Chapter 16: The Reveal

Qu Bainam slammed on the brakes, pulling the Red Flag luxury car to the side of the road.

Before Chen Su could react, a passionate kiss attacked her fiercely.

In the dim light, Chen Su caught the lust flickering in Qu Bainam’s eyes. She was momentarily stunned, forgetting to resist.

By the time she gathered herself, a set of keys was already in her hand.

Qu Bainam, as gentle as coaxing a kitten, stroked her hair. “I bought an apartment near your school in Clearwater Bay. If you really don’t want to live at the Qu family estate, you can stay there. It has plenty of rooms, and you can have Wen Zhi come keep you company.”

Chen Su looked down at the key card in her palm, feeling a bit lost.

She raised an eyebrow. “You bought this for me?”

Qu Bainam gave a short hum. “I might stay there occasionally too.”

Chen Su scoffed softly, a pang of irony stirring in her heart.

That “occasionally” was probably whenever his physical needs arose.

She rolled down the car window, hooked her finger around the car key, and without hesitation, tossed it into the grass beside the road, right in front of Qu Bainam.

“Drive me directly to the West Garden Complex,” she said calmly. “That’s where my rented apartment is.”

Qu Bainam glanced sideways but said nothing.

“If you don’t take me, I’ll call a cab and go myself.”

Seeing that Qu Bainam wouldn’t budge, Chen Su reached for the door handle but found it locked.

She frowned. “Qu Bainam, open the door.”

“Chen Su,” the man’s voice came cold and dismissive, a faint sneer underlying it. “You’re the second miss of the Qu family. You’re living in a run-down place that’s over twenty years old. Do you think I’d just ignore that?”

“What do you mean, then?”

Chen Su lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “Because I’m the second miss of the Qu family, you think where I live would disgrace the Qu name?”

Her school was in the old downtown district, surrounded mostly by older buildings.

The average price was around forty thousand per square meter.

Though the apartment looked shabby from the outside, the interior was freshly renovated.

Chen Su made a living through painting, so she needed a space suitable for her art. This apartment was the best match she could find after thorough searching.

Qu Bainam gave her a sidelong glance. “It’s not just because you’re the Qu family’s second miss.”

“Then why?” Chen Su pressed.

Qu Bainam grabbed a cigarette from the center console, lit it, and flicked the ash. “You can think of it this way—I just can’t stand seeing you suffer in such a broken-down place.”

Chen Su found it amusing. “I’m paying a high price to rent this place, and in your eyes, that’s suffering?”

Qu Bainam frowned. “Chen Su, do you really want to argue with me?”

“What else? Should I welcome you with a smile?”

Her smile was thin and cold. “You and Shen Zhiwei are probably going to get engaged soon, right? She wouldn’t want her future husband to care more about his own sister than her.”

No woman in the world could have a heart that big.

After all, Shen Zhiwei knew her brother’s sordid thoughts.

Qu Bainam’s handsome face blurred behind the haze of smoke, his features softening.

Just as the tension between them thickened, Chen Su’s phone suddenly rang.

It was Song Mingyu.

She hesitated for two seconds before answering and switched to speakerphone.

Song Mingyu’s voice was filled with concern. “Su Su, I heard from the school that you were bullied. Are you hurt? Did you go to the hospital? Where are you now? I’ll come find you.”

Chen Su glanced at Qu Bainam. “I’m in my brother’s car. He said he’d take me to my rented place.”

She paused. “But he seems busy. Can you come pick me up?”

“Send me your location. I’m on my way.”

Song Mingyu obeyed Chen Su without hesitation and grabbed his coat on his way out.

Once inside his car, he added, “Turn on location sharing, or I won’t feel at ease this late.”

Chen Su responded with a soft “okay,” glanced at Qu Bainam, and sent the location to Song Mingyu.

The next moment, the phone was snatched from her hand by the man, who switched it off and tossed it into the back seat.

She frowned. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking you to your rented apartment.” Qu Bainam crushed the cigarette, started the engine, and sped toward the West Garden Complex.

The two sat in silence all the way.

When they arrived at the complex entrance, Chen Su grabbed her suitcase filled with art supplies and stepped out. “I’m here.”

Qu Bainam looked at her through the half-open window. She stood alone in the night like a solitary little rabbit.

It reminded him of the first time they met, just like this.

Back then, everyone at the cemetery was dressed in black, except her—wearing a white dress, pure and clean, as if she belonged to a different realm.

At the time, he found it novel.

It wasn’t until Chen Su came to the Qu family that he learned her aunt had forcibly taken over all the inheritance that should have been hers after the tragedy that befell her parents.

That day at the funeral, no one told this little rabbit she should be wearing black.

No one wanted to take care of her.

Suddenly, Qu Bainam felt that the rabbit he’d raised needed to stay by his side.

After a brief thought, he glanced in the rearview mirror to see a familiar Porsche Cayenne approaching steadily.

It was Song Mingyu’s car.

On impulse, Qu Bainam opened the door, got out, and walked over to Chen Su.

Chen Su looked surprised. “What are you doing?”

Qu Bainam chuckled softly, took a step closer, and cupped her face. “Su Su, no one in this world will treat you better than I do, not even Song Mingyu. So don’t be with him, okay?”

He leaned down and kissed her lips directly.

At that moment, the Cayenne’s headlights shone on the two before switching off.

Song Mingyu stepped out, almost convinced he was seeing things. “You two…”