Su Yan's adoptive parents were both rural folk with little education. In their youth, they came to Shenzhen to work and, by chance, made a fortune, opening a company. Their lives were quite prosperous.
When Su Yan was young, she was often ill, which is why they adopted her from the orphanage.
It was solely to bring good fortune to Su Yan.
Indeed, after she entered the household, Su Yan's health began to improve day by day.
Over the years, they had not treated her harshly.
It was only after Su Yan had an accident, was crippled, and had a limb amputated, that her adoptive mother's attitude underwent a 180-degree transformation.
In her current predicament, Li Cuiping still harbored resentment.
She resented Su Yan, and she resented the Huo family.
Therefore, she wouldn't easily allow her to divorce Huo Tingyun, and it wasn't just for the Huo family's money.
Such a scandal was also meant to disgust both families.
"I won't beat around the bush anymore. Let's be frank. Lin Chuan should have told you that Lin Yun was stolen when she was very young. I found her at an orphanage."
"She is the child I gave birth to through great hardship, my beloved daughter whom I doted on. I will satisfy and fulfill whatever she desires."
The hearts of parents are indeed full of love for their children.
Su Qi could understand, but she was a bit tired of hearing it. "You should find the Huo family more effective to talk to about this than me."
"I don't know what medicine you gave Huo Tingyun, but he's not agreeing to a divorce. Do you think I can do anything about the Huo family?"
How could she possibly control Huo Tingyun?
A man who could control an entire business empire was not someone she, a mere woman, could manipulate.
"You certainly can't, but if you wanted to, you definitely would find a way."
"You think too highly of me. If I were that capable, why would I want a divorce from Huo Tingyun? Wouldn't it be better to be a contented rich wife?"
Su Qi felt like laughing, a slight curve of her red lips carrying a hint of sarcasm.
Xu Ruyun frowned, staring at Su Qi. "Do you know the consequences of not divorcing Huo Tingyun?"
"Of course, I do. To harm me, you've stopped at nothing. However, I'll say this upfront: your daughter has already consummated her relationship with Huo Tingyun. Marriage is just a matter of time. Instead of threatening me, you should focus on helping your daughter regain her health and try to have a son. Then she can secure her position as the young mistress of the Huo family."
Su Qi said with a touch of mockery, then turned and left, not lingering there.
If she stayed any longer, she might be strangled by Xu Ruyun.
After leaving the Xu residence, Su Qi directly got into her car.
By the time Xu Ruyun came to her senses, Su Qi had already left.
One car and Su Qi's car passed each other.
The middle-aged man inside the car saw Su Qi in the opposite car through the window.
The man's eyes widened in disbelief, and he ordered the driver to stop.
The white car had already driven far away, leaving only its rear view for the man.
"Who is that girl? Is she a guest of Madam?"
The man asked the driver.
The driver glanced and replied, "She probably is. Sir, did you see that girl?"
The man nodded. "Yes."
He couldn't believe that in this world, there was a woman so similar to Xu Ruyun in her youth.
After Xu Lin Chuan finished his work, he discovered a message from Su Qi on his phone.
Just a simple "Okay."
What did it mean?
He seemed to have never sent Su Qi a message, so why would she send him a single word out of the blue?
It felt like she was agreeing to something.
He remembered that the phone, which had been charging that afternoon, had its plug pulled out.
Xu Lin Chuan's brow furrowed.
He held his phone and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, wanting to call Su Qi. But it was already past midnight, so he could only compose a text message.
The next day, Su Qi saw the message from Xu Lin Chuan in the film crew's lounge.
"I know, and of course, it's not you."
With a brief reply, Su Qi got up to help.
"Daddy, what are you saying? You're coming today? Why so sudden..."
Xu Lin Yun's voice could be heard from the lounge as she spoke on the phone.
Su Qi paused before pushing the door open and placing the hot milk on the table.
"I have a scene to shoot later... Su Qi, go and pick up my father."
Xu Lin Yun instructed.
"Okay," Su Qi replied and left the lounge.
Before the Hummer even reached the entrance of the film city, Xu Qingfeng spotted a slender figure standing outside the gate from afar.
Her jet-black long hair, her linen dress, and a knitted jacket worn in the late autumn. Her thick hair cascaded down her back. Simply standing there, she was a beautiful sight.
"Stop," Xu Qingfeng said, getting out of the car at a distance.
Su Qi was surprised to see a middle-aged man approaching and immediately went to greet him. "You must be Lin Yun's father."
"I am..."
As he drew closer and clearly saw Su Qi's face, Xu Qingfeng froze for a long time, lost in thought.
Su Qi touched her face. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Why was he looking at her like that?
"Nothing. Thank you for coming out to meet me."
After a pause, Xu Qingfeng smiled faintly and asked, "What is your name?"
Xu Qingfeng's tone and smile were exactly the same as Xu Lin Chuan's; they were identical. Su Qi could even envision what Xu Lin Chuan would look like in his old age.
Even in middle age, he was gentle, refined, handsome, and gentlemanly.
Moreover, young girls nowadays liked older men, and such an older man would surely be attractive.
"My name is Su Qi. You can call me Xiao Su."
"Is it the 'Su' from 'Su Ji', or the 'Yu' from 'Yu Er'?"
Admittedly, Xu Qingfeng was very good at charming women, subtly and effortlessly.
Su Qi pursed her lips. "The 'Su' from 'Su Ji'."
"A very good surname," Xu Qingfeng nodded faintly, then glanced at the film city ahead. "It's my first time here, and I'm still a bit unfamiliar. Could you please give me a tour?"
"Certainly, that's my job."
Su Qi waved for a sightseeing cart to come over and sat in the second row, leaving the first row for Xu Qingfeng.
Unexpectedly, Xu Qingfeng did not sit in the first row but followed her and sat in the second row, right beside her.
"Mr. Xu..."
Su Qi was speechless, momentarily bewildered.
"I want to sit with you. This way, it will be convenient for us to talk and for you to explain things to me."
Xu Qingfeng looked deeply at Su Qi.
His eyes couldn't move away from Su Qi's face.
Su Qi averted her gaze. "Alright."
She looked too much like her, too much like Xu Ruyun in her youth.
Years ago, Xu Ruyun had been in a car accident that disfigured her. After plastic surgery, although the disfigurement was no longer apparent, her appearance had changed drastically from before.
Many old photographs had been burned by Xu Ruyun.
Perhaps even Xu Ruyun herself could no longer remember what she used to look like.
But Xu Qingfeng clearly remembered. He had loved Xu Ruyun for so many years; how could he forget the face that had made his heart flutter from the very beginning, the face he fell in love with at first sight?
Xu Qingfeng's unwavering attention made Su Qi feel uncomfortable all over.