The words were direct yet polite.
This caused Su Jinhua's expression to darken abruptly, her eyes, once full of calculation, turning exceedingly grim.
Ling Yuhong clenched his fists, feeling deeply insulted.
He didn't believe he was unworthy of Zhu Liyue.
After all, he was a Ling, the young master of the foremost family! In the capital, who didn't show him some respect?
Mother and son’s faces were displeased, only Ling Junmo looked embarrassed.
He had indeed harbored thoughts of his son marrying a young lady from the Zhu family, but he didn't want to be so shamefully humiliated.
If this marriage could not be arranged, then so be it.
With things having reached this point, Su Jinhua naturally had no face to mention it further, though she had already secretly harbored resentment.
She blamed Zhu Yunfei for not speaking up for her; if she had intervened, this marriage would have been a done deal.
She then blamed Zhu Liyue for speaking so mercilessly, looking down on her and her son.
But now, she didn't dare to fall out with them, as the second branch relied on the eldest branch for their livelihood.
Coupled with Gong Zhijing's powerful connections, she dared not provoke them further.
Even though their faces were displeased and their hearts uncomfortable, no one considered their feelings because they were unwelcome in the first place.
The members of the second branch sat there, completely isolated, while the others were in high spirits, filled with laughter and joy.
They had come uninvited today, and now they had no face to stay any longer.
Su Jinhua forced a smile and said, "We have some matters at home, so we'll be leaving now."
With that, she stood up, gave Ling Junmo and her son a look, and prepared to leave with them.
Zhu Yunfei glanced at them and said indifferently, "Oh, safe travels then."
She was too lazy to even offer pleasantries now, fearing that the second branch would take the opportunity to stay, which would be most unwelcome.
Su Jinhua had brought up this matter more than once, and although she had been clearly rejected each time, they still shamelessly clung on.
It was as if others couldn't guess her intentions.
Seeing how she was treated, Su Jinhua's heart seethed with anger once more, but she could only leave with a cold expression.
As soon as they left, the atmosphere in the living room became even more harmonious, as if even the air had become fresher.
Zhu Liyue couldn't help but retort, "What's all this? Do I have to marry his son? What nonsense, it makes me so angry."
"Alright, don't push your luck," Zhu Yunfei chided her, her eyes filled with helplessness.
"Indeed, Yuhong is not worthy of Liyue," the elder Mr. Ling said, filled with disappointment, "He's always engaging in crooked ways, how can he amount to anything!!"
He sighed in exasperation; if Ling Yuhong were a decent person, he would have approved of this marriage.
But he was truly unseemly, having angered even Jiang Shiyou to the point of divorce; why should another girl be thrown into a fiery pit?
"Alright, let's not talk about these vexing matters. Today is Leyou's hundredth-day banquet, everyone should be happy."
Zhu Yunfei was actually somewhat fortunate that her in-laws were reasonable and understood why she had to act this way.
Zhu Yunfei's elder sister-in-law, Weng Qixue, smiled and teased, "If there are any suitable young talents in the capital, please, Yunfei, keep an eye out for them. This girl is over thirty, and her marital status is a cause for concern. Your brother and I are so worried our hair is turning white."
Before Zhu Yunfei could speak, Zhu Liyue was already displeased.
"Mom, stop worrying unnecessarily. I've already said, I'm committed to being single, absolutely no boyfriends, no marriage!"
Weng Qixue's face turned red with anger, and she glared at Zhu Liyue, saying sternly, "What nonsense are you spouting? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at? You're all grown up, yet still so unstable!"
"How am I not stable? What's so good about marriage..."
Seeing that the mother and daughter were about to argue, Zhu Yunfei quickly intervened, "Alright, alright, elder sister-in-law, please don't worry too much. When the time is right, fate will lead the way."
Zhu Liyue remained silent with a cold expression.
After a failed marriage, she had lost all hope in love.
The person who once saw only her in their eyes had, over time, become filled with disappointment.
To say they loved was true love, and to say they didn't love was truly not loving.
If love had an expiration date, then it was better to stop there. She admitted there were exceptions, but she didn't want to gamble on a one-in-ten-million possibility.
At this moment, a servant reported, "Madam, the young madam's father has arrived."
Gong Ye's identity was sensitive, so they dared not address him casually.
Zhu Yunfei quickly said, "Quickly invite our esteemed relative in."
Saying so, she, along with Ling Junye and Ling Yuchen, went out to greet him, while Gong Zhijing, holding her daughter, waited in the living room.
Gong Ye arrived with bags of gifts, having prepared many things.
"Dad!"
Having not seen him for a month, Gong Zhijing inexplicably missed him.
"Ah,"
Gong Ye replied casually, but without even glancing at her, his eyes only for his beloved granddaughter.
"My precious Leyou, Grandpa is here!"
Ling Leyou gazed at him blankly, showing no particular expression.
In the month they hadn't seen each other, the child had grown significantly.
Gong Ye casually handed the gifts to Ling Yuchen, then walked towards Ling Leyou, his eyes unable to hold anyone else.
Everyone greeted him, and he merely nodded slightly, perfunctory to the extreme.
Gong Zhijing handed the child over and said, "Dad, at least look at me! I'm your biological daughter!"
"You're a grown adult in your twenties, what's there to look at? I only dote on my granddaughter."
Gong Ye took the little one and immediately kissed her several times, the stubble on his face causing her little cheeks to pucker. This made everyone laugh heartily.
Looking at her daughter's puckered little face, Gong Zhijing pursed her lips and smiled. It turned out that the arrival of her maternal family truly uplifted her mood.
She observed her father and noticed he had become much darker and thinner, which pained her greatly. She resolved to ensure he ate well to regain his strength.
She said with feigned annoyance, "Dad, didn't you say you weren't on a mission? Why have you lost so much weight and gotten so tanned?"
Gong Ye replied casually, "I wasn't on a mission, I just worked as a coach for a month."
"Alright, so can you rest for a while now!"
"Yes, there's nothing else."
With that, they all sat down on the sofa.
Gong Ye was unfamiliar with the Zhu family relatives, so he simply held his granddaughter and played with her.
The other members of the Zhu family, however, were very curious about him. They had seen his medal ceremonies on television and the internet.
Knowing him to be a great hero, their eyes were filled with awe and admiration.
"Great hero, great hero, I know you, you're a great hero!"
Zhu Ziqing hopped over to Gong Ye, his eyes full of adoration.
Gong Ye smiled and said, "Hello, little friend."
"Thump."
Zhu Ziqing directly performed a deep bow to him, kneeling straight before him.
"Great hero, please take me as your disciple, I want to kill the devils!"
This child had clearly watched too many anti-Japanese war dramas.