Chapter 171: A Change in Attitude?

Su Jianguo naturally refused to let Su Yan sleep in the living room; if anyone was going to sleep there, it should have been him.

But in the end, he was swayed by a single sentence from Su Yan.

"If you sleep in the living room, Li Qiuhua will definitely get up to look for you tonight. It's more secure if I sleep out here."

Su Jianguo understood Li Qiuhua, and he knew that Su Yan's concern was valid.

After the father and daughter reached an agreement, Su Yan grabbed a random blanket and lay down on the long bench in the living room.

The weather was still hot, so there was no need to worry about the night being cold.

Sure enough, not long after Su Yan lay down, the door to the east room opened, and Li Qiuhua crept out.

Neither the room nor the living room was lit, making her movements exceptionally inconvenient.

"Auntie Qiuhua, aren't you feeling unwell? Why are you up so early?"

Su Yan's voice in the darkness nearly caused Li Qiuhua to scream in fright.

Realizing she was lying in the living room, Li Qiuhua felt completely unsettled.

This little brat was blind to begin with, so the darkness didn't affect her much, but her hearing was indeed excellent.

"Can't I just go to the latrine?" she retorted irritably.

"Of course you can." After Su Yan spoke, the living room returned to silence.

"Where is your father?" Li Qiuhua hadn't expected Su Jianguo not to return to his room; she had come out specifically to look for him.

Su Yan replied indifferently, "My dad is sleeping in my room tonight."

Li Qiuhua's heart skipped a beat, and she grew anxious. "I'll go call him!"

But before she could take a step, Su Yan's voice stopped her. "Have you thought about how you're going to convince my dad? Are you sure it's right to go to him now?"

Li Qiuhua's breath hitched, and her expression darkened significantly.

"Su Yan, what exactly do you want? Do you have to watch me divorce your father before you'll let this go?"

She was furious, but she didn't dare raise her voice too much, fearing that Su Jianguo might hear the argument.

Su Yan slowly sat up from the bench.

The room was very dark, so Li Qiuhua couldn't see her expression at all.

But she must be feeling very smug right now.

"Auntie Qiuhua, you've truly misunderstood me. I never intended to force you to divorce my father. After all, you've been the one taking care of him all these years, and my dad said he still has feelings for you."

Su Yan's sudden change in attitude was something Li Qiuhua hadn't anticipated.

"Your father really said that?"

At this moment, Li Qiuhua felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She had sacrificed thirteen years for this family; as long as Su Jianguo had her in his heart, that was enough.

"Yes, I have no reason to lie about something like this," Su Yan said, her tone very serious.

Li Qiuhua's eyes flickered incessantly.

Indeed, this little brat seemed desperate to sabotage their relationship.

"Since you know how your father feels, then stop trying to drive a wedge between us!"

"Auntie Qiuhua, what you're saying makes me very sad. I have never tried to drive a wedge. Think about it carefully—from the moment I came back until now, when was it not you two who provoked me first? I've been away from my father for so many years; he could live just fine without me. Now, it's my father who can't do without me. How can you not understand such a simple truth?"

At this moment, Su Yan was not only extremely patient but also very reasonable.

Li Qiuhua wanted to argue, but her mouth opened without making a sound.

"To put it simply, I also hope our family can live in peace," Su Yan stated her position.

"But your father is now..."

"Do you really not understand why my father keeps insisting on divorcing you? Do you truly think it's because of me?" Su Yan interrupted her forcefully, following up with one question after another.

"Then what else?" Wasn't it obvious?

"Auntie Qiuhua, why are you so foolish? If it really were because of me, would there have been any need to drag it out until now? I am merely my father's excuse." Su Yan ended with a helpless sigh.

The more Li Qiuhua listened, the more confused she became. "Can you please explain more clearly?"

This girl was talking in circles; what exactly was she trying to say?

"Fine, for the sake of this family, I'll tell you. The reason my father wants to divorce you is because you gave all of his money to someone else!"

Su Yan's words sent a shock through Li Qiuhua's heart, leaving her momentarily breathless.

"What man could endure his wife giving all their money away? That was his life savings! But you did exactly that, and now the family can barely make ends meet. My father even had to borrow money from outside to save Su Mo—isn't that humiliating? Isn't he angry?"

Su Yan's pace was not fast, allowing Li Qiuhua to hear every word clearly, and even giving her room to react.

Li Qiuhua panicked; this was clearly the one thing she least wanted to hear.

"My father has been making a fuss about divorce, yet he hasn't actually divorced you. Isn't it obvious he's using divorce as a warning to make you hurry up and get the family money back? Think about it yourself—isn't that the logic?" A contemptuous curve curled the corner of Su Yan's mouth.

Li Qiuhua felt her head buzzing; she found herself unable to refute it.

"Did... did your father tell you all this?"

"I went out to dinner with my dad tonight, and he was truly furious." Su Yan didn't answer directly, but she had already given Li Qiuhua her answer.

Li Qiuhua's expression shifted repeatedly as she finally understood all of Su Jianguo's recent abnormal behavior.

Before this, she had been unable to bear the pressure and had even talked to her close friend, Zhang Jinfeng from the front courtyard.

At the time, Zhang Jinfeng had mentioned something similar, but she had simply felt that Su Jianguo wasn't a man who placed much importance on wealth, so she hadn't taken it to heart.

It turned out that she was the one who had been naive all along.

"But that money was given to... my maternal family, and it's all been spent."

Her guilty voice carried a trace of anxious trembling.

Su Yan sneered, but her voice grew even more gentle in the darkness.

"Even if your maternal family spent all that money, knowing your current situation, they should have thought of a way to help. Even if it's impossible to pay it all back, even a portion would suffice to slightly appease my father's anger."

Li Qiuhua wanted to say more, but Su Yan yawned.

"I've said everything that needs to be said. If you truly intend to continue living with my father, then resolve the money issue quickly. Don't exhaust the last bit of my father's patience. When that happens, neither Su Mo nor Su Qiang will be able to help you."

Li Qiuhua returned to her room in a state of total confusion, Su Yan's words constantly echoing in her ears, making her heart tremble with fear.

If that money had truly been given to her maternal family, it would have been easy enough to deal with, but it had been given to *that* person who could not be seen in the light.

Now, she truly regretted it to her core; she shouldn't have made such an impulsive choice due to a moment of soft-heartedness.

This was something she couldn't discuss with her daughter, otherwise, she would surely be cursed to death. Now, her only option was to see that person again and have him find a way.

(End of Chapter)