Volume One, Chapter Thirty: Uniquely Different

Su Tong reached out around him and easily collected two merits.

Hmm?

That was a little too easy.

Yet, by her calculations, collecting two merits from this reading was already a lot—how could it have gone so smoothly?

She felt something was off.

Her gaze fell on Su Beibei.

He sat there obediently, his face alight with admiration and a hint of eagerness to please.

Eagerness to please?

For some reason, looking at Su Beibei like this, Su Tong couldn’t help but imagine a big, fluffy tail wagging behind him.

She shook her head quickly.

An illusion! It must be her imagination!

Surely she’d been affected by the demonic aura lingering in his merits.

Her eyes returned to Su Beibei, and unable to restrain herself, she reached out and patted his head, giving it a gentle rub.

Realizing what she’d done, her expression froze.

But Su Beibei didn’t seem to mind at all; on the contrary, he looked as if he was thoroughly enjoying it.

This was ridiculous!

Awkwardly, Su Tong withdrew her hand.

Su Beibei, too, seemed to realize something; his ears flushed red in an instant.

“I… I…”

He stammered for a while but couldn’t manage to say anything.

Su Tong pressed a fingertip to her lips and cleared her throat softly. “Well, it seems I collected too few merits earlier. I’ll need to take two more.”

Head bowed, Su Beibei replied quietly, “Alright, go ahead.”

Su Tong reached out again, and two more merits fell into her hands with the same ease.

What?

After a moment’s surprise, Su Tong was inwardly ecstatic.

She ventured a little further, “I still collected too few. I’ll need to take two more.”

Su Beibei looked a little puzzled, but nodded his agreement.

“Go ahead.”

But this time, when Su Tong reached out, she caught nothing.

She lowered her head in thought. Why had she been able to collect two more just now, but couldn’t this time? It had felt so easy before.

She turned and stared at Su Beibei.

He sat upright on the sofa, hands folded on his lap, looking utterly proper.

Su Tong found it incredible that, although Su Beibei was older and taller than her, he seemed so well-behaved in her presence.

She suddenly recalled that, before collecting Su Beibei’s merits the second time, she had patted his head.

She decided to test her theory.

“May I pat your head?”

This time, Su Tong didn’t reach out impulsively but sought Su Beibei’s permission first.

However, as soon as she spoke, regret nagged at her. Su Beibei wasn’t a puppy—how could he possibly agree to let someone pat his head so casually?

But to her surprise, Su Beibei only hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

“Alright.”

No sooner had he spoken than his ears—and even his cheeks—flushed with a rosy hue.

A little silly, but rather endearing.

With that thought, Su Tong reached over and gently patted his head a few times.

Then she asked, “May I collect two more merits?”

Shyly, Su Beibei replied, “Of course.”

For reasons he couldn’t explain, he quite liked it when Su Tong patted his head. It felt unique and comfortable. And when it came to her requests, he simply couldn’t refuse.

Su Tong reached out again, and two merits landed in her hands without resistance.

Now Su Tong understood.

As long as she patted Su Beibei’s head, she could collect two merits from him. But it wasn’t unlimited—she could only do it three times a day.

What a bizarre way to transact!

So unusual!

But Su Tong liked it.

She patted Su Beibei’s head for a while longer, seizing the chance to collect two more merits.

Today, she had earned a total of eight merits from Su Beibei.

Four merits dissipated, and four became her own.

Merit: -9959.5.

With the merits in hand, Su Tong got up to leave.

“You still have work to do, so I won’t disturb your rest any longer. I’ll be off now.”

Su Beibei stared blankly for a moment, then hurried to his feet to see her out.

Watching Su Tong’s slender figure as she departed, Su Beibei felt a pang of loss and a trace of reluctance.

He snapped out of it, quickly patting his face and muttering to himself,

“Su Beibei, what’s gotten into you today? How can you feel so attached to someone you’ve just met, and even be so obedient to her? Have you been possessed? Better do a practice test to calm down.”

With that, he picked up the test paper he’d set aside earlier and resumed his work.

These past three days, Su Tong enjoyed herself immensely at the hot spring resort hotel. Luo Xia had originally wanted to invite them to stay a few more days.

But Xiao Shiyu called to say there was an urgent matter at home—they needed to return right away.

Su Tong and Xiao Shiwei bid farewell to Luo Xia and took a car back to the Xiao family villa at Haihe Yunjing.

As soon as they entered the living room, Su Tong saw a group of people gathered on the sofa.

Xiao Shiwei called out, “Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, Uncle, Aunt—why are you all back?”

The elderly man in the center smiled warmly as he saw her return. “Shiwei, you’re back. Have a seat. Your third granduncle has something important to announce in a bit.”

Xiao Shiwei pulled Su Tong down to sit beside Xiao Shiyu and quietly introduced the family members.

“The two elders in the middle are my grandpa, Xiao Yang, and my grandma, Jiang Yaoguang. They’ve mostly stepped back from the company.”

“On the left, in order, are my father, Xiao Wenhua, and my mother, An Mengyu. My father is now chairman and CEO of Sunlight Group. My mother runs her own fashion design company—an international top-tier brand with significant influence in the fashion world.”

“On the right are my uncle, Xiao Wenyue, and my aunt, Guan Yurong. My uncle manages the group’s domestic operations, and my aunt used to be a celebrity; now she runs her own entertainment company.”

“Across from us are my uncle’s son, Xiao Shiyan, and daughter, Xiao Shinian. Xiao Shiyan is your age and got into Jing University. Xiao Shinian just started high school this year.”

“And that red-haired guy is my cousin, Xiao Weiyi, the last descendant of my second granduncle’s branch. But he’s a bit of a wastrel, always hanging out with a wild crowd and showing no interest in managing the company. Grandpa worries he’ll squander away the inheritance left by second granduncle, so he has my father manage it instead.”

“We also have a third granduncle who lives with us since he’s alone.”

“Our family is large and the relationships are a bit complicated, so if you’re not comfortable staying here, just let me know.”

Touched by Xiao Shiwei’s thoughtfulness, Su Tong agreed softly, “Alright.”

Not long after, Xiao Xuan entered with a young woman who bore a striking resemblance to him.

He introduced her to everyone with excitement.

“This is my daughter, Jiang Linlin, who went missing as a child. I’ve finally found her.”

He led Jiang Linlin around to meet the Xiao family members.

When they came to Su Tong, he said, “This is Su Tong—Master Su. Linlin, you were only found thanks to Master Su’s guidance.”

Jiang Linlin stepped forward, smiled at Su Tong, and said, “Thank you, Master Su, for helping me find my real father.”

Though she smiled, Su Tong caught a flicker of disdain and challenge in her eyes.

Su Tong smiled faintly and replied in a quiet voice, “It’s a bit early for thanks.”

She turned to Xiao Xuan. “Mr. Xiao, are you sure she’s your biological daughter?”