Trapped in the Same Day for a Thousand Years: Madam Su, a Pleasure to Meet You!

Welcome to Trapped in the Same Day for a Thousand Years, produced exclusively by Feilu Novel Network, written by Sang Ze and narrated by Wang Xiaomo and Lao He.

Madam Su always traveled with an entourage, and this time was no exception.

The instant Su Qingying saw the convoy approaching, her anger vanished. Unease flickered in her eyes, and she glanced instinctively at Wu Chen.

Wu Chen seemed to sense her gaze. He turned, blinked at her reassuringly, and smiled.

It did calm Su Qingying somewhat, but as the convoy drew closer, she grew nervous again.

Her fear of her mother had taken root in childhood. She was like the elephant in the old story: tied by a rope when it was small, it grew into an adult, yet still believed it could not break free of the same rope.

Something truly was wrong with Su Qingying, and her mother had caused it.

Everyone saw the Su Family convoy arrive and could guess who was inside. The Su Family people knew; Li Ruobing could make an educated guess.

Li Ruobing took a deep breath and steadied herself. Handling a few bodyguards was easy, but Madam Su would be another matter entirely.

Yet Li Ruobing had to help Wu Chen and Su Qingying cover up the truth. She felt like a fool. She would have to hide this incident and even cover for their future meetings. If they were caught, she would have to step in again. Just thinking about it was exhausting.

But Li Ruobing had no choice. If she exposed Wu Chen and Su Qingying, her fake relationship with Wu Chen would be exposed too.

Wu Chen suddenly nudged Li Ruobing, leaned over, and whispered a few words to her.

The bag in Su Qingying's hand.

Li Ruobing looked over. Only then did she notice the small white paper bag Su Qingying had been carrying. It bore the words "Kangmei Pharmacy" and contained the medicine she had bought.

Perhaps Su Qingying was too nervous to notice, but after leaving the pharmacy, she had neither put the medicine away nor stopped carrying it openly in her hand.

When someone was preoccupied, she could easily lose track of what she was holding.

The pharmacy had thoughtfully provided a discreet bag for the sensitive medication. But if Madam Su noticed it and took a look, things would go badly. She must not see the medicine inside.

"Qingying, give that to me."

Li Ruobing smiled gently at Su Qingying and gestured toward the bag. "Sorry for the trouble. I even had you run out to buy my medicine."

Startled, Su Qingying caught on at once. "It's fine." She stepped over and handed Li Ruobing the paper bag. "You're helping me, so it's no trouble."

Li Ruobing considered that. Su Qingying had mentioned helping her. Earlier, she had also asked whether her mother was necessarily right just because she was her mother.

Li Ruobing had heard how powerful Madam Su was at home. Even Su Ruiwen deferred to her, and she was exceptionally strict with her daughter.

As an outsider, Li Ruobing could not know just how strict that upbringing had been. But Su Qingying's words gave her an idea. She understood why Su Qingying had thanked her for helping.

Wu Chen had not told Li Ruobing how he had helped Su Qingying leave home. She had worked some of it out for herself.

Wu Chen saw no need to explain every detail, nor did he have the time. With these two women's intelligence, if they could not piece together the story between them, one of them had to be an idiot.

The convoy was about to reach the alley entrance. Wu Chen took two steps aside, slipped his hands into his pockets, and watched the cars approach as though nothing were amiss.

His move left Su Qingying standing closer to Li Ruobing, while he remained a step away.

Li Ruobing glanced at Wu Chen, shifted the medicine bag to her left hand, and linked her right arm through Su Qingying's. They looked like two close friends.

"Can you handle this?"

Li Ruobing whispered the question to Su Qingying. Her tone was cool, though she kept a smile on her face.

"I can," Su Qingying replied, sounding less than certain.

"You think your mother controls you too much, and you want to stand up to her, right?" Li Ruobing whispered. She needed to be sure nothing would go wrong.

"Yes."

"Good. Leave it to me. Don't say much," Li Ruobing said, as if she could take care of everything.

Su Qingying had never liked domineering women. Her mother was one, and she had always felt that such women hardly seemed feminine.

But in that moment, her opinion changed. She looked at Li Ruobing differently.

Li Ruobing was forceful and unyielding. Right now, she seemed especially capable of standing firm and taking the pressure.

The convoy stopped at the alley entrance. Bodyguards got out, and one jogged to the Mercedes-Maybach in the middle. He opened its door and held a hand above the doorway as its passenger emerged.

Madam Su stepped out.

She was nearly fifty but looked to be in her forties, with glossy black hair and a carefully maintained appearance. Her hairstyle was a little old-fashioned but elegant, not a strand out of place. She wore a dignified black dress and shawl, an emerald ring on one hand and an enormous diamond on the other. A diamond-studded handbag completed the picture. She radiated wealth and authority.

She was beautiful. Time had marked her face and taken some of her youthful beauty, but had given her dignity and elegance in return. It was easy to see that she must have been stunning when she was young.

Of course she was beautiful. How else could she have had a daughter as breathtaking as Su Qingying?

Su Qingying seemed to have inherited every good feature from her parents and none of the bad. Mother and daughter looked remarkably alike.

Madam Su's expression was cold and faintly irritated when she got out. Then she froze. Her daughter was arm in arm with the eldest granddaughter of the Li Family, apparently whispering to her.

Wu Chen, Li Ruobing's boyfriend, whom she had seen in photographs, stood nearby. Yet he looked like an outsider, showing no sign of closeness to her daughter.

What was going on?

The question surfaced again. When Madam Su first learned that Li Ruobing's boyfriend had taken her daughter away, it had struck her as odd. She knew plenty of people coveted her daughter's looks and family background, but would Li Ruobing's boyfriend dare try anything?

Wasn't he afraid Li Ruobing would tear him apart?

Could there have been a misunderstanding?

The scene before her supported that possibility. Perhaps it had been a misunderstanding—but it raised an even bigger question.

The bodyguards had reported that Wu Chen had not only held Su Qingying but slapped her on the backside. Madam Su had to get to the bottom of that.

"Qingying, enough of this nonsense!"

Madam Su walked over, gave Su Qingying a stern look, and delivered the reprimand. Su Qingying said nothing.

Madam Su turned to Li Ruobing. Her expression changed in an instant to a warm, natural smile, and she offered her hand. "Miss Li. It's been a long time."

"It has. You look as radiant as ever, Madam Su."

Li Ruobing shook her hand and smiled politely.

Madam Su turned to Wu Chen. "Mr. Wu, isn't it? A pleasure to meet you." To everyone's surprise, she offered him her hand as well.

"A pleasure to meet you, Madam Su." Wu Chen shook her hand with a smile. The phrase expressed the honor of meeting someone and was a courtesy that usually conveyed respect for the other person.

Hearing Madam Su say it to Wu Chen gave everyone present a strange feeling.

More than strange. Li Ruobing heard a hint of danger in her tone.

Wu Chen had taken Su Qingying away for an entire day, and Madam Su had only just found him. She must have been very pleased to meet him.

Madam Su was a refined woman who never lost her manners in public. Many of her demands of her daughter came from the standards she held herself to. As she shook Wu Chen's hand, she showed not a trace of anger, remaining poised and elegant.

"Mr. Wu is every bit as handsome as they say."

"You have excellent taste, Miss Li." Madam Su praised Wu Chen again, then shifted her gaze to Li Ruobing.

There was more to her words than the compliment. "You flatter him, Madam Su," Li Ruobing replied.

Wu Chen kept smiling. He could not be bothered to speak.

"This isn't the place to talk."

Madam Su glanced around, then looked between Wu Chen and Li Ruobing.

"Shall we find somewhere to discuss this properly?"

"What do you think?"

"Miss Li?" She directed the question to Li Ruobing, whom she took to be the one in charge.

"Certainly. I have a few things I'd like to say to you too, Madam Su," Li Ruobing replied with a faint smile. It was time to get in the cars.

Wu Chen did not ride with Li Ruobing. He went straight to his Lamborghini.

Li Ruobing had driven over in her Bentley Continental. With Wu Chen taking his own car, the front passenger seat was free.

Su Qingying had intended to ride with her mother and was bracing herself for the storm to come. But once Madam Su got in, Su Qingying shut the door and hurried after Li Ruobing.

The Mercedes-Maybach's window slid down. Madam Su turned to call her daughter, only to see Su Qingying getting into the Bentley with Li Ruobing. She closed the window again. Her face darkened, but she said nothing.

The dozen or so cars set off together. The Su Family convoy led, followed by Li Ruobing and her bodyguards. Wu Chen drove his Lamborghini at the rear.

Wu Chen had deliberately avoided Li Ruobing's car. He knew Su Qingying was frightened; if he left the seat open, she would go to Li Ruobing. He did not want anything unpredictable happening while she rode with her mother.

Su Qingying's fear of her mother would not disappear overnight. Under questioning, she might well say the wrong thing. Better to be careful.

Only Li Ruobing and Su Qingying were in the Bentley Continental.

"What exactly is going on between you and Wu Chen?" Li Ruobing asked as she drove.

Su Qingying glanced at her. "Sister, I—"

"Could you stop calling me 'sister'? You're older. You're the big sister!" Li Ruobing had developed a reflexive reaction to the word. Su Qingying's strange behavior in Wu Chen's bedroom had genuinely frightened her.

Su Qingying sensed that something was off. "Then, Miss Li, may I ask you something first?"

"What?" Li Ruobing replied.

"Do you and Wu Chen have that kind of relationship?" Su Qingying asked.

"What kind?" Li Ruobing glanced at her, puzzled.

Su Qingying immediately realized she might have misunderstood. She was about to explain, then stopped. A careless question could give her away.

After a pause, she asked, "Miss Li, have you slept with Wu Chen?"

It was startlingly direct. "No! Of course not!" Li Ruobing whipped her head toward Su Qingying, then faced the road again. "Our relationship is fake. Didn't he tell you?"

Su Qingying was now certain Li Ruobing was not like her and did not have a master-and-servant relationship with Wu Chen.

That only made things stranger. "Then why were you giving him a massage?" Su Qingying asked. She had said she wanted to ask one question; this was her third.

At the mention of it, Li Ruobing's expression turned cool and serious.

She still owed Wu Chen ninety-nine massages. How could she explain that? "Can't you tell me?" Su Qingying asked when Li Ruobing remained silent.

"I lost a bet with him," Li Ruobing said bluntly. It was a reasonable explanation, consistent with her habit of keeping her word. As long as she did not reveal the terms of the Bet, there would be no problem.

Li Ruobing certainly would not tell Su Qingying what the Bet was. If Su Qingying learned that Wu Chen had wagered on whether he could win her over, it might ruin their relationship. Li Ruobing would not stoop that low.

In fact, she was overthinking it. Telling Su Qingying would not have ruined anything.

"A bet?"

"You two even make bets with massages as the stakes?" There was a playful edge to Su Qingying's gaze and voice. She was plainly implying there was something between Li Ruobing and Wu Chen.

"Miss Li."

When Li Ruobing said nothing, Su Qingying continued, "Do you like Wu Chen? We're both women. You don't have to lie to me—I can sense these things."

"When I caught you giving him a massage, you didn't explain yourself. Were you trying to make me jealous?"

"Miss Su, don't you think you're asking too many questions?" Li Ruobing turned to her, her tone sharpening. Then she faced the road and relaxed her voice. "Stop looking for things that aren't there. Let's talk about you. You need to understand your position. You don't want to lose the chance to see Wu Chen again, do you?"

"Right, right. Let's talk about what matters," Su Qingying said at once.

It was subtle, but the two were at odds again. Each had managed to stir the other's emotions by bringing up Wu Chen.

"Tell me what's going on with you and Wu Chen. How did he help you leave home?" Li Ruobing asked.

"It wasn't quite like that. We met, and then we saw each other today at the Golf Course in Tangsha. Some of what he said made a lot of sense."

"My mother, she..."

Su Qingying told her what had happened, but concealed many important details. She was vague even about how she had met Wu Chen. She needed to hide that she was an M, so she attributed her decision to leave with him entirely to his advice and her own realization that her mother was too strict and that she had to resist.

When Li Ruobing finished listening, she knew something was wrong. Could it really have been that simple?

Was Su Qingying an idiot?

Would a woman follow a man she had only recently met just because he said a few persuasive words, then start washing his clothes and cooking for him?

Su Qingying was no idiot. There had to be something she was deliberately hiding.

Li Ruobing did not press her on it. For now, it did not matter. What mattered was dealing with Madam Su.

Li Ruobing knew what to prioritize. For the rest of the drive, she asked Su Qingying many questions about her relationship with her mother.

Twenty minutes later, they were in a top-floor Private Dining Room at Golden Fortune Teahouse, a Su Family property. Although the family's main business was jewelry, they owned other businesses in East Sea as well.

The room was enormous and richly furnished. Guests could drink tea, discuss business, or even rest there. It resembled a large hotel suite.

There were only four people inside: Madam Su, Su Qingying, Li Ruobing, and Wu Chen.

"Miss Li, could you explain why you were with my daughter?"

"Don't you think it was discourteous to have your boyfriend, Mr. Wu, take my daughter away by force without telling me?"

"I also wonder whether Mr. Wu broke the law. Perhaps I should consult my lawyer."

Madam Su held her teacup elegantly as she asked the questions in an even tone.

When she finished, she glanced at Wu Chen. She had launched her attack without delay.

And that was only the opening. Wu Chen was her real target; she had yet to ask the harsher questions.

That concludes this installment. Please keep listening!