Chapter 148: Sun Yanni's Secret

Professor Deng spoke first, saying, "Junior disciple, I had something come up and missed the last disciple-accepting ceremony; this is for you, consider it a meeting gift from your uncle-master."

Su Ruo looked at the ivory-white jade talisman before her, feeling a bit dizzy, not understanding what was happening.

Are the professors at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital all this extravagant? A casually given gift is worth a fortune.

Professor Huang and Professor Cui silently cursed an old fox in their hearts, then, not wanting to be outdone, each produced their most valuable possession.

One gave a sandalwood bead bracelet, the other gave a piece of agarwood.

Su Ruo looked at the three men's eager gazes, momentarily unsure how to respond.

Yan Jiu let out a cold snort and said, "Little Ruo, since your three uncles-master have given you gifts, just accept them!"

Having worked together for so many years, Yan Jiu knows exactly what kind of stool those three will produce when they squat; accepting gifts is fine, but trying to steal his disciple? Not a chance.

"Exactly, your master is right—accept it. If you have any questions later, feel free to come ask us."

The three spoke in unison, smiling so broadly their eyes disappeared.

Su Ruo felt her heart flutter under their gazes, but she ultimately accepted the gifts.

Sun Yanni saw Su Ruo surrounded by the three professors, her eyes filled with deep resentment and jealousy.

Why, even if Su Ruo does something outrageous and says outrageous things, teachers still like her?

She doesn't understand—shouldn't teachers prefer honest, obedient, well-behaved students?

Why can Su Ruo get everything she dreams of without doing anything, while she herself has exhausted her efforts and ends up with nothing?

Sun Yanni's eyes were full of jealousy and unwillingness; despite all she had done, she not only caused Su Ruo no loss, but actually earned her a good reputation.

Nowadays, almost everyone in the institute knows that Su Ruo is beautiful and kind-hearted, using her spare time to rescue injured small animals.

Sun Yanni felt hatred to the point of wanting to die, but she also knew that, having reached this point, there was nothing she could do even if she hated even more.

Sun Yanni walked step by step through the crowd under people's strange gazes, leaving the school gate and winding through alleys until she entered a small lane and saw a man.

Upon seeing the man, Sun Yanni immediately knelt down, tears and voice pleading: "I've done everything you asked me to do; please don't let him keep bothering me."

The man let out a cold snort and said, "You've messed things up like this, and yet you still want me to help you?"

Sun Yanni's heart jolted; she immediately crawled on her knees to the man's feet and said, "I really did my best; it's Su Ruo who's too sly—I can't be blamed."

"You promised to help me; you can't abandon me. Besides, I never told you about Feng Xiran—you can't treat me like this."

The man's gaze turned icy: "You should be glad you didn't give up the young lady; otherwise our young master has plenty of ways to make you wish for life but unable to live, and wish for death but unable to die."

"Don't ever come see me again!" the man said, then turned and left without glancing at Sun Yanni.

Sun Yanni's heart was instantly filled with a deep despair; she couldn't understand how her life had come to this.

After who knows how long, Sun Yanni finally crawled to her feet, dazed and wandering toward the dormitory, when a man in his forties suddenly lunged out and slapped her hard across the face.

Sun Yanni was knocked straight to the ground, half her face swelling, with five bright red fingerprints on it.

But the man still seemed unsatisfied, raining punches and kicks on Sun Yanni.

The man, fierce and vicious, shouted while striking: "You wretched woman, I spent a hundred bucks to marry you, fed you well for a year, and you haven't even laid an egg, yet you dare to deceive me! You think hiding in school keeps you safe? Just watch—I'll beat you to death today!"

Sun Yanni curled up on the ground, repeatedly begging: "I won't dare again—please don't hit me."

But the man showed no sign of stopping, kicking her belly repeatedly, each kick harder than the last.

It looked as if he wanted to beat her to death right then and there.

Sun Yanni's anguished cries drew many onlookers; a male student, unable to watch any longer, stepped forward and shouted, "How can you hit someone!"

The man immediately retorted: "It's only natural for me to beat my own wife—what business is it of yours to interfere? You're not her lover, are you? No wonder she doesn't go home, doesn't even write a letter—she's found some pretty boy on the side."

The man, still speaking, grabbed Sun Yanni's hair and forced her to look at the male student: "Tell me, is this the pretty boy you found? Did you sleep with him?"

Sun Yanni shook her head desperately, saying, "I didn't..."

But the man utterly disbelieved her, dragging her like a dead dog to the male student and saying,

"This broken woman, married to me for a year, is nearly worn out from my use—she hasn't even produced a fart. If you want her, give me two hundred bucks and she's yours."

The male student's face instantly flushed red, not knowing whether from shame or anger, finally managing to say, "Even if she's your wife, you can't just hit people—assault is illegal."

The male student's family isn't well-off; he couldn't possibly come up with two hundred bucks, and even if he could, he could never marry Sun Yanni.

Seeing the male student refuse to pay, the man gave Sun Yanni another hard slap: "Worthless woman, look at this! You're not even worth two hundred bucks—marrying you was the worst luck of eight lifetimes."

"When I get back, I'll sell you off to a household in the mountains with seven or eight men to be a shared wife—let's see how you run then."

Upon hearing this, Sun Yanni's eyes instantly filled with deep despair, for she knew the man was certainly capable of doing such a thing.

Yet no one among the onlookers stepped forward—two hundred bucks is no small sum nowadays, and everyone present was a student, none of whom could produce that amount at once.

Sun Yanni kept kowtowing to the surrounding classmates, hoping someone would save her; she absolutely could not be taken back, or her life would be ruined.

The man continued beating Sun Yanni without any intention of stopping, until later when school teachers arrived, warned him that they'd call the police if he didn't leave, and then he departed.

Sun Yanni was helped up by a teacher and limped toward the dormitory; seeing her state, the surrounding classmates couldn't help but feel sympathy for her.

Su Ruo indifferently withdrew her gaze; Sun Yanni's background is indeed tragic, but that doesn't justify her harming others.

Su Ruo had no intention of dealing with Sun Yanni anymore—after all, she had already been punished—but Sun Yanni rushed over and confronted her: "Look at how miserable I am—are you satisfied?"