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Chapter 109 Rivals are always eyeing each other with intense hatred.

Early in the morning, at the old villa on Fuxing Road, Zhu Suosuo, carrying an exquisite paper breakfast bag, stood outside the carved solid wood door of Han Tao's house.

She was going shopping with Jiang Nansun today; otherwise, given Uncle Jiang's discerning eye, the gifts Zhang Anren had prepared would be completely unacceptable.

So the two of them planned to leave early and pick out two more presentable items before Zhang Anren.

However, considering Han Tao's usual routine, Zhu Suosuo decided to arrive even earlier and bought a hot breakfast from a time-honored shop at the street corner on the way.

She raised her hand and knocked lightly on the door twice. Before long, Han Tao, dressed in simple home clothes and with wet hair, came out of the door. He had obviously finished his morning exercise and washed up, and looked clean and refreshed.

"Good morning, Brother Han!" Zhu Suosuo smiled and held up the breakfast bag in her hand, her eyes sparkling with laughter. "I guessed you had just finished your morning exercise, so I brought you breakfast especially: crab roe xiaolongbao with multigrain soy milk."

Han Tao smiled and stepped aside to let her in: "The mall doesn't open until nine o'clock, why are you here so early?"

"I was thinking of having breakfast with Brother Han. I'll come early so you won't be late for school."

Zhu Suosuo nodded generously and followed into the living room of the villa, setting out breakfast on the table and unpacking it as she spoke.

The steaming hot xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) with their thin skins and generous fillings were still steaming as the two of them sat around the table, chatting and laughing as they ate their breakfast.

Zhu Suosuo talked about the follow-up arrangements for the move, and Jiang Nansun's desire to go shopping for gifts, creating a relaxed and warm atmosphere.

It was twenty minutes later when we finished breakfast.

Zhu Suosuo helped tidy up the mess on the table and prepared to go to the Jiang family next door to meet Jiang Nansun. Han Tao also got up and saw her to the door.

But as soon as she stepped out the door, a sleek and eye-catching white Maserati glided smoothly over and stopped precisely on the side in front of Han Tao's villa, its engine quietly shutting off.

The car door opened, and Jiang Lai stepped out, looking completely different from her disheveled and broken appearance yesterday.

Today, she not only recovered her spirits very well, but also carefully changed into a ladylike look.

Her previously flamboyant red hair has returned to black, and she no longer wears bright red lips, but instead sports a light and elegant nude lipstick.

She was wearing a well-tailored off-white knee-length fitted dress and low-heeled nude leather shoes.

She looked completely different, with all her sharp edges softened, becoming elegant and dignified, dressed like a girl next door.

The reason for this big change is simple: after Han Tao left yesterday, she calmed down and sorted out all her obsessions.

She carefully studied Han Tao's preferences and then deliberately changed her outfit from head to toe, hoping to test his reaction.

Han Tao, who followed Zhu Suosuo out, was indeed stunned when he saw her. She was completely different from the person who had locked herself in the hotel, starved herself, and was depressed and dejected while clutching a fruit knife.

Jiang Lai gently smoothed a strand of hair at her temple and tucked it behind her ear, her gaze fixed on Han Tao, who was standing in front of the mansion.

"How do I look today?" she asked tentatively, her tone tinged with a hint of nervousness. "Do you like girls dressed like this? Can I dress like this from now on?"

Han Tao, seeing her dramatic change, understood immediately, but said irritably, "Did you take the wrong medicine, or did you forget to take your medicine?! You came all this way early in the morning just to ask these questions?"

Jiang Lai stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Ugh! Tell me, am I the type you like right now?"

If you prefer this ladylike style, then I'll dress like this for my everyday outings from now on—”

"Stop!" Han Tao, somewhat amused and exasperated by her sudden movement, raised his hand to interrupt her. "You're even more frightening than when you went on a hunger strike and threatened suicide the other day. Are you running a fever?"

"Don't change the subject. You should understand what I mean. Or are you saying I'm not pretty enough?"

As Jiang Lai spoke, she took another step forward and stared intently into his eyes.

"This isn't about being pretty or not." Han Tao shook his head. "Jiang Lai, it's a good thing that you're willing to move on and live a good life."

But we're not a good match. You don't need to force yourself to change to please others, and you certainly don't need to change yourself to suit my preferences.

I promised your brother I'd go and talk to you yesterday, just hoping you wouldn't ruin your health because of a liar. That's all, so you don't need to waste your time on me anymore.

This decisive rejection clearly drew a line between them, instantly easing Zhu Suosuo's anxiety about their relationship, and her tense body gradually relaxed.

However, Jiang Lai's subsequent actions and words caused her to frown slightly, and a strong sense of vigilance instantly arose in her heart.

"You saved me twice, which gives you a better foundation than anyone else, so why is it inappropriate?"

Besides, it's my freedom to like whomever I want, and as long as you're not married, I still have a chance.

After saying that, Jiang Lai's gaze fell on Zhu Suosuo standing to the side, and she took the initiative to extend her hand: "Hello, my name is Jiang Lai. May I ask what your relationship is with Han Tao?"

She had been wondering about this since she saw him leave Han Tao's house so early in the morning.

Before coming here, I had read the information that my brother Jiang Haokun had investigated and knew that Han Tao was currently single and did not have a girlfriend he was publicly dating.

But early in the morning, a young and beautiful woman walked out of the man's house, and he directly rejected her. No matter how you look at it, their relationship was definitely not ordinary.

Therefore, she secretly guessed that the girl in front of her was most likely Han Tao's suitor.

"Hello, Zhu Suosuo." Zhu Suosuo raised her hand for a brief, perfunctory handshake before withdrawing it, her sense of crisis instantly surging within her.

Zhong also quickly asserted his ownership: "I am Brother Han's girlfriend, so please, Miss Jiang, have some self-respect and keep a proper distance to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."

"Girlfriend?" Jiang Lai casually looked Zhu Suosuo up and down. Her clothes were inexpensive and simple, without any designer brands, and the materials were ordinary.

She subconsciously carried a sense of superiority that comes with being a rich heiress, her words carrying a subtle hint of criticism: "I hadn't heard that he had a girlfriend before. Speaking of which, someone with Han Tao's vision and perspective would usually be in high-level circles. I didn't expect his suitor to be so lacking."

Her words directly positioned Zhu Suoding as a suitor, not a girlfriend, and the disdain and contempt in her words were particularly jarring.

Zhu Suosuo's face immediately darkened. She stepped forward half a step and stared directly at Jiang Lai, her tone crisp and decisive: "What do you mean by that? Who are you saying is lacking?"

Don't think that driving a pitchfork makes you superior; when it comes to relationships, mutual affection is key.

Brother Han has already made himself very clear. If you're not convinced, let's have a one-on-one fight!

The atmosphere between the two suddenly became tense, and their words were filled with hostility.

Seeing this, Han Tao quickly stepped forward, raised his hand to gently separate the two, and stopped the impending conflict in time.

However, before he could say anything, Jiang Lai suddenly burst out laughing.

She had already seen through it; Zhu Suosuo was just bluffing.

Therefore, she deduced that this person's relationship with Han Tao was probably not as close as her own.

Judging from their interactions and behavior, they clearly haven't had any in-depth conversations; at most, they've just started dating.

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