No matter what kind of interlude happened, the work that needed to be done still had to go on, and this wouldn’t change because of anything that occurred at night.
Chu Susu was swamped with work and had no time to spare. If Xia Zilu came looking for trouble again, she really wouldn’t have the bandwidth to deal with her.
Her friends in the group were all very concerned: “How do you want to handle this?”
Chu Susu thought it over and made a bold decision.
“I sent a text to her mom.”
Xia’s mother replied quickly, and they arranged to meet at a coffee shop.
Chu Susu had come prepared to cut the knot swiftly. She’d copied several video files: surveillance footage of Xia Zilu throwing a tantrum in the restaurant, and footage from the coffee shop entrance downstairs at the office, which clearly captured the whole process of Xia Zilu shoving Han Xuan.
She planned to hand these over to Xia’s mother and let her rein in Xia Zilu so she wouldn’t harass anyone else anymore.
After all, Xia Zilu’s parents utterly despised homosexuality. As long as Chu Susu came out to them about her orientation, they’d do everything in their power to keep Xia Zilu away from her.
But when Chu Susu sat down across from Xia’s mother, the words she wanted to say suddenly caught in her throat.
The middle-aged woman, whose face bore traces of exhaustion, watched all the videos Chu Susu had brought without a word. Then, she suddenly covered her face with both hands and broke into uncontrollable sobs.
“I’m sorry…” she kept saying. “It’s my fault for not raising my daughter right. I spoiled her too much and caused you trouble.”
Xia’s mother’s demeanor reminded Chu Susu of her own mother.
She had passed away too early, so Chu Susu’s memories of her had long since blurred. She imagined that if her mother were still alive and learned she was a lesbian, she’d probably look just as heartbroken and overcome as Xia’s mother did now.
Chu Susu didn’t offer any words of comfort. She simply silently handed her a tissue.
If there had been a better way to resolve this, who would want to drag innocent parents into taking responsibility for their kids’ actions?
Fortunately, Xia’s mother was nothing like her daughter—she was someone who could communicate calmly and rationally.
Once Xia’s mother had composed herself, she chatted with Chu Susu for a bit before suddenly asking, “Miss, could I take two minutes of your time to ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
Xia’s mother hesitated, as if it was hard to bring up. “This… homosexuality… is it a disease?”
“No,” Chu Susu said. “It’s a normal orientation.”
Xia’s mother asked again, “For female homosexuals, is there any chance they could go back to liking men later?”
“For pure lesbians, pretty much no.”
Xia’s mother let out an “oh,” realizing further questions might come off as rude. “Thank you.”
She bowed her head, letting her disheveled hair fall over her face. “Rest assured, Zilu won’t bother you again.”
They didn’t say anything more. Chu Susu gave her a final nod, settled the bill, and left. Just as she was about to round the corner, she caught sight of Xia’s mother through the glass, head down, searching something on her phone.
She hadn’t meant to snoop on someone’s privacy, but she glimpsed the content on the screen and froze.
The font size was cranked up huge, so even from a distance, she could make out what it said.
Xia’s mother didn’t notice Chu Susu standing outside the window. She was completely absorbed in browsing the page, fumbling with the smartphone like someone who wasn’t used to it, her operations slow and deliberate.
“Treating Homosexuality the Right Way.”
“Things to Know About Female Homosexuality.”
“What Parents of Lesbians Need to Know.”
Xia’s mother carefully searched and read through them, then clumsily bookmarked every single URL.
With awkward, almost bumbling movements, she forwarded them one by one to someone else on WeChat, labeled “Old Xia.”
Chu Susu turned and strode away before her eyes could start to sting.
She had to admit it—even though Xia Zilu was a total mess of a person, she still felt jealous in that moment.
Even after long ago losing all faith in her family, Chu Susu couldn’t help thinking: If only Chu Zhen would try to understand these things too.
Even just once. Even for a single second.
The image of Chu Zhen storming out and slamming the door behind him—countless times—flashed in her mind. She let out a self-mocking smile.
Forget it. What was she even thinking?
It was impossible. Hadn’t she known that all along?
Why was she still clinging to some naive hope?
Whether Xia Zilu had finally given up on her completely, or Xia’s mother had intervened, Chu Susu never saw her again after that.
The company project, meanwhile, was progressing smoothly. The client was flush with cash and resources; they took the money and delivered, no hitches.
Amid the busyness, the client had tossed them a new task a couple of days earlier. They wanted to launch a public WeChat account for legal education, which was already taking shape and would go live soon.
They’d even pulled strings to get a renowned lawyer from the Imperial Capital. Chu Susu’s project team was to interview her and feature it on the account as promo material.
The appointment was set for the day before National Day—finish that, and they could enjoy the holiday.
To show how seriously they were taking it—not to mention the client was paying handsomely—Rebecca sent Jack and Chu Susu to handle it together.
They were set to leave the office at 9 a.m. for the lawyer’s firm. Chu Susu had her makeup done and was ready to go by 8:30, but at 8:45, Jack still hadn’t shown.
The guy might be a loudmouth with a petty streak, but he’d never been late before.
Rebecca personally WeChatted him, but no response.
By 8:50, still no sign of him. Rebecca got anxious and rallied everyone to bombard him with calls—none went through.
This lawyer didn’t come cheap; her hourly rate was sky-high. Agreeing to a free interview was already a huge favor.
If they blew it and pissed her off, the client wouldn’t let it slide.
8:53. Still nothing.
“Susu, can you handle the interview outline on your own?”
Chu Susu: “Yes.”
Rebecca had a meeting in two minutes and couldn’t go. Everyone else on the team had their own assignments, and the office was sparsely staffed. “Then you’re on your own today.”
Her expression soured—she was clearly furious with Jack. He had better show up on time, or else…
During the wait, Chu Susu slipped into the bathroom. Just as she was about to sit down, a faint cramp twisted through her lower abdomen. Bad sign. She glanced down—her period had arrived.
She’d forgotten to pack pads today. Hearing footsteps outside, she called out, “Anyone there?”
The person outside recognized her voice. “Susu?”
Talk about lucky timing—it was Han Xuan, not someone else catching her in this mess. Chu Susu breathed a sigh of relief. “Could you grab me a pad?”
There were some emergency supplies at the washbasin area—good enough to tide her over.
Perched on the toilet, she endured the discomfort while listening to the rummaging outside. “No pads here, and I don’t have any on me. Want me to run out and buy a pack?”
“Might not have time.”
No good—most people on this floor were already on holiday or home. Scrambling around to borrow would waste too much time. The nearest convenience store was at least a ten-minute round trip. Nope.
But with Jack AWOL, the interview was on her alone. Chu Susu knew she couldn’t afford any slip-ups, or it’d be impossible to face Rebecca and the client.
She was racking her brain in agony when Han Xuan spoke up. “But there’s tampons in the box. Would that work?”
Chu Susu froze. Tampons went… inside, right? She’d never used them before. Could she even manage it her first time?
Her phone showed 8:56. No room left for second-guessing.
“Hand it over,” she said.
Slender fingers clutched a single tampon and slid it under the stall door.
Chu Susu had once stumbled across an online tutorial—they seemed fine in theory. But when she tried… epic fail.
She’d always shied away from being the receptive one. Sure, she knew the female anatomy, but she’d never explored her own body. She knew where it went, but her whole body tensed up, leaving her clueless and flustered.
8:58. Time was up.
Han Xuan stood outside, hearing the repeated fumbling. Clearly things weren’t going well; she could practically feel the frustration radiating from inside.
“Want me to help?” she asked softly.
