Chapter 403: A Plea for a Blessing
When Su Li saw Qin Shanshan again, she almost didn’t recognize her.
Qin Shanshan, who had always been so meticulous about her appearance, now stood before Su Li with her hair down, a haggard mess who looked more like a ghost than a person.
Her complexion was ghastly, and her hair was so greasy you could cook with it. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and she had lost a significant amount of weight.
She was a world away from the meticulously dressed, high-spirited Qin Shanshan who had come before, pretending to be kind while actually flaunting her success.
Su Li frowned at Qin Shanshan, completely baffled.
"Su Li, do you know her?"
The security guard asked Su Li curiously.
Qin Shanshan had come looking for Su Li but had been stopped by the security guard, who made her wait until Su Li returned.
Su Li snapped out of it and nodded. "Sort of."
Listening to the exchange between Su Li and the security guard, Qin Shanshan fought back a wave of grief and indignation. Tears streamed down her face before she could even speak.
"Su Li, just five minutes. I only need to talk to you for five minutes."
She said through her tears.
The security guard’s expression grew even more peculiar. Qin Shanshan had arrived early today and had waited at the gate for three solid hours.
Watching her switch between looking utterly pitiful and flashing a vicious glare made the guard’s heart pound with unease.
Now, seeing her suddenly burst into tears, he was at a loss for words.
When Su Li heard from the security guard that Qin Shanshan had been waiting for three hours, she knew the woman was hell-bent on seeing her.
She sighed. "Fine. Say what you have to say."
Qin Shanshan glanced at the security guard. "Can we talk at your place?"
Su Li shook her head firmly. "No. Say what you need to say, right here and right now. Otherwise, I’m leaving."
’This was exactly the kind of person Su Li wanted nothing to do with. The farther away, the better.’
Looking at the radiant Su Li and thinking about the news from Miao Zhi, Qin Shanshan was so overwhelmed with envy, jealousy, and hatred that she almost started screaming curses.
’Why? Why does Su Li have it so good? She eats well, she dresses well, everything is perfect for her! She dumps Tang Yuanxiao, and an even better man comes along to scoop her up!’
’And that’s not even the worst of it! She’s clearly latched onto someone better, but she still won’t let go of Tang Yuanxiao!’
’And that fool Tang Yuanxiao is still completely hung up on her!’
’Why?! Just why?!’
The thought made Qin Shanshan’s eyes redden, and she had to fight the urge to claw at Su Li’s beautiful face.
"If you’re not going to talk, I’m going inside," Su Li said, taking a wary step back as she watched Qin Shanshan, who was trembling with her head lowered.
Qin Shanshan fought down the rage in her chest, took a deep breath, and finally spoke.
"I’ll talk. I’ll talk."
She gritted her teeth, glanced at the security guard, and said, "Let’s step aside to talk."
Su Li took two steps to the side, but just as she was about to speak, Qin Shanshan dropped to her knees with a THUD.
"Su Li, I’m begging you, please let me and Brother Tang Yuan be together."
Su Li jumped back in shock, quickly sidestepping away from her.
’This was the second time someone had kneeled to her since her rebirth. The first was Mother Ge, and now it was Qin Shanshan’s turn.’
"What do you mean, ’let you and Tang Yuanxiao be together’? Am I standing in your way? Get up. It’s disgraceful to kneel like this."
’Su Li really didn’t get it. Was Qin Shanshan out of her mind? What was Su Li supposed to do if Tang Yuanxiao didn’t like her...’
Just as Su Li was thinking this, she heard Qin Shanshan speak.
"Brother Tang Yuan and I have already done it."
She yelled with her eyes squeezed shut, "We’ve already done what a husband and wife do!"
It was, without a doubt, a bombshell.
Su Li was so stunned she couldn’t process it for a moment.
’She had just seen Tang Yuanxiao a few days ago, and he hadn’t given any indication at all... How could he just...’
Su Li was speechless with shock. "You... Why are you telling me this? If you’ve slept with him, you should go talk to him!"
Qin Shanshan desperately wanted to frame it as a spontaneous, mutual act of passion, but that wasn’t the truth. To achieve her goal, she had no choice but to briefly explain what had happened.
"...We’ve already done what a husband and wife do. For the rest of my life, I belong to him. I’ll never marry anyone else. If I can’t be with him, I can’t go on living. Su Li, I came here today to beg for your blessing. Please, stop stringing Brother Tang Yuan along!"
Su Li didn’t even have the energy to mock Qin Shanshan’s absurd words.
She had been busy with her internship lately, focusing all her energy on it. She hadn’t been paying attention to their affairs, so this was the first she was hearing of it.
Beyond her initial surprise, Su Li was simply stunned.
When Su Li learned Mrs. Tang had been released on medical parole, she had a gut feeling that the woman would continue her self-destructive scheming. But she never expected her to pull a stunt this big right out of the gate.
Drugging Tang Yuanxiao and Qin Shanshan, then locking them in a room together... To think she could come up with such a plan, let alone execute it.
From the way Qin Shanshan told it, she was an innocent victim in all this too. Su Li didn’t believe a word of it, but what was done was done.
If Qin Shanshan wasn’t lying, then Tang Yuanxiao would have no other choice but to marry her.
’So Tang Yuanxiao... would end up marrying Qin Shanshan after all.’
’He would end up with her after all.’
’It was happening a little sooner than before, but the destination was the same. In the end, it was inevitable...’
Su Li’s emotions were in a turmoil. Tang Yuanxiao wasn’t a liar. Just a short while ago, he had told her he would wait for her forever. And he had always been so open about his disgust for Qin Shanshan.
Thinking back to her past life, Su Li had often wondered why Tang Yuanxiao married Qin Shanshan when he clearly despised her.
Now... she had her answer.
In her past life, Mrs. Tang had long been dead by the time Qin Shanshan married Tang Yuanxiao. But given Qin Shanshan’s character, it wasn’t impossible that she had orchestrated a similar incident on her own.
’So, could it be that something like this happened in her past life, too? Was that why Tang Yuanxiao had married her?’
All these thoughts flashed through Su Li’s mind in an instant.
She couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart.
Tang Yuanxiao had said he would wait for her, but she and Wu Sheng had already promised their lives to one another. She certainly didn’t want to hold Tang Yuanxiao back and truly hoped he would find his own happiness soon.
She had sincerely wished for him to find happiness, only for him to be ensnared in a plot by Mrs. Tang and Qin Shanshan.
Mrs. Tang’s actions were insane and utterly chilling.
Tang Yuanxiao... he must be in agony.
With all the trouble Mrs. Tang had caused before, her son Tang Yuanxiao had been the one to suffer the most. His wounds hadn’t even healed, and now his own mother had stabbed him in the back like this.
Even though Su Li couldn’t see Tang Yuanxiao, she could imagine his pain and despair.
For a moment, Su Li didn’t know what to think anymore.
With her thoughts in a whirl, Su Li remained silent. Seeing this, Qin Shanshan gritted her teeth and pressed on.
"Su Li, please, let me and Brother Tang Yuan be together. I’ve never kneeled before anyone in my life, but I’m kneeling and begging you today. You have to grant me this!"
Qin Shanshan’s voice snapped Su Li back to reality. She frowned.
"’Let you be together?’ I retorted. ’Tang Yuanxiao and I are long divorced. I have nothing to do with him anymore. Why are you coming to me for my ’blessing’?’"
’I really don’t get it,’ she thought. "This is between you and Tang Yuanxiao. You should be asking him to be with you, asking him to take responsibility."
Su Li simply could not understand why Qin Shanshan had come to her.
"Su Li, stop playing dumb! You say you’re divorced, but you keep stringing him along, making him pine for you. It’s only because he can’t get over you that Brother Tang Yuan is trying to deny what happened!"