The two finally reconciled.
Su Yue suddenly remembered the call her mother had made earlier.
After a moment of hesitation, she decided to tell him about it.
"Your mother invited me to your home for the Winter Solstice?" Chen Ziming frowned slightly after hearing this.
The moment their eyes met, they silently communicated their thoughts.
That was, Su Minghua would definitely be present at this invitation.
"What do you think?" Su Yue asked, feeling a bit anxious seeing his frown.
She was truly in a difficult position. On one hand, she didn't want to displease her mother; on the other hand, she couldn't imagine Su Minghua's reaction upon seeing Chen Ziming.
She wasn't afraid of Su Minghua saying anything detrimental to her. After all, he was such a smart person; he wouldn't want to leave an impression of family discord in front of outsiders.
But he harbored too many dark thoughts, and she feared he might scheme against them in secret.
Chen Ziming pondered for a moment and then replied calmly, "I want to go."
Su Yue looked surprised, not expecting him to agree so readily, especially since she herself hadn't made up her mind.
"Yueyue, in the end, they are your parents. I have to meet them sooner or later." Seeing her expression, he chuckled softly and took her hand to explain.
But what he didn't say was that he also wanted to meet Su Minghua sooner rather than later.
The last time he was called to the office, he had felt somewhat passive. This time, he could prepare in advance.
Seeing his firm stance, Su Yue lowered her gaze and pondered for a moment longer before finally nodding.
However, she intended to have a private conversation with Su Minghua first.
Coincidentally, she had a commercial shoot that afternoon, and Chen Ziming had to be on duty at the precinct. After they parted ways, Su Yue found a secluded spot and called Su Minghua.
The call was answered quickly, and a kind and affectionate voice inquired, "What is it, Yueyue?"
If she hadn't witnessed his sinister side, Su Yue might have truly believed that he cherished her as his own daughter.
She took a quiet deep breath and, feigning affection, replied, "My mom said she wants me to bring Officer Chen home for the Winter Solstice. Do you know about this?"
Despite her inner resistance, Su Yue had to admit that her behavior and demeanor bore Su Minghua's imprint.
It was the shadow of striving for excellence, feigning kindness, but being selfish and self-loving at heart.
However, she was kinder than him; otherwise, she would have long fallen into the abyss with him, becoming his plaything.
On the other end of the line, Su Minghua seemed somewhat surprised. "She didn't tell me. I'll ask her later."
Su Yue suspected he was likely lying. After all, Jiang Ling told him almost everything, without reservation.
Especially for such a significant decision, it was not impossible that he had enticed Jiang Ling to propose it.
But since he said so, she was happy to play along. "No need. She probably just forgot."
After speaking, she paused and lowered her voice, continuing, "I'm calling you because I want to hear your stance on this."
There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed by a light chuckle. "Ziming is such an excellent son-in-law. Of course, I want to meet him."
He spoke so gently and sincerely that Su Yue felt as though the scene where he had her by the neck, interrogating her about her relationship with Chen Ziming, was just a dream.
But clearly, it was not a dream. Recalling it, she instantly lost any desire to continue playing along with him.
"Director Su, I recall you had quite a bit of animosity towards him," Su Yue finally got to the point. "If you still find him an eyesore, I won't have him come."
They were both intelligent people. Although her words weren't explicit, she believed Su Minghua would understand.
Su Yue didn't care about his attitude towards Chen Ziming; what she cared about was whether he would cause trouble.
Although he had explicitly mentioned his apprehension about Chen Ziming's identity when her mother was ill, she still wasn't entirely reassured.
The reason she was willing to let Chen Ziming go was ultimately due to her trust in Chen Ziming's deterrent power, not Su Minghua's few words.
Another period of silence ensued.
Su Yue wasn't in a hurry. Holding her phone, she patiently waited for his reply.
After a long while, Su Minghua's voice, filled with helplessness and regret, came through:
"Yueyue, I know the shadows cast by past events are something I can never make up for, and I deeply regret it. Now that I'm over fifty, what ill intentions could I possibly have? I only wish to live a stable life with your mother."
"I truly didn't know about this, but I respect any decision you make and will absolutely not interfere. If you bring him, I will certainly fulfill my duties as a father."