With a loud crash, the coffee cup fell straight to the side of the coffee table—because Su Shu had reached out to stop it. Had that blow landed, it would've split Zhai Gang's head wide open. She didn't really care about Zhai Gang's well-being, but she wouldn't let Lin Xiao end up in jail over assault.
"Lin Xiao, calm down."
"It's not worth getting a criminal record over a trashy family."
Their words were so sharp that the atmosphere plummeted into a deep chill. Su Shu glanced at Bai Lin, whose hand was still awkwardly hanging in midair, then turned her head toward Zhai Gang.
For the first time, she felt he was a complete stranger—maybe over these seven years, she'd never truly known him. She used to think he was gentle and a bit timid; who knew that when trouble came, he'd prove bold in at least one way: running away.
"Yesterday, we only talked about a breakup—or more like, hadn't even decided yet. And now you suddenly have a fiancée?" Su Shu bit her lip, her words deliberate and precise. "How generous of Miss Bai to become a fiancée when the man still hasn't cut ties with his ex."
Even though she was essentially confronting them face-to-face, her voice remained soft. She'd never been able to raise her voice in anger. In the past, Zhai Gang would joke that, even mad, she was just like a little kitten. She had found it sweet then—now, it felt like a cruel joke.
"Su Shu, look at you right now! You're acting like a total shrew!" Zhai Gang interrupted her loudly, placing himself between the two women and shielding Bai Lin behind him.
A shrew? If she truly were one, at least no one would expect her to keep bending over backward for their sake.
"What's so wrong with ending things amicably?" he continued to rant. "If you're worried that nobody's going to take care of you or your dad, I'll figure out a way to give you some money as compensation—"
As his words droned on, Su Shu pressed her lips tightly together, her pale face looking even more ashen under the lights, her mouth twisting in a faint sneer. Smack! Her hand slapped across Zhai Gang's face—hard. A hot sting spread across her palm. It was the first time she'd ever hit anyone in the face, and so this is what it felt like.
"You're crazy!" shrieked Mrs. Zhai, jumping up to yank Su Shu away. Lin Xiao took the opportunity to block her, and chaos erupted in the room.
Bai Lin, equally stunned, looked at the bright red handprint blooming on Zhai Gang's face, then rushed over. "I get it now. Everyone said you were gentle and sweet, but it's all an act. Your dad's a money-grubbing murderer; you're not any better—like father, like daughter—"
"Shut your mouth," Lin Xiao started, but Su Shu's voice cut in first.
Su Shu stared at Bai Lin, her composure as though she'd suddenly become a different person. "Until our engagement is fully dissolved, I'm still his girlfriend, which makes you the other woman."
"I suggest you lie low if you don't want people calling you a homewrecker for the rest of your life."
Finished speaking, she pulled out a document from her bag and tossed it at Zhai Gang's feet, giving Bai Lin a sidelong glance.
"You can have this sorry excuse for a man anytime you want. But as for the money he owes me—whether you're the one paying or his family does, that's for you to figure out."
Aggravated, Zhai Gang picked up the papers. It turned out to be paperwork for a loan from five years ago, when the Zhai family had been swindled by a supplier and was on the brink of bankruptcy. Su Shu's father had filled the gap with eighty million yuan—and never once asked them to repay it.
"You're really dragging up ancient history? Don't you think this is a little ridiculous?" Zhai Gang was about ready to blow a fuse. He'd invited Bai Lin here specifically to show off his family's wealth—big villa, fancy cars, listed company—and now, everything had turned into a complete mess.
Bai Lin had been his crush in high school, but back then the Zhai family was just a small-time stall, and she never gave him a second look. Times had changed, though. In Yu City, the Zhai family had carved out a decent business. Bai Lin wasn't dumb; the moment she heard Su Shu's family was in deep trouble, she'd swiftly reconnected.
"It's not ridiculous. I agree, there's nothing fun about it." Holding tight to Lin Xiao, who looked ready to flip the table, Su Shu said, "Eighty million. I won't even ask for the interest. Just give it back to me—soon. Goodbye."
She turned to leave, pulling Lin Xiao along, but then Mr. Zhai's voice rang out from behind.
"Su Shu, Uncle Zhai has never treated you unfairly. Our family doesn't owe you anything."
"As for personal feelings, I've always approved of you. But fate is fate—your situation with Zhai Gang is out of my hands."
"Legally, there isn't any formal contract for that loan between your dad and me. You'll never get a cent."