Rose Hotel 20

"Su Yuye is that girl with the matching fate?" Su Man answered the question for her.

"Yes, so I was foolishly bewitched and brought her home."

The old woman looked at the ceiling, tears occasionally streaming down her aged wrinkles. "Huihui's health really did improve, and at the same time, Yuye's health began to decline. Then I understood that stealing fate might actually be real."

"I felt guilty back then, so whenever Yuye asked me for candy because she wasn't feeling well, I would buy her a little. Yuye's candy was cheap, so she got a lot; Huihui's candy was expensive, so she got very little. I never expected Huihui to hold onto that grudge for so long." As she spoke, the old woman choked with sobs. "This is my retribution, all my retribution."

She could still remember what she said when she bought candy for Yuye back then: "Yuye, Mom is only good to you because of Huihui, so you must protect Huihui and give in to her more."

Su Man remained silent for a moment, then asked, "What about the university matter?"

The old woman wiped away her tears. Her face was etched with exhaustion, yet there was also the sense of relief that comes from a secret no longer needing to be kept after all these years. "I was the one who checked their scores. Yuye passed the university entrance exams; Huihui did not."

"Fearing that Huihui would be heartbroken, I played the villain myself, claiming I was dissatisfied with her scores and telling her to retake the year. But she held a stubborn grudge against me in her heart and refused to retake it."

As for Su Yuye—

"Actually, I never intended to let her go to university either. But then Huihui suddenly fell ill—very seriously. I heard the doctors say she needed a compatible match. I didn't understand it, but the doctors said Yuye was a successful match."

"So, to make Yuye willingly go and be the matching donor for Huihui, I told her that she hadn't passed the exams in the first place, and that it was I who had found a university for her so she could still go."

"True to form, she was deeply grateful to me."

The more the old woman spoke, the more her emotions collapsed. "I did everything I could for Huihui. How could she say she was so disappointed in me?"

Through the blanket, Su Man patted the old woman's quilt consolingly, uttering insincere words, "She will understand you. Get some rest now, I won't disturb you anymore."

With that, she turned and left the room.

In the palm of her hand, a red dot was blinking—it was the advanced recording device she had borrowed from Rongrong. She hadn't expected it to come in handy so soon.

She went back up to the rooftop, leaning against the railing and letting the slightly chilly breeze blow over her as she quietly gathered her thoughts.

She thought of Kang Fu, of Lin Hui, and of Su Yuye.

However, this atmosphere of quiet contemplation was suddenly broken by Li Xing.

Without saying a word, Li Xing walked over and dropped straight to his knees before her.

"Ms. Su, please save Yuye."

He banged his head heavily against the ground and refused to lift it for a long time, as if he would stay kneeling there indefinitely unless Su Man agreed.

"Your method of begging is the exact same as Su Yuye's, but the same method won't yield the same result."

Su Man had no intention of entertaining him. It wasn't a question of whether she could save Su Yuye or not; the crux of Su Yuye's situation lay entirely within herself, and no one else could save her.

Besides, "Stop kneeling before me at the drop of a hat. If kneeling could solve everything, I'd want to kneel to you too. Please stop bothering me. Your kneeling isn't all that valuable."

Li Xing raised his head, his eyes brimming with tears, his gaze saturated with utter helplessness. "Ms. Su, I know I'm being abrupt, but I have no other choice. Only you can save Yuye. Whatever you say, Yuye will listen."

Su Man did not take up his point, only asking out of curiosity, "Su Yuye said those things to you earlier, and you still want to help her?"

"I know that wasn't Yuye's true intention!"

At first, he had been deeply heartbroken, but he quickly realized that Yuye had only said those things on purpose because she didn't want to drag him down with her.

"Ms. Su, have you agreed to help Yuye?" Li Xing's expression lit up with surprise.

"I haven't promised anything," Su Man denied, looking Li Xing in the eye with utmost seriousness. "You can't save her, and neither can I. Aside from herself, no one can save her."

Su Yuye had drawn a circle around herself named filial piety and responsibility, trapping herself inside it, and there was no one else within that boundary.

"Li Xing, what you pursue is not necessarily what she pursues. Don't waste your efforts."

Su Man had seen too many people like Su Yuye; they spent their entire lives unable to walk out of that circle until the day they died.

Su Man turned and left without hesitation. She was not kind-hearted enough to draw a sword in righteous support simply upon seeing an injustice.

When she returned to her room, the old woman was no longer there.

The glass window was drafty, and this place was no longer fit for habitation.

She went downstairs.

True to form, the old woman was sitting on the rocking chair at the front desk, staring blankly and quietly out the door.

Su Man went up to her and expressed her desire to change rooms.

Surprisingly, the old woman didn't object, readily handing her another key.

Just as Su Man was heading upstairs, the old woman suddenly asked out of the blue, "Child, do you think if I hadn't taken in Yuye back then, everything would be different now?"

Su Man glanced back. The old woman sat there with her hands folded, tears glittering in her eyes as she looked at her—looking as helpless and bewildered as a lost child, seemingly wishing to extract an answer from her.

Su Man lowered her gaze slightly, and after a long moment, she said, "Granny, some things don't have answers. As long as your conscience is clear, that's enough."

Pausing briefly, she continued, "However, it is also a fact that your actions hurt two children. When you asked this question, you actually already had the answer in your heart."

With that, Su Man turned and walked upstairs without lingering another moment.

Back in her room, Su Man realized she hadn't seen Su Yuye all this time, and she wondered if the old woman had sent her to the hospital.

She shook her head, dismissing the thought, finding it all rather bitterly ironic.

In this life, people are forever only pursuing what they have never obtained.

Lin Hui was like that, and so was Su Yuye.

If only they had paused for a careful look, they would have realized there were people around them giving their all, paying the price without a single word of complaint or regret.

Lin Hui did not show up all night; who knew what grand scheme she might be brewing.

The next day, when Su Man came downstairs, she didn't see the old woman at the front desk. Instead, she saw Su Yuye staggering in, her head wrapped in gauze and her face bruised and swollen.

"Are you alright?" Su Man asked from a distance.

Su Yuye nodded with difficulty, subconsciously reporting to Su Man, "My mom took me to the hospital. I figured I didn't have any major issues, so I came back."

Su Man wasn't actually all that concerned, but she asked out of politeness anyway, "Did you come back by yourself? Didn't Li Xing go pick you up?"

Su Yuye shook her head. "Li Xing said he had an urgent matter to attend to."

"He had an urgent matter? More urgent than picking you up?" Su Man was somewhat surprised.

Su Yuye nodded. Seeing Su Man's curiosity, and despite still feeling unwell, she added a few more words, "I don't know what urgent matter he has either, but he said that once he finishes that matter, we will both be free."

Both be free?

Su Man's eyes hardened.