Gu Xiangyun's heart immediately became unsettled. She looked at Su Mingyuan with eyes full of grief and asked, "Husband, what do you mean?"
Su Mingyuan stood up, picked up his shirt, and began putting it on. "You've seen how defiant she's become these days. Do you know what that means? It means you pushed her too hard in the past. People can explode with unimaginable strength when they're forced to the edge. Otherwise, you wouldn't have lost the general manager position so easily."
Gu Xiangyun wasn't convinced. Her voice turned sharp with grievance. "So even you believe her now? You don't believe me?"
She knew Su Mingyuan responded better to softness than confrontation. She let a few well-placed tears slip from her eyes, playing the pitiful card.
Sure enough, Su Mingyuan's expression softened. "After all, she's not my real daughter. If we don't use some special methods, how could we ever expect her to obey?"
Hearing this, Gu Xiangyun felt reassured. So Su Mingyuan was merely using Su Jin—nothing more.
But that little bitch—she wouldn't be allowed to live comfortably for long.
If she dared to resist, then she would be taught the true consequences of rebellion.
That night, Su Jin stayed in the ancestral home. Although she had visited many times in her past life, the old lady had never once allowed her to sleep there.
The main reason was her own timidity. Even though the old lady knew that Gu Xiangyun bullied her, Su Jin never dared to speak up. Naturally, the old lady had no reason to step in and protect her.
But even when the old lady fell gravely ill, she still thought of her.
Yet Su Jin had been powerless to protect her then.
Sure enough, after the old lady passed away in her previous life, Gu Xiangyun had laid hands on her without hesitation.
Thinking about everything from her past life, Su Jin's heart was heavy, and she found no peace.
She didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.
Since her rebirth, nightmares had become a nightly torment—haunting her without fail, no matter how exhausted she was.
At 7:30 in the morning, Su Jin was already dressed and neatly groomed.
The old lady had been waiting for her downstairs. When she saw Su Jin coming down, she called her over warmly.
"You're going to the Fu household today. You mustn't make any mistakes," the old lady reminded her earnestly.
Su Jin nodded obediently. "Don't worry, Grandma. I'll return home right after changing Old Master Fu's dressing."
Seeing how sensible she was, the old lady nodded in satisfaction.
After a simple breakfast, the clock struck eight, and right on time, a sleek black car from the Fu family pulled up in front of the villa.
As Su Jin stepped outside, the driver got out and opened the door for her. "Miss Su, please get in."
Su Jin scanned the vehicle briefly. Seeing that only the driver had come, and Fu Siyan was nowhere in sight, a flicker of disappointment crossed her face.
But then she reminded herself—knowing his cold and distant personality, it wasn't surprising. Someone like Fu Siyan would never personally come to pick her up.
The car drove smoothly through the city, and half an hour later, they arrived at the grand gates of the Fu estate.
A grand European-style castle appeared before Su Jin, sprawling across such a vast area that it left most people stunned.
However, Su Jin had seen it in her previous life, so the sight didn't surprise her.
When the driver opened the door, she stepped out gracefully, offering a polite smile. "Thank you," she said softly.
"The old master is already waiting for you inside. Please come this way," the driver replied.
Su Jin gave a slight nod, then followed the servant who had come to escort her.
On either side of the pathway stretched lush green meadows. Two rows of wisteria formed graceful arches overhead, their blooms cascading down like lilac waterfalls. Walking beneath them felt like stepping into a dream.
All of this—the flowers, the archways, the serene path—had been planted and arranged by Master Fu for his late wife. Their love story from their younger years was still considered a beautiful legend in Fengcheng.
Su Jin was quietly recalling the tales of Master Fu's devotion when, without warning, a large black wolfdog leapt out from behind the trees, its fierce gaze fixed directly on her.
The dog was massive, its fur jet black, and its eyes glinting with menace. It bared its teeth at Su Jin, growling lowly, exuding hostility.
Su Jin froze. She hadn't expected there to be such a fierce dog in the Fu estate. Her heart pounded in her chest.
The servant accompanying her was even less composed. She let out a shriek and ducked behind Su Jin, trembling. "M-Miss Su, don't move!" she stammered. "That's Black Panther. He's aggressive—he'll bite anyone. As long as we don't provoke him, he won't attack."
Even she, a servant of the Fu household, feared the dog.
But Su Jin, having once died and been reborn, no longer feared such things.
"Why is there a dog like this in the castle?" she asked quietly, her eyes never leaving the growling beast.
"This dog is..."
Before the servant could finish her words, a lazy, casual voice drifted toward Su Jin's ears:
"Who are you?"
Following the sound, Su Jin turned and saw a man in a blue pinstripe suit studying her from head to toe.
He had his brows slightly furrowed, a mischievous smirk playing at the corners of his lips. His eyes were unruly and filled with a teasing arrogance.
"Young Master..." the servant quickly called out, glancing anxiously at the man. "Black Panther got loose again. Please take him away—it's too frightening!"
As the man looked at Su Jin with interest, Su Jin was also carefully observing him.
From the servant's words, she quickly realized who he was—the eldest grandson of the Fu family, a cousin of Fu Siyan.
She recalled from her past life that Master Fu had two sons and a daughter. The eldest grandson was named Fu Yuanbo.
This man was the typical rich playboy.
In her previous life, Su Jin had very little to do with the Fu family, so she hadn't paid much attention to him and held no clear impression.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Are you mute?" Fu Yuanbo frowned, thinking Su Jin had been scared speechless by the wolf dog.
Su Jin came back to her senses and offered him a polite smile.
"I'm Su Jin. I'm here to change Grandpa Fu's dressing."
The playful smirk on Fu Yuanbo's lips slowly disappeared. He stared at her with visible dissatisfaction.
"So you're today's guest? Hah. Just an adopted daughter of the Su family."
Su Jin didn't want to argue with someone like him. She ignored his jab and said calmly,
"Young Master, could you please call your dog away?"
Fu Yuanbo let out a cold sneer.
"Sorry, I'm busy. Bye."
With that, he really turned and walked off.
The black panther-like dog stood firmly in the middle of the path, showing no signs of yielding. Every time Su Jin had so much as she shifted her weight, it bared its teeth and growled lowly in warning.
She was completely blocked, and for now, there seemed to be no way forward.
Just when Su Jin was at a loss, a clear and commanding voice rang out:
"Panther, go away."
The man's voice carried an undeniable authority—cold and sharp like a blade. Even the fierce black panther froze for a moment, clearly intimidated.
Su Jin turned her head and saw Fu Siyan standing at the end of the wisteria archway. His expression was cold and distant, his eyes like frozen pools that sent a chill down her spine.
The black panther hesitated, then quietly lowered its head, retracted its bared fangs, and slowly retreated with its tail tucked low.
"Come. Grandpa has been waiting for you," Fu Siyan said as he passed Su Jin, his tone calm and emotionless. There was no trace of the indifference or disdain from before—just cold efficiency. He turned and walked ahead.
His strides were long and steady. Su Jin had to quicken her pace and half-trot behind him like a small attendant just to keep up.
Behind them, Fu Yuanbo watched the scene with narrowed eyes. A sly smirk tugged at his lips.
"Interesting..." he muttered. "He actually stood up for an adopted daughter."
The black panther returned to Fu Yuanbo's side, nuzzling against his pant leg. Fu Yuanbo lazily reached down to pat its head.
"Useless mutt. Still so afraid of him."
"Woof, woof..." The panther lowered its head, as if ashamed.
Fu Yuanbo walked a few steps ahead, then realized the panther wasn't following. He gave a low whistle.
The panther's ears perked up. In an instant, it bounded forward, happily trailing after him.