Chapter 50: It Shouldn't Be Too Late

Closing the door behind her, Su Nuo stood there in a daze.

He said he would always protect her?

Waves of emotion rippled through Su Nuo’s heart, and a faint warmth seemed to bloom in her palm.

When her phone vibrated, she flinched suddenly.

Seeing the word “Brother” flashing repeatedly on the screen, she quickly answered the call.

“Where are you?” His voice was weak, thick with nasal congestion.

“I’m sorry, I—I’m at home.”

Su Nuo gripped the phone tightly, her voice cautious and tentative.

Duan Yubai responded with a brief grunt before hanging up.

The dial tone buzzed in her ear, and Su Nuo found it strange.

It was already past eleven at night; shouldn’t Duan Yubai be with Mo Xiaoxue at this hour?

Recalling the earlier call with Mo Xiaoxue, she closed her eyes, a prickling pain spreading through her heart.

She had convinced herself she no longer cared, but after so many years, could feelings be so easily set aside?

Thinking about Mo Xiaoxue’s provocations in recent days and how Duan Yubai and his family turned a blind eye, she smiled bitterly to herself.

What status did she have? How could she even dare to harbor such hopes?

Su Nuo quickly took a shower, and once her body warmed, she finally lay down on the bed.

Before falling asleep, she opened WeChat again and saw she had been mentioned.

Opening her Moments, she saw a photo of two hands intertwined.

It was posted by Mo Xiaoxue.

“The one who loves me and the one I love are the same person—who understands?”

The background was unmistakably the hotel from that day, with its intricate and distinctive patterns.

The large hand holding Mo Xiaoxue’s belonged to Duan Yubai, didn’t it?

Su Nuo’s breathing grew heavy as she silently exited WeChat.

She didn’t want to like the post, and she couldn’t.

She recalled how Duan Yubai had once strictly forbidden office romances, and she had vehemently opposed it.

Back then, she dreamed of being his personal secretary, sharing every day with him.

But he had firmly rejected the idea.

“If you don’t work properly and only think about love, how can the company progress?”

“Su Nuo, what exactly is on your mind? Is it all just love and romance?”

He said she was infatuated and foolish.

He accused her of neglecting the family business, caring only for pleasure.

He called her a useless little fool.

Su Nuo’s eyes stung with tears; she had always thought “useless little fool” was an endearing nickname.

Now, she realized he must have long since grown tired of her.

She drifted into a hazy sleep but didn’t get up the next day.

Only when persistent knocking echoed through the door did she groggily stagger to open it.

“Miss, didn’t you say you’d make breakfast? Where is it?”

Cui Jie’s harsh voice pierced her eardrums, now tinged with a dampness that made it even sharper to Su Nuo’s ears.

“You won’t let us in the kitchen, and now you won’t even get up to cook. If you can’t manage, just tell us.”

“Master is off to work now—are we supposed to starve?”

“Do you think since the young master’s not home, you can shirk your duties and torment us?”

Each word was a direct accusation, as if cooking breakfast were Su Nuo’s sole responsibility.

Su Nuo propped herself wearily against the doorframe.

“I’m sorry, I’m not feeling well.”

She vaguely saw the villa door open as Mo Xiaoxue helped Duan Yubai inside.

“Cui Jie, is breakfast ready? Make another pot of ginger soup—the master might have caught a chill last night.”

Mo Xiaoxue’s voice was anxious, but she didn’t notice Su Nuo.

Cui Jie shot Su Nuo a sharp glance before hurrying back to the kitchen.

The Duan family, who had originally intended to check on Su Nuo, now gathered around Duan Yubai.

“Son, what’s going on?”

Duan’s mother placed her hand on Duan Yubai’s forehead, then gasped in alarm.

“He has a fever—what happened? Call the doctor at once!”

“Xiaoxue, weren’t you two out together yesterday? What’s going on between you?”

Hearing about Duan Yubai’s fever, Su Nuo wanted to get up and check on him, but the headache pinned her down completely.

“This is…” Mo Xiaoxue hesitated, struggling to find words.

Duan’s father demanded sharply, “What happened?”

“Yesterday, there was a dinner with President Wang. Miss Su left early with him.”

Mo Xiaoxue bit her lip, steeling herself.

“Master Duan was worried about his sister and searched the hotel all night. That’s how he caught the chill.”

“I didn’t want to make a fuss or ruin Miss Su’s reputation, but Master Duan…”

Her voice trembled with tears.

“Miss Su said she and President Wang are old acquaintances and that she went to finalize a contract. I thought she just wanted to make a good impression, so I didn’t think much of it.”

“I heard before that President Wang and Miss Su had a different kind of relationship—I didn’t expect she would actually leave with him.”

“Even if it’s for the contract, it’s not acceptable…”

She trailed off, but everyone understood what she meant.

Duan Yubai’s face was pale, but his gaze was piercing.

“Where is Chi Ling? Send Chi Ling and others to find her immediately!”

His voice was hoarse, laced with anger.

“Find out which room President Wang is staying in—I want to see him at once!”

Clenching his fists, his eyes were bloodshot.

Mo Xiaoxue looked to Duan’s parents, expecting them to share her indignation and condemn Su Nuo’s supposed impropriety.

But their expressions were inscrutable.

She sensed something was off but assumed it was just their inability to accept Su Nuo’s behavior.

Her tone grew even more mournful. “I tried to stop her, but Miss Su said it wasn’t the first time. Before, she…”

Mo Xiaoxue’s words cut off abruptly as she stared at Su Nuo in disbelief.

“Miss Su? Why are you home?”

Su Nuo, feverish and shivering, sweat cold upon her skin, fixed her gaze on Duan Yubai.

Seeing he was only somewhat weak, she felt a flicker of relief.

She kept telling herself her concern was because if anything happened to Duan Yubai, she would bear the blame.

Yet she couldn’t help but want to check on him.

How pathetic.

She cursed herself inwardly and sniffled.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so I came back early.”

“That’s impossible! I clearly saw you go to the room with President Wang!” Mo Xiaoxue blurted out.

Duan Yubai turned to her. “If you saw it, why didn’t you stop them?”

“I—I thought Miss Su and President Wang…”

“They didn’t do anything,” Chi Ling cut her off.

“President Wang was drunk and tried to make a move, but I brought the young lady back.”

Chi Ling walked in from outside, carrying several hotel takeout bags.

He respectfully placed the breakfast on the dining table.

“Miss wasn’t feeling well yesterday and specifically asked me to buy breakfast for everyone.”

He glanced at Cui Jie, who dared not breathe too loudly. “That shouldn’t be too late, right?”