Chapter 20 20

Chapter 20 20
The ride back to the Yan estate was short, but it felt like hours to Su Yan. She leaned her head against the wooden frame of the carriage, watching the dusty streets of the city roll by.. She felt a strange buzzing in her ears, a mix of exhaustion and the lingering sound of Lu Chen’s blunt, modern way of speaking.
When the carriage stopped, she stepped down with a heavy sigh. The Yan estate was smaller than the Lu mansion, more cramped and smelling of old wood and the bitter scent of boiling herbs. It was quiet,
As she crossed the threshold into the main courtyard, her mother, Madam Lin, rushed toward her. Madam Lin’s face was etched with worry, her hands fluttering at her chest. She looked like she hadn't slept in days.
"You stayed too long," Madam Lin said, her voice low and hurried. "We were worried. People were already coming by the gate, asking if the rumors were true. Why did you stay there for three days, Yan?"
Su Yan didn't answer immediately. She walked past her mother, heading toward the inner chambers. Her feet felt heavy on the floorboards. She could see her younger sister, Su Mei, standing by the pillar near the hallway. Su Mei was only Nineteen, but she had a sharp, look in her eyes that made her seem much older. She was watching Su Yan with a gaze that was far too suspicious for a younger sibling.
"Yeah, but nothing to worry about," Su Yan finally said, her voice sounding flat even to her own ears.
"Nothing to worry about?" Su Mei stepped forward, her arms crossed over her chest. "You were in his house. For three days. In the wing of a man who has treated our family like dirt for years. People are saying you’ve crawled back to him just because he got sick."
Su Yan stopped and slowly removed her outer robe, folding it over her arm with deliberate care. She looked at Su Mei, her eyes narrowing. "Yes, so what is your fucking business in it? I did what I had to do." She was starting to get so annoyed.
Su Mei blinked, a look of genuine shock crossing her face. "You... you have started speaking like him too. Great. Three days in that house and you’ve picked up his disgusting habits."
Su Yan didn't respond. She didn't have the energy to explain that Lu Chen’s way of talking was contagious, or that it was actually refreshing compared to the flowery, fake politeness of everyone else they knew. She brushed past her sister and walked into the darkened room where her father was resting.
Su Guowei was propped up on several pillows. He looked better way better than he had a week ago. The color had returned to his face, and his eyes were clear, though the lines around his mouth were deep. Even lying in bed, his presence was heavy. He was a man who had spent his life navigating the royal court, and that weight didn't disappear just because he was ill.
"Come here," Su Guowei said. His voice was raspy but firm.
Su Yan walked to the side of his bed and stood there. She felt like a child again, being inspected for a mistake she hadn't even realized she’d made. He studied her for a long time. He didn't look at her clothes or the dark circles under her eyes. He looked at the way she stood the slight stiffness in her shoulders and the way she wouldn't lower her gaze.
"I know you too well," Su Guowei said, his eyes locking onto hers. "You think you owe him. That’s why you went. You felt the medicine he gave us was a debt, and you went to pay back everything right?"
It wasn't a question. It was an observation of her character. Su Yan’s fingers tightened against the silk of her robe. She felt a lump in her throat that she had to force down.
"...Yes," she whispered.
Su Guowei nodded slowly, as if he had expected nothing else. "I expected that. You’ve always been too honorable for your own good, Yan. You couldn't live with the idea of being indebted to a man like Lu Chen."
Madam Lin looked between them, her face full of confusion. "Debts? Honor? He’s a monster. He tried to ruin us. Why does it matter if we owe him?"
Su Mei, who had followed Su Yan into the room, looked even angrier. "So we are just supposed to let her sit by his bed because he gave us some herbs? It’s humiliating."
Su Guowei ignored them both. He kept his eyes on Su Yan. "You saw him. Is he as sick as they say?"
"He was," Su Yan said. "He collapsed. He was out for days. But he’s awake now. He’s weak, but he’s already back to his usual self. Arrogant. Blunt. Talking about things that don't make sense."
"And his father?" Su Guowei asked.
"Chang Lu was there," Su Yan replied, her voice turning cold. "He’s already making arrangements. He wants to finalize the marriage. He told me I shouldn't stop tending to him because he needs a I have forgotten the word he used for it.'"
Madam Lin gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "A marriage? Now? After all this?"
Su Mei scoffed. "We can't. We should break it off now while he’s weak. We should distance ourselves before the Lu family drags us down with whatever mess they are in."
Su Guowei let out a dry, rattling cough, then settled back into his pillows. A slow, calculating look crossed his face. This was the man who had survived decades of political shifts. Even sick, even nearly broken, he thought in terms of moves and countermoves.
"No," Su Guowei said. "Let’s get even much closer to them. Let’s use them to reuplift our fallen status."