Chapter Ninety-Eight: Jealousy

Mrs. Chen was nothing like the carefree woman she claimed to be.

The first reason Susu Pei had become suspicious was this: if Mrs. Chen truly disliked children, her son would never have been spoiled into the monster he had become—an absolute tyrant of a boy.

And second, Mrs. Chen’s decision to be with the head of the M Group had absolutely nothing to do with his money. Whether it was her own wealth and influence, or her husband’s vast fortune back in the imperial capital, she already had access to unimaginable riches.

At her level, what need had she to dance around anyone?

So the only reason she had chosen the M Group’s chairman was simple: she liked him.

Amid such a world of profit, schemes, and ruthless intrigue, she alone had fallen into real love.

It was almost laughable, and yet somehow tragic.

This child was not necessarily something she had truly wanted; it was merely a compromise made after weighing the gains and losses. But now even that compromise had turned more cruel.

She had lost forever the right to be a mother.

“You are clever. But even if you are clever, so what?”

Her true thoughts had been laid bare in a single sentence. Mrs. Chen’s cold gaze swept over Susu Pei’s face, laced with a trace of jealousy—she was too fortunate, and without even realizing it, she had chosen the right man.

No one had expected Fu Zhichen to publicly announce their relationship in front of everyone, and to protect Susu Pei in exactly that way.

The higher one stood, the heavier the power in one’s hands, the greater the wealth and enviable status one possessed, the less possible it became to remain so openly unguarded. Such people were surrounded by calculation and treachery; they would never cast everything aside for something as fragile as love.

And yet Fu Zhichen had done exactly that.

Just like an ordinary couple, they protected one another, accepted one another…

She saw it all, and it drove her mad.

“Since I have already paid such a dear price, then dragging you down with me is the only way to make it worthwhile.” Mrs. Chen gave a cold laugh. The happier they were, the more foolish she looked. Since things had already come to this…

Then they might as well go to hell together.

“Mrs. Chen, I think you may have misunderstood. I only want to say that perhaps you still have other choices.”

Calmly, Susu Pei took out her phone and showed Mrs. Chen the messages exchanged with her husband. Once Mrs. Chen realized that she had already become a discarded piece, and that she might be facing a divorce lawsuit when she returned home, anger clouded her eyes.

“So you already told him everything? And now you come here to talk to me about what—showing off?”

That was certainly not Susu Pei’s intention. She pulled over a chair and sat beside Mrs. Chen.

“I mean that now you no longer have any other choice. It does look a little underhanded, but Mrs. Chen, I think you should understand that the one who truly did wrong was not me. It was you.”

“If you had not set your sights on me, using the child in your womb to frame me and the man I love, then your secret would never have been exposed.”

Susu Pei’s voice remained utterly calm, each word measured and clear. “At the very least, it would not have been exposed by us.”

Mrs. Chen shut her eyes.

She truly regretted it now. This time, she had lost everything. It was only a single thought, a single sentence—why had she insisted on provoking Susu Pei and the man behind her, Fu Zhichen?

“So what exactly do you want? Dragging this out is worse than saying it plainly.”

Since Susu Pei had come to see her today, she must have had a purpose. Mrs. Chen had never doubted that.

At first, however, she had foolishly believed she might still hold the initiative in her own hands.

Now it seemed that had been nothing but a delusion.

“My idea is very simple. Go and clarify that this child was not lost because of me. Of course, it was never because of me in the first place.”

Susu Pei did not want her own affairs to drag Fu Zhichen into them, not even the slightest bit.

Hearing this, Mrs. Chen gave a mocking laugh.

“You two are certainly devoted. It only makes me look like the unreasonable one…” She paused. “You’ve already told me what I should do. So what exactly do I get in return?”

Susu Pei smiled faintly.

“You should already be very clear by now: whether it is your husband or the others, they have all completely treated you as a discarded piece.”

A flicker of humiliation crossed Mrs. Chen’s face, but she still had no choice but to listen as Susu Pei continued.

“If you agree, then at the very least Fu Zhichen and I will not pursue what you have done any further. Perhaps going abroad would also be a good way out for you. What do you think?”

Susu Pei had already placed the only road before her.

Whether Mrs. Chen cherished it or not would depend on this one chance.

“I…”

Mrs. Chen’s face tightened with hesitation. “What did the people from the M Group tell you? Why do you know who my child belongs to?”

At this question, Susu Pei finally understood what Mrs. Chen was still struggling with.

So, even now, she still believed the head of the M Group would not easily let her go, and would not so lightly abandon what they had between them.

But if that were truly the case, Susu Pei would not have come here only to see Mrs. Chen alone.

Whether she had been discarded or not, Mrs. Chen should actually know the answer very well. She was only unwilling to believe it.

“If I am being honest, there may still be a trace of hope in your heart…but there is no need for that. We are both intelligent people, aren’t we?”

Susu Pei’s words made Mrs. Chen close her eyes once more.

The pride she had worn so stubbornly before had finally vanished.

“All right, I agree. But from this day forward, the Fu Group and Fu Zhichen must not keep clinging to this matter and leave me no room to breathe. Otherwise, I will fight you to the bitter end, even if it means mutual ruin.”

“Talking to a smart person is indeed much easier. Mrs. Chen, we never intended to be your enemy. You were the one who came looking for trouble with us.”

Susu Pei stood up. There was likely no need to continue this conversation.

Mrs. Chen had merely been used; the ones who truly wanted to trouble them were the people from the M Group. There was no need to keep entangling themselves with Mrs. Chen.

“But there is one more thing.”

Mrs. Chen seized Susu Pei’s hand.

“You are the one promising not to trouble me, not Fu Zhichen. Why should I believe your word?”

At that, Susu Pei paused. She seemed never to have considered that question, because…

“My will is his will.”

After hearing those words, the color drained completely from Mrs. Chen’s face. She gave a bitter laugh.

She knew Susu Pei was not speaking nonsense, because she had not even hesitated—not even once—and found nothing strange in it.

Fu Zhichen’s favoritism toward her was truly one of a kind.