Zhou Wanyou shot him a cold glare, grinding her teeth. "Su Qingtian!"
Su Qingtian's scalp tingled. He flustered. "You'er, listen to me. I didn't mean it like that. It was a misunderstanding..."
"Wuwuwu..." Su Yunmo wailed to the sky, her cries drowning out Su Qingtian's explanation.
Zhou Wanyou, too angry to care, quickly pulled her into her arms. "Shush, Momo, darling. With Mama here, no one can hurt you. Even if Momo was sent away, Mama would find you."
This was exactly what she had been waiting for!
Su Yunmo's crying subsided significantly. She finally dared to hug Zhou Wanyou, still sobbing intermittently.
"Thank you, Mama. Momo promises to be good from now on. Momo will be very obedient, won't spend the family's money. Momo will wash dishes and serve food at restaurants to support herself..."
The child's fingers were short. Although she was a bit plump now, they were still tender, as if a gentle touch could break the skin.
Let alone washing dishes and bowls, she might not even be steady enough to hold chopsticks at all times.
Zhou Wanyou briefly pictured her working, her short, clumsy legs weaving through the guests. Her nose instantly stung.
"Momo is Mama's treasure. Momo doesn't need to do those things. Be good, be good, don't cry, don't cry. Mama's heart aches."
She hugged the little one tightly and looked up at Su Qingtian with a gaze that could kill, shouting, "Acai, throw him out of the manor! Don't let him come near us mother and daughter again!"
"You'er!" Su Qingtian's eyes widened in disbelief.
Acai entered from outside and blocked Su Qingtian, creating distance. "General, please."
As Su Qingtian tried to explain further, Acai had already taken action, dragging him out and closing the door.
Su Qingtian was dragged out of the manor, and from a distance, he could still hear Su Yunmo's whimpering, spoiled voice from inside.
"Mama dotes on Momo, and Momo loves Mama too. Momo wants to be by Mama's side forever~"
Su Qingtian gritted his teeth!
To comfort Su Yunmo's young heart, Zhou Wanyou stayed with her that night.
The next morning, she personally cleaned her face, dressed her, and brought her to the dining table.
Three dishes and one soup were prepared for the meal: vegetable soup and plain vegetables.
Su Yunmo glanced at them.
She felt she wasn't very hungry this morning. If only there were some meat.
She snuggled into Zhou Wanyou's arms and said humbly, "It's okay, Mama. Momo isn't very hungry. If Momo is hungry, I can go outside and pick up things to eat. I won't spend the manor's money~"
Zhou Wanyou's heart clenched!
She put down her chopsticks, grinding her teeth in anger, and said word by word, "Acai! Go keep an eye on Su Qingtian. He's not allowed to eat anything all day today!"
Acai glanced at Su Yunmo, looking a bit troubled. "Madam, the General has to attend court today. If he goes hungry..."
"If he's hungry, let him pick up food by the roadside!" Zhou Wanyou said indignantly!
Su Yunmo picked up her bowl and took a sip.
Hmm, it tasted much better now.
After breakfast, Su Yunmo was going to school.
As Acai sent her onto the carriage, she saw Su Qingtian squatting in a corner, glaring at them with a mournful expression.
Judging by his appearance, he had likely stayed there all night without sleep.
Su Yunmo looked up at the sky.
The weather was beautiful, bright and sunny.
There were no classes that morning, so Su Yunmo stayed in the dormitory at school for the entire morning.
When it was time for lunch, she was about to head to the cafeteria.
From a distance, she saw someone rush in frantically, coming from the East Courtyard.
The courtyard guards were chasing after her, trying to stop her but failing.
She was wearing a long-sleeved, light blue brocade dress and a veil covering her face, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes.
It was Lin Yuning.
Su Yunmo's good mood from the morning was almost instantly extinguished. She furrowed her brows and clenched her fists.
Although many days had passed and her emotions had largely calmed down, seeing the person still stirred her feelings.
After all, this was the sister she had doted on for years, one of the few relatives she considered close.
Lin Yuning lunged forward, knocking Su Yunmo to the ground with a single impact. "Speak! What's your relationship with Lin Niange? You know her, don't you!"
A gust of wind blew, lifting a part of the veil on her face. From this angle, Su Yunmo could see the face hidden beneath the veil.
The left half of her face was shriveled, pulling her mouth into a crooked grimace. Red blood vessels were clustered together, looking terrifying, with black, charcoal-like skin and flesh stuck together.
It was a burn injury from fire, a degree that couldn't be cured. She was disfigured.
"Are you here to avenge her? Or maybe you are her! You're possessed! You're a ghost! A ghost!!" she shrieked hysterically, grabbing Su Yunmo's neck with both hands.
The courtyard guards rushed over and pulled her away.
But she clung tightly to Su Yunmo, her bloodshot eyes filled with resentment. "You're already dead, why are you still back? You should be in hell!"
Su Yunmo coldly pried her hands away, a strange emotion flashing in her heart. It wasn't hatred, but disgust.
Disgust like having eaten a dead fly.
"Yuning!" Lin Chenxi ran in from outside, helping the guards pull Lin Yuning away.
Lin Yuning struggled, glaring hatefully at Su Yunmo.
"We could have lived better without you. You think you're a savior, but you're just a tool. People like you are born to be exploited. You were born to be a plaything!"
She screamed hysterically, being dragged away by the guards.
Su Yunmo's fingernails dug into her flesh.
A plaything? So that's how she saw herself.
Lin Chenxi, panting, calmed himself and walked in front of Su Yunmo, apologizing. "I didn't watch her properly. Are you alright?"
He reached out, intending to brush away the stray hair from Su Yunmo's forehead.
Su Yunmo turned her face away, looked up at him, and said in a calm, flat tone, "Did you tell her that I know Lin Niange?"
Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone mad and come here so suddenly.
Lin Chenxi's hand paused, his face showing helplessness and annoyance. "I just mentioned you in passing. I didn't expect her to get so agitated. You know, she's ill."
Su Yunmo lowered her gaze.
She was ill, with a sickness of the heart.
"Are you angry?" Lin Chenxi asked, seemingly worried.
Su Yunmo shook her head, hiding the strange glint in her eyes. "No, it was just an accident. It has nothing to do with you."
Lin Chenxi breathed a sigh of relief. "It's lunchtime. How about we go eat together?"
"Momo!" Su Siyuan ran over from a distance, waving excitedly.
Lin Chenxi looked a bit disappointed. "It seems you have plans with someone. In that case, we'll have to do it next time."
Su Yunmo hummed in response, saying nothing else, and walked towards Su Siyuan.
Lin Chenxi watched them walk towards the cafeteria, talking and laughing, his eyes darkening.
After lunch, before the afternoon classes, Ziyuan returned.
Xuehen was officially established. This time, learning from the lessons of Li Man Lou, it did not open in the capital.
Instead, they found a location on a mountain in the suburbs, and their business direction also changed. While still primarily focused on intelligence gathering, they did not openly accept clients.
"Everything is basically ready. We can officially begin operations," Ziyuan said with great confidence.
For some reason, Ye Jingcheng's men had not appeared around the organization since that day, which gave the organization time to recover. With her personal supervision, there were no problems.
A sharp light flashed in Su Yunmo's eyes. "Then go investigate Zhao Fengchen. With such significant moves to acquire property, his business dealings can't be entirely clean."
If this punch were to land, it had to strike Ye Jingcheng where it hurt the most!