Chapter 75: Bitter Meat Stratagem

In the hallway outside the house at No. 11 East 23rd Street, East Sutton District, Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

Su Qing wore an overcoat, sitting on the railing with a look of utter hopelessness.

This time when he came back, there was an extra Diana, which he hadn't expected, but since they had already slept together, he couldn't abandon her midway, so he simply brought her back to New York.

He understood Lu Si's personality; as long as he came back to sweet‑talk her a bit and whispered some pillow talk, he could easily win her over.

But the fact never matched his imagination—Selinna was actually in New York too, and she was with Lu Si.

It was all too sudden; he hadn't prepared for the three women to meet, and yet it happened without warning.

He suddenly felt that this time, misfortune outweighed fortune……

Never mind, he didn't care anymore.

Su Qing felt a bit irritated, he waved to summon the hesitant servant far away and said, 'Bring a bottle of wine, the 1982 vintage.'

'Yes, sir,' the maid bowed and hurried off, as if a flood of beasts were chasing her.

Watching her retreating figure, Su Qing was somewhat speechless, silently lamenting what kind of person his mother‑in‑law had hired.

After he became her son‑in‑law, Madam Bukete resumed a luxurious life; servants were naturally indispensable, so she hired more than a dozen, and specially employed a butler.

Perhaps sensing that future grudges would arise in the household, his mother‑in‑law early on took the butler and several servants on a trip.

Clank… clank…

The maid lifted a tray holding a decanter and a tall glass: 'Sir, your wine!'

'All right, you may go!'

Su Qing had no leisure for refinement; he skipped the goblet, grabbed the decanter and poured straight into his mouth, muttering as he drank, 'The sooner you drink, the sooner you ascend; otherwise you might not get to drink later.'

Who would have thought that after just a sip and setting down the decanter, he saw a person appear before him.

Who else could it be but Selinna?

But at this moment Selinna seemed off; she held a Dog Leg Knife, her ice‑blue eyes devoid of any emotion.

Seeing this posture, Su Qing's heart gave a jolt; a bad premonition welled up.

As if to confirm his premonition, the next second he heard Selinna ask in a cold tone, 'Is there anything else you want to tell me?'

Gazing at that beautiful woman whose eyes held not a trace of feeling, Su Qing's heart shuddered; he suddenly didn't want to keep deceiving her with lies.

Perhaps if he confessed frankly, they might part amicably, or he could end up rotting in prison, or even get stabbed.

But some feelings make it impossible to let down, yet also impossible to betray.

Su Qing was ultimately not a carefree romantic like Chu Liuxiang; although he harbored thoughts of embracing left and right, when the moment came he felt a twinge of shame.

'Selinna, it's me who let you down, but some things are just so wondrous that one cannot choose.'

'Do you remember? It was the second month after I left you; I boarded the Titanic, stood on the bow looking down, and saw a girl who smiled and chatted on the surface, but her eyes were empty and numb. I wondered what suffering she had endured to become like that at such a young age.'

'At that moment, I was shaken by the girl's gaze.'

'Perhaps it was fate; that night I was alone outside clearing my mind when I happened to see a woman run to the bow, turn and climb over the railing to jump into the sea. I had no time to think—I rushed forward, called out to her, and pulled her onto the deck, only then realizing she was exactly the girl I had seen earlier.'

'That night we talked for a long time; I knew she was unwilling to marry her fiancé, but family and her mother's burden left her no choice, so she lived each day in torment, and that night she wanted to jump into the sea to end it all.'

'Hearing her story, my heart stirred with compassion; I began to counsel her, and over the following time she gradually emerged from numb despair, gaining hope and anticipation for life.'

'But what I never expected was that, a few nights later, she again chose to jump into the sea.'

'I never imagined such a scene; at the time I panicked, rescued her once more, only to learn that her mother had again crushed her hope.'

'At that point she had no hope left; no matter how I persuaded her it was useless, and in my desperation I accidentally kissed her— that kiss was what finally restored hope to her, that is, to Lu Si……'

'Originally I had you, and I could not accept any other woman, but seeing Lu Si just regain her life, if I refused her I feared she would jump into the sea again that night.'

'Selinna, I know I owe you an apology, but seeing a girl about to jump into the sea before my eyes, how could I bear to refuse?'

'And there's Diana; she was merely a simple girl, and I had never thought of anything else, but heaven's unpredictable storms overturned my ship to a sea monster… for the next half year I had no thoughts of those Amazon warrior women, I trained single‑mindedly… fate and destiny are sometimes unimaginable.'

'Selinna, I have let you down; you were wholeheartedly devoted to me, while I was of two minds.'

'Selinna, whether you hate me or resent me, even if you now draw a knife to slash me, I would hold no grudge.'

Su Qing said this, then stepped forward, seized Selinna's knife‑wielding hand, lifted the Dog Leg Knife and stabbed hard into his own chest.

'Pfft……'

His motion showed no hesitation until great gushes of blood spurted from the wound; only then did Selinna react, quickly prying open Su Qing's hand and pulling the knife out.

In stark contrast to her earlier coldness, Selinna's face was now full of anxiety; she forgot that Su Qing was a vampire, tossed the Dog Leg Knife aside, and rushed over, fumbling to press on his wound while urging, 'You idiot, I don't blame you—why are you so stupid? Hurry, don't speak, let me bandage you.'

She had been in Mei Jian for over a month, having talked many times with Lu Si, so she naturally knew the story between the two.

Just now, after communicating with Diana, she also learned of the affair between Diana and Su Qing.

In fact, she had already forgiven Su Qing; she was merely a little angry, so she put on a cold front to frighten him, to let him know whether he would dare do such a thing again.

After all, he was the only man she had loved in hundreds of years; how could she bear to leave or hurt him?

But she never imagined that Su Qing would act so decisively, saying he would stab himself and then doing it, leaving her utterly unprepared.

Because he had merged the progenitor vampire's source blood with perfect source blood, Su Qing's self‑healing ability was terrifying; just a few breaths and the pierced wound in his chest would staunch.

But seeing Selinna like that, Su Qing hurriedly flexed his muscles, tore open the wound to let the blood flow a few seconds more, then pulled her into his arms and exclaimed delightedly, 'Selinna, have you really forgiven me?'

'I have forgiven you; quickly let go so I can bandage you.'

Watching Selinna struggle to break free from his embrace in order to bandage him, Su Qing felt a twinge of shame and muttered to himself, 'When did I become so shameless?'

He had even come up with a bitter meat stratagem?

But what's the harm? To live well, it's just a few ounces of blood—no loss, no loss.

But just then two cries rang out; turning his head, he saw Lu Si and Diana running over in a panic.

'Su Qing, what happened to you?'

'Su Qing, you're injured!'

……

Seeing the three people throwing themselves at his side, Su Qing felt that this bitter meat stratagem had been well worth it.