The Fallen, Stubborn Prince - Chapter 13

Fang Xian was slightly taken aback but quickly tried to steady herself.

Su Qian was different from ordinary people. On the road of learning, he needed more patience and care — yet he had been born into the Su family, a house of wealth and prestige, that gave him neither understanding nor love. Instead, they allowed his brothers and sisters to bully him.

“I always thought…” Her voice trailed off softly. “I thought someone like him would live better than anyone else.”

She paused, a faint bitterness in her tone. “Just like the girl who left back then — before she could mend a broken friendship, she walked away without a shred of regret, off to enjoy a world we could never imagine.”

Ye Feng sighed, eyes dim with memory. “For ordinary people, setbacks like Ah Qian’s can be overcome with time. But for him, the weight he carries becomes a wound that never heals.”

“What do you mean?” Fang Xian asked, confused. “What could be worse than bullying?”

Ye Feng hesitated, then spoke slowly. “Ah Qian’s mother… she wasn’t the Master’s legal wife. Though the Master loved Ah Qian — his only son — his heart always belonged to his first wife, who died young. He never gave Ah Qian’s mother the proper title she deserved. To the family, she was simply the woman who gave birth to the heir — nothing more.”

He let out a long sigh. “Their relationship was ambiguous, unacknowledged. Naturally, Ah Qian’s birth became a source of gossip among the collateral relatives.”

Fang Xian was stunned. She had never imagined Su Qian’s background was tangled in such painful family politics.

“As those children grew up, their tongues grew sharper,” Ye Feng continued. “They whispered and sneered, spreading rumors even at school. They mocked him, ridiculed his mother, questioned his legitimacy. That’s where his heart trouble began.”

“They didn’t see him as the rightful heir to the Su family enterprise — just a nuisance to be eliminated. They even made secret plans to block him from ever touching the family business.”

Ye Feng’s eyes hardened. “Their power struggle was flawless — a perfect act of betrayal dressed as propriety.”

“At present, the matriarch has brought in collateral descendants, training them as potential successors. But as the mother of the first heir, can you imagine how that feels? She refuses to give up on Ah Qian. Even if there’s only a faint chance, she holds onto it.”

Fang Xian suddenly understood what Aunt Su had once meant by calling her ‘hope.’ It wasn’t just a word — it was desperation dressed as faith.

Aunt Su had endured everything — the humiliation, the gossip — for her son. She had no power to defend him in that ruthless family, yet she still stayed, raising the heir and guiding him carefully, silently, so he might one day stand tall.

“If there’s even a sliver of hope,” Ye Feng said quietly, “Ah Qian’s mother will never give up. But Ah Qian… he no longer trusts anyone. No one except you.”

Fang Xian’s breath caught. Now she understood what Ye Feng was truly asking of her.

“Where is he?” she asked quickly. As Su Qian’s uncle and housekeeper, Ye Feng would know.

Ye Feng’s brow furrowed. “Why do you want to find him?”

“I need to make things clear with him,” she said firmly. “Letting him go on like this won’t help. He needs to learn to stand on his own.”

Ye Feng looked at her for a long time, misreading her resolve. “I didn’t tell you this to make you pity him,” he said earnestly. “But if you really wish to help him… I’d be grateful.”

“You misunderstood me,” Fang Xian said calmly. “I don’t have any special intentions. But I know what’s right.”

He smiled faintly, as if he had expected her answer. “I see. In that case, forget what I said. Pretend I never told you.”

He turned away. “You should go home, Miss Fang. Don’t look for him. It won’t help.”

Fang Xian froze. His words didn’t sit right with her.

She reached into her schoolbag and pulled out three envelopes. “These were from Su Qian,” she said. “I have to return them.”

At least now, she had a reason to find him.

Ye Feng’s gaze dropped to the envelopes. His expression was unreadable — thoughtful, almost wary.

He was silent for so long that Fang Xian began to grow anxious.

“Uncle,” she pleaded, “you must know where he is. Please — tell me.”

It was already late. The thought of Su Qian wandering alone somewhere made her chest tighten with worry.

Finally, Ye Feng checked his watch and said slowly, “Ah Qian’s been spending time with a classmate lately. They usually leave school together. I’d guess they’re still together now.”

“Which classmate?”

“Ling Huanchen.”

The name made Fang Xian’s stomach sink. She had heard enough about Ling Huanchen to know that nothing good ever came from his company.

But nothing could have prepared her for what she saw when she finally found Su Qian.

He was sitting at a gambling table.

In a dim, smoke-filled private room, surrounded by rough-looking men, he sat calmly among them, playing cards.

Fang Xian stood frozen in the doorway. The air was thick with noise and the smell of alcohol. Every head turned toward her.

Someone barked, “Close the door! Who let her in? You trying to get us in trouble?”

A few men glanced her up and down. The sight of her school uniform made them hesitate — a student, not a threat — and they let her pass.

“You here to play, little miss?” one jeered. “Who’re you looking for?”

Fang Xian ignored them completely. Her eyes swept across the room, locking onto the table with the loudest cheers.

“Su Qian, come on! Su Qian, go again!”

Her heartbeat quickened.

And then she heard another voice — one she recognized instantly.

“Quiet down! Let Ah Qian think!” Ling Huanchen’s tone was half-mocking, half-serious.

Fang Xian’s mind went blank. Anger, shock, disappointment — they all tangled inside her.

So this was where the money came from. The three envelopes in her bag suddenly felt unbearably heavy.

All around her, the air was dense with greed. Dice clattered, cards flipped, tiles clicked across the table.

Su Qian sat there, back to her, focused intently on the game. He didn’t even notice her arrival. His lips moved slightly as he calculated the odds.

“Another card,” he said coldly. Chips clinked as he raised his bet.

He had promised to take care of Fang Xian. That wasn’t a lie — but this, this was how he planned to do it.

Ling Huanchen leaned close to him. “Throw everything down. You’ll win this one — easy. If you do, we’ll have half a million yuan at least. That’s enough to pay off more than half her family’s debt.”

Su Qian said nothing. He simply tossed two red chips onto the table.

Show Hand.

“Su Qian,” Fang Xian’s voice broke through the noise.

He didn’t hear her. But Ling Huanchen did.

His expression shifted — guilt flashing for an instant before he composed himself again. He knew the game was up.

Still, he wanted this round to end — to win, just once more.

He stood up, blocking Fang Xian’s way. “Who brought you here?” he asked sharply. “Don’t mess this up for him. Let him finish the round first. We’ll talk after.”

Fang Xian’s glare was icy. She slapped his hand away.

“You want to fall?” she hissed. “Fine. But why drag him down with you?”