Today I Will Also Be the Male Protagonist’s Rival - Chapter 17

Su Yu was momentarily stunned.

This… wasn’t this supposed to be Ren Qianxia’s home?

She lowered her head and double-checked the address Ling Qingqing had given her.

No mistake.

Still looking puzzled, she knocked on the door. “Hello, Auntie, I’m a friend of Qianxia’s.”

Suddenly, a gruff male voice came from inside. “What Qianxia? We don’t know her! Go away, now!”

The urgency in his tone sounded like he was hiding something.

Too deliberate.

Su Yu curved her lips slightly and knocked again. “Auntie, I’m someone with a lot of patience. If you don’t open the door, I’ll just keep knocking.”

She paused, then chuckled. “After all… if I’m using my phone to knock, I won’t get tired, right?”

Silence from within.

Su Yu wasn’t bothered and knocked again.

Immediately, voices of displeasure started murmuring from the stairwell.

“Whose kid is that? Still not leaving?”

“Sounds like it’s from Old Ren’s place. Old Ren, are you guys home?”

“I’ll go down and check!”

— Creak.

Madam Ren suddenly yanked open the door, visibly flustered and irritated. “What exactly do you want?”

“I’m a friend of Qianxia’s.”

Su Yu pursed her lips and spoke softly, “Today, I came on her behalf to see how you’re doing.”

Madam Ren froze.

But within moments, she stepped back in front of the door and sighed. “Miss, I don’t know who this Qianxia you’re talking about is. You’ve got the wrong house.”

Su Yu curved her eyes, smiling faintly. “Auntie, do you think I’d come knocking if I wasn’t completely sure?”

“You…”

“Xiufang, let her in.”

Inside, a long sigh came from Mr. Ren.

Madam Ren hesitated, then turned around and went inside.

Su Yu let out a breath and quickly followed.

The living room wasn’t large, cluttered with miscellaneous items, making the space feel even more cramped and stifling. The walls, clearly aged, had a faint yellow tint — a testament to time.

A middle-aged man sat on the sofa, appearing to be in his forties or fifties. His skin was dark and rough, and he was silently smoking a cigarette.

“Young lady, tell us, what do you want from us?”

Snapping back to her senses, Su Yu looked at his weary expression and found herself at a loss for words.

At first, she had wanted them to come forward and speak out — to help ruin Cheng Chen’s reputation.

But now, those words felt impossibly heavy.

Ren Qianxia had died, and the two elderly parents clearly hadn’t been living well.

Su Yu pressed her lips together and sat quietly on the sofa. “Believe it or not, I truly came today to see how you’re doing — on Qianxia’s behalf.”

Maybe it was the seriousness in her expression, but the two elders gave her a few long looks, seemingly convinced.

“Young lady, sorry about earlier. That must’ve looked ridiculous.”

Mr. Ren’s expression softened a bit, though he looked a little embarrassed. “We were left with no choice, please don’t take it to heart.”

Su Yu shook her head, keenly sensing the helplessness in his tone.

Left with no choice?

She furrowed her brow and softly said, “Uncle, Qianxia and I were friends. If anything happens, you can come to me.”

“My surname is Su. Just call me Little Su.”

Mr. Ren chuckled and didn’t make a fuss. He turned and said, “Xiufang, make a good dinner tonight to treat Little Su properly.”

Madam Ren replied with a quiet “mm.”

Su Yu quickly stood up. “Auntie, there’s no need. I’ll just stay a bit and go.”

“You’re already here. No need to be so polite!”

Madam Ren pushed her back onto the sofa and, before Su Yu could react, slung her bag over her shoulder and left the house.

Su Yu blinked, a bit startled.

Ren Qianxia’s parents weren’t bad people. Qianxia herself wasn’t a bad person either. So why had she fallen for Cheng Chen?

She sighed and made idle small talk with Mr. Ren.

By 6 p.m., dinner was served. After a few drinks, Mr. Ren was slightly drunk, slurring his words.

“Little Su! You’re… hic, you’re the first one who’s come to see us since what happened to our Qianxia.”

“Uncle’s grateful from the bottom of his heart. There are still… still people who remember our Qianxia.”

A man in his fifties, his eyes reddening, choked up and said, “Tell me… why did that silly girl take things so hard?”

Madam Ren’s hand trembled as she set down a dish. Her voice quivered as she gritted her teeth. “Don’t mention that unfilial girl!”

“Xiufang! No matter how angry you are… Qianxia was still our daughter!”

Mr. Ren slapped the table, eyes red as he lit another cigarette. “Can you really blame her for what happened? The entertainment circle is such a filthy mess — what power did a young girl like her have?”

“It’s all just so tragic!”

Madam Ren’s body trembled. She collapsed onto the table, pounding her chest in pain. “Tell me, how did we end up raising such a disgraceful daughter? She was so young, and now we’ve lost her!”

“She… she even left behind loan sharks and debts. She’s trying to drag the whole family down!”

“Qianqiu’s just a kid, yet she’s been forced to live in hiding because of that girl. How could she do this to her little sister?”

Su Yu sat frozen in place, unsure how to comfort them.

Click!

The door opened from the outside.

A girl around fifteen or sixteen walked in, changing her shoes as she said, “Mom, Dad, I’m home…”

Before she could finish, her expression changed dramatically. “Su Yu? What are you doing in my house?”

Su Yu lifted her eyelids slightly and glanced at the girl. “You know me?”

Ren Qianqiu’s face turned frosty. She pointed to the door and shouted, “Get out! You’re not welcome here!”