Chapter 3: Who Is Prettier? Me Or My Mom

Su Yu shrank her neck ticklishly and murmured a soft

“Mm.”

Ni Hezhi slowly moved closer, noticing a blush quickly rise behind Su Yu’s ear.

‘Tsk! Blushing just from a touch, how interesting.’

Ni Hezhi reached out to touch it.

Just as her fingertip brushed against Su Yu’s earlobe, she felt Su Yu’s back suddenly stiffen, and she took a large step backward.

Ni Hezhi followed with a step forward. Su Yu nervously stepped back.

She advanced, Su Yu retreated… until she hit the edge of the bed, unable to retreat further, and was forced to stumble down onto it.

Ni Hezhi took the opportunity to sit on her lap, wrapping one arm around her neck, a smile hidden in her eyes, simply staring straight at her.

Only then did Su Yu realize how ambiguous their current position was.

‘Actually, an Omega’s body is very light. She could push her away with a little force, but somehow, Su Yu didn’t do it immediately.’

“Su Yu, do you think Jiang Sui is pretty?”

Su Yu turned her face away, her eyes misty, seemingly confused.

‘She didn’t pay much attention to others’ appearances.

Jiang Sui was an elder to her, so it was even less likely she’d stare brazenly. Su Yu recalled her first impression of Jiang Sui: her clothes were simple, yet she possessed a unique and powerful aura, an effortless sense of sophistication unattainable by ordinary people.’

Su Yu lowered her long lashes, letting out a muffled “Mm” from her nose.

Ni Hezhi pursed her lips slightly, her tone unclear,

“Then… compared to Jiang Sui, who is prettier?”

‘What a strange question.’

Su Yu didn’t understand her meaning, staring at her woodenly.

A hint of a smile touched Ni Hezhi’s eyes.

Her lips hovered close to Su Yu’s, almost touching, yet not quite.

“Jiang Sui sponsored you, did she ever say… what she wanted in return?”

The Omega’s breath was like melted honey, sweet enough to attract ants crawling on her lips.

Su Yu’s heart began to pound uncontrollably. Not only was her face hot, but her entire body felt like it was burning in flames; a single touch sparked fire.

‘Even working under the scorching sun all day wasn’t this hot.’

Su Yu’s back was stiff.

She turned her head as much as possible, trying to distance herself from Ni Hezhi.

“No, Madam Ni only told me to focus on my studies.”

After a pause, Su Yu added solemnly,

“I’ve recorded every sum in a notebook. I will pay it back in the future.”

Ni Hezhi rolled her eyes inwardly.

‘What an idiot, who wants to hear about that!’

“Jiang Sui is usually stingy with the staff, why would she sponsor you for no reason? There must be some ulterior motive.”

Ni Hezhi reached out to stroke Su Yu’s face, her fingertips tracing the line of her cheek.

“Don’t you know, she loves keeping young, pretty Alphas, just like you… clean, obedient, easily manipulated female students…”

Su Yu vaguely understood the implication in her words, realizing something was wrong.

“Madam Ni and I are not what you think.”

Ni Hezhi smiled charmingly,

“Not now, doesn’t mean not ever.”

She leaned into Su Yu’s arms, one hand resting limply on her shoulder, the other gently undoing the button of her top.

Her satin-black hair cascaded down, and that glimpse of snowy, creamy white happened to fall right into Su Yu’s eyes.

Pure black lace fabric contrasted sharply with her delicate white skin. It was held in place by small transparent clasps, with a thin strap extending over her rounded shoulder.

It was her bra.

Su Yu looked away as if scalded, but Ni Hezhi’s hand slid like a snake to her heart, tracing circles ambiguously.

“You’re so good-looking, Jiang Sui will definitely eat you up eventually. Instead of being eaten by her, why not be with me? You want money, I can give it to you too.”

“Besides, Jiang Sui isn’t exactly young anymore. She’s already forty-three this year, a full two cycles older than you.
(TN: Chinese zodiac cycle is 12 years, two cycles = 24 years.)

In a few more years, she’ll be an old woman. Being with her is worse than being with me…

At least, I’m younger than her…”

Ni Hezhi grasped Su Yu’s wrist, lifted it, and placed it over the area covered by the lace fabric, letting her feel the youthful fullness of her curve.

She pursed her red lips, the corners of her eyes slightly lifted, as if hooked.

“Isn’t my body more tempting than hers? Hmm?”

Her heart pounded violently, almost leaping out of her chest.

Su Yu panicked and wanted to flee, but Ni Hezhi wouldn’t let her go easily. In the push and pull, Su Yu curled her fingers, accidentally cupping the snowy “dough ball.”

Su Yu had never touched an Omega’s body before, let alone had such intimate contact. She didn’t know how to describe the feeling.

‘Softer than the white steamed buns Grandma made, more delicate, more yielding…’

Only when a soft, flirty laugh sounded near her ear did Su Yu snap back as if waking from a dream, quickly retracting her hand.

“S-sorry…”

Su Yu didn’t know where to look, her ears burning like fire.

“I didn’t mean… mean to touch you…”

Ni Hezhi rubbed her cheek against Su Yu’s neck, asking coyly,

“Whose do you like better?”

Su Yu’s eyelashes trembled violently, her breath shallow.

Clinging to a shred of clarity, she turned her head away, hastily explaining,

“Madam Ni and I really don’t have that kind of relationship.”

“No, I want you to say you do!”

Ni Hezhi pressed herself against Su Yu’s shoulder, her soft lips against the hollow of Su Yu’s neck, speaking with extreme arrogance.

“When Jiang Sui comes back later, I want you to admit, in front of everyone, that you have an improper relationship with her.”

Su Yu’s expression changed drastically upon hearing this. She immediately shook her head in refusal,

“No, that’s slander!”

Seeing her refusal, Ni Hezhi grew anxious. Her lips drooped, and her eyes filled with misty moisture, looking utterly pitiful.

“Su Yu, please help me, okay? You’re the only one who can help me…”

Ni Hezhi shifted her position, wrapping her arms around Su Yu’s waist, pressing her soft body into her embrace.

“You saw just now how badly my stepmother bullies me… Jiang Sui has always wanted to seize my family’s assets, taking advantage of my mother being unconscious… abusing me… I’ll be killed by her…”

Su Yu fell silent, seemingly pondering something.

“If she wants to harm you, wouldn’t staying in Tong Village be safer for you?”

Ni Hezhi hadn’t expected her to be so clever, able to grasp the key point from just a few sentences.

She huffed, then lifted her face again, her breath fanning across Su Yu’s cheek.

“That’s right, I don’t want to stay here! There are no cafes, no KTVs, no bars, no amusement parks, not even KFC… How am I supposed to live?”

“Su Yu…”

Ni Hezhi put on a tearful expression again.

“I miss home so much, I miss my mommy so much…”

Su Yu lowered her gaze, looking at the wronged expression of the girl in her arms, her heart tightening involuntarily.
In her eighteen years of life, she had never met such a glamorous, capricious girl.

Ni Hezhi nestled softly in her embrace.

“Su Yu, as long as you admit… she has improper intentions towards you, then I’ll have leverage to negotiate with her…”

Su Yu’s gaze suddenly turned cold.

‘People often say “knowledge changes destiny.”

If it weren’t for Jiang Sui, Su Yu might not even have had the chance to receive an education, let alone talk about changing her destiny.’

‘Regardless of the conflict between Ni Hezhi and Jiang Sui, to Su Yu, Jiang Sui was her benefactor.

She couldn’t be ungrateful and falsely accuse the person who had sponsored her for ten years against her conscience.’

‘There was another point.

Su Yu had once been falsely accused of stealing money by a vendor because her family was poor. Her name was only cleared later after checking the surveillance footage.’

‘The scars left by being wrongly accused in childhood, coupled with the inability to heal due to having to endure it, had left an indelible shadow on Su Yu.

She knew how shameful and painful it felt to be wrongly accused, so naturally, she wouldn’t baselessley accuse others.’

Su Yu raised her hand, grasped Ni Hezhi’s arm, and pulled downwards, trying to break free from her entanglement.

How could the spoiled young lady allow that? She clung tightly to Su Yu’s waist, pretending to whimper as if hurt by the pulling.

Su Yu could only lessen her force, but her face remained as cold as ice on a winter lake.

Ni Hezhi seized the chance to hook her arm back around Su Yu’s neck, continuing her “persuasion”:

“I won’t let you do it for nothing, don’t worry. From now on, I’ll be responsible for your tuition and living expenses…”

“My mom gives me a huge allowance every month, enough to support you…”

Ni Hezhi didn’t let her break free, pressing her whole body against her.

“When you graduate, you won’t have to worry about finding a job either. You can go straight into my mom’s company. She dotes on me the most, she listens to everything I say…”

Before she could finish, Su Yu pushed her away forcefully.

“Hiss…”

Su Yu was used to farm work and was very strong. Ni Hezhi’s lower back slammed straight into the bed frame, causing her to suck in a sharp breath of pain.

Hearing her pained groan, Su Yu couldn’t help but panic.

‘She only wanted to create distance between them, not hurt her.’

“I…”

“Su Yu, you really refuse to help me?”

Ni Hezhi glared at her resentfully, her face dark with anger.

‘She had never been pushed by anyone in her life.

This was the first time she had actively thrown herself at someone, only to be treated like cheap, clingy plaster by Su Yu.’

All the alluring atmosphere vanished abruptly, replaced by crackling sparks of tension.

Ni Hezhi, filled with embarrassed fury, demanded,

“Su Yu, just what benefits did Jiang Sui give you to make you willingly become her lackey!”

Su Yu’s eyelashes lowered slightly, then she looked up, her tone firm and earnest,

“Madam Ni is a good person.”

Su Yu had lost her parents young. Few people had been kind to her.

Jiang Sui not only sponsored her education but also helped contact a hospital for her critically ill grandmother.
Su Yu was genuinely grateful to Jiang Sui from the bottom of her heart and sincerely defended her.

“She’s a good person, so does that make me a bad person?”

Ni Hezhi reverted to her spoiled young lady persona, walking haughtily over to Su Yu, a mocking curve on her lips.

“Then you’d better stay far away from me in the future, lest you get corrupted.”

Su Yu’s expression remained calm, seemingly unfazed by her provocation, standing quietly like an unmoving wooden post.

Ni Hezhi was too angry to speak. Just as she was about to think of another plan, she heard the noisy sound of footsteps outside.

Jiang Sui was back.

Ni Hezhi walked out with a stern face.

After exchanging pleasantries with the village chief, Jiang Sui lifted a black suitcase from the trunk and dragged it in front of Ni Hezhi.

“Your change of clothes is inside.”

Ni Hezhi understood there was no room for negotiation. She gritted her teeth for a final attempt,

“Where are my phone and wallet?”

Jiang Sui lifted her eyelids.

“You’re here for reformation, not tourism. Besides, there’s no signal in the mountains; a phone would just be decoration.
As for a wallet, you won’t need it even more. I’ve already given your expenses for these two months to Su Yu’s grandmother, along with the tutoring fees.”

Ni Hezhi sneered inwardly.

‘Ha! It seems Jiang Sui planned to monopolize the Ni family assets long ago.

She’s “considered” every aspect for me.’

After speaking, Jiang Sui turned to Su Yu and instructed quietly,

“Zhizhi has a bad temper. You don’t need to accommodate her too much. Just have her do whatever you normally do. She’s here to be tempered anyway. Feel free to assign her any rough or tiring chores.”

Su Yu listened silently, saying nothing. It was mostly Jiang Sui talking; she just occasionally responded with an “Mm.”

Ni Hezhi instantly bristled upon hearing this.

Since Jiang Sui wouldn’t let her have an easy time, she didn’t need to give her any face either. She immediately shot back coldly,

“Jiang Sui, have you finished dictating the will?”

The county and township officials who had come to see them off were all around.

Jiang Sui looked somewhat embarrassed, dropped a curt “You’d better behave yourself,” opened the car door, and told the driver to leave.

Ni Hezhi watched the receding taillights, the corners of her eyes turning red.

She had never been away from her mother since she was little. Even when traveling with classmates, she would call or video chat with her, never losing contact for so long.

Ni Hezhi worried she’d be trapped in this barren place forever, and feared she would never see her mother again.

An unfamiliar sense of dread nearly consumed her.
Ni Hezhi was terrified, like an ant floating on the ocean surface, suffocating in the vast sea without a sense of belonging.

Su Yu looked up at her. The sun was gradually setting, cooking smoke drifted lazily, and the busy “putt-putt” sound of harvesters came from the distant wheat fields.

Ni Hezhi just stood there, the orange glow of the sunset reflecting in her watery pupils, mirroring the helplessness and vulnerability in her heart.

Su Yu silently averted her gaze, walked forward without a word. Just as her hand touched Ni Hezhi’s suitcase, Ni Hezhi quickly pulled it away.

Swish—

Su Yu’s hand met empty air. She froze, bewildered, and spoke softly,

“I-I’ll help you carry it.”

Ni Hezhi shot her a cold glance, a sneer forming.

“I’m a bad woman. Stay away from me!”

With that, she dragged her suitcase, chin held high, and walked into the house.