing how to make it up to her.
This wasn’t the first time. Chu Susu really hadn’t expected Xia Zilu to go crazy enough to block her downstairs at the company—it was impossible to guard against. Last time it was splashing water; this time she’d directly injured her.
“It’s fine.” Han Xuan comforted her instead. “Just a skin wound. It’ll heal in a couple days.”
She took off her wet inner clothes and wrapped herself in a thick jacket, but still sneezed a few times.
“How did she find you?”
Han Xuan hesitated, then explained, “I ran into her when I went downstairs. She said… the umbrella I had was the one she gave you and questioned why it was with me.”
She lowered her head, as if afraid Chu Susu would blame her. “Sorry, I really didn’t know it was yours. I didn’t bring an umbrella, so I borrowed one from the cleaning lady. If I’d known, I definitely would’ve returned it to you.”
Chu Susu let out an “Ah,” finally remembering.
Some things Xia Zilu had left behind—she’d found them an eyesore and packed them up to give to the company’s cleaners, including this umbrella. She hadn’t expected it to cause such trouble.
No need to say it—Xia Zilu must’ve jumped to conclusions about her cheating and lost it on the spot.
“My fault, got you dragged into this.” She apologized to Han Xuan again. “I’ll take you to the police station right now, then to the hospital for an injury report.”
“Report to the police?” Han Xuan shook her head blankly. “No need, I just fell.”
How could that be? Chu Susu had seen with her own eyes how her calf had scraped on the rough gravel road. “No, the bleeding hasn’t even stopped…”
But then her words trailed off abruptly.
“Huh?”
She subconsciously reached out, lightly touching the soft skin on the side of Han Xuan’s calf with her fingertip—only smooth skin, nothing else.
But the wound had clearly been…
Right here?
