NABC Page 50
Page 50
Lan Caiping lowered her head, not daring to look Xue Sumei in the eye. She knew her family was in the wrong, but she was unwilling to show weakness in front of Xue Sumei. Her heart was filled with contradictions and entanglements.
Lan Caiping thought for a while, but she couldn't admit it, so she stood up and said to Xue Sumei in a defiant manner, "Xue Sumei, are you sick? I told you, maybe this is just a boyfriend that Weiwei found who looks a lot like Li Wei."
"Lan Caiping, get out of here!" Xue Sumei was furious. Because she was taller than Lan Caiping, she rushed up and grabbed Lan Caiping's hair.
"Ah! Xue Sumei, you really dare to hit me? I'll scratch you to death!" When Lan Caiping saw Xue Sumei make a move, she immediately retaliated. Because she was short and her arms were short, she directly scratched Xue Sumei's hands.
Su Chang stared wide-eyed at the scene before him, his face filled with disbelief. He never expected the two of them to start a full-blown fight so quickly! In his memory, weren't women's arguments mostly just shouting at each other? Even if they fought, it was usually just a matter of "back off, back off, back off!" How did it turn into this, with them pulling hair and scratching each other?!
He inwardly groaned. He had promised Taozi that he would ensure Xue Sumei's safety. What was he to do? So he quickly stepped between the two of them, since he had an indestructible body and was not afraid that they would hurt him.
Su Chang gripped Lan Caiping's arm tightly with one hand to prevent her from scratching Xue Sumei, while slowly removing Xue Sumei's hand from Lan Caiping's head with his other hand. He thought to himself, "There still needs to be some distinction between close and distant relationships; I can't let Xue Sumei get hurt."
After separating the two, they continued to curse and wanted to spare Su Chang and continue to attack her. After all, they couldn't push Su Chang away, and as for scratching her, her body was as hard as iron, and it would hurt their hands.
Seeing this, Su Chang had no choice but to shout, "That's enough!" His voice was deafening, as if it would blow the roof off.
Xue Sumei and Lan Caiping were stunned by Su Chang's loud shout, their bodies trembling involuntarily. After all, women are naturally at a disadvantage compared to men, and given that they already knew Su Chang's martial arts skills far surpassed theirs, they dared not make a move again.
At this moment, Su Chang slowly said, "Aunties, it's actually very simple to find out the truth. Why don't you just call everyone here? I called Taozi before I came up, and I believe she will also inform Lan Weiwei. They should arrive soon. You are both so old, what if you get injured?" His expression was very serious, and his eyes revealed a hint of helplessness.
After hearing Su Chang's words, although they were still unwilling to give up, they knew that Su Chang made sense. So they both snorted and turned their heads away, each sitting at one end of the sofa.
Lan Caiping was secretly annoyed. Although she knew she was in the wrong and wanted to remind Lan Weiwei, doing so now would be an admission of guilt. She could only hold back for now and think about what to do later. She glared fiercely at Su Chang, hating him for meddling!
Xue Sumei looked aggrieved. She felt bullied by Lan Caiping, who hadn't stood up for her daughter Taozi, yet she had nowhere to vent her anger. She bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, determined to get an explanation from Lan Caiping.
Looking at their expressions, Su Chang felt a sense of helplessness. He knew he had gone too far in gossiping this time, and he was in deep trouble. No matter which one of them caused the problem, he would be held responsible! He could only pray that Taozi and Lan Weiwei would arrive quickly and resolve the matter.
Half an hour later, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Lan Weiwei and Yang Tao rushed in like a gust of wind. Their faces were full of anxiety and worry. Seeing that Xue Sumei and Lan Caiping had not yet taken action, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Yang Tao glanced at Su Chang gratefully and immediately thanked him, "Su Chang, thank you! Luckily you were here." She knew that Su Chang must have helped stop them, otherwise they would have started fighting long ago.
Su Chang smiled and replied, "It's alright, Peach."
At this moment, Lan Weiwei noticed Su Chang standing between Xue Sumei and Lan Caiping. She exclaimed in surprise, "Oh! Aren't you that photographer?" But inwardly she was groaning, thinking that her affair with Li Wei was probably about to be exposed.
Su Chang smiled and greeted Lan Weiwei: "Yes, Miss Lan Weiwei, I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence."
Yang Tao didn't understand what was going on, so she quickly went to Xue Sumei's side and squatted down, anxiously asking, "Mom, what happened? Why are you arguing with Aunt Lan?"
Upon hearing Yang Tao's words, Xue Sumei's face darkened, and she said angrily, "Taozi, Lan Caiping is no good person. Don't call her Aunt Lan anymore. Her son, Lan Weiwei, is even worse! Look at the photos on the table!"
When Yang Tao heard Xue Sumei scolding Lan Caiping and Lan Weiwei, she knew that Xue was angry and didn't dare to ask any more questions, so she went to look at the photos.
When she saw the photos on the table, she froze, an expression of disbelief on her face. Then, she continued to look through other photos, her eyes gradually reddening, and tears streamed down her face like a burst dam.
Seeing Yang Tao's heartbroken state, Su Chang felt a pang of pain in his heart. He couldn't help but wonder if he shouldn't have brought this up. But then he shook his head. Even if he didn't do it, Xue Sumei would eventually discover Zhuang Yan's true identity, and Yang Tao would still be upset. It's better to suffer sooner rather than later, since Lan Weiwei didn't end up with a good ending anyway.
Su Chang took advantage of the fact that everyone had arrived and chose to sign in.
"System! Sign in!"
"Ding! Detected that the host is near Yang Tao, the main character of 'Let's Get Married,' and supporting characters Xue Sumei, Lan Caiping, and Lan Weiwei. Congratulations, host, you have obtained:"
A four-star hotel in Kyoto (the one where Yangtao works).
100 million in cash
100 million in cash
Kyoto Yuyun Yoga Studio (the one where Lan Weiwei works)
Su Chang didn't have time to care about the sign-in rewards at this point, since they were really dispensable to him now.
Lan Caiping walked up to Lan Weiwei, who was lost in thought, pinched her hand hard, and said in a low voice, "You brat, you didn't tell me about something this big. What are you going to do now?"
Lan Weiwei was jolted awake from her daze by the pain and cried out, "Oh! Mom!" Then she started talking quietly with Lan Caiping, and Su Chang didn't pay any attention to the two of them.
Yang Tao's tears flowed incessantly as she clutched the photograph tightly, as if trying to grasp something. Her heart was filled with pain and despair; she could not accept the reality before her.
Looking at Yang Tao's expression, Xue Sumei felt a pang of pity, but she still firmly said, "Taozi, why are you like this! A scumbag and a bad woman, what's there to make you suffer?"
Yang Tao looked up at Xue Sumei with teary eyes, her voice choked with emotion, and said, "Mom, I understand..."
Su Chang then came up behind Yang Tao, patted her shoulder and gently comforted her, "It's okay, Taozi. Everyone encounters a few scumbags in their life. You still have me, don't you?"
"Thank you... Su Chang, I understand." Yang Tao wiped away her tears, glanced gratefully at Su Chang, then picked up a photo, stood up, and walked to the mother and daughter who were still whispering. Su Chang and Xue Sumei, afraid that Yang Tao would be taken advantage of, quickly followed behind.
Yang Tao, holding the photo, questioned Lan Weiwei, "Weiwei, what's going on here?"
Lan Weiwei felt a little guilty looking at Yang Tao and immediately lowered her head. Lan Caiping glared at the somewhat pathetic Lan Weiwei and then said to Yang Tao, "Taozi, what's going on? Weiwei just told me that this is Weiwei's boyfriend, Zhuang Yan. What does it have to do with you?"
"Is that so, Lan Weiwei?" Yang Tao ignored Lan Caiping and looked directly at Lan Weiwei as she asked.
Lan Weiwei looked up at Yang Tao and then at her mother. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded and said, "Yes, this is my boyfriend, Zhuang Yan."
“That’s not right, I remember you called him today…” Su Chang couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up to help.
"Alright, Su Chang." Before Su Chang could finish speaking, Yang Tao interrupted her, then looked at Lan Weiwei with disappointment and said, "Fine, Lan Weiwei, you really are my best friend. From now on, we're strangers."
Yang Tao angrily threw the photo at Lan Weiwei's face and walked towards the door.
"Peach." Su Chang called out quickly and followed.
"Lan Caiping, you just wait, I'm not done with you yet!" Xue Sumei yelled at Lan Caiping, then left because she was worried about Taozi.
Chapter Ninety-Nine: Buying a Necklace
"Pah! Who's afraid of who?" Lan Caiping spat at Xue Sumei's back with a defiant look.
"Mom!" Lan Weiwei pulled Lan Caiping's arm, signaling her to stop talking, since she was in the wrong.
"You little brat!" Lan Caiping looked at Lan Weiwei with annoyance, feeling utterly humiliated, but she couldn't bear to blame her daughter.
When the three arrived at Lan Caiping's building, Taozi finally calmed down a bit. She looked at Xue Sumei and Su Chang with a stubborn expression and said, "Su Chang, could you please take my mother home?"
Su Chang immediately asked, "And you?"
Yang Tao forced a smile and said casually, "It's okay, I just want to be alone for a while." Her eyes revealed a hint of weariness and helplessness, as if she was trying to hide her inner pain.
Before Su Chang could speak, Xue Sumei interjected, "That won't do. I'm worried about you being alone so late. How about this, I'll take a taxi home myself. Su Chang, you stay with Taozi and protect her." With that, she turned to leave.
Yang Tao was unwilling to let Xue Sumei go home alone. Just as she was about to say something, Su Chang spoke up first: "How about this, Auntie, Taozi, you both get in the car. I'll take Auntie home first, and then I'll take you out for a walk, Taozi. What do you think?"
Although Yang Tao was somewhat reluctant, she knew it was the best solution; otherwise, her mother would never agree. She bit her lip and nodded in agreement. Xue Sumei, as long as Taozi wasn't alone, also agreed.
So, Su Chang drove Xue Sumei home first. After watching Xue Sumei go upstairs, Su Chang asked, "Taozi, where do you want to go?"
Peach shook her head, her eyes filled with confusion and pain. She had found out that her best friend had cheated on her with her boyfriend that very night, and she was betrayed by both her boyfriend and her best friend. She was extremely upset and said in a low voice, "Whatever, let's just find a quiet place."
Seeing Taozi's heartbroken look, Su Chang felt a pang of sympathy. After thinking for a moment, he didn't ask any more questions and drove Yang Tao directly to Brother Ding's club.
After getting out of the car, Yang Tao saw the luxuriously decorated club in front of her. Although she didn't know where it was, she could tell from the surrounding environment and architectural style that the prices here must be quite high.
She frowned and said to Su Chang, "What are we doing here? Let's leave quickly."
Su Chang said with a smile, "It's okay, let's go. I'm not familiar with Kyoto either. My friend brought me here last time, and it was quite nice. There's even a collection hall inside. You can go and have a look."
Yang Tao initially wanted to refuse, but seeing Su Chang's confident expression, she hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing, as she couldn't bear to refuse Su Chang's kind intentions.
As Su Chang led Yang Tao inside, a familiar figure appeared before them. Manager Chen, beaming, greeted them first: "Mr. Su, it's nice to see you again. What brings your girlfriend to the collection museum today?"
Su Chang quickly waved his hand, a little embarrassed, and said, "Manager Chen, this is Yang Tao, a beautiful woman I've been pursuing. She hasn't agreed to be with me yet. I brought her here today to relax." His eyes kept glancing at Yang Tao, as if observing her reaction.
Yang Tao smiled politely, but felt a little helpless. She didn't have much feeling for Su Chang, but she didn't want to reject him directly.
Manager Chen was overjoyed to see Su Chang. He knew that Su Chang had spent hundreds of billions on Brother Ding, making him a very wealthy man, so he had to treat her well. He quickly flattered her, saying, "Oh, so you're Miss Yang. You two are a perfect match, I'm sure you'll end up together."
Yang Tao blushed slightly and said somewhat shyly, "Manager Chen, you flatter me." In her heart, however, she was thinking, "This Manager Chen really knows how to talk."
Su Chang knew that Yang Tao wasn't in a good mood and didn't want to get entangled with Manager Chen, a lone man. He quickly said, "Alright, Manager Chen, let's not talk about anything else for now. Do you have a quiet place here where we can relax? Could you arrange that for us?"
Manager Chen immediately chimed in, "Yes, our hot springs are quite nice. It's a good place to relax, have some sake, and get a massage."
Su Chang looked at Yang Tao, asking for her opinion. Yang Tao thought for a moment, and although she wanted to be alone for a while, she nodded and said, "Okay, let's give it a try."
"Okay, Manager Chen, then please make the arrangements as soon as possible." Seeing that Taozi had agreed, he urged her hurriedly.
"Okay, you two, please follow me."
So Manager Chen led Su Chang and Yang Tao toward the hot springs. After arranging for a waiter to take the two to change clothes, he found the manager here and gave him a few instructions, such as to make sure to take good care of Mr. Su, as he was the boss's VIP. The manager here nodded to indicate that he understood and then left.
Su Chang changed her clothes first and was led by the waiter to a relatively large hot spring pool.
The hot spring was steaming, like a paradise on earth. Several trays floated on the surface of the water, filled with snacks, sake, fruit and other treats.
Su Chang looked around and asked the waiter in confusion, "Why is there no one here?"
The waiter smiled and explained, "Sir, this is a specialty of our club. To ensure our guests have a better experience, we try our best to guarantee their privacy and quiet."
Su Chang nodded and then asked, "It's not like those mixed-gender bathing practices in small countries, is it?"
The waiter quickly waved his hand: "Of course not, sir. We place great importance on our guests' personal space and comfort."
Su Chang then took off her bathrobe and placed it on the shore, then eagerly ran into the pool.
The waiter pointed to a bell on the shore and said to Su Chang, "Sir, you can soak for a while. If you need a masseuse to come and help you with a massage, you can ring the bell to let us know."
Su Chang nodded to indicate that she understood, and then said, "Okay, thank you."
(ccdj) The waiter smiled and replied, "You're welcome, have a nice soak." Then he left.
Su Chang was leisurely soaking in the bath when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He looked back and his eyes widened in surprise to see Yang Tao wrapped in a bathrobe, walking shyly toward the bath.
Yang Tao's skin was as white as snow, smooth and lustrous like mutton fat jade, appearing even more delicate in the steam of the hot spring. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, gently brushing against her fair skin and exuding a faint fragrance. Her eyebrows and eyes were exquisitely beautiful, with a hint of shyness and allure in her gaze.
Su Chang's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and certain parts of his body involuntarily rose to their feet in a salute. His eyes were filled with amazement and desire, as if he were irresistibly drawn to Yang Tao's beauty.
Seeing Su Chang's dazed expression, Yang Tao couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her laughter was clear and melodious, like the sound of silver bells, making Su Chang's heart beat even faster.
Seeing Su Chang's dazed look, Yang Tao said coquettishly, "What are you looking at? Don't you know you shouldn't look at things that are improper? Turn your head away!"
"I'm sorry!" Su Chang realized his rudeness only then. A blush rose on his face, and he smiled awkwardly before quickly turning away.
He sighed inwardly, thinking how beautiful Yang Tao was. He couldn't help but recall how Song Qingshu always looked lost whenever he saw Zhou Zhiruo. Su Chang couldn't help but think, who wouldn't be confused by that?
Yang Tao walked to the edge of the hot spring pool, gently unbuttoned her bathrobe, revealing her graceful figure. Her body was curvaceous and shapely, her slender waist and long legs appearing and disappearing in the water, adding to her mysterious beauty. She slowly stepped into the hot spring pool; the water's temperature made her skin slightly flushed, making her appear even more alluring.
Su Chang secretly turned his head, glancing at Yang Tao out of the corner of his eye. He was filled with conflicting emotions; he wanted to see more of Yang Tao's beauty, but he was also afraid of being caught by her.
Yang Tao seemed to notice Su Chang's gaze. She coughed lightly, and Su Chang quickly turned her head away, pretending to be focused on taking a bath.
The atmosphere in the hot spring became somewhat subtle. Neither of them spoke, simply enjoying the comfort the hot spring offered. Su Chang, however, was deep in thought. He didn't know whether he should confess his feelings to Yang Tao now, especially since she had suffered such a blow that evening. Would it be inhumane of him to try and take advantage of her now?
Yang Tao was also pondering, thinking about Lan Weiwei's betrayal and her relationship with Su Chang. After all, Su Chang was indeed outstanding, and she had feelings for him, but now she didn't know whether she should accept him, since she was so much older than Su Chang.