Chapter 58 Using Strength against Strength

Seeing that Duan Yubai had a countermeasure, Duan's parents finally let out a sigh of relief.

Duan Yubai had never let the family down, nor would he ever joke about company matters.

Upon seeing this, Madam Duan also relaxed.

"Xiaonuo, since your brother has a way to handle this, you should go back to your room and rest."

Madam Duan gently stroked her hair. "I heard you weren't feeling well today either? Well, a girl should always take care of herself. Self-respect and self-love are the most important things, you know?"

Su Nuo nodded perfunctorily, having no desire to explain further.

How could she still talk about self-respect and self-love?

Was following Duan Yubai's instructions to accompany an old man considered self-respect, self-love, and self-reliance?

A few months ago, Su Nuo would certainly have argued her case logically and firmly.

She would have cried and made a scene, even dragging Duan Yubai along to confront Wang Debin face-to-face.

She would never have swallowed this injustice and would have demanded justice for herself no matter what.

Now, however, things were different.

Su Nuo understood that those who believed in you required no explanation.

As for those who did not believe in you, any explanation you offered would merely be regarded as an excuse.

It was just like how Chi Ling had placed the evidence right in front of everyone's eyes, yet none of them believed it.

Perhaps they did believe it, but they couldn't even spare a single word of apology or comfort.

Su Nuo smiled bitterly to herself.

How could she ever hope to receive fair treatment in this household?

Not a single person in this family treated her like a human being; she should have known that long ago.

An unlovable pet dog was ultimately destined to end up as a stray.

Thinking of her own potential future, Su Nuo couldn't help but shudder.

Perhaps her end would be even worse than that of a stray dog?

The Duan family might not be able to cover the sky with one hand, but Duan Yubai could certainly block out the sky above her head.

Ensuring she would never see hope or sunlight again.

Su Nuo could not remember how she had managed to return to her room.

The moment she closed the bedroom door, she finally began to gasp for breath.

Her phone chimed with a notification. Seeing that it was a WeChat message from Chi Ling, she opened it at top speed.

Chi Ling: [Are you alright? I heard you have a fever.]

Su Nuo: [I'm fine. How are you? Will President Wang give you a hard time? Will Duan Yubai dock your salary? Did they make things difficult for you?]

There was still much more Su Nuo wanted to ask, but she was afraid of annoying Chi Ling.

Sure enough, five full minutes passed without a reply from Chi Ling.

Su Nuo lay on the bed, feeling rather dejected.

She knew she had dragged Chi Ling down this time.

Chi Ling was merely a bodyguard and assistant with no particular background.

If even Duan Yubai refused to protect him, what would he do if Wang Debin came after him?

Su Nuo sat up straight on the bed with a jolt.

At that moment, her phone rang again. It was still Chi Ling.

[Open the door.]

Without a second thought, Su Nuo rushed straight to the door and quickly turned the knob.

A large bag of snacks came into view.

"I didn't know what you liked to eat, but these should last you a while. Just make do with them for tonight."

Chi Ling's indifferent voice sounded, yet Su Nuo felt an extraordinary sense of reassurance.

"Thank you. I... I'll pay you back once I get my salary."

Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

"Alright," Chi Ling said with a smile.

Hearing the amusement in his voice, Su Nuo finally raised her head.

She saw that there was a smile in his eyes as well.

She was somewhat puzzled.

"You didn't get chewed out, did you?"

She looked around cautiously, terrified that someone else might overhear.

Chi Ling gave a light chuckle. "No one said anything to me. Rest assured."

"Then... President Wang?" Su Nuo momentarily didn't know what to ask.

Chi Ling truly seemed to be completely fine.

Yet she knew Wang Debin was not a man to be trifled with.

Back when she was still an arrogant and domineering Miss Su, he had completely disregarded the dignity of both families and harassed her repeatedly.

Now that she could hardly be considered a young mistress anymore, he would let her off even less.

How could he possibly let Chi Ling off the hook?

Sensing her confusion, Chi Ling lowered his voice and said, "I know he has a mistress, and she's pregnant."

Su Nuo widened her eyes in disbelief.

How could he possibly know that?

Chi Ling gave a cough. "I'm a bodyguard after all. Colleagues from my former bodyguard agency mentioned this matter before, so..."

So he had used leverage against leverage, employing this piece of information as a threat.

If Wang Debin were merely hit with a few gossip rumors, it wouldn't actually matter much.

After all, there was no substantial evidence.

However, news of an actual child on the way was an entirely different story. That wife of his would never let slip such a golden opportunity.

The reason the two of them had never divorced was simply because they couldn't agree on the division of assets.

Both wanted a bigger share, yet neither was willing to back down.

In that case, it all depended on who could get a grip on the other's fatal weakness.

What Chi Ling didn't mention was that he had spent quite a bit and owed massive favors to pull this off.

Still, he felt it was all worth it.

Holding the large bag, Su Nuo felt her nose beginning to sting once more.

She hadn't been this prone to crying before, not even when she was stranded at the resort; why was she always on the verge of tears now?

"Chi Ling, thank you."

Su Nuo awkwardly twisted the handles of the bag in her hands. Apart from saying thank you, she felt she could do nothing else.

Chi Ling gave a hum of acknowledgment. "Treat me to a meal when you get paid. I'm heading off."

With a casual wave of his hand, he walked straight back to his neighboring room.

Su Nuo sniffled, feeling her mood improve slightly.

As long as Wang Debin didn't trouble Chi Ling, everything else could be managed.

Back in her room, after some thought, she moved her bed to a different spot.

She remembered that Chi Ling's bed seemed to be positioned near the window, so she rearranged her own room to match.

It seemed that being a little closer to Chi Ling gave her a greater sense of peace.

And that night, she slept soundly through till morning.

When her phone alarm went off in the early hours of the morning, she tiptoed out of bed.

The moment she opened her bedroom door, she spotted instant bird's nest soup, fever-reducing medicine, and cold medicine lying on the floor.

Su Nuo froze for a moment, then glanced toward Chi Ling's room.

It had to be Chi Ling.

Seeing that he had given her so many snacks yesterday, he must have worried about her nutrition and bought bird's nest soup on top of that.

Thinking of Chi Ling's modest income, which wasn't particularly high, Su Nuo suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

If not for her, Chi Ling would probably have been able to save every penny of his monthly salary.

She resolved to pay him back as soon as possible, and at the very least, make sure she could take care of her own meals from now on.

Happily, Su Nuo gathered all the items into her bedroom, entirely missing the patch of light coming from the living room.

Duan Yubai had spent virtually the entire night working in the living room.

He didn't know why he had done so, only feeling that staying there might allow him to catch any sounds coming from Su Nuo's room.

Hearing her gather up all the items and put them away, a corner of Duan Yubai's mouth curved upward.

Just like a little hamster, knowing enough to hoard its food away; she wasn't completely foolish.

When his gaze fell upon the trending searches on Weibo, the smile on his lips widened even further.

Since that Wang Debin refused to be sensible, he would just have to teach him the consequences of disobedience.

He closed his laptop, stood up, and finally headed back to his room.

Hearing the sound of Su Nuo's bedroom door opening, he let out a soft sigh.

It seemed she really had put herself through the wringer these past few months.

He almost missed that reckless, uninhibited, and arrogant little Su Nuo.