Chapter Forty-three

No one had seen Su Bai before, not even when she was at the dog-fighting competition, where Deng Ping was focused solely on his dog and didn't notice Su Xiaobai. Recently, he had been closely watching Su Miao, but Su Miao seemed to have vanished into thin air. Although the company collapsed, it didn't result in anyone being thrown into prison, leaving Deng Ping's previous plans in vain, which naturally made him unhappy.

When the person mentioned it, he also cast his gaze on Su Xiaobai, his slightly narrowed eyes suddenly gleaming with a certain light. He squinted harder, feeling a surge of jealousy in his heart.

Su Miao was already quite exquisite in appearance, but who would have thought her sister was just as beautiful, a rare gem that could only exist in heaven? It seemed the heavens had truly favored the Su family, making these siblings like dragons and phoenixes, causing envy and jealousy among others.

The evening breeze was a little chilly, so Su Xiaobai hugged her arms, keeping her eyes fixed outside, hoping to see that person arrive soon.

Deng Ping was notorious for his love of beautiful women. He couldn't resist collecting anything that looked good to him, then discarding it without a second thought once he grew tired of it. His ruthless nature and lack of compassion made many people secretly disdain him. Yet, no one could deny his abilities.

This time, Su Miao got involved with Deng Ping, not just because of previous business conflicts and the dog-fighting competition, but also because a rumor circulated in the circle that Deng Ping had developed a liking for Su Miao and tried to find ways to win her over. However, Su Miao was no pushover and had set many traps for Deng Ping. Unbeknownst to him, he had suffered significant losses, causing his face to be bruised and his pride hurt. That was when he decided to ruin Su Miao.

"Did Young Master Deng fancy Su Miao's sister? Should I go over and offer her to spend the night with him?" Someone, perhaps unintentionally, blurted this out. Gan Xin remained indifferent on the surface, but secretly, he sneered. Did they really think the Su family had collapsed so easily, that people could do whatever they wanted to them? He glanced at Deng Ping, who was smiling but silent, his gaze never leaving Su Xiaobai. Gan Xin subtly frowned and saw that the smug, sycophantic man had walked over toward Su Xiaobai.

They didn't know what the man said to her, but everyone saw him come back with his face flushed red. Su Xiaobai turned around and gave them a glance, her eyes filled with undisguised contempt and disdain, which made the group of men secretly shiver.

In truth, Su Xiaobai had long noticed Deng Ping, who was surrounded by a group of people. She began to suspect that this whole situation might have been orchestrated by him, which made her dislike him even more, even feeling that Su Miao's disappearance was somehow linked to Deng Ping.

Yet, this very disdainful look caught Deng Ping's interest. He walked over, and the others exchanged glances, unsure of what Deng Ping was planning, but they quickly followed.

Su Xiaobai squinted, watching him approach. He stopped about half a meter away from her. Deng Ping was of average height, just half a head taller than her. He had a lean build, wearing light gray trousers and a black leather jacket. He looked even more disheveled than when she had seen him at the dog-fighting competition, but his eyes shone with a sharp gleam, like a slick, seasoned businessman. She had seen that kind of look in Su Miao's eyes before, but Su Miao's gaze usually carried a deeper, more calculating and mysterious air, unlike Deng Ping, whose intention was so blatant.

"Are you Su Miao's sister?" Deng Ping asked.

Su Xiaobai pretended not to hear and turned her face away, deliberately ignoring him. Deng Ping was taken aback; he hadn't expected her to dismiss him so directly. He didn't get angry, though. Instead, he continued, "Right now, people are searching everywhere for Su Miao, but he's disappeared like an invisible man. I heard his company's debts have piled up to tens of millions, and several investors have pulled out. The company has been sealed off, and he even dragged his old man into it. If you ask me, any man should own up to his mistakes and not leave a mess for his family to clean up. It's really irritating, don't you think?"

Deng Ping had intentionally spoken those words to Su Miao's sister, now that Su Miao was missing, he naturally wouldn't pass up the opportunity to humiliate her family. Moreover, it was a beautiful woman he was talking about, and he took pleasure in seeing such a beautiful woman's face fill with humiliation and anger.

But unfortunately for him, Su Xiaobai wasn't the type to hang her head in shame. Instead, she turned around and coldly stared at him.

Deng Ping noticed her expression remained unchanged, and his brow furrowed. He saw that the corner of her mouth curled into a mocking smile. Her calm, somewhat indifferent voice broke the silence of the night. "Our family's matters aren't for outsiders to comment on. I can't control what others say behind our backs, but when someone brings up our family's business in front of me, I can't pretend I didn't hear. By the way, was that person talking to you just now? If so, I'd recommend you go back and teach him how to speak properly. And if that doesn't work, I suggest you take him to the doctor to see if something's wrong with his brain. No matter who that 'Deng' is, I don't care—whether he's the emperor or a common man, whether he's a phoenix or a chicken, he has nothing to do with me. I'm Su Miao's sister, yes, but if anyone's at fault, it's him, not me. If he's offended anyone here, they can take it up with him. It's easy to bully a woman, but I won't stand for it."

After saying this, she walked to the side and pretended to casually dust off the nonexistent dirt from her pants, making a gesture as if she were brushing off something filthy—just like she was brushing off the people in front of her, wanting to clean them out of her life.

Her words left Deng Ping's companions embarrassed, especially the man who had spoken to her earlier. He looked as if he wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

Deng Ping gritted his teeth and quickly put on a smile, saying, "I didn't expect Su Miao had such a good sister. You're as sharp-tongued as he is. I used to wonder why Su Miao could talk so well that he could easily seal a business deal. Looks like he inherited it from your family. The Su family is full of good speakers, born with the gift of the gab."

His words were laced with innuendo, and those who had drunk with Deng Ping before could easily pick up on the underlying suggestiveness. They all smiled, acknowledging Deng Ping's sharp tongue just like Su Miao's.

Su Xiaobai, however, didn't respond. She knew these people weren't really interested in Su Miao and were just trying to demean her. Frustrated, she spotted Qiao Nan's car approaching.

It was the familiar black Highlander—low-key and unobtrusive, blending in easily among the other luxury cars.

Before the car even came to a stop, Su Xiaobai had already sprinted toward it. Qiao Nan lowered the window. Seeing her approach so eagerly, he scolded her with a mixture of amusement and frustration, "Why are you running so fast? You almost bumped into the car."

Su Xiaobai noticed that this time, Qiao Nan didn't neatly sweep his bangs to the side as usual. Instead, he let them fall forward. With this new look, he appeared more like a man in his twenties, though he didn't look old to begin with. His usual calm and composed demeanor made him seem like an important figure, someone mature both in age and mindset, far beyond the average person.

Su Xiaobai pouted and leaned her elbow on the car door, glancing back over her shoulder before replying, "If I don't leave now, I'll be driven crazy. Those people are no good."

Qiao Nan finally noticed Deng Ping standing near the entrance, staring at them. Realizing they were being watched, his expression darkened, and he asked, "Do they know you're Su Miao's sister?"

"One of them was probably at Su Miao's company for a while, so I think he's the one who told Deng Ping."

Qiao Nan opened the other door of the car for her, and as soon as she got in, she quickly buckled her seatbelt, clearly eager to leave the place as soon as possible.

The car swiftly drove away from He Ping Hotel. After a while, Qiao Nan finally asked, "Did they make things difficult for you?"

Su Xiaobai leaned back against the seat, seemingly tired, with her eyes closed, but still replied, "They tried to, but I managed to put them in their place. If I had backed down now, those people would have gotten even bolder. I can't just swallow my anger. It's just a temporary setback. Su family isn't done for. Sure, Su Miao's company is gone, and he's disappeared somewhere, but that doesn't mean we should just let people push us around."

"Deng Ping is capable, but his character's lacking. You've provoked him now, so he's bound to find a way to take revenge later. And with your connection to Su Miao, this will only make things worse for you," Qiao Nan commented, his tone devoid of any real concern for her. 

Su Xiaobai glanced at him and then fell silent.

The truth was, it wasn't that Qiao Nan wasn't worried about her. It was just that someone like Deng Ping didn't even rank in Qiao Nan's eyes. If Qiao Nan wanted to protect her, it was likely that no one in Mingzhu City would be able to touch her. He wasn't telling her these things now because he didn't want to let external matters create distance between them. Some things were better left unsaid—whether she knew them or not, sometimes it was better to turn a blind eye rather than be fully aware of everything.

After a moment, Su Xiaobai shifted her posture, turning slightly towards him. She rested one hand on her chin and the other on the seatbelt, narrowing her eyes as she asked, "Come on, tell me, that little bodyguard you were talking to on the phone earlier—was he good-looking?"