Chapter 22 I Don't Have a Father

After half a month of twists and turns, Xue Zuining ultimately followed Elder Su to Yunnan.

Ever since the incident where their vehicle was tailed and tracked, everyone had been on high alert. Unless absolutely necessary, Xue Zuining had to stay quietly in her room, which was the safest course of action.

Pushing open the window of their residence in Yunnan, one was greeted by the tranquil and serene Erhai Lake, guarding this magical land like a mother. In the distance, towering mountains had given birth to thousands of rivers, nourishing the hardworking people of this earth.

When Su Yi arrived, he only saw a focused yet languid woman leaning against a rattan sofa, her pen sketching something. Stepping closer, he realized Xue Zuining was copying the distant scenery.

"Not bad."

This brief comment made Xue Zuining turn her head abruptly, only to find Su Yi's magnified face filling her field of vision.

"Why are you here?" Seeing the man who had been as elusive as a dragon during this period suddenly appear before her, Xue Zuining felt a strange sensation stirring deep within her heart. She wanted to ask him about that man, but she did not know how to broach the subject.

Su Yi raised an eyebrow, took her sketchbook, and flipped through a few pages. Most of the works were landscapes, but when he turned to the final page, his gaze shifted instantly from the drawing to Xue Zuining's face.

At first, Xue Zuining did not comprehend the look in the man's eyes, but soon she remembered the contents of that drawing and stood up to snatch it back.

Su Yi, however, deliberately raised his hand higher, his peach-blossom eyes lifting upward, looking exceptionally pleased as if he had caught someone red-handed. "Didn't you say you were making a clean break? Didn't you say you would never pay attention to that man again? Well then, my beautiful Xue, explain to me why you were secretly drawing his portrait?"

Facing his deliberate teasing, Xue Zuining found herself momentarily at a loss for words to retort.

Watching her struggle for a comeback, Su Yi was immensely delighted. This woman was simply all talk and no heart. Look at her—clearly missing him intensely, yet putting on a pretense of utter indifference.

Very well, she could keep up her stubborn denial all she wanted; he had his ways of making her admit it obediently.

"Hey, tell me, why are you here deliberately provoking me? Since when has someone as important as Lord Su had so much time on his hands?" Xue Zuining sat down, took a sip of water to calm her mood, and looked up at him leisurely. "Besides, if you're here to act as a lobbyist, you'd better watch out."

"Watch out for what?"

"That's right. Watch out for Grandfather stripping the skin and pulling the tendons off a fine, decree-defying older brother like you."

"Heh, not a chance. You can rest easy. As for me, I'm not here to waste my breath." Su Yi, fully composed and unhurried, took out a red invitation card. "In a few days, it's Lu Huaining's wedding. I'm here to ask whether Elder Su will attend. After all, the ties between our two families are deep; we can't afford to be discourteous."

"A wedding? Lu Huaining is getting married?" Xue Zuining bristled like an agitated cat.

"You didn't know?" Su Yi crossed his arms and looked at her. "He proposed in America a week ago. The bride-to-be is said to be Ning Cair'er, whom you've met, you know."

Xue Zuining frowned, ignoring him entirely as she turned to walk straight out.

Su Yi quickly blocked her way. "Hey, where are you going? The man is finally stepping into the sacred hall of matrimony—you're not planning to hijack the groom, are you?"

"Of course not." Xue Zuining glanced at him and smiled abruptly. "I'm just going to skin him alive, that's all."