Su Guoxiong was dying to hold a great-granddaughter.
Su Hua had been kidnapped just a few months after birth and, after being rescued, had always been cold and distant, not particularly close to him.
Since Su Hua couldn't fulfill his dream of holding a soft and adorable granddaughter, he pinned his hopes on Su Hua's daughter.
Seeing how Su Hua was so averse to men that she seemed to want to stay eight feet away from them, he had feared that he might never get the chance to hold a great-granddaughter in his lifetime.
But then, out of nowhere, Lin Xuan appeared.
Su Guoxiong was determined to push them into having a child as soon as possible. Otherwise, if they broke up someday, Su Hua might revert to her cold, men-avoiding ways, and then what would he do?
Following that, Su Guoxiong grilled Lin Xuan with numerous questions.
Su Guoxiong couldn't help but nod in approval.
Not bad, not bad. Lin Xuan seemed to be a man of considerable insight and talent, and it was clear he genuinely cared for Su Hua.
Look at how the love in his eyes practically jumped out when he talked about Su Hua.
Su Guoxiong was quite satisfied with Lin Xuan.
Though his face remained stern, giving no hint of his feelings.
"Lin Xuan, you know what kind of influence the Su Family wields. If someday your relationship doesn't work out, we'll let you go without any trouble," Su Guoxiong said evenly.
"But if..." Su Guoxiong's tone turned threatening, "You dare to betray Su Hua, flirt with another woman, or do anything harmful to her, don't blame this old man for having you killed."
"The Su Family has the power to do that."
Su Guoxiong could tell that his granddaughter had feelings for Lin Xuan. His granddaughter's nature was such that once she loved someone, it was for life.
If Lin Xuan ever betrayed her, Su Hua would likely be devastated.
Lin Xuan nodded, "Don't worry, I will never betray her. We will be together for a lifetime, just the two of us."
"Good, very good!"
A smile appeared on Su Guoxiong's face as he handed Lin Xuan a red envelope. "Here, this is a meeting gift from me. It contains eight hundred million yuan, and the bank card password is Su Hua's birthday."
Lin Xuan's hand trembled.
Was it really this extravagant to give gifts amongst the wealthy?
"Keep the money as pocket money, and if you need more, just ask me," Su Guoxiong said gently, a stark contrast to his previous sternness.
"Thank you, Chairman Su," Lin Xuan responded with a nod.
"Why so formal?" Su Guoxiong chuckled, "Just call me Grandpa like Su Hua does."
"Lin Xuan, Grandpa has a favor to ask of you," Su Guoxiong's voice lowered. "Su Hua often has episodes, primarily because she has a deep-rooted trauma. Grandpa hopes you can find out what that trauma is someday, as it would greatly help her condition."
"Alright, I understand," Lin Xuan nodded.
"Good boy, I'm counting on you," Su Guoxiong said warmly. "You must be exhausted today. I've asked the chef to prepare some food for you. Eat, then get some rest."
Seeing Lin Xuan head upstairs, Su Guoxiong whispered to his assistant, "Old Li, prepare some things for me."
Upstairs.
As soon as Lin Xuan lay down on the bed, the sleeping woman beside him seemed to instinctively cling to him.
Her face pressed against Lin Xuan's chest, her arm tightly wrapped around his waist.
She nestled against Lin Xuan's body.
And so, Su Hua slept soundly, her head resting on Lin Xuan's chest, all through the night.
Early the next morning, Su Hua woke up. As she opened her eyes, Lin Xuan, half-asleep, absentmindedly stroked her hair.
Su Hua reflexively grabbed Lin Xuan's hand and twisted it, dislocating his wrist in the process.
"Ouch!"
Lin Xuan jolted awake from the pain with a pained grimace, "Su Hua, you're trying to kill your husband!"
It was her ah xuan.
Su Hua's expression stiffened at the sight of Lin Xuan's distressed look and the beads of sweat on his forehead. She felt a pang of heartache.
"I didn't realize it was you," she said.
In her dream, there was only fighting, and she had mistaken her ah xuan for an enemy.
"Bear with it," Su Hua said gently as she skillfully set Lin Xuan's dislocated wrist back in place.
Lin Xuan looked at his swollen arm.
He wondered if one day Su Hua might accidentally end up killing him...
Su Hua fetched some medicinal wine to apply to the injury.
As he watched the beautiful woman diligently treat his wound, Lin Xuan's earlier frustration melted away.
To die in Su Hua's hands might not be so bad...
"You had another episode yesterday," Lin Xuan said.
"Mhm," Su Hua's hand paused for a moment as she applied the medicine.
After a long silence, Lin Xuan could barely hear her voice, "Was I very terrifying during the episode?"
She knew that during her episodes, she became a demon possessed, with no sense of kinship.
She didn't dare let her ah xuan see her like that, wanting only to show him her best side.
But in two consecutive instances, he had witnessed her worst.
"You were quite terrifying," Lin Xuan nodded.
Su Hua clenched her fists tightly.
Her ah xuan thought she was terrifying too...
"But in my eyes, Su Hua, no matter what form you take, I will still like you, and I won't be afraid of you," Lin Xuan's voice had a soothing quality to it, easing Su Hua's troubled heart.
"Su Hua, I just wish you could be safe and sound. I want to know what you've been through in the past. Please tell me, okay?" Lin Xuan said softly.
Su Hua bit her lip.
Memories flooded her mind.
From the time she could remember, she had been immersed in medicinal fluids, treated as a test subject in a pitch-black laboratory, suffering the torment of those people, her body marked with countless needle marks.
Until she was nine, she was released from that laboratory, the sole survivor among thirty children.
She was a medicinal subject, a top-tier assassin.
Her kind, devoid of love, was despised. Her world was filled with blood, betrayal...
How could she ever tell her ah xuan about all this?
Su Hua seemed to plunge into extreme pain, her body trembling slightly, sweat forming a fine layer on her forehead, her face pale and sickly.
Lin Xuan immediately hugged her tightly, soothing her gently, "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."
After a long time, Su Hua regained her composure.
They had breakfast at the old house, Lin Xuan feeding Su Hua just as he did at Ye Yuan.
Su Guoxiong watched the two of them so intimately, his eyes filled with joy.
Before Su Hua and Lin Xuan left, Su Guoxiong mysteriously handed Lin Xuan two gift bags.
"Listen to Grandpa, take these home with you and cook them according to the instructions. Oh, and don't mix them up. The red-colored one is for Su Hua, the blue one is for you."
Lin Xuan frowned.
Why did he get the feeling these weren't exactly good things?