Chapter 19: Storm Clouds Gathering!

Having witnessed what happened to Su Bingyao, Su Mingyao didn’t dare let himself show too much shock. He resolved to face Su Shang with the utmost caution he could muster from both his past life and this one.

Meanwhile, as Luo Shang led Su Mingyao away from Su Bingyao toward the Su family’s back garden, Li Qingshu was firing off a flurry of messages to her husband, Su Tiancheng.

Li Qingshu: I suddenly have something urgent that requires me to head out of town. I might not be able to make it to Mingyao’s banquet after all.

This was the conclusion Li Qingshu had reached after careful deliberation: she could not afford to cross paths with Su Shang!

She knew what she had done was wrong, but under the circumstances, so what? It wasn’t a big deal.

Su Shang was just an adopted son whose business ventures still depended on family backing. Letting him feel a little aggrieved now and then was hardly the end of the world. After all, her own Yaoyao had endured years of hardship outside—now it was Su Shang’s turn to tough it out. In Li Qingshu’s mind, there was nothing unfair about that.

But how could she possibly risk aggrieving the Su Shang of today?

She was terrified he might rip her to shreds!

That horrifying, bloodthirsty aura was far beyond what a normal person from a peaceful modern era like her could endure. It had ignited an overwhelming fear in her, prompting Li Qingshu to seize the first excuse she could find to flee—to put as much distance as possible between herself and the recognition banquet. She absolutely refused to attend!

Su Tiancheng: ?

Su Tiancheng: Haven’t you been looking forward to Mingyao’s recognition banquet for ages? I remember you started preparations ages ago.

Li Qingshu’s announcement left Su Tiancheng utterly bewildered. The event was about to begin—how could she back out now? What was going on? He had heard nothing about any pressing projects on her end before this.

Li Qingshu: It’s a business issue. I’ve made all the arrangements. Yaoyao should be able to handle everything.

Even if it meant skipping the recognition banquet she had anticipated and schemed for so long, Li Qingshu would not face Su Shang again!

When forced to choose between doting on her biological son and saving her own skin, her priorities were crystal clear.

As for her eldest?

He clearly had plenty of experience dealing with the younger one. For the sake of their past bond, the boy probably wouldn’t go too hard on him. She could view it as a valuable trial by fire!

Their demanding careers had left her and Su Tiancheng with little time to spend with Su Bingyao and Su Shang during their childhood. Big Bro had essentially raised Su Shang single-handedly, which was a key reason Li Qingshu felt confident handing things over to Su Bingyao now.

Su Shang would always show his brother some respect, wouldn’t he?

Li Qingshu had thought it all through.

Once she was wheeled away in the wheelchair, far from that terrifying presence, Li Qingshu finally shook off the pall of abject terror and regained her ability to think clearly.

Right then, she had made up her mind to leave. She quickly placed a call, expediting the Su family’s private plane. She needed to be out of B City within the hour, ensuring she couldn’t possibly make it back for the recognition banquet.

Naturally, she couldn’t tell Su Shang outright that she had overheard his heart voice and feared his vengeance—that was why she was bailing on the banquet. As long as she kept quiet about it, he could continue wearing the mask of her dutiful son. If she exposed him now, no one in the room would make it out alive.

The faint trace of killing intent Luo Shang had let slip by accident had shattered Li Qingshu’s nerve completely. In her eyes, even the most depraved serial killer would seem like a wide-eyed innocent next to that aura.

No one raised in peacetime could exude something like that!

By the time she was exchanging messages with Su Tiancheng, Li Qingshu had already boarded the Su family’s private plane and taken to the skies. Their conversation unfolded high above the clouds.

Su Tiancheng: ?

Su Tiancheng: I warned you not to hold this recognition banquet, but you insisted. Now it’s underway just as you wanted, and suddenly you’re sitting it out.

Are you messing with me? Su Tiancheng itched to demand of her.

He knew his wife wasn’t one for petty games. The Su family empire was largely a joint effort between them; Li Qingshu was no stay-at-home housewife but a powerhouse in business, with rock-solid credibility in his eyes.

Li Qingshu stared at the chat window and lapsed into silence.

Should she warn Su Tiancheng?

If she did, he would never believe her without witnessing Su Shang’s terror firsthand—and truthfully, if she hadn’t experienced it herself, she wouldn’t have believed it either. It was simply too outlandish!

If she said nothing, though, what if he blundered into provoking Su Shang and ended up dead? They had shared a marriage for years now; their bond might not run deep, but they were no enemies.

On top of that, Su Tiancheng’s sudden death would devastate the Su family and their enterprises.

He might not be able to hear Su Shang’s heart voice, Li Qingshu told herself by way of comfort. Better that way, in fact—it would let him deal with Su Shang like any normal person.

Su Shang was playing the part of their son to perfection. Without the heart voice revealing his true nature, she never would have realized just how terrifying he was.

Li Qingshu thought it over and finally typed into the chat box.

Li Qingshu: Be careful of Su Shang.

Li Qingshu: Let him do whatever he wants. Do not anger him under any circumstances.

Li Qingshu: When you see him, even if you hear him muttering strange things, don’t get mad. You absolutely must not get mad. Just go along with whatever he’s thinking!

Three messages in a row left Su Tiancheng baffled once more.

When they had first found their biological son, Li Qingshu had barely acknowledged Su Shang. Su Tiancheng had even advised her against showing such obvious favoritism—the baby swap wasn’t Su Shang’s fault, after all. He was a victim too.

When Li Qingshu had insisted on dragging Su Shang out of the hospital to attend the Recognition Banquet, Su Tiancheng had voiced his disapproval. But she hadn’t listened. She was used to having her way, so he’d let it drop without pushing further.

Yet now, why was she suddenly urging him to treat Su Shang with kid gloves and avoid provoking him? Hadn’t she been the coldest to him before?

Putting it together with his wife’s bizarre behavior, Su Tiancheng suddenly felt a strange chill.

It was as if Li Qingshu was afraid of Su Shang.

Was she avoiding him because she didn’t want to face him?

No way, right?

And from her description, Su Shang didn’t sound like their little son anymore. He sounded more like some kind of monster… Was her guilt finally catching up to her? Did she feel like she was wronging him, so she was dodging him out of shame?

That made sense. Guilt, not fear. Su Tiancheng shoved down the uneasy suspicion bubbling in his chest.

He closed the chat with his wife and opened the one with his eldest son.

Since she was dead set against going, he couldn’t force her. From what he knew of Li Qingshu, once her mind was made up, she rarely budged. Arguing would be pointless.

All he could do was loop in his eldest son, who was handling the banquet, and let him sort it out.

Li Qingshu had originally been slated to introduce Su Mingyao to the guests at the Recognition Banquet. Now, someone else would have to step up.

But when he pulled up the chat with his eldest son, Su Tiancheng froze again.

Dozens of minutes earlier, Su Bingyao had messaged him too.

It was short, but it hit like a bomb.

The chat box read:

“Don’t come!”

~~~

Luo Shang and Su Mingyao were walking toward a secluded spot in the Su Family’s Back Garden.

Luo Shang had picked a remote location, straight out of the script. The original Su Shang had planned to murder and dismember his victim there, so it was off the beaten path. In the end, though, he hadn’t worked up the nerve to kill and had settled for playing the green tea act instead.

Gotta hand it to myself, Luo Shang thought, glancing over the script.

If I hadn’t ended up in the Reincarnation Space, I’d probably have turned out exactly like that vicious male side character…

The spot was out of the way, and Luo Shang had no intention of showing off his slick moves in front of Su Mingyao, so they were taking their time. They hadn’t arrived yet.

Along the path, the System suddenly let out a weird yelp.

[Bad news, Host! An important character just bailed from the current scene!]

[Hm?] Luo Shang’s brows furrowed.

Su Mingyao jolted in shock. Who the hell was it? That suicidal?

He barely held back the impulse to dash over, drop to his knees, and beg Su Shang not to end the world. Heart pounding, he waited for Su Shang’s call, ready to jump in with some quick save.

Who had the guts?

No matter. Soon enough, they’d all meet again in the ashes of the apocalypse… Heh, Su Mingyao sneered inwardly.

[It’s your non-biological mother.] The System answered promptly.

It summoned a faint blue screen. A red dot marked Li Qingshu’s position on the map, speeding away from the green dot showing their own location.

[Your non-biological mother is a key figure in the next scene. If she’s gone, it could mess with the Plot Progress,] the System explained.

[Why is Mother running away?] Confusion filled Luo Shang’s heart voice.

I’d wanna bolt too if I were her… Su Mingyao gave a wry inward smile.

A wild idea hit him: If Li Qingshu could slip out of the scene’s range and skip the next part, maybe they could too?

No, he was probably too central to the plot—without him, things might grind to a halt. He couldn’t run. But Brother Yao might. Just like Mother…

Brotherly loyalty and the lingering guilt from their little performance for Big Bro at the entrance spurred Su Mingyao into action. He whipped out his Live-Streaming Phone and fired off the update to Su Bingyao.

Su Bingyao replied in a flash: !!!

Su Bingyao: For real? Can I bail too?!

Su Bingyao: But watch out—Su Shang might nuke the world now that Mother’s gone!

Su Mingyao replied, “Even if he destroys the world, it won’t do any good. Mom can’t sense it, and next time, she’ll still choose to run away.”

“That’s true,” Su Bingyao said.

In the past, Su Shang had only destroyed and restarted the world because he wanted to perform better. But now, with their mother taking such an unexpected action, destroying the world again wouldn’t change a thing.

Su Bingyao hesitated. “So that means for me…”

[No way around it,] Luo Shang said.

“He says there’s no way around it!!” Su Mingyao blurted out.

“?!?!” Su Bingyao’s eyes widened.

“I’ll book a flight for an hour from now! Everything else is on you, Mingyao. I trust you!” Su Bingyao declared.

“…” Su Mingyao fell silent.

You don’t have to trust me. I really don’t want to face him alone.

Then Su Mingyao heard Su Shang speak again.

[We’ll have to treat her like this…]

Luo Shang, seated calmly in his wheelchair, murmured.

Treat her how? Su Mingyao tensed, forgetting to breathe.

In the unseen expanse above them, the air currents suddenly churned into chaos. Heat redistributed exactly as Luo Shang desired, and the clouds underwent a dramatic transformation.

Luo Shang then extended his hand flatly, catching a single drop of rain as it fell.

“It’s going to rain,” Luo Shang said.

“Let’s pick up the pace,” he added.

A hundred miles away, above the plane carrying Li Qingshu, massive banks of dark clouds materialized out of nowhere. Lightning cracked and thunder boomed as they swallowed the skies over all of B City, sealing off the airways above.

The storm was coming!

[Mom has no choice but to come.]

Su Mingyao heard Su Shang’s voice declare. The tone was ice-cold and utterly serene, casually sealing Li Qingshu’s fate.