"A done deal?"
Hearing his daughter use this phrase, Su Qishan's face turned pale with shock.
He couldn't help but think of "cooking the rice" – the implication of a relationship having gone too far.
Had Su Yuyan gone to a hotel with Zhou Yu before returning home?
Recalling his daughter's demeanor when she left, Su Qishan's heart sank to the bottom.
Even if nothing happened at that specific moment, it was highly likely the two had known each other for a long time.
Let's speculate further.
Perhaps Zhou Yu and Su Yuyan had already tasted forbidden fruit, and the scene that unfolded earlier was staged.
The prize pig had already defiled his prized cabbage!
If that were the case,
Then the planned marriage alliance between the Su family and the Zhang family would surely be called off.
The moment he thought of the hope of joining the ranks of top families being dashed, Su Qishan's gaze towards his daughter turned to extreme anger.
"Ungrateful daughter! Marriage has always been decided by parents and matchmakers. As the eldest daughter of the Su family, how can you possibly make your own decisions?"
Unable to contain his fury, he picked up another teacup from the table, intending to smash it at Su Yuyan.
Zhou Yu was about to intervene.
But to his surprise, Zhang Rufeng was a step ahead.
"Master, you mustn't! If you injure Yuyan, the Zhang family will not accept a disfigured daughter-in-law."
Hearing Zhang Rufeng's words, Zhou Yu silently shook his head.
It seemed he had overestimated the conscience of Su Qishan and his wife.
In their eyes, Su Yuyan was merely a commodity to be traded.
As the stepmother, Zhang Rufeng's words were understandable.
But Su Qishan, he hadn't expected his own daughter to be viewed in such a manner.
"It's truly remarkable that she grew up in this environment and still possesses such a determined and fierce spirit."
Zhou Yu thought to himself.
He couldn't help but admire Su Yuyan.
Everyone says proximity to vermilion makes one red, and proximity to ink makes one black; a child's upbringing shapes their future character. But this saying seemed completely inapplicable to Su Yuyan.
To escape the fate imposed upon her by her family, she had even gone to the civil affairs bureau to register her marriage with him. Zhou Yu felt she was an exceptional young woman.
If he didn't have seven marriage certificates weighing him down,
He might have genuinely considered dating Su Yuyan.
Bang!
With nowhere to place the teacup in his hand, Su Qishan smashed it onto the ground again.
Tea water splashed all over the floor.
"I'm so angry, I'm simply furious!"
Su Qishan sat on his chair, his chest heaving.
While helping her husband calm down, Zhang Rufeng said to Zhou Yu, "Zhou Yu, no matter how many marriage certificates you and Yuyan have, our Su family will not acknowledge them!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Zhou Yu chuckled.
Since it had come to this, he had no reason to hold back anymore.
"But that piece of paper is officially recognized by the Dragon Country. What use is it if your Su family doesn't acknowledge it?"
The Su family was merely a second-rate family.
They didn't have the standing to question a document certified by the Dragon Country's authorities.
Zhang Rufeng's final statement was both ignorant and lacked any real authority.
At this moment.
Su Yuyan, tears streaming down her face, implored meekly, "Auntie Fen, I beg you, please persuade my father to agree to me being with Zhou Yu."
She understood now.
In this family, she was nothing more than an expendable commodity.
When the Su family needed her, she was their esteemed eldest daughter, destined for a marriage alliance with the Zhang family.
When the Su family no longer needed her, she was worthless.
She couldn't have her own thoughts, couldn't decide who her partner would be, and certainly couldn't control her own destiny.
At this moment, Su Yuyan felt she would have been better off as the daughter of an ordinary family.
At least then, she would have had control over her own life.
Born into the Su family, she couldn't even receive the most basic respect as a human being.
Her stepmother's words made Su Yuyan realize that her father, Su Qishan, didn't see her as a daughter, but as a pawn for the family's prosperity!
Yet, she still wanted to believe in this family one last time.
After all, her grandfather was here.
"Yuyan, don't beg me. Auntie Fen wants to beg you. Can you divorce Zhou Yu and marry Zhang Shaohua?" Zhang Rufeng retorted.
The idea of the marriage alliance between the Su and Zhang families had originally been proposed by her to her husband, Su Qishan.
And now,
Su Yuyan was actually asking her to proactively change the proposal.
Wasn't that a fool's dream?
"Daughter, my good daughter, your father is begging you this once. Break off your relationship with Zhou Yu and marry into the Zhang family, will you? The future of the Su family cannot do without you!" Su Qishan pleaded.
Since the forceful approach didn't work, he had to resort to a softer one.
Witnessing all these events unfold, Zhou Yu gained a new understanding of the Su family in Yunhai.
Su Qishan and his wife were practically possessed.
Pitiful, truly pitiful.
But Zhou Yu remained silent, simply waiting.
Waiting for Su Yuyan to make her final decision.
"Wuwuwu..."
Su Yuyan sobbed heartbrokenly, cradling her head, tears falling drop by drop onto the floor.
She couldn't imagine.
That the home she had lived in for over twenty years could be like this.
"I am Su Yuyan, the eldest daughter of the Su family in Yunhai. But ultimately, I am just a bargaining chip you use to exchange for resources, no different from a commodity."
"Dad, in your eyes, is your daughter's happiness so insignificant?"
"Auntie Fen, ever since you entered this family, I've respected and revered you. But why do you also treat me like an object?"
"Am I not even considered human in your eyes?"
"Hehehe—"
Su Yuyan raised her head.
She wiped the tears from her eyes with her fair, slender hands.
Then, she looked calmly at her father and stepmother.
But from their eyes, she received an answer that was both heartless and definitive.
Suddenly.
She abruptly pulled a dagger from her pants pocket.
"Yuyan!"
Even Zhou Yu was startled by Su Yuyan's sudden action.
"No, don't!"
Su Qishan and Zhang Rufeng were also stunned.
But their concern was still for the marriage alliance between the Su and Zhang families.
After all, without Su Yuyan, nothing could proceed.
"Zhou Yu, thank you. You've made me realize that in this family, I'm merely a commodity."
Su Yuyan pressed the dagger to her throat, looking at Zhou Yu with a tragic expression.
Then, she tilted her head slightly, looking at Su Qishan and Zhang Rufeng.
"I'll say it one last time: I voluntarily took Zhou Yu to get the marriage certificate. He did not deceive me."
"You might think I'm just a frail girl, and without the Su family, I'm nothing."
"Therefore, you can manipulate and control me as you wish. But this time, I want to tell you, I, Su Yuyan, am definitely not a commodity, nor will I be your bargaining chip for exchanging resources."
"If you continue to force me, then I have no choice but to die!"
With that said.
Su Yuyan held the dagger aloft, her gaze resolute.
Zhou Yu knew that this girl was truly capable of going through with it.
But he also knew that Su Yuyan wouldn't give up any opportunity for freedom until the last resort.