Chapter 7: Huai City

The next afternoon, the atmosphere in the Sui family living room was even heavier than the day before.

Sui Nuo wore a pale yellow dress—the most presentable one in her closet. The neckline was trimmed with a ring of delicate lace, the hem fell just to her knees, and she paired it with low-heeled off-white leather shoes.

Her hair was tied into a low ponytail, revealing a smooth forehead and round earlobes. On those lobes sat a pair of small pearl earrings her mother had forcibly stuffed on her.

She looked incredibly well-behaved, like a freshly baked little cake dusted with sugar frosting.

But at the moment, the little cake's complexion wasn't great.

"Mom," Sui Nuo's voice trembled slightly, "can I change into something black?"

Mrs. Qin was inspecting her outfit. Hearing this, she frowned. "Why wear black?"

"So I look harder to bully."

Mrs. Qin's hand paused for a second. She glanced at her daughter, the corner of her mouth twitching, but ultimately couldn't help letting out a sigh.

She reached out to straighten the lace at her daughter's collar, her tone carrying a deep sense of helplessness: "Nuonuo, you look easy to bully no matter what you wear. The problem isn't the clothes."

Sui Nuo pouted, feeling that her mom might actually be right.

Sui Yuanshan came down from upstairs, wearing a dark blue suit. His hair was combed meticulously, but his face was white as paper.

His steps were unsteady, floating along. One hand gripped the staircase railing, while the other clutched a black briefcase. Inside lay the "Introduction to Basic Information of the Sui Family" he had prepared overnight—

Including asset status, industrial layout, and family member composition. It was a thick stack; he had worked until three in the morning yesterday, repeatedly confirming every single number was accurate.

"Old—" Mrs. Qin started to speak, but seeing Sui Yuanshan's expression, she changed tack.

"Sui Yuanshan, are you okay? Why is your face so pale?"

Sui Yuanshan held onto the railing, his lips trembling slightly. "I'm fine, I just… feel a bit dizzy."

"Dizzy about what?"

"I get dizzy whenever I think about going to the Xie family."

Mrs. Qin took a deep breath and swallowed the words that had risen to her lips.

Scolding him now would be useless. She was nervous too, only she didn't show it on her face.

Her palms were drenched in sweat, but she clenched her fingers tightly so no one could tell.

Sui Xu poked her head out from the kitchen, still clutching an unwashed apple in her hand.

She had said last night that she wouldn't go, claiming she wanted to stay home and watch the house, but everyone knew she simply didn't dare.

Sui Xu looked at her dressed-up younger sister, and her eyes suddenly reddened. She ran out of the kitchen and threw her arms around Sui Nuo.

"Nuonuo," Sui Xu's voice was muffled, "if anything happens, send me a message. As soon as I see it, I'll rush over."

Sui Nuo was hugged so tight she could barely breathe, but she still reached up to pat her older sister's back. "Jie, I won't count on you."

Sui Xu froze for a moment, then cried even louder.

Finally, half an hour later, the whole family stepped out the door.

Sui Yuanshan drove. Mrs. Qin sat in the passenger seat. Sui Nuo sat in the back, holding her tiny handbag against her chest.

Three people in the car, and not a word was spoken. Only the mechanical female voice of the car navigation system announced the route.

"In five hundred meters, please keep left and enter the elevated bridge."

Sui Nuo watched the city streets blur past outside the window. Her heart beat fast, so fast she felt her entire body vibrating along with it.

She gripped her handbag tightly, her knuckles turning white, her palm slick with sweat.

She whispered, in a voice only she could hear: "Sui Nuo, you can do this."

After a pause, she added: "You're the boldest person here."

Two seconds later, another addition: "You even dare to ride roller coasters."

She was telling the truth.

Last year, when the whole family went to the amusement park, her dad stood in front of the carousel for ten minutes before saying his stomach hurt and refusing to get on.

Her sister cried in front of the bumper cars because she thought the collisions were too intense.

Her mom did accompany her on the swing ride, but afterward, her legs were weak for half an hour.

In the entire Sui family, the only one who truly dared to ride a roller coaster was indeed her alone.

But this self-encouragement didn't work very well.

Because immediately after, she remembered that what she faced wasn't a roller coaster. It was the Xie family.

Scarier than a roller coaster.