Chapter 3: You Scumbags of the Su Family, Just Wait

"You!" Su Hong’s eyes widened as he stared at the "son" standing before him, his face contorted with disbelief.

Though Su Zheng had been rebellious in the past, he’d never dared to speak with such audacity!

Fuming with rage, Su Hong bellowed, "Old Liu! Bring me my whip! I’ll beat this insolent brat to death today!"

Seeing Su Hong's furious outburst, Gu Li couldn’t help herself. She doubled over in laughter, clutching her stomach as she shook with mirth.

"Seriously, calm down, old man. Getting worked up like this isn’t good for your blood pressure."

Before Su Hong could lash out further, a gentle voice chimed in from the second floor. "Father, why are you so upset with my brother?"

Gu Li glanced up toward the voice, her sharp gaze landing on her stepsister, Su Ying.

Descending the grand staircase in a pastel pink dress, Su Ying exuded the polished elegance of an aristocratic lady. Her soft, curly hair framed a delicate face, and her swan-like neck enhanced her air of sophistication.

But Gu Li’s lips twisted into a mocking grin. When Su Ying sauntered past her, Gu Li exaggeratedly pinched her nose and waved her other hand dismissively.

"Wow, what a strong scent. What perfume is that? Fox urine?"

The noble smile on Su Ying’s face almost faltered, but she quickly recovered, her composure intact.

She approached Su Hong, looping her arm through his with practiced affection. "Father, don’t harm my brother," she said sweetly. "He’s finally returned, and he has to visit the Zhang family tomorrow!"

At her words, Su Hong’s fiery glare shot toward Gu Li.

Gu Li, pretending not to notice, turned to Butler Liu and commanded in a haughty tone, "Hey, come here. Take my suitcase to my room."

Butler Liu blinked, momentarily stunned.

What had gotten into the second young master? The timid, subservient boy who once avoided confrontation now exuded the arrogance of a young master?

"Did you not hear me?" Gu Li barked, her tone sharper. "Doesn’t the Su family pay you for this kind of work?"

Butler Liu hesitated, then glanced at Su Hong, who reluctantly nodded. With no other choice, Butler Liu picked up the suitcase and headed upstairs.

Su Hong stood rooted to the spot, his chest heaving with suppressed anger. Forget it. Once the Zhang family matter is handled, I’ll deal with this brat properly. He still has his mother’s inheritance, and his twentieth birthday is only two months away. By then, half the Su family shares will go to him.

I have to find a way to prevent that.

Meanwhile, Su Ying’s gaze followed Gu Li’s retreating figure, her previously serene eyes darkening with venomous intent.

Back in her room, Su Ying found her mother, Zhao Ruolan, lounging with a glass of red wine in hand.

"Mom, Su Zheng’s behavior was strange today," Su Ying muttered. "He usually cowers in front of me, but today he looked me in the eye, bold as anything."

Zhao Ruolan swirled her wine glass lazily, her lips curling into a wicked smirk. "That bitch’s son… How annoying."

A month ago, after the fire at Shengshi Paradise, Zhao Ruolan and Su Ying had scoured the news for victims' names.

Despite hundreds of casualties, the name "Su Zheng" was nowhere to be found. To their dismay, they later learned that Su Zheng had traveled to Country M to see his aunt.

But now that he was back, Zhao Ruolan’s eyes gleamed with malice. No matter. He came back, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave this time.

Gu Li surveyed the room she had been given and wrinkled her nose in distaste.

The decor was bland, with muted colors and sparse furnishings—a far cry from the opulence expected of a grand villa.

After Butler Liu placed her suitcase down, she walked to her brother’s desk and sat down.

Her brother didn’t actually live here.

Two years ago, he had barely scraped through the entrance exam for University A’s art department. Since then, he’d been living in an apartment near campus, far from the Su family’s toxic environment.

Gu Li casually ran a hand through her short hair, freshly cropped before her departure. Removing her sunglasses, she examined the scar beneath her left eye in the mirror.

The scar, painstakingly crafted with special materials, mimicked the one her brother bore—an injury inflicted by Su Hong when he had slashed him with broken glass as a child.

Gu Li clenched her fists, her expression darkening. Her aunt had told her everything.

During her mother’s labor, Su Hong abandoned her in the hospital, choosing instead to be with his mistress.

Barely clinging to life after the twins’ birth, her mother had made a desperate decision. To protect her newborn daughter from Su Hong’s cruelty, she entrusted Gu Li to her aunt’s care in Country M.

Her mother had lied, telling Su Hong she had given birth to only one child—a son.

To this day, Su Hong remains ignorant of Gu Li’s existence.

Her gaze landed on a framed photo of her brother on the bedside table. Her eyes burned with determination, her lips curling into a fierce smile.

"You scumbags of the Su family… Just wait."

(End of Chapter 3)

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