Today I Will Also Be the Male Protagonist’s Rival - Chapter 40

The night was deep, the grand hall buzzing with people, wine glasses clinking.

Su Yu leaned against a table, holding a glass of wine in her hand. Her eyes were slightly lowered, with an air of nonchalance.

She had arrived early. There weren’t too many people yet, and that little fool hadn’t come down either—it probably just wasn’t time yet.

“Yu Yu.”

Su Qi waved at her from a distance.

She clicked her tongue softly, lowered her gaze, turned around, and walked over. She called out gently, “Brother.”

“Let me introduce you to a few people.”

Following Su Qi was a group of rich second-generation heirs.

“Haha, Su Qi’s always said his sister is beautiful—turns out it’s true. Mind introducing us?”

“Hello, little sister.”

“Little sister, take a good look at me!”

One after another, these rich heirs grinned cheekily, completely lacking manners.

Su Yu frowned.

No wonder such a big family like the Su family had been ruined to this point.

With Su Qi making friends like these, no matter how solid the foundation, it couldn’t withstand his squandering.

“Get lost!”

Su Qi glared at them before introducing each person one by one.

When he got to the last person, he suddenly slung an arm around the guy and introduced him with unusual seriousness: “My good brother, Lin Ye.”

Su Yu’s gaze paused briefly on the last person—a slightly chubby young man.

Lin Ye, Su Xia’s fiancé.

Su Qi obviously knew about this, yet still introduced him to her like this… The implication was clear enough.

She smiled faintly and didn’t call him out. “Brother Lin Ye.”

The young man was a little shy. He only gave her a glance before blushing. “H-Hello.”

There was a strong smile in Su Qi’s eyes, and he seized the moment. “Yu Yu, Lin Ye is usually pretty introverted. Chat with him a bit more.”

“Okay.”

Su Yu agreed.

Someone seemed to call for Su Qi. He gave her a nod and turned to leave with the group of heirs.

Once they were gone, Lin Ye finally mustered the courage to speak: “Su Yu, I like you.”

Su Yu nearly spat out her wine.

“I mean it. I really like you. Back at your family’s banquet, I saw you once and couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Her expression turned strange. “Aren’t you Su Xia’s fiancé?”

“How could I possibly marry a woman like that?”

Lin Ye blushed furiously, his voice agitated. “That was my family’s arrangement. They never even asked for my opinion.”

“I just… I just didn’t object because I hoped to see you again.”

Su Yu let out a sigh.

As expected, Su Xia was likely nearby.

She had always been proud and arrogant, and even looked down on Lin Ye. But even so, she had convinced herself that he was destined to be hers.

If she found out that Lin Ye didn’t like her at all, she’d probably cause a huge scene.

If she dared to cause trouble at the engagement banquet between the Huo and Cui families, then Su Yudong’s reputation—what was left of it—might really be unsalvageable this time.

Su Qi might look like a reckless second-generation heir, but clearly, he wasn’t a complete fool. If he managed to eliminate Su Xia, he’d be the sole heir.

Still, this method… was a bit too immature.

“Su Yu!”

Tch. She’s here.

Su Yu’s lips curved slightly.

Su Xia stormed over, face full of fury, her voice practically grinding her teeth.

“Will you only be satisfied once you’ve stolen everything from me?”

“You stole my dad, stole my position, stole everything from me, and now you even want to steal my fiancé?”

Her voice was so loud it drew everyone’s attention.

Su Yu rubbed her temples, feeling a headache. “Are you sure you want to call everyone over?”

Honestly, not a single brain cell.

No wonder she was played by that idiot Su Qi and still thought she had the upper hand.

Su Xia sneered, “What? Feeling guilty?”

“You had the guts to do it, but not to admit it?”

“You’re overthinking it. But if you want to make a fool of yourself, by all means, continue.”

Su Yu couldn’t be bothered to argue. “If you have time to cause a scene, why not ask your dear brother why he introduced Lin Ye to me?”

Su Xia froze. “What do you mean by that?”

“Think about it yourself.”

She took a sip of wine and picked up her glass to walk away.

“H-Hey, Su Yu…”

Lin Ye instinctively reached out to stop her.

“Smack!”

A harsh slap landed across his face.

“You stupid pig, how dare you lust after her?”

Su Xia was trembling with rage, shrieking, “She wouldn’t even look at someone like Jin Licheng or Jiang Shengzhou—what makes you think she’d look at a fat, useless pig like you?”

“Are you insane?”

Lin Ye held his face, furious now too, and snapped back, “Even if she doesn’t like me, I’d never marry a crazy woman like you!”

“You’re the crazy one!”

Su Xia became even more enraged and lunged at him, clawing. The two of them scuffled, and the surrounding people rushed to break them apart.

Hearing the commotion behind her, Su Yu sneered lightly and curled her lips.

Let them fight.

She was curious to see how long it would take for the Su family to be ruined by those two.

Jiang Shengzhou raised his glass from afar and said in a soft voice, “Pleasure doing business!”

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to wait?”

“I trust you.”

Jiang Shengzhou smiled and looked at her languid, seductive appearance, unable to stop a soft sigh.

He had initially thought she was a harmless little bunny, but in truth, she was a poisonous poppy flower.

The two idiots of the Su family couldn’t beat her, and Uncle Dong was getting old. Sooner or later, the Su family would be entirely under her control.

So what difference did it make whether it was sooner or later?

“Having a nice chat?”

A low and cold voice suddenly came from behind.

Su Yu turned her head.

Jin Licheng strode over in a silver-gray suit, tall and handsome, his features refined and noble.

“Su Yu, you really are fickle. What, switching targets again?”

“When Huo Shu didn’t work out, now it’s Jiang Shengzhou?”

His tone was tinged with mockery as he looked down at her.

Su Yu tilted her head slightly, not interested in engaging with him.

Jin Licheng wasn’t in a rush—he had all the time in the world to deal with her.

The mission had to be done slowly anyway. At the very least, she had to wait until that little girl stabilized emotionally before she could leave.

Let him bounce around for a while.

“Third Brother.”

Jiang Shengzhou stood up and offered him a seat. “Care to chat together?”

Jin Licheng ignored him and asked instead, “What about what I told you yesterday? Have you thought it through?”

“Get lost!”

His gaze turned cold, his face darkened as he warned, “Su Yu, don’t take my kindness for granted. If you keep acting recklessly because I indulge you, don’t blame me for showing no mercy!”

Su Yu shrugged. “Go ahead.”

“You—”

“Jin Licheng, hasn’t your company lost enough money?”

Huo Shu came from behind him, sneering, “Still want to keep playing?”

Jin Licheng’s expression darkened. “Huo Shu!”

If it weren’t for her constant meddling, Su Yu would’ve long been lying obediently beneath him by now.

Huo Shu walked forward step by step, stopping beside him, and said in a low voice, “Jin Licheng, Su Yu is mine. You’d best stay away.”

“Yours?”

Jin Licheng stared at her, then suddenly sneered. “Do you even know her?”

“Su Yu is greedy and materialistic. Huo Shu, are you sure you like someone like that?”

“Who doesn’t have a few flaws?”

Huo Shu chuckled and curled her lips. “So what if she loves money? The Huo family’s fortune isn’t so little that we can’t afford it.”

Jin Licheng: …

“Yu Yu.”

She turned her gaze away and waved her hand. “Come here.”

Su Yu threw herself into her arms, looked up, and said coyly, “Ah Shu, I’ve been waiting for you forever.”

Her lips curled, her long brows arched, and the corners of her eyes formed a beautiful curve, brimming with irresistible charm.

Jin Licheng felt a thump in his chest.

When had he ever seen Su Yu like this? Every move she made was laced with an alluring charm that tugged at the heart.

But the moment he realized that smile wasn’t meant for him, his face darkened again.

“Huo Shu, are you really willing to put the Huo family under a storm of scrutiny for her?”

As soon as he said that, the girl in her arms clearly stiffened.

Huo Shu tightened her grip on Su Yu’s hand and said with a light laugh, “That’s not something you need to worry about. The Huo family isn’t so fragile that a bit of gossip can bring us down.”

“But the Jin family… I’ve heard some partnerships have been running into issues lately. Since we’re both one of the Four Great Families, if you’re short on funds, I wouldn’t mind lending you a few tens of millions.”

“You may not care about the rumors—but what about her?”

Jin Licheng sneered and changed the subject, “Isn’t the Cui family currently discussing a marriage alliance with yours?”

“If they found out that it failed because of Su Yu, who do you think they’d blame?”

Huo Shu’s expression chilled, and she tightened her grip. “You dare!”

Jin Licheng’s smile turned cold. He enunciated each word clearly, “If Miss Huo doesn’t care about her safety, then by all means—try me and see… whether I dare or not.”

She took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, “What do you want?”

“Her.”

“Get lost!”

Jin Licheng clicked his tongue and sneered lightly, “Then there’s nothing to talk about.”

With that, he strode toward the group in the center.

Huo Shu clenched her fists, her expression dark as water.

Jin Licheng must have a death wish!

He could touch anything else, but if he dared lay a hand on Su Yu, he was really asking for it.

“I’m fine,” Su Yu gave her hand a gentle squeeze and smiled sweetly. “I’m still a Su family daughter, after all. The Cui family can’t do anything to me.”

“But you—what if people start talking about you?”

The girl pouted slightly, a little sulky.

“Are you stupid or what!” Huo Shu poked her forehead in exasperation. “Do you really think Uncle Dong sees you as his own daughter?”

“If you really offended the Cui family from Taipei, with Uncle Dong’s temper, he’d definitely offer you up to take the hit!”

Su Yu gave a soft “mm,” “I know.”

Huo Shu got even angrier. “Then why aren’t you scared?”

Thinking of this, she wanted to poke her again, but as she looked down, she saw a red mark glaringly obvious on the girl’s fair forehead.

Huo Shu sighed and rubbed it gently with care.

Su Yu looked up and smiled. “I have you.”

She really wasn’t afraid. No matter how powerful the Cui family from across the sea was, it had nothing to do with her.

No matter how fierce the dragon from across the river was, it couldn’t suppress a local snake.

After all, the prominent families in Xiangjiang still cared about saving face.

Huo Shu’s ears turned red, and she awkwardly turned her head away. “As long as you understand. Other than me, who else is going to protect you?”

Jiang Shengzhou leaned over. “Me.”

“Scram!”

“Alright, alright.”

He responded with a grin, then added, “Don’t worry, Sister Huo. Su Yu isn’t that easy to bully. She can handle things on her own.”

“What do you know?” Huo Shu glared at him.

In her eyes, the little liar was delicate and soft. Even holding her in the palm of her hand, she was afraid of bumping or bruising her. Who dared bully her!

“Alright, alright, I know nothing.”

Jiang Shengzhou nodded in agreement, then nudged his chin forward. “Look, here comes the entourage.”

Huo Shu looked up.

Jin Licheng was approaching with a large group in tow.

Next to him was a man, around twenty-six or twenty-seven, tall and handsome, wearing a deep purple suit that made his striking features even more prominent.

Taipei’s Cui family—Cui Fang!