You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

"Ah Che, there's something I've been wanting to tell you, but I don't know how to bring it up."

Su Qinghe bit her lower lip, rubbed her toes in the wet sand a couple more times, and finally made up her mind.

"Ye Yunjin...she told me that I am not a child of the Su family."

As soon as she said those words, Su Qinghe felt as if a huge weight had been hanging over her heart for a long time.

But at the same time, another, deeper unease also surfaced.

She secretly glanced up at Jiang Che's expression.

But Jiang Che's expression remained calm throughout.

He showed no surprise or astonishment whatsoever, not even a flicker of his eyebrow.

What Su Qinghe didn't know was that Bai Yuning had already told Jiang Che over the phone about Ye Yunjin claiming to be Su Qinghe's biological mother after returning from Palm Villa.

So when Su Qinghe said it herself, he wasn't surprised.

But he didn't show it, nor did he interrupt her.

Because he knew that what mattered more than whether he knew about it or not was that Su Qinghe was willing to take the initiative to tell him about it herself.

This shows that she trusts him.

that's enough.

Su Qinghe continued, "She said she was my biological mother, that I was stolen by the Su family when I was born, and that the Su family raised me for eighteen years... not because they wanted me as their daughter, but just to use me as a tool for a marriage alliance."

Although Su Qinghe's mood was a little down when she said this, she did not cry.

After experiencing so much, she no longer sheds tears for the Su family.

Moreover, when you're heartbroken to the extreme, you lose all feelings of resentment and unwillingness.

"And then?" Jiang Che asked softly.

So Su Qinghe then recounted in its entirety what Ye Yunjin had said to her in the study.

This includes how Ye Yunjin confirmed her identity, how Ye Yunjin prevented her from leaving under the pretext of safety, and how she tried to escape by climbing out of a window at night but was intercepted by a group of security guards on a mountain path...

This also includes the feeling of despair that welled up in her heart when Ye Yunjin coldly said to her, "Do you think you've had such a smooth journey because you're so capable?"

Jiang Che remained silent throughout, consistently acting as a good listener.

After Su Qinghe finished speaking, her voice gradually lowered, and silence returned between the two of them.

The waves crashed in one after another, and then receded one after another.

After a long silence, Jiang Che lowered his head, looked intently into her eyes, and asked, "So, what do you think?"

Su Qinghe was stunned.

She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but her mind went blank.

What were you thinking?

To be honest, she really didn't know what she was thinking.

From the moment she was brought to that manor until now, standing on this beach, so much has happened that her mind simply can't process it all.

She wasn't entirely unaffected by the fact that Ye Yunjin was her biological mother.

But the feeling was strange; it wasn't the excitement of a long-awaited reunion, nor the joy of something lost and then regained.

More than anything, there was a sense of bewilderment.

A sense of bewilderment at not knowing where to place this blood relationship in one's life.

Su Qinghe remained silent for a very long time.

So long that the waves had washed over their feet several times, they finally shook their heads and said, "I don't know."

"I don't care about whether she's my biological daughter or not, and I don't care whether Ye Yunjin is my mother or not."

All I know is... I want to be with A-Che.

As the girl spoke, she tightened her grip on the boy's hand beside her.

It was as if they were afraid that if they let go, the person in front of them would slip through their fingers.

Upon hearing this, the boy remained silent, simply cupping her hand in his palm and gently stroking the scars on the back of her hand with his thumb.

The two of them stood on the beach for a long time.

Only after the last ray of sunlight completely sank below the horizon and darkness fell, did the distant lighthouse light up with a beam of orange light, sweeping across the sea before slowly turning back.

……

In the evening, the young couple snuggled together on the sofa in the guesthouse's living room to watch TV.

A warm yellow floor lamp was lit in the living room, its soft light spreading out and bathing the entire space in a warm hue.

Su Qinghe curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees, leaning against Jiang Che, holding a cup of hot milk in her hands, taking small sips.

Jiang Che had just heated the milk in the kitchen; the temperature was just right—not too hot to drink, and it would warm his stomach perfectly.

After taking two sips, Su Qinghe put the cup on the coffee table, turned her head to look at Jiang Che, and said, "A-Che."

"Um?"

"Let me tell you exactly what she said in the study."

"What I said on the beach before was just a general outline; I didn't have time to go into many details."

"I want you to know everything, I won't hide a single thing from you."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che slightly turned his head to meet her gaze.

Su Qinghe's expression was serious, without the struggle and hesitation she had shown on the beach earlier.

It seems that after making the decision to "tell Ah Che no matter what," she became much more at ease.

So he nodded. "Okay, tell me slowly."

Su Qinghe began her story by having Ye Yunjin have her collar pulled open to confirm the presence of the black crystal pendant.

She spoke in great detail.

Su Qinghe described Ye Yunjin's expression, what she said, whether her tone was cold or harsh, and at what moment a flicker of wavering crossed her eyes that she herself might not have even noticed.

When Lu Heng was mentioned, Su Qinghe paused for a moment, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.

Just before Jiang Che noticed the unusual look in her eyes, Su Qinghe skillfully concealed her hesitation and continued speaking:

"Actually... after I was kicked out of the Su family and ended up on the streets, I happened to meet Lu Heng. He took pity on me and took me in, and even taught me a lot of fighting skills to defend myself."

"So during that month, I wasn't actually bullied too badly. I could beat most of the thugs, and if I couldn't beat them, I would run away."

"Then I found out yesterday that Lu Heng was actually sent by Ye Yunjin to protect me."

This was the first time Su Qinghe had mentioned her time as a homeless person.

While Jiang Che was surprised, he couldn't help but sigh that Ye Yunjin had already been secretly making plans since that time.

This woman's deep cunning and meticulous methods are truly beyond the reach of ordinary people.

After finishing her story about Lu Heng, Su Qinghe said that she had said everything she wanted to say.

She told Jiang Che everything, except for the fact that her meeting with A-Che was pre-arranged.

You can say anything, except for this one thing, which you must not let A-Che know.