Is my roommate a caged bird? I'm stealing her away.

"Lin Xiao may not be as radiant as you are now, but the reason she's been able to stay by his side for so long isn't because of a face that could fade at any moment."

Su Wei's voice carried a hint of mocking pity. "She knows what propriety is, what knowing when to stop, what... knowing your place. What about you?"

She chuckled softly, "You think you can get away with anything just because you're sharp-tongued and pretty? Zhou Suisui, this water is much deeper and dirtier than you imagine. Once your novelty wears off, or you accidentally upset him... guess what will happen to you?"

Su Wei's gaze finally settled on Zhou Suisui's expensive shirt, her words carrying a hidden meaning: "This outfit is nice, but don't forget who dressed you in it. He can dress you up, and he can also make you... penniless, worse off than before you came."

After she finished speaking, she waited to see if Zhou Suisui's face would show fear or hesitation.

However, Zhou Suisui listened quietly, and then let out a very soft, breathy laugh from her nose.

The laughter was short and soft, yet it was like a thinner, sharper knife, instantly slicing through the aura that Su Wei had been trying so hard to maintain.

Zhou Suisui finally turned around and faced Su Wei again.

There was no intense emotion on her face. She looked at Su Wei as if she were looking at a ridiculous actor making numerous mistakes on stage.

"Are you done talking?" Zhou Suisui asked in a flat tone.

Before Su Wei could react, she took half a step forward, getting so close that she could almost see her own reflection in Su Wei's eyes.

"Miss Su, you're very confident." Zhou Suisui's voice was still not loud, but it carried a resolute certainty. "Yes, everyone gets old. I, Zhou Suisui, may also have a day when my colors fade and I'm considered old."

She paused, her gaze slowly sweeping over Su Wei's carefully made-up but still undeniably tired eyes, and her skin, which even thick foundation couldn't conceal the fine lines. Then, clearly and deliberately, she added:

"But that day will definitely be later than yours."

"Old woman."

She spoke the last three words very slowly, her lips moving clearly, without a single swear word, yet they were more insulting than any curse, like three cold slaps delivered hard to Su Wei’s most feared anxiety about her age.

Zhou Suisui thought Su Wei was completely insane, coming here just to be scolded. How could she say such things? Even if Zhou Suisui was yesterday's news, Su Wei was just yesterday's cucumber, not even a flower, only fit to be eaten raw.

Su Wei trembled, her lips quivering, almost screaming, but Zhou Suisui's next words, even softer yet more lethal, silenced her.

Zhou Suisui tilted her head slightly, a hint of curiosity on her face, as if she were just sharing a trivial little secret:

"Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you." She leaned close to Su Wei's ear and said slowly, "I asked Mr. Chen for money—"

She paused deliberately, enjoying Su Wei's sudden breath-holding and wide-eyed stare.

Then, she stepped back slightly, watching Su Wei's face turn ashen, and delivered the final blow:

"He gave it to me."

Zhou Suisui didn't mention the amount; that would be too foolish. She only stated the fact that she had asked for the money and the other party had readily given it to her, proving that she was far more important to Chen Boxu than Su Wei imagined.

But I didn't expect it to work so well! Could it be...?

Zhou Suisui's gaze lingered on Su Wei's stiff face, as if trying to see every trace of her breakdown, before she asked softly with an almost cruel curiosity:

"Are you sure you can do it?"

She paused, then added the woman she disliked:

"Lin Xiao...is that okay?"

After saying this, Zhou Suisui stopped looking at Su Wei's reaction. She turned around gracefully, turned the tap back on, and carefully rinsed each of her fingers.

The icy water washed over my skin, taking away the last bit of heat generated by the standoff.

She turned off the water, took out a tissue, and carefully dried herself, not even leaving any space between her fingers.

Then, she crumpled up the used tissue and accurately tossed it into the nearby trash can with a soft "tap".

After doing all this, she took a step and walked straight to the door.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch the doorknob, Su Wei's hoarse, broken voice came from behind her:

"You...you think you've won? When Lin Xiao was with him, he gave her more than just money! He did it all for her..."

"Stop."

Zhou Suisui didn't turn around, but simply turned her face slightly, revealing the beautiful profile of her face, and interrupted Su Wei's words in a calm tone.

"Miss Su," her voice was not loud, but it carried a resolute certainty, "if Lin Xiao, or you, or anyone else—"

She finally turned around, her gaze calm and unwavering as she looked at Su Wei, whose face was pale and whose eyes were filled with resentment.

"If you have the ability to make Mr. Chen reject me," Zhou Suisui gently curled the corners of her lips, but there was no warmth in her smile, only a cold clarity, "then it's because I'm not as skilled as him, I admit it."

She paused, then took half a step forward. This time, her gaze no longer carried deliberate mockery, but rather a pure, almost indifferent statement.

"But before that," she said clearly, word by word, "if you don't like it, then shut up."

"I'm afraid of him." Zhou Suisui suddenly said these three words, and saw the momentary surprise and a twisted sense of pleasure, as if she had caught someone red-handed, flash in Su Wei's eyes.

However, Zhou Suisui's next words completely shattered her pitiful sense of pleasure.

"But I'm not afraid of you." Zhou Suisui's gaze lingered on Su Wei's face, as if confirming a simple fact. "Do you understand?"

After saying that, she turned around again and opened the bathroom door without hesitation.

Soft light streamed in from the hallway outside the door.

Just as she was about to take the step, she suddenly stopped.

As if remembering something, she turned around, leaned against the door frame, and looked at Su Wei, who was still standing frozen in place.

A wicked smile appeared on Zhou Suisui's face.

"Oh, right, I forgot to mention." She blinked, her tone light, "When I said I was afraid of him, I meant I was afraid he would kill me in bed."

She frowned slightly, as if savoring something, her fingertips unconsciously tracing her slender neck, where the skin was smooth and without any marks, but her tone carried a deliberately exaggerated, ambiguous complaint:

"My legs are weak."

Then, her gaze fell on Su Wei again, looking her up and down, from the other's body trembling slightly with anger and humiliation, to the face that, even in her rage, could not hide the marks of time.

She added softly, "You probably... don't feel this way anymore."

She paused, as if she genuinely felt a pang of regret, but her eyes held only the disdain of a victor.

"After all," Zhou Suisui uttered the final verdict with her last breath, then glided lightly out the door and closed it behind her.

The heavy door completely isolated Su Wei, leaving behind those words, like a curse, clearly etched in the deathly silence:

"You're getting old, aren't you?"

As Zhou Suisui stepped out of the restroom, the silence of the corridor enveloped her, but the sharp words from earlier still echoed in her ears.

She won, at least verbally. But her heart was pounding wildly, like she'd just run 800 meters.

Oh no, she couldn't control herself again. She cursed herself inwardly. She knew she should be more reserved and proper in this kind of situation, but Su Wei's provocation had brought out all her competitive spirit.

Oh well, no one saw it anyway.

And...it felt so good. That bitch will probably remember it for the rest of her life.

Thinking of Su Wei's pale and distorted face at the end, Zhou Suisui's lips curled up involuntarily.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her overly intense emotions, her fingers unconsciously smoothing out non-existent wrinkles on the hem of her skirt. She was about to step back into the living room.

"Tsk tsk."

A familiar, teasing sigh came from the side and behind.

Zhou Suisui froze and turned her head sharply.

Cheng Fang leaned against the wall a few steps away, a nearly burnt-out cigarette between his fingers. Amidst the swirling smoke, a half-smile played on his face, and his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness as he stared intently at her.

How long has he been here? How much has he heard?

Zhou Suisui's face instantly burned, even more so than it had in the bathroom.

"Young Master Cheng," she tried to keep her voice calm, "you...you're in the restroom too?"

"Just passing by, having a smoke." Cheng slowly straightened up, casually stubbed out his cigarette in a decorative vase by the wall.

He walked towards her, his steps not large, but carrying an undeniable sense of pressure. He stopped two steps in front of her, blocking her way back to the living room. "I happened to witness a good show."

He was very tall, and he looked down at her with his eyes slightly lowered, his gaze lingering on her face as if he were admiring some rare object.

"Miss Zhou," he began, his voice lowered, carrying a languid magnetism, "I never expected this...it's truly remarkable. Seemingly quiet and reserved, yet your temper is so...intense?"