TheLazyDreamer
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17. A Request
🕑 Added 2025-04-01 14:43:23 +0000 UTC
“What about… the woman you like?”
“Her?” he chuckled softly, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Don’t worry about her, Miss Bai. That’s my own matter.”
“I still… want to know,” she said quietly, carefully. “What kind of person is she?”
A trace of hesitation flickered across his face, but under her steady gaze, he relented.
“She’s an ordinary woman.” His voice softened, carrying a warmth she hadn’t heard before.
“At first, I never thought much about her, but somehow… she kept appearing in my thoughts.”
He looked down at his tea, watching the steam curl between them.
“I investigated her… just out of curiosity.” A self-deprecating smile touched his lips.
“But the more I learned, the harder it became to ignore.”
“She lost her husband decades ago—not long after they married. Her son became her whole world… and she endured countless hardships to raise him alone.”
“I helped her son a few times because I thought… if he became stronger, life might become a little easier for her.”
He fell silent.
Bai Yunxi’s fingers curled under her sleeves as the warmth in her chest tightened into something unfamiliar.
Her mind drifted.
'He’s talking about… me.'
'It’s really me in the end.'
She had never considered it before—never once thinking that all his help, his protection, had been for her sake rather than for her son’s.
Why would someone like him care so much?
What had she ever done to deserve that kind of devotion?
The realization pressed against her heart—heavy, unfamiliar, overwhelming.
And yet she didn’t know what to do with it.
Bai Yunxi stirred, lost in a maze of emotions. Seated beside her, Su Kang watched the subtle shifts in her expression—the slight furrow of her brow, the distant look in her eyes.
He leaned in slightly, his voice quiet but unwavering. “I have a request to ask.”
She blinked, pulled from her thoughts, and turned to him. His expression was different—not his usual calm confidence, but something else. Something vulnerable.
A strange unease settled in her chest. “A request?” she echoed. “What is it?”
Su Kang exhaled, choosing his words carefully. “I want a chance—just one—to pursue the woman I care for.”
His dark eyes held an unfamiliar weight. “But I… I don’t know how.”
He hesitated, as if second-guessing himself, before continuing. “Could you just for a week, pretend to be her? Your circumstances are so similar. Help me understand how to win her heart.”
Bai Yunxi froze. Her lips parted, but no words came. Her mind raced—a storm of emotions churning within her.
“Pretend?”
The very idea unsettled her. “This… this isn’t right,” she finally managed, her voice barely above a whisper.
Su Kang didn’t look away. “I have a feeling I’ll be rejected. That’s why I need to prepare myself.”
His tone was calm, but she could sense the weight behind his words.
“Just one week. That’s all I ask. I don’t want to leave behind any regrets.”
Regrets. Hadn’t she been the one who told him that?
A sudden realization struck her.
Is he doing this… because of my advice?
Somehow, without meaning to, she had encouraged him down this path.
He already knew how things would end, and yet he was choosing to face it anyway—because he didn’t want to live with regret.
“One week,” he repeated, his voice softer now. “To prepare myself. Then I’ll confess everything. And if she rejects me… I’ll accept it.”
Bai Yunxi’s heart clenched. How could she refuse him?
After everything he had done for her—without expecting anything in return—how could she deny him something so simple?
'Just one week. It’s just pretending.'
She lowered her gaze, staring at her hands as if searching for an answer. “…One week,” she whispered, barely audible. “I… I’ll pretend for one week.”
A radiant smile broke across Su Kang’s face, his relief almost palpable. “Thank you,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.
“You have no idea what this means to me. Starting tomorrow morning, you are the woman I am pursuing with all my heart.”
“I will take my leave.”
She rose abruptly and left. She didn’t look back, didn’t stop to eat, didn’t acknowledge the curious gazes of the servants as she returned to her mansion. Her mind was too restless.
Lying in bed, she shut her eyes, but sleep refused to come. If she were a young girl, perhaps she would have felt happiness.
But she wasn’t. She was Li Fang’s mother, and for as long as she could remember, her son had come before her own needs.
Even before the Li family’s fall, she had been forced to endure. Her parents had faced threats simply because she was Li Xiao’s wife.
After the Li family crumbled, they disappeared altogether—vanishing on a routine trading trip, never to be seen again.
She had been left alone to protect Li Fang.
The Bai family, weaker than the Li, had offered little support. And remarriage? That had been impossible. Not with Li Fang.
No one wanted to take in Li Xiao’s son. They feared the consequences. In the end, she had relied on no one but herself.
Even within the Li family, she had no choice but to remain on guard. Discontent had given way to outright hostility, and when the poisoning incident occurred… she realized that someone was out to get her.
She had survived, but the poison had lingered—its remnants torturing her for decades. Every month, the pain returned—sharp, relentless, as if thousands of needles were piercing her meridians.
It wasn’t until Li Fang found an elixir that she was freed from that torment.
By then, she had long given up on dreaming of a future for herself. Her heart had gone numb. Her life had turned colourless. Even the peace of the Su Manor felt foreign, like an illusion that could shatter at any moment.
Deep down, she was always thinking of Li Fang.
When he joined the Qingyun Sect, she had felt relief—he was safer there. But as soon as news of his achievements spread, so did word of his battles.
Like his father before him, he kept making enemies as he rose. Even if he always emerged victorious, her heart never stopped worrying.
And now, Su Kang.
He had helped her son—not out of ambition or for personal gain, but for her sake. She was deeply moved. And yet, at the same time, she felt unworthy.
He was young, handsome, and talented—a rising dragon. She was an old widow, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, a woman whose body had suffered too much, whose past could only bring him shame. The thought settled heavily in her chest.
Sleep eventually claimed her, but it was restless.
Tomorrow, she would have to play the role of the woman Su Kang wished to pursue. But she didn’t know how she was supposed to do that.
As dawn broke, Su Kang arrived at her mansion.
The maids led him to her room. He extended his spiritual sense and found her still asleep. Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
Sitting at the edge of her bed, he observed her in silence. Even in sleep, her brows were furrowed, her expression troubled.
A soft light flickered in his eyes.
He reached out, gently brushing his fingers over her forehead. He could almost feel the weight of her emotions, the chaos in her heart.
This had started as a calculated move—a way to plunder destiny, a step toward his goal. But that didn’t mean he was heartless.
She had already endured too much. He had no desire to add to her suffering. He wanted to brighten her future, yet somehow his actions had caused her pain instead.
If all he wanted was her body, he could have taken it easily. Illusions, mind control—there were countless ways.
But such methods disgusted him. Those with higher cultivation levels, including Li Fang, would be able to see through such deception.
Su Kang exhaled softly. He knew why she hesitated. The gap between them was not just one of status, but of tradition, of perception.
To the world, she was meant to be Li Fang’s mother, and he was Li Fang’s friend. Their relationship would be frowned upon, and the Su family was no exception.
He wouldn’t have pursued it if not for Li Fang’s destiny and the resources Fate had mentioned.
But he had seen worse. Compared to that, his reputation meant nothing.
He had watched his family slaughtered before his eyes. He had listened to their screams as they died.
Those visions of the future drove him forward.
“If love and sacrifice aren’t enough, then gratitude will do. If gratitude isn’t enough, I’ll find another way.”
His fingers curled into a fist. He needed power—power to reshape his destiny and power to slaughter his enemies.
