Su Ruhua could still remember the shock, indignation, and jealousy that came upon her when she was about to carry the baby-like Su Man, whose growth had been stunted, into the back garden of the Su’s mansion to play with when Su Ruyu brought the three herbs back.
She clearly saw how her typically cold younger sister had a gentle smile on her face, brimming with happiness, as though she were in love.
Both sisters were very close to each other and would tell the other anything on their minds. She liked Mo Shitian, but she was unable to tell Su Ruyu because Mo Shitian rejected her. She felt terrible about it and still needed time to recover from it. If it were something happier, she would naturally tell Su Ruyu so that her younger sister could share in her joy.
She could tell that Ruyu was in love.
She was sincerely happy for Ruyu and asked her whom she liked and whether she knew the said person. Since Su Ruyu had no friends since young, she did not have any good friends save her senior, Fu Jin. The talented Fu Jin, who was head over heels for her, was well-received by her parents who felt that he was so in love with Ruyu and should marry her. Ruyu, however, did not really like Fu Jin but instead treated him as a senior whom she really respected.
When she went out, she was not of the opinion that she would suddenly like Fu Jin. She originally thought of Su Ruyu as a haughty perfectionist who could never take a liking to any man.
And she could be destined for singlehood for the rest of her life.
However…
Back then, Su Ruyu told her uneasily. “Elder sister, I like this guy. He’s Mo Shitian.”
Shocked, she slightly let go of Su Man, almost dropping him. Her mind was ringing and she did not know whether to congratulate him or to encourage her to grasp this happiness.
Her mind was only filled with one name: Mo Shitian.
Her younger sister took to liking the same man: Mo Shitian, the godfather of the Mafia. While she managed to walk out of the shadow of Mo Shitian after much difficulty, Su Ruyu’s words dragged her back into the very same shadows.
Su Ruhua was carefree and cheerful since young. In contrast to Su Ruyu, who had a slightly weirder temper and of words, she was much doted upon by her parents and was the object of affection amongst the young masters in upper society.
She was always extremely confident about her charisma and never felt that she would be less charismatic than anybody else. As a teenager back then, she was proud, haughty, and talented. She felt that she was the best lass in the world who deserved the best man.
Mo Shitian rejected her partly because he felt that they did not know each other well enough. Moreover, he was in a tight spot due to the chaos within the Mafia. Mo Shitian had also told her that he was in perpetual danger and hoped she would not put herself in danger’s way. Besides, he was focused on the Mafia and had had no interest in pursuing romance.
Su Ruhua hence felt she could wait for him. Everybody knew that Mo Shitian was not after women, and he had no female bosom buddy. Since she was the only person who took a liking to him, she had the first-mover advantage.
Little did she expect Ruyu to also take a liking to Mo Shitian.
“Does he like you?” Su Ruhua had no idea why she asked this question. She had a mix of bad feelings. Her dearest younger sister was on a side, and Mo Shitian, the man whom she loved, was on the other side. She felt terrible.
Su Ruyu nodded and honestly told her.” He told me to wait for a few days. He will come over to talk about our marriage with Dad and Mom.”
Su Ruhua was utterly taken aback to the point she forgot how she had passed Su Man back to Su Ruyu and how she had even returned to her room. The immense impact on her made her no different from the walking dead for the rest of the day.
The Su sisters were of strong character and stubborn. When they took a liking to a person, it was very difficult for them to change that, and their feelings for said person would only get deeper. Su Ruhua had never forgotten Mo Shitian. Instead, she fell deeper in love with him.
She was jealous of Ruyu.
Whether from a female or male perspective, Su Ruhua was way more charismatic than Su Ruyu. For Mo Shitian to like Su Ruyu, who almost resembled her, rather than her, it felt a little dissonant.
In the next few days, Su Ruyu focused on curing Su Man. When Fu Jin came back, he treated Su Man together with Su Ruyu.
Su Ruyu’s parents took an immense liking to Fu Jin and treated him as their son-in-law. Given how hard it was for men to take a liking to Su Ruyu, it was rare that such a good man liked Su Ruyu. Since Su Ruyu and he were able to get along very well with each other, they were hoping for the best.
But back then, the Su sisters kept their underworld dealings and what Fu Jin had actually done away from their parents as they did not want their parents to worry about them and thus gave them the impression that Fu Jin was a successful businessman.
When Mo Shitian came, he brought a storm in the peaceful Su family.
On that day, Su Ruyu was feeling uneasy as she did not know whether her parents would take a liking to Mo Shitian. Su Ruhua, on the other hand, had a mixed bag of feelings as she saw the man she liked tell her parents that he wanted Ruyu’s hand in marriage.
Fu Jin was shocked and angry. How could he, having looked over Su Ruyu for so many years, willingly give her away to somebody else?
Su Ruyu’s parents, at a loss, asked Mo Shitian what he did. Mo Shitian honestly told them he was the godfather of the Mafia, and Su Ruyu’s parents were properly shocked at his revelation. They immediately opposed the marriage and unceremoniously chased Mo Shitian out of the Su’s mansion without giving Su Ruyu the slightest face.
Daddy and Mommy Su forcefully had Su Ruyu leave Mo Shitian, and they even mooted the idea of her immediately marrying Fu Jin to kill off any such thoughts in Su Ruyu’s mind. This left Su Ruyu feeling extremely resentful.
Although she was extremely unwilling, Fu Jin seemed extremely accommodating before her as he secretly looked up Su Ruhua.
He could tell from Su Ruhua’s gaze that she still liked Mo Shitian. On the other hand, he still liked Su Ruyu. If they worked together, everybody’s wishes would come true.
Su Ruhua, without thinking, turned him down.
Although she still loved Mo Shitian and was still extremely envious of Su Ruyu, she had no intention of destroying their relationship. She did not even tell Su Ruyu that she liked Mo Shitian too.
She did not want Ruyu to feel any burden.
As the elder sister of Ruyu whom she was close to and who did not have friends, she wanted to endure this all by herself. If she told Su Ruyu about it, both of them would be upset together.
Besides, Su Ruyu, for whatever sisterhood reasons, might allow her feelings to sour, which was something Su Ruhua did not want to see at all.
Her thoughts back then were simple. Mo Shitian rejected her and liked Ruyu. At least, he didn’t like anyone else but her younger sister. Since they were compatible with each other, she graciously let him go.
However, nobody expected things to spiral out of control.