Su Xiaonai walked to the black car. Suddenly, she stopped and narrowed her eyes.
From the rearview mirror, she saw a man in suit, seemingly following her. Frowning, Su Xiaonai turned around with an urge to question the man.
Why was he following her?
Su Xiaonai wasn't a fan of stalkers.
Before she could take a step, the man looked away and walked away, making Su Xiaonai feel that she was making a fuss over nothing.
Su Xiaonai racked her brains but couldn't come up with an answer.
Could it be that she was being too sensitive and got it wrong?
At the same time, Su Mubai tugged at Su Xiaonai's sleeve and stared at her with those bright eyes, pleading in a childish manner.
"Mommy, I want to have dinner."
Su Xiaonai's attention immediately turned to her children, forgetting the strange man. Opening the door, she let the two children enter the car first.
She got in after the kids.
Su Xiaonai said to the driver.
"Mr. Liu, let's head home."
The driver nodded and started the car. As he stepped on the accelerator, the car sped away.
After the three of them took off their shoes at the entryway, Su Xiaonai watched as the two kids skipped to the living room. As soon as they sat down, they turned on the TV.
Su Xiaonai felt a little envious of the children's carefree nature.
She had once been this happy-go-lucky, but after what she had experienced she was forced to toughen up.
She felt a surge of faith. She needed to protect her children, to be there for them so nobody would hurt them. She would make sure that they never fell into the same predicament that she had been in.
Seeing that his mother had been standing at the entryway, Su Mubei tilted his head and looked at her.
"Mommy, why don't you come over here?"
Su Xiaonai walked over, patted her son on the head, and asked the kids.
"What do you guys want to eat for dinner?"
Su Mubai was the first to react and rushed to answer.
"Pizza, I want pizza!"
Su Mubei visibly glowed when he heard the word "pizza".
Su Xiaonai rarely ordered fast food for them. Since it seems that his mother was in a good mood today, Su Mubei pushed his luck.
"I want pizza too, the thin-crust ones!"
Noticing the anticipation in the children's eyes, Su Xiaonai couldn't bring herself to say no. She agreed and took out her phone.
Opening the food delivery app, she ordered two pizzas, a durian-flavored one and a teriyaki-flavored one.
Feeling that it was a little awkward to be wearing a gown at home, Su Xiaonai quickly walked into the bedroom, washed up, and changed into a set of loungewears.
Before leaving, she reminded the children.
"Remember to drink some water after you finish your pizza. You don't want to get an inflammation."
Su Mubei and Su Mubai nodded at the same time before focusing back on the television.
At 9 p.m., the three of them had finished their food, and Su Mubai dutifully picked up her pajamas and went to the bathroom to shower.
Su Xiaonai and Su Mubei stayed in the living room.
Su Mubei cast a glance towards his mother, looking thoughtful as if he wanted to say something.
Su Xiaonai sighed and looked at Su Mubei directly.
"If there's anything you want to ask, just ask."
Su Xiaonai knew that Su Mubei was different from his sister. He was more precocious, and his calm nature sometimes made him look more like a young adult.
Getting his permission, Su Mubei opened his mouth.
"Mommy, did that Auntie Wang use to bully you?"
Su Xiaonai was surprised. She hadn't expected Su Mubei to care, and her eyes were blank as she answered.
She seemed to have remembered things from her past.
"Yeah, a lot. It was too much."
Su Mubei could not help but feel indignant for his mother. He raised his hand and patted his chest.
"I'll protect Mommy from now on, so Mommy will never be hurt."
As he was talking, Su Mubai had done showering and came out. Hearing her brother's declaration, she looked confused but immediately agreed.
"Me too. I'll protect Mommy."
Su Xiaonai looked at the children in surprise. Her eyes were curvy crescents as she smiled, but she turned her head away as she felt a lump in her throat.
She pretended to cough a few times before replying.
"Thanks, you both are good kids."
Su Mubai was still a little curious and confused concerning the topic they were discussing when she was away. But before she could ask, her brother talked.
"Why don't you play some Gomoku with Mommy? If you win, I'll let you take the TV remote tonight."
Su Mubai perked up at the suggestion. She ran to Su Xiaonai's side and took out the Gomoku game pieces from a drawer.
She placed it in front of Su Xiaonai.
"Mommy, hurry up, let's have a match! You have to show mercy because I still want to watch TV."
Shaking her head, Su Xiaonai decided to play along.
The next morning, after she had entrusted the two children to her best friend Gu Xunjun, Su Xiaonai set off for the Su Corporation.
Considering the possibility of a verbal conflict, she had decided against bringing the kids with her.
Twenty minutes later, Su Xiaonai got out of the car. She looked up at the skyscraper in front of her and felt as if a lifetime had passed.
It had been a long time since she visited the Su Corporation building. Ever since she was chased out of the house by that pair of vicious mother and daughter, she had never set foot into this place again.
Until now, but she was no longer her weak, old self.
Entering the building, Su Xiaonai went straight to the front desk. She showed her reservation, and was soon taken to the guest-reception room.
A middle-aged manager walked in. He had seen Su Xiaonai a few times to know who she was. He hurried over to her.
"What's the matter, Miss Su?"
Su Xiaonai glanced at the manager and explained her reason here straightforwardly.
"I'm here to see the bank statements of the Corporation."
The manager paused before summoning the Chief Financial Officer, who was young and didn't know who he was dealing with. He refused sternly.
"Sorry, I'm afraid not. You'll only be able to access these documents in the presence of Madam Wang and Miss Su Jiaojiao."
The manager didn't expect the CFO to be this slow at reading the room. Quickly shutting him up, he looked at Su Xiaonai apologetically as beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
Su Xiaonai took a quick look at the CFO and chuckled. There was no disdain or contempt in her voice, only pure amusement.
She could not be bothered to waste her words with him, so she took out her phone, clicked on a contact, and dialed.
"Mr. Li, please come over to the Su Corporation. I need your help with something."
Seeing this, the CFO sneered, assuming that Su Xiaonai was bringing some gangster to stir up trouble.
He was about to ask her to leave when the manager took a step forward and stopped him. Standing in front of him, the manager mouthed several words.
Reading the lips, the CFO silently repeated the words as his face turned pale. Immediately, he understood Su Xiaonai's identity.