Chapter 651 - 649: Come Looking

"Su Qing, someone’s looking for you." That afternoon, just as class let out, a student from another major came to the door of Economics Class One and called out to Su Qing.

"Okay, thank you." Su Qing assumed it was Zou Ming, but when she stepped out of the classroom, she was surprised to find that it was actually the couple, Su Shengguo and Zheng Erlian.

"Erya." Seeing Su Qing, Su Shengguo quickly forced a smile, trying his best to appear benevolent. He was completely unaware, however, that his entire demeanor, from the inside out, radiated a sense of both sycophancy and timidity.

Zheng Erlian, on the other hand, just stared at Su Qing with a complicated expression.

Su Shengguo and his wife only knew that Su Qing had gotten into Beijing University, but they had no idea what her major or class was. When they arrived on campus today, they thought it would take a great deal of effort to find her. To their surprise, the moment they mentioned Su Qing’s name, a student smiled, said they knew her, and enthusiastically led them to her classroom.

’So, is Su Qing really that well-known at Beijing University?’

Looking at the poised and graceful young woman before her, Zheng Erlian finally, tangibly understood that the Su Qing of today was a world away from the girl she had been in Lihua Village. The Su Qing before her was already living a completely different life. She was no longer the pitiful little thing everyone in Lihua Village used to bully, nor was she the fierce, shrewish girl who, like a wounded cub, had been so wary and vicious toward the Old Su Family.

But looking at the vibrant and beautiful Su Qing, and then thinking of her own lifeless daughter lying in a morgue freezer, Zheng Erlian felt as if her heart was being roasted over a fire. The pain was so intense that her vision started to go black.

"How did you find me here?" Su Qing’s expression was neutral. She couldn’t bring herself to be pleasant to Su Shengguo and Zheng Erlian. ’These two weren’t the ones who directly killed the original owner of this body, but they were most certainly accomplices.’

"We wanted to talk to you about something, Erya. Is there a quiet place where we can have a proper chat?" Su Shengguo shot a look at Zheng Erlian to stop her, afraid she would say something nasty and provoke Su Qing. He knew with certainty now that they absolutely could not afford to get on Su Qing’s bad side. Otherwise, he feared the consequences would be more than they could handle.

Su Qing thought of Su Mei. ’They must have come to Beijing because of her. Maybe they heard from the police that I was involved in the case, and now they’re here demanding an explanation?’

"Fine. There’s a pavilion over there. Let’s go sit down." Su Qing was curious to see what this couple really wanted from her.

The pavilion Su Qing pointed to was situated next to a small, flowing stream. Beyond the stream lay a patch of woods. It was already autumn, and the intermingling yellow and green leaves, the babbling water, and the warm afternoon sun slanting into the pavilion created a rather picturesque scene.

Zheng Erlian couldn’t care less about picturesque scenes. The moment she stepped into the pavilion, she spoke to Su Qing impatiently. "Su Qing, you—"

"Erlian!" Su Shengguo, terrified she was about to say something inflammatory, quickly cut her off.

Su Qing said coolly, "You came here to talk, didn’t you? Just say what you need to say. No need to beat around the bush. We both know exactly where we stand with each other, so stop wasting time."

Su Qing’s words made it clear she wanted nothing to do with them, which made Su Shengguo feel a pang of humiliation.

Zheng Erlian, however, nodded. "Fine. In that case, I’ll just say what’s on my mind. Su Qing, I’m asking you, was it you who harmed my Meizi?"

Hearing this, Su Qing raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you think?"

"I’m asking you, was it you who harmed my Meizi?" Zheng Erlian’s voice was getting heated, and she took two steps toward Su Qing. A frightened Su Shengguo quickly stepped in her way and pleaded with Su Qing, "Su Qing, please don’t mind her. Your aunt... she’s just not herself after your cousin’s passing. She’s speaking without thinking. Please, don’t take it to heart."

"You bastard! That’s your own daughter! Your own daughter is dead under mysterious circumstances, and you’re still talking like that?" Zheng Erlian spun around and glared at Su Shengguo in a rage.

"Heh," Su Qing scoffed. "Mysterious circumstances? Su Mei died at the hands of human traffickers. It’s perfectly clear how she died. Didn’t the police tell you?"

"It was you. You’re the one who got my Meizi killed, aren’t you?" Zheng Erlian glared at Su Qing. If Su Shengguo hadn’t been holding her back, she looked ready to strike her. "It’s because of you! My Meizi was killed by those traffickers because of you, wasn’t she? It was all you! If it weren’t for you, my Meizi wouldn’t have died! Give me back my Meizi! Give my Meizi back to me!"

Zheng Erlian’s tears streamed down her face as she spoke, her gaze fixed on Su Qing with pure malice.

Su Qing gave a cold laugh. "Su Mei teamed up with human traffickers to come after me. In the end, she was beaten to death by those very same traffickers, yet you have the gall to pin the blame on me. Making false accusations to shift the blame... that’s the Old Su Family’s specialty, isn’t it?"

"You..." Zheng Erlian raged. "You’re lying!"

"I’m lying?" Su Qing stared coldly at Zheng Erlian, her eyes narrowing. "So you’re saying Su Mei was killed by the traffickers because she got mixed up in my business?"

"Yes, it was you," Zheng Erlian said through gritted teeth. "Su Qing, my Meizi didn’t just die for nothing. I won’t let you get away with this."

"Erlian!" Su Shengguo was about to lose his mind with fear over his wife’s words. He really, truly didn’t want to provoke Su Qing. He had only come today to ask a few questions, that was all. He didn’t want to make an enemy of her.

"Su Shengguo, is that what you think, too?" Su Qing turned to him. At this point, she couldn’t even bring herself to call him ’Uncle’. ’This family is utterly undeserving.’

"Ah, no, no! We just came today to ask you about the situation, really... We just wanted to ask about the situation, that’s all." Su Shengguo repeated himself hastily. He didn’t dare to make an issue of Su Qing calling him by his full name.

Su Qing gave Su Shengguo a long look before continuing, "You came to Beijing to claim Su Mei’s body, which means you must have already spoken to the police. The police should have given you a general outline of what happened. Regarding the case they described, there are two possibilities: either they didn’t mention me at all, or they did, but they would have told you that Su Mei colluded with human traffickers to harm me and was then accidentally beaten to death by them."

"You... what did you just say?!" Su Qing’s words left both Su Shengguo and his wife stunned.

Su Qing sneered. "And as for you, Zheng Erlian, you keep insisting that Su Mei was killed by traffickers because she got caught up in my affairs. The police would never have told you that, because it’s simply not the truth. So, why don’t you tell me: this theory that Su Mei died because of me—did you invent it yourselves, or did someone else put that idea in your heads?"