Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The original host was already a college freshman, soon to turn nineteen, while Su Su in reality was in her mid-twenties. Being called 'baby' completely stunned her!

"Why didn't Youming drive you home?" The woman glanced at the driver before stepping forward to ask.

As the woman drew closer, Su Su could clearly see her face in the light filtering from under the eaves.

The woman was Zhang Liqi, the original host's mother. She had an oval face, a healthy, glowing complexion, and a curvaceous figure, clearly indicating she was meticulously well-preserved.

According to the novel's backstory, Su Yaobo had lost his wife and son in a car crash and was hospitalized himself. It was then that Zhang Liqi, fresh out of college and working at the hospital, met and fell in love with him.

Su Su took a subtle breath, doing her best to mimic the original host's tone. "He didn’t have time to come."

Zhang Liqi didn’t notice anything amiss. She simply murmured in response before linking arms with Su Su and leading her into the grand hall.

The hall was obscenely opulent. Su Su's senses had already been overwhelmed by excessive luxury and splendor earlier, so now, seeing these, her expression remained remarkably composed.

On the sofa sat a man, engrossed in a magazine.

Su Su looked up—it was Su Yaobo, the original host’s father.

Su Yaobo was now sixty-five, twenty years older than Zhang Liqi. Bathed in the light, strands of silver could be seen in his hair. Though he had aged, his features remained sharp and handsome, radiating an air of cultured sophistication.

"Oh, Dad, you're home," Su Su greeted naturally.

"What brings you home so suddenly?" Su Yaobo looked up at her. "Didn’t you say you were going out with Youming tomorrow?"

Su Su sat down on the sofa, debating whether to mention calling off the engagement right away.

"What’s wrong with your face?" Su Yaobo asked directly, his gaze sharp. "You look awful."

Su Su bit her lip and took the plunge. "I told the housekeeper to pack up all my belongings tomorrow. I won’t be going back to live there anymore."

Su Yaobo raised his brows curiously. "Did you and Youming have a fight?"

"We didn’t fight." Su Su’s mind raced as she struggled to phrase her thoughts. "We’ve lived together for months, but he still doesn’t like me at all."

"I don’t want to get engaged to him anymore." Her voice was so soft she could barely hear herself. "Can I call off the engagement?"

The atmosphere seemed to freeze for a moment.

Zhang Liqi looked at her, her tone slightly stern. "Baby, just two days ago you asked us to move the engagement party forward. Why have you changed your mind so suddenly?"

"Besides, didn’t you say Youming was starting to like you?"

Su Yaobo was used to his daughter’s ever-changing moods, so he wasn’t particularly surprised. "Have you thought this through?"

"Dad, I’ve thought about it very seriously." Su Su nodded. "All this time, I’ve been the one forcing him to be with me. If we get married, I’ll be trapped in misery."

Zhang Liqi was stunned by these words, her nose stinging as she was on the verge of tears.

Her daughter had finally come to her senses.

It wasn’t that Zhang Liqi thought Tao Youming was a bad match—she just didn’t want her daughter to love a man so desperately and humbly.

Su Yaobo raised his brows slightly, his tone unhurried. "People’s judgment is weakest at night. Wait a couple more days before making a final decision."

"Once you’ve decided, I’ll discuss it with the Tao family."

Hearing their relatively calm reactions, Su Su exhaled quietly, feeling like the matter might be easier to resolve than she’d thought.

The Tao family had three sons. The eldest and second were both accomplished young men, the elite of high society. But by the time it came to Tao Youming, it was as if the genes had mutated—he turned out to be a good-for-nothing playboy.

Tao Youming’s father was perpetually annoyed by the horde of gold-diggers chasing after his son. Only by freezing his accounts did Tao Youming finally rein in his behavior.

Given the original host’s unexpected fling with Tao Youming, the Tao family had acquiesced to the engagement without much fuss. But if the engagement were to be called off now, they would naturally have to reconsider.

Since the original host had often threatened to break off the engagement before, Su Su understood why Su Yaobo didn’t immediately agree. She could always revisit the topic later.

"Can I stay at home for now?" she asked.

Su Yaobo couldn't have been happier. If not for his daughter’s infatuation with the youngest Tao son, he would never have let her move out in the first place.

"Of course. You can come back anytime you want," he said cheerfully, his face breaking into a grin.

Su Su hadn’t expected Su Yaobo to agree so readily.

She looked up and, under the light, saw nothing but unconditional love in his gaze.

According to the story’s setting, the original host’s bratty, entitled behavior was largely the result of her parents’ indulgence.

Su Yaobo had lost his wife and child in middle age, hitting rock bottom. After marrying Zhang Liqi and having a daughter, he doted on her excessively.

Su Su’s eyes pricked with tears, her emotions in turmoil. Then, a selfish idea took root.

In reality, Su Su had grown up in an orphanage, having never known the comfort of a normal family. If possible, she didn’t want to go back.

Humans were selfish by nature, and she wanted to cling to this love.

Once she got her answer, Su Su went upstairs to her room.

An eighteen-year-old’s heart was still very much that of a girl’s. The room was drowned in pink, and the walk-in closet overflowed with high-end branded clothes and shoes in every color, screaming privileged teenage fantasy.

After taking inventory, Su Su went to take a shower.

Her first night in this world was blissfully uneventful.

To express her joy and enthusiasm for this new life, Su Su was up at the crack of dawn the next morning.

She took the maids and driver out in the chauffeured van for a shopping spree.

From jewelry to clothes, cosmetics to perfume, she went on a blitz through high-end stores—only to end up walking away empty-handed.

Every time she wanted something, a maid would say, "Young miss, you own this exact piece. And we have something similar at home too."

Though she had plenty of money, Su Su ultimately couldn’t justify the purchases after hearing that.

Exhausted, she sat on a lounging chair in the mall, planning to find a place for lunch soon.

But before long, a woman in uniform approached her and said, "Miss Su, your fiancé requests your presence."

Su Su was exhausted but reluctantly followed the gesture—only to make out Tao Youming browsing watches inside a watch store.

"I don’t know him," Su Su said bluntly. "You must have the wrong person."

The woman looked slightly troubled but left anyway.

Not long after she left, Tao Youming marched right over.

Su Su looked up lazily and said straight out, "I already talked about our matter last night. They'll give me a reply in a few days."

Tao Youming pressed his lips together and replied, "That's not what I came to talk about."

Su Su looked up at him, her eyes suspicious.

Tao Youming sat down beside her, coughed lightly, and lowered his voice. "Let me borrow your card for now. I'll pay you back in a couple of days."

Earlier, Tao Youming had ordered an automatic watch. When the salesperson called to ask if he wanted it delivered, he happened to be nearby and decided to pick it up in person.

But to his surprise, just as he was about to take the watch and leave, the polite, attractive clerk said something that threw him into complete embarrassment: "Mr. Tao, after deducting the deposit, you still need to pay 168,500. Will you be paying by card?"

Only then did Tao Youming realize that when he initially bought the watch, he had only paid just a small deposit—not the full amount!

If he had known earlier, he would’ve just had it delivered to the family estate. But now... how could he walk out without paying?

Su Su turned to him in surprise. "You want to *sawadee-ka*?"

It took Tao Youming a moment to understand what she meant before he explained, "I’m not borrowing your card for free. I’ll get you the money in two days."

Su Su gave a sweet smile. "No."

Tao Youming was taken aback and immediately countered, "A thousand a day in interest."

Su Su scoffed, her slender eyes curving as she looked at him with amusement. "Do I look like I need your thousand bucks?"

Tao Youming clenched his jaw. "Two thousand."

Su Su turned her face away, but Tao Youming pressed on. "Five thousand! I’ll definitely pay you back in two days!"

Su Su sighed softly, couldn't be bothered with him.

"Ten thousand," Tao Youming said, fuming with frustration. This woman suddenly felt so different—she wasn’t like this before. "Su Su, we're still connected right now. You can’t just refuse to help in an emergency!"

Hearing this, Su Su slowly turned her gaze back to him. "Letting you borrow it for ten grand a day isn’t impossible, but I have one more condition."

Tao Youming took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and then said, "As long as it doesn’t involve selling my body or soul, anything goes."

Su Su chuckled lightly. The original Su’s ruthless methods naturally made Tao Youming despise her, so he often complained to his friends about how wicked and malicious she was.

Mischief twinkled in Su Su’s eyes as she said, "I want you to make a post on your social media feed."

Tao Youming relaxed slightly, leaning back slightly as he glanced at her with a casual tone. "What kind of post?"

Su Su pondered for a moment before slowly replying, "You write: 'Su Su is the most beautiful, kind, and adorable fairy I’ve ever met in my life.'"