Rose Hotel 14

Su Man had considered the possibility of Lin Hui making a move against her, but after waiting until midnight without a sound from Lin Hui’s side, she reflected on their interactions over the past two days. After weighing a few scenarios, she fell asleep with a sense of calm; if nothing had happened by that hour, it was unlikely to happen at all.

As expected, she slept until dawn without incident.

Early in the morning, Lin Hui approached her, brimming with energy. "When are we going to see Kang Fu?"

"Are we still going to his villa?"

"I know the shop that sells his favorite small cakes; I'm going to buy some for him."

Her mouth didn't stop moving, as if she were preparing for a private date with Kang Fu.

Su Man dismissed all of her suggestions. "Buying flowers would be more practical. We are going to the hospital to visit a patient."

When Su Man arrived at the hospital, Lin Hui was five minutes late, scurrying over while clutching a cake box. Seeing Su Man eyeing the box, she huffed, "I’m not buying flowers for her. I’m bringing Kang Fu his favorite cake!"

Su Man remained noncommittal.

As they reached the patient's room, the sound of loud arguing spilled out.

Bei Jia seemed to be recovering well; her voice was strong. "Are you truly not afraid of death? Kang Fu, do you have any idea what you are doing?"

"Of course I do!" Kang Fu’s voice sounded frantic. "It’s precisely because you won’t tell me anything that I have to do this!"

"Bei Jia, I don’t believe in any cursed oaths. Whatever it is, we can face it together!"

"Trust me and tell me—what actually happened? Why are you so insistent on canceling the wedding?"

Pushed to the brink, Bei Jia became anxious. "This isn't a matter of trust; this is a matter of whether or not you will die! I love you, so I don't want you to die! Kang Fu, you’ve always understood me—why are you forcing me like this now?"

"Bei Jia, don't you see? I’m not afraid of death at all. If my death is what makes you hesitate, then I’d rather die. Either way, not being able to marry you is no different from being dead."

Just as Su Man was listening to their argument with interest, the door swung open, and Kang Fu stomped out with a grim expression. Upon seeing Su Man, he opened his mouth as if to speak, but stopped, ultimately letting out a cold snort as he walked away, seemingly still displeased by their unpleasant parting the day before.

Su Man didn't stop him, but Lin Hui, shy and hesitant, blocked his path and offered the cake. "The cake you like... I bought it especially for you."

Her face flushed a deep crimson as she spoke.

Unfortunately, Kang Fu didn't take it. Instead, he said coldly, "I apologize, but I don’t like cake. I don't care for desserts."

Lin Hui’s face turned deathly pale, her eyes filled with hurt. "How is that possible? Are you just making up excuses to reject me because it’s coming from me?"

"That’s not it. I have never liked desserts. I don't know where you heard that, but while I did buy them in the past, it was only because Bei Jia liked them. I was buying them for her."

The cake dropped from Lin Hui’s hands, hitting the floor with a thud, and her face drained of all color.

However, Kang Fu was in no mood to appease her; he turned and left. Before disappearing, he shot Su Man a look and said something cryptic: "Don't forget what you said yesterday."

Inside the room, Bei Jia heard Kang Fu’s words and, unable to hold back any longer, broke down in tears.

When Su Man led the dazed Lin Hui into the room, they found Bei Jia looking completely disheveled, a tear-streaked mess with snot and tears running down her face, kneeling on the bed and sobbing apologies. If a tabloid reporter were present, it would surely have been front-page news.

But Su Man was no reporter; she only cared about what concerned her.

Before she could offer any comfort, Lin Hui, who was sitting on a chair, began to pout and weep silently. As she cried, she started to choke out complaints: "Why does he only like you? I like him so much..."

Bei Jia, who initially ignored Lin Hui, felt her own grievances explode at the comment. "He likes me because he likes me! It’s all your fault—if it weren't for you, we would be holding our wedding right now!"

Back and forth they went, and when their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly. Forgetting their tears, they grabbed each other’s hair and started a brawl.

Su Man felt a headache coming on. She did not understand—not at all.

"Alright, alright, stop." The two were fighting too fiercely, so Su Man drew her dagger and gestured, forcing them apart.

Both women were bruised and battered, but their eyes remained defiant.

Finally, Bei Jia’s resolve crumbled, and she began to cry again. "Actually, it all boils down to me. It’s all my fault. If I hadn't had those thoughts in the first place... it’s all me. I deserve this retribution."

As she spoke, she buried her face in the quilt and wailed.

Lin Hui remained unmoved, still indignant. "It is your fault! You stole Kang Fu! And now you’re putting on this act—it’s disgusting!"

Seeing that they were about to start fighting again, Su Man interrupted. "First of all, what’s done is done. Blaming each other won't solve anything."

She paused, looking at Bei Jia. "You love Kang Fu, so why don't you hold onto him? By canceling the wedding, aren't you just playing right into Lin Hui’s hands?"

Bei Jia’s beautiful face was etched with grievance. "If I don't do this, Kang Fu will die! I don't want him to die." She glanced at Lin Hui, looking even more wronged. "If I marry him, she will definitely kill him."

Lin Hui retorted indignantly, "The person I love should only be with me! Besides, he likes me—you’re the one who tricked him!"

Lin Hui seemed provoked by Bei Jia. "Bei Jia, do you dare say that Kang Fu doesn't like me at all?"

Su Man could have answered for Bei Jia—surely the answer would be a definite 'no'—but unexpectedly, even with such a certain question, Bei Jia hesitated.

It seemed the crux of the issue lay in that cursed oath. Su Man became even more curious. "Are neither of you planning to talk about this cursed oath? Do you intend to drag Kang Fu through life like this? He even said himself that he doesn't care about life or death."

Both women fell silent, their mouths shut tight in unison.

Su Man looked at them both and asked, "When you swore that cursed oath, did you swear it to that... God of Horror?"

Lin Hui and Bei Jia exchanged a look, their eyes filled with confusion.

Su Man nodded. "Fine. Since neither of you plans to talk, so be it. I’ve said what I needed to say, and as for the rest... it doesn't really matter. I have other things to attend to, so I’ll be going."

As she reached the door, Bei Jia suddenly remembered something and called out hurriedly: "Wait! Is what the news said true? What was it that Kang Fu was talking to you about just now?"

Su Man looked back and smiled. "That? Oh, it’s nothing major. Just going to kill a Kang Fu to resolve the knots in your hearts."