Chapter 59: A Little Scheme

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: A Little Scheme

Su Jue sighed and pressed his hand to his forehead. He was finally getting a taste of just how emotionally clueless these soldiers were.

He simply got out of the car and stood in front of Xu Yan.

Xu Yan was immediately struck by his imposing height. She had to instinctively look up just to see his expression clearly.

"Mr. Su, I’m sorry to have held you up. Please accept my thank-you gift. You might think it was a small thing, but for me, it was a huge help."

"If you don’t accept it, this will weigh on my mind."

Xu Yan pleaded, her face flushing red.

It was unclear whether she meant the matter would weigh on her mind, or if *he*, Su Jue, would be on her mind.

It all depended on how the listener chose to interpret it.

Xu Yan couldn’t resist shyly stealing a glance at him.

Su Jue’s expression remained unchanged. He took the envelope, opened it, and saw the money and coupons inside. Without needing to count, he could guess the approximate amount.

"Sixty-six yuan, plus grain coupons. Are you this generous with everyone you thank?" Su Jue raised an eyebrow. The movement made his already sharp brows look even more severe.

To those who didn’t like him, he simply looked intimidating and unapproachable.

But Xu Yan wasn’t afraid. For some reason, she was firmly convinced that Su Jue was not a bad person.

Xu Yan hesitated for a moment, hemming and hawing, unsure how to respond.

’If I say yes, won’t that make me sound like an easy mark?’

’But if I say no... what reason could I give?’

When Xu Yan didn’t answer, Su Jue’s gaze fell on her, so direct she couldn’t stand it.

Her face flared red in an instant. Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably, and she quickly clasped them together. Nervously, she looked up. "Of course not."

"Oh?" Su Jue asked with a smile. "Then why give me so much?"

"Because you’re Wanwan’s brother, so you must be a good person. My gratitude is sincere, so please don’t refuse me."

As Xu Yan spoke, she put her hands on her hips and said in a mock-angry tone, "If you refuse, I’ll get angry."

"...If I accept this gift, does that mean it won’t weigh on your mind anymore, and you won’t get angry?" Su Jue tapped his finger on the envelope, his voice low and magnetic.

Xu Yan nodded instinctively. "Right. So please, take it."

"Alright, I’ll accept it." Su Jue closed the envelope, slipped it into his pocket, and said to Xu Yan in a calm voice, "Then we can consider this matter settled."

"You don’t need to thank me again in the future."

"...Okay, I won’t give you any more thank-you gifts," Xu Yan said, though she felt something was off.

It was his gaze—so calm it sent a chill through her heart.

"So I won’t be writing you letters or asking for your help with anything. You shouldn’t get the wrong idea," Su Jue reminded her.

But to Xu Yan’s ears, his words of caution sounded like he was pushing her away.

’He’s trying to distance himself from me. He’s not even giving me a chance to write to him.’

Xu Yan still had her pride. Though deeply disappointed, she managed a weak smile. "I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Su."

"But, no matter what, I was being sincere when I thanked you."

"Mm, I know. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going." Su Jue gave her a nod, then turned and got into the car. This time he didn’t linger; in the blink of an eye, the vehicle had vanished from the family compound.

Xu Yan turned and went back to the Lu Family’s home.

Su Wan and Zhang Yun were still standing at the door, waiting for her.

Xu Yan belatedly realized what she’d just done. Her face flushed with embarrassment as she tried to explain, "Wanwan, I’m sorry. I just got so worked up. I was afraid your third brother wouldn’t take the gift, so I ran after him."

Afraid Su Wan wouldn’t believe her, she added anxiously, "It’s a good thing I did! Mr. Su accepted the gift. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how to thank him properly."

Su Wan smiled. "Yanyan, come inside. Since my third brother accepted it, that means he’s accepted your gratitude. You don’t have to be so formal. You can just call him Third Brother, like I do."

Su Wan had no idea how much Xu Yan had given Su Jue as a gift.

Su Wan’s natural, easygoing manner helped Xu Yan’s unease melt away.

She followed Su Wan inside.

Zhang Yun casually closed the courtyard gate.

"You’re just too kind, bringing me all these pastries. I can’t just take them without giving you something in return. This is some smoked duck and smoked goose my third brother brought from our hometown. Take it back with you. When you get hungry in your dorm, you can slice some off and add it to noodles. It makes a delicious topping."

The aroma was so fragrant that Xu Yan couldn’t help but swallow.

"It smells amazing, Wanwan."

"Is it a specialty from your hometown?"

"It’s a specialty, but he didn’t buy it. My third brother made it himself." The Su Family were all excellent cooks.

In fact, his two sisters-in-law weren’t as skilled in the kitchen as his older brothers, so they never got a turn at the stove.

"What? Third Brother Su made it himself?" Xu Yan was stunned, then delighted and filled with admiration. "He’s amazing, isn’t he?" she murmured under her breath.

"My third brother is as good a cook as I am. Besides, making it yourself is cheaper than buying it, and the state-run restaurants have limited supplies each day anyway."

"Just enjoy it for now. When you run out, I’ll have my third brother send more."

Xu Yan held the smoked duck and goose, unable to put them down. "Well, in that case, I’ll accept!"

Seeing how happy she was, Su Wan let out a small chuckle. "I’m glad you like it," she said with a smile.

"Oh, right, Wanwan, why did Third Brother Su leave so early? Did he just come to see you?" Xu Yan couldn’t help but fish for information about Su Jue.

Su Wan nodded. "Yes, my third brother heard I was pregnant and came to visit. You know we all got into universities in the Capital, right? He’s going ahead to check on renting a place."

"What? Third Brother Su got into university too?" Upon hearing this news, Xu Yan froze in place for a long moment.

’So that’s where his scholarly air comes from,’ she finally understood.

"...Is he going to be studying in the Capital for four years?" Xu Yan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

’Just when I finally find someone I’m interested in, it turns out I won’t even have a chance to get to know him.’

"Yes, why?" Su Wan turned and asked gently, "Yanyan, is there something you need from my third brother?"

"Ah? Wanwan, why do you ask?" Xu Yan felt a pang of guilt and nervousness, afraid Su Wan had seen right through her attempts to find out more about Su Jue.

Su Wan shook her head. "I just noticed you keep asking about my third brother, so I thought you might need to get in touch with him. If you really want to reach him, you can just send him a letter."

"But my third brother said he’ll give me his contact information after he’s settled in the Capital. If you want it, I can give it to you then."

Su Wan could understand Xu Yan’s gratitude toward Su Jue.

"...Is that really okay?" Xu Yan thought. ’Su Jue said he wouldn’t write to me, but he never said I couldn’t write to him.’

’I’m being so sincere about this, he can’t possibly get angry, right?’

"Of course. It’s no trouble at all."

Su Wan then had a sudden thought. "My third brother isn’t married, and he’s never even dated anyone. Contacting him won’t get you tangled up in any kind of improper relationship, so you can feel at ease."

She was reminding Xu Yan of this because of what had happened with Zheng Zhizhi.

After all, she was now very wary of associating with unmarried men who were surrounded by a lot of women.