Chapter 8: Enemies Meet on a Narrow Path

Regardless of the math, she burst through the door directly, prepared to make a scene. Before she could even speak, she froze instantly like a wooden chicken struck by lightning. After a long while, she hesitantly rubbed her eyes.

Huh? She hadn't misread it.

She stepped back, checked the wooden sign outside the room, and realized she hadn't gone to the wrong place either.

Then she must have made a mistake!

Su Jin looked with annoyance at the man sitting in a wheelchair wearing a silver mask. Looking at his blue attire, she felt utterly mortified. She reached out with her "claws" to cover her face, attempting to hide her embarrassment. "Uh, well, I went to the wrong room. Sorry for disturbing your meal, elder."

She turned tail and ran.

The masked man's cool lips parted slightly. "Stop right there!"

Su Jin turned around, continuing to hide her face with her hands. "You are an elder, so please be magnanimous and overlook the transgressions of a junior. Just pretend you never saw this annoying little fly. Otherwise, if you scold me, I will definitely admit my mistake obediently, without arguing or making excuses."

The man set down his dining utensils.

His peach-blossom eyes lingered on her body. "You keep calling me 'elder.' In your eyes, am I that old?"

Su Jin waved her hands frantically.

She cleared her throat. "No, no, that is a respectful title. In fact, you look very young, at most fifteen or sixteen, like a green cherry—unripe, yet radiating charm."

The man looked at Su Jin suspiciously. "Why compare me to a cherry?"

It sounded incredibly weird.

Su Jin accidentally blurted out the truth, "Because I love eating them."

The man suddenly burst into laughter. "Haha..."

He seemed to be in a good mood.

Looking at him, Su Jin felt slightly more relaxed. This man was unpredictable, bloodthirsty, and irritable; it was better to say nice things to ensure peace and quiet. The masked man seemed to have developed an addiction to being praised. He scratched his ear. "If you have any more compliments, hurry up and say them. I'll listen, if only to endure them."

Su Jin: "..."

She felt unwilling in her heart.

Yet, her face wore a kind and submissive smile. Adhering to the friendly principle of turning big problems into small ones and small problems into nothing, she began, "Young Master is heroic and spirited, possessing the grace of a phoenix and the stature of a dragon, dashing and elegant, a paragon of talent and brilliance, magnificent and valiant, heroic and spirited..."

Before she could finish, the temperature in the room plummeted.

The man held an embroidery needle that had appeared from nowhere, twirling it between his fingers. "Continue."

The implication was clear.

*What you just said was very unpleasant to my ears. I'll give you one more chance. If you don't say something satisfying, I'll use this needle to sew your mouth shut.*

Su Jin was stunned.

She silently began to recall exactly where things had gone wrong. Oh, right. It was wrong to use overly perfect words to describe a person with a disability; it was easy to trigger his twisted and dark psychology. After a pause, she changed her wording, "A man like jade on the path, a young master without equal in the world."

The man pursed his lips and nodded.

The temperature in the room warmed up.

A clear, crisp smile slowly emerged from the corners of his lips, circulating through the room.

He looked at Su Jin. "Are you here to find someone? Who?"

Su Jin scratched her head and spoke timidly, "Sun Yaojun and Su Huangying. They are both old acquaintances."

The man pointed to the room next door.

Then, he insisted on accompanying her.

Su Jin was terrified and shook her head incessantly. "How could I dare trouble the Young Master with such a trivial matter? I can go by myself. Please, Young Master, continue your meal in peace so as not to disturb your elegance."

She was here to pick a fight.

If someone accompanied her, how could she act so arrogant?

These were matters concerning the Prime Minister's residence; if word got out, it would absolutely damage her image of being gentle and submissive.

The man pushed the wheels of his wheelchair, quickly arriving in front of Su Jin. He brought the embroidery needle close to her lips, intending to sew them shut. "You dare question my decision?"

Su Jin: "..."

What else could she say! What else could she say!

And so, Su Jin reluctantly followed the masked man to find Sun Yaojun. This time, she didn't dare barge in recklessly. She listened outside the door for a few minutes, and only after confirming it was those two did she burst in.

After crashing through the door twice in a row, her arms ached slightly. After lamenting that ancient doors were truly unreliable, she walked in.

Sun Yaojun and Su Huangying were currently exchanging flirtatious glances, their eyes glued to one another as if they could never tire of looking, clearly in the honeymoon phase of a romance. Being abruptly interrupted by Su Jin, Sun Yaojun demanded, "What is the meaning of this, lady?"

Su Jin raised an eyebrow. "Nothing much."

As she spoke, she found a seat and pulled all the dishes toward herself.

Without a word, she started eating.

The masked man looked at her with disdain. *Tsk, there she goes again, acting like she's starving.* He grabbed her. "Can you stop being so embarrassing! If you need money, just say so. How much do you want? I'll reward you. How can my maid be so vulgar and shallow, as if she's never seen the world?"

As he spoke, he snatched the chopsticks from Su Jin's hand.

He muttered something inexplicable: "Fourth time."

Su Jin, whose brain had always been prone to short-circuiting, miraculously understood. "Mm."

Their first meeting was at the mass grave on a dark and windy night; he had sneakily broken into the Prime Minister's residence to steal. In the Qingmeng Tower, he had disguised himself as a flamboyant character and shamelessly tried to force himself upon her. This was indeed their fourth meeting. She hoped they would never meet again.

Damn it, he was too high-maintenance.

So difficult to serve.

The masked man glanced at the table full of food. "Is this pig swill worth running here to snatch? Can you have some standards? If you can't swallow it, don't force yourself, alright?"

After saying that, he stared at Sun Yaojun.

The implication was pointed.

Sun Yaojun was the son of the Minister of Revenue. While he couldn't be called one of the top elite families in the Imperial Capital, he was still a renowned romantic gentleman. Being insulted by being compared to pig swill made him unable to swallow his anger. "What do you mean by that!"

The masked man ignored him.

His words were still directed at Su Jin. "Though you are a bit lowly, a bit ugly, and a bit vulgar, at least you are barely human. Do you really have to fight over scraps like a pig?"

After speaking, he stared at Su Huangying.

Every word was laced with sarcasm.

Su Jin seized this golden opportunity. "How can you speak like that? Young Master Sun is my future husband. If I don't like him, who else will I like? If I don't fight for him, he'll be taken away, and then what if I'm left to wash my face with tears and live in constant anxiety? Why is my life so bitter?"

As she spoke, she wiped her eyes with the corner of her sleeve.

Su Huangying looked embarrassed. "Fourth Sister, you..."

Sun Yaojun had been engaged since childhood and had never met Su Jin. He had heard she had returned alive, but he hadn't bothered to visit. Now that he finally saw her, it was under these circumstances, causing his anger to flare up, his veins bulging.

But he couldn't get angry.

In front of the woman he liked, he had to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor.

Looking at Su Jin, he wore an expression as if he had seen through her long ago. "I know you like me, but you must understand that my heart belongs to another. Even if you stripped naked and shamelessly clung to me, I wouldn't spare you a second glance. I will go to your residence in a few days to break the engagement."

Su Jin squeezed out tears.

Tears swirled in her eyes as she bit her lip aggrievedly. "You can't treat me like this."

Sun Yaojun ignored her.

He let her cry.

The fifth Miss of the Su family, Su Huangying, spoke up. On the surface, she was trying to persuade her, but in her heart, she was already blooming with joy. "Fourth Sister, Young Master Sun and I are perfectly matched. He has given me his vows, and I have given him my devotion. Father has already given his silent approval, and we will surely be wed sooner or later. I hope you can bless us."