Volume One, Chapter 11: Su Wanqing, Do You Insist on Making a Scene?

As Su Wan Ning moved, Su Wan Qing’s gaze involuntarily followed her. Watching her unabashedly cling to Xie Yanchen with such intimacy, she couldn’t help but recall an afternoon two years ago. As usual, she was playing with building blocks alongside Ke Xin.

Suddenly feeling watched, she turned around and caught Xie Yanchen’s gentle, watery eyes. Before she could react, he stepped forward, picked up Ke Xin, and took her outside. That was the first time they held hands, and she could still remember the incredible warmth of his palm.

That day, he took her shopping, noticing every item she glanced at twice, then had them gift-wrapped and sent home. She almost believed she had finally seen the dawn after the storm. But the next day, she received a provocative message from another woman.

...

While Su Wan Qing was lost in thought, Xie Yanchen and Su Wan Ning had already sat across from her and Ke Xin. Seeing Ke Xin’s red nose, Xie Yanchen didn’t even frown, simply ignoring it. Su Wan Ning, arms crossed like a mistress, pointed a finger and demanded, “Teacher Li, explain what happened. How did you end up fighting with her?”

The scene was downright strange. Although Li Yan had crossed paths with Su Wan Ning before and knew her relationship with Xie Yanchen was complicated, Su Wan Qing was still Xie Yanchen’s lawful wife. How could this woman be so openly intimate with him?

She glanced cautiously at Xie Yanchen—no reaction. Then at Su Wan Qing—still no reaction. Li Yan instantly understood: Su Wan Qing and Xie Yanchen’s marriage was a mere formality. After all, the other woman had already taken her place openly.

Seeing Su Wan Ning’s gaze, Li Yan’s acting skills kicked in. She covered her face and sobbed, “Mr. Xie! Mrs. Xie! I swear I’m innocent! I worked hard to come to work early, happily greeted Ke Xin, but her mother came at me full of anger, demanding the principal punish me!”

“I knew she must have misunderstood, so I tried to explain, but she wouldn’t listen. She pushed me, smashed her phone on the ground—without me even touching her—and then she dramatically fell down like she was faking it...”

“If the security hadn’t called the principal in time, I think Ke Xin’s mother would have just stayed right at the school gate, making a public scene!”

“Think about it: I don’t mind being ridiculed, but this school, Mr. Xie, you have investments here. If it got out that your school is like this, wouldn’t that be terrible?”

She recounted her story vividly, while Su Wan Ning played the perfect foil with appropriate exclamations: “Ah?”, “How could that be?”, “Oh my!”

When Li Yan finally finished, Su Wan Ning’s face flushed with anger. She slammed the table and pointed at Su Wan Qing. “Su Wan Qing! How can you be like this? You seem so gentle, yet you bully your child's teacher!”

“Trying to get her expelled! Do you think everyone had the privilege of dropping out of elementary school like you?”

“Please, broaden your horizons! Ke Xin is ill; whether she’ll get into college is another matter, but at least she should complete nine years of compulsory education!”

“Sigh, you really are something! How can there be such an irresponsible mother like you! It makes me furious!”

She crossed her arms, tears streaming down in large drops. Seeing her cry, Xie Yanchen’s usually calm face immediately tensed. Handing out a tissue, he said to Su Wan Qing, “You apologize to the teacher.”

Su Wan Qing looked at the theatrics around her. Her stomach churned violently. Disgusting—utterly disgusting. She didn’t want to stay another moment.

Without a glance at Xie Yanchen, she pressed her temples and said coldly, “I have only two demands: first, punish Li Yan; second, process my child’s withdrawal. If you don’t comply, I will see to it that your school collapses.”

The principal, seeing Su Wan Qing’s stubbornness, smirked with a trace of mockery but looked almost on the verge of tears. “Ke Xin’s mother... your demands are really unreasonable. We simply can’t do that!”

At that moment, Xie Yanchen’s voice darkened, filled with restrained fury as he growled, “Su Wan Qing!”

He rose and stepped closer, his menacing gaze fixed tightly on her face. His imposing height of one meter eighty-five cast a shadow that enveloped her completely.

After years of marriage, Su Wan Qing didn’t know much about him, but she had seen this extreme impatience many times before. After all, he had never shown much patience toward her.

His heart condition was fragile; if he didn’t control his emotions, it could easily trigger a heart attack.

Su Wan Qing feared provoking him. Whenever he looked like this in the past, she would yield, biting her tongue to accept even unreasonable demands.

But now, seeing him so ready to make her apologize just because others spoke casually, she felt like a fool all along. No wonder his family and friends had despised her.

“I will not apologize.”

Compared with Xie Yanchen’s rage, she merely lifted her head and spoke softly, but her eyes were unwaveringly resolute.

Xie Yanchen stared deeply into her eyes, his brows furrowed tighter, exuding an overwhelming aura that seemed to freeze the very air in the room.

Su Wan Qing stood straight, returning his gaze without a hint of retreat.

Xie Yanchen saw no emotion on her face, only coldness, with no trace of love in her eyes.

A subtle tremor flickered in his heart. Thinking of the divorce agreement, his expression grew even colder. “Su Wan Qing, do you have to make a scene?”

His voice was low, as if suppressing a blaze.

Su Wan Qing met his gaze without a word.

Silence fell again.

Nearby, Li Yan caught Su Wan Ning’s glance and, as one of their kind, immediately understood. She stepped forward:

“Mr. Xie, I’m fine. I suppose... Mrs. Xie is just in a bad mood, and I got unlucky and bore the brunt. As a service worker, I’m used to this. Please don’t let me affect the relationship between you and Mrs. Xie.”

Hearing Li Yan, Xie Yanchen pressed his lips tighter, nearly knitting his brows together to hold back his anger. “Apologize. We’ll talk about this at home.”

In five years of marriage, this was the first time Su Wan Qing heard him say “we.”

Sadly, there would never be a “we” again.

As she prepared to make her position clear, Wang Zhengzhen hurried in from outside, holding a USB drive.

“Mr. Xie, Mrs. Xie,” he said respectfully, bowing slightly before handing the drive to Xie Yanchen.

“Mr. Xie, I copied the surveillance footage. Maybe we should watch it to see what really happened...”

He thought to himself that Mrs. Xie probably wouldn’t do such a thing, but seeing Xie Yanchen’s expression, he held back from saying more.

Nearby, the principal and Li Yan exchanged a glance, a flicker of panic crossing their faces.