CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 53: THE GIRL HANGING IN THE TREE

She drank some porridge and endured the soreness throughout her body as she got up.

The sunset was beautiful. She approached the window, and when she looked down, she saw that the garden outside had somehow changed its appearance. The original low courtyard walls were raised higher, and the flat gravel ground was dug out and repaved as a sunken garden. The change in elevation made the height difference suddenly greater. Although the garden was still lush with rose bushes everywhere, it was no longer easy to climb over the wall.

Lu Shifeng clearly wasn’t fond of Xiaoling; she had only been asleep for two days, and he had already sent people to renovate the garden.

Su Xingyu looked at the newly heightened walls, thinking bitterly, should she be thankful that he didn’t actually choose to use electric wires?

As she was thinking about it, a little figure in a delicate pink fairy dress suddenly appeared in her vision. That girl named Xiaoling was actually climbing up the wall with limbs, her hair slightly messy, her pale little face smeared with mud and grass, looking quite pathetic. Like an octopus, she clung to the wall for a long time, gasping for breath, her bright eyes looking around. Finally, she aimed at the closest tree inside the wall and jumped over in one go. Her movements were light; it was a mysterious, cat-like graceful balance that was astonishingly beautiful.

But she had underestimated the renovated wall and exclaimed, "Ouch," as her nose bumped into the tree trunk, causing tears to flow from pain.

"Xiaoling!" Watching her shaky figure, Su Xingyu panicked; the branch she was holding onto wobbled in the wind, at risk of snapping at any moment.

The height difference between the sunken garden and the treetop was too great; if she fell, it wasn’t like before where she could just shake it off!

Su Xingyu didn’t have time to think more and rushed downstairs.

She ran down the spiral staircase in her slippers, and in the ground floor living room, she happened to encounter Lu Shifeng entering.

"Su Xingyu." Lu Shifeng called her in a deep voice.

But she didn’t even have time to talk to him, just ran toward the backyard.

Lu Shifeng’s expression turned cold and he followed after.

Su Xingyu ran breathlessly to the backyard, looking up to see that disaster-prone girl still precariously hanging on the branch. She couldn’t help but be worried yet angry: "Xiaoling! Hurry and come down!"

Xiaoling was pleasantly surprised to see her: "Xingyu!" Then her face quickly turned to one that looked like she was about to cry: "I, I can’t come down..."

She hugged the branch tightly, filled with resentment—was the tree pruned? She distinctly remembered there were supposed to be several branches to climb down! "Your husband is a perverted beast! A thug! Bastard! Ah—" The branch rustled; she almost let go and slipped down, quickly holding onto it tighter.

Su Xingyu was scared out of her wits and quickly consoled her: "Don’t be afraid! Don’t be afraid! I will find a way to save you, Xiaoling, hold on!"

She was frantically trying to find something that could be of use, and when she turned around, she saw Lu Shifeng.

The man stood silently behind her, one hand casually in his pocket, looking as if he was enjoying a show.

Su Xingyu couldn’t care less and desperately said to him: "Lu Shifeng, think of a way quickly! It’s so high, if Xiaoling falls down, this isn’t something trivial!"

"Isn’t she very capable?" Lu Shifeng sneered, "I’d like to see if she dares to climb my wall in the future."

"You!" Su Xingyu was furious, he’s still a man, why can’t he let go of a little girl who doesn’t know better!

"Xiaoling, hang in there!" Su Xingyu tried hard to cheer on the girl trapped in the tree.

High on the treetop, Xiaoling had excellent hearing and heard Lu Shifeng’s sarcasm clearly. Her anger surged up, disregarding the man’s cold, icy demeanor, and shouted: "Lu Shifeng, you’re a lowlife! Hypocrite! Bastard turtle egg! If, if I get down from this tree, I definitely won’t let you off! You wait! I’m going to find a team of lawyers for Xingyu and get a divorce! Right now!"

Lu Shifeng said leisurely: "You can try if you want."

Filled with anger, Xiaoling wanted to reach for her phone, but as soon as she moved slightly, she almost fell; frightened, she clung tightly to the branch.

"Waaa..." The girl who had been aggressive just moments ago started crying, "Xingyu, help..."

Su Xingyu, terrified, shouted: "Wait, I’ll see if there’s a ladder!"

Having said that, she turned to go find something.

Lu Shifeng grabbed her: "Trying to leave?"

Su Xingyu struggled, unable to break free, incredibly angry and anxious, her eyes turning red: "Lu Shifeng, don’t overdo it! Come at me for anything! How long can Xiaoling hold on while she’s stuck in the tree? If she loses strength and falls, what if she dies or gets injured? You can’t do this!"

"If she doesn’t end up injured or dead, will you learn a lesson?" Lu Shifeng’s voice was indifferent and unfeeling.

Su Xingyu’s heart tightened; though she knew Lu Shifeng was ruthless before, she didn’t realize he could be so indifferent to life. "I was wrong," she laughed bitterly to herself, "I was terribly wrong, thinking you’d still have a bit of humanity despite treating me poorly. Lu Shifeng, what qualifies you to discuss the callousness of a photographer? The truly cold-blooded person is you! I was wrong about you."

Her voice was filled with a slight sorrow, disheartened.

Lu Shifeng’s expression was taut. For some reason, as she stopped arguing with him, the sharp brightness in her eyes gradually faded, he felt an aching pain inside.

But he still looked at her expressionlessly: "You were wrong about me, naive enough to think you could challenge my authority. Su Xingyu, it’s time for you to correct your ignorant delusion. Want to rescue her? It’s simple, as long as you promise to stay at home from now on as a dutiful young lady, not engaging in photography or interacting with her, I’ll get her down right away."

"Xingyu, don’t!" Xiaoling was anxious beyond words, wishing she could run down immediately to protect her friend. But now, like a trepid koala, she clung tightly to the branch, unable to let go, only able to send verbal barbs from afar, "Lu Shifeng, you’re shameless! How could a rotten person like you exist in this world, ah ah ah!" Nevertheless, her verbal attacks were powerless.

Lu Shifeng said leisurely: "Su Xingyu, take your time to consider, after all, I have plenty of time."

The one who didn’t have time was the girl in the tree; who knows when she might lose strength and fall?

Faced with such a critical situation, Su Xingyu had no choice but to yield, lowering her eyes, and softly said to Lu Shifeng: "Okay, I agree with you."

"Agree to what?"

"Agree with you, I will no longer interact with Xiaoling, no longer do photography, stay at home as a dutiful young lady."