Chapter 200: Don't Touch Me

Li Qiuhua felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

The scenes from that night surfaced in her mind once again.

She knew that day was Kong Xiangrou's death anniversary, which was why he had disappeared for an entire day.

She also knew where he had gone.

By then, she had already been by his side for over half a year, yet the relationship between them had always remained stagnant.

More than once, she had expressed her feelings for him both overtly and covertly, but he had never given her any response.

Until that day, when Zhang Jinfeng—with whom she had become quite close—gave her a suggestion.

Zhang Jinfeng said he was a man of great devotion; if she wanted him to truly accept her, she might as well become the likeness of Kong Xiangrou.

Although she had never met Kong Xiangrou, Zhang Jinfeng, who lived in the same courtyard, was familiar with her.

Accompanied by Zhang Jinfeng, she specifically bought a set of clothes identical to what Kong Xiangrou used to wear, even styling her hair into Kong Xiangrou's favorite hairstyle.

Sure enough, when she found him in front of Kong Xiangrou's grave at dusk, he directly mistook her for Kong Xiangrou's soul returning.

Even if she was merely being used as a substitute, she was willing; she became his woman that very night.

She even waited until Su Jianguo woke up from his drunken stupor the next day, still lying by his side, just so he would know what had happened between them.

At that time, she was completely immersed in her own happiness and had no idea what his emotions were like.

Next, he said he had to go on a business trip for over half a month, and after he returned, they naturally became a couple.

Li Qiuhua had never regretted anything she did that day; in fact, over the past several years, she had been quite proud of herself for making the "correct" choice.

But now, Su Jianguo was telling her that the reason he had lived with her as husband and wife for over ten years was merely to take responsibility for that one night?!!

The cruel truth shattered her heart.

Suddenly, she felt that the affection of the past ten-plus years was nothing but a joke.

"You should have just lied to me for a lifetime."

Her voice was hoarse, carrying an irrepressible pain.

"Qiuhua, let's let each other go. We still have Qiangqiang, after all. I hope you can live a stable life with Momo, rather than continuing to indulge Momo into doing things she will regret even more." Su Jianguo pleaded from the bottom of his heart.

He was no fool. Su Yan had suddenly taken Su Qiang back, and her instructions had been so solemn.

Wang Shusheng's death, and now Li Qiuhua's current state.

If he were to say these things had nothing to do with Su Mo, he simply wouldn't believe it.

Li Qiuhua's heart was as cold as ashes; she could no longer hear anything. She walked toward the door in a daze.

Su Jianguo frowned deeply. Compared to this Li Qiuhua, who seemed to have lost all will to live, he would rather she cry and make a scene like she used to.

***

Evening.

Li Qiuhua still prepared the meal and placed it on the table before calling Su Mo out to eat.

Su Mo sat stiffly in her chair, actually failing to grip her chopsticks properly.

At first, Li Qiuhua thought she was just unaccustomed to using her left hand, so she proactively moved the chopsticks closer to her hand.

When Su Mo picked up the chopsticks to grab food, as she moved, Li Qiuhua unexpectedly saw a purplish-blue spot on her wrist.

"Momo, are you hurt?"

Li Qiuhua asked with immediate concern, wanting to lift her sleeve to check.

But to her surprise, Su Mo pushed her away with an agitated burst of emotion.

"Don't touch me!"

Li Qiuhua's eyes widened in disbelief.

She had no idea what she had done wrong.

Su Mo seemed to sense her emotion and explained with great impatience, "I'm not hurt. I just hate people touching me."

To prevent the atmosphere from becoming even more strained, Li Qiuhua nodded repeatedly.

"Alright, I won't touch you."

Su Mo chewed her food mechanically, like a cold machine.

Li Qiuhua's hands continued to tremble slightly.

"When are you bringing Qiangqiang back?" Su Mo suddenly brought up Su Qiang again.

"Ah?" Li Qiuhua's heart thudded. "How about we wait until Wang Shusheng's seventh-day mourning period is over? Besides, Qiangqiang is so rowdy; I'm afraid he'll come back and disturb you."

Su Mo put down her chopsticks and turned her head to stare straight at her.

Sweat was already covering the palms of Li Qiuhua's hands and her neck. "W-what is it?"

"Have you been crying?" Su Mo's voice remained devoid of emotion.

Li Qiuhua immediately touched her eyes and explained flusteredly, "After all, Wang Shusheng and I were husband and wife once. Since he died like that, someone has to cry for him."

"He should have died a long time ago."

Facing this version of Su Mo, Li Qiuhua was terrified of saying the wrong thing and could only continue to nod.

"There is something I need to tell you. This weekend, our grudge will be settled." Su Mo's gaze took on a hint of distortion.

Li Qiuhua looked confused, not quite understanding her meaning.

Su Mo stood up. "Su Yan."

Li Qiuhua's head buzzed. Did she mean they were going to deal with Su Yan this weekend?

She wanted to ask for clarification, but Su Mo had already closed the door.

At this moment, far from feeling any excitement or joy, Li Qiuhua felt a sense of suffocation.

She even had the illusion that the person in the house was no longer her daughter!

***

Late at night, Li Qiuhua woke up startled from a nightmare.

In her daze, she seemed to hear some movement in the courtyard.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she chose to go out and look.

She tiptoed, not daring to make even the slightest sound.

After much difficulty, she made her way to the outer room door, only to find it slightly ajar.

She remembered very clearly that she had specifically bolted the door before sleeping.

She cautiously pushed the door open a little. When she saw clearly what was happening in the courtyard, even the hairs on her head stood up in terror.

Su Mo, wearing only a thin inner garment, was sitting cross-legged in the center of the courtyard, her entire body surrounded by a cloud of black energy.

And on her exposed left arm, the purplish-blue spots were eye-catching and gruesome.

Li Qiuhua clamped her hand tightly over her mouth; she recognized those—they were clearly livor mortis, the spots that only appear after death!

***

Weekend.

Xinghua High School was bustling with people.

As a traditional competition event in Xinghua for the past decade, Li Weimin had organized it so that all students could not forget to exercise even amidst their intense studies.

After a brief introduction to the route around the city, a whistle blew, and the race officially began.

The Ma siblings, Chu Long and his sister, stood at the back of the crowd with Su Yan, watching everyone rush forward.

For the Ma family, who had undergone strict training since childhood, winning first place would be as easy as picking fruit from a tree if the siblings so desired.

Once ninety-five percent of the students had rushed out of the school, Ma Chu Long said to Su Yan, "Shall we go too?"

"Okay," Su Yan replied.

The three of them began a leisurely jog.

A satisfied smile hung on Li Weimin's face. As his gaze swept over the three of them, he thought of the words Wang Wenming had said to him.

Right now, he truly couldn't see anything special about Su Yan in the crowd, but he was quite surprised—why was Su Yan on such good terms with the Ma siblings who had just transferred in?

(End of Chapter)