Su Ci disliked following orders the most. When Lu Zhe told her not to tempt him, she deliberately went against his wishes.
She brought the camera closer to herself, her stunning beauty unafraid of close-ups. With curved red lips, she smiled and said to Lu Zhe, "I'm not lying. Next time I'm sick, I'll let you touch my bunny ears as your birthday present."
Su Ci was quite narcissistic; she thought such a gift was simply priceless. After all, no one else could see her bunny ears, let alone touch them.
Lu Zhe lowered his eyelids and chuckled softly.
Su Ci rarely saw Lu Zhe smile or heard him laugh. "What are you laughing at?"
The young man looked up, his pitch-black eyes meeting the girl's through the screen. His thin lips curved upward, "Tuantuan, don't be naughty."
She would cry if he teased her.
Su Ci didn't catch Lu Zhe's meaning. Looking at the shallow dimple on the left side of his face, she desperately wanted to poke it. "Lu Zhe, smile again."
The intoxication in the young man's eyes deepened as he gave a soft laugh to the girl, "It's late, go to sleep."
After hanging up the video call, Lu Zhe lay down on the folding bed, closing his eyes and letting his heart sink involuntarily into sweet thoughts.
......
During her days at the Su family home, Su Ci stayed obediently by her mother's side, giving Su's Mother plenty of reassurance.
When Su's Mother saw the measurements the staff took for her daughter, she realized her daughter had grown taller again, and even her upper body measurements had changed. No wonder she felt the previously tailored clothes didn't quite fit her daughter - they had become too small.
Su's Mother was beautiful herself, and her husband was handsome and distinguished. She was very proud that their three children had inherited their excellent genes.
Especially her daughter, who grew increasingly beautiful and outstanding, with a perfect figure that was flawless in every way.
She wondered what kind of person would be worthy of her daughter, who had been raised like a precious jewel in their palm.
At this moment, Little Su Ning walked in. He had just taken an afternoon nap and hadn't fully shaken off his drowsiness. With his dazed expression, fair skin, and adorable chubbiness, the little dumpling was absolutely heart-melting.
He walked to Su's Mother's side, naturally taking his mother's hand.
"Awake already?" Su's Mother handed the small towel from his back to a nearby servant. Children tend to sweat during sleep, and even with air conditioning, his back would be quite sweaty when he woke up.
"Mama, I want pudding," Little Su Ning said, his mouth watering at the thought.
"Mama still has things to do. Ask your sister to take you to get some," Su's Mother said.
In the past, her young son had always liked to stick close to his sister, but her daughter was typically an impatient person. She would often grow tired of playing with her brother after just a short while, and it was usually Qin Shiyan who played with him. Gradually, the little boy became less close to his sister and grew closer to Qin Shiyan instead.
Meanwhile, the staff had finished taking Su Ci's measurements for her entire body, including shoe size.
Su Ci walked over and took Little Su Ning's other small hand. Seeing that his life value was only 4 days, her eyes darkened slightly. "Come on, sister will take you to eat pudding."
Suddenly being held by his sister, Little Su Ning felt a bit timid and shy.
"Good, you two go play," Su's Mother said, as she still needed to select this month's outfits for her daughter.
Little Su Ning followed Su Ci downstairs.
"Which flavor of pudding do you want?" Su Ci opened the refrigerator to find an entire shelf filled with various puddings, clearly prepared especially for the little one.
"Strawberry pudding." Little Su Ning's big dark eyes lit up instantly when he saw Su Ci take out a pink pudding, and his little mouth seemed to water.
Su Ci handed him the small pudding, "What else does Little Su Ning like to eat besides strawberry pudding?"
Holding his beloved pudding, Little Su Ning answered, "I like the pudding that Yan sister makes."
"Yan sister?" Su Ci narrowed her eyes, "Qin Shiyan?"
Little Su Ning nodded his little head, "Yan sister's pudding is delicious."
Su Ci patted his head and asked, "Then do you like sister or Yan sister more?"
Hearing his sister's question, Little Su Ning became very troubled and conflicted. Usually when mama asked if he liked papa or mama more, whenever he answered that he liked mama, papa would become unhappy and frown.
So, if he chose either his sister or Yan sister, the other person would be unhappy.
But mama had said that children shouldn't lie.
Little Su Ning's delicate eyebrows furrowed in worry, his little mouth pouting, but he still answered honestly: "Yan sister."
At that moment, Su Ci really wanted to snatch the pudding from the little one's hands and make him cry!
Little Su Ning secretly glanced at his sister, afraid that she would be hurt, and quickly added, "I like sister too."
Su Ci crouched down to look at the little one, "But you like that Qin Shiyan more, right?"
Little Su Ning clutched his pudding tightly; sister looked fierce, and he was a bit scared.
Su Ci wasn't one with a gentle personality. She reached out and cupped Little Su Ning's cheeks, squishing his fair, chubby face until his little mouth puckered like a goldfish.
She kneaded his face a bit, messing up his soft hair and making his cheeks turn red. The little angel instantly became a pitiful sight, though still adorably cute.
"Little Su Ning doesn't like sister, sister is heartbroken," Su Ci pretended to rub her eyes.
Little Su Ning was so frightened that he immediately dropped his pudding and hugged his sister, anxiously saying, "Like sister, Ning Ning likes sister."
He maturely patted Su Ci's back to comfort her, "Ning Ning won't like Yan sister anymore, only likes sister, don't cry sister."
"Really?" Su Ci stopped rubbing her eyes.
"Ning Ning doesn't lie." Little Su Ning straightened his back, his little belly protruding adorably.
Su Ci thought this brother was so easy to coax, much easier than Lu Zhe.
She couldn't help but pinch his chubby cheeks, "Alright, I believe you."
Little Su Ning saw that he had finally consoled his sister and smiled, "Sister crying, shame shame."
"You little smooth talker, come on, let's go play games." Su Ci picked up his pudding and put it back in his hand, then held his other little hand as they walked toward the living room.
"Sister playing with Ning Ning, don't think Ning Ning is troublesome." Little Su Ning's voice was childish.
"When did I ever say you were troublesome?" Su Ci paused mid-step, "Did I say that before?"
Little Su Ning's little mouth drooped, his big dark eyes showing a hint of hurt.
Su Ci crouched down in front of him, ruffled his hair, and spoke in her gentlest tone ever, "I'm sorry, sister carelessly said things that hurt Little Su Ning's feelings. Sister was wrong. You're a little angel, not trouble at all, and sister likes you very much."
Little Su Ning's round eyes brightened, "Ning Ning likes sister too."
"Come on, share half your pudding with sister."
"Okay, Ning Ning will share half with sister."
......
When Little Su Ning's life value was down to three days, Su Ci learned from Fugui that her brother would die by drowning.
The Su family's front yard had a fountain, and the backyard had a lotus pond. After learning this, Su Ci immediately had someone inspect the railings around the lotus pond.
"Young Miss, there are no problems with the railings around either the fountain or the pond," the butler reported to Su Ci.
"Have someone keep an eye on these two areas at all times." Su Ci was always cautious. Now that she knew the cause, she wanted to eliminate any possibility of danger.
Although the butler didn't understand Su Ci's intentions, he still passed down the orders, having people patrol regularly.
On the final day, Su Ci looked at Little Su Ning's life value, knowing the danger hadn't passed.
Early in the morning, Su Ci got up to accompany Little Su Ning.
Since she had made it clear that she didn't find him troublesome, Little Su Ning had become much closer to her, no longer showing his previous timid and fearful demeanor.
Children are truly pure-hearted.
After lunch, Su Ci saw that Little Su Ning had fallen asleep, and feeling drowsy herself, she decided to go back to her room for a nap, planning to continue playing with Little Su Ning after he woke up.
The afternoon sun grew increasingly fierce, making the leaves of the trees in the courtyard droop listlessly.
Su Ci suddenly awoke with a strong sense of panic.
She sat up, thought of Little Su Ning, and quickly put on her slippers to run to his room.
Little Su Ning's room was separated from Su Ci's by a study and a guest room.
When she opened the door, she found his blue little bed empty.
"Where's my brother?" Su Ci grabbed a passing servant.
"Miss Qin took the young master out to play," the servant quickly replied.
Su Ci's brows furrowed as she fired off questions: "Qin Shiyan? Why didn't anyone tell me? Why did you let my brother go with her? Why didn't you stop them?"
Everyone in the Su household knew that Su Ci had lost her memory and forgotten past events. The servant hastily explained, "Miss, you previously agreed to let Miss Qin take the young master out. He's accompanied by the driver, nanny, and bodyguards. You said before that when Miss Qin takes the young master out, there's no need to report to you."
In the past, Su Ci had been impatient about taking Little Su Ning out to play and always pushed the task onto Qin Shiyan.
Su Ci was taken aback. "Where did Qin Shiyan take my brother?"
"Miss Qin didn't specify, only saying she'd bring the young master back by 4 PM," the servant answered.
Su Ci's brows remained knitted. "Where are my parents?"
"Sir is at the company, and Madam went out on business." Before the servant could finish speaking, she saw her young mistress rushing downstairs.
In the car, Su Ci obtained Qin Shiyan's contact information from Su's Mother, but Qin Shiyan wasn't answering her calls.
After hanging up, Su Ci finally called her brother's nanny and learned that Qin Shiyan had taken him to the swimming pool!
Su Ci was furious. Despite all her precautions, Qin Shiyan had managed to disrupt everything in such a short time by taking Little Su Ning to the swimming pool.
Without a doubt, this was where Little Su Ning would drown.
Su Ci gave the address to the driver and told him to hurry there immediately.
Ever since learning about Su Ci's return to the Su family, Qin Shiyan had felt uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that she would lose the Su family's backing and desperately wanted to do something about it.
Su's Father and Su's Mother both favored Su Ci, while Su ZhiYuan ignored her completely, no matter how many flirtatious glances she cast his way.
In the entire Su household, only Little Su Ning liked her.
In fact, Su Ning preferred her over his own sister, Su Ci.
She had to hold onto Su Ning as leverage.
She had no scheduled appearances today, and since Su Ning had previously expressed interest in swimming, which she had promised him, it was the perfect opportunity to take him out.
Qin Shiyan had the nanny and bodyguards wait outside the swimming pool. After all, this pool was one of the Su family's properties, a private facility where outsiders couldn't freely enter, so there shouldn't be any danger.
"Ning Ning, come here, let Sister Yan put this life ring on you. After I finish swimming, I'll teach you. For now, sit by the pool and watch me swim," Qin Shiyan had scheduled a private instructor today, as she swam to maintain her figure.
"Okay." Little Su Ning, wearing his small swimming trunks, obediently sat at the pool's edge, kicking his little feet in the water.
Knowing that Su Ning was always well-behaved, Qin Shiyan had someone bring him a glass of juice before she followed her instructor to the other end of the pool.
The instructor was handsome with a great physique and excellent swimming skills. He was also Qin Shiyan's fan, and she enjoyed his admiring gazes.
Their occasional eye contact and physical touches gradually raised the water temperature around them.
Then, somehow, Qin Shiyan pulled the instructor out of the pool and headed toward the changing room.
The car stopped outside the swimming pool. Su Ci saw the nanny and bodyguards sitting in the lobby and coldly demanded, "Where's my brother?"
"Miss." The nanny quickly stood up. "Miss Qin is swimming with the young master inside."
"Why aren't you in there with them!" Su Ci snapped through gritted teeth before running inside.
Su Ci had never been good at running. In her previous life, she had a heart condition that prevented any strenuous exercise, and running was impossible.
This body clearly wasn't used to exercise either. Su Ci felt like she couldn't run properly, her breathing became rapid as she stumbled and pushed open the swimming pool door.
Her eyes fell on the pool area, and she nearly lost her mind!
Little Su Ning was struggling in the pool, with no one around, let alone any sign of Qin Shiyan.
Su Ci rushed over and jumped into the pool without hesitation.
The nanny and bodyguards who had followed behind finally reacted, and seeing the situation, they rushed over to help.
Su Ci swam to her brother's side and grabbed his chubby little body.
"Don't be afraid, sister's here." She held her brother tightly. The little one's face had turned pale from choking on water, and his small hands unconsciously wrapped around his sister.
Su Ci lifted him to the pool's edge, where the bodyguard quickly pulled him up. The nanny grabbed a towel from the lounge chair and wrapped the young master in it.
"Oh heavens, what happened? How did the young master end up drowning? Where's Miss Qin?" The nanny's hands trembled as she dried Su Ning off.
If Miss Su hadn't rushed in when she did, with the young master alone in such a large pool, he could have drowned!
If anything had happened to the young master, the Su family's retribution would be beyond what she could bear.
With these thoughts, the nanny's hands continued to shake as she wrapped Su Ning up. "Young master, are you alright? Does anything hurt?"
Su Ci climbed out of the pool, not caring about her soaked clothes as she rushed to her brother's side. "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Little Su Ning was crying and whimpering, his face pale as he said in his baby voice, "Ning Ning was scared."
Su Ci examined her brother's complexion. He must have fallen into the pool just moments ago; she had arrived just in time.
She wiped the tears from his face. "It's okay now. From now on, Little Su Ning will be safe and sound, and live a long life."
The green life value squares on Su Ning's wrist all lit up.
Little Su Ning leaned dependently against his sister, still frightened.
At that moment, the door of the changing room at the far end opened, and Qin Shiyan emerged with the instructor.
Qin Shiyan's face still held a coquettish smile, her eyes full of allure.
But when she saw the additional people in the pool area, her smile instantly vanished.
Why was Su Ci here?
Her heart tightened suddenly, and Qin Shiyan quickly walked over, asking in confusion, "Ci Ci, why are you here?"
"Miss Qin, where did you go? You promised to watch over our young master, but you left him alone in the pool, and he nearly had an accident." The nanny couldn't contain herself and immediately accused Qin Shiyan, indirectly telling Su Ci that Qin Shiyan had promised to watch over the young master, and any accident would be her fault.
Only then did Qin Shiyan notice that Su Ning, held in Su Ci's arms, was pale-faced, his eyes showing fear, his entire body wrapped in a towel.
Even Su Ci was soaked through.
"What happened to Ning Ning?" Qin Shiyan panicked and quickly stepped forward.
If anything happened to Su Ning, she and her family would be finished!
"Get lost!" Su Ci forcefully slapped away Qin Shiyan's outstretched hand.
The sharp "slap" made Qin Shiyan wince in pain.
"Don't touch my brother with your filthy hands." Su Ci's fair face was covered in cold fury, her dark eyes glaring at Qin Shiyan. "You took my brother out but didn't watch him. Do you know he almost drowned in the pool just now?"
This woman had actually abandoned Little Su Ning to fool around with a man in the changing room?
Su Ci's anger burned like fire in her heart. Only she knew that if she hadn't arrived in time, Little Su Ning would have truly drowned.
Qin Shiyan was shocked and quickly tried to explain: "Ci Ci, I didn't know, I only left for a moment..."
Another sharp "slap!" rang out, even louder this time.
Su Ci's hand landed directly on Qin Shiyan's face. "Shut up!"
She didn't want to hear a single word of Qin Shiyan's excuses.
Su Ci gave her a fierce glare, then struggled to pick up Little Su Ning and headed out.
Qin Shiyan stood frozen in place, touching her slapped face in disbelief.
Su Ci had hit her?
In the past, Su Ci would at most tease and mock her, but never resort to physical violence. Yet this amnesiac Su Ci had become so assertive that she actually struck her!
Qin Shiyan felt both angry and wronged.
"Are you okay?" The instructor had been standing aside, not daring to intervene. The other party's imposing presence and distinguished air clearly showed she wasn't an ordinary person, and a mere swimming instructor like him didn't dare speak up for Qin Shiyan.
Qin Shiyan's face twisted with anger. "Get lost!"
When they returned to the Su residence, Su's Mother had already come back.
Seeing her daughter and young son completely drenched, she rushed forward in alarm, "Ci, what happened? Why are you both soaking wet?"
Su Ci immediately had someone take Little Su Ning to his room to change clothes. "Mom, everything's fine. I'll go upstairs to change first and explain later."
"Alright, hurry up then." Su's Mother ordered someone to prepare ginger soup, worried about her daughter and son catching a cold despite the hot weather.
After giving instructions, Su's Mother asked the nanny who had been watching her young son to report what had happened that day.
When Su Ci came back downstairs after changing out of her wet clothes, she found her mother's well-maintained face filled with anger.
"Ci, come sit here with mom." Su's Mother suppressed her anger and patted Su Ci's hand. "Thank goodness you got there in time, otherwise Ning..."
The mere thought of what could have happened to her young son made Su's Mother's anger rise again.
"Mom, I don't know what my friendship with Qin Shiyan was like before I lost my memory, but I really dislike her now." Su Ci had always been straightforward about her feelings.
She truly didn't like Qin Shiyan.
"Mom understands." Even if Su Ci hadn't said anything, after today's events, she would hold Qin Shiyan accountable.
She instructed the butler beside her, "From now on, Qin Shiyan is not allowed to freely enter the Su residence. Make it clear to everyone that she has no connection to our family."
The butler quickly agreed. When the madam was angry, it meant Qin Shiyan could no longer rely on the Su family's support.
Su Ci heard her mother's decision but didn't interfere.
Although she hadn't interacted much with Qin Shiyan, she knew the other woman was quite calculating. Getting rid of such a troublemaker was for the best.
After chatting with her mother for a while, Su Ci returned to her room, finally able to breathe easy now that Little Su Ning was safe.
As Su Ci lay on her bed, she received a message from Shen Xue.
As usual, anything from Shen Xue was related to Lu Zhe.
She quickly opened it.
Shen Xue had sent a photo showing Lu Zhe entering a hospital.
Tool-friend Shen Xue: I was afraid Lu Zhe would notice me following him, so I didn't go inside.
Su Ci: Thanks.
Why would Lu Zhe go to the hospital? Was he sick?
Su Ci frowned, then remembered Lu Zhe had ALS. He was probably going for a check-up or follow-up appointment.
She wondered how his condition was now, and how long the effects of the four golden cotton candies he had eaten would last.
At the hospital.
Lu Zhe had come to get his prescription refilled as he had run out of medicine.
He told the doctor that his hands and feet were feeling numb, and his muscle twitches had decreased, asking if this meant his condition was improving.
Looking at the examination report, the doctor knew this young man had always been very cooperative with treatment. He didn't want to discourage him, but ALS was a chronic, fatal neurological disease with no current cure.
Many ALS patients died within three to five years after symptoms appeared.
Only a small percentage lasted up to ten years.
Seeing the hope in the young man's dark eyes, the doctor couldn't bear to be harsh, "Just keep following the treatment plan."
His eyes darkened as Lu Zhe took the report, "Mm."
After leaving the hospital, Lu Zhe received a video call from the girl.
"Lu Zhe, I'm very angry today." On the screen appeared the girl's exceptionally fair face.
Lu Zhe walked to a tree by the roadside. His rigid face remained expressionless, but his cool voice carried a hint of tenderness, "What happened?"
Su Ci angrily told Lu Zhe about the day's events, "I almost lost my little brother."
Lu Zhe quietly listened to the girl's story, "Are you and your brother okay now?"
"We're fine now." Su Ci lay on her bed. She had changed into a white dress with a rather low neckline, and lying down like that revealed a large expanse of fair skin.
"Sit properly." Lu Zhe averted his gaze.
Su Ci ignored his words. She noticed Lu Zhe turning his face away, his ear facing the camera, the small mole on his earlobe clearly visible – the one she had kissed before.
"Lu Zhe, I miss you," the girl said frankly. "Do you want me to come back to you? I have something good for you."
She had obtained another golden cotton candy today.
Lu Zhe gripped the report in his hand tightly. The sunset filtered through the tree branches onto his shoulders as he said softly, "No."
