Chapter Ten: Confession

A few simple words, when bitten off by his elegant and deep voice, seemed to be about dinner, yet somehow sounded like they were about something else entirely.

Su Mian knew well that the more she tangled with him, the more invigorated he became. Though her face was hot enough to fry an egg, she pretended not to catch the subtext and lowered her head to shoo him away. "Thank you for your hard work, Chef Shang. You should hurry back and rest."

Some people understand what is left unsaid, and some do not. Shang Jiuxu clearly belonged to the former.

After he left, the atmosphere in the dining room lightened. Qin Lingling sighed and relaxed her shoulders. "Now that the Great Buddha has been ushered away, I finally dare to eat properly. The pressure emanating from the Head of the Shang family... it’s not something an ordinary person can handle." She widened her eyes dramatically. "I was sitting so close to him that my blood flow felt like it slowed down by a beat!"

Seeing that Qin Lingling had finally started eating with abandon—much like Zhu Bajie after three days of fasting—Su Mian was used to it, but said helplessly, "Don't choke."

Qin Lingling widened her eyes again. "With food this delicious, it would be worth it even if I ate until I went blind!"

Su Mian smiled at her and picked up the minced meat tofu. "Do you want me to pour this into your rice bowl?"

"Yes, yes, please." As Qin Lingling mixed her rice, she asked, "Are you full? This whole table is tailored to your taste. Is it because the Big Boss Shang’s eating habits are similar to yours, or..."

She hesitated, leaving the question hanging. Su Mian nodded. She folded a napkin to dab at her lips—which were perfectly fine—and answered for her: "The latter."

Even during family gatherings, he would cook the dishes she loved, sometimes even going against the preferences of the majority. "The Shang family actually has very mild palates; they aren't used to spicy food." She, however, was the type who couldn't live without spice.

During the Chinese New Year hotpot, only she and Shang Biehan were truly happy, though Shang Biehan would be satisfied after just a few bites, sticking his tongue out while gulping down cold water.

Shang Jiuxu would play along and eat with her, while Father Shang had no interest, and Grandfather Shang hadn't been able to handle spice since he was young.

Having two separate sets of dishes for a single feast had become the norm.

Upstairs was filled with warmth and joy, but downstairs was silent and desolate.

Shang Jiuxu sat on the sofa, his black shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. One hand propped up his forehead as he called his executive assistant. "Book a psychiatrist."

Yesterday's intimate contact with her was no different than drinking poison to quench thirst; his rampaging possessiveness was suffocating him.

Just moments ago, seeing Su Mian laughing and chatting with her assistant, so vivid and moving, the thought that his three-year plan was still in its final stages made his bone-deep longing and manic restlessness scream, corroding his heart.

The moment Su Mian picked up food for Qin Lingling, he had wanted to kill Qin Lingling, then snap Su Mian’s limbs and lock her in a cage, so she could never smile at anyone else again and would only ever weep beneath him.

He sighed and leaned his head back against the sofa, the tendons in his neck tightening in a display of raw, masculine tension.

He was losing his grip on this craving.

In Myanmar, rationality was the greatest luxury, and the more beautiful the hope, the more agonizing it became in a desperate situation.

If there was ever a shred of regret after placing his bet against Father Shang, it was the fear that he was no longer a normal human being, but a devil who would drag her into hell—yet she was the only one who could save him from the abyss.

Bloodshed and violence drive normal people insane. He did not want to hurt her; he must not hurt her.

Shang Jiuxu rubbed his brow and added to his assistant, "Don't look for a new doctor. Send a private jet and bring Therius over from Los Angeles. Let him set his own terms."

On the sixteenth floor, Su Mian and Qin Lingling were well-fed and oblivious to the crisis that had nearly unfolded.

Su Mian went to Shang Biehan’s wine cabinet to retrieve a bottle of red wine. She didn't really understand these things; despite being raised in the Shang household, she had no interest in the long, complex terminology and mostly drank based on intuition.

Shang Biehan, however, was a wine fanatic who often swindled bottles from Shang Jiuxu. Once, after wandering around Shang Jiuxu’s private residence, he walked out with a bottle of brandy and even took it back to the old mansion to show off to their grandfather. The two of them had secretly finished most of the bottle.

It was Su Mian who had discovered them in time and stopped them, lecturing the little old man until he huffed and puffed in annoyance, after which he measured a tiny bit with his fingertip and begged her for a small plate of smoked black pig ham.

Su Mian followed the sticky note Shang Biehan had left on the bottle and poured the wine into a decanter to breathe. "My second brother, that playboy—these notes were probably written for his seven-day girlfriends who don't know anything about wine, just to make it easier for them to help him decant it. Now, it’s my gain."

The dishwasher ran in the kitchen, emitting the sound of flowing water. She sat back at the dining table and listened as Qin Lingling wiggled her eyebrows gossiping, "Does the Second Young Master really change girlfriends every week? The media isn't exaggerating?"

"Most don't last more than seven days. But he is actually quite devoted while each relationship lasts."

Su Mian washed two glass cups. Shang Biehan didn't care about the media's assessment of him, otherwise, it wouldn't be public knowledge. She pondered for a moment, "Though there was one who lasted over a year."

A year wasn't particularly long, especially when many couples endure seven-year marathons or ten-year journeys to marriage, but for someone as fickle as Shang Biehan, it was a long time.

Su Mian recalled, "Four years ago, when I was in my final year of high school, a strange international call summoned me to Italy. I actually thought that one might be my future sister-in-law."

"What happened? Why did she call you?" Qin Lingling was brimming with interest.

"She was pregnant—with my second brother's child."

Su Mian poured the decanted red wine into the stemware. The deep red liquid against the clear glass looked quite elegant. "But she was afraid that jerk, Shang Biehan, wouldn't want it, so I accompanied her to the hospital."

Su Mian’s tone grew heavy. She felt both sorrow for the unborn nephew she never met and regret for the girl, who was in the prime of her youth but had met the wrong man. "She was only twenty then. I don't know what Shang Biehan said to her, but even though she was so reluctant to part with the child, she chose to go through with the abortion."

The topic silenced them both for a while. They took a few sips of wine in silence. Su Mian touched the cold wall of her glass and opened a new subject. "Actually, I was the one who intentionally provoked Huo Chong. Whether it was mentioning the Shang family style or deliberately drinking that spiked wine, I did it all hoping the news would reach Shang Jiuxu’s ears."

Qin Lingling looked up, stunned. She hadn't expected Su Mian to pivot from such a heartbreaking story and drop such a bombshell. "What?"

"I had been out of contact with Shang Jiuxu for too long, and I had tried every method." Su Mian pursed her lips, a flicker of helplessness in her eyes. "To put it poetically, because the longing was so vast, and because I know him too well, using my own safety to threaten him into coming to see me—that was the last resort I had to use."

"This..." Qin Lingling was shocked by Su Mian and gave her a thumbs up. "Girl, I’m impressed. You really have guts."

Who was Huo Chong? A veteran capitalist near the top of the entertainment industry's food chain. Don't let his constant, easygoing smile and "nice guy" persona fool you; his methods behind the scenes were ruthless.

"That popular starlet from Hanjiang Media who wanted to leave Huo Chong after she got famous—have you seen her lately? She was directly frozen out. People in the industry say she was sent abroad, and rumor has it she’s living a miserable life."

Qin Lingling was too cautious to say more. Su Mian sighed. "People like Huo Chong don't even spit out the bones when they eat you. I honestly didn't think this clumsy ploy would actually work."

After all, she had barely been able to protect herself.

Qin Lingling was also filled with lingering fear. "So, what’s your next move?"

"Did you know that Shang Jiuxu has a fiancée?" Su Mian set down her wine glass, interlaced her fingers, and looked at her.