Su Manning saw the scene upstairs, realizing that the situation was escalating and might end on a bad note, so she called Song Zhike, hoping he could come and calm things down.

When Song Zhike received the call, he was less than a kilometer away from the Su Family, inspecting a project. Learning that Su Zhenxiong and Shi Aoju were clashing over Su Jiuyi, he immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed to the Su Family home.

He arrived five minutes later, finding Shi Aoju and Su Jiuyi about to leave, while Su Zhenxiong sat silently on the sofa, smoking.

Song Zhike first greeted Su Zhenxiong, then gave Shi Aoju a look, signaling him to take Su Jiuyi away and leave the situation for him to handle.

"If you step out of this door, never come back." Su Zhenxiong said, without raising his head.

He was wary of Shi Aoju due to the disparity in power, but this was his family matter, and there were things he had to say upfront. As the saying goes, raising a tiger invites harm, and sure enough, his daughter, whom he had watched grow up, would rather choose to leave with an outsider than stay in this home where she had lived for over twenty years.

"Alright." Su Jiuyi turned back to look at him and said, "Just as you wish, father."

She emphasized the word "father" heavily because she knew this might be the last time she would call him that. Once she stepped over this threshold and left the Su Family, she would never find a reason to return.

She refused to humble herself and wouldn’t lower the dignity she was proud of, so her departure might be forever, even if eventually she was left all alone. She would not live in this place filled with intrigue, even if her most beloved father resided here.

"Remember what you said today. If you leave, don’t come back." Su Zhenxiong suddenly stubbed out his cigarette, raised his eyes to Su Jiuyi, his muddled eyes bloodshot, visibly aged as if overnight by ten years.

"I remember." Su Jiuyi said indifferently, "Every word you’ve said since my childhood is etched in my heart, including now. You may see me as unfilial, for I have indeed done nothing for this family. Thank you for your upbringing. If one day you grow old and require care, I won’t ignore you. I still remember what mom used to say: ’stay true to your original intention, to the end.’"

Having said this, she took Shi Aoju’s arm, forcing back the tears that welled up in her eyes.

"Let’s go." Her voice quivered slightly, yet she was striving to conceal it, to hide her vulnerable side.

Afraid she might cry, she kept biting her lower lip so hard that even as it broke, she felt no pain.

Shi Aoju gazed deeply at her, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "Don’t worry, I am here."

He took her hand, gripping it tightly; the warmth from his palm seeped into her blood, warming her entire body.

Su Jiuyi looked up at him and nodded firmly, "Okay."

Watching the two leave the hall one after the other, Su Zhenxiong’s gaze slowly turned profound, tinged with a trace of heartbreak.

He withdrew his gaze, exchanged a few distracted words with Song Zhike, then stood and trudged heavily, step by step, up the stairs.

——

Off-topic:

Xi Yan’s new book has been released.

Title: "Wicked Husband, Hold Me!"

Everyone, search for Xi Yan or the title of the new book to find it.

Please collect and comment!