Rose Hotel 8

Before Su Man’s eyes stood none other than Kang Fu’s grand villa.

"What do you think, Su Man? Isn't it beautiful here?" Lin Hui asked, her voice brimming with excitement.

It was indeed beautiful; it was clear that a great deal of thought had been put into Kang Fu’s villa.

Su Man feigned ignorance and asked, "But this looks like someone else's home."

Lin Hui smiled brightly. "It doesn't matter. Let's just try paying a visit. Perhaps the owner will be kind enough to invite us in for a look."

Without waiting for Su Man to reply, she ran ahead and pressed the doorbell. Before the call was answered, she nervously smoothed her bangs, her cheeks flushed, and asked Su Man, "How does my look today?"

It was fine.

Su Man had always been beautiful, but while her professional attire usually gave her an aggressive edge, the floral dress Lin Hui had chosen for her today softened her appearance, lending her a gentle, graceful air.

Kang Fu answered the doorbell. Lin Hui, too preoccupied to care about Su Man’s opinion, grabbed her and pulled her directly in front of the camera.

Seeing her own reflection in the lens, Su Man realized Lin Hui’s intention. Lin Hui was clever; she knew that as long as Su Man appeared on screen, Kang Fu would surely open the door out of courtesy. Lin Hui had likely deduced the nature of their relationship during her previous visit.

As expected, the moment Kang Fu saw her, he opened the door without a second thought.

Before Su Man could move, Lin Hui hurriedly pushed her inside. "See? I told you the owner of this place is a kind person."

It was only after opening the door that Kang Fu noticed Lin Hui trailing behind Su Man. He looked at Su Man with a puzzled expression. Su Man said nothing in front of Lin Hui, merely casting a subtle glance his way, leaving it to his intuition to decipher her meaning.

"I’m sorry to bother you. Your home is so beautiful, we were hoping to take a look around," Lin Hui said, hiding behind Su Man with only her head peeking out, watching Kang Fu with shy, coy eyes. Even without looking, Su Man could feel the intensity of that gaze.

Kang Fu glanced at Su Man again. Seeing that she wouldn't even meet his eyes, he gave a hollow laugh and tried to decline politely, "This is a private residence, it might not be very convenient..."

"Ahem!" Su Man coughed into her hand to interrupt him. Kang Fu, quick on the uptake, immediately changed his tune. "However, since you’re already here, why don't you come in for some tea?"

He gestured for them to enter. Su Man led the way, while Lin Hui followed like a bashful bride, constantly glancing back at Kang Fu, her eyes practically glued to him with a lingering, sticky intensity.

Kang Fu opened his mouth several times to call out to Su Man, but he clenched his fists and held back, forcing a polite smile. Lin Hui grew even more flushed, so distracted that she didn't even notice when Su Man stopped, bumping right into her back before stumbling to offer a flurry of apologies.

Su Man didn't offer any words of forgiveness. Instead, she asked, "Ms. Lin, do you like Mr. Kang very much?"

Lin Hui seemed caught off guard by the bluntness of the question. Her face turned crimson, and she waved her hands frantically. "No... no, it’s just..."

It was clear she was just being modest, but Su Man acted as if she didn't notice. "So you don't like him? I saw your eyes stuck on Mr. Kang the whole time and assumed you did." She paused, then added, "But that’s for the best. After all, Mr. Kang has a fiancée and is getting married very soon."

She said this deliberately for Lin Hui’s benefit. As expected, the color drained from Lin Hui’s face instantly, her shy smile twisting into something rigid and unnatural.

For some reason, however, Lin Hui didn't lash out. Instead, she tried hard to act indifferent. "Is that so? Oh, I’ve heard about that too. It seems Mr. Kang’s fiancée is a big celebrity..." She muttered to herself, repeating, "I don't like him... I don't, I don't."

She wasn't good at hiding her emotions. Even while claiming she didn't care, she was digging her fingernails into her palms, her complexion turning ghastly. Her forced smile had become a grotesque mask.

Su Man decided that was enough. She turned to Kang Fu, who had followed them in. "Mr. Kang, weren't we going to have tea?"

Kang Fu realized what was happening. "Please, sit, sit. I’ll go pour you some tea." He had sensed that something was amiss.

The tea was served, and the three of them sat on the sofa in silence. Once Lin Hui calmed down, her eyes drifted back to Kang Fu, making him feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles, though he dared not show it.

Finally, Su Man broke the silence, asking as if they were merely chatting about daily life, "How have you and Bei Jia been lately?"

He let out a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly. "Very well, very well."

But the moment he finished, he felt the air in the room turn icy. He shivered and looked at Su Man for help, but she acted as if she noticed nothing, sipping her tea as if completely unaffected. He nervously reached for his own tea to soothe his anxiety, but his hand shook so violently that he simply set the cup back down.

At the perfect moment, Su Man asked him, "You mentioned earlier that Bei Jia would be coming by these next few days. Is she coming today?"

Su Man had no intention of hiding her relationship with Kang Fu any longer; everyone knew the truth anyway, and more importantly, Lin Hui was currently in no state to dwell on such things.

"Hm?" Kang Fu felt a surge of confusion. When had he ever said that? He was about to deny it, but catching Su Man’s subtle glance, he immediately corrected himself. "Yes, Bei Jia said she would be coming by today."

*Snap.*

At the sharp sound, Su Man and Kang Fu both turned to look at Lin Hui. Her face was dark, and the teacup in her hand had shattered into two, tea spilling everywhere. Realizing their gaze, she snapped out of it and apologized, "I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I don't know how this cup broke..."

Kang Fu, already unnerved by the sudden chill in the room, felt a cold sweat break out at the sight of Lin Hui crushing the cup with her bare hands. He scrambled to his feet. "It’s alright, it’s alright. I’ll go get you another."

With that, he ducked into the kitchen and didn't emerge again.

Su Man drank her tea leisurely, appearing to be in high spirits, while Lin Hui sat with clenched fists. Though she didn't say a word, the aura of resentment radiating from her seemed to fill the entire room.

Just then, the doorbell rang again. After a two-second pause, a sweet, feminine voice drifted through the intercom.

"Dear guest, you have a new package."