Chapter 165 Seele: I woke up and my boyfriend is someone else's husband?
"Pfft!"
"Hahahaha!! Are you serious? You're not joking, are you, Theresa? It can't be real, can it? No way!"
Siegfried's voice came through the phone sounding like his head was about to fly off from laughing so hard. Theresa struggled to suppress the urge to fly over and drop an Oath of Judah directly onto the man's head.
"How could it be fake? Rita told me herself; the intel is solid."
"Pfft-hahaha! That's too incredible! Hey, hey, Cecilia, did you hear that? As expected of our eldest daughter, she took down Su Mu on her very first day in Arc City! Talk about efficiency! At this rate, we might actually hold a grandchild by next year!"
Hearing Siegfried's laughter, Theresa suppressed her rising anger. "What exactly was your goal in sending Bianca there?"
Siegfried sighed, sounding wronged. "I'm innocent! I did plan to have Bianca go to Arc City. I was sighing in front of her the other day, hoping to find a way to bring it up, but who knew the child would speak first? So it really wasn't me 'sending' her there, right?"
"Then what was your original plan?"
"What else could it be? Kiana isn't making any progress, and Cecilia and I are worried about Bianca's marriage prospects. You know she's grown up without any peers of the opposite sex around her.... I saw how excellent Su Mu's work ability is, and I figured they might actually have something to talk about."
"So you intended to set Bianca and Su Mu up from the start?"
"How can you say that? I just wanted Bianca to help that useless Kiana. But if she falls for Su Mu in the process, that's out of my hands, isn't it?"
"Is that your idea?"
"It's Otto's too. You know he's Bianca's godfather.... He also hopes she finds happiness. These days, a woman who is too forceful easily ends up single. We both agree Su Mu is excellent; if they hit it off, wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"
"You're quite the father. Aren't you afraid Bianca and Kiana will come to blows over a man?"
"You know Kiana is like a spinning top; if you don't whip her from behind, she's too lazy to move. Besides, this is just a misunderstanding, right? If it gives Kiana a sense of urgency and makes her spin a bit faster, isn't that a good thing?"
Theresa massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "I know why Rita's report suggested maintaining the status quo for now. So those were instructions from you and Grandpa...."
Siegfried laughed. "Exactly! Theresa, I'm leaving Bianca and Kiana to you. If they really start fighting, go stop them as their aunt~ Anyway, I have things to do, hanging up now."
After Siegfried hung up, Theresa held her forehead, feeling dizzy. Things were getting messier by the second. Others might not know, but Theresa knew well that Su Mu and Seele were already in a relationship. Because of this, she had stopped trying to set up Kiana and Su Mu recently and hadn't given Rita any specific orders. Theresa didn't want to be the one to break up a couple and ruin someone's happiness.
But she hadn't expected Siegfried and Otto to have a card up their sleeves... This muddy water was becoming a whirlpool!
This is too much! I'm an older single maiden, you know! You make me set up this one, then set up that one! Seriously! Siegfried, you bastard, did you even consider my feelings!!
They really were treating her like a literal matchmaker!
After a brief internal "Dragon Roar," Theresa slumped into her chair. she called Otto, only to realize Siegfried hadn't told her the whole story.
"I have to admit, Su Mu not only has a startling talent for games but is equally adept at mentoring. Theresa, do you know that the people in MiHoYo's Honkai 3rd team are essentially Su Mu's students? The engine, the code, the programs.... they are absolute top-tier industry standard. Most of them were just green rookies before; do you realize what that signifies?"
"Furthermore, Kiana Kaslana, who was a headache for all of Schicksal, has achieved such results under Su Mu's help and is working hard to improve herself.... Su Mu's capability is far more formidable than we imagined."
"Bianca is an excellent child. She will be your right hand in the future, but like Kiana, she has flaws in her character. she is too rigid and doesn't know how to interact with people."
"There is a saying in Shenzhou: 'The rigid are easily broken; the flexible remain undefeated.' Su Mu might be able to make Bianca understand this."
After hanging up, Theresa felt speechless. Siegfried was full of nonsense, wanting Bianca to "learn" while simultaneously trying to force a romance... After thinking for a moment, she took out her phone and sent Su Mu a message.
[Are you there?]
Su Mu was quite aware of being caught in this blunder. The day after the parent-teacher conference, during a work break, he told Seele about it. she froze upon hearing the news.
"Should I tell Kiana and the others? It was just a misunderstanding, after all."
But to his surprise, Seele stopped him quite forcefully. "No, you absolutely cannot tell them! This might be an opportunity...."
Su Mu was stunned. "But the whole thing is a mistake. If I don't say anything, won't I actually have to appear on TV next week as Bianca's husband?" He paused, then added: "....I don't want you to overthink things because of this."
Seele shook her head. "Seele is indeed angry. Brother Su Mu is a total dummy for letting such a big misunderstanding happen. But Seele knows it wasn't on purpose.... it's also Seele's fault. Brother Su Mu is the type of person who attracts 'flowers and grass' everywhere."
Su Mu gave a wry smile. Attracting flowers and grass? While there were many women around him, he had zero romantic thoughts in that direction.
"I don't think I'm like that."
"See, Brother Su Mu really has no self-awareness. You are too good to the people around you, you know? While gentleness is an important quality, you are too gentle to everyone. You don't have those thoughts, but what about the other party? All this 'blossoming' is because you invite it."
Seele's criticism left Su Mu a bit embarrassed. He really hadn't considered it that deeply. Treat enemies like the cold winter; treat friends like a warm spring day. That was his principle across two lives. From the start, he hadn't viewed those around him through the lens of romance. To put it bluntly, with his real age added up, Seele could practically call him "Dad." Thus, he had taken on the role of an elder, hoping to take care of everyone to the best of his ability.
But Seele's reminder made Su Mu realize that his approach didn't match his current physical age. He didn't have those thoughts, but that didn't guarantee others wouldn't!
"I know Brother Su Mu doesn't mean it that way, but it is indeed too easy to misunderstand... It seems if we want to stop these 'blossoms,' Sister Bronya and Brother Su Mu must be together as soon as possible." Seele's expression became grave. "For some reason, Seele feels like there's a hidden hand pushing things. Brother Su Mu might be caught in some kind of dispute. Using this chance to stimulate Sister Bronya might make her express her feelings."
Su Mu felt helpless. Seele, you really are Bronya's 'good' sister. To set her up, you've used every tactic in the book.
"We need to plan this carefully.... It's time. I'll head back to Sister Elysia's first. Let's discuss the plan over the phone later." Seele checked the time; she couldn't stay here too long or people would get suspicious.
After Seele left, Su Mu leaned back in his chair and sighed. It was almost lunchtime; he had been planning to sneak a meal from Kalpas. At that moment, his phone pinged with a message.
[Theresa: Are you there?]
[Su Mu: I'm here.]
[Theresa: Is Kiana at the office?]
[Su Mu: Mei is off today, so Kiana went out with her.]
[Theresa: Taking off on a workday while being the CEO!!]
[Theresa: Anyway, do you have time? Let's meet.]
[Su Mu: Did something happen?]
[Theresa: Let's talk in detail when we meet.]
Su Mu had a hunch that Theresa wanted to talk about Bianca or Kiana. "Carole, I'm heading out for a bit. Call me if anything comes up." After greeting Carole, Su Mu left the company.
"Mhm.... Leaving at this time without documents means Director Su isn't going to a business meeting." Carole reported this to the three-person group chat, and Elysia responded quickly.
"Suspicious! Ellie smells something unusual...."
About half an hour later, Su Mu arrived at a cafe on the commercial street. Theresa was already waiting at a window seat. It was an autumn afternoon; she wore a beige turtleneck sweater and a hemp-colored long skirt. she propped her chin on her hand, looking at the falling maple leaves outside. A few strands of hair brushed against her cheek, inadvertently radiating a charm that made it feel as if the entire autumn were intoxicated by her soft aura.
For a split second, Su Mu felt like he was seeing a "Big Luna"... No, there was a difference. Those sapphire eyes spoke of a normally-grown-up "Teri-Deri." Wait, did I just feel a 'big sister' vibe from Theresa? That thought is terrifying and completely out of character.
"Ms. Theresa, did you need me for something?"
"You can call me Auntie, right?" Theresa rolled her eyes at him. Truly, paired with her mature outfit, she looked quite enchanting. Su Mu naturally couldn't view her as an elder; in terms of real age, he was basically her peer.
"Want a drink?" "What are you having?" "Bitter gourd juice coffee." ".....Just plain water is fine." Su Mu imagined the taste of bitter gourd coffee. Coffee was bitter enough; adding bitter gourd? Could anyone actually drink that?
"I asked you here to talk about Kiana and Bianca." "Mhm." Su Mu didn't look surprised, as he had already guessed.
"First, as Kiana's aunt, I want to thank you for making her successful.... the Kaslana family has changed their view of her, and she can finally drop the 'Salted Fish Kiana' title. I heard she's been very diligent as a customer service rep lately.... honestly, her change in this period is greater than in the previous twenty years."
Su Mu smiled. "Kiana has talent; with a little training, she'll be an excellent CEO."
Theresa shook her head. "I know her situation. Without you, that girl wouldn't have changed."
Su Mu spread his hands. "No thanks needed. Kiana and I are friends; I'm just helping within my power."
Theresa looked at Su Mu, her eyes suddenly becoming sharp. "Just friends?"
Su Mu nodded. "Just friends."
Theresa sighed, knowing he wasn't lying. "You know, from the start, I wanted to set you and Kiana up. But since Seele last time.... sorry, I didn't know you were in a relationship."
Su Mu asked curiously, "I've been meaning to ask: why did you want to set us up?"
"I thought you had feelings for her."
"Having feelings doesn't necessarily mean wanting to date, does it? In fact, I have feelings for you too, Ms. Theresa."
".....!"
Theresa took a sudden, sharp gulp of her bitter gourd coffee and choked. Due to a fit of violent coughing, coffee spilled all over her.
"S-Suddenly saying things like that! Is it really fun to tease an elder like me!" she glared at Su Mu with embarrassment.
Su Mu was startled. He hadn't expected such a strong reaction. "Sorry, Ms. Theresa, my feelings for elders... Your clothes are wet, let me help you wipe them...."
Su Mu pulled out some tissues and instinctively moved to wipe the coffee from her chest, but the moment his hand brushed against that surprising softness, he realized he had been too impulsive. Lately, when he was with Seele, he would sometimes help wipe sauce from her clothes. Seeing her satisfied little expression always made Su Mu feel like he was raising a daughter. He hadn't expected his hand to move so naturally onto Theresa's chest....
"!!!??!"
Theresa's face turned so red it looked ready to drip. she suddenly became incoherent, nervously clutching her skirt like a lost fawn. Her eyes flickered with unease and shame, as if wanting to hide in a corner to escape this overwhelming emotion. That bashful look stunned Su Mu; he hadn't realized the mature Theresa had such a cute side.
"Y-You, if you wanted to touch....!"
Theresa's embarrassed words snapped Su Mu back to his senses, and he awkwardly withdrew his hand.
"Sorry...."
Theresa wrapped her arms around herself and looked down, the light fading from her eyes. "Well, someone as old as me... you wouldn't feel happy touching me anyway...."
END OF CHAPTER
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