Though Su Peizhen had spoken in a broken voice, she had made her points quite clearly.
With a bittersweet smile on his face, Su Chenghui realized that even his daughter knew just how much Li Qianxue loved him. He knew it, too. But he had taken advantage of her love and squandered it away. When he’d finally spent every last bit of her affection, she left him.
“Dad, please promise me. I’m begging you. I don’t want to be anyone else’s daughter. I will only acknowledge Li Qianxue as my mom. I have lived with her for over twenty years. I know she loves me, and I know that you love me.”
“I messed up before, but you are my parents. Can’t you forgive me? Please—I am begging you. I promise I will be obedient. I promise I will never make you angry. Please, dad, talk to mom. Please. If you talk to her, she will listen. I know that!”
Su Peizhen pleaded with him emotionally, eyes brimming with tears. It touched Su Chenghui’s heart, and he felt for her.
However, this would have no impact on his resolve.
He had made many mistakes, and he was determined to not continue to make them.
Su Chenghui reached out to pull Su Peizhen up from the ground. She held onto his legs so tightly that he couldn’t loosen her grip.
Finally, he steeled himself and pulled Su Peizhen up with force, making her stand straight.
“Peizhen, calm down and listen to me.”
“No. No, I won’t listen to you. I won’t believe anything you say. I won’t believe you.”
Liars. All of them were liars, she thought.
All of these were lies to her.
“Dad, I thought you loved me the most. If you loved me so much, how could you have done this to me? I don’t want to be an illegitimate daughter.”
Su Chenghui’s face went grim. Of course, he loved Su Peizhen more than anyone, but at the same time, he never thought she’d react so emotionally.
And the reason she was so upset was that she didn’t want to become an illegitimate daughter?
“Su Peizhen,” Su Chenghui said in a cold tone, “You can’t argue with me in this matter.”
“Dad?” Su Peizhen looked at him questioningly, unwilling to accept what he had said.
“There’s no use in refusing to accept this.” Su Chenghui sighed deeply. “In the past, I failed Qianxue, and I failed Qingsang.”
“I made mistakes in the past. I will not continue making them now.”
Especially now, he was realizing what mattered most to him.
Su Peizhen kept shaking her head, refusing to accept the news. She abruptly shoved Su Chenghui, who could help but take a few steps back in surprise.
“I don’t accept it. I don’t accept it now, and I won’t accept it in the future. I will never accept it.”
She stepped backward, turned, and ran out of the door.
Su Chenghui hadn’t expected Su Peizhen to push him and was left a bit shaken.
By the time he recovered, Su Peizhen had already gone. Anxious, he hurried out of the room to find her.
…
Downstairs, Su Qingsang recognized almost all of the guests.
It was mostly relatives and friends of the Li family and the Su family, and although Su Qingsang had met some of them, most of them, she had only heard about.
Great-uncle Li had two sons and one daughter. Great-aunt had two daughters and one son. All of them were senior members of the family.
Great-uncle Li’s grandchildren and great-aunt’s grandchildren, however, were her peers—about the same in age.
There was not much to say to the seniors. She greeted them and accepted their getting-to-know-you gifts.
It didn’t matter that some relatives didn’t bring gifts. Most of them relied on the Li Family for a living, so they expressed that they would send their gifts later.
Of course, the important thing that day was not the gifts, but the acknowledgment and acceptance of Su Qingsang.
With Li Qianxue and Old Master Li standing beside her, Su Qingsang would now become the lady of the Su family. No one would look down on her anymore.
After Su Qingsang’s official acknowledgment, the seniors gathered together to talk amongst themselves, while the junior members of the family crowded around Su Qingsang, trying to speak to her.
Among them were two granddaughters of great-uncle Li and one granddaughter of great-aunt.
They had always had a pretty good relationship with Li Qianxue. Though they never bullied Su Qingsang, they used to get along well with Su Peizhen, teasing her and laughing with her.
Now, Su Qingsang’s identity had changed. They knew that they’d never treated her with much respect in the past, so they took this gathering as an opportunity to make it up to her.
“Qingsang,” said Li Yishan, the third granddaughter of great-uncle Li. She was the one who had always looked down on Su Qingsang the most.
“Uh, look, I’m not one for words. If I ever offended you in any way, I hope you didn’t take it to heart.”
“Take it to heart?” Su Qingsang smiled confidently, looking unbothered. “That was nothing.”
“I knew you were easygoing and forgiving,” said Li Yishan, smiling at the two people standing beside her.
Li Zhirong, who used to belittle Su Qingsang, agreed. “Yes, just by looking at Su Qingsang, we know that she is a generous person.”
“Qingsang.” Bai Zhenlan was the granddaughter of great-aunt. As the youngest member of the family, she was always the favorite.
She could see that her own family was not as powerful as the Li Family, so she took on a kind and submissive approach.
“Qingsang, what kinds of things do you like to do? Maybe we can join you next time.”
Su Qingsang had been smiling for the whole day. Her smile became stiff. “I usually don’t have much time for fun. There’s a lot of work to do at the hospital, so I am quite busy during the day.”
“Of course. Qingsang is a doctor. You are amazing,” said Bai Zhenlan.
Bai Yirou, another of Bai Zhenlan’s sisters, opened her mouth. “Next time, if we want to go to your hospital for a physical examination, can you help us make a reservation in advance?”
Su Qingsang had no idea how to answer that question. “I no longer work at First Hospital of Lin City. So I don’t have that kind of access anymore.”
“You aren’t practicing anymore?” Li Yishan looked at Su Qingsang and said, “Is it because you plan to work for Li Group?”
As she asked this, the rest of them looked at each other curiously, waiting for Su Qingsang’s answer.
If she ended up working for Li Group, it would be easier to cooperate in the future. It was vital information for both families.
“No.” Su Qingsang was flabbergasted. “I might go to Rong City.”
Hearing this, they remembered that Su Qingsang’s husband was the president of Tianyu Group, which had its headquarters in Rong City.
“Qingsang, you are so lucky.” Another granddaughter of great-aunt couldn’t help joining in. “I heard Tianyu Group is one of the best companies in the nation.”
“And the most important thing is that President Huo is very fond of you.”
The next person to interject was Li Zhirong. She was proud to have been at a party that President Huo Jinyao had attended.
In all honesty, she envied Su Qingsang’s good fortune—she was married to the president of Tianyu Group, after all. And now, she was becoming the lady of the Su Family.
The rest of them began flattering and complimenting Su Qingsang as well.
Su Qingsang was not used to conversations like these, and quickly became uncomfortable. Just as she was looking for an excuse to leave, Su Peizhen showed up in the door to the living room.
The first thing that Su Peizhen saw when she entered the living room was all the cousins who used to hang out with her, clustered around Su Qingsang.
She could see their ingratiating faces even from outside the crowd.
These people, who had acted completely differently not long ago, had suddenly become different people.
All this, just because Su Qingsang was named the lady of the Su Family? Just because Su Qingsang now had a better identity?
But that identity belonged to her! Su Peizhen thought.
Any rationality that Su Peizhen had left was gone the moment she witnessed the scene in front of her.
She allowed impulse to get the best of her. Ignoring Su Qingsang, she dashed through the crowd and marched up to Li Qianxue.
Li Qianxue had been busy discussing company business with two of her cousins.
Since she had decided to divorce Su Chenghui, she had to make sure she was fully prepared.
Su Chenghui might not continue to work at Li Group after the divorce. Even if he preferred to stay, Li Qianxue didn’t want him there anymore.
She felt disgusted even at the thought of Su Chenghui staying. However, after thinking it over, she realized that if Su Chenghui left, she would have to hire new staff to replace him.
It was in the midst of this heated discussion, that a familiar voice interrupted her sentence.
“Mom.”
Li Qianxue turned and saw Su Peizhen’s pale face. It was obvious that she had been crying. Li Qianxue’s face turned serious.
“Peizhen. Why are you down here? Did you get some rest?”
There were two layers of meaning behind her words: First, did Su Chenghui tell you the truth? Secondly, if you know the truth, why did you still show up here?
“I don’t need rest.” Su Peizhen was a smart girl, but her quick-wittedness was clouded by her emotions.
She felt so much anger and pain at her loss of identity, that she could no longer keep her wits about her.
“Mom, did dad lie to me? I am your daughter, right?”
There was a desperate note in her voice. She’d known Li Qianxue as her mother for over twenty years.
Looking at her, Li Qianxue felt a stab in her heart.
Her hatred towards Su Chenghui was rapidly growing, but she remained calm. “You are a daughter of the Su Family; that will never change. Don’t worry.”
It was the only thing she could give Su Peizhen.
Su Peizhen was still a daughter of the Su Family. She was willing to allow her that dignity considering she had raised Su Peizhen for over twenty years.
But the facts were facts. Su Peizhen was not her daughter, and Li Qianxue would not allow her to have what didn’t belong to her.
Li Qianxue didn’t think she was being harsh. In fact, she couldn’t help but remember that Su Qingsang was the one who had been mistreated for many years.
On the flip side, Su Peizhen had enjoyed many benefits and advantages from being the lady of the Su Family, while in actuality, she was the daughter of Xiang Caiping.
At the thought of this, Li Qianxue knew she couldn’t be soft on Peizhen.
When it came to Su Chenghui, she chose to divorce him and fight back. Facing Su Peizhen, though, she wanted to do her a favor.
“It’s different.” Su Peizhen quickly realized what Li Qianxue had meant. “Mom, it’s different.”
Looking at Li Qianxue, Su Peizhen grabbed her arm imploringly. “Mom, I don’t want to just be a daughter of the Su Family. I want to be your daughter. You have cared for me for over twenty years, haven’t you?”
Did the past mean nothing to her? Su Peizhen thought.
