Zhou Suisui ran all the way back to her hotel room.
She closed the door behind her, leaned against it, and panted heavily.
Her cheeks were burning.
Damn Jiang Zongyan!
She pulled out her phone and messaged Zhang Liang.
[Director Zhang, how did your discussion go just now? Did Jiang’s Group poach Jason?]
Zhang Liang replied almost immediately.
[Miss, Mr. Jiang helped us secure Mr. Jason. He has agreed to join Zhou Corporation next month and bring his entire team with him.]
Zhou Suisui’s eyes widened in surprise.
Jiang Zongyan hadn’t been trying to snatch Jason from Zhou Corporation. He had been helping Zhou Corporation recruit Jason and his team.
Thinking about how she had misunderstood him just now, she felt a little embarrassed and guilty.
She picked up her phone and opened Jiang Zongyan’s WeChat. She was just about to send him a message of thanks when the phone rang.
The caller ID read: Cui Wu.
Zhou Suisui’s heart gave a jolt. A bad feeling crept over her, and she answered the call uneasily.
“Sister Wu.”
“Miss! Something terrible has happened!”
The moment the call connected, Cui Wu’s panicked and anxious voice came through the phone.
“Young Master—he secretly went to see Su Wan! Our people say the area beneath the apartment building is now surrounded by reporters.”
“What?!”
The color drained from Zhou Suisui’s face. The joy she had felt at securing the talent vanished without a trace.
She had considered every possibility, but she had never imagined that her brother would secretly go looking for Su Wan while she was away.
Memories of the nightmare from her previous life surged into her mind, making her dizzy.
Su Wan had lured her brother to her apartment and notified all the media in advance.
Half an hour after Zhou Sui’an entered, the reporters lying in wait outside had swarmed in.
Her brother had been flushed, his mind hazy and confused.
Su Wan had grabbed the torn collar of her blouse and cried pitifully into the reporters’ cameras, accusing Zhou Sui’an of attempting to assault her.
The word “rape” had been like a poison-coated blade, driven viciously into her brother’s back.
Countless media outlets had rushed to condemn and report on him.
Afterward, no matter how much money Zhou Corporation spent on crisis management or how much evidence it produced to clarify the truth, the story spread across the internet as if it had grown wings.
Zhou Sui’an’s reputation was utterly ruined, and Zhou Corporation’s stock price plummeted as a result.
Uninformed netizens began boycotting Zhou Corporation’s products, sending sales into a tailspin.
Keyboard warriors rallied behind Su Wan. Some fans even went to the company gates and splashed blood over them.
After the incident, Su Wan’s popularity soared, gaining ten million followers overnight.
The consequences of the scandal were far too devastating to have been caused by a minor celebrity alone.
The only possibility was that someone behind her had been fanning the flames.
Apart from Su Wan, the biggest beneficiary was Tianyu.
Could Su Wan have joined forces with people from Tianyu long ago?
Could all of this have been a trap carefully designed for her brother?
The thought flashed through Zhou Suisui’s mind.
Her hands and feet turned icy cold, and her entire body began to tremble.
This incident was originally supposed to happen a year later.
Now it seemed that because of her rebirth and forceful intervention, it had happened ahead of schedule.
Her brother had stopped paying attention to Su Wan during this period. Clearly, those people had grown impatient.
Zhou Suisui bit down hard on her pale lips, seemingly unable to feel the pain.
What was she supposed to do?
“Miss? Miss, are you listening? What are we going to do now?”
On the other end of the phone, Cui Wu was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan.
—
One hour earlier.
Tang City.
Zhou Sui’an had just finished working overtime. He walked out of Zhou Corporation’s headquarters, raising a hand to massage his tired brow.
At some point, a light drizzle had begun to fall outside, carrying a trace of chill with it.
He glanced at the dark, overcast sky.
Suddenly, he found himself missing his sister.
Was it raining where she was?
He let out a soft laugh.
Zhou Sui’an, Zhou Sui’an—how old are you now? How can you still be unable to stay away from your little sister?
With a helpless sigh, he took out his phone and was about to call Zhou Suisui when a delicate voice came from ahead.
“Sui’an, I finally get to see you.”
The familiar yet strangely distant voice reached him.
Zhou Sui’an looked up in surprise.
Su Wan stood in the cold rain, wearing the custom-made qipao he had given her a few days earlier.
Her pale face was free of makeup. Her delicate, innocent features looked pitiful, and they complemented the qipao and its accessories perfectly.
“Su Wan, what are you doing here?”
The fingers gripping Zhou Sui’an’s phone tightened imperceptibly.
Su Wan had no umbrella. It was impossible to tell whether the moisture on her face came from tears or rain, but she was smiling nonetheless.
“Sui’an, don’t ignore me, okay?”
“Su Wan, I…”
Zhou Sui’an glanced at Assistant Wen behind him and motioned for him to get her an umbrella.
Assistant Wen nearly rolled his eyes out of his head, but since his boss had given the order, he could only walk toward Su Wan with an umbrella, reluctantly.
Su Wan shoved him away.
“I don’t want it!”
“Su Wan, stop being difficult.”
Zhou Sui’an’s brows drew together sharply.
Su Wan looked as though she were about to cry, yet she stood ramrod straight in the rain.
“Sui’an, I was wrong before. I didn’t know about what my cousin and uncle had done. I won’t ask you to let them off anymore. They were in the wrong, and I shouldn’t have put you in a difficult position.”
Su Wan looked so considerate and magnanimous that both Zhou Sui’an and Assistant Wen were stunned.
Had someone replaced her with another person?
Zhou Sui’an looked at her face and at her trembling body, her complexion pale from the cold.
His brows furrowed tightly.
In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to be cruel.
He held out a hand. “Give me the umbrella.”
Assistant Wen hesitated before handing it over.
Zhou Sui’an opened the umbrella and walked toward Su Wan step by step, holding it over her head.
He lowered his eyes. The dim yellow light behind him cast his handsome face into shadow, making his expression impossible to read.
“You didn’t like me before. Why are you acting like this now? I’m no longer bothering you. You should be happy.”
“That’s not it!”
Su Wan abruptly raised her head and grabbed his sleeve, her small face streaked with tears.
“You’re the heir to the Zhou family, a billionaire CEO, while I’m just insecure because I feel unworthy of you. And do you really love me? You treat me well, but you won’t even kiss me. You wouldn’t even give me a proper confession.”
Su Wan cried pitifully, shifting all the blame onto him.
Zhou Sui’an was helpless, but he couldn’t be bothered to explain.
He had intended to confess his feelings. It was just that an unexpected incident had interrupted him.
“Sui’an, you make me feel so insecure!”
At those words, Zhou Sui’an’s already furrowed brows darkened further.
“Su Wan, I’m sorry. Whatever the reason, our relationship ends here.”
His thin lips pressed into a straight line as he spoke without expression.
He hated the feeling of being deceived.
Wang Jianguo was her uncle. Why had she hidden that from him?
Could it be some relationship that couldn’t see the light of day?
Su Wan’s face changed again. She swayed as though she were about to collapse, even the tears at the corners of her eyes seeming to freeze.
Her fingers tightened around his sleeve, and she forced a smile onto her face—one more painful to look at than tears.
“Sui’an, I made all your favorite dishes especially for you. Come have a taste with me, okay?”
Su Wan’s voice was soft and tearful, her eyes full of pleading.
Looking at the completely different Su Wan before him, Zhou Sui’an took several deep breaths to suppress the turmoil in his heart, then replied in an even tone.
“No. Maybe some other time.”
The moment he finished speaking, tears began to fall from Su Wan’s eyes again. Choking back a sob, she said, “Sui’an, I know I was wrong. I won’t put you in a difficult position anymore.”
Zhou Sui’an remained unmoved and gently pulled her hand away.
Su Wan panicked completely. After wiping away her tears, she changed her approach. “In that case, I won’t bother you with these things anymore. I just want to make you one meal, okay? After we finish this meal, we’ll go back to being friends. I’ll keep my distance.”
As if she had thought of something, Su Wan added, “Sui’an, you suddenly became so cold to me—is it because of Suisui?”
“It’s not because of her.”
Zhou Sui’an instinctively defended his younger sister.
Su Wan merely smiled, clearly unconvinced.
“I won’t make things difficult for her. I’ve already checked—she isn’t in Tangcheng these next few days. Come have one meal with me. She won’t find out, and then my wish will be fulfilled. From now on, I won’t pester you anymore.”
