Chapter 104: Chapter 102: Face-slapping the Pseudo Female Lead

Mr. Su frowned, but he didn’t say anything, simply lowering his head and continuing to sweep.

Su Xinyao, acting as if she hadn’t noticed the coldness in Mrs. Su’s tone, sauntered in, her black leather shoes polished to a gleam.

Her gaze quickly swept across the small courtyard.

Fresh green sprouts, lively little chicks, and a courtyard that was tidy and clean.

A flicker of shadow, barely perceptible, crossed her eyes, but her smile immediately grew even brighter.

“Aunt, Uncle.”

Her voice became softer, with a hint of affectionate complaint.

“I was so immature before, and I spoke too harshly. After I went home, the more I thought about it, the more I regretted my words. We’re all family—blood is thicker than water. How could we let a little spat come between us?”

“So, as soon as I heard you two had arrived, I rushed over to make amends.”

As she spoke, she held the string bag out to Mrs. Su. “See? I made a special trip to the county’s supply and marketing co-op to buy some malted milk extract and peach shortbread for you both. It’ll help you keep your strength up. The Northwest is windy and dusty, not humid like back home, so you need to pay attention to your nutrition.”

Mrs. Su stared at the string bag held out to her, unsure whether to take it or not.

Mr. Su simply turned around, showing her his back.

The smile on Su Xinyao’s face froze for a moment, but it quickly returned to normal. Her gaze shifted to Su Tang, who had been watching coldly from under the eaves.

She acted as if she had just noticed Su Tang, exclaiming in surprise, “Oh, Tangtang, you’re home too? Didn’t you have work? You’re back already?”

Su Tang stepped out from the shadows. The sunlight illuminated her simple, unadorned face, which was calm and impassive.

She ignored Su Xinyao’s feigned surprise and asked directly, “Cousin, what’s the real reason you’re here today? You can’t have come just to deliver some malted milk extract, right?”

Her tone was flat, but it carried a piercing insight.

The smile on Su Xinyao’s face finally began to waver. A flash of anger crossed her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.

She took two steps forward, getting closer to Su Tang, and lowered her voice.

“Tangtang, what a thing to say. I genuinely came to see Aunt and Uncle.”

“And while I’m here, I wanted to see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

Su Xinyao hadn’t expected Su Tang to be capable enough to bring Mr. and Mrs. Su all the way out here.

With Mr. and Mrs. Su here, certain things would become much harder to bring up.

“Aunt and Uncle are getting old. Here in the Northwest, where they don’t know anyone or anything, what if they get a headache or a fever? Seeing a doctor and buying medicine all costs money! You’re relying on Lu Xiao alone to support this whole family. After a while, don’t you think he’ll start to have second thoughts?”

“We’re cousins, as close as sisters. I help you, you help me—that’s how it should be.”

Her eyes were fixed on Su Tang’s face, searching for a trace of panic.

Su Tang listened quietly, her face expressionless, but her eyes gradually grew colder.

’Now I get it. Su Xinyao isn’t here to offer support at all.’

’She’s just putting on an act of concern to sow discord and stir up trouble.’

Every sentence hinted that she was a burden, every word implied she wasn’t good enough for Lu Xiao and that her parents were a liability.

Mrs. Su understood as well. Her face flushed with anger, and she was about to speak, but Su Tang stopped her with a look.

Su Tang looked at Su Xinyao’s hypocritical face and suddenly let out a soft laugh.

That laugh made Su Xinyao’s heart skip a beat, and she felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

“My, you certainly worry about a lot, Cousin.”

“I…”

Su Xinyao choked on her words.

“How Lu Xiao and I live our lives, and how my parents are cared for, that’s our family’s business. We don’t need outsiders worrying about it.”

Su Tang’s gaze sharpened. “As for whether my parents are a burden, that is even less of your business.”

“We’re not that close. Don’t flatter yourself.”

“And another thing.” Su Tang took a step forward, her eyes icy.

“I, Su Tang, have a formal job and a salary. I can support myself and my parents! Even if my transfer hasn’t come through yet, my savings are more than enough to get by.

As for Lu Xiao, he’s happy to support me and happy to honor my parents. That’s a matter of affection between a husband and wife, and it’s not for you to point fingers and sow discord!”

“You! Su Tang! You don’t know what’s good for you!”

Her intentions exposed, Su Xinyao’s gentle facade completely crumbled. She shrieked, “I was kindly reminding you, afraid you’d have a hard time later and be badmouthed behind your back! And you turn around and bite me, saying I’m sowing discord? You…”

Just then, a cold, deep voice, carrying an unquestionable authority, exploded like a thunderclap at the courtyard gate:

“Who is badmouthing my wife?”

Su Xinyao was like a chicken with its neck wrung; her voice died abruptly, and she turned to look.

Lu Xiao was standing at the courtyard gate, though no one knew when he had arrived.

He had obviously just returned, not even having had the time to put down the briefcase in his hand.

A powerful, oppressive aura instantly enveloped the entire courtyard.

Lu Xiao strode in, each step like a hammer blow to Su Xinyao’s heart.

Without even glancing at Su Xinyao, he walked straight to Su Tang’s side and naturally wrapped a broad hand around her shoulder.

“This is my home. Su Tang is my wife. And Mr. and Mrs. Su are my father- and mother-in-law.”

Each of Lu Xiao’s words struck Su Xinyao’s heart like a physical blow.

“They are my responsibility, and they are my family. Supporting them is my pleasure and my choice. It gives no one the right to gossip!”

He paused, his gaze growing sharper. “As for you, sowing discord and stirring up trouble. What are your intentions? This is my final warning: stay away from my family! If I ever find you so much as half a step closer to this courtyard, or spreading any malicious gossip about my wife and my in-laws…”

Lu Xiao didn’t finish his threat, but his bone-chilling gaze was threat enough.

“Get out!”

Su Xinyao looked absolutely awful, but she managed to keep up appearances as she turned and left.

All that remained in the small courtyard were the scattered pastries on the ground and the canister of malted milk extract that had rolled into the distance.

Lu Xiao’s icy gaze softened the moment he looked down at Su Tang in his arms. “She didn’t give you any trouble, did she?” he asked, full of concern.

Su Tang shook her head, leaning against his chest, feeling incredibly safe. “No. Her little provocations are beneath me.”

Mrs. Su let out a long sigh of relief. She bent down to pick up the things on the ground, muttering, “What kind of person is she! Like a fox guarding the henhouse! Full of bad intentions!”

Lu Xiao gently patted Su Tang’s back. Looking at the offending gifts on the ground, he said to Mr. and Mrs. Su, “Mom, Dad, you can decide what to do with this stuff. Either throw it out or give it to a neighbor who actually needs it. Don’t let it dirty our home.”

Mrs. Su quickly agreed and went to clean up. Su Tang walked over to her mother.

“Mom, is there some kind of conflict between you and Su Xinyao?”

Hearing her daughter’s question, Mrs. Su snorted coldly. “I was so good to her back then, and what was the result? She tried to steal your opportunity to study abroad.”

“To make sure she could go abroad, she put sleeping pills in your water. Thankfully, your father discovered it early, otherwise…”

Just thinking about it made Mrs. Su want to slap Su Xinyao.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep