The silence that fell after Su Yue’s words was deafening, leaving Fang Qi utterly dumbfounded. Even Zheng Yong, who was propping him up, and Li Yanmei, not far away, stared in disbelief. Fang Qi’s fervent confession should have elicited tears, a heart-wrenching choice between her blind husband and the dashing admirer. Instead, Su Yue had declared he deserved a beating.
Fang Qi’s temple throbbed, the pain a stark reminder of the blow. He stammered, “I know I’ve caused you trouble, but I…”
“I’m sorry,” Su Yue cut him off, her gaze sweeping over his bruised eyes and swollen nose. She frowned, her voice light but firm. “Since you know this is inappropriate and troublesome, there’s no need to say more.”
“We’ve only met once or twice—no, you haven’t even seen my face—yet you say you like me for no reason. What do you like about me? Do you like the way I wear a mask?” Su Yue held Jiang Ci close, her soft voice laced with an undeniable coolness. “Besides, you know I have a husband, and you ran to him saying these inexplicable things. It’s only because he has a good temper now that he just beat you up.”
A collective gasp escaped Zheng Yong and Li Yanmei. The “good temper” of this blind man had left Fang Qi brutally bruised. Was that truly good-tempered?
Su Yue had no prior impression of Fang Qi, but his confession and his attempts to dissuade her from blaming Jiang Ci had ignited her ire. To her, attempting to destroy another’s family without regard for morality was the epitome of a home-wrecker’s behavior. Such “liking” felt utterly cheap. Having been in the entertainment industry, she’d seen her share of conniving “green tea bitches,” scheming women, and saccharine “white lotus flowers.” Fang Qi’s actions were barely a male white lotus in comparison. Beyond his acting, he simply couldn’t hold a candle to her.
Fang Qi’s bruised face twitched. This was a far cry from his imagined scenario. He persisted, his voice dripping with forced affection, “I like you because you are kind, gentle, and generous.” Surely, this would move her? Why was she insisting he deserved a beating?
“Pfft!” Su Yue couldn’t suppress a laugh. It was genuinely amusing, as those words had absolutely no bearing on her. She had never been a kind character, let alone gentle or generous. On the contrary, she was quite stingy and meticulous.
Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Su Yue stated seriously, “I don’t know what your purpose is, or why you say you like me, but I don’t like you. What happened today is because you troubled my husband, so we won’t be paying for any medical fees.”
Medical expenses? That’s not what he wanted; he wanted Su Yue’s family fortune! Fang Qi’s fists clenched.
“The dish is almost ready, let’s go in,” Su Yue told Jiang Ci.
“Are there any chicken legs?” Xiao Haohao looked up, his big eyes twinkling.
“Yes, I made them for you,” Su Yue said, touching his small head.
“Wait a minute,” Fang Qi pleaded, seeing Su Yue take the blind man’s hand, ready to leave. “What can’t I compare to him?” A disfigured blind man—how could he possibly not measure up?
A hint of displeasure flickered in Su Yue’s dark eyes. She turned her head. “Except for your healthy eyes, how can you compare to him?” She disliked anyone who dared to look down on Jiang Ci. With that, she led Jiang Ci, Xiao Haohao, and Grandma into the house.
“Qi… Brother Qi.” Zheng Yong couldn’t believe there were women who wouldn’t fawn over Fang Qi. “It seems this rich girl’s eyesight isn’t very good.”
“That’s right!” Li Yanmei stormed over, fuming. “Son, Mom will take you to the hospital first. What kind of eyes does this family have to choose a blind, ugly bastard as a son-in-law?”
Fang Qi had been rejected for the first time, and so humiliatingly. His bruised face twisted, but he was helpless. This Su Yue, her husband was blind, but she was even blinder!
Inside, Su Yue still felt a surge of anger. “That man actually said he liked me and tried to treat me like a fool. He didn’t even know his acting skills were such a mess.” She paused, her dark eyes meeting Jiang Ci’s unfocused, pitch-black gaze. “Jiang Ci, I’ve already torn apart the male white lotus. Are you still angry?”
Jiang Ci raised his eyebrows, a slow smile forming. “Su Yue, you are provoking rotten peach blossoms.”
Su Yue’s bright black eyes twinkled. “I’m naturally beautiful, you can’t blame me.” Seeing her grandmother take Xiao Haohao to wash his hands, she tiptoed closer to Jiang Ci, her soft red lips gently brushing his cool mouth. Blushing, she whispered, “Don’t be angry. Plus the mango cake I owed you before, I’ll go back and make two for you, okay?”
“Angry value: 0.”
Jiang Ci’s eyelids lifted, a cold sneer on his lips. “Who wants that ?” But the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. “Su Yue, kiss again.”
Su Yue thought of the scar on her face, clearly healing and feeling better. A smile played in her eyes, her temper remarkably good. “Okay.” This time, as she tiptoed again, she was surprised by Jiang Ci’s large hand clasping her waist. Before her lips could meet his, his cool lips pressed down, even biting her playfully. After a moment, Jiang Ci’s dark eyes were a little brighter, and he said in a low voice, a hint of pride in his tone, “you are very stupid, this is a kiss.”
Waking up the next day, the cool morning breeze drifted in from the wooden window, warm and comforting. Su Yue blinked, then gently removed Jiang Ci’s hand from hers and hurried to the bathroom. The mirror was blurred with a thick silver-gray film, but it didn’t hinder Su Yue from examining her reflection.
The four black and red scars on her face had scabbed over, their color significantly lighter. On her snow-white skin, though still noticeable, they were no longer as unsightly. One smaller scar was almost flesh-colored, seemingly poised to disappear completely the next time. She looked at the other side of her face, untouched by the injury. Her complexion was pristine, as if bathed in snow, smooth and delicate. She touched it with her fingertips—soft and bouncy, a truly wonderful feeling. This kind of skin needed no products; it was already perfect. No amount of beauty treatments, hyaluronic acid, light injections, or whitening needles could achieve such a result. Su Yue happily touched her face a few times, unable to contain her delight.
After Su Yue left his embrace, Jiang Ci awoke, sitting up languidly, slowly opening his eyes. Compared to the past, where he could only perceive a thick white fog, now, he felt the mist in front of him had significantly thinned.
“Are you awake? Morning,” Su Yue said, emerging from the bathroom. She looked at the man sitting lazily on the bed, his upper body bare, her face growing slightly warm. He had been sleeping without a top these past few days, relying on the absence of pajamas. There was no air conditioner in the room, only an old-fashioned fan, and he had to hold her. Fortunately, the mountain surroundings provided a relatively large temperature difference at night, so she didn’t sweat from the heat.
Jiang Ci gazed at the blurry figure swaying before his eyes. Unusually, he raised the corners of his lips and smiled. “Morning.”
“I’m ready to go down for breakfast. You should wash your face and brush your teeth quickly. I’ve already squeezed the toothpaste for you,” Su Yue said softly.
Jiang Ci rested his hands on the bed, leaning back slightly and casually stretching out his long legs. He raised his eyebrows, his voice clear and hoarse, “Su Yue, come here and give me a hug.”
Su Yue was momentarily stunned. She didn’t know why, but she thought Jiang Ci seemed to be in a good mood today. Seeing the man’s dark eyes seemingly tinged with a smile, she walked towards him unconsciously. Jiang Ci watched her vague figure approach, his thin lips twitching.
Su Yue gave Jiang Ci a big hug. “I hug you.” She mouthed: You have to be good today.
For the next few days, Su Yue accompanied Grandpa Fang and Grandma Fang, even walking with them in the village. When they encountered Li Yanmei next door, the woman offered no pleasantries, even humming disdainfully in their direction. However, she didn’t dare utter anything in person. After all, she knew she was in the wrong, and the other family was wealthy; truly offending them would only lead to their own suffering.
It had been two weeks since they went to the countryside as they reached the Jiang family estate and stepped off the car, they coincidentally met Jiang Xuan, who was on her way to a charity party. Since Jiang Xuan had saved people in the mountains , her popularity had skyrocketed. Coupled with her frequent participation in public welfare activities and positive image, she had amassed a large fan base, and her celebrity status had even risen a level.
To think that when she was first reborn, Jiang Xuan had been somewhat timid and cowardly. Now, she exuded confidence and possessed a completely different temperament. She smiled and greeted Su Yue, her eyes falling on the mask covering Su Yue’s face with a hint of regret. She smiled and got into her car.
The car door closed, and her agent looked away, casually asking, “The one just now…”
“Su Yue. She’s my sister-in-law in the Jiang family, by seniority,” Jiang Xuan explained, wondering, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just saw her wearing a mask and thought she might be a celebrity.”
“Her face was disfigured a while ago, so now she wears a mask and dares not show herself,” Jiang Xuan said, her tone tinged with a touch of pity for Su Yue.
“That’s a pity.” The agent’s eyes were sharp. From her body shape and her exposed eyes alone, she could tell that Jiang Xuan’s sister-in-law possessed excellent physical attributes, especially her figure—a golden ratio, no exaggeration. Not to mention her overly white skin, which was incredibly eye-catching. If she were in the entertainment industry… but it was a shame.
Jiang Xuan took the itinerary handed to her by her agent and responded casually, “Yes.”
The room, regularly cleaned and aired by servants, was spotless, even the bamboo branches outside the window remained lush and green. As soon as Su Yue sat down, she received a call from Grandma Fang. The elderly woman was relieved to hear they had arrived home safely.
Immediately, Grandma Fang praised Jiang Ci to Su Yue, saying that after they left, the supermarket boss had brought a plethora of daily necessities, claiming Jiang Ci had ordered them for regular future deliveries. Even if they went to the supermarket themselves, they wouldn’t be charged. Su Yue could tell Grandma Fang was incredibly happy and seemed to have completely accepted this grandson-in-law.
After chatting with Grandma Fang for a while, she hung up the phone. Su Yue walked over to Jiang Ci with her mobile phone. She smiled and asked, “When did you arrange for people to deliver daily necessities to my grandparents? Why didn’t I know?” She was genuinely surprised. She hadn’t expected Jiang Ci to be so thoughtful. The two elderly people were old, and it was somewhat inconvenient for them to move around compared to younger individuals. Regular doorstep deliveries of daily necessities would save them the trouble of running errands to buy things.
Jiang Ci dismissed it casually, “I ordered it when I bought soy sauce.”
Su Yue smiled sweetly. She hooked Jiang Ci’s clothes with her fingers and praised, “Jiang Ci, you are so attentive.”
“Yes, then, do you want to kiss me?” Jiang Ci said lazily.
“No,” Su Yue shook her head, her beautiful eyes filled with a smile, “but I can hug you.” Her soft body instinctively nestled into Jiang Ci’s arms.
Jiang Ci was momentarily stunned. He lowered his eyes, a hint of playful disgust in his voice. “I’m at a loss.” His large hand naturally clasped Su Yue’s waist, pulling her into a tight embrace.
Su Yue had only taken half a month’s leave due to her facial injury, and her vacation had run out. Upon arriving at school, Jin Mingyuan approached her with a worried expression. “Yueyue, is your face okay?” She had wanted to visit Su Yue earlier, but Su Yue had returned to the countryside.
“How could it be so fast? But I’ve been applying the ointment prescribed by the doctor on time, and it has improved a lot.” While Jiang Ci was her golden ticket to recovery, the doctor’s medicine was also useful, helping to avoid suspicion from others.
Jin Mingyuan frowned, her worry evident. “Don’t leave scars on your face. If there are any scars on such a beautiful face, I’ll be heartbroken.”
The mask covered the lower half of Su Yue’s face. She curved her eyes into a smile and told Jin Mingyuan, “Don’t worry, I’m recovering well, and there shouldn’t be any scars.”
Jin Mingyuan’s eyes lit up, her mood instantly brightening. “That’s good.” Suddenly, as if she couldn’t help herself, she reached out and squeezed Su Yue’s arm resting on the table. “Tsk tsk tsk, Yueyue, your skin is about to get watery.” It was so tender, she practically drooled.
Su Yue was wearing a light yellow top today. Her complexion was already milky white, and the light yellow color made her skin even whiter and clearer. Even without seeing her face, her skin alone was captivating enough.
“To be honest, do you bathe with milk at home?” Jin Mingyuan blinked at her, a look of forced confession on her face. Otherwise, how could her skin be so white and tender?
Su Yue gently moved away the hand that Jin Mingyuan kept touching her arm. “You go back and try?”
“I’ll try! If I had skin like yours, I wouldn’t just bathe with milk every day; I’d eat steamed buns every day!” Jin Mingyuan laughed.
“By the way, where’s Xu Xue? It’s almost time for class, why hasn’t she come yet?” Su Yue couldn’t see Xu Xue.
Jin Mingyuan’s smile faded. “She’s also taken sick leave these days. I saw that her face was pale that day, and she must have been uncomfortable. I’m going to visit her at her house after school. Do you want to come with me?”
Su Yue was slightly startled. “She’s sick? Well, I’ll come with you.”