At the same time, he watched her grow up, his affection for her increasing. But every time he wanted to cross a line, Su Yue would look at him like this, calling him "Dad" innocently and softly.
"Dad, you scare me when you do that."
Su Yue was too adept at manipulating others to get her way. She knew Su Minghua was not without a conscience and that he valued his status and position. Therefore, she didn't openly resist. Instead, she learned to leverage his affection, climbing step by step. Eventually, she was admitted to the Communication University and received a scholarship. She became active on social media, gained some followers, and occasionally took small advertising jobs for brands, earning enough for her living expenses.
It was around then that her attitude towards Su Minghua began to change. She stopped going home, staying with friends during holidays. When she saw him, she was no longer soft and cute. She deliberately avoided meeting him, and if they did meet, she avoided conversation.
Su Minghua gradually realized that Su Yue, with her wings now hardened, wanted to break free from him.
He was truly angry, but at that time, the organization had arranged for him to work at the grassroots level for two years. Thus, he had to leave Su Yue’s side temporarily, filled with anger and helplessness.
This was also Su Yue's happiest university time.
However, he unexpectedly returned early due to his outstanding work performance. The meeting at the restaurant that night was a welcome banquet hosted by his superior after his return to the capital.
It celebrated his return and congratulated him on his promotion.
But upon seeing Su Yue's hand clasped with Chen Ziming's, Su Minghua's good mood vanished instantly.
Yet, he still maintained his composure and rationality without showing it.
It wasn't until he returned home that his pent-up anger erupted. He devised a plan and told Jiang Ling that he had encountered Su Yue, but she had ignored him and shown him no respect.
He felt very hurt.
Coincidentally, Jiang Ling also wanted Su Yue to come home for a family dinner to celebrate. But knowing Su Yue was unwilling to return, she feigned illness and lured Su Yue back.
After all, in her naive mind, Su Minghua and Su Yue were a father and daughter who should not be so confrontational.
"Su Yue, you're something else, playing me for a fool. Don't you forget, without me, how would you have your current life? How would you have the conditions to attend a foreign language school? To learn piano and dance, participate in debates and play tennis? Now that you've grown up, you want to latch onto someone else, and then discard me like worn-out shoes, is that it?!" He no longer gripped her chin but choked her neck, his voice low, his eyes bloodshot with anger.
Su Yue felt a sense of suffocation but dared not resist. Enduring the pain of near death, she remained silent.
Su Minghua eventually released his grip.
"Thank you, Dad," Su Yue said, gasping for breath as she looked at him.
Even though she was financially independent, she still feared him.
It was a fear rooted deep in her heart since childhood.
She feared he would hurt her, violate her, so she had always tried to appease him, using ways that made him comfortable to evade him.
But this day had finally come.
Ultimately, she was still just a student. If Su Minghua truly wanted to deal with her, she would have no way to resist.
With tears welling up in her eyes, she looked at him, calculating how to speak to make him let her go, at least for now.
Unexpectedly, Su Minghua spoke first: "Do you think Chen Ziming is someone reliable? Have you looked into his family background? Being with him will only lead to you being completely consumed, leaving no bones behind."
Upon hearing Chen Ziming's name, Su Yue felt a pang of pain for a moment, but she didn't show it. Instead, she quickly grasped the deeper meaning behind his words.
When he described someone like this, he was actually describing his own psychology towards that person.
Could it be...
"Are you afraid of him?" she suddenly asked, surprised at her own audacity to speak to him this way.
Su Minghua's expression instantly turned extremely grim.
There was also a hint of embarrassment from being seen through.
The atmosphere was incredibly quiet; one could even hear Jiang Ling cooking.
She was unaware that within the study, the two people whose relationship she believed to be as close as father and daughter were experiencing a hidden undercurrent.