After Su Xiaobai went upstairs, she didn't rush to rest. Instead, she took a tour around the new house.
In fact, this was Su Xiaobai's first time in the new house. Before, Su Bai had deliberately suppressed herself, and most of the time, Su Xiaobai had been in a dormant state. Su Bai didn't care about Su Xiaobai's existence, let alone pay attention to the new house.
The house wasn't very big—just over 140 square meters—but the decoration was quite exquisite. The furniture and appliances were undoubtedly the highest-end brands, and there wasn't the typical "new house" smell. Instead, there was a faint floral scent, which Su Xiaobai found quite pleasant.
Although the house wasn't large, for some reason, perhaps because it was her wedding night, Su Xiaobai, who was used to living in the spacious villa of the Su family, found the house to feel empty and lonely. Even in this 100-plus square meter apartment, it felt vast and deserted.
She casually tossed her bag on the sofa and then reclined on it, still wearing the red qipao from earlier that evening. Her posture was relaxed, but the exhaustion from the day had caught up with her. Between serving tea, toasting guests, and handling various elder relatives, she was drained. On top of that, she had been emotionally hit a few times that night. Her body was struggling to keep up.
She rubbed her temples and let out a long sigh, drawing her knees up and curling into a ball. She leaned weakly against the sofa, her body relaxed as she surrendered to exhaustion.
Even Su Xiaobai, usually strong and resolute, had trouble bearing the mental strain Su Bai had imposed on her for so long. Her consciousness faded into a hazy blur, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep on the sofa.
When she awoke, she had no idea what time it was. What surprised her even more was that she still retained her consciousness—Su Xiaobai was still Su Xiaobai, not the main personality, Su Bai.
That's when it hit her—the severity of the situation. It seemed that the blow Su Bai had suffered was indeed significant. The cold, aloof Su Bai, who was always unmoved by anything, had chosen to escape.
"Pathetic!" Su Xiaobai muttered fiercely, gnashing her teeth in frustration, but deep down, she also felt a sense of helplessness. Even Su Bai, who prided herself on her cool-headedness, had been completely shattered by love. What was Su Xiaobai supposed to do now?
But any worries she had quickly faded. She turned around and entered the bathroom, peeling off the bright red qipao that was nearly blinding in color. After filling the bathtub with water, she sank into it, letting the hot water envelop her.
After some time, with her eyes closed, she finally opened them, hearing the "splashing" sound of water spilling over the sides of the bathtub. Su Xiaobai quickly wrapped herself in a towel and finished washing up.
Back in the room, she glanced at the time—it was only six o'clock. But Su Xiaobai didn't waste any time and went straight to the wardrobe, looking for something to wear.
After rummaging through it for a while, her beautiful eyebrows involuntarily furrowed.
Su Bai had no sense of style. Both her work and life were stuck in a rigid routine, and her wardrobe reflected that—it was so boring.
The entire wardrobe was filled with elegant, mature suits and understated, pale-colored work outfits. There wasn't even a hint of something vibrant or eye-catching, let alone anything like denim shorts, tight skirts, or low-cut tops.
Sighing, Su Xiaobai quickly pulled out a pink skirt suit. It had a chiffon floral top with a pink, ruffled skirt at the bottom.
This was the only outfit in the wardrobe that exuded any sense of youthfulness, but it was still quite professional. The clean-cut style had a touch of feminine grace.
After changing into her clothes, Su Xiaobai sat in front of the vanity mirror. The various skincare products and cosmetics in the drawer pleased her. Although Su Bai didn't usually wear makeup, she would occasionally apply a light layer of powder when attending social events due to work. She also didn't skimp on skincare, as women in their mid-twenties, after all, needed to take extra care of their skin.
Su Xiaobai let her long, slightly curled black hair loose. She didn't spend much time on her makeup, just applying a light touch. But because she didn't tie her hair up like Su Bai usually did, her smooth black curls now lazily rested on her fair neck. A subtle change, but it made her appear far more charming and youthful.
After finishing everything, Su Xiaobai picked a pair of black high heels and grabbed her bag before heading out the door.
Just as she walked a little distance away, Fang Cheng's car pulled into the community.
When he got out of the car, Fang Cheng's face showed signs of fatigue. He was still wearing the same outfit he had worn the previous night. Initially, he had expected to feel some awkwardness when facing Su Bai once he returned home, but to his surprise, Su Bai wasn't there.
Fang Cheng didn't immediately ask where Su Bai had gone. Instead, he sat down on the sofa, resting his hands on the sides, and closed his eyes tiredly.
In fact, the night before, he hadn't gone after Zhang Tingting like Chen Xingran and Zi Yu had expected. Instead, he drove alone to the beach and spent the night by the sea, smoking for hours.
He was clear about his feelings for Zhang Tingting. His possessiveness towards her had grown stronger in the ongoing rivalry with Gong Zheng, but Fang Cheng wasn't irrational. He wouldn't lose his sense of reason over it. If he truly didn't care for Su Bai, he wouldn't have married her in the first place.
Most likely, Gong Zheng was the same. Even if he had feelings for Zhang Tingting, he would never abandon his current status and position to marry her. This was the reality for men in their social circle—never expect them to tie themselves down to one woman.
They might be good husbands, good lovers, and good fathers, but they would never be good men.
Su Bai had long realized this, though she had never been willing to admit it. This was also the reason Su Xiaobai looked down on Su Bai.
Before the wedding, Su Bai had applied for marriage leave, and with the weekend, she had almost half a month off. But Su Xiaobai had other plans. She had decided to make a quick trip to the office. Not because she was eager to return to work, but because this woman was incredibly astute. She didn't waste time. She went straight to the HR office. As a leader in that department, she quickly arranged for her annual leave and other compensatory time off. In the end, she managed to secure almost twenty more days of vacation.
Fortunately, it wasn't the end of the year, or her superiors would have driven her crazy. With such a long break, she wondered how the work on her plate would be handled.
After handling everything, Su Xiaobai happily left the office. Many colleagues and subordinates congratulated her as she left, as they knew she was in her honeymoon period.
In fact, when Su Xiaobai appeared, many were quite surprised. It wasn't because she suddenly returned to work during her marriage leave—no one was sure why she came back—but they couldn't help but notice how striking she looked.
Although Su Bai's beauty was well known in the office, she usually kept herself well hidden, always maintaining a cold, aloof aura that created an invisible wall between her and all the men around her. She seemed distant, indifferent.
But today, for some reason, when Su Xiaobai walked in, all the male colleagues couldn't help but stare. Their eyes followed her wherever she went, captivated by her presence.
Could it be that women change after getting married? Everyone now felt that the cold, distant aura Su Bai once had was gone, replaced by a more charming and feminine presence. It seemed that the sweetness of the honeymoon period could indeed change a person.
After leaving the office, Su Xiaobai drove to a department store, where she leisurely spent two hours shopping. By the end of it, she had accumulated an impressive pile of clothes and shoes, so much so that she could barely carry them all. She had the items sent home by courier instead.
It's said that women are impulsive and capricious when they go shopping, and Su Xiaobai was no different—if anything, she was even more willful. In just one day, she had probably spent a small fortune.
However, she was shrewd about it. She used the supplementary card Fang Cheng had given her after they got their marriage certificate. This card was issued the day after their wedding, and the idea was that their living expenses and other expenditures would be charged to this card. As for the limit, Su Xiaobai never bothered to check. Judging by Fang Cheng's position, the limit would only be high, not low. This gave her the confidence to shop without restraint.
In fact, the status of Fang Cheng in Su Xiaobai's heart had plummeted to the point where she considered him less significant than an ant. She didn't think there was anything wrong with using his card to buy things.
Su Bai was just too proud and stubborn, which was why the card had been left untouched in the drawer for so long. But Su Xiaobai was different. She didn't mind spending her husband's money. So what? Even though she didn't lack money, and had several credit cards of her own, she still enjoyed using the one Fang Cheng had given her. She didn't care what his reaction would be when he found out she had gone on a shopping spree.
By the time she left the mall, Su Xiaobai had changed into a new outfit. She was now wearing a tight-fitting, crimson short dress. The style was simple, but it clung beautifully to her body, accentuating her curves and waist perfectly. She had also swapped her shoes for a new pair of high-heeled sandals decorated with rhinestones.
The red dress and her black, curly hair complemented each other perfectly. The deep black contrasted beautifully with the vibrant red, a classic color combination. And with a woman like Su Xiaobai wearing them, the effect was nothing short of mesmerizing.
There were two types of women: one whose beauty was subtle and unassuming, like Su Bai's aloof elegance, the graceful swan. The other was bold and daring, unabashedly drawing all eyes to herself, like Su Xiaobai.
Her innate charm seemed to be a part of her nature. Now that Su Xiaobai had emerged, she would live more authentically than Su Bai ever did.
On the other side, Qin Ming, who had been dragged around the mall for an hour by his little mistress, was starting to feel impatient. Since smoking was prohibited inside, he stepped out to get some fresh air.
This little mistress of his had been picked up at a recent gathering—a young, fresh-faced model from a smaller city. She was pretty, lively, and clever, which was why Qin Ming had spoiled her. But now, he was beginning to feel repulsed, and was already thinking that this relationship would be over after today.
The way these rich young men treated relationships was always quick to begin and quick to end. Whether it was Qin Ming, Su Miao, or Xiao Xiao, they were all the same.
He was about to pick up his phone to call Su Miao, Xiao Xiao, or the others, planning to go to the bar later, but just as he was about to dial, his gaze fell on a familiar red figure.
He couldn't help but whistle under his breath and appreciate the woman's figure. It was truly perfect. But he couldn't tell how her face looked.
Just as he thought that, the woman turned around, and suddenly, Qin Ming's eyes widened in shock.
Damn, not only was this woman's figure outstanding, but her face was also flawless. As he stared, however, he instinctively frowned. After a moment, he muttered under his breath, "Damn, isn't that Su Bai? How could it be? This is unreal."