Rose Hotel 13

"What? Someone actually made such a request?" Rongrong was stunned, her expression skeptical. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"I'm not." Su Man looked out the window. She couldn't see the scenery outside, but she could see a tiny red light blinking on the glass. She weighed her words carefully. "There are all kinds of people in this world; you should learn to understand that."

Rongrong fell silent... she couldn't understand that at all!

"Then what is your relationship with Kang Fu?" she pressed on, unwilling to give up.

"There is no relationship."

"If there's no relationship, why were you at the hospital?" Rongrong couldn't help but ask.

Su Man gave her a look and asked abruptly, "Are you trying to fish for information from me? Will things like this end up in the news?"

Rongrong felt a twinge of guilt. "How could that be? We're acquaintances, after all."

Su Man just stared at her. As Rongrong grew restless, Su Man withdrew her gaze and changed the subject. "Are you back to working as a reporter here? Is this place far from the small villa?"

Rongrong didn't expect the sudden shift, but it wasn't a secret. "It's quite a distance. But I'm not here to work as a reporter; I'm here to make money."

This was no secret in the Terror Realm. She sighed, "We Terror-beings have to make a living, too. It’s not easy."

Su Man thought of Youyou and the others, though it was clear Rongrong's way of making money was a different school of thought. She recalled her previous territories; was the money she spent there simply paying wages to Terror-beings who made a living this way? Having learned something new, Su Man felt quite pleased.

"Well, thank you for the matter with the Aiji family. So, you can go ahead and report on our conversation today..." She paused. "But one sentence must be included: the argument was real, and Kang Fu did ask me to kill him, but I did not agree to it. No, add one more thing: the argument was, from the start, a ploy."

Rongrong’s eyes widened as she looked at her, overcome with guilt. "I don't know what you're talking about. We're friends now, aren't we? How could I possibly report on you?"

Su Man smiled. Before leaving, she tapped the tabletop. "I'll forgive you this time, but there won't be a next time."

After Su Man left, Rongrong sighed and pulled a recording device from under the table. It seemed Su Man really hadn't changed at all; nothing could be hidden from her.

***

When Su Man returned to the inn, Lin Hui was waiting at the door.

"Where have you been?" she demanded, her tone immediately sour.

"I don't think I need to report my whereabouts to you," Su Man said dismissively. However, stopping in her tracks, she added, "If you're truly concerned, buy a few more newspapers. You might find out where I went."

Lin Hui stamped her feet in frustration behind her. "You must have gone to see Kang Fu! Su Man, how could you not take me with you! Dammit! Don't you believe I can kick you out of here?"

Such childish threats...

Su Man waved a hand without looking back. "Then I'll go pack my bags. It just so happens I can stay at Kang Fu's place."

"You wouldn't dare!" Lin Hui panicked. "You are not allowed to leave! You are to stay here, and I’ll make my mother lower your rent!" She trailed after her like a shadow. "Tell me, why are you able to stay at Kang Fu's place? Did he invite you?"

Only after closing the door and shutting Lin Hui out did Su Man feel a moment of peace. There seemed to be some commotion next door again. Su Man let her mind wander—when exactly would Li Xing succeed in rescuing Su Yuye?

She had expected the news to break the next day, but the pace of news here was rapid; the evening broadcast already covered the triangular dynamic between Kang Fu, Bei Jia, and herself. It also mentioned, in a light touch, that Bei Jia had been successfully resuscitated and moved to a general ward. The rest of the headlines were as explosive as she had imagined.

However, among these sensational stories, there was one outlier:
【Beautiful Mistress Turns Out to be an Assassin, Young Master Kang Seeks Death】

Su Man didn't even need to read the body text to know it was written by Rongrong. She scanned it briefly—well, it was a bit exaggerated, but it contained all the necessary points.

While she was sitting in the lobby reading the paper, a stack of newspapers suddenly slammed onto her head.

"Su Man, why are you a mistress?" Though, that wasn't what she really wanted to ask. Lin Hui’s tone carried a hint of regret. "This story should have involved me! What are you, anyway?"

She threw a spoiled tantrum. "Do you like Kang Fu too? How could you! You know I like him!"

Without giving Su Man a chance to speak, she rattled on like a machine gun. "That woman Bei Jia is using a sob story! Don't think I can't tell—is she trying to make me soften my heart? Or trying to win Kang Fu's sympathy?"

"She is seeking death," Su Man replied.

"She's seeking death? Don't make me laugh!" Lin Hui refused to believe it.

"Because what she wanted was destroyed by you. It’s no wonder she doesn't want to live," Su Man said airily. This was the reason for the odd questions she had asked Kang Fu yesterday; Bei Jia truly wanted to die because she had lost him.

"What do you mean I destroyed what she wanted? It was clearly mine to begin with! If I had only..." Lin Hui caught herself and swallowed the rest of the sentence.

Su Man felt a flicker of disappointment; she really had a tight seal on her lips.

Lin Hui kept a stiff face as she continued flipping through the paper. Upon seeing Rongrong’s article, she went frantic again. "You're actually an assassin?" Her voice rose to a screech. "And Kang Fu wanted you to kill him?"

Su Man glanced at her, lounging on the table with a bored expression. She gave a faint "mm-hmm." "Is there a problem?"

"You're asking me if there's a problem?" Lin Hui paced in circles, fuming. "Do you think this is normal?"

"Of course. He asked me to kill him, and I didn't agree."

"Fine, fine," Lin Hui repeated. "I’m going to keep an eye on you. Don't think about seeing Kang Fu again! I won't let you succeed! I won't let you kill him!"

Su Man wasn't annoyed. "I already said, I don't intend to kill him. If you keep watching me, Kang Fu will have the time to look after Bei Jia. Their feelings will warm up soon, and the talk of canceling the wedding might be called off."

Lin Hui’s face flushed with rage, unable to find a retort. Finally, she gritted her teeth and hissed, "Su Man, you're despicable!"

Su Man replied with a hum. "I'm going to see Kang Fu tomorrow. Are you coming?"

"....Yes!"

Excellent. All the chess pieces were in place. Tomorrow would be the key. She hadn't lied to Rongrong—the argument was real, the strategy was real, and every word she said was the truth.