Chapter 54: Ancient Cauldron

In the corridor, a figure in a long skirt hurried past in high heels, heading straight for the lounge. No one followed behind her.

She clearly hadn’t expected anyone to be inside, so she didn’t knock and simply pushed the door open, interrupting Han Xuan and Chu Susu’s conversation right in the middle.

The woman spotted the two sitting on the bed and took two seconds to recognize them, raising her brows in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Chu Susu whipped her head around.

The newcomer was none other than Han Yao, today’s birthday star.

Han Xuan sat quietly, showing no intention of responding, and Han Yao didn’t press her either.

She had come here to grab something. Her gaze quickly swept around before locking onto a few neatly bound documents by the sofa, placed inside a handbag.

Han Yao carefully picked it up, glanced at the two of them, then suddenly lowered her head and rummaged for a moment before tossing something toward the bed.

It was a small square box, exquisitely packaged. Chu Susu caught it on instinct and took a closer look, only to find the words on it incredibly familiar—

Fin-ger con-dom.

What did this mean?

The other woman’s action felt somewhat offensive. Chu Susu set the finger condom aside and abruptly stood up.

But Han Yao misunderstood her. “No need to thank me.”

“…I wasn’t planning to say thanks.” Chu Susu twitched her lips and said calmly, “By the way, I…”

Han Yao let out an “oh.” “I know who you are, Chu Susu.”

“You know me?”

Han Xuan suddenly spoke up from behind. “For her birthday, the invites naturally went through her one by one.”

Was that so? Chu Susu eyed the woman in front of her suspiciously. How would the precious daughter of Fucheng, who was busy with a million things every day, have time for that?

Han Yao neither confirmed nor denied it, merely letting out a lazy yawn before turning to leave.

“Wait a moment, Miss Han.” Chu Susu called out to her. “About what happened earlier—was that your doing?”

“Oh?” Han Yao turned back curiously, leaning against the doorframe. “What thing?”

The person sitting obediently on the bed behind her didn’t know what she was about to say either and lifted her head curiously.

Chu Susu stared into her eyes, squeezing the words out from between her teeth one by one:

“Earlier, a few people publicly mocked Han Xuan. It seems Miss Han was completely unaware, and I believe someone of Miss Han’s status wouldn’t stoop to something so tacky. But their words in front of everyone were all said in your name.”

…?

Han Yao’s slightly parted lips didn’t close, a clear hint of bewilderment appearing in her eyes. She blinked innocently.

“Hah?”

Chu Susu continued, “Since that’s the case, if Miss Han didn’t instruct them, then they were acting on their own and abetting a tyrant. Wouldn’t it be better to give those people a little warning? Otherwise, people might misunderstand the relationship between you and Han Xuan as hostile.”

“No matter how things are in private, since Han Xuan is here today, those gossips had better shut their mouths. With so many people around, making a big fuss wouldn’t be good for Fucheng’s image either. Don’t you think so, Miss Han?”

After hearing this long string of words, Han Yao’s expression grew even more puzzled. But she quickly caught on to what Chu Susu meant:

“Oh… you’re standing up for Han Xuan?”

Chu Susu lowered her gaze slightly, her lashes casting a shadow under her eyes:

“Miss Han, I’m telling you this seriously. If you saw how they were viciously bullying Han Xuan, you’d probably feel the same as I do.”

Half of Han Yao’s body was leaning against the door as she fanned herself with the documents in one hand, then brushed her long hair back with the other.

Her expression was utterly bizarre, like she’d heard something hilariously funny. The muscles on her face twitched as if she were struggling to hold it in.

In the end, she couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing with a completely unladylike “pfft.”

“Han Xuan, your girlfriend is too amusing.”

Han Yao clutched her stomach, trying hard not to let her laughter sound too crude, but it still spilled from between her lips. One hand covered her mouth, a far cry from her dazzling appearance on stage earlier.

“She actually thinks you could be bullied? Honestly, in all these years, this is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard…”

The more she laughed, the colder Chu Susu’s expression became. Her lightly made-up face took on an unexpected air of cold allure.

It seemed this half-sister didn’t take Han Xuan seriously at all and had jumped to conclusions about their relationship.

They said affection between siblings in wealthy families was always thin. Looked like it was true.

“Miss Han, I don’t understand what you’re lau—”

She was just about to say more when Han Xuan tugged at her sleeve and said softly, “It’s fine, Susu. She has things to do—let her go.”

Her lashes fluttered, looking every bit the sensible, pitiful little white rabbit.

Han Yao had just barely stopped laughing, but seeing Han Xuan’s current demure and endearing expression, she nearly lost it again. She bit her lip hard to keep her face from crumbling.

In the instant Chu Susu turned, she caught Han Xuan switching expressions in a flash, coolly signaling her to leave if nothing else.

With acting skills like that, why not go to drama school?

Han Yao expended Herculean effort to stop laughing and nodded hastily. “Got it, Miss Chu. I’ll warn those people you mentioned.”

She couldn’t stay any longer, or she’d laugh herself to death.

Han Yao’s figure vanished at the end of the corridor with the documents in hand, and the lounge door was closed again.

Figuring she wouldn’t be back anytime soon, Chu Susu went ahead and locked it from the inside this time.

With a “click,” a warm body pressed against her from behind before the sound even faded.

“Susu.”

Han Xuan had quietly come over, resting her head on Chu Susu’s shoulder and nuzzling intimately.

Her voice was soft, inexplicably laced with sweetness. “Were you standing up for me just now?”

No one had expected it, but Chu Susu had stood up “whoosh” and calmly confronted Han Yao.

Even Han Xuan had been a bit stunned watching it.

The back outlined by the apricot-colored long skirt was graceful, yet in that moment, it felt towering, firmly shielding her.

Unshakable against wind and rain.

“No.” Chu Susu didn’t turn around, letting Han Xuan lean against her as the warmth from her body flushed her neck red. “Tonight, she’s the host. It’s only right for her to stand up for you.”

Han Xuan buried her head deeper, fitting perfectly into the curve of her neck. “Thanks.”

“What’s there to thank?”

They fell quiet for a moment before Han Xuan suddenly said, “Before she came in, I asked you something, and you haven’t answered yet.”

She had asked Chu Susu if there had been some special incident in the past that made her instinctively distrust others. Even knowing things might be different, she had no desire to verify them.

“Ah.”

Chu Susu paused. “I don’t distrust others.”

“Is that so?”

“But don’t you think otherwise? In fact, there’s probably no one in the world who completely trusts others.”

Han Xuan whispered in her ear, full of curiosity:

“Why?”

“No why. Humans are just selfish creatures, after all. No one deserves trust except yourself.”

“What was it that made you think that way?”

Chu Susu’s upturned eyes stared blankly at the lounge door painted deep red. “I don’t know.”

She really couldn’t remember. If there had been something, it was from too far back in her school days.

Over ten years had passed—who would still remember?

“I can help you remember.”

Han Xuan suddenly reached out and gently turned Chu Susu’s cheek, making her look at her. The moment their eyes met, Chu Susu felt a rampant purple spreading from the edges of her vision toward the center, not even sparing the shadow on her nose bridge.

All reason vanished in an instant as countless fragments flashed before her eyes like a carousel; one of the brightest slowly approached her brow.

In just a few short seconds, many deeply buried memories surged back into her mind.

“I think… I remember a bit.”

…

It seemed like it was from a very, very long time ago.

Everything felt like it had returned to that rainy, overcast day. The still-teenage Chu Susu came home in her school uniform, about to drop her bag and play some games, when she received a message.

Xingxing: “[Address]”

“What’s up?” Chu Susu scrambled up from the bed and tapped out a reply on her phone. “Where’s this?”

The contact saved as “Xingxing” told her she was in some trouble and asked her to come over quickly. But when asked what kind, she hemmed and hawed without saying.

Chu Susu checked the address on her map app and found it was a chain hotel. What was she doing at a hotel?

They were both young and hadn’t even thought about that kind of thing yet. So it had to be something else.

“Alright, do you need me to bring anything?”

Xingxing: “I got a room. Just come over.”

Chu Susu jumped. “What exactly are you trying to do?”

Xingxing: “…I’m hurt.”

She sent a photo. The wound on it was huge and gruesome—who knew what had caused it.

Xingxing: “I’ve been bleeding nonstop and don’t dare go to the hospital. You have to come help me.”

The instant she saw the photo, Chu Susu was so shocked that her mind went blank. She had no time to wonder how the usually low-key Xingxing could have suffered such an injury, nor to ask what had happened. She quickly changed clothes and rushed straight out the door.

There was deep standing water outside. By the time she ran to hail a taxi, her pant legs were completely soaked. But she had no attention to spare for that—she was solely focused on worrying about Xingxing’s injury.

She finally arrived at the destination and flew out of the car like a shot, heading straight for the hotel. But Xingxing hadn’t sent her room number earlier.

Her heart burned with anxiety. “Which room are you in?”

Time dragged on slowly, but there was still no reply from the other side.

Chu Susu stood dazed in the lobby for a good while, unable to stop her wild thoughts. Had Xingxing passed out from excessive blood loss? What should she do? Could her life be in danger?

She hadn’t brought her ID, nor did she have a room card—she couldn’t go up at all. Even if she steeled herself and told the front desk she was there to find someone, they only gave her a polite smile and showed no intention of letting her in.

All Chu Susu could do was pace back and forth.

No matter how many times she called Xingxing or how many texts she sent, it was all to no avail.

What on earth should she do?

In her utter panic, Chu Susu was almost on the verge of tears.

Just as she steeled herself to call the police, she suddenly heard an angry, incredulous shout from beyond the glass doors of the hotel lobby—a voice that was all too familiar:

“Chu Susu!”