Baihe Fan

Chapter 13: The Yang Family

Su Mi was almost in a daze, staring at Shen Han with her mind blank. She just stared at Shen Han for a while until she suddenly felt like she was falling into those icy blue whirlpools. Then she heard Shen Han ask:

“What are you doing here?”

“R-riding a bike,” Su Mi answered instinctively.

Then she realized she had said something completely meaningless.

Shen Han glanced at her and said, “Since when did you develop a stuttering problem?”

Gripping the handlebars, Su Mi couldn’t help scratching the side of her face, feeling like she had turned into an idiot in Shen Han’s eyes. Trying to salvage the situation, she added, “I mean, Secretary Zhuang brought me out to watch the sunset, but he had an urgent matter to attend to, so he told me to go ahead. I was just wandering around the South Garden and ended up here.”

Shen Han gave a noncommittal hum, making it unclear if she believed her or not, and asked, “Where did he recommend?”

Su Mi let go of the handlebars and approached Shen Han’s car window, showing her the picture on her smart device.

“Here, it looks like some place with a fountain,” she said.

Shen Han glanced at it and said, “That’s not the best viewing spot in the South Garden. The best place is on the side of that mountain over there. Secretary Zhuang has already sent Xu Nanqiao back. I’ll take you there.”

Su Mi: ???

She stared incredulously at the woman in the car. Shen Han, with her cold, fair face, was also looking at her. Her eyes were indifferent as she asked, “What?”

Su Mi didn’t know what to say. She had gone to great lengths to give Shen Han some alone time with Xu Nanqiao. Why was she… so did Shen Han call Secretary Zhuang back?

No, did this person still not get it?

Su Mi couldn’t help scrutinizing Shen Han. From her hair to her chin, her face was perfect, except for the cold expression and unapproachable demeanor, and the sharp tongue.

She seemed like the kind of CEO in the novels the system had shown Su Mi recently, who had never lacked anything and therefore didn’t know how to love, not even realizing she had fallen in love.

Never mind, no epiphany then.

Su Mi sighed unconsciously.

When she came back to her senses, she noticed that Shen Han had been calmly letting Su Mi look at her all this time.

Only when Su Mi came to and sighed did Shen Han speak. “Had enough of looking?”

Her tone was icy.

Su Mi suddenly felt like a small animal, sensing that Shen Han was in a very bad mood.

What she had intended to politely refuse turned into fawning eagerness. “I have, I have. Sorry, sister, your beauty is more magnificent than the sunset. The thought of sitting by your side, admiring the sunset, feels like an unparalleled honor!”

Shen Han: “…”

Su Mi looked at Shen Han expectantly.

She knew that while she wasn’t great at flattery, she was excellent at showing loyalty.

If she looked at the other person with this sincere gaze for ten seconds, they would definitely—

Shen Han narrowed her eyes, slightly raised her chin, and said, “If that’s the case, don’t get in the car. Follow along.”

Faced with Su Mi’s expectant gaze, the car window darkened gradually, obscuring Shen Han’s sharp, beautiful jawline.

The privacy feature activated, leaving only Su Mi’s reflection in the window.

The reflection of the light blonde-haired girl looked stunned, with a face full of question marks.

Su Mi: ???

Defeated!

Su Mi internally screamed in frustration, also noting that this big boss of an antagonist was completely unaffected by her flattery.

Maybe she was even disgusted; otherwise, why would she make Su Mi ride the bike while following her car—though it required no effort on her part.

Watching the low-key black business car start to move, Su Mi obediently got on her assistive bike.

She waved enthusiastically to where she thought Shen Han was in the car, then followed the vehicle out of the South Garden’s gate.

Outside the gate, Su Mi looked back and saw Shen Han’s car stop as a security guard came out from the post, bending to speak with someone inside the car.

Needing Shen Han to lead the way, Su Mi also stopped her bike.

Outside the gate was a circular flower bed, and around the corner were several parked cars.

Why are there cars parked here? Coming to visit the South Garden?

Su Mi tilted her head, watching several people get out of those cars.

Leading them was a middle-aged couple, followed by a shorter woman and what looked like bodyguards and relatives.

They headed straight for the South Garden’s gate.

Su Mi watched them for a while before gripping her handlebars tightly.

She quickly rode her assistive bike back to the security post at the gate.

The group moved fast; before Su Mi could even stop, a girl’s voice called out from behind.

“Su Su!”

Panting, Yang Er ran up, her delicate figure and teary eyes grabbing Su Mi’s wrist as she approached.

Choking up, she said, “Su Su, it’s so good to see you here. Can you take us inside to see Miss Shen?”

Su Mi was taken aback. See Shen Han?

Isn’t she in the car right next to us?

Caught in a dilemma, Su Mi reluctantly stopped her bike and looked back at the black business car nearby, pretending it was unintentional.

The windows were closed tight.

But she was probably watching the commotion.

“Su Su, please, the security here won’t let us in, and we can’t contact Miss Shen. We mean no harm…”

Yang Er tearfully clung to Su Mi’s wrist, her mouth constantly pleading.

By this time, the Yang family had also arrived.

If she remembered correctly, they were in the fashion business, having made a fortune elsewhere before moving to the capital city. In recent years, they had thrived, partly due to their connection with the Su family and even the Shen family.

Their attire showcased luxury brands from head to toe.

Seeing Yang Er had caught Su Mi, Mrs. Yang approached, clutching her handbag, looking equally pleading. “Miss Su, please, Yang Er and you have always been close. You know she has no ill intentions. She just made a mistake. We’re sincerely here to apologize to Miss Shen.”

“Yes, Su Su, you know me. Over the years, we’ve been good friends, haven’t we? I didn’t mean to cause any harm…” Yang Er’s voice was desperate, almost crumbling.

Su Mi: “…”

She finally understood that Yang Er was behind the incident.

No wonder she came to test the waters yesterday after school.

Probably because she heard that Su Mi had asked Shen Han to investigate the matter and couldn’t bear the consequences, she wanted to plead…

But why apologize to Shen Han? Wasn’t Xu Nanqiao the victim?

Su Mi frowned and said, “This has nothing to do with my sister. If you want to apologize, you should go to Xu Nanqiao. She was the one you almost harmed.”

Mr. Yang quickly chimed in, wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead, “Of course, we plan to apologize to her, but Miss Shen…”

Mrs. Yang hurriedly interrupted him, saying, “Miss Su, you don’t understand. Miss Shen refuses to see us and has suggested that we leave the capital. You know how hard it has been for our family here. We just want to see her to explain and offer compensation. Please, help us meet Miss Shen.”

As she spoke, Mrs. Yang also grabbed Su Mi’s arm.

Su Mi, almost overwhelmed by this mother-daughter duo, saw their faces up close, feeling goosebumps where they touched her. She quickly shook them off, stepping back.

“I don’t understand,” she said, “you need to take responsibility for your actions. Yang Er, you’re also an Omega. Think about it—if you were surrounded by a dozen unsavory Alpha pheromones, would you want to forgive the culprit?”

Yang Er, taken aback, seemed lost. “I… I…”

Mrs. Yang quickly said, “She knows she was wrong. She’s just turned eighteen and doesn’t understand the consequences. Maybe those people acted on their own. Miss Su, you’ve always known she’s too timid to do such things on her own. Someone must have instigated her…”

She reached behind her and pinched Yang Er, who immediately started crying.

“Yes, I didn’t think it through. I just wanted to teach Xu Nanqiao a lesson. I did it for your sake, Su Su,” Yang Er sobbed.

“Don’t say you’re doing this for me,” Su Mi waved her hand, exasperated. “Do you think I don’t know your real intentions? I’ve told you to be kind to Xu Nanqiao. I didn’t expect you’d twist my words like this.”

Mr. Yang hurriedly said, “Miss Su, that’s not important now. Yang Er was wrong. We’ve spoiled her too much. Yang Er!”

With that, he turned and slapped Yang Er hard across the face.

“Slap!”

Yang Er’s cheek immediately reddened. She held her face, the fake crying stopped abruptly, and tears flowed down.

Mr. Yang pushed her to her knees, pressing her shoulders down.

“She was wrong, and we only want to see Miss Shen to explain and compensate. Please, let us meet her.”

Su Mi took a step back, looking at the crying Yang Er on her knees, feeling surreal.

“Think of another way,” she said. She didn’t want to get involved in this mess, especially with Shen Han watching from the car. If they said anything that implicated her, it wouldn’t be worth it.

She really didn’t want to get involved in this mess, especially since the big boss was sitting in the car watching. If these people said anything that implicated her, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Just as she was about to retrieve her assistive bike and leave, Yang Er seemed to have a moment of realization. She crawled on her knees, grabbing the hem of Su Mi’s skirt, crying out, “Miss Su, please help us… I don’t want to go back to D City…”

Su Mi was startled, quickly covering her skirt with her hands, “No, no, please get up.”

She was quite troubled by this scene. Looking at Yang Er crying and pleading, and Mr. and Mrs. Yang muttering prayers, with a few bodyguards and relatives surrounding her, the quiet entrance of the South Garden had turned into a chaotic marketplace.

Su Mi felt overwhelmed, stepping back repeatedly. Her wrist was grabbed by Mrs. Yang again, urgently pleading for a chance to meet Shen Han.

In that moment, a cold voice cut through the noise.

“How long do you intend to cause a scene?”

The crowd around Su Mi suddenly parted like the Red Sea. The grip on her wrist loosened as she was pulled backward by an icy, pale hand, almost stumbling into Shen Han’s protective embrace.

Author’s Note:
Commemorating the first hand-holding (in a physical sense)