Su Changfeng stood straight in place, gazing at Tang Qiulu who had tears in her eyes, with slight bloodstains appearing on his left cheek.
"Did you do it on purpose?!"
Tang Qiulu glared fiercely at Su Changfeng, biting her lip as a tear slipped from the corner of her eye, "Why did I believe you!"
Tang Qiulu was always strong, seldom showing weakness in public even when life wasn't going her way.
But today, her dignity was completely trampled underfoot.
Su Changfeng sighed deeply, "I'm very sorry."
He wouldn't blame Tang Qiulu for being heartless, nor would he be angry with her. Thinking about the past three years, carrying humiliation and taunting, didn't Tang Qiulu also bear a share? People's malice toward Su Changfeng was overt, but the knives aimed at Tang Qiulu were hidden in the dark, and every one of them was poisoned.
The reason for all this was simply because Tang Qiulu was forced to marry him.
"Don't apologize to me, you should say this to Tang Xiangdong."
With a bitten lip, Tang Qiulu lowered her head, filled with shame and anger, wishing she could disappear immediately.
If it weren't for Su Changfeng's insistence on being strong, how could the situation have developed to this point? Relatives were originally waiting to see a joke about her and Su Changfeng, wasn't this just rushing to humiliate themselves?
After hearing Tang Qiulu's words, Su Changfeng nodded, and walked up to Tang Xiangdong and said softly, "Sorry."
"Now you know you were wrong?"
With a chuckle, Tang Xiangdong leaned close to Su Changfeng's ear and said, "Here's a good piece of advice, before you fight to stand out in the future, remember to check your own status. So what if what you said is true? Even if the Old Madam sees through it, she will just choose to help me, understand?"
His words pierced Su Changfeng's eardrums, but reality was just this helpless.
This storm of truth and falsehood didn't last long. Soon, people clustered together in twos and threes, discussing other topics, no one bothered to look at Su Changfeng again.
A worthless wretch, forever struggling at the bottom, without threat or dignity, what's the point in watching him?
Of course, except for Tang Qiulu.
Now she calmed down gradually, finally realizing she seemed to have made a mistake in judgment earlier.
She was clear about Su Changfeng's character, although timid, he never lied. In the situation just now, the Old Madam's protective attitude was so obvious, but she overlooked this point because she was emotionally agitated at the time.
Thinking of Tang Xiangdong's smug face afterward, Tang Qiulu frowned with disgust.
Could it be that she really wronged Su Changfeng?
"I shouldn't have hit you."
After much thought, Tang Qiulu quietly walked up to Su Changfeng, "I was impulsive. If there's any compensation you want, tell me anytime."
"It's not necessary."
Su Changfeng touched his cheek, the small wounds had already scabbed over.
"Why isn't it necessary? I don't want to owe you anything, it's my mistake and I'll bear it. Think about it properly, lest we can't sort out our accounts when we divorce in the future."
Tang Qiulu's gaze was firm, after speaking, she turned to leave.
Owing nothing to each other... Su Changfeng stepped forward suddenly and asked, "Do you want to see a changed Su Changfeng?"
Tang Qiulu didn't turn back, her delicate face bore a bitter smile, "Don't talk nonsense. As long as you're in the Tang Family, you'll be suppressed every day. If you truly had ability, how could you be mocked for three years in vain?"
...
As lunchtime approached, people had just settled down by the dining table when a servant suddenly rushed into the hall and murmured a few words by Old Madam Tang's ear.
Su Changfeng buried his head eating, unconcerned about what was happening at the main table. His place was set in a corner, squeezed with a group of servants, far from Old Madam Tang's table, yet he still clearly heard the Old Madam's astonished voice, "What did you say? Someone sent gifts to the house?"
Today was the Tang Family's family feast, logically no outsiders would attend, and considering the Tang Family's rank among noble families, it shouldn't be that anyone would deliberately come to ingratiate themselves.
Old Madam Tang couldn't understand, "Did the visitor introduce themselves?"
"Yes, the person claims to be from the Su Family."
The servant looked confused, "It seems there's no Su Family among the Hai City Families..."
In terms of connection, there's only Su Changfeng with the surname Su in the hall. But nobody would associate this matter with him, and no one even glanced in his direction.
...
"A pair of gold bracelets, a pair of gold earrings, a pearl and agate necklace, a Jade Ruyi... Dragon and Phoenix, Golden Jade Filling the Hall——"
The envoy escorting the gifts stood in the hall, reading aloud the gift list, and it took over three minutes to finish reading.
The Tang Family exchanged glances, the more they listened to the list, the more shocked they became, especially upon hearing "888,800 in cash" being read out by the envoy, their jaws almost dropped on the ground.
Stacks of bright red bills forming a pyramid taller than a person dazzled the eyes, the Tang Family was merely of second-tier level among Hai City Families, hadn't seen such a scene before. This grandeur, this posture, clearly meant coming with a marriage proposal!
"Sir, wait!"
Seeing the envoy who finished checking the gift list wanting to leave, Old Madam Tang excitedly got up from her seat, not even bothering to take her cane, and walked hurriedly forward, speaking excitedly, "May I ask who your master is? Sending these things... which lady of the Tang Family have they taken a fancy to?"
Old Madam Tang's words made several unmarried young women of the Tang Family at the table particularly excited. Although the party involved hadn't shown up, just looking at the pile of gifts occupying half a room, it was obvious that the other party must be from a prestigious family — a family whose wealth greatly surpasses the Tang Family!
If one could marry into such a noble family as a wife, it would be a step up to heaven! Not to mention the glory and wealth for the rest of life, even parents and siblings would stand at the top within their family, possessing absolute voice!
"I don't know about that."
The envoy faced the eager eyes of the crowd and shook his head, "I'm just a messenger. All the items are here, farewell."
With that, he disappeared like a gust of wind from people's view, leaving endless suspense and imagination.
"Hmph, this stuff is definitely for me."
After a moment of silence, a flamboyantly made-up, curvaceous woman spoke first, "After all, the number one beauty in the Tang Family is me."
"Ha, quite a big mouth, the main character hasn't spoken, yet you start flaunting."
"Exactly, exactly, it's not certain who's it for!"
"Tch, a seductive woman like you, the noble young masters are already tired of playing! It's still those like me, pure and hopeful, that have a bigger chance!"
After a few words, a few plastic sister-flowers tore off their masks, ridiculing each other. If it weren't for elders present at the family feast scene, they would be pulling each other's hair for sure.
"What's the point of fighting, everyone has a chance."
Tang Xiangdong squinted his eyes, glanced toward another table at Tang Qiulu, a mocking smile appeared at the corner of his lips, deliberately speaking loudly, "Of course, except for some people. How pitiful, not even qualified to dream!"
After Tang Xiangdong spoke, the hall immediately erupted with laughter...