Deep Mother-Daughter Bond: Who Outsmarts Whom

"Ruohan, Mom's in a bit of trouble. Come pick me up."

Xiao Ruohan irritably closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

In the dead of night, she had no idea what her mother was up to this time.

She just hoped her mom wasn’t pulling another ridiculous stunt.

She was truly reaching her limit.

Reluctantly, Xiao Ruohan got out of bed and dressed.

Following the address on her phone, she arrived at a villa district in Jiangcheng.

Frowning at the sight of the upscale neighborhood, she muttered,

"Don’t tell me she’s setting me up with another boyfriend!"

"But at this hour? Seriously..."

Her brow furrowed deeper.

Her mother had previously introduced her to countless wealthy heirs and nouveau riche men.

The worst was a man in his fifties—just because he was willing to offer a million-dollar betrothal gift.

Xiao Ruohan had never entertained such prospects.

Her heart was set on a dream of martial arts.

She wanted to stand at the pinnacle of the martial world.

To earn the recognition of everyone.

To make those who had once looked down on her and mocked her feel ashamed.

Later, another dream took root in her heart—

To make Chen Feng regret his choices.

To see him kneel before her, begging for her return.

But now, it seemed all her dreams were slipping further away.

Chen Feng was dead.

The only martial arts manual she could cultivate was incomplete.

And those who mocked her now—

Whenever they saw old news about her past with Chen Feng—

Would surely sneer behind her back again.

Xiao Ruohan never imagined that a single decision back then would lead to this.

Regret was inevitable.

But what was the point now?

She rubbed her temples, her head throbbing, her heart exhausted.

She forced herself to push aside the chaotic thoughts.

Right now, she just wanted to get her mother home safely.

Then collapse into bed.

Otherwise, her sanity would truly shatter.

Following her mother’s location, she soon reached a villa’s entrance.

Before she could knock,

A man in a suit opened the door and gestured for her to enter.

The moment she stepped inside,

A desperate cry reached her ears.

"Ruohan! Save me!"

Save?

Xiao Ruohan’s heart lurched—something was very wrong.

She turned toward the voice and saw her mother, Xu Lan, kneeling on the floor.

Surrounding her were over a dozen suited men.

On the sofa before them sat a striking woman in a red qipao, sipping wine with a faint smile as she studied Xiao Ruohan.

At first, Xiao Ruohan had assumed her mother had arranged another blind date with some rich heir.

But given the scene before her,

It was clear her mom had landed herself in trouble—again.

A wave of frustration crashed over her.

Her patience with her mother was wearing dangerously thin.

Xiao Ruohan glared at the woman on the sofa and demanded coldly,

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Su Yan chuckled, setting her wine glass on the table.

"In a way, you could say I’m your shijie."

"Though sadly, you made the wrong choice and missed out on having such an exceptional shimei like me."

Shijie? Shimei?

Xiao Ruohan froze momentarily before understanding dawned.

"You’re also Chen Feng’s disciple."

Su Yan nodded, her gaze lingering on Xiao Ruohan with amusement.

Xiao Ruohan was stunned.

She had only known of two disciples under Chen Feng—

The useless Jin Youxi and the now-crippled Liu Weiwei.

She never imagined there were others.

Especially one with such striking looks and a bombshell figure beneath that qipao.

Internally, Xiao Ruohan cursed,

"Chen Feng was never a decent man—always taking in female disciples."

"Putting on such a righteous front while secretly surrounding himself with seductive vixens."

For some reason, a sour bitterness welled up inside her.

Just then, Xu Lan cried out from the floor,

"Ruohan! Sh-she’s a member of the Devouring Heaven Club!"

"That Chen guy must’ve been one too!"

Devouring Heaven Club!

Xiao Ruohan’s eyes widened in shock.

She stared at Su Yan, then back at her mother.

Now, panic truly set in.

All she wanted was to ask her mother—

If she knew the woman was from the Devouring Heaven Club, why drag her here?

Wasn’t this throwing her straight into the lion’s den?

The Devouring Heaven Club was notoriously secretive.

The reason?

Few who encountered its members lived to tell the tale.

And this woman, surrounded by so many subordinates, was clearly no ordinary member.

Would she even make it out alive tonight?

If Su Yan really was Chen Feng’s disciple…

Given the history between her and Chen Feng…

Would Su Yan seek revenge for her master?

Xiao Ruohan felt like her mother had just doomed her.

At this moment, she was utterly disillusioned with her.

Noticing Xiao Ruohan’s fear, Su Yan reassured softly,

"Don’t be afraid. I just want to talk."

"After we’re done, one of you may leave alive."

Only one!

Xiao Ruohan and Xu Lan exchanged glances, terror flashing in their eyes.

Su Yan continued,

"My shifu Chen Feng was extraordinary. My two shijie wept themselves sick over him."

"I’ve always wondered—why did you betray him back then?"

Why indeed?

Xiao Ruohan asked herself the same question.

She thought back to that time—

When she had gone to the city center for a regional tournament.

There, she ran into her former classmate, Liu Weiwei.

Liu Weiwei had joined Jiangcheng’s top martial arts hall, the War God Pavilion, living a glamorous life downtown.

Meanwhile, she was stuck in some rundown dojo with only three members,

Trapped in a shabby little courtyard in the middle of nowhere.

Envy and resentment had festered inside her.

Later, her talent caught attention.

The War God Pavilion secretly reached out, offering her a spot.

Her parents had urged her to accept, and she had been tempted.

But reality had fallen far short of expectations.

After a long silence, Xiao Ruohan murmured,

"I was young. I listened to my parents and joined the War God Pavilion."

Su Yan arched a brow.

"So it was your parents’ doing. Do you regret it now?"

Before Xiao Ruohan could answer,

Xu Lan hastily cut in,

"Wasn’t it you who complained that Chen Feng was poor and pathetic?"

"Wasn’t it you who feared your old classmates would mock you for joining a trash dojo?"

"Didn’t you say the Celestial Selection Dojo made you feel humiliated and ashamed?"

Stung by her mother’s words, Xiao Ruohan snapped back,

"If you hadn’t nagged me day and night,

I would never have betrayed Chen Feng!"

"I wouldn’t be in this mess today!"

"If you hadn’t caused so much trouble, Dad wouldn’t have gone to prison, and none of this would’ve happened!"

Xu Lan shot back just as fiercely,

"I’m your mother! Everything I did was for your own good!"

Giggle—

A light, mocking laugh cut through their argument.

Su Yan rose gracefully, applauding their performance.

"What a touching mother-daughter bond."

"Now I understand why you betrayed Chen Feng."

"I have important matters to attend to."

"We'll stop here for today."

"I'll give you one chance."

"Within ten minutes, only one of you gets to walk out alive. Choose wisely."

"If both of you are still breathing after ten minutes,"

"my men will step in, and neither of you will leave this place."

With that,

Su Yan slowly turned and walked away.