Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The woman's eyes sparkled as she extended her hand generously. "Hello, Miss Su. My name is Liu Pei."

"Pleasure to meet you," Su Su replied with a faint smile, returning the courtesy.

Qi Rui seemed reluctant to engage in further conversation. After a brief exchange of greetings, he left and headed upstairs.

Zhang Liqi's test reports weren't ready yet, so the three of them sat nearby to wait.

"Who was that girl?" Zhang Liqi asked curiously. Their interaction earlier seemed quite intimate. Yet, despite her long-standing friendship with Tao Youming's mother, she had never heard of this Liu Pei before.

Tao Youming casually looked at the woman beside him. Her expression was calm, her eyes unreadable, as if she had no interest whatsoever in Zhang Liqi's question.

"My youngest uncle's ex," he answered with a smile.

"Ex-girlfriend?" Zhang Liqi's voice carried a hint of surprise. "I thought she was his current girlfriend."

"They broke up a while ago," Tao Youming said lightly, as if it were just a casual remark. "They wanted different things. She wanted to stay in the U.S., while my uncle wanted to return to China."

"That's too bad," Zhang Liqi mused. "She seemed nice enough—a good match for Qi Rui."

"But Liu Pei is back in the country now," Tao Youming added, his eyes flickering toward Su Su, as if he had something more to say to her. "Probably trying to win him back."

He deliberately raised his voice slightly on the last sentence, as if ensuring Zhang Liqi wouldn't miss it.

Su Su shot him a sidelong glance, just as he turned to look at her. Their gazes collided in the air, sending sparks of tension.

Tao Youming smirked, running his tongue over his lip lightly. "Though my uncle hasn't agreed yet. Who knows about the future?"

Su Su knew exactly what Tao Youming was thinking. He remembered her past interest in Qi Rui and was now using this to remind her—or perhaps test her.

"Why are you telling me this?" she muttered through gritted teeth. "How petty."

Before she got to know Tao Youming, she had indeed had a crush on Qi Rui. But after meeting him at the Tao family home, that attraction had completely died.

Qi Rui was too perfect—brilliant, gorgeous, and refined. Though Su Su now carried the veneer of a wealthy heiress, she knew deep down she couldn't measure up.

Even if she grew and improved, becoming more refined and accomplished, the gap between them would remain insurmountable. So she had moved on.

And she didn’t regret it. When it comes to love, she knew choosing someone who truly suited her was far more important.

Having grown up in an orphanage, her experiences had shaped her personality—her love for money, her craving for family, her desire for a man who balanced her inner world.

Tao Youming, a lifelong rebel, disliked studying but loved visiting the orphanage. He had no grand ambitions, and the Tao family didn’t place heavy responsibilities on him. He lived freely.

Plus, she had grown fond of him. So really, choosing him wasn’t a bad idea.

But it seemed he still didn’t trust her. Lowering her voice, she added, "Stop bringing up irrelevant things like this in front of me again."

She had no interest in Qi Rui now, nor did she want details about his relationships—especially not from Tao Youming’s mouth.

Her sudden shift in attitude threw Tao Youming.

After a brief pause, realization dawned on him. A faint glimmer of amusement flickered in his dark eyes before vanishing just as quickly.

"Alright," he said, secretly delighted. He had long wanted to tell her Qi Rui wasn’t right for her, but saying so outright would only start a fight.

Hearing her say it herself eased his mind.

"Won’t mention it again," he added, a cocky smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Not a word."

Zhang Liqi, confused by their coded exchange, frowned. "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing," Su Su said, standing up. "Give me the card. I’ll check if the results are ready."

Without waiting, she took the medical card from Zhang Liqi and headed to the self-service machine.

After retrieving the results and confirming with the doctor that everything was fine, the three of them left the hospital.

Back at the Su residence, Zhang Liqi invited Tao Youming to stay for dinner, but Su Su went straight upstairs.

Noticing her bad mood, Tao Youming followed. Just as she was about to close her door, he caught the door with his hand.

Leaning against the doorframe, his fingers resting lightly on the edge, his collar slightly undone to reveal the elegant line of his collarbone, he smirked.

"Are you upset?" His charming smile added a rakish air to his handsome face.

"Why would I be?" Su Su looked away, her brows knitted in annoyance. "What’s there to be upset about?"

"About what I said earlier—about Qi Rui." He cleared his throat, hiding his guilt. "You didn’t like it."

Su Su was indeed annoyed. Her feelings for Qi Rui were ancient history, yet this man kept acting as if she still harbored some residual feelings. His earlier remarks about "getting back together" made it seem like she was still hung up on Qi Rui, which pissed her off.

"Then why did you say it?" She turned to glare at him. Was he trying to get a rise out of her?

Tao Youming pushed the door open and stepped inside casually. Standing before her, he looked down, his lashes dipping shadows.

"Because I don’t feel secure," he admitted. "I didn’t know how to ask you directly—afraid you’d get angry—so I resorted to the dumbest way to test you."

He knew he was acting childish. Back when Su Su had only smiled at him, he hated how clingy she was. Now that she had once been interested in someone else—someone far more accomplished than him—he couldn’t shake his doubts.

It was a frustrating feeling, like knowing something was off but being powerless to control it.

Su Su paused, stunned. Tao Youming, footloose and fancy-free, backed by his powerful family, was the last person she’d expect to hear say "I don’t feel secure."

Because of her?

Pursing her lips slightly, she retorted, "I used to think your uncle was worth pursuing, but it wasn’t some grand romance. Was that really worth worrying over?"

"Besides, I have no connection with him now. You don’t need to make a big deal over nothing." She decided to lay it out plainly, to avoid future misunderstandings.

"Mostly, I just didn’t dare ask," Tao Youming confessed. "If I had the guts, why would I test you?"

"Am I really that scary?" Su Su let out a frustrated laugh. When did he turn so timid? "So scary you’re afraid to ask me things?"

Tao Youming lowered his head, pondering how to answer without making her mad.

But he didn’t want to lie. After a moment, he drawled, "Kinda. Your temper’s not small. Might want to work on that—otherwise, who’d put up with you besides me?"

Su Su snorted, gnawing her lip hard. "If my temper’s so bad, why are you still clinging to me? You’re shameless!"

As she released her lip, the faint imprint of her teeth lingered on the flushed surface, as if deliberately enticing.

Gazing at her, his eyes softened with warmth, his voice husky. "Doesn’t matter if your temper’s bad. Just keep liking me, that’s all."