Chapter 55: Became Interested
It was Su Mei and Wu Tao’s third date. She had specifically worn a new overcoat for the occasion, and she arrived at the state-run restaurant with Wu Tao, all smiles.
The two had just ordered and sat down when Wu Tao spotted Su Qing. He said to Su Mei, "Isn’t that your cousin?"
Su Mei turned at his words. Sure enough, it was Su Qing.
One look at the table in front of Su Qing revealed braised pork belly and green beans stewed with ribs—all hearty, expensive dishes. Good Lord. Su Mei’s anger flared instantly.
That was all paid for with her family’s money. Because Grandma and Grandpa had given Su Qing five hundred yuan, her father and Third Uncle were still at odds over it. Her Third Aunt was even insisting that their family should have been the one to provide the five hundred yuan. Meanwhile, her grandparents were just trying to smooth things over. If Su Mei weren’t dating Wu Tao right now—and if Grandma wasn’t so eager to have a son-in-law from the city—her grandparents might have really forced her family to cough up that five hundred yuan.
’Five hundred yuan? Where would our family get that kind of money?’
’That damn girl Su Qing has more money on hand than my dad has saved up from years of working.’
The more Su Mei thought about it, the angrier she became. She wished she could march over and flip Su Qing’s table. ’Eat, eat, eat! Not even a pig eats as much as she does!’
Taking a deep breath, Su Mei stared at Su Qing, her eyes dark and clouded.
However, her father had told her to get on good terms with Su Qing from now on. The reason was that Fu Yuzhen had returned, and Fu Yuzhen’s brother-in-law was the deputy director of her father’s factory. If he wanted to make trouble for her dad, it would be incredibly easy. Therefore, she absolutely could not provoke Su Qing right now; in fact, she had to try her best to befriend her. Besides, Wu Tao was right there beside her.
So, Su Mei took another deep breath, composed herself, and said to Wu Tao with a smile, "It really is my cousin. I didn’t expect to run into her while we were out for a meal. I’ll go over and say hello."
"I’ll go with you," Wu Tao said to Su Mei, smiling.
Su Mei pursed her lips into a smile. "Okay."
When Su Qing saw Su Mei and her date enter the restaurant, she pretended not to notice them. She didn’t expect Su Mei to come right up to her.
"Su Qing, having a meal," Su Mei said softly, sitting across from Su Qing with a beaming smile.
Su Qing rolled her eyes. "Are you blind?"
Su Mei hadn’t expected Su Qing to lash out at her right away. She froze for a moment. Wu Tao was standing right there. Su Mei inwardly cursed Su Qing for being so ungrateful. She bit her lip, put on a hurt expression, and said, "Su Qing, I was just concerned about you."
"Cut the phony act. I’m trying to eat, so don’t ruin my appetite." Su Qing frowned at Su Mei and said sarcastically, "Concerned about me? You and your family know exactly what you’re *really* concerned about."
"You... How can you not recognize good intentions?" Su Mei said, indignant.
"You have good intentions?" Su Qing raised an eyebrow. "Do you even believe that yourself?"
"Su Qing, you’ve gone too far. No matter what, I’m your older cousin. How can you speak to me like that?" Su Mei was so angry she wanted to slam the table, but she just clenched her fists tightly and held back.
"Then how would you like me to speak to you?" Su Qing rolled her eyes again and went back to eating her food. ’This food is too good to let some worthless people ruin my appetite.’
Seeing that Su Qing was ignoring her completely, treating her like thin air, Su Mei had to suppress her anger again before speaking. "Alright then. You eat first, Su Qing. We can talk later."
Su Qing acted as if she hadn’t heard a word.
Su Mei had to grit her back teeth to keep her fury in check. She turned to Wu Tao with a smile and said, "Since my cousin wants to eat, we shouldn’t disturb her."
"Okay." Wu Tao sized Su Qing up with great interest. Although he found the scar on her left cheek somewhat unsightly, her personality intrigued him. He had always been surrounded by girls who tried to please him, and Su Mei was no different. She was just a bit prettier, which was why he was toying with her.
He’d never really encountered a girl like Su Qing before. Just now, he’d noticed that she hadn’t even given him a single glance. It was as if he didn’t exist.
Wu Tao prided himself on his handsome looks and was used to being adored by girls. Suddenly encountering someone like Su Qing, a desire to conquer her welled up inside him for some reason.
Besides, Wu Tao had to admit, Su Qing’s eyes were incredibly captivating.
Once they were back at their own table, Su Mei whispered to Wu Tao, "My cousin has always had low self-esteem because of the injury to her face, and she’s usually a bit jealous of me, so she can be rather abrasive, especially with me. If her attitude just now made you uncomfortable, please don’t be angry. I apologize to you on her behalf."
"It’s fine. I get it. Every family has its own problems. I understand," Wu Tao said with a smile.
"I’m glad you understand." Hearing Wu Tao say this, Su Mei pursed her lips into a smile.
Wu Tao lowered his eyes and asked, feigning casualness, "How old is this cousin of yours?"
"She’s a year younger than me. Sixteen."
"Oh." Wu Tao nodded. "I think I heard last time that she separated from your family’s main household?"
Alarm bells went off in Su Mei’s head when he said that. The matter of Su Qing separating from the main household was something Su Qing herself had mentioned the last time she and Wu Tao had run into her. Su Mei herself had never told him about it.
’It’s been so long, yet he actually remembers? Just how deep of an impression did Su Qing leave on him? And...’
Su Mei recalled that when they first walked in, she hadn’t even seen Su Qing, but Wu Tao had spotted her instantly.
’This...’
A flash of irritation crossed Su Mei’s eyes. ’That Su Qing! Her face is a wreck, yet she can still seduce men—and this man is supposed to be *my* boyfriend!’
At that moment, Su Mei could already sense that Wu Tao was interested in Su Qing, which filled her with a profound sense of crisis. She had a gut feeling that if Wu Tao became truly interested in Su Qing, then it was over between her and him.
All her plans for the future would become nothing but an illusion.
’No way. Wu Tao is mine. No one can take him away.’
With this in mind, Su Mei pursed her lips and said to Wu Tao in a low voice, "Su Qing was separated from the household because she was unfilial to my grandparents. To be honest, I shouldn’t be telling you these things. It’s family business, and you know what they say—don’t air your dirty laundry in public. I wouldn’t have brought it up if you hadn’t asked."
"Oh?" Hearing this, Wu Tao’s interest grew even more. He quickly said, "We’re dating now. What is there that you can’t tell me? Or do you still think of me as an outsider?"
"Of course not," Su Mei said quickly. "Then... if I tell you, you won’t think I’m gossiping about my cousin behind her back, will you?"
Their table was far from Su Qing’s, at the opposite end of the room. The restaurant was also getting crowded and noisy. Su Mei was confident that at such a low volume, there was no way Su Qing could overhear them.
"Of course I won’t."
"Well, alright then. I’ll tell you about it."