Su Yue shook her head. Her heart had ached for a long time. How ridiculous. She had only met him a few times. This, she thought, was the consequence of falling for someone.
When Su Yue turned around, Qin Xiaoxiao saw a calm face. She had already composed herself without a trace. She could afford to lose face in front of Chen Ziming, but she absolutely could not let anyone else know about this.
"It's nothing, Xiaoxiao," she managed to force a bright smile. "My mother passed away, and I'm a little reluctant to let her go."
In the afternoon, she received a call from her mother, who said she had a severe cold and wanted Su Yue to come home and see her.
Su Yue heard her coughing continuously on the other end and grew worried, so she quickly hailed a taxi and returned home.
"You're finally back." To her surprise, when she entered the house, she was greeted by her mother's happy smile.
"You faked being sick to trick me into coming home?" A pang of distress shot through her, and she vaguely understood what was happening.
"Your father has been transferred back and promoted. We're having a celebration for the whole family!" Su Yue's mother, Jiang Ling, said with a smile, putting her arm around her daughter. In her heart, her daughter had been particularly busy since starting university, always unwilling to come home. She actually knew it was because her daughter hadn't followed Su Minghua's requirement to enroll in a police university, which had led to a big argument between father and daughter and created a rift.
Su Minghua was Su Yue's stepfather. Su Yue's biological father passed away when she was six. Jiang Ling, without a stable source of income, took Su Yue and worked odd jobs. By chance, she met Su Minghua, who was in the prime of his career. He was attracted to Jiang Ling and began to pursue her, showing no aversion to her having a child. When Su Yue was eight, they got married.
After marriage, Su Minghua treated Su Yue as if she were his own. He would take her out to play and read her bedtime stories. The first thing he did after getting paid was buy gifts for Su Yue. He even proactively stated that he was content with just Su Yue as his daughter and didn't want any other children, fearing Su Yue would be jealous.
Jiang Ling had never been loved in such a way before, so she had felt very happy all these years.
"If you're done, I'm going back to school. I have a lot of work to do." Su Yue struggled, not wanting to go further into the house.
"What, you don't think much of this home?" Su Minghua emerged from the bedroom. He was fifty years old, but looked very refined. He wasn't overweight or had a beer belly. He was of medium height, and his hair was still quite thick.
He had the face of a scholar, loved to read and work, and was even more renowned for loving his wife and daughter.
Everyone praised him as a good man and a good leader. He was dedicated in his work, doing many practical things for the welfare of the people. He was very patient with his subordinates and willing to promote talented individuals. He was also generous and chivalrous with his friends, always willing to lend a hand when they needed it.
Therefore, his path was smooth, and he was respected and admired by many.
"Lingling, you start cooking. Su Yue, come here for a moment. I have something to say to you." He exuded a gentle yet authoritative presence just standing there. Jiang Ling chuckled slyly. She was actually very willing for Su Minghua to discipline Su Yue. A father's presence was crucial for a girl, and coupled with her own limited education, she felt she couldn't provide Su Yue with much valuable life guidance. Therefore, she pushed Su Yue towards Su Minghua, patted Su Yue's shoulder, and said, "Your father feels you're not coming home often and worries you'll be taken advantage of outside. He's been mentioning it to me. He really needs to have a chat with you to feel at ease."
She didn't notice Su Yue's complete resistance. Su Yue wanted to escape, to have a big argument with her, but when she turned back and saw the happy smile on her mother's face, she could do nothing.
In the end, she obediently followed Su Minghua into the study.
"Su Yue, are you playing games with me?" Su Minghua's expression changed the moment the door closed. He sat in the study chair, looking up at Su Yue, who stood obediently in front of him. Although he was smiling, his tone was full of danger.
Su Yue lowered her head, her hands clenched tightly, suppressing her voice to prevent sobs from escaping.
"What stage have you and Chen Ziming reached?" He stood up and slowly walked towards Su Yue. Su Yue retreated, and he advanced. She retreated again, and he moved forward again, finally cornering her. He pinned her arm with one hand and gripped her chin with the other, his eyes filled with fury.