Chapter 77 : Side Story 7. Hitting a Nerve
Su Huan quickly reacted, but she didn't move, maintaining this position to accommodate her actions.
Feeling her cooperation, Shen Xiaoyu's eyes darkened. She held the back of her head with her hand, leaned in further, knelt on the bed with one knee, her body tilting slightly, almost completely pressing down on her.
Su Huan leaned back, her slender waist very flexible, smoothly falling completely onto the bed.
Before lying down, she reached out to grab Shen Xiaoyu's collar, making her fall onto the sofa together with her.
With this movement, their pressed lips briefly separated. At that moment, their eyes met, Su Huan's pupils blinked, as if some emotion was flowing in her gaze.
Just two seconds later, Su Huan actively lifted her head, embracing her neck to kiss her again.
This time, neither of them held back. Their movements were intense and deep, as if they wanted to convey all their emotions through this kiss.
[Third conquest mission: Kiss countdown remaining 2:35]
As the kiss deepened, the atmosphere in the room became thick. The two were no longer satisfied with just taking, their hands boldly roaming each other's bodies, wanting to obtain more.
Clothes were removed piece by piece. The cool air invaded, and Su Huan unconsciously shivered. When she opened her eyes, she met Shen Xiaoyu's gaze.
There was too much in those eyes that Su Huan couldn't understand, but these weren't the most important things right now.
Strange sensations came from her body. She frowned, unconsciously arching her waist, pressing tightly against her body, all sounds melting between their lips.
The system's voice gradually disappeared.
When she woke up again, it was already the next day.
Su Huan was sleeping in a beautifully decorated room with a person-sized cat plushie beside her hand.
She thought for two seconds but couldn't figure out whose room this was.
Su Huan sat up, and the ignored soreness from below made her unconsciously frown. She dragged her trembling legs and used her crutch to enter the bathroom.
Seeing the kiss marks all over her body in the mirror, she couldn't help but curve her lips, her body reacting again.
Last night's intensity was still vivid in her memory.
Shen Xiaoyu was far from as calm as she appeared—just one match could ignite all her passion!
She already knew what to do.
[Congratulations host on completing the third conquest mission. Reward survival days: Thirty days.]
[Total remaining survival days: Thirty-seven days!!]
[Target affection level decreased to: -55%]
Hearing the last sentence, Su Huan's curved lips dropped again. She stared indifferently at the person in the mirror, then turned away from it.
When Su Huan came out again, it was half an hour later. Her face was flushed, her legs weak as she supported herself with the crutch coming out of the bathroom, only to see Shen Xiaoyu sitting properly dressed on the bed.
Her body tensed up. Thinking of what she had just done in the bathroom, she turned her face away, avoiding her gaze, embarrassedly using the crutch to block in front of her, trying to cover her naked body.
Last night's nightgown had been torn. When she woke up, there was nothing beside her. She had rushed out thinking Shen Xiaoyu wasn't there when she got up, and she hadn't heard any movement in the living room, so she assumed no one was home and went straight to the bathroom without caring.
Who knew Shen Xiaoyu had come back and even saw her...
Su Huan's cheeks suddenly flushed with two patches of red, the redness spreading from her neck all the way to her eyes and brows.
Shen Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow, looking her up and down, her gaze unconsciously lingering on the marks on her chest. Her fingers curled on her legs, and that impulse surged up again.
She suddenly felt somewhat regretful that she had been so impulsive last night.
Now she couldn't face Su Huan directly, and how should they get along in the future?
Shen Xiaoyu got a headache just thinking about it.
"I..."
"You..."
Both spoke at the same time, then stopped awkwardly.
"You speak first," Su Huan said.
She looked away, coughed lightly, and pointed to the side, "I brought you clothes. The sheets and covers in your room have been changed. Go back and rest well. I ordered takeout for lunch. After you eat, just leave it there. I'll clean up when I come back."
Su Huan turned back to look at her, "What about you?"
"Going to find An'an. I promised her before to take her to an amusement park. I won't be back tonight. If you want to eat something, ask Auntie to make it for you."
Su Huan made a sound of acknowledgment, lowering her head, not knowing what she was thinking.
There was another awkward silence between them.
This couldn't continue. Su Huan looked up at her and resumed her previous topic, "Yesterday..."
"Yesterday I was impulsive," Shen Xiaoyu interrupted. "When your identity documents come through, I'll rent you an apartment and you can move out."
Su Huan was stunned and asked directly, "Why? Just because we slept together yesterday? You want to kick me out?"
Shen Xiaoyu didn't want to admit it, but that was the truth.
"Although it sounds terrible, I'll still say it. I'll give you a sum of money. After you adapt to this world, except for An'an's matters, we shouldn't have any more contact."
"Why?"
"We've already broken up. There's no need to continue contact. Give me custody of our daughter. You can give the monthly child support directly to An'an, and I won't interfere. If you agree, I'll have someone arrange a contract. If you don't agree— I won't go through legal procedures either."
After speaking, Shen Xiaoyu guiltily ran her hand through her hair. Saying this was indeed bullying Su Huan.
She had no job, no friends, no family in this world. If it really went to legal procedures, she definitely wouldn't win.
Su Huan remained silent, either thinking or feeling sad, not speaking.
Shen Xiaoyu looked at the time, then added, "If you have other requests, you can bring them up too. We can discuss them together. It's not very urgent anyway. Your documents will take another week to come through, so you can think slowly. When you've thought it through, we can talk in detail. I'll leave first then."
She turned and left without giving Su Huan a chance to speak.
After she left, the room became quiet again.
Su Huan used her crutch to get the clothes and put them on, then used the crutch to return to her room.
Only after she sat on the bed did the system speak, [You understand Xiaoyu's personality. She's just saying this. As long as you show some weakness and act cute, never mind this house—you could even get on her bed. Just like last night.]
Not mentioning last night would have been fine, but bringing it up made Su Huan explode.
[When your program calculated the mission, did it factor in Xiaoyu's reaction? Did the program know I'd get kicked out? After sleeping together one night, not only did affection not increase but decrease—can you throw away that broken system of yours?]
The more Su Huan thought about it, the angrier she became, especially when she remembered Shen Xiaoyu saying she'd give her money. She was so angry she almost tore the bedsheet.
Who cared about that bit of money? What she wanted was to stay by Shen Xiaoyu's side!
If she really got kicked out, after 37 days, she'd have to roll back to that broken world.
The system spoke timidly, not daring to say much.
[Useless.]
Su Huan finally understood why Shen Xiaoyu always cursed the system in her heart. This system was indeed useless—good for nothing, causing trouble everywhere.
She took a long breath.
She had to stay!
Su Huan first carefully tidied up Shen Xiaoyu's room. In the evening, she didn't let Auntie cook and instead made a table full of Shen Xiaoyu's favorite dishes herself. But she waited until ten at night without anyone coming home.
She couldn't help it and called Shen Nian'an, indirectly asking when Shen Xiaoyu would return.
But unexpectedly she heard Shen Nian'an say, "Mama left long ago. Hasn't she gotten home yet?"
Su Huan's heart sank, "When did she leave?"
"Seven o'clock. Aunt Qiao said her mama had something to do, so they left together."
"Who is Aunt Qiao?"
"Aunt Qiao is Mama's colleague and also Mama's good friend." She said, "She often travels with us. She buys gifts for Mama and sometimes picks her up for work. Last year on my birthday, Aunt Qiao even gave me a very pretty little dress!"
Su Huan frowned, "Then why haven't I seen this Aunt Qiao?"
"She went on a business trip a few days ago and just came back today. Knowing I was at the amusement park, Aunt Qiao came over this afternoon and played with me for quite a while." On screen, Shen Nian'an wore a plushie headband, cutely shaking her little head, "Mommy, look at the mouse hair clip grandma bought me. Isn't it pretty?"
The little girl was like a little butterfly, desperately wanting praise and compliments.
She completely didn't notice Su Huan's suddenly changed expression and continued, "Aunt Qiao bought me lots of gifts! Mommy, let me show you..."
Before Shen Nian'an could get the things, ding—the call was hung up.
Shen Nian'an was completely confused, "Why did Mommy hang up so fast?"
Mother Shen, who had been sitting beside her listening to the conversation, shook her head helplessly, "You really hit your Mommy's nerve."
The little girl looked even more confused, "Nerve? I didn't hit anything!"
Mother Shen laughed and picked her up, "Come on, let's go to sleep."
Here, Su Huan sat in the chair, her gaze moving from the phone to the dining table. The dishes she had made all afternoon had long grown cold.
The large room was empty and cold, without any warmth.
After an unknown amount of time, the beeping sound of the door opening finally rang in the room.
Shen Xiaoyu's voice came from outside, "Thank you for bringing me back. I'll consider what you said today. You worked hard this trip. I'll treat you to dinner another time."
"No time like the present—how about tomorrow then," a woman's soft voice replied. "As promised today, tomorrow I'll accompany An'an to the amusement park."
"You spoil An'an too much. She just comes up with ideas on a whim. Even if you don't go, she won't say anything," Shen Xiaoyu's tone was helpless.
The woman laughed softly, "I think An'an is great! And I'm very happy An'an invited me, because I've never been to an amusement park. Rather than saying I'm accompanying An'an to play, it's more like letting An'an spend time with me."
Since she had said this much, Shen Xiaoyu couldn't refuse anymore and could only nod.
"Then let's go to the amusement park together tomorrow. But I have to pay for the expenses. You paid when An'an went out to play before. Once or twice is fine, but we can't always do this."
The woman smiled and nodded, "Good. Having the boss treat me is my honor."
As the woman spoke, she suddenly caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze went past Shen Xiaoyu to look behind her, her smile pausing slightly as she pressed her lips together.
Shen Xiaoyu also sensed it. She turned to see Su Huan standing in the entryway with her crutch, sizing up the woman from head to toe like a beast whose territory had been invaded.
[Target affection level decreased to: -60%]
"Xiaoyu, this must be Miss Qiao, right?" Su Huan spoke first. "Thank you for taking care of An'an. I'm An'an's mother, Su Huan."
The woman's expression paused, her gaze slowly turning to Shen Xiaoyu with an inquiring look.
Shen Xiaoyu sighed inwardly and stepped aside to clear the line of sight between the two, "Let me introduce you. This is my work partner, Qiao Si'en. This is An'an's mother, Su Huan."
Qiao Si'en also looked at Su Huan in surprise, this time with appraisal and scrutiny in her gaze.
Su Huan was also sizing her up. She looked quite nice—shoulder-length straight hair, gentle and pretty appearance. When she smiled, she had two dimples that looked very sweet. Most importantly, her temperament looked very much like a certain someone.
[Feels exactly like Shi Qiubai,] the system sighed.
How come there were such people in every world? First there was Shi Qiubai, now Qiao Si'en...
Su Huan became even more displeased.
"She just came back from abroad and is temporarily staying at my place," Shen Xiaoyu added.
In just a few words, Qiao Si'en had already put on a smile again. After entering, she extended her hand to Su Huan, "Miss Su, hello. I never heard An'an mention you before, so I thought... that's why I was surprised. Sorry, I misunderstood."
Su Huan expressionlessly shook her hand, "It's fine. I did wrong things before that made Xiaoyu angry, and An'an was unhappy too. It's normal that the mother and daughter didn't want to mention me."
"Xiaoyu and An'an have such good tempers. To make them unhappy, Miss Su must have really messed up badly," Qiao Si'en smiled half-genuinely. "But knowing one's mistakes and being able to change is the greatest good. Miss Su being able to recognize her mistakes is already better than many people."
After speaking, her gaze dropped to look at her bandaged leg, "Miss Su is injured? Is it serious? I know some doctors. Tonight I'll contact them, and tomorrow Xiaoyu can take Miss Su to see them."
[Tsk tsk, this one is much higher level than that Shi Qiubai,] the system commented.
"No need. I just accidentally sprained it. We went to the hospital, and the doctor said there's no bone damage, just need more rest at home," Shen Xiaoyu interjected.
"I see." Qiao Si'en nodded understandingly. "But even small problems can't be careless. This relates to future life, so we should be careful. How about this—I'll contact a massage therapist to come over tomorrow. Massage will help it heal faster."
"Then, then I'll trouble you," Shen Xiaoyu finally agreed.
"Your business is my business. I won't be polite," Qiao Si'en smiled gently.
Su Huan inwardly cursed "getting knocked down again" and coldly refused, "No need to trouble Miss Qiao. Xiaoyu will take good care of me. I heard you just came back from a business trip. You should go back and rest early."
"Yes, Si Si, you should go back and rest," Shen Xiaoyu continued.
Qiao Si'en withdrew her hand and smiled at Shen Xiaoyu, "Alright, I'll go back first then. I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning to go to the amusement park."
Shen Xiaoyu smiled.
Qiao Si'en turned to leave.
Su Huan was very displeased and said coldly, "I'll see Miss Qiao out."
Without waiting for Shen Xiaoyu's answer, Su Huan had already followed with her crutch, entering the elevator one step behind.
Qiao Si'en gently reminded, "Miss Su's leg isn't convenient, so you shouldn't run around. If it gets worse, it will affect your future career in the entertainment industry."
"How does Miss Qiao know I'm entering the entertainment industry?" Su Huan asked.
"Xiaoyu mentioned it, and I've received Miss Su's photos. We originally planned to sign Miss Su to our company, but after seeing Miss Su's photos, I felt Miss Su wasn't suitable for us, so I declined." Her eyes were full of gentle smiles, but her words were like soft knives, stabbing straight into her heart.
[That really hurts! Host, quickly take the chance to kill her!]
Su Huan's anger grew, but the smile on her face became more brilliant. "Then I should thank Miss Qiao. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the opportunity to continue living at Xiaoyu's place. Then last night we wouldn't have..."
She paused at the crucial part, unbuttoning her collar to reveal the ambiguous marks on her neck.
No need to say more—Qiao Si'en already understood.
The smile completely disappeared from her face, and her eyes also turned cold.
Since she didn't speak, Su Huan continued, "To be honest, I came back all this way actually wanting to win Xiaoyu back. Miss Qiao understands Xiaoyu and An'an so well and has such a good relationship with the mother and daughter. I'll inevitably have to trouble Miss Qiao in the future. I'm apologizing to Miss Qiao in advance here, hoping Miss Qiao won't mind me."
She stared at Qiao Si'en, her tone gentle but determined, "When Xiaoyu and I remarry, I'll definitely give Miss Qiao a big! Red! Envelope!"
