Su Minghua's earnest words touched Su Yue for a fleeting moment.
But only for that moment.
"Okay, I'll consider it again," she replied deliberately, attempting a final probe.
Unexpectedly, Su Minghua responded with a gentle smile, "Yes, Dad will listen to you."
Su Yue said no more, bid him a hasty farewell, and hung up.
On Su Minghua's end, his face was also obscured by a dark cloud.
Dongzhi had invited Chen Ziming to her home. While he hadn't initiated it himself, he had indeed subtly influenced Jiang Ling into coming up with the idea.
He had no intention of doing anything detrimental to Su Yue during their meeting. On the contrary, he wanted to use this opportunity to impress.
He hadn't anticipated that this little girl would call him, seemingly to inquire about his stance, but in reality, it was a blatant threat.
This had indeed angered him somewhat.
However, from another perspective, at least Su Yue harbored no suspicions at the moment.
If he wanted to leverage the Chen family's influence, he had to make Chen Ziming like him, and the first step was to make Su Yue like him.
Therefore, at this juncture, he absolutely would not do anything to provoke Su Yue.
He could only blame her for being too young, for lacking experience in political struggles. If she had only thought on this level, she wouldn't have made this threatening call.
As Su Minghua mused, he gently brushed his finger over Su Yue's photograph.
He always carried this photo in his wallet. Back then, she was so well-behaved and obedient, yet so clever it was infuriating.
It wasn't until she secretly changed her university major that he understood the deep-seated resentment she had harbored for so long.
Su Minghua was always meticulous, but because his methods were clandestine, he had never been caught red-handed.
And when it came to Su Yue, he would never let her off the hook. Those who toyed with him would not have a good ending.
Once he obtained everything he desired, he would destroy her current happiness.
He would personally push her into hell.
——————
Su Yue ultimately decided to bring Chen Ziming home.
Her decision wasn't entirely for her mother's sake; she realized that if she wanted to have a future with Chen Ziming, this was a step that had to be taken sooner or later.
Upon learning that Chen Ziming would be visiting Su Yue's parents on Winter Solstice, his mother and grandmother were extremely concerned and prepared many gifts in advance.
Chen Ziming also cared deeply. He not only increased the intensity of his workouts but also bought face masks and skincare products.
The first time Su Yue saw him apply a face mask, her jaw dropped. Yet, he calmly sent messages on his phone and said,
"What? Does my darling think this face is so perfect it doesn't need this?"
She was almost infuriated by his nonchalant attitude.
On the day of Winter Solstice, Su Yue first went to Chen Ziming's home with him in the morning.
As soon as they entered the living room of the large villa, she saw a mountain of gifts. Su Yue was startled, realizing these were all for her family.
The items were clearly expensive or of excellent quality, which made her feel a slight sense of unease.
But then she thought that this only demonstrated the Chen family's regard for her, and it would be more beneficial if Su Minghua saw it.
After lunch, they rested for a while before setting off for Su Yue's home.
It was a residential compound belonging to the Ministry of Public Security, and most residents were police officers working in the ministry.
Chen Ziming was clearly familiar with the area. Without using navigation, he found the building number Su Yue had given.
Jiang Ling and Su Minghua were already waiting downstairs. They greeted them with warm smiles as they exited the car.
"Director Su, Auntie, hello," Chen Ziming politely and respectfully greeted the two elders.
"Hello, Ziming. It seems we are truly fated. Please come up," Su Minghua truly appeared both gentle and imposing, perfectly dignified.
Jiang Ling was filled with admiration and affection, even feeling genuinely fortunate from the bottom of her heart that Su Yue had found Chen Ziming as her boyfriend.
In her view, only an outstanding young man like Chen Ziming was worthy of her daughter.
The car following behind them also stopped. The driver and assistants arranged by the Chen family got out, greeted Su Yue's parents first, and then busied themselves with carrying the gifts.
Su Yue looked at Su Minghua's sincere and open demeanor and felt a little reassured. She reached out and took Chen Ziming's hand.
"Let's go, Officer Chen," she said, looking at him with a smile.