Chapter 14: The Rabbit

“Doctor Li, did you hear that?” Zhao Qian was ecstatic. “She admitted it!”

Doctor Li hadn’t expected Chen Su to confess in person.

He said earnestly, “Chen, were you threatened by them? Don’t worry, our school is very just when it comes to these matters! I will definitely report this to the principal and make sure those three troublesome students are dealt with sternly!”

Chen Su’s reputation as a well-behaved girl was so deeply ingrained that when she told the truth, no one believed her.

Zhao Qian nearly burst into tears. “Doctor Li, how can you say that? Chen Su really was the one who hurt us!”

Chen Su nodded. “Yes, I did it. I have proof.”

She took out her phone, opened a video, and handed it to Doctor Li.

As Doctor Li reached out to take it, Qu Bainan snatched the phone into his own hand.

“I will personally take this matter to the principal.”

He took Chen Su’s hand and walked out of the infirmary.

Standing before a plane tree large enough to shelter two people, Chen Su pushed his hand away.

“I remember you’re usually very busy at work,” she said calmly. “Dropping everything just to come to school and find me—it’s hard to believe you see me only as a sister.”

Qu Bainan paused, his gaze lingering. “You’re doing this on purpose?”

Chen Su let out a light laugh, an unspoken admission. “I recall when I got into trouble at school as a child, you helped me just like this.”

“But sadly, we’re all grown up now.”

She sighed softly. “My dear brother, I really can’t figure you out.”

But now, there was no need to.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let this affect the Qu family’s reputation,” she said with an icy tone. “You just stay comfortably on your high pedestal—never come down.”

For the first time in her life, Chen Su left on her own accord when dealing with Qu Bainan.

***

At the school gate, she glanced back. As expected, Qu Bainan didn’t follow.

She smiled bitterly.

It seemed that leaving on her own wasn’t so difficult after all.

Yet she felt deeply sorrowful.

Having left the Qu family and Qu Bainan, where else could she go?

Unable to find a rental and unwilling to stay with the Wen family any longer, that night Chen Su booked a hotel near the school for two nights.

After showering, she called the principal.

Through the phone, the principal laughed ingratiatingly. “Miss Chen, your brother has already come to see me. You don’t need to worry.”

Chen Su responded with a noncommittal “Oh,” but just as she was about to hang up, she added oddly, “He’s not my brother.”

Then she ended the call.

She powered off her phone and placed it by the bedside, turning on all the lights in the bedroom. Sitting alone on the oversized bed, the loneliness gradually gnawed away at her sanity.

Only past four a.m. did sleep finally come.

That night, she dreamt.

In her dream, she was back on the day of her parents’ funeral.

Under a drizzling rain, everyone dressed in black held umbrellas, yet no one’s face bore sorrow.

As their daughter, Chen Su wasn’t even allowed to enter the cemetery gates.

It was then that Qu Bainan appeared.

At that time, Chen Su wore a pristine white dress, clutching a doll, crouched by the roadside, sobbing like a homeless little rabbit. The young Qu Bainan was a favored son of fortune.

Surrounded by admirers, he was the center of attention.

Yet this very man approached her and held an umbrella over her.

“Would you like to come home with me?”

From that day forward, the homeless little rabbit had a home.

But now, the little rabbit was about to be homeless once again.

***

Wen Zhi quickly found a place for Chen Su; in less than three days, she had chosen a spacious two-bedroom apartment.

Most importantly, it was fully furnished and ready for immediate move-in.

After paying the deposit, Chen Su felt uneasy looking at the empty rooms, so she decided to return to the Qu household to collect her belongings.

Aside from clothes and shoes, she definitely wanted to take her paintings and the family photos of her parents.

When she arrived at the Qu residence around three in the afternoon, only the servants were home.

After greeting them, she headed upstairs.

Just as she was about to open the door, a hoarse, muffled groan came from her room.

Raspy and tense.

Her mind went blank, as if malfunctioning, and she instinctively pushed the door open.