Chapter 5: Su Xi

Lian San and Lian Si were subordinates of Master Chu, the great villain in the original novel.
They were called subordinates, but the Chu family had taken them in and raised them, so they were always at Master Chu's side and were extraordinarily loyal.
Toward the end of the novel, after Master Chu died, the two vanished without a trace.
The book described the two brothers even less than it described Su Qing, and it never even gave their actual names.
The memories in Su Qing's mind only contained the broad outline of their plot.
At the male and female leads' engagement banquet next week, Lian San and Lian Si would appear alongside the great villain Master Chu. After only a brief glimpse, Su Xi would be stunned by this mysterious man and regard him as extraordinary.
Fortunately, Master Chu lived up to his title as the great villain and resisted the heroine's Mary Sue halo.
After all, in that novel, any man with wealth and power would fall in love with her.
Unfortunately, this villainous big shot had only one flaw: “Those too brilliant die young; those too blessed do not live long.”
Perhaps the laws governing protagonists were at work too, and this was his punishment for remaining unmoved by the heroine's charm.
During several business battles with the male lead, Master Chu inexplicably fell ill and died before even reaching thirty.
His power was then swallowed up by the male lead, whose fortune climbed to an even higher level. In a sense, Master Chu's death became another brick paving the road for the male and female leads' earth-shaking love story.
Sitting on the piano bench, Su Qing shook his head. He felt a touch of sympathy born from shared misfortune, while his fingers idly pressed the keys.
A figure lifted the curtain and stepped into the west wing's sitting room, stopping behind Su Qing. “Are you playing A Dream Wedding? It sounds very good.”
Su Qing turned around in surprise.
Cool eyes, slightly upturned lashes, and a faint smile lowered beneath his gaze—it was the patient from earlier.
“Uh…” Su Qing hesitated for a moment before explaining awkwardly, “That's one of the keyboard's built-in songs. I'm not playing it.”
The man's black pupils expanded almost imperceptibly, as though he found that hard to believe.
That reaction appearing on such an elegant man created an unexpectedly amusing contrast.
Su Qing held back for a moment, then turned away and covered his mouth as he laughed.
He had bought this keyboard secondhand long ago. It was the common kind sold to entertain children, with built-in piano tracks—ten of them in total.
The patient had mistaken the music for Su Qing's playing, which normally would have been no big deal. Anyone who saw Su Qing sitting there so seriously would have assumed the same.
What Su Qing found funny was the disbelief in the man's eyes.
There was an elegant, composed, almost otherworldly quality about him.
That extraordinary bearing alone was enough to show that he came from an illustrious family. Perhaps there were only genuinely expensive pianos in his home, and he had never seen this kind of toy-like electronic keyboard before. His worldview had been shattered.
Perhaps Su Qing was the one at fault for that.
Sure enough, the patient leaned closer to examine the keyboard. His pupils slowly widened again, and his gaze seemed to say, So that's how it is. I've learned something. He nodded.
Yet he showed none of the embarrassment Su Qing had expected.
The man said calmly, “I see. Do you like playing the piano?”
A complicated emotion crossed Su Qing's eyes. “Are you feeling better, sir?” Well enough to have leisure to ask a stranger about this, apparently.
Of course he liked it. But liking something did not mean you could have it.
His family circumstances had not allowed it in the past; later, he had been too busy to have the heart for it.
A Dream Wedding was even the piece he and Su Xi had once agreed he would play at her wedding. Now there would be no chance of that.
“My surname is Chu. My given name is Heng.”
The patient still stood beside him, looking at him seriously.
Su Qing quickly rose to answer. “Su Qing.”
Out of habit, he instinctively extended his hand for a handshake, the social ritual ingrained in him.
When his hand was grasped by a cold one, Su Qing found it slightly strange.
The other man had been the one to offer his hand first.
But in adult society, there was nothing unusual about quickly moving into formal social courtesies. Perhaps the man was simply exceptionally polite. With that thought, Su Qing relaxed.
They shook hands for a while. Then a while longer.
Su Qing looked up blankly and their eyes met.
The other man smiled and released him first. Then, with a finger, he wrote the character of his given name on the electronic keyboard.
Su Qing marveled at the man's thoughtfulness and returned the courtesy. “My Su is the one from ‘to awaken,’ and Qing is the one with the water radical meaning clear.”
The other man nodded, gaze intent. “Su Qing.”
What was going on? Why did this still feel a little strange?
Was it really necessary for this man to repeat his name so deliberately, emphasizing every syllable?
“Mr. Chu, are you looking for Grandpa Liu? After lunch he usually goes out to… take a walk.”
“There's no hurry. It was stuffy inside, and when I heard your piano music I came out for a walk.” The other man smiled leisurely and used a handkerchief to wipe the finger he had written with.
His hands were exceptionally beautiful—pale, long, and slender.
Even such a casual movement looked refined and elegant in him. There was no sign at all of the weakness of a patient.
From the bottom of his heart, Su Qing hoped he would skip the topic of the electronic keyboard. “Please sit, Mr. Chu.”
But once the subject really changed, Su Qing had no idea what to say with the two of them sitting together.
After exchanging some polite remarks and thanking him, Su Qing quickly used the excuse of making tea to ease his own stiffness.
The other man made no effort to hide the fact that he was studying him.
Su Qing knew he was fairly good-looking, but inside he actually envied a man like Chu Heng much more.
None of Chu Heng's individual features were exceptionally striking, yet together they created an inexplicable magnetism, largely because his bearing was refined and detached while his presence was impossible to ignore.
His brows and eyes were also always slightly raised, carrying an innate pride that seemed to look down on everything.
He rarely lowered his gaze to look directly at someone. At most, he would cast a downward glance from the corner of his eye.
Su Qing guessed he was accustomed to occupying a high position and had no one before whom he needed to lower his eyes.
“Does Mr. Su live here all the time?”
“Not exactly. Occasionally.”
“Mr. Su is very beautiful.”
“…Thank you.”
“Mr. Su doesn't say much. It seems you're still more interested in the piano.” The man looked at him without blinking, yet somehow did not seem offensive.
Su Qing: “…” It was because he had no idea what to say.
No matter how boundary-crossing the words, they did not sound abrupt coming from this man's mouth, and Su Qing was not particularly good at refusing people.
If they kept talking, Su Qing felt he might end up explaining the affairs of eighteen generations of his ancestors in perfect detail.
Fortunately, a knock at the door rescued him.
Su Qing secretly let out a breath. “Mr. Chu Heng, have some tea. I'll get the door.”
As though seeing through everything, the man chuckled. “No. I've already imposed long enough.”
Chu Heng excused himself and returned to his room. Su Qing went to open the door, still wondering how long the man would stay here.
Fortunately, he would not remain long.
“Su Xi?” Seeing the person outside, Su Qing's expression turned grave.
–
The sunlight outside was strong. Only after entering did the woman remove her hat and sunglasses.
Her smooth black hair swept through the air in a beautiful arc. Beneath slightly fluffy bangs was a delicate, touching face.
In the entertainment industry, Su Xi was not the type of top-tier beauty who stunned people with glamour or seductive charm, but she was unquestionably fresh, refined, and lovable.
Standing there, she resembled a graceful white lotus in the rain. She did not seem to compete for attention, yet still drew every eye without arousing dislike.
Su Xi casually glanced at the only locked room in the west wing. Her brow furrowed. Then her gaze fell on Su Qing and her eyes immediately reddened. “Qing, did you make Li Haitian angry again?”
Su Qing did not answer. This was her usual routine: act pitiful and seize the initiative first.
Su Xi grabbed his arm. Beneath her delicate weakness was an invisible forcefulness. “Qing, be good. You can't anger him again. Hurry, come with me and apologize to him!”
Remembering Li Haitian's feverish gaze at the hospital that morning, Su Qing frowned. “Do you absolutely have to marry him?”
A trace of displeasure appeared on Su Xi's face, hidden beneath her aggrieved expression. “Qing, I know you've never liked him, but for me—for my sake—please get along properly with Li Haitian!”
Su Qing pulled his arm free. Her grip had hurt his old injuries. “Impossible.”
“I'm already engaged to him. Look, he's about to become your brother-in-law!”
The luxurious gold-stamped invitation bore Li Haitian and Su Xi's names in bold letters. The engagement banquet was three days away.
Holding the invitation, Su Qing looked up. “Are you marrying Li Haitian, or are you marrying wealth and status?”
The air froze. Su Xi's expression darkened.
By the time she habitually concealed it beneath a look of imminent tears, Su Qing had already rolled up his sleeve. “Would a brother-in-law do this to his wife's younger brother?”
His voice was calm, but the suggestive marks exposed along his arm fell like a thunderbolt.
“If you still want to see more, I have more.” Su Qing placed his hand on his collar.
Su Xi was so shocked she lost her footing in her high heels. She retreated several steps before steadying herself. Pain flashed in her eyes and she abruptly strode forward.
“Su Qing, you disgust me!”
Smack. Su Qing's face snapped to the side.
Su Xi looked furious with disappointment. “You really did become a home-wrecker who seduced your own brother-in-law!”
She looked exactly like a good older sister genuinely hurt by her younger brother, scolding him out of heartbreak and anger.
Su Qing covered the reddened side of his face, self-mockery curving his lips. “Do you truly not know, or…”
Had her acting already become this skilled? Skilled enough to reverse right and wrong without the slightest hesitation?
“You really have changed. I'm so disappointed in you.”
“Who's the one who really changed? Su Xi, having family like us makes you feel ashamed, doesn't it?”
Su Xi whipped around, her entire bearing changing.
Su Qing had struck her sore point.
A second ago, she had still been trying to play the role of the gentle older sister. Now she no longer bothered hiding herself in front of him.
“Heh. So you finally noticed. Your damn old grandmother, your gambling-addict father—the very existence of people like you is the greatest stain on my life.”
Su Xi lowered the hand she had held dramatically over her heart, crossed her arms, and leaned against the wall.
“You couldn't give me the best material conditions like other people's families, much less help my career. All you ever did was drag me down again and again. Hmph. My mother must have been blind to remarry your father.”
Su Qing no longer wanted to comment on the second marriage between his father and Su Xi's mother. But his grandmother…
Su Qing clenched his teeth. “That ‘damn old woman’ you're talking about was the grandmother who loved us most!”
“So what?” Facing Su Qing's anger, Su Xi casually flicked the ends of her hair.
“Wasn't it your grandmother who dragged me down even while she was dying, using up every cent the family had? I know what you're keeping score over, Su Qing. Isn't it just that you earned all the money for my university tuition? Fine. I'll pay you back now!”
She pulled two thick stacks of cash and several bank cards from her exquisite handbag and casually flung them at Su Qing.
“Look at the miserable state you're in. People might think Su Xi's little brother can only make a living acting in trashy boys'-love dramas that sell fake romance.”
Su Qing drew a deep breath. The light in his eyes vanished completely. “Su Xi, can feelings really be measured in money?”
The more he said it, the more resentful Su Xi became. “Why can't they? Haven't you suffered enough already? We're all moving forward. You're the only fool still wallowing in memories of the past and refusing to turn around.”
“You're the only one still naive enough to want to protect that family!”
“But that family rotted away a long time ago!”
Su Qing stared at the woman with wide eyes. So that was it. This was how Su Xi had always viewed them.
Su Qing bent down, not to pick up the money, but to retrieve the invitation. “I'll attend on time and congratulate you on your engagement.”
Su Xi gave him a long look filled entirely with warning.
Not many people outside knew they were siblings.
Su Qing no longer wanted to think about what was going on in her head. He had to attend this engagement banquet. He also needed to meet Master Chu and make plans for himself as early as possible.
That was what reason told him, but his body and mind still needed a release.
Su Qing took a broom and began sweeping up the money scattered across the floor. The moment he bent down, strength suddenly drained from his body and he collapsed softly.
He knelt on the floor, curling in on himself, a whimper escaping his throat like a wounded little animal.
The bond he and Su Xi had shared since childhood had not been fake. He had always believed that although they were not blood siblings, they were closer than family.
Su Xi was only two months older than him. At seven, she had come to the Su family with her divorced mother when the woman remarried.
Back then, the Su family was still fairly comfortable. He had only been happy that two gentle women had joined the household. He had never worried about losing affection, and compared with Su Xi, he had been almost absurdly simple-minded.
Later, when his grandmother became ill, the Su family's circumstances collapsed. The enormous medical bills dragged them into total poverty.
People said that poverty made every problem between husband and wife worse. Poor families could not afford illness, and human hearts could not withstand the test of poverty either.
Su Xi's mother could not take it and left. Su Qing's father, once a dutiful son willing to bankrupt himself to save his own mother, changed too.
Under the excuse of trying to repay their debts, he gambled instead and ended up owing loan sharks even more money, becoming more and more irritable.
When debt collectors came after the two siblings, Su Qing effectively sold himself to a talent agency before the trouble was finally resolved.
Later, Su Qing still tried to go back and see his father, but the man's personality had changed completely. He thought Su Qing had returned to fight him over demolition compensation and drove him out of the house waving a club.
Su Qing had become thoroughly disillusioned with such a man and, in turn, treasured Su Xi even more as his only family.
Who would have guessed she had never truly cared about him at all?
If he had not suddenly gained the memories of the novel, he probably would not even have known how he died such a confused, senseless death.
Su Qing pressed a hand to his chest. Grief welled up from his heart beyond his control.
He bent over the floor and sobbed aloud.
Who was it, really, who could not break free of the memories of the past?
They had already escaped those difficult years. If they had only worked a little harder, they could have moved toward a better future.
But Su Xi had not been satisfied. She saw him as a burden.
Su Qing cried in mourning for the years behind him, and cried from relief for the future ahead.
From now on, he only had to fight for himself.
The sunlight shifted silently across the floor. Su Qing had no idea how long he cried. Exhausted in both body and spirit, he eventually passed out completely.
Before closing his eyes, he saw that familiar trouser leg from yesterday—the one that had rescued him from a nightmare-like hell.
In his daze, he reached out and caught it.
–
“Qing, Qing…”
Under Old Liu's calls, Su Qing slowly woke.
“Grandpa Liu… mm… why am I here?”
“Why were you sleeping alone on the couch outside?”
They spoke at the same time, making the old man laugh. “Hey, you're the one who's still half asleep.”
Su Qing covered his face. He still remembered becoming unbearably tired that afternoon and falling asleep on the floor. Now the sun was already sinking toward evening.
He was lying safely on the couch with a blanket over him.
In his sleep, he had vaguely felt as light as though he were floating among clouds, with soft white clouds brushing his face in endless tenderness.
Looking down, he saw that the shirt he had tugged open earlier had been carefully buttoned back into place.
Su Qing's face flushed slightly.
What floating among clouds? Someone had clearly carried him onto the couch.
And those white clouds brushing his face—whose fingers had been touching the injured side of his left cheek?
“Grandpa Liu, what's going on outside?”
“Oh, those people from this morning are leaving.” Old Liu rose without much interest.
Thank heaven. At last there would be some peace.
Su Qing pinched the blanket covering him, a thought stirring in his mind.
Under the warm orange glow of sunset, the white car and the people at the gate were all washed in amber light.
Su Qing hurried outside just as the three of them were about to get into the car.
Sheng and Cheng were carrying things. Chu Heng turned back empty-handed.
Su Qing had already realized it might be improper and stopped, but under Chu Heng's smiling gaze, he forced himself to step forward. “Mr. Chu, are you all heading back?”
Chu Heng's gaze fell meaningfully on his collar. With a faint smile, he nodded. “Until we meet again, Mr. Su.”
The car door stood open, and Chu Heng, dressed all in white, sat down inside.
While Su Qing stood there blankly, the man suddenly reached out and stroked his cheek.
“Su Qing, smiling suits you better.”
His fingers were long and slender, exceptionally pale and beautiful.
The skin he touched suddenly burned hot.
Su Qing jerked backward a step.
Author's Note: Thank you to the little angel who supplied nutrient solution: hinny This, 2 bottles;
Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!