Chapter 222: Chapter 220: Bai Su Teaches a Lesson with Her Skills
If she lost to Qin Nuo, she had no idea what kind of punishment awaited her.
And if she won... it wasn’t even certain she could leave Qin City alive with her people.
Lost in thought, Bai Su came up with a plan.
She took her shot, using a clever angle to set off a chain of collisions.
After a series of impacts, her balls slowly formed a blockade around Qin Nuo’s last remaining ball.
With Qin Nuo’s level of skill, there was no way she could get past those obstacles to sink her final ball.
Bai Su put on an apologetic expression. "Oh, I’m so sorry. My skills are just awful."
Qin Nuo’s expression was grim. She looked for an angle, any angle, but it was impossible to end the match with a single shot. She could only find a spot to break her ball out of the cluster.
Bai Su took another shot. The balls scattered across the table in a chaotic mess, a seemingly clumsy and artless display. Her own balls grazed the pockets several times but never quite managed to fall in.
Once the balls settled, the crowd realized it was more than just a missed shot. By some bizarre twist of fate, she had once again cornered Qin Nuo’s ball.
Qin Nuo was livid. She shot Bai Su a vicious glare and could only continue searching for an angle to break free.
Soon, the crowd slowly began to catch on.
Blocking the ball once or twice might be luck, but after more than ten turns of this, how could it possibly be a coincidence every single time?
Either Bai Su was freakishly lucky, or her skill was terrifyingly profound.
Bai Su focused intently on the table, completely unaware that on a distant set of steps, Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin were staring at her, their gazes unwavering.
Mrs. Qin looked to Mr. Qin. "What... what do you think?"
Mr. Qin frowned slightly. "She does look remarkably like us. But, my dear, have you lost your faith in the Beast God’s prophecy?"
"Even if our child were still alive, she was fated to die the moment she came of age."
At his words, the color drained from Mrs. Qin’s face. The pain in her heart was dredged up once more, and her expression dimmed.
Mr. Qin’s heart ached for her, and he pulled her into his embrace. "Don’t dwell on it. Haven’t we raised Nuo’er wonderfully?"
"Nuo’er is lively and lovely, bright and devoted. Her temperament is exactly like yours when you were young."
Hearing this, the color finally returned to Mrs. Qin’s face.
Her gaze fell upon Qin Nuo on the floor below, her eyes filled with pride and comfort. "Yes..."
’At least they still have Qin Nuo, don’t they?’
Qin Nuo’s presence had soothed the couple’s years of pain from losing their daughter. They had poured nearly all the love and guilt they felt for the child they’d lost onto Qin Nuo.
The game dragged on for over an hour.
Even someone as slow as Qin Nuo could tell something was wrong.
She only had one ball left on the table, yet she couldn’t sink it no matter what she tried.
’Anger boiled in her heart. She felt like a clown, being toyed with by Bai Su like a dog.’
’They must all see that Bai Su is a better player. They’ll definitely think she’s only holding back because she’s afraid of the Qin Family’s power and doesn’t dare to win.’
The surrounding whispers grew louder.
With every shot Bai Su took, hushed gasps rippled through the crowd, amazed at her repeatedly exquisite safety plays.
Qin Nuo’s grip tightened on her cue. She stared at Bai Su, her expression growing more sullen and grim.
On the floor, Bai Su was undoubtedly the most dazzling presence.
Her beauty, her composure, the effortless grace in her every move—she was relaxed, yet captivating.
She was like a scarlet rose blooming in a desolate ruin, effortlessly commanding the attention of everyone in the room.
Qin Nuo was about to go mad with indignation.
’She had to watch as the very people she’d hoped to impress had their eyes glued to Bai Su, paying her no mind at all.’
’Li Chenlin, Rosa Meiya, Wen Lan... even Xiao Yi’s gaze was fixed on her!’
Some looked with infatuation, others with admiration, and others with curiosity.
But not a single one of those gazes was on her.
’Even the members of the Royal Families from those minor countries—people she wouldn’t give the time of day—were watching Bai Su.’
’That bitch! How dare she humiliate me like this!’
Suddenly, a chandelier plummeted from the ceiling, crashing right onto the table with a tremendous BANG.
A quick-witted servant had already pulled Qin Nuo to safety.
Bai Su, too, was shielded by Li Chenlin and Rosa Meiya.
Dust billowed. Standing amidst the shattered crystal of the chandelier was a mischievous and adorable little female.
Everyone was stunned.
Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin rushed forward, looking Qin Nuo over. "Are you alright, Nuo’er?"
Qin Nuo shook her head. "I’m fine..."
’Good!’
A flash of glee crossed her eyes. With the table destroyed, she was finally off the hook and wouldn’t have to suffer any more public humiliation.
Mrs. Qin surveyed the scene with displeasure. "What is the meaning of this?"
Wen Dabao rubbed her eyes and hopped down from the wreckage. "Sorry, Grandma. It got so late, I fell asleep up there..."
Startled to be called "Grandma," Mrs. Qin met the little one’s wide, innocent, blinking eyes. Her heart instantly softened, and her tone gentled. "Whose child is this?"
Bai Su hurried forward. "My apologies, Mr. Qin, Mrs. Qin. This is my child. Children can be mischievous and don’t know any better. It’s my fault for not watching her properly."
Hearing that the child belonged to Bai Su, Qin Nuo’s face twisted again, a flash of disgust in her eyes.
’Of all people, it had to be Bai Su’s.’
Mrs. Qin saw the look on Qin Nuo’s face and turned to Bai Su, her eyes now tinged with reproach. "Is this how you look after your child?"
A reprimand from the lady of the house was a different matter entirely from the petty squabbles with a junior like Qin Nuo.
The onlookers held their breath, feeling a nervous sweat break out on Bai Su’s behalf.
But Bai Su was no longer afraid. She calmly met Mrs. Qin’s and Qin Nuo’s gazes. "Since my daughter caused this trouble, I will take full responsibility. How about this? The table is destroyed, so how about Miss Qin Nuo and I play another game to settle it?"
At this, Qin Nuo’s defiance vanished. "That... that won’t be necessary."
Wen Dabao secretly rolled her eyes.
’What a bunch of morons.’
’If her dad hadn’t said that it would be bad for her mom if that idiot Qin Nuo couldn’t find a way to back down, and told her to smash the table to give the young miss an out, she wouldn’t have bothered.’
’Besides, if the match had continued, it wouldn’t have been her mom who ended up embarrassed.’
Qin Nuo cleared her throat and put on an air of indifference. "Well, since the table’s been smashed, I’ve lost interest in playing. Let’s just call the match off."
Bai Su feigned a troubled expression. "How could I possibly agree to that? My daughter broke the table. To make amends, I simply must play another game with you."
Terrified that Bai Su would actually drag her into another game and utterly humiliate her, Qin Nuo blurted out, "When I say it’s not necessary, it’s not necessary! We’re not playing again, and we’ll drop the matter of your daughter, too."
Mrs. Qin, standing to the side, frowned slightly. "Nuo’er, you don’t have to—"
Mr. and Mrs. Qin had been standing too far away to see the details of the game.
They instinctively felt that when it came to a game of Cheeks, the daughter they had raised and trained since childhood could not possibly lose to a Duchess from Snow Country.
But Qin Nuo just waved her hand dismissively. "We’ve been playing for so long, I’m exhausted! I don’t want to play anymore!"
Mrs. Qin sounded a little helpless. "Very well, then."
And so, the much-hyped match came to an absurd conclusion. No one mentioned the bet that had been riding on the game.
Only then did Bai Su pull her daughter back into the crowd.
But try as she might, keeping a low profile was no longer an option.
After all, no one had ever managed to frustrate the young miss of the Qin Family to the point where she was practically begging to back down.
Bai Su was the first.
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