After Rebirth: The Ugly Daughter Shocks The CEO

chapter 7: The Jacket Interrogation

CHAPTER 7: THE JACKET INTERROGATION

I stood in the hallway, dripping wet, water making a small puddle on the expensive marble floor. I was hugging the big black suit jacket that was twice my size, his jacket that still had his warm body heat and that cold mint and expensive wood smell that made my face red.

Su Mei was standing at the top of the stairs in her pink silk pajamas, her face mask half peeled, pointing at me like I was a criminal, her voice sharp and loud enough for whole mansion to hear.

"SU WAN! You shameless fox! Where did you get that man's jacket? That black Rolls Royce with plate 88888 that stopped at our gate just now! I saw it from my window! Everyone in this city knows that plate! That's Lu family's car! The richest family! How did you, an ugly toad who just became a little pretty yesterday, get to ride in Lu family's car? Which old man did you seduce in the rain? You just became pretty and you already learn to seduce men? So dirty!"

Her shouting was so loud, so venomous.

My mother, Li Yue, came out from the living room quickly, wearing her expensive red dress, her hair done. She had been drinking tea with her rich friends. When she heard "man's jacket" and "seducing man", her face changed from elegant to angry in one second.

"What is this noise? Su Mei, what happened? Why are you shouting?"

Su Mei ran down the stairs, grabbed my mother's arm, and pointed at me, at the big black men's jacket covering my small wet body.

"Mom! Look! Look at Su Wan! She just came home in a man's suit jacket! A man's! Big, black, smells like a man! And I saw from window, a black Rolls Royce Cullinan with plate 88888 sent her home! That is Lu family's car! She got out from a man's car wearing a man's jacket in heavy rain! She must have seduced some old man outside! She shamed our Su family! Our family will become a joke if people know!"

My mother's eyes fell on me. On my wet hair dripping, on my white shirt slightly see-through under the big jacket, on my muddy socks, and on the big black men's suit jacket that was obviously not my father's. My father's jackets are gray and brown and old. This one was black, perfect tailoring, expensive Italian fabric, and smelled like a powerful man.

Her elegant face twisted with disgust and anger.

"Su Wan! What is this? Where did you get this dirty jacket? Take it off! Right now! Who gave you this? You really went to seduce men outside? I knew it! I knew the moment you became a little pretty you would become a vixen like your grandmother! Take it off! You shame me!"

She raised her hand high, her palm open, and rushed towards me to slap my face hard, like she did many times before when I was small and ugly and made mistakes. In the past, I always stood there, closed my eyes, and let her slap, because I thought if I let her slap, she would love me a little.

But tonight was different.

Tonight I was wearing a jacket that belonged to a man who said "No need" and "Go inside" with cold voice but warm actions. Tonight I had just survived heavy rain alone, thinking I was alone in this world. Tonight I remembered 10 years in dark storage room.

When my mother's hand came down fast towards my cheek, for the first time in 16 years, I didn't close my eyes and take it.

I stepped back. One small step back.

Her hand missed and hit empty air.

Everyone in hallway froze. Su Mei's mouth opened wide. The old maid who was cleaning gasped. My mother froze, her hand still in air, her face shocked, as if she couldn't believe I dared to dodge.

"What... what did you do? You dare to dodge?" my mother screamed, more angry now, her hand raising again higher.

I was shaking. My legs were shaking, my hands were shaking inside the big sleeves, holding the jacket tightly. But my voice, though small and shaking, came out. For the first time, not just crying, but with a small fire inside.

"I... I didn't seduce anyone," I whispered, tears in my eyes but my fists clenched inside his big sleeves. "He just helped me in the rain. I was stranded at school, no ride, no signal, heavy rain. He passed by and gave me a ride. That's all. I didn't do anything shameful."

My mother was even more angry because I talked back.

"You still dare to talk back? You lie! What man would just help you? Men only want your face! You think you are so beautiful now you can do anything? Take off that dirty jacket! Now!"

She raised her hand again to slap harder this time.

Just then, the main mansion door opened with a bang, heavy rain sound coming in.

My father, Su Zhenguo, came home. He was in his business suit, wet from rain, holding his briefcase, his face tired from whole day emergency meeting in America and then driving back.

"What is happening? Why is everyone shouting? Why is there water on floor?" he asked loudly.

Then his eyes fell on me, dripping wet at door, wearing a big black men's suit jacket that was clearly not his.

He froze. His tired face changed to shocked. He walked fast to me, his eyes scanning the jacket. He is a businessman, he knows expensive things. He touched the fabric of the jacket sleeve slightly, smelled the faint expensive wood smell, looked at the perfect stitching and the hidden logo inside cuff that only rich people know - a small "L" embroidered.

His face turned pale, scared pale, not angry pale.

"Wanwan... my daughter... where... where did you get this jacket? This... this fabric, this style, this smell... this is... this is Lu family's custom... This is not something you can buy in stores..."

He turned to my mother and Su Mei, his voice suddenly serious and scared.

"Do you know whose car is plate 88888? That is Lu Beichuan's personal car! Lu Group's president! The man who controls half of city's economy! The man even mayor has to bow to! He is the most dangerous man in this city! He never lets any woman close to him! In five years, no woman has ever been in his car! How... how did you get his jacket, Wanwan? Do you know who Lu Beichuan is? He is not a man you can get close to! He is cold blooded! If you offend him, our whole Su family will disappear overnight!"

Father was not angry at me. For the first time, he was worried about me. Truly worried. He held my cold wet shoulders, his big hands shaking.

"Wanwan, tell Dad, what happened? Did he... did he bully you? Did he force you? Tell Dad, Dad will fight him even if we lose everything!"

I looked at my father, his worried eyes, and tears finally fell. Not from Su Mei's words, but from father's worry. For the first time, someone worried I would be bullied by powerful man, not that I shamed family.

"No, Dad, he didn't bully me," I whispered, crying now. "I was stranded in rain at bus stop, no car, no signal. His car passed by. He said he knows you, Dad. He said he saw my photo in your office. He gave me his jacket because I was shivering. He didn't do anything bad. He just said 'Lu' and 'Go inside' and left."

My father hugged me, his suit getting wet from my dripping hair, but he didn't care.

"My good daughter, my poor daughter, you must be so cold. Go, go to your room quickly, take hot shower, change clothes. Give me the jacket, Dad will return it to President Lu tomorrow with thanks. You don't need to worry. Don't get close to him again, he is too dangerous for you, my simple daughter."

Su Mei was so angry seeing father hug me, not scold me. "Dad! Why are you protecting her? She seduced Lu..."

"SHUT UP, SU MEI!" my father shouted at Su Mei for the first time in his life, so loud the chandelier shook. "Your sister was stranded in rain and a kind man helped her! And you call her shameless? Go to your room! Now!"

Su Mei was shocked, tears coming, she stamped her feet and ran upstairs, shouting "Mom!"

My mother also didn't dare to talk, because she also heard "Lu Beichuan" and was scared. She just glared at me.

I ran upstairs quickly, still hugging his big warm jacket, running past Su Mei who was crying, straight to my small storage room on third floor that is still my room.

I locked the door. The room was cold and dark, only small yellow bulb, no heater, but I didn't feel cold because of his jacket.

I took off my wet school uniform, wrapped myself in his big black suit jacket only, sitting on cold floor, hugging my knees. The jacket was so big it covered my whole body like blanket, reaching my thighs. It was so warm, smelled so much like him, like cold mint and safe.

I couldn't sleep. My heart was beating so fast. I kept thinking of his cold dark eyes, his jaw that tightened when he saw my wet hair, his one word "Lu", his cold "Go inside" but warm action of watching until I disappeared.

Who is Lu Beichuan? Why did he help me? Why did his eyes flicker when he saw me in rain?

I buried my face in his jacket, smelling him.

Then my hand touched something hard in the inside pocket of the jacket. Inside pocket, left chest.

I reached inside with shaking hand and took it out.

It was not a handkerchief like Gu Chen's white one I still keep from bathroom.

It was a black business card. Very thick, matte black, with gold letters, so expensive and simple. No decoration, only two lines in gold:

Lu Beichuan

Private number: 1XXX-XXXX-XXXX

And in the same pocket, a small black velvet box.

My heart stopped.

What is in the velvet box?

I held the black business card that had his private number that no woman in city has ever gotten, and the velvet box, hugging his jacket that smelled like him, and outside my storage room window, heavy rain was still pouring.

I now have two things from two men who saved me:

Gu Chen's white handkerchief with faint mint, from bathroom when three girls tried to scratch my face.

And Lu Beichuan's big black suit jacket with cold wood smell, with his private business card, from rainy bus stop when I thought I was alone in world.

Two male leads items. Two different smells. Two different kinds of protection.

And I didn't know that tomorrow at school, Su Mei would tell the whole school that I was picked up by an old man in luxury car wearing a man's jacket, and the gossip would explode, and Gu Chen, the ice prince who never cares about gossip, would hear it and his ice face would become darker for the first time, jealous for the first time, and he would stay closer to me without saying anything.