So the clothes were altered two days ago, and with the school anniversary just around the corner, I had no choice but to contact him.

I thought I had concealed it well, but I didn't expect that others could see right through me.

"No... I've been dreaming of getting a divorce, and now that I can finally get one, I'm so happy."

"That's good. I thought you couldn't bear to part with him."

Reluctant to part with Gu Yanqing?

I turned to look at Su Shenglin, my feelings complicated, and I didn't know how to respond for a moment.

So I hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm not reluctant, but after the court hearing that day, he fainted and was taken away by ambulance. I was afraid that his old illness had relapsed, and I... I'm going to be morally blackmailed again."

Moreover, if Gu Yanqing suffers a terrible fate after the divorce, and I turn around and have an ambiguous relationship with someone else, I will definitely be despised by many people.

I can ignore gossip, but people I'm ambiguous with will inevitably be pointed at and talked about.

Therefore, during this period, I did intentionally distance myself from Su Shenglin.

Su Shenglin raised an eyebrow slightly: "Is that so? Has he found out what the cause of his illness is?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask."

Seeing that I didn't want to talk about it anymore, Su Shenglin stopped bringing it up and quickly changed the subject: "Chef Lin is cooking lunch today, let's have lunch at Su Garden later."

"Huh? Stay for dinner?" I was taken aback, my eyes widening in surprise. My mind immediately raced for an excuse, "It's the weekend, I thought..."

Before I could find an excuse, Su Shenglin asked directly, "Jiang Wan, have you been deliberately distancing yourself from me lately?"

My mind went blank, I stopped and stared at him, my cheeks instantly burning.

He saw right through her again.

Su Shenglin also stopped. He was carrying two bags of clothes in his hands. He faced me directly, his eyes fixed on my face.

"Can you tell me why? Do you dislike me, or are you worried about rumors circulating outside?"

As he confronted me directly, my face grew hotter, and my eyes darted back and forth, making me even more afraid to look at him.

"I...I feel that because I'm divorced, my reputation is bad, so—"

Although he didn't say it explicitly, the meaning was clear.

He surely understood the deeper meaning behind my response.

To everyone's surprise, Su Shenglin smiled indifferently and said, "It's not like I only found out about your divorce today. Besides, the failure of this marriage wasn't your fault; it was your partner who let you down. Why should you feel pressured?"

"That's true, but public opinion is a powerful force, and your family background is extremely respectable..."

I cannot say the rest in person.

The Su family has an extremely upright background and a particularly prominent social standing. It is reasonable to assume that Su Shenglin would have carefully selected a wife who was a perfect match in terms of social status, appearance, education, ability, and family background.

But I come from an ordinary background and have an ordinary education. Although my career is booming, it can't outweigh the stain of having a father who is in prison and my divorce.

The only thing I can show off is my face.

But beauty is the least important thing in front of a top-tier noble family like the Su family.

Seeing my lack of confidence, Su Shenglin sighed helplessly, his shoulders slumping: "I never thought that having a good family background would be a disadvantage for me."

"No, no, that's not what I meant." I quickly looked up and explained, "There's nothing wrong with you, it's just that I can't get over my own mental block."

Su Shenglin nodded. "Okay, I understand."

Understood?

I looked up at him, feeling confused—was this another rejection of him?

"Let's go inside. My mother has been waiting for you since she knew you were coming." Even after being "rejected," Su Shenglin remained composed and showed no displeasure whatsoever.

I responded softly and followed him further inside.

Madam Su was very happy to see me. "Xiao Wan, it's been a while since you last came to see me. I thought Sheng Lin had upset you and that you had become distant from us."

I opened my mouth, both amused and exasperated: "Mrs. Su, no, you're too kind of a joke. How could that be? Mr. Su has helped me a lot lately, and I'm extremely grateful to him. How could I possibly distance myself from him?"

"Really? Then it's good to visit each other more often. Young people should make more friends and strengthen relationships," Mrs. Su said with a smile.

My heart was in turmoil again. This phrase "maintain close relationships" probably doesn't refer to romantic love, right?

I didn't dare to respond, so I pretended to be clueless and changed the subject: "Mr. Su, why don't you try the clothes upstairs again? If there are still any parts that don't fit, there's still time to make alterations."

"Okay, you guys chat first, I'll go upstairs to change my clothes."

Su Shenglin turned and went upstairs, with a maid following beside him, carrying his clothes.

Mrs. Su pulled me to sit on the sofa and stared at me for a while. “You’ve lost weight! I heard you’ve been having a tough time lately. Look how thin you’ve become.”

I felt a little uncomfortable because Mrs. Su's eyes were full of assessment and scrutiny when she looked at me.

I don't understand. Does Madam Su also have her eye on me?

Didn't she previously work very actively with Su family relatives to "select concubines" for Su Shenglin?

"No, my weight is very stable, I haven't lost much weight."

"You've definitely lost weight. Eat more for lunch today. Chef Lin made all your favorite dishes."

I could only obediently say, "Thank you, Mrs. Su, you've gone to so much trouble."

After saying this, I suddenly remembered the gift I brought for Mrs. Su.

"By the way, Madam, it's gotten colder lately, so I picked out a shawl for you. Do you like it?" I turned around, took out my bag, and pulled out the exquisitely soft cashmere shawl.

Madam Su's eyes lit up, and she took the shawl, nodding repeatedly: "I like it. This indigo color is dignified and elegant, and the embroidery is also simple and graceful."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!