Chapter 25: Squandering Good Intentions

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Su Nuo stared blankly at the milk candy for a while, but in the end, she still could not bring herself to pick it out of the trash.

She felt somewhat contemptuous of herself.

She used to be able to eat anything. Had she now become too fastidious even to touch a milk candy that had been thrown into a trash can?

Yet no matter how hard she tried, she could not make her hand reach out. At last, she turned her gaze away and began searching for something else to eat.

She never forgot that she was a servant now, no longer the eldest daughter of the Su family.

The servants’ food had all been eaten, so there was nothing else left for her.

She could not touch anything in the refrigerator, nor could she take things from the storeroom at will.

After a brief search, she finally found a dry piece of bread left over from the morning.

After an entire day, it had become as hard as a rock.

This was the kind of bread Su Nuo had always disliked, though everyone else in the Duan family loved it.

Looking at it, she thought she could probably go without eating.

But her stomach betrayed her and growled.

She licked her lips, poured herself a cup of hot water, then broke the dry bread apart and began chewing slowly.

She had not eaten all day. The moment food entered her stomach, however, she began to feel even worse.

Pain swept over her, and cold sweat broke out across her body.

Su Nuo could not help giving a self-mocking smile.

Su Nuo, Su Nuo—you really are pathetic.

You used to eat garbage and even dirt without getting a stomachache. And now you cannot even straighten your back because of the pain?

Suddenly, a familiar pair of slippers appeared before her. She instinctively opened her mouth to apologize, but the bread in her hand was snatched away by Duan Yubai.

“You’re eating this?”

His grip was strong, yet the bread did not deform in the slightest. Only a few crumbs fell to the floor.

“I’m sorry. I’ll clean it up right away.”

Su Nuo immediately crouched down to pick up the crumbs.

Duan Yubai seized her wrist and forced her to stand and face him.

When he saw how pale she was, he quickly released her.

“Did I hurt you?”

Su Nuo shook her head, pressing her hand tightly against her stomach.

“Your stomach hurts?” A trace of anxiety entered Duan Yubai’s voice.

When Su Nuo nodded, he turned around almost instantly and began searching for stomach medicine.

He used to suffer from stomachaches frequently, so Su Nuo had always kept his medicine by the doorway.

But no matter how he searched today, he could not seem to find it.

“Xiao Nuo, where’s the medicine?”

He turned and saw Su Nuo leaning against the wall, slowly sinking into a crouch.

A mark on the back of her right hand made Duan Yubai frown instinctively.

A burn?

But when had she gotten burned?

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“The left drawer. The blue medicine box.”

Su Nuo gritted her teeth and forced out the words.

Only then did Duan Yubai find the medicine.

He placed the pills in Su Nuo’s hand, quickly poured her a glass of warm water, and watched as she swallowed them.

The instant the warm water reached her stomach, Su Nuo finally felt herself come back to life.

So menstrual cramps and stomachaches were both pains that could not be endured.

In the past, whenever she felt unwell, she had only hoped that Duan Yubai would show her a little more concern.

But what had he said every time?

“Are you a child? Do you still need attention?”

“Su Nuo, don’t you think using a stomachache as an excuse every time gets old?”

“When are you finally going to grow up? I’m busy!”

Duan Yubai had always spoken to her coldly, as though none of her troubles mattered to him.

But now that she was doing her best to avoid him, why did he suddenly care?

Was this the archetype of the domineering CEO from the novels she used to read?

Late-arriving devotion was worth less than grass.

That was what Su Nuo thought, though she still thanked him aloud.

“Thank you.”

“Why are you only eating now?”

Duan Yubai looked down at Su Nuo, who was crouching on the floor, his gaze fixed on the back of her hand.

Judging by its color, the burn should have happened today.

She had not even prepared dinner, so how had she been burned?

Was it when she served him soup earlier?

He immediately dismissed the thought.

He had watched her serve the soup, and she had not moved at all. If she was injured now, why had she not said a word?

Given her personality, she should have already begun making a scene, demanding that he agree to one of her conditions before she would stop crying.

Yet Su Nuo merely leaned against the wall and slowly stood, as though she could not feel the pain in her hand.

“Your hand…”

“Miss Su, why did you throw all the candy away? That candy is very hard to find.”

Mo Xiaoxue had come downstairs at some point and was now leaning against the wall beside the kitchen, smiling brightly at Su Nuo.

Su Nuo’s pupils suddenly widened.

She thought again of the video Mo Xiaoxue had sent her. Mo Xiaoxue still had so much candy—so very much.

When Su Nuo recalled what was in those videos, her scalp went numb.

This time, Duan Yubai clearly felt Su Nuo’s body trembling uncontrollably.

Why?

Why was she afraid of Mo Xiaoxue?

Was it because Mo Xiaoxue had taken her room, and she resented her for it?

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Before Duan Yubai could figure it out, Mo Xiaoxue spoke again.

“President Duan, surely you weren’t the one who gave this to her? Miss Su has always been so good at trampling on other people’s kindness.”

Only then did Duan Yubai look toward the trash can—and he flew into a rage.

“What is the meaning of this?”

The candy had clearly been given to her by him, and she had accepted it. Why had she thrown it into the trash?

Su Nuo stood frozen, not knowing how to explain.

Should she say that a child had snatched away her candy, and that the child’s grandmother had thrown it out?

Would anyone believe her?

Whether anyone else believed her or not, Duan Yubai certainly would not.

Mo Xiaoxue sighed. “Miss Su, even if you’re throwing a tantrum, you should know when to stop. You shouldn’t waste President Duan’s kindness.”

She looked at Su Nuo with a faintly mocking smile, but inwardly she was consumed by hatred.

That candy had clearly been hers to give to Duan Yubai. Yet he had taken advantage of her gift and passed it on to Su Nuo?

So all his usual coldness and anger had merely been an act?

This man still had Su Nuo in his heart!

Why?

“Su Nuo! What is the meaning of this?”

Duan Yubai clenched his fists tightly, his anger beyond description.

Was she doing this deliberately because she was angry?

Simply because he had seen through her staged kidnapping and refused to pay the ransom?

Was she now childishly pretending to be the victim, hoping to win his sympathy?

His gaze flicked once more to the red mark on her fair hand.

Su Nuo truly knew how to endure. She had said nothing about the burn, waiting only for him to discover it and feel sorry for her.

She had not protested when she was given no food, timing everything so that while he worked overtime and drank coffee at night, she could hide in the kitchen and eat dry bread.

She would rather suffer a stomachache so severe that she could not stand than eat the candy he had given her?

“Su Nuo, you’re really something!”

He strode forward and seized Su Nuo by the chin, forcing her to tilt her head up and meet his eyes.

His familiar breath brushed across her face, and for one brief moment, Su Nuo was dazed.

Seeing anger stain that handsome face, Su Nuo began trembling again despite herself.

Mo Xiaoxue hurried forward and pulled Duan Yubai’s hand away.

“President Duan, forget it. Miss Su still has to appear on camera tomorrow.”

She cast another seemingly casual glance at Su Nuo.

“If Miss Su has marks on her face, the reporters at the press conference will claim once again that the Duan family abused her.”

“What press conference?”

Su Nuo spoke stiffly, her heart rising into her throat.

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