Seeing the word âDadâ sparkling on her phone, Su Peizhen pressed her lips together.
She hated Su Qingsang, but she now hated Su Chenghui the most, just like Xiang Caiping.
She hated him for switching her with Su Qingsang and failing to keep it a secret.
She also hated him for not speaking up for her in front of Li Qianxue.
What made her hate him the most was the fact that he had given her a princess dream and let it fall apart.
After some hesitation, she answered the call.
âDad.â
âPeizhen, you finally answered my call. Where are you now?â
Su Chenghui had been calling Su Peizhen constantly, but Su Peizhen hadnât answered his calls.
He had called Li Qianxue, but Li Qianxue had accused him of lying to her about Su Penzhen going missing. She said he had done that only to avoid signing the divorce papers.
He wanted to explain, but Li Qianxue had hung up on him. Su Chenghui had never thought that Li Qianxue would treat Su Peizhen so cruelly.
He had no idea that Li Qianxue already knew that Su Peizhen had accepted Xiang Caiping as her mother. Knowing that, she, of course, believed that he was lying.
Now that he had finally made contact with his daughter, Su Chenghui sighed with relief. He said, âPeizhen, where have you been these days? Iâve been looking for you everywhere. Iâm so worried about you.â
âWorried? Iâm an adult. Itâs not like I could get lost. What is there to be worried about?â
Su Peizhen didnât believe Su Chenghui. If he really cared for her, he would try to figure out a way to give her old life back to her.
âHow can you talk to Daddy like that?â
Su Chenghui was frustrated by his daughterâs attitude. His face even paled a little.
Su Peizhen dropped her head. She knew that she shouldnât take that kind of tone with him, but she couldnât convince herself to apologize.
âDad, why are you calling me?â
âI just want to know where youâve been. Peizhen, some things have happened. I hope that...â
âDad, can you make me a member of the family again?â Su Peizhen abruptly said seriously. âCan you make me Momâs daughter again?â
Su Chenghui fell silent. How would that be possible? Judging by the last few conversations heâd had with Li Qianxue via phone, Li Qianxue was strongly against that idea.
She knew that Su Peizhen had gone missing, and she didnât even care. How could she possibly see her as her daughter again?
âPeizhen, Iâve been thinking of you. The funds that youâve received these years plus what the family has bought you are enough for you to live a very good life, even if you will no longer be the daughter of the Su family.
âDaddy will also give you a dowry when you get married. Why do you care so much about whose daughter you are?â
Her old life didnât belong to her. Now she knew the truth, and she should give that life back to whom it belonged.
Su Chenghui had indeed thought ahead for Su Peizhen. As long as she didnât spend money needlessly, what she had would be enough for her to live a comfortable life.
After all, Su Peizhen had used to work with him. She had a lot of funds and stocks under her name. Those would bring her a considerable amount of income each year.
Su Peizhen tittered coldly. In her eyes, family ground meant everything.
âPeizhen?â
âSince you canât give me what I want, I have nothing to say to you.â
âPeizhen!â Su Chenghui was shocked by her attitude. âHow can you talk like that?â
âWhat do you expect me to say?â Su Peizhen snorted. âYou guys donât want me anymore. You threw me out of the house. What can I possibly say?â
âNo one threw you out of the house.â Su Chenghui didnât want Su Peizhen to misunderstand Li Qianxue. âYour mother didnât cast you out of the family. She just...â
âShe just told me that Iâm not her daughter anymore.â
âBut youâre still my daughter.â
âAll right. How about I move back to the family house to live with you?â
Su Chenghui didnât know how to respond to her. He couldnât tell her that Li Qianxue had cast him out as well.
âPeizhen, I have a house in Nanjiang District. Why donât we stay there for now?â
âNo need.â Su Peizhen didnât want to hear that. âI have somewhere to stay. You donât need to worry about that.â
âPeizhen, are you blaming me?â
âNo, I wouldnât dare blame you. I want to thank you, actually. As an illegitimate daughter, I lived like a princess in your family for free for over twenty years.â
Hearing that, Su Chenghui felt uncomfortable. He hadnât expected the daughter whom he had loved for so many years to say something like that.
âPeizhen, Daddy was wrong. But your mother, your grandfather, and I all love you so much. You said yourself that you lived like a princess for over twenty years. Why canât you now accept the truth?â
âI accept it. I do. So, Dad, since Iâm not the princess of the Su family but only an illegitimate daughter, you donât need to worry about me anymore. You can just ignore me like you ignored Su Qingsang and let me take care of myself.â
âSu Peizhen.â
âThatâs it.â
Su Peizhen ended the call. She was still upset when she returned to her apartment.
Xiang Caiping looked more energetic than before. After all, her daughter had come back to her. She had hope again.
There was also the fact that Su Peizhen was now a poor little girl bullied by the Li family. She told herself that she had to stay healthy and strong so she could look after Su Peizhen.
âYouâre home. Dinner is ready.â
Su Peizhen forced a smile the moment she saw Xiang Caiping. She said, âMom, I had something to do, so I came home a little late. You wonât be upset about that, will you?â
âOf course I wonât.â Xiang Caiping held her hands and said, âYou donât have to come home for dinner if youâre busy. You just need to call me and let me know.â
âMom, thank you. Youâre so nice.â
âLetâs eat.â
Xiang Caiping and Su Peizhen sat down. Xiang Caiping had accepted Su Peizhen as her daughter. She decided to be nice to her and try to get along with her, the way she had treated Su Qingsang.
âYou were out there for quite a white. Did you get things done?â
On hearing that, Su Peizhenâs expression instantly became sullen. The look on her face made Xiang Caiping anxious.
âWhatâs wrong? What happened?â
âNothing.â Su Peizhen shook her head. âMom, I tried to find a job today. I was thrown out of the family, so I canât go back and work in the family company. I went out to look for a job, but...â
Su Peizhen didnât finish. She only smiled and said, âNever mind. Letâs just eat, Mom.â
âWhat exactly happened? Tell me.â
âNothing.â Su Peizhen bit her lower lip. In a shaking voice, she said, âI talked to a few companies that Iâve worked with before. They either laughed at me, said that Iâve fallen too low now, or asked me why I left the Li family to look for a job somewhere else. Mom, I really couldnât take that. Thereâs no place for me in the business world of Lin City now, Mom...â
âThat is outrageous.â Xiang Caiping dropped her chopsticks, growing irritated. âPeizhen,â she said, âdonât listen to them. They are just a bunch of snobs. Donât even be angry at them. They are not worth it.â
âI know.â Su Peizhen bit her lip and said bitterly, âI donât care if they laugh at me. Iâm just worried that I might never find a job. After all, I got kicked out of the Li family. Who would want me?â
She was implying that the people who didnât know the whole story might think that the other companies wouldnât want to hire her because sheâd been kicked out of the Li familyâs company.
âThatâs ridiculous.â Xiang Caiping was vexed. âWhat does Li Qianxue want? Is she just throwing her weight around? She has nothing but money!â
âMom, Iâll be fine even if I canât find a job. I can start saving money. But I still want to make some money so I can give you a better life. I...â
Xiang Caiping looked at her, feeling a little sad. She was her daughter, after all. Before, she had lived like a princess, but now, her life had become miserable. No wonder those people treated her the way they did.
âI just feel that I canât stay in Lin City anymore. Iâm just a joke now.â Su Peizhenâs voice was full of bitterness.
âWho thinks of you as a joke?â Xiang Caiping raised her voice. She didnât want to scare Su Peizhen, so she restrained her anger.
âPeizhen, why donât we leave Lin City?â she asked.
She looked at Su Peizhen uncertainly.
âLeave here?â Su Peizhen blinked at her questioningly. âWhere can we go?â
âRong City.â Xiang Caiping already had the answer to that question. âI have a business in Rong City. Iâm not as rich as the Li family, but I have enough to support us. If you donât like working for other people, I can let you manage the two supermarkets that I own. What do you think?â
Su Peizhen looked at Xiang Caiping. In her head, she snorted scornfully. To her, two mere supermarkets were nothing.
However, if she went to Rong City, she would be closer to Su Qingsang.
So she looked at Xiang Caiping with tearful eyes and said, âMom, youâre so nice.â She sounded touched.
âAll right, all right, stop crying. As I said, everything I have is now yours. I just want you to be happy. If youâre happy, Iâm happy.â
âOkay.â Su Peizhen blinked, stopping her tears from falling. She took Xiang Caipingâs arm and said, âMom, donât worry. Iâll take good care of you when I start making money.â
âIâm looking forward to that day.â
Seeing her daughter cheered up, Xiang Caiping sighed with relief.
The atmosphere in Su Peizhenâs apartment was not bad. Meanwhile, in Rong City, the atmosphere at Liu Tongjiaâs place wasnât so good.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Liu Tongjia looked at Liu Lexian a little sullenly and asked, âWhat did you say? Say it again.â
Liu Lexian was a little scared by his auntâs attitude. He even shrank backward a little.
âI-I said that I saw my cousin and his wife in the square. Doesnât he need to work today? Iâm just curious why he didnât go to the office today.â
The information Liu Lexian had provided made Liu Tongjia angry.
âAre you sure it was his wife and not some other woman?â