Chapter 13: Don’t Tarnish Su Nian’s Name

Su Nian had obtained her drone pilot license and handled the controls with ease, winning cheers with every flight. She was outstanding and confident—no wonder Lu Jinchuan fell in love with her at first sight. A woman like her truly had the qualities to attract men.

Wen Ying objectively believed that Su Nian possessed genuine charisma: gentle, poised, carefully cultivated from a young age, intelligent and ambitious, with enough beauty to be the center of attention wherever she went.

Yet…

Everything Su Nian had was stolen.

Su Nian’s mother had once been close friends with Wen Ying’s mother. Coming from a poor background, Su Nian’s mother had been supported by Wen Ying’s mother, who paid her tuition and helped her through graduate school.

But in the end…

Su Nian’s mother plagiarized the academic papers Wen Ying’s mother had painstakingly written over two years, publishing them under her own name.

She trampled over Wen Ying’s mother to climb the social ladder, then, after becoming pregnant, went abroad to marry a wealthy foreigner.

Now, Su Nian shone brightly, needing do nothing to claim everything that should have belonged to Wen Ying.

Wen Ying’s eyes turned cold, a bitter irony filling her heart.

Su Nian excelled academically. After she left the stage, a swarm of reporters rushed forward, eager to interview her and Lu Jinchuan.

Wen Ying stood near the center, and the reporters brushed past her several times, causing her to stumble and her ankle to throb painfully.

Struggling to steady herself, she overheard a reporter ask, “The atmosphere between you two is quite extraordinary—does this mean good news is on the horizon?”

Wen Ying looked up.

Lu Jinchuan held Su Nian protectively, shielding her from the reporters’ touch, his dark brows furrowed with an imposing intensity. “Please, don’t touch her.”

The female reporters instantly looked starstruck.

“Mr. Lu is so kind to Miss Su—are they planning to get married? They really are a match made in heaven!”

Uncertain whether it was her imagination, Wen Ying thought Lu Jinchuan glanced briefly in her direction.

What did that mean?

Was it a warning to “behave herself”?

Suppressing the sharp pain in her ankle that seemed to radiate upward, twisting her lower abdomen, Wen Ying bit her lip and tried to walk away.

Her arm was suddenly grabbed.

She met the wary gaze of Huo Jinran, who said, “What are you trying to do? I advise you not to cause trouble. It’s just an interview—don’t try to smear Su Nian and make things awkward for everyone.”

Wen Ying froze for a moment, then realized what he thought—he feared she would rush over to break them apart and babble nonsense in front of the cameras.

Her pale face hardened with icy resolve. She flung off Huo Jinran’s hand sharply.

The coldness in her eyes was almost palpable, able to pierce through a person.

She didn’t even deign to say another word to him, turning and walking away step by step.

Her slender figure was straight and resolute.

Huo Jinran stood there, stunned.

He stared after her for a long moment before lowering his gaze to the hand she had thrown off.

He could still faintly feel the softness of her skin, which inexplicably left his throat dry.

But Wen Ying’s expression had been far too cold, as if…

She despised him.

For three years, she had always been kind and tried to please people in their circle.

Now, this change left him momentarily disoriented.

Had he misread her? Or had Wen Ying finally snapped?

“What are you staring at so intently?” Cheng Mu approached, tapping him on the shoulder.

Huo Jinran snapped out of it, frowning as he curled his fingers. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

This was probably Wen Ying’s new tactic!

—

Wen Ying pulled a bottle without a label from her bag and swallowed a bitter pill dry. The taste made her frown as the pain in her abdomen intensified, forcing her to curl up slowly.

Fortunately, she hadn’t driven today. After sending a WeChat message to He Xicheng, she left the venue.

Domestic specialty medicines no longer did much for her; she needed targeted foreign drugs to stabilize her condition. After confirming the medication with her doctor, she took painkillers and fell asleep under the covers until noon the next day.

The urgent ringing of her phone woke her.

She glanced at the screen—it was Mrs. Lu calling. Ensuring she didn’t sound weak, she answered, “Grandmother?”

The elderly woman was in high spirits. “My dear, how was your day playing on Qingxu Mountain with Jinchuan?”

“Qingxu Mountain?” Wen Ying replied, puzzled.