Chapter 309: You Win
Deng Zilu was truly relieved that she hadn’t openly clashed too much with Su Tao.
As for helping Chu Yue plan and secretly fanning the flames, there were risks, but she didn’t regret it.
If it worked, she could avenge her father’s death and even gain an ability user’s crystal core for free. Although it could only be used for a short time, it might save her life in a crisis—worth the gamble.
If it didn’t work, she was confident she could clear herself of any involvement.
As soon as Su Tao sat back down, Lin Fangzhi squeezed Qian Rongrong out of the way and sat beside her. His beautiful eyes were filled with concern as he looked at her.
No one was more sensitive than him, especially to Su Tao’s emotional shifts.
Su Tao patted him. “I’m fine, let’s eat something together.”
With that, she calmly picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
It wasn’t until after the meal, when everyone dispersed, that she returned to the corridor. Sure enough, she saw two men with bruised faces sitting against the wall.
Seeing her, they still had some dignity left and turned their heads away at the same time.
Su Tao took out some wet wipes and handed them each one. “Done fighting? Wipe yourselves off.”
Lei Xing quickly snatched one and roughly wiped his face.
Shi Zijin took his and slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth before pressing it against his bruised chin. Then he began to reflect:
“I was wrong.”
Lei Xing glared at him and immediately followed up: “I was wrong too.”
Honestly, he had no idea what he did wrong, but admitting fault first was crucial.
Su Tao sighed as she looked at them.
“You guys acting like this makes me feel terrible. It’s my fault for not handling this sensitive situation well, which made you go so hard on each other.”
And they really did go all out—just look at the bruises. No way they could show their faces today.
Lei Xing felt uneasy hearing that. “It’s because I kept pestering you. It’s not your fault.”
Shi Zijin subconsciously nodded in agreement.
Lei Xing caught that nod in his peripheral vision and nearly exploded with frustration, mixed with a little grievance.
“Let’s be honest here—I don’t think I did anything wrong! Not only that, but I also feel like I’m the victim here! I never led Chu on, never gave her any false hope, yet she still insisted on barging into my life. And because of her, I have to lower my stance compared to Shi Zijin while pursuing you. I—”
He cursed under his breath and ruffled his hair in frustration.
Shi Zijin grabbed his hand. “Enough already. I just nodded, and you’re losing it?”
“Of course! Your nod itself is aggravating. Can’t I defend myself?”
As the argument flared up again, Su Tao interrupted.
“How about you two just fight again?”
They both instantly went silent.
Su Tao took out a gift box that Fire Snake had given her last time and shoved it into Lei Xing’s arms.
“Take it back. I won’t accept it.”
Lei Xing was momentarily stunned.
Su Tao spoke sincerely, “Lei Xing, you’ll meet the right girl one day, but that person won’t be me.”
Lei Xing felt his blood turn cold. His voice was hoarse. “Give me another wet wipe.”
Su Tao handed him one.
Lei Xing took it, then suddenly smacked it onto Shi Zijin’s face. “You win.”
Then he turned and left.
Shi Zijin calmly removed the wet wipe, wiped his face again, and secretly rejoiced.
But before he could enjoy the victory too much, Su Tao turned to him.
“And you—I don’t know why you suddenly changed, but I have no certainty about it, so I can’t accept you right now either. Get up and let Kaiyu heal your wounds. There’s still a banquet tonight. We won’t be able to keep Jiao Qing’s situation hidden for long, and Dingnan’s people will definitely get suspicious. We also need to be wary of Chu Yue. So, you still have work to do as my bodyguard.”
When Shi Zijin heard the word “temporarily,” his heart settled.
Temporarily—not a straight-up rejection like Lei Xing.
*
The summit banquet was quite the spectacle. A small dance floor had even been set up on the first floor, surrounded by tables and chairs, with waiters weaving through the crowd to the music.
Many guests wore formal attire—but not Su Tao.
She simply changed into a light blue everyday dress, tying her hair up to reveal her smooth, youthful forehead. She radiated energy and vitality.
From a distance, Deng Zilu spotted her and felt a twinge of envy. Youth was such a wonderful thing.
Even though Jiao Qing’s ability kept her face forever young, her aura had a sense of aging, creating an uncanny contrast.
Speaking of Jiao Qing, Deng Zilu couldn’t help but tense up.
Jiao Qing had been missing all day. Her communicator was unreachable, and Chu Yue couldn’t contact her either.
The plan had likely been exposed and failed, and Jiao Qing was probably already in Su Tao’s hands.
Just then, Su Tao looked over. Though she was smiling, her eyes were sharp and probing.
Deng Zilu braced herself and walked over, greeting Su Tao while feigning curiosity.
“Miss Su, did you see Mrs. Jiao this afternoon? I tried calling her, but she didn’t answer. Even her husband is looking for her.”
Su Tao’s smile didn’t change, but her words nearly scared Deng Zilu to death.
“I saw her once this afternoon, but all she did was slip me a note. It said that leading me to the lounge earlier today was actually your idea. She planned to drug me and offer me to an old man as a plaything—all to get back at me for not saving your father.”
Deng Zilu’s hair nearly stood on end, and her lips trembled violently.
But she had a strong mind. In less than half a minute, she regained her composure and spoke with visible emotion:
“She’s lying! At first, I was misled by my mother’s biased words and held a grudge against you. But after the car-smashing incident, I understood what really happened—it was my mother’s fault. I never intended to take revenge on you.
“Besides, you’re with Taoyang now. I wouldn’t dare do anything against you. Ercheng warned me repeatedly to build good relations with you. If I went behind his back and harmed you, he’d definitely kill me. Miss Su, I’m just an ordinary woman. In this apocalypse, without Ercheng’s love, I wouldn’t survive. There’s no way I’d risk my future just to get revenge on you.”
Every word was calculated and heartfelt, making even Su Tao momentarily doubt herself.
If Deng Zilu was acting, she was damn good at it.
Suppressing her doubts, Su Tao nodded.
“You have a point. But then why would Jiao Qing give me such an inexplicable note, targeting you specifically?”
Deng Zilu wasn’t sure if Su Tao was testing her or if Jiao Qing had tried to frame her.
A thousand thoughts raced through her mind before she finally settled on looking aggrieved.
“I don’t know.”
No matter how Su Tao questioned her, she played dumb, claiming she was just a small fry on the fringes of Jiao Qing’s social circle.
Su Tao was tempted to just drag her away for interrogation, whether she was faking it or not.
Just then, Jiang Jinwei noticed them and approached with a group of friends. Glancing at Deng Zilu, she asked Su Tao:
“Is she your friend?”
Before Su Tao could answer, Jiang Jinwei turned to the ladies beside her and said,
“Look, this is my sister, Su Tao. She’s living in Taoyang now. Weren’t you all interested in Taoyang? You can ask her about it.”
