Sun Ling couldn’t muster the words to speak, and her father continued his furious reprimand, "Did you run off to find your aunt and tell her you wanted to call off this marriage? I’ve told you before, I’ve already stopped meddling in your role as a director, but when it comes to your marriage, we must decide for you. It won’t do you any good to discuss it with anyone else!"
Suppressing the feeling of injustice welling up inside, Sun Ling thought of the boss’s words, that at such times, one must not place one’s parents in the position of adversaries but rather show vulnerability.
Thus, Sun Ling chuckled lightly and responded to her father, "Dad, you’re wrongly accusing me. I visited my aunt today purely as a future daughter-in-law visiting her mother-in-law. I’ve thought it over, and since you are so adamant, I have nothing to object to. I was even considering getting engaged to Tianyi sooner so I could move in there, as it is closer to the company. If you don’t believe me, you can ask my aunt if that’s what I told her."
Her father looked at her, somewhat doubtful, "Is everything you said true?"
"You can ask her yourself."
"Then why did she feel distressed and uncomfortable?"
"Perhaps she was upset when I mentioned not wanting children for the time being? We aren’t even engaged yet; isn’t it too early to discuss this? Besides, my aunt started feeling unwell midway through our conversation. After she went back to her room, I stayed at the Qiu Family home for quite a while. If she was really unhappy, would she have allowed me to stay around for that long? Dad, I’m your daughter, why are you siding with outsiders?" At this point, Sun Ling finally began to cry out her grievances.
"Do you know how much effort it took for me to accept your arrangements? And now, to make matters worse, you’re taking Tianyi’s side. Are both families conspiring to bully me?"
Upon seeing this, Sun Ling’s mother hurried over to comfort her daughter, "Xiaoling, don’t cry, let mom handle it."
"Regarding today’s incident, I trust Xiaoling more. We aren’t even engaged yet, and who knows what schemes the Qiu Family is concocting? You are already turning against your own, how cold must our daughter feel?"
"Aunt, that’s not right to say. Haven’t I been completely open and honest with you and my uncle?" Tianyi couldn’t hold back and interjected.
"But you can’t, without any reason, come to our Sun Family and slander my daughter," Sun Ling’s mother snapped back at Tianyi while shielding her daughter.
"Mom, it’s okay, maybe it was my approach that upset her. I’ll visit and apologize next time." After saying this, Sun Ling dejectedly pulled away from her mother’s hands and went to head back to her room, but at that moment, her mother grabbed her, turned to her father, and said,
"Our daughter is already this accommodating, how can you still not believe her? Does our Sun Family have no other choice but this marriage with the Qiu Family? Moreover, if the wife and mother-in-law are at odds, and the husband does not mediate but instead rushes to his wife’s workplace and causes trouble, that clearly shows no respect for our daughter. Can you still tolerate it?"
"Furthermore, we all know Tianyi’s usual behavior is just to please us. Do you really think he is sincerely filial?"
Finally, after listening, Sun Ling’s father no longer pressured her but turned to Tianyi, "You go back for today, and once we clear up this matter, we’ll pay a visit to your mother."
"Fine, for today, out of respect for my uncle and aunt, Sun Ling, if you want to marry into the Qiu Family, you must be filial to my mother."
"Mom, you see, even in the Sun Family, he dares to command and trample on me right in front of you," Sun Ling said before running back to her room, feeling deeply aggrieved.