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"Him?" Ye Mei sneered with contempt, "He's nothing but a spineless wimp. Although nominally the head of the Wu Family, in reality, all the major decisions are made by the Wu family's matriarch, and the minor ones by his wife, Liang Jing."
When speaking of her father Wu Jinjun, a deep resentment surged within Ye Mei, which was hardly surprising. Anyone in her position would probably feel the same.
However, Su Chen wasn't surprised. The cutthroat rivalry, treachery, and coldness of human relationships within a large family were beyond the imagination of outsiders.
"Then why didn't you and your mother leave?" Su Chen asked curiously.
"At first, my mother couldn't bear to leave Wu Jinjun, she still had feelings for him; after all, he was her first love. But by the time she started to give up on Wu Jinjun, the situation changed."
"One day four years ago, several people arrived at the Wu Family compound. Among them, a young man with an exceptionally noble presence took the lead. I later found out that they were from the Situ Family of Yanjing, and the leader was their third son. He took an interest in me and proposed to the Wu Family that very day."
"For the Wu Family, the Situ Family of Yandu was an aspirational match, one they could only dream of. Of course, they jumped at the chance to become in-laws with them and immediately agreed. Later, when the Wu family matriarch personally discussed the matter with my mother and me, I vehemently opposed it and even threatened to take my own life."
"The matriarch didn't expect my stance to be so resolute, so she had no choice but to temporarily shelve the matter. I knew they wouldn't give up easily, so I immediately left the Wu house."
"They just let you go? Without trying to stop you?" Su Chen asked again, knowing those large families were never so benevolent.
"I was also puzzled at the time, thinking they had let their guard down, but I later learned they had already prepared a countermeasure. Just as I was about to board a plane to a place the Wu Family couldn't find me, they stopped me at the airport. They threatened me with my mother's wellbeing, saying if I dared to leave Jianghai, she would suffer! So I had no choice but to stay in Jianghai and struggle on."
Su Chen thought to himself that as a woman, Ye Mei's choice of path was likely mostly motivated by the desire to gain power to protect herself and her mother.
"Not only that, they also gave me a deadline. I must marry into the Situ Family before my twenty-fifth birthday. And now, half a year from now, I'll be twenty-five. By then, the third son of the Situ Family will also have returned from studying abroad."
Ye Mei continued,
"The Wu Family pressured me on one side while they began to work on my mother on the other. Everyone in the Wu Family softened their attitude towards my mother, even the Wu family matriarch often sought heart-to-heart talks with her, telling her about the benefits of marrying into the Situ Family. Even Liang Jing, Wu Jinjun's wife, started acting sisterly towards my mother. Wu Jinjun, shameless as he is, even brought up old affections with my mother again!"
"But I know it's all for their own benefit. The Wu family matriarch and Wu Jinjun are like that, and so is Liang Jing. She cares only because her son, Wu Yuanpin, is the favorite of the old matriarch and is most likely to become the Wu Family heir!"
Mention of the Situ Family brought a profound sense of powerlessness to Ye Mei's heart. She wasn't confident dealing with the Wu Family, let alone taking on the Situ Family of Yandu, whose strength was many times greater.
"By then, we'll just have to take it one step at a time. If there's really no other way, I'll have to flee to some remote country."
Ye Mei sighed deeply. Opposing the Situ Family was something she couldn't even dare to think about!
"Don't worry, with me here, everything will be fine."
Su Chen thought to himself: The Situ Family? The death of my parents probably couldn't have happened without your involvement!
If that's the case, then let's have you be the first to taste my blade!
"Okay, I believe you!"
Ye Mei smiled, thinking that Su Chen was merely trying to comfort her, after all, the Situ Family was one of the top few families in Huaxia!
Su Chen could see Ye Mei's disbelief, but he didn't say much. He simply smiled and continued driving the BMW towards her residence.
"I'm here."
When they reached a high-end apartment complex, Ye Mei spoke up.
Su Chen parked the car, and Ye Mei got out. Then she walked over to Su Chen's side and tapped on the window:
"What's the matter, not coming up for a bit? Want to go for a cup of coffee?"
"Better not, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave once I go up."
Alone with a woman at night in a room, Su Chen wasn't sure he could endure it, especially since he had just recently admired her explosive figure.
That burning passion was still lingering within Su Chen's body!