In the VIP hospital room.
By the time Su Mian arrived, that uncle was already there.
Su Mian sized him up.
The middle-aged man had regular features, a rugged face, and a muscular build that radiated strength.
Mom had pretty good taste.
He wore a suit, but the sleeves were dusty and wrinkled.
His black leather shoes were also covered in quite a bit of mud.
He probably came from an ordinary financial background and worked outdoors.
But he had deliberately put on a suit for this meeting, only to accidentally get it dirty.
There was no need to nitpick over that. As long as he had dressed up properly and took meeting the parents... no, meeting his girlfriend's daughter seriously, that was good enough.
The room remained quiet for quite some time.
Su Qingyan nudged the man beside her and reminded him softly, "This is my daughter. Say hello. Why are you so stiff?"
The middle-aged man snapped out of his daze and immediately produced a gift. "Hello, Sister Daughter. This is a gift I brought for you, Sister Daughter. I hope you like it."
Su Mian took it and looked. It was a designer bracelet.
Although she loved money, she had, after all, spent three years as empress and seen every kind of fine thing.
So she did not act overly excited at the sight of the bracelet, lest she embarrass Sister Mom.
She accepted it with a smile and replied politely, "Thank you. I like it very much."
Just then, the hospital room door suddenly opened again.
Duan Xuanyu walked in as well.
The middle-aged man froze, then hurriedly asked, "Is this Brother Son-in-law? I didn't know Brother Son-in-law would be here too. I haven't prepared a gift for Brother Son-in-law."
Su Mian said, "Don't mind him. Let's carry on."
Duan Xuanyu looked at the middle-aged man before him, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar.
Had he seen him somewhere before?
Su Mian invited him to sit.
Once they were seated, she switched into getting-to-know-him mode.
Su Mian rolled up her sleeve. "Uncle, hold out your hand."
The man held out his hand dubiously.
Su Mian pressed her fingers against his pulse.
She had learned this from a divine physician back in ancient times. By taking someone's pulse, she could tell whether they were lying.
The man swallowed nervously.
Su Mian asked, "Uncle, what business are you in?"
The man said, "Building houses."
His pulse had quickened slightly, but that was purely nerves, not a lie.
Su Mian nodded. So he was a roughneck migrant construction worker.
Su Mian asked, "Who else is in your family?"
He sat perfectly straight. "I have an older brother and a younger brother, but we don't live together. They each have their own families. I also have an ex-wife and two sons. My younger son is twenty-two this year and lives with me. My older son is twenty-four and lives with my ex-wife."
Su Mian picked up the tea beside her and leisurely took a sip.
"Uncle, don't blame me for being practical. I only have one mom, so I have to screen people carefully for her."
"I have no objection to you two dating, but if you're getting married, I hope you'll sign a prenuptial agreement first."
"Don't worry, I won't ask for your assets, but you absolutely cannot make my mom pay the expenses of supporting your ex-wife and sons. Can you agree to that?"
Su Qingyan gave Su Mian a reproachful look and said shyly, "Mianmian, what are you doing? A prenuptial agreement? That would hurt our feelings for each other."
The middle-aged man hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, no, it won't hurt our feelings. It's only right. Yanyan and I are dating with marriage in mind. I'll definitely agree to all of that."
For now, Su Mian was quite satisfied with the man's attitude.
She would let him date Mom, then.
As for deeper issues, she would keep observing.
Just then, Duan Xuanyu, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke. "I remember who you are. You're Duan Hongxu's father, Duan Chaoyang!"
Duan Chaoyang had not returned to the Duan Family home last night.
But when Duan Xuanyu stayed at his grandson's home last night, he had seen a photo of them together!
Duan Chaoyang was pleasantly surprised. "Brother Son-in-law, you know my younger son?"
Duan Xuanyu nodded. They had only met yesterday.
Su Mian's eyes slowly widened.
Wait!
Duan Xuanyu counted as Duan Chaoyang's ancestor too. If Mom married Duan Chaoyang in the future, I'd be Duan Chaoyang's stepdaughter, which would make Duan Xuanyu my step-ancestor.
But the two of us also counted as husband and wife in another world.
Holy freaking super-duper incest.
What a tangled family relationship...
Wait another second!
In the original post, Duan Hongxu was the crown prince of Beijing's elite circle.
Then how could the father of that crown prince be a roughneck migrant construction worker?
Su Mian asked tentatively, "Uncle, what kinds of houses do you build?"
Duan Chaoyang said, "Just the Chaoyang Shopping Malls, Chaoyang Residential Complexes, Chaoyang Hotels, and Chaoyang Parks all over the country..."
Su Mian said, "..."
Good grief.
The world's largest real estate company, with countless shopping malls and hotels to its name.
And when introducing himself to others, he just said he built houses?
Su Mian waved her hands. "Stop, stop. No need to tell me any more. Just treat my mom well. Whatever you do, don't pretend to be poor when you're rich and spend my mom's money, even though she doesn't have much money herself."
Duan Chaoyang solemnly promised, "I would never do that!"
Su Mian nodded in satisfaction and left with Duan Xuanyu, leaving Mom and Uncle Duan to their date.
Once only Duan Chaoyang and Su Qingyan remained in the hospital room.
Su Qingyan leaned against Duan Chaoyang's shoulder. "My daughter has grown up. I was really worried she'd still be just like before, hopelessly obsessed with that scumbag. Thank goodness she's awakened."
Duan Chaoyang said, "Yes. Once a girl gets hurt, she can suddenly seem like a completely different person."
Su Qingyan fell silent for a long time, but then shook her head. "No. I feel like she's gone back to being who she used to be."
Duan Chaoyang did not know Su Mian well, so he offered no comment.
The two were quiet for a while.
Duan Chaoyang gently took her hand. "Yanyan, you're so kind, taking such good care of a child who isn't biologically yours."
Su Qingyan froze slightly and looked up at him. "Wait. How do you know she isn't my biological daughter?"
Duan Chaoyang said, "While looking for a match for you, I read both your medical examination reports. Your blood type is O. You couldn't have given birth to someone with her AB blood type..."
Su Qingyan clapped a hand over his mouth. "You must never tell Mianmian. I've kept this secret from her for twenty years!"
Duan Chaoyang nodded solemnly. "All right."
Outside the hospital.
Su Mian hailed a taxi and took Duan Xuanyu to the nearest pedestrian shopping street to find somewhere to eat.
After getting out, the two passed a bar.
A figure suddenly rushed out and threw his arms around Su Mian from behind.
When he spoke, his breath reeked of alcohol. "Mianmian, I admit your playing hard to get has worked on me. You win..."
"You couldn't possibly like Duan Xuanyu. After all, how could a woman who's been protected by a lion fall in love with a hunting dog?"
It was that fool Lu Zhou.
She would admit that Duan Xuanyu was a dog.
But Lu Zhou was a lion? She refused to accept that.
Before Su Mian could drive an elbow backward into Lu Zhou, Duan Xuanyu yanked him away.
He lifted a long leg and kicked him away~
Lu Zhou rolled several times like a ball before coming to a stop.
Su Mian ignored him and continued looking for somewhere to eat with Duan Xuanyu.
Unexpectedly, Lu Zhou suddenly stood up and shouted at Su Mian's retreating back:
"Su Mian, whose love do you think you're rejecting?!"
"Your boss's love!"
"Just you wait, Su Mian! I'll make you work overtime until you die!"
People along the pedestrian street stopped in their tracks, and some even took out their phones to film.
Su Mian felt numb.
Why? Why was he the one making a drunken scene, but she was the one being humiliated?
That night, Su Mian made the trending searches again.
#Su Mian, social death#
#Su Mian, sorry to meet you again like this#
#The owner of that head Su Mian soaked has been found!#
Inside a luxurious mansion somewhere.
Fang Nuonuo held her phone out in front of the person beside her.
"Look. Su Mian is really going further and further out of line."