In the spacious conference room, the tea on the table had been nearly drained.
The client was a company from out of town, and this was their first time sending people to the Imperial Capital for an in-person meeting—it was quite a show of respect.
Today’s report was just a formality; as long as there were no major mistakes, everything would be fine.
Everyone was present, except for the empty seat reserved for Chu Susu.
Outside the conference room, Rebecca frowned.
Just a short while ago, she’d received a call from the police saying Chu Susu had an accident and was in the hospital, so she couldn’t make it.
Heavens help her—who could’ve foreseen this? They hadn’t prepared a Plan B at all. All the materials and PPT were with Chu Susu. What were they supposed to do now?
Rebecca looked at Jack, who was holding a laptop nearby. “Can you handle it?”
If worst came to worst, she could wing it herself.
“Of course!” Jack swallowed hard, unable to hide his excitement, and placed his prepared PPT in front of her. “Take a look.”
Rebecca flipped through it casually, falling silent. It wasn’t as polished as Chu Susu’s version, but it seemed passable.
Seeing her say nothing for a long while, Jack grew uneasy. “What do you think? If there’s anything off, I’ll revise it right away.”
“Never mind.”
There were only five minutes until the start—no time for changes. Rebecca took a deep breath. “Get ready, take a sip of water, and go on up.”
“Really?”
Joy overflowed on Jack’s face. “That’s great! Thank you for giving me this chance.”
“Alright.” Rebecca patted his shoulder. “Go on.”
“Got it. I won’t let you down…”
Before he could finish, a crisp voice interrupted. “I’m afraid you will.”
Jack turned back in shock, hearing the click of high heels on the corridor floor behind him. He saw someone he never expected to see right now—
Chu Susu.
She was neatly dressed, her hair tied in a high ponytail, no extra jewelry—just clean and professional.
“You…” Jack’s hand trembled around the laptop. “Aren’t you in the hospital?”
Yet the woman before him showed no sign of distress. Chu Susu had even applied a light, elegant makeup.
“I’m here to give the report.” She smiled faintly. “Isn’t this my job, after all?”
Rebecca asked with concern, “Susu, are you really okay? The police made it sound serious on the phone. If you’re not up to it, you should rest.”
“Ex-exactly!” Jack snapped back to reality and chimed in.
He’d gone to such great lengths, even taking risks, and his wish was within reach—only for Chu Susu to come storming back. How could he accept that?
“Weren’t you hospitalized?” Jack’s lips trembled uncontrollably as he repeated himself. “This opportunity should be mine!”
Chu Susu smiled lightly. “Thanks for your concern. I’m doing just fine.”
She spun around gracefully, proving she was perfectly healthy. “Don’t worry, Rebecca. Aren’t I alive and kicking right now?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, the one who called was my sister. She just exaggerated out of worry for me.”
“But your laptop was stolen!” Jack blurted out. “You have no materials or slides! How are you supposed to present?”
“Is that so?” Rebecca looked worried again. “Is that true, Susu? Did you lose your laptop?”
Chu Susu glanced at Jack like he was a clown.
Suddenly, she reached for the laptop in his hands. Caught off guard, he let her take it.
“Yeah, but didn’t Jack prepare a backup? It’s a bit rough, but it’ll do.”
Chu Susu beamed.
Jack felt like he’d been struck by lightning.
“That’s mine,” he growled lowly, reaching to snatch it back. “How dare you use it?!”
The room was well soundproofed, but Rebecca feared the clients inside might hear the argument. “Shh! Quiet!”
As she held Jack back, Chu Susu had already turned toward the conference room door. Before opening it, she glanced back with a smile:
“Thanks, Jack. This is like charcoal in a snowstorm.”
Her words stabbed into him like knives; with each syllable, his eyes grew redder.
“When I lost my laptop, heaven prepared this gift for me. I’m pretty lucky, aren’t I?”
Chu Susu said softly.
“Oh, and the police called Rebecca. So how did you know my laptop was stolen?”
With that, she walked inside without looking back.
She had memorized the script days in advance; swapping PPTs was no big deal.
Her voice was pleasant, her pacing perfect, captivating the clients. When they raised minor questions, she answered flawlessly, fully prepared.
Her overall performance was impeccable.
Outside the conference room, Jack clung to the door like his life depended on it, eyes bulging as he refused to leave.
Behind him, several officers in uniform said quietly, “Chen Jie! Why are you still loitering? Come with us to the station.”
Rebecca stood by helplessly. “Officers, is there some misunderstanding?”
“We’ll find out once he comes with us.”
The burly cop, seeing Jack uncooperative, forcibly dragged him away from the door.
But he acted oblivious, his gaze still glued through the door to Chu Susu, burning with chilling jealousy.
Why?!
He was so close—Rebecca had even agreed. Why did she have to show up now?
If he’d never tasted it, maybe he wouldn’t crave it so badly.
But the truth was, just as the hard-won opportunity was within grasp, Chu Susu had snatched it away.
So close!
Why did the same robbery leave him seriously injured and hospitalized for days, while she emerged unscathed, even striding in gracefully to use his materials for her presentation?
That was supposed to be his chance! His!
“Chen Jie!” the police repeated. “Cooperate with us!”
Soon, they escorted Jack away.
“Our company’s supplier qualifications…”
Inside, Chu Susu caught a glimpse of the scene, her smooth narration pausing briefly before seamlessly continuing.
“Serves him right” was the perfect phrase for this.
Jack lacked the skills and resorted to dirty tricks—what awaited him was the long arm of the law. Who could he blame?
He brought it on himself.
The presentation was nearing its end.
Chu Susu had spoken for nearly forty minutes straight and finally paused for breath. “Does anyone have any questions?”
The clients shook their heads, thoroughly satisfied with no criticisms.
“Good, then today’s report…”
As soon as she spoke, Chu Susu sensed something wrong.
The initial refreshment faded, and a dull pain throbbed at the back of her head—stronger than before.
She suddenly recalled Han Xuan’s words: “Afterward, you’ll feel three times the pain.”
But not this fast! At least let her see off the clients first!
A motorcycle seemed to rev in her ears as she bit her lip hard. “The report… concludes…”
Just hold on a bit longer—she could leave soon!
The clients watched expectantly for the perfect close, but the poised woman on stage suddenly showed pain, clutching her forehead.
Someone asked, “What’s wrong? Are you unwell?”
She forced a smile and shook her head, pressing on, though her eyes grew dazed. “Concludes…”
Before the final word, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed from the stage, unconscious on the floor.
After a stunned silence, chaos erupted. Everyone jumped up to help. “Holy shit, call 120!”
Someone lifted her. “Heart attack?!”
“So young—what happened?”
“Workaholic asthma?”
“Your employee’s way too dedicated…”
Chu Susu’s eyelids felt like lead weights. She retained a sliver of awareness but couldn’t respond.
If she could speak, she’d surely say—
Don’t jinx me! I! Don’t! Have! A! Disease!
And…
Showing off feels great—until the aftermath hits like a funeral pyre.
Three times the pain was no joke.
When Chu Susu woke again, two days had passed.
According to the doctor’s diagnosis, she originally only had a mild concussion. After finishing her report, for some unknown reason, her condition worsened significantly. Unable to pinpoint the cause, they could only chalk it up to her pushing herself at work, which aggravated her illness and left her in a coma for so long.
This time, when Chu Susu opened her eyes from the hospital bed, she saw not just Chu Qingyang, but also Fang Chen, her grandpa and grandma, and even her stepmom Li Yan and her two younger siblings…
“My poor Susu!” Grandma, in her eighties, bawled her eyes out in the ward, snot and tears flowing freely.
Grandpa was also weeping uncontrollably, tugging at Chu Susu’s heartstrings. She hurriedly comforted them, insisting she was fine.
Still, she couldn’t escape Chu Qingyang grabbing her ear and scolding her: “I told you to rest properly, but you just wouldn’t listen. Do you really have to cause a death before you’re satisfied?!”
Chu Susu knew she was in the wrong and guiltily let her vent, then happily fiddled with the new phone Fang Chen had bought her.
Her number had already been reissued. The moment she opened WeChat, it was flooded with concerned messages from her friends.
Li Le’er: “Eldest Miss, I’ll come see you tomorrow morning!”
Zhou Xiaoying: “What do you want to eat? I’ll have our family auntie make it and bring it over tomorrow.”
She scrolled through the list, but Han Xuan was conspicuously absent. The last message was still sitting there from several days ago.
Her hand paused. After a moment’s hesitation, she tapped open the chat—
Chu Susu: “After I get out of the hospital, shall we talk?”
