Chapter 59: People and Rats

The head of Xianpai China has some connections with Su Ma. This event was the first VIP private banquet held by the head of the company since taking office. He invited Su Ma to come for two reasons: first, to develop Su Ma into a customer, and second, to have Su Ma come and make an impression.

As for why Su's mother asked her to come along, it was simply because there were too many rumors about her online recently, especially about Lin Xingsen. Su's mother always got bombarded with questions by those people when she attended gatherings, so she simply decided not to be the middleman anymore and brought her there in person to see the gossip.

Thinking about all this gave Su Yunruo a headache.

She understood the principle of "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." As a female celebrity, she had to be prepared to be used for public entertainment. However, lately, she had been used for entertainment at an alarmingly high frequency. Even Su Yunruo couldn't sleep peacefully, always feeling her phone vibrate. A second later, Jiang Chunrou's voice would ring out again: "Miss Su, you're trending again."

I really wish Weibo would develop a blacklist feature, so that anyone whose name contains the words "Su Yunruo" would be banned from the list.

Insomnia led to irritability, and she even started considering whether to give those who always smeared her a piece of her mind. "Don't look at others, focus on yourself." She had no interest in competing for the title of a top-tier actress.

"What's wrong?"

While accompanying her mother to the lounge to try on jewelry, Su Yunruo leaned against the sofa, and her mother noticed that she was physically and mentally exhausted.

"No."

"Are you annoyed by all the questions they asked about Lin Yuanzhou?"

"..."

With the rumors and industry gossip about a marriage alliance between the Su and Han families, Su Yunruo was indeed asked a lot of questions about Lin Yuanzhou by her mother's friends.

Although Su Yunruo's worries weren't about this specific matter, she couldn't escape the connection.

Su's mother turned to the brand's staff and instructed, "The sapphire set displayed in the middle cabinet is quite nice. Could you please bring it over so I can try it on?"

The brand's staff nodded and, together with the jewelry handlers beside them, left the lounge, gently closing the door behind them, leaving only Su's mother and Su Yunruo in the enclosed space.

Su's mother continued, "You haven't given him any feedback since your blind date. Although your dad can probably guess your attitude, I suggest you give him a formal reply on this matter."

"I'll go back and tell him tonight."

Su's mother nodded, but then said sadly, "Your father will probably be sad again. He thought you would be happy to see that child."

Why was she happy to see Lin Yuanzhou?

Su Yunruo was silent for a moment, then said, "Actually, I forgot about him a long time ago."

"Because he didn't go abroad to study and do research as you wanted?"

"Um."

Su's mother sighed, "You're still the same, you haven't changed at all."

What am I like?

Su's mother turned to the side, reached out and took Su Yunruo's hands, and asked softly, "Xiao Su, tell me the truth, when you are with these people, do you put yourself in their shoes and consider things from their perspective, or do you treat them as tools to be manipulated at will?"

“Of course, it’s from their perspective,” Su Yunruo replied without hesitation.

"..." After a moment of silence, "Think back to yourself first. When you talk to them, do you first consider their current situation, infer their current state based on your experience of observing others, and then come up with a choice that satisfies them and is beneficial to them—and try to get them to carry it out."

Su Yunruo didn't understand: "Is there a problem with this?"

“You’re not acting like a friend, you’re acting like a superior who dominates them.”

"..."

"Or to put it more simply, you're like a scientist in a lab, and they're the mice. You know longevity is good, and you want to extend their lifespan, so you force or induce the mice to complete your experimental procedures in your own way—but you never really communicate with the mice."

"Humans and rats can't communicate."

"That's the crux of the matter. When you look down at them, you psychologically believe that you can't communicate with them."

But humans and mice just can't communicate.

ah……

After all, she was her own mother, and it wasn't appropriate to argue with her. So Su Yunruo changed the subject and retorted, "But I have a very good relationship with them and we've never had any conflicts."

"That's because you're very good at disguising yourself. You use your birthright wealth to give away just a little bit of something to others, and they're so happy they can't even tell you're wrong. They even thank you. And over time, you start to think that's the right thing to do."

"As long as he's happy, I'm happy too, isn't that enough?"

"That's good, there's nothing wrong with that. But don't you think it's even more admirable to see through your operating logic, refuse your favors, and carve out your own path?"

Su Yunruo had no way to refute this.

Whether she understood it or not didn't matter; she didn't think she was wrong, but the latter part was indeed very true.

Su Yunruo admitted that Lin Yuanzhou was one of the few people who could resist temptation.

Su's mother concluded, "Lin Yuanzhou was more clear-headed than you were when he was eighteen."

She was unhappy that her mother said others were better than her, "because he knew I wanted to control him, and he refused, so he seemed sensible? If he had listened to me, he would probably be an expert in a certain field by now."

"Yes, it looks good no matter how you look at it. So why doesn't he want any of them?"

"..."

Su Yunruo was once again unable to refute.

Lin Yuanzhou's choice at the time seemed stupid to her, making her angry and disappointed, but she never seemed to have considered why it was so stupid.

She asked, "Is this reason important?"

"It doesn't matter if you see yourself as the one in control, but it matters if you see him as a friend. For example, think about why he rejected you back then?"

If she had to think about this, Su Yunruo would first recall the conversation Lin Yuanzhou had with her that day.

She suspected that Lin Yuanzhou also knew that they were all living in a book, that the foolish Han Shicheng chose to enjoy himself, while Lin Yuanzhou seemed to have done nothing.

His achievements remain consistent with those described in the book: establishing Western Digital Technology. Beyond that, he returned to Han Yao's side, seemingly "replacing" Han Shicheng in his place.

However, they still did not take action against "The Legend of Yao Yue" and "Immortal Path", giving up a great opportunity to make money.

The only thing that went against my wishes was the question I asked myself on the phone.

Su Yunruo was starting to narcissistically believe that Lin Yuanzhou's fate-changing actions were for her sake.

He knew she would die.

But that's even stranger.

He rejected her back then and hasn't contacted her for many years since we broke up, so it seems like he doesn't have any feelings for her.

More than ten years later, she came back because she thought he might die.

After thinking it over, Su Yunruo answered honestly: "I can't understand not only the reasons from back then, but also some of the things he's done recently."

"Then put aside your scientist habits for now, and sincerely eat and drink with the rats, and try to feel their emotions." Su's mother patted Su Yunruo's hand. "Don't think that you can't communicate with rats. What the Su family has given you makes you seem like someone who controls everything, but in reality, you are a rat too."

"..."

Su Yunruo understood this principle long ago. Throughout history, countless people have placed themselves above others, only to bring about their own destruction in the end.

She just always thought she was doing a good job, enough to shorten the gap between herself and Jiang Chunrou and Liang Shi.

Hearing my mother say this now, I realize that I still haven't done well enough.

"I see."

Just as the mother and daughter finished their conversation, two people from the brand returned. Su's mother patted Su Yunruo on the shoulder and pointed to the door, "Go and see if there are any nice pieces of jewelry left. If not, you can go into the venue by yourself."

This is to give Su Yunruo a chance to go out and think things through.

She obediently went out.

There weren't many people in the corridor, but after passing through a door, the number of people increased, with groups of three or five passing by. The leaders were mostly bloggers with online accounts, followed by professional filming teams who would shoot private banquet vlogs to post on Weibo or other platforms.

Su Yunruo tried to avoid being in the frame, but her height made her too conspicuous, and she was quickly spotted and asked for a photo.

Su Yunruo couldn't refuse, since most of those asking her for photos were ordinary viewers, and as a female celebrity, she definitely had to satisfy their requests.

After taking one photo after another, they finally had a break. The staff member next to her took the initiative to ask, "Ms. Su, I'm so sorry, would you like me to take you to the back?"

The staff were probably having a headache. Su Yunruo came as a VIP, but many people mistook her for a celebrity invited by the brand, and they were worried that Su Yunruo would be unhappy working for free.

"It's alright, just take me into the venue as usual."

"Thank you, thank you, this way."

The venue was decorated in a fairytale style. Several flower shops were emptied to create a dreamlike world full of flowers. Long tables stretched from the entrance to the innermost part, lit by dim yellow lights that made the golden tableware look even more mysterious and precious.

Su Yunruo hadn't participated in this kind of activity for many years and had forgotten what it was like. But experiencing it this way, she suddenly realized that it was quite interesting.

Click

Hearing the shutter sound, Su Yunruo looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young woman in her early twenties holding her phone directly in front of her across the long table.

Caught red-handed, the girl sheepishly hid her phone under the table. Su Yunruo smiled at her, nodded, and continued walking.

Just then, the lights around them suddenly went out, and in a corner of the entrance, a beautiful woman in a light blue dress appeared as the center of attention, like a bride entering the venue.

— Pei Xue.

Su Yunruo was only drawn over by the noise, but when she made eye contact with Pei Xue, she realized that the other person seemed to be looking in her direction.

She was in the shadows, she was in the light; their gazes met in a strange way, but Su Yunruo didn't think much of it. This wasn't the first time; Su Yunruo could always feel Pei Xue's gaze in various situations.

As popular female celebrities, the two are always being compared, so it's normal for Pei Xue to be hostile towards her.

Su Yunruo turned to leave, but suddenly stepped on something.

High heels are inherently unstable. When a sharp, thin heel steps on something soft, the shoe tilts and the body falls down.

Fortunately, the brand's staff caught her in time. "Ms. Su, are you alright?"

Wearing high heels is risky. Walking properly can hurt your feet, and if you accidentally twist your ankle, you can sprain it and feel a dull ache.

But then she remembered that she seemed to have stepped on someone's foot with her high heels, and the person who was stepped on must have been in more pain.

"I think I stepped on someone. When the lights come on, can you come over and ask who it is?" She paused, "My heels are thin, so the other person must be seriously injured. It's best to get it treated as soon as possible."

The brand's staff nodded anxiously and helped Su Yunruo to her seat.

The seat on Su's mother's left was empty, and the seat on her right was also empty. The staff said that the area manager would be sitting here later, so Su Yunruo consciously moved between the two empty seats and sat in the seat that Su's mother had originally occupied, so that Su's mother could sit next to the manager later.

She straightened her leg and used her heel as a fulcrum to lift her ankle and move it around. It wasn't a serious twist, but the pent-up emotions from so long were being brought out, making her feel very uncomfortable.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't have stepped on anyone's feet as she walked behind each person's chair, and she didn't hear any chairs being moved.

"Ms. Su, I went to the area where we were just now and asked around. No one else has foot pain," the staff member said upon returning.

"Okay, could you please give me a list of the personnel for those positions?"

"this……"

"Go do it, is ten minutes enough?"

Su Yunruo rarely takes this hard line, but this time it's like her bottom line has been crossed.

She cherishes her life very much, and anyone who tries to make her life miserable will face consequences far more severe than stealing her money.

"Miss Su, this..."

Su Yunruo looked at the staff member with a blank expression. "Do I look like an easy person to talk to?"

"..."

"5 minutes."

...

Three minutes later, Su Yunruo received four names.

He took a picture of the four names and showed it directly to Jiang Chunrou, saying, "[Chunrou, my darling, waaaaah! I almost fell face-first to the ground and lost my face and became disabled! You have to help me!]"

【？】

I've identified four suspects for you. Now it's up to you.

Let me take a look.

【Kiss me, I knew you loved me the most / Rose】

Jiang Chunrou was silent for a few seconds. "Liang Shi told me that Pei Xue's agent has been pestering her lately, hoping to meet with you."

[She's been trying to sabotage me on Weibo every day.]

To be precise, she wanted to meet the person who lent Pei Xue the dress, but clearly, she didn't know that person was you.

【Oh no, I don't want to see you!】

[Aren't you considering signing Pei Xue to your company? I've researched her; her acting is good, and she has a friendly image. If she's properly developed, she could achieve great things internationally.]

I only like two kinds of people: those who are intelligent and those who are obedient but not intelligent. Clearly, Pei Xue is neither intelligent nor obedient.

This is Su Yunruo's evaluation of Pei Xue.

Take the matter of hiring online trolls as an example. She can understand professional competition, and if she gets caught up in it, she can control herself and not participate. But if she really has to get involved in professional competition, she won't do it without knowing anything about the other party.

Earlier, she could find an excuse that she was "too secretive," but in "Let's Travel Together," she didn't hide anything much. Pei Xue still couldn't understand and continued to be the leader who suppressed her, which can only be considered foolish.

It's unimaginable that someone who's been in the entertainment industry since childhood would lack such keen observation skills.

Su Yunruo has no interest in this kind of person.

Jiang Chunrou: [One of the four people is an artist under Pei Xue's company, there's an 80% chance.]

Su Yunruo smiled wryly, "I understand."

She thought for a moment, then sent another message: "[Notify Liang Shi to take that dress down. If someone offers a high price, sell it directly.]"

"Are there more online rumors to deal with?"

Su's mother arrived at the scene at some point and spoke from behind Su Yunruo.

She put her phone away, saying, "It's just a small matter."

When the host came on stage with the microphone, Su Yunruo began to remember why she disliked these kinds of events—they were a waste of time.

Sitting here with nothing to do, nothing to talk about, no interest in what the host is saying, and no money to be made, it's incredibly boring and a waste of life.

While Su's mother was chatting with her friend about the jewelry sets on display today, Su Yunruo stood up, said she was going out for some fresh air, and walked out of the venue.

During the journey, her phone buzzed with a new message from Jiang Chunrou: "Liang Shi has already hinted at what's possible. Miss Su, what price do you think would be suitable?"

[Trillion times.]

I saw the time when I replied to the message; it was 9:30. I should be going to bed in half an hour.

Su Yunruo went back to tell her mother to leave. This show was so boring, and they had already seen all the jewelry they wanted to see. There was no point in staying any longer.

But as he turned around, he suddenly felt a cold sensation on his chest.

She was stunned for a moment, then saw a hand reaching towards her chest.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

Su Yunruo pushed the other woman away the moment she was about to touch her, her eyes lowered as she looked at the other woman's feet.

It was a long dress, but the hem dragged on the ground, and there was a not-so-obvious stain in one of the folds.

Su Yunruo's seat was not far from her mother's. Looking over, she could see that someone had just sat where she had been. The person was wearing a light blue dress and a crown that the brand had asked her to wear for the exhibition.

"Ms. Su, Ms. Su, are you alright?" The brand's staff rushed over.

Su Yunruo glanced at the hem of the skirt of the woman who had splashed water on her, "Remember her name. My lawyer will come to her after the banquet to discuss compensation."

The other person was taken aback. "It's just water... it'll be fine once it dries."

"Can your haute couture get wet?"

Su Yunruo didn't even bother to see what the other person looked like before turning around and walking out of the venue.

Some past events replayed in my mind.

Humans and rats.

Rats to humans.

Every frame tells her that she must be mindful of her actions, otherwise, she could easily kill the mouse.

...

Xiao Ou, who had been keeping a close eye on Su Yunruo's movements ever since she appeared outside the venue, also started moving around.

He sent messages to Jiang Chunrou while he was moving.

[Sister Jiang, Pei Xue had someone trip up Miss Su at the scene. She not only deliberately made her fall, but also splashed water on her skirt! I have a recording.]

[Audio]

Pei Xue even took Miss Su's seat while Miss Su was temporarily away!

Xiao Ou looked in the direction Su Yunruo had gone and took off after her.

I thought Su Yunruo would go straight to the parking lot to take a car home, but I didn't expect her to follow the staff and continue walking to the guest room area at the other end of the mansion.

Xiao Ou didn't dare to go in, so she secretly squatted at the corner of the corridor.

Jiang Chunrou didn't reply to her phone for a long time. She nervously clutched her phone, banging the back of her head against the wall intermittently.

Real business battles are indeed fought using the most straightforward tactics. Pei Xue's scheme against Miss Su was utterly despicable! It was absolutely outrageous!

But Ms. Su is really amazing, she actually sat next to the brand's regional manager.

Oh yes, the lady next to the person in charge was also incredibly elegant. She seemed so approachable and kind, and also seemed to have a very high social status.

No wonder Pei Xue used tricks to try and sit down there.

As Xiao Ou was sighing, she suddenly heard the clattering sound of high heels on the floor.

Bang bang bang

It sounds like someone is knocking on the door.

Xiao Ou didn't dare to reveal too much, so she peeked out with one eye and saw that her light blue long dress had been deliberately lifted up, revealing a pair of sparkly high heels.

Snap

The person inside opened the door.

"Su Yunruo, why do you have to copy everything I do? You're so eager to hook up with the rich woman behind Liang Shi, but do you see her even paying attention to you when you're just sitting there?"

"..."

"Can't you just be an upright person? Your green tea tricks are really low. You say you won't run a fan club or do any promotions, but deep down you've always wanted to do commercials and make money, haven't you?"

"Neuropathy."

Snap—

After uttering those three words, Su Yunruo actually closed the door.

If circumstances allowed, Xiao Ou would have burst out laughing.

Bang bang bang

Pei Xue knocked on the door excitedly: "Su Yunruo, are you afraid to confront me?!"

"You're just jealous of me!"

"Let me tell you, with your terrible acting skills, you'll never make it into the film industry. And with your awful reputation, no brand will want you. You're just a variety show personality at best. Now that the variety show is over, see who will still care about you."

"Why are you closing the door? Are you feeling guilty?"

...

Miss Su was right; Pei Xue really is like a lunatic.

But isn't she being a bit too arrogant to come to her door and yell at her like that? Her boyfriend's already fallen out!

Xiao Ou thought Pei Xue was incredibly bold today, but couldn't figure out why. She could only guess that Miss Su was probably calling her staff to ask Pei Xue to leave by now.

Unexpectedly, before the staff arrived, a group of people rushed over in a flurry.

The one walking at the very front was Liang Shi.

Liang Shi was startled by Pei Xue's crazy appearance and wondered if she had gone to the wrong place, so she took a special look at the room number.

"Miss Pei, may I ask you..."

"Liang... Liang Shi?"

Snap

The door to the room opened again, and Su Yunruo said coldly, "Come in... It's not you, Miss Pei. Please find somewhere else to go crazy. I'm only letting my stylist in."

Pei Xue felt insulted. "Who wants to go in?"

Seeing that something was wrong, Liang Shi quickly waved for her assistant, who was carrying the new dress, to go inside first. She then pulled Su Yunruo, saying, "Miss Su, please go inside and change your clothes. I'll have the hotel staff handle this."

"Um."

When Liang Shi said she would handle it, she didn't talk to Pei Xue nicely and send her away. Instead, she was the last one to go in and was about to close the door in front of Pei Xue.

"etc--"

Pei Xue suddenly reached out to stop her, but she was too fast for Liang Shi to react in time.

"ah!"

Pei Xue cried out in pain and squatted down, clutching her arms.

"Miss Pei, you..."

"Is Liang Shi difficult to handle?"

Su Yunruo's voice came in, and it was different from usual; it was very cold. If Xiao Ou hadn't been familiar with Su Yunruo, he wouldn't have been able to tell.

Snap

Pei Xue was turned away at the door.

*

Pei Xue left the event early without saying goodbye.

Xiao Ou received a message from Sister Mi saying that the regional manager here had a very good impression of Ruan Rourou and that it was very likely that she would be given the title of image ambassador after a few more episodes of the "Yao Yue Zhuan" training camp aired.

Xiao Ou asked Pei Xue about her situation out of curiosity.

Mi Jie said that Pei Xue's sudden departure displeased the person in charge, and the spokesperson issue may have been dropped.

Serves you right!

Let her hire online trolls to smear Miss Su every day! And today she even pulled so many stunts. Miss Su didn't hit anyone because she's too good-natured.

If only I could be by Miss Su's side at a time like this, I could openly scold Pei Xue and vent my anger for Miss Su.

Xiao Ou was silently grieving in the parking lot.

Where are you, Xiao Ou? We should go back now.

Upon receiving Ruan Rourou's message, Xiao Ou perked up again.

Working diligently alongside Ruan Rourou is just as good. Miss Su has disregarded past grievances and allowed her to train alongside Ruan Rourou; she cannot let her down again.

I'm in the parking lot, wait for me, I'll drive up to pick you up.

No need to trouble yourself, I'm on my way, just wait for me.

Are your shoes comfortable to walk in?

Yes, I'm almost tamed it. /heart

Xiao Ou thought that Ruan Rourou might not be able to find the car, so she drove the car out and parked it at the entrance of the parking lot, so it would be easier to find.

Sure enough, Ruan Rourou arrived within minutes. She had indeed tamed those platform shoes; she walked steadily now, much better than before.

Xiao Ou pointed out the light to Ruan Rourou.

Suddenly, a black Mercedes sped past.

Xiao Ou was taken aback; it was Su Yunruo's car.

I didn't get to greet Miss Su today, which is a bit of a shame.

She patted her cheeks to force herself to wake up.

You can't do that, you can't do that.

Now Miss Su's mood is more affected than the stars. If only I had realized this sooner, sob sob sob.

Amidst fluctuating emotions, Xiao Ou belatedly realized something was wrong.

Wait a minute—

Why is Ruan Rourou standing there like an idiot?

Xiao Ou couldn't resist starting the car and driving up to Ruan Rourou. Ruan Rourou didn't move, so Xiao Ou rolled down the window and called out, "What's wrong? Get in the car."

"Huh? Aww."

Ruan Rourou climbed onto the car in a daze, as if she were lost in thought, head down, not uttering a word.

Xiao Ou found it strange, "What's wrong with you?"

"Xiao Ou, do you know many people in the entertainment industry?"

"I only know you." And Miss Su.

"Oh..." Disappointed.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

"You look like something's wrong. You have to tell me, otherwise something might go wrong and affect our work. Didn't we already agree that we wouldn't hide anything from each other?"

Ruan Rourou moved her lips, "Do you recognize that car that just walked by?"

What car?

"It's that black Mercedes, it's pretty inconspicuous."

Xiao Ou's heart clenched. "W-what's wrong?"

“I…” Ruan Rourou clutched her chest, “I’ve always wanted to thank the owner of that car.”

"Oh, there will be opportunities in the future." You're one of Miss Su's top talents, so why worry about not being able to see her in person in the future?

"Really?

"Of course, the entertainment industry isn't that big, you'll run into each other sooner or later."

Ruan Rourou breathed a sigh of relief. "I really wanted to see him, to thank him... and to know what kind of person he is."

"A really good person."

"You...you know him?" Ruan Rourou grasped the key point in his words.

Xiao Ou remained calm and composed: "I don't know her, but since you want to thank her, I guessed she had helped you before."

"Yeah, he helped me when the owner of the coffee shop where I worked framed me. You know, I was always being subjected to those unpleasant rumors about being kept by a sugar daddy in college... but he was the only one who came to my rescue."

So Miss Su had done something like helping those in need! Xiao Ou exclaimed excitedly, "Then she really is a very, very good person."

“Every time I dream of him, I feel very happy.”

"Hmm?" Something's not right.

"Do you believe that someone can really fall in love with another person without knowing what they look like? It's just a small thing."

"..." Oh no, didn't you consider that she might be a woman?

"It's like online dating! You don't know anything about the other person, you've never even met them in real life, but you really like them—"

Xiao Ou interrupted her urgently, "What if the other person is a woman? I mean... you know about online dating, right? Fat nerds pretend to be cute girls, and men dressed up as gods deceive young girls' feelings. You have no idea what the other person looks like, so it's easy to make mistakes in judgment."

"..."

"..."

"..."

In the silence, Xiao Ou inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

In her heart, she earnestly advised Ruan Rourou: Miss Su doesn't even like men, she won't like women...

But after silently offering his advice, he suddenly remembered how clingy Miss Su and Sister Jiang were when they were together.

It seems... it's not impossible.

Xiao Ou saw Ruan Rourou looking dejected in the rearview mirror, so she cheered her on, "It's okay, let's take the first step now and work hard on filming. We can consider the next step when we actually stand in front of her one day."

Great! Now she and Ruan Rourou have the same goal!

Work hard and get back to Miss Su's side.

Even if Ruan Rourou's goal is a little off, so what? Regardless of gender, everyone will be happy living with Miss Su.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Not a Yuri