When Xiao Chen heard Su Xiaomeng's words, his heart stirred. Could it be that they've already left the Su family?
Something must have happened. Otherwise, why would Su Xiaomeng react so strongly whenever the Su family was mentioned?
Is it the struggles of the wealthy and powerful? Or something else entirely?
No matter what the reason is, Xiao Chen thought, as long as he's here, he'll protect the Su sisters. If anyone tries to hurt them—gods will battle gods, and demons will battle demons!
His thoughts immediately jumped to the threatening letter and the bug. Could those incidents be connected to the Su family? Does that mean Su Qing knew something but kept it hidden from them?
Just as he was about to ask carefully, Su Xiaomeng spoke coldly again: "Su Yunfei is so ungrateful! My sister is in trouble and he doesn't even come back?"
Xiao Chen frowned slightly. "Xiaomeng, you shouldn't say that about your brother... He wants to return, but his unit is on assignment. Soldiers must protect their homes and their country, so he can't help it..."
"Protect the family and the country? If he can't even protect his own sister, what's the point? Doesn't that sound ridiculous?" Su Xiaomeng sneered.
"Xiaomeng, soldiers have a duty to follow orders. You must've heard that before, right? Even though he can't come back, he still worries about you and your sister's safety, so he asked me to help."
"If he really cared about us, he should've quit the army! Back then, he shouldn't have left Longhai to become a soldier when my sister and I needed him the most!" Her eyes turned red, and her mood flared up.
Xiao Chen was silent for a few moments. He could sense why Su Xiaomeng harbored so much resentment toward her brother.
But this little girl didn't know that her brother was dead and would never return... No matter how serious his mistakes were, if the person is gone, the mistakes should vanish too, right?
He really wanted to tell her but didn't dare—it would be far too cruel.
Shaking his head, he decided to set that thought aside and first find a way to help this little girl untangle her pain.
Besides, he recalled how Lao Su once spoke about this girl with guilt, saying he wasn't a good brother. Perhaps this is another unresolved knot in Lao Su's heart. If he could help the siblings free themselves from this burden, the version of Lao Su in another world would surely be grateful.
With that in mind, Xiao Chen sighed. This girl is stubborn, and unless told the truth about her brother's death, helping her move on will be a long journey.
"Okay, Xiaomeng, let's not talk about your brother anymore," Xiao Chen said, noticing her red eyes and rigid expression. He felt a bit helpless and decided to change the subject. "The trouble your sister faced might not be related to the Su family. Someone sent your sister a threatening letter before, right?"
"A threatening letter?" Su Xiaomeng's expression shifted. "Who sent it?"
"I don't know. Just now, your sister mentioned on the phone that the other side sent her another email…"
"Could it be that they planted that bug in the house?" Su Xiaomeng asked thoughtfully.
Xiao Chen inwardly praised her. She was indeed a smart student, always scoring sixty in Keke, and her brain worked fast—she connected the dots instantly!
"Not necessarily. Whoever's behind this is hiding in the dark, so there's no way to trace them. If they really did it, fine. But if they didn't… that means more than one party could be targeting your sister!"
Su Xiaomeng's face changed again. Who could be after her sister? The Su family? Or some hidden enemy lurking in the shadows?
"Xiaomeng, do you think the Su family is behind this?" Xiao Chen hesitated before asking.
"It's not likely. If the Su family wanted trouble, they'd do it openly. They don't know how to be dirty, and they wouldn't bother with underhanded tactics!"
Xiao Chen nodded. He wanted to ask why they had left the Su family but held back, thinking it best to wait for a chance to talk to Su Qing.
Su Xiaomeng didn't speak further. She pursed her red lips and stared out the window, lost in thought as silence filled the car.
After more than ten minutes, the Maserati stopped at the entrance of a seafood restaurant.
"Xiaomeng, don't overthink this. As long as I'm here, nothing bad will happen!" Xiao Chen smiled as he opened the door for her.
Seeing his smile, Su Xiaomeng's heart trembled. It was the first time she felt this guy wasn't cruel… maybe even a little moved!
"Hehe, get out of the car! I'm treating you today, so don't be formal! Order whatever you want!" Xiao Chen playfully scolded her.
"Really? Then I want to eat more than five catties of Australian lobster, king crab…" she teased him.
"Fine! If this place has it, we'll eat it!" he replied.
They entered the restaurant. For a better experience, Xiao Chen booked a private room and called the waiter over. "Do you have wild Australian lobsters over five catties? I want the wild ones—not farmed!"
"Uh, sir, we don't have five catties," the waiter stammered.
"Xiaomeng, is a smaller one okay?" Xiao Chen asked, turning to her.
"I'm just joking. Let's eat whatever's here," she replied, not in the mood.
"Sir, we have three catties of pure wild Australian lobsters brought in by air," the waiter hurriedly offered.
"Great! Get three catties. Do you have king crab? Also…" Xiao Chen listed six or seven kinds of seafood in one go before letting the waiter go.
Soon, seafood dishes began arriving one after another. Su Xiaomeng had wanted to drink beer but was stopped by Xiao Chen, who knew she wasn't in a good mood.
"Xiaomeng, I'm going to pick up your sister from the company later. If she smells alcohol on you, she won't be happy."
Su Xiaomeng nodded, didn't order any more alcohol, and picked at the Australian lobster, which now tasted bland. Her mind kept drifting to how she could help her sister.
"Xiaomeng, your sister didn't tell you because she didn't want you to worry. So don't worry too much. If you really want her to be happy, then stop aiming for sixty on every exam!" Xiao Chen said, chewing on a king crab leg.
Su Xiaomeng froze, looked up, and stared at him. "How do you know?"
"Hehe, last time your sister mentioned that line. In my opinion, it's much harder to aim for sixty every time than to get full marks…"
"Then my sister knows too?" she asked anxiously.
"Yeah."
"..."
"Hehe, your sister isn't dumb. You can hide it for now, but you can't hide it forever. She'll figure it out sooner or later," Xiao Chen smiled, then looked at her with a grimace. "But I'm really curious. Everyone's trying to be a top student—why would you, a top student, deliberately become a troublemaker?"
Su Xiaomeng sighed deeply. "Oh, I don't understand it either. People get trapped in the rivers and lakes, and they can't help themselves."
"..."
Xiao Chen was speechless. "Damn it, this brat… is she still stuck in some fight?"