Su Yue stared, her mind racing to process the information Su Minghua was giving her.
Meaning, her current transfer was arranged by Chen Ziming behind the scenes?
Why would Chen Ziming do this?
A faint sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.
She had indeed told him that her relationship with Su Minghua was poor, but based solely on what she had said, it was entirely unnecessary for such a drastic action.
Unless...
He knew something.
"Stop playing games with me here," Su Minghua said in a low voice. "I can see it clearly, Chen Ziming is so smitten with you that he's lost his senses. He even claims to have leverage over me and is using it to threaten me."
"Su Yue, don't forget your mother still lives with me. I would never harm her, but if she knew her happy, fulfilling marriage was actually like this, what would she think?"
"She doesn't have a job, and her friends are all people she met through me. I am her support and her hope for a good life..."
Mentioning her mother, Su Yue truly panicked and immediately interrupted him, "What do you want!"
"Heh, so you're scared now?" Su Minghua sneered, his mood finally improving.
Su Yue suppressed her panic as she looked at him, her gaze like she was looking at a lunatic gone mad.
"I don't want anything, really. I'm just resentful that my career is ruined and you've run off with him..."
He took a sip of tea, his cold eyes glancing at her. "But I know I'm destined to not be able to outplay Chen Ziming."
"It's just that he has leverage, and I have your mother. He listens to you, so go tell him to stop thinking about dealing with me, and let's just live in peace."
Su Minghua was, after all, wary of that leverage.
Compared to being disgraced and losing everything.
His current stable position was acceptable.
However, he couldn't trust Chen Ziming. Who knew if this young master would one day feel provoked again and, if displeased, target him once more?
This was also a way to remind Su Yue, to prevent her from plotting behind his back.
The silent revenge was underway.
He had to be cautious this time and leave himself an escape route.
...
Su Yue didn't know what mood she was in as she spent her mother's birthday.
Her mind was full of worries, constantly trying to guess what Chen Ziming was thinking and what he knew.
After leaving home, she didn't go to find him.
The string of bothersome events made her suddenly consider escaping.
Besides, she was going abroad anyway.
Feeling agitated, the taxi passed the bridge from last year. She asked the driver to stop and got out.
This time, she had no intention of committing suicide.
She just looked at the river under the night sky.
The events with Chen Ziming over the past year and more rushed back to her.
And those words that had reassured her—
"With me here, you have nothing to fear."
"Even if I'm angry, I won't hurt you."
"I promise you in front of my medal."
...
Why did he always repeat these words?
She hadn't noticed it before, but now she realized something was off. A normal boyfriend wouldn't act like this.
And what she had doubted before, why did Chen Ziming never ask about her parents, or why she didn't go home during summer vacation and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
What if he had known for a very long time, and she had ulterior motives?
What if he had known for a long time that she was afraid of Su Minghua for another reason?
A long-forgotten fear suddenly struck her.
It wasn't the fear of being hurt.
It was the feeling of having hidden something for a long time, only to find out you had been discovered all along, and they were merely playing along.
To be understood thoroughly.
To feel like she was being controlled in the palm of their hand.
She stood by the bridge, pausing for a long time as she had last time.
It wasn't until late into the night, nearing the dormitory's closing time, that she called a car and left silently.
Final exams passed, and summer vacation arrived.
There was only one month left until she flew to Britain.
She had been reluctant before.
But now, looking at the man who came to pick her up, her feelings were very complicated.
She almost wished she could leave early.
In the car.
"How were your exams,宝贝?" Chen Ziming said, controlling the steering wheel with one hand and reaching out the other to rub the head of the girl beside him.
Su Yue didn't answer, gently avoiding his touch.
"What's wrong?" He immediately sensed something was amiss. As the car hadn't yet left the campus, he pulled over to the side of the road.
It was this feeling.
This feeling that she couldn't hide any of her actions or emotions from him.
Once again, it surged into her heart.