“Jianguo, I don’t think Yanyan is coming back tonight. Why don’t you go back to sleep first? You still have to work tomorrow morning.”
Li Qiuhua comforted him in a gentle voice and personally draped a coat over Su Jianguo’s shoulders.
Hearing her say this made Su Jianguo feel even more agitated.
What did she mean by “not coming back”?
If she didn’t come back, where would she stay?
“You go back to sleep first. Don’t worry about me.”
He really didn’t want to argue with her just because of his own mood.
Li Qiuhua, of course, wouldn’t let such a good opportunity slip by. She leaned gently against him and said, “Then I’ll stay here and keep you company.”
Su Jianguo chose to remain silent.
Feeling the warmth from her husband, Li Qiuhua felt happy and satisfied.
“Jianguo, how long has it been since we’ve been together like this, so quietly?”
Su Jianguo turned his head to see her looking intoxicated and shy, and his brows knitted together like a twisted rope.
Had she lost her mind? It was the middle of the night, their daughter was out with no word on her situation, and she was actually in the mood to flirt with him?
“I am waiting for Yanyan. What are you doing?”
His cold voice carried a hint of detachment.
Li Qiuhua’s dizzy head cleared instantly. Even her breathing tightened, and she hurriedly straightened her posture.
“Jianguo, you misunderstood me. I’m worried about Yanyan too. Why don’t we go out and look for her?”
Only then did Su Jianguo withdraw his sharp gaze, though he had no desire to engage with her further.
Just then, a figure appeared from the night in the distance.
A flash of joy instantly appeared on Su Jianguo’s face, and he hurried forward to meet her.
Li Qiuhua stood alone where she was. Even though there was some distance between them, she knew it was Su Yan.
She hadn’t expected this girl to actually come back so late!
“Yanyan, what on earth were you doing to come back so late?” Seeing that Su Yan was safe and sound, Su Jianguo finally let out some of his frustration, his tone extremely stern.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I was delayed.” Su Yan knew he was only asking out of concern, so she admitted her mistake very obediently.
Most of Su Jianguo’s anger vanished instantly. “Let’s go home first.”
As Su Yan walked beside him, she naturally saw Li Qiuhua standing at the entrance of the alley.
The look Li Qiuhua gave her could hardly be called friendly; all the things she wanted to say but dared not were contained in that suppressed expression.
“Have you eaten?”
Back at home, Su Jianguo’s first words were not of reproach, but of concern.
Li Qiuhua couldn’t help but glance at him, cutting in before Su Yan could speak: “It’s so late, how could she not have eaten yet?”
“I actually haven’t eaten yet.”
Before her words had even faded, Su Yan gave the exact opposite answer.
Li Qiuhua’s face fell flat.
She felt that Su Yan was just deliberately trying to spite her.
Su Jianguo immediately ordered, “Go and make some food for Yanyan.”
Li Qiuhua’s expression was incredibly ugly. “It’s so late, and there’s nothing left from dinner.”
“Then make something simple. Boil a bowl of hot noodles and put two eggs in it.” Su Jianguo knew she was unwilling, but he still gave clear instructions.
Li Qiuhua left for the kitchen in a huff, but she still said to him, “It’s so late, I’ll just take care of Yanyan. You have to work, so go back to your room and sleep.”
“Go boil the noodles.”
Su Jianguo’s mind was entirely on Su Yan; besides, even if he went back to his room, he certainly wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Su Yan watched as Li Qiuhua went to the kitchen, looking reluctant.
“Dad, actually, Li Qiuhua still has feelings for you.”
She suddenly blurted this out, causing Su Jianguo to freeze for a moment.
“Although Li Qiuhua has many faults, she is sincere toward you. You don’t have to put all your focus on me; you should care more about her and Qiangqiang.” Su Yan said this very earnestly.
After all, Qiangqiang was his biological son as well.
“Yanyan, is there something bothering you? If there is, just tell Dad directly.” Su Jianguo’s heart tightened; he truly couldn’t understand the intention behind her words.
Su Yan smiled. “You’re overthinking it.”
Su Jianguo couldn’t read Su Yan’s expression, let alone her heart.
“Yanyan, can you tell Dad what you were actually doing tonight?” Su Jianguo finally asked the question he cared about most.
He was worried that it might be like last time—that she had been bullied by someone.
After hesitating for two seconds, Su Yan said, “I went to do some business.”
Su Jianguo had prepared himself mentally, but upon hearing this answer, he still froze on his chair in shock, unable to recover for a long time.
“Say that again?”
At that moment, he truly doubted if there was something wrong with his ears.
“I went to do some business.” Su Yan repeated it, just as she had said.
Su Jianguo stood up from his chair with a jolt, his eyes wide as copper bells.
He had considered every possibility, but this was not one of them.
“What kind of business could you possibly do?”
Because he was so shocked, he couldn’t control his volume, which rose several times higher.
But the next second, realizing he might wake up Su Mo and Su Qiang, he immediately lowered his voice.
“Yanyan, are you joking with me?”
Su Yan seemed to have anticipated his exaggerated reaction. She continued calmly, “It’s true. But I can’t tell you what kind of business it is yet. However, I can guarantee that it is absolutely not illegal, so please don’t ask me what it is.”
If she said it out loud, it would be more convenient for her to do things in the future.
Otherwise, it was a hassle to have to come up with excuses every time.
A crack appeared on Su Jianguo’s face; he no longer knew how to describe his feelings at this moment.
His daughter’s expression was so serious—it was definitely true.
“Yanyan, if you want money, you can tell Dad. Is it possible that Dad can’t support you?”
His heart ached terribly; he felt like he was suffocating.
In the past, he had no choice but to send her away to be raised a thousand miles away. Even so, he had sent a significant amount of living expenses every month, thinking that at least he could ensure his daughter would not have to worry about money.
It wasn’t until a month before he brought Su Yan back that he learned his only source of peace of mind had been embezzled by Li Qiuhua.
Because he was busy with work, he had left the remittances to Li Qiuhua. Li Qiuhua would show him the remittance slips every month, and he had never been suspicious.
But that day, when Li Qiuhua knew he was preparing to bring Su Yan back and could no longer hide it, she tremblingly told him that for nearly ten years, she hadn’t sent a single cent of living expenses to Su Yan. The portion that should have belonged to Su Yan had been selfishly diverted by her to her own family.
Su Jianguo had never imagined it would be like this. That day, he went mad. He dragged Li Qiuhua to get a divorce, but in the end, Wu Qi and Gu Qingfeng, who had been alerted, came over specifically and spent two whole days trying to talk him out of it. Only then, for the sake of the two children, Su Mo and Su Qiang, did he give up the idea of divorce.
It was precisely because of this incident that Li Qiuhua felt guilty and knew that Su Jianguo would truly divorce her, which was why she had been so tolerant since Su Yan returned.