If Qin Xiaoxiao had seen Su Lu return half a month ago, she would have been very happy and excitedly hugged and kissed him. But now, she felt no ripples in her heart, as if the man in front of her was not the lover who had been so passionately entwined with her in the small house several times.

Su Lu was so excited to see Qin Xiaoxiao that he didn't notice her aloofness. He happily put a huge package on the ground, obediently sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and stared intently at Qin Xiaoxiao, not wanting to miss a single move she made.

Qin Xiaoxiao walked into the house expressionlessly, lit the oil lamp, calmly picked up her clothes and put them on, pulled the kang table to the middle, and then sat down on the other side.

Their eyes met, and Su Lu was eager to express his longing for Qin Xiaoxiao these past few days. But as they got closer and the oil lamp was lit, he suddenly realized that Qin Xiaoxiao's expression was not right. There was no enthusiasm in her eyes, only indifference.

Su Lu's passionate heart instantly turned cold. He felt that something big must have happened to Qin Xiaoxiao during the days he was away from home, something related to him, or rather, to the Su family.

Su Lu forced himself to calm down, but he couldn't help but grab Qin Xiaoxiao's hand that was on the table.

"Xiaoxiao, you... what happened while I was gone?"

Looking at Su Lu's face, which was so outrageous that it seemed to defy both gods and men, Qin Xiaoxiao couldn't help but sigh.

Honestly, in both her lives, she had never seen anyone more handsome than Su Lu. It was hard for her to give him up like this, but considering Wan Guihua's attitude, she had no choice but to harden her heart.

"Su Lu, let's leave it at that. Let's not see each other again."

Su Lu was shocked and, disregarding everything else, grabbed Qin Xiaoxiao's hand and held it tightly in his palm.

"Xiaoxiao, don't scare me. Why are you suddenly saying these things? What happened? Did the Su family bully you while I was away?"

Don't be afraid, I'm here for you, I'll back you up.

Qin Xiaoxiao tried several times to break free from Su Lu's large hand, but failed, so she had no choice but to let him have his way for now.

Qin Xiaoxiao shook her head. "No, the Su family didn't bully me. Something did happen, but you should ask your family for details when you get home."

That's enough, it's too late, it's not convenient for you to stay here any longer, you should go back now.

As she got closer, Qin Xiaoxiao immediately noticed the bloodshot eyes in Su Lu's eyes. She knew he must have suffered a lot these past few days and felt a pang of sympathy. She wanted him to go back and rest, and they could talk again once he was rested.

Su Lu refused, "No, you have to make things clear today, or I'm not leaving."

Su Lu lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) in a spoiled manner, resting his hands on his arms and turning his face away, refusing to look at Qin Xiaoxiao.

Qin Xiaoxiao sighed, "Fine, since you want to know, I'll tell you."

Qin Xiaoxiao is not a good-natured person. If anyone bullies her, she will definitely get back at them. She doesn't want to make herself sick from holding it in.

She could only endure this much longer than her limit. If Su Lu had gone back, she could have held it in until tomorrow. But now, of course, she wouldn't hold it in any longer.

Qin Xiaoxiao then told him everything: the Su family wanted to seize the house of the third branch of the family without paying, the third branch of the family wanted to move out with Su Lu to live in a new house, and how she beat up his whole family to avenge him, and how she ended up getting sick and being hospitalized. After returning home, she learned that his mother had secretly made her work in the fields to earn work points to support him.

After saying that, Qin Xiaoxiao sneered: "I really didn't expect that there are so many oddballs in your Su family. It's one thing for the first, second and fourth branches of the Su family to be so bad, but the third branch is your own brother, and he actually wants to take advantage of you. Even though the family has been separated, he still wants to live with you and doesn't want to pay a single penny, making you pay for the house yourself."

What's wrong with them? Do they not have hands or feet, or are they suffering from dementia and need you to support them? Don't they know what it means to separate from the family?

Okay, I can tolerate all of this. After all, we are brothers, and we are both independent individuals with our own little thoughts, which is inevitable. But what's wrong with your mother?

I never knew she was that kind of person. She always had a smile on her face when she saw me, but what was she like behind my back?

"Heh heh, your Su family is a whole bunch of parasites, a den of scoundrels, from the oldest to the youngest, not a single good person among you. It's truly an eye-opener!"

Qin Xiaoxiao was furious. She vented all the anger she had been holding in for more than half a month on Su Lu. If she hadn't been so well-mannered, she would have said even worse things.

Su Lu listened silently as Qin Xiaoxiao finished telling her story, his clenched fist bleeding from between his fingers.

One drop, two drops, three drops—gradually, a whiff of blood filled the small house.

Qin Xiaoxiao noticed the metallic smell in the room and looked at Su Lu's hand in surprise.

Because the table was blocking the view, Qin Xiaoxiao couldn't see clearly, but judging from his bulging arm, his palm was probably injured.

Qin Xiaoxiao felt a pang of reluctance, but when she thought that Su Lu was also a member of the Su family and would ultimately stand with his family, all the reluctance that had just arisen in her heart disappeared, replaced by endless silence.

Su Lu closed his eyes, and when he spoke again less than half an hour later, his voice was hoarse.

"Xiaoxiao, thank you, thank you for standing up for me."

Qin Xiaoxiao was shocked.

No, she beat up his whole family, wasn't he angry?

Su Lu gave a bitter laugh and put his hands on his head. "These are my family, these are my support. It's really, really heartbreaking, no surprise."

Su Lu gripped his head tightly, his fingers turning white from the force. "I know my grandfather favors my uncles and the others, using my father's money to support so many people in the family. But my father is happy to do it. As a junior, I can't interfere in this matter. I can only secretly accumulate strength, hoping to one day escape from the cage of the Su family."

My mom seems to favor me on the surface, but I know in my heart that she cares most about my older brother and his family, not me. She just wants to get more money from me to make up for the shortfall for my brother and his family, in order to achieve what she considers fairness.

At first, I didn't notice any of this, but as time went on, I gradually realized that my mother wasn't as biased towards me as I had thought.

Once, twice, three times—I'm a human being too, and my heart is warm too. But after she does this several times, my heart will grow cold.

However, I'm the best earner among her sons, and only by following me can she live a good life. I don't mind being taken advantage of; after all, I'm her son, so I accept it.

Su Lu suddenly raised her head, her bloodshot eyes looking at Qin Xiaoxiao, "But she shouldn't have schemed against you, even if it was for my sake."

No, his mother wasn't doing it for him; in the end, it was probably for her good sons.

After figuring it out, Su Lu closed his eyes helplessly.

"The whole Su family was caused by me, but you are the one who suffers. Xiaoxiao, I'm sorry."

But I don't want to break up with you like this. It's not fair to me; I wasn't home at the time, was I?

Su Lu slowly opened his eyes. "Xiao Xiao, give me a chance to prove that I can protect you. Please give me some time to resolve my family issues, okay?"

Su Lu looked at Qin Xiaoxiao with pleading and anxiety.