Chapter 129: Chapter 21 Are You Out of Your Mind? To Offend President Sun?_3
Li Qiu exploded in rage.
Seeing their daughter frightened by his wife, her father hurriedly stepped in to mediate.
"Qi Qi, don’t blame your mother for getting so angry. But tell me, what were you doing downstairs just now?"
So that was what this was about.
"Brother Sun just dropped me off. What’s the big deal?"
"What’s the big deal? He doesn’t even like you, and you’re still shamelessly throwing yourself at him?" Li Qiu retorted. "I’ve introduced you to so many talented young men, but you just had to fall for that divorced guy? Fine. As long as you like him, I won’t say another word. But he already rejected you! Why can’t you wake up and see the truth?
"Why are you still getting involved with him? Don’t you care about your reputation? Do you want to be unmarriageable in the future?"
Her mother’s words stung Si Ruoqi.
Marriage, marriage... that was all her mother ever talked about. If she couldn’t find someone she truly liked, she’d rather stay single forever. Unfortunately, it seemed that wish was not meant to be; her mother would never allow it.
For a moment, she regretted it. Was quitting my job in the big city to return to this small county a mistake? And my mother, yelling with such a booming voice and powerful presence... she doesn’t seem like someone in poor health at all. Could it be that my parents conspired to trick me into coming home with a lie about her health, just to marry me off?
As the pieces fell into place, a wave of exhaustion washed over her. She couldn’t even be bothered to explain herself against her mother’s accusations anymore.
She simply tossed out a sentence, "Think whatever you want," before returning to her room and locking the door.
"Hey... now she’s the one who’s angry," Li Qiu grumbled, her own temper still simmering.
"Honey, can’t you just say a little less?" her husband tried to calm her. "Didn’t we already agree? We have to take our daughter’s marriage one step at a time. Don’t push her too hard. If she runs off again, what will you do?"
"She wouldn’t dare!" Li Qiu said with an air of finality, but her husband could hear the lack of conviction in her voice.
"Alright, both of you need to take a step back. Let’s not keep arguing about what just happened. If you two have a real falling out, what excuse will you use to trick her into coming back next time?"
In truth, he’d had reservations about deceiving their daughter into coming home. But in this family, his opinion didn’t count for much. If it were up to him, he would prefer his daughter to put down roots in the big city and find a life for herself there. What kind of future was there in a small county town, especially for a talented person like his daughter? Once you entered the system, it didn’t matter how capable you were. Without connections, you just had to wait your turn like everyone else. For an ordinary person, it was a stable ’iron rice bowl’ that would provide for them no matter what. But for a talent like his daughter, it was a waste of her potential.
"What about that boy from the Xie family? Weren’t you quite fond of him before? Why are you so angry today?" he asked. He had only put on a stern face earlier to go along with his wife.
He actually thought it would be pretty good if those two could get together. So what if the guy already has a girlfriend? People can break up, can’t they? In this day and age, even married couples get divorced. What’s the big deal about having a girlfriend? He refused to believe his daughter was inferior to anyone else.
"Good for what? They look down on our family, so we won’t try to climb up to their level," his wife snapped back, and understanding dawned on him.
That’s true! How could he forget his own wife’s personality? Hot-tempered and fiercely proud. She had offended plenty of people at her job because of it, and after retiring, not many people wanted to spend time with her. After enthusiastically approaching the Xie family only to be rejected, wasn’t it like offering her own face up to be slapped? It would be a miracle if she still liked that family after that.
"The Xie family didn’t mean it like you think," her husband tried again, hoping to smooth things over.
"If they didn’t mean that, then what did they mean?"
It seemed her prejudice ran deep; he wouldn’t be able to change her mind right away. He gave up, figuring he would have to persuade her slowly over time. This fiery temper of hers... he had endured it his entire life. He just hoped his daughter could get far away from it so she wouldn’t have to suffer for a lifetime as he had.
His hope came true.
「After the New Year.」
His daughter left a letter and disappeared. The letter was rather long, but the main points were:
"Mom and Dad,
"I went to the hospital and found out the truth about you tricking me into coming home. But I don’t blame you. I also hoped I could come home and stay with you forever, to care for you in your old age.
"Unfortunately, I tried. I’ve discovered I can’t do it. I no longer belong here.
"By the time you find this letter, I will already be in Shanghai City. Once I’ve established my career and settled down, I promise I’ll bring you both over to enjoy a comfortable life.
"Your unfilial daughter,
Si Ruoqi."
The two elderly parents stared at the letter, then at each other, speechless.
There was one lie in Si Ruoqi’s letter. When her parents read it, she had not yet arrived in Shanghai City.
She was sitting in Sun Dasheng’s car.
He had originally planned to have a company driver take the car while he took the high-speed train back. But then Sun Dacheng had approached him, saying a few girls wanted to hitch a ride to Shanghai City. The moment Sun Dacheng made his request, Sun Dasheng knew exactly what he was up to.
It had to be that girl he recently started seeing, whispering in his ear and convincing him to do it.
Luckily, the hitchhikers were all women; otherwise, Sun Dasheng would never have agreed.
When it was time to leave, an unexpected person appeared—someone who shouldn’t have been there.
It was Si Ruoqi, carrying her suitcase.
The temperature had risen after the New Year. She wore a light, autumn-style knit shirt under a red jacket. Below, a pair of dark blue skinny jeans hugged her rounded hips perfectly. The tight cuffs of her jeans were tucked into a pair of black boots, giving her a sharp and dashing appearance.
"You’re going back to Shanghai City, too?" Sun Dasheng asked, completely bewildered.