"He cooks for you?"
"Of course. Is that wrong?" Lily asked Isaac. If the old man wanted to embarrass her by doing this, then he is has miscalculated. She beamed at Demi. "I don't have the time nor the energy to do that."
"Oh… " Demi nodded awkwardly. Why does it seem that Lily is proud that she does not know how to cook? She lowered her head and put her attention back on the cake.
"Well… I guess we can't have it all." Samantha spoke after being silent this whole time. "Miss Lily is smart, rich, and a very good businesswoman. Aside from this, she is very beautiful too. No one is really perfect. Right?"
"Cooking is one of the most important things that a wife should learn." Adrian scowled. "Isn't that why you went to cooking lessons just a few days back?"
"We are all different." Samantha met her fiance's eyes. "What suits me might not suit Miss Lily."
"Well… you have a point." While Isaac did not like that Samantha siding with Lily, he chose to let go of his irritation and continue trying to make Lily uncomfortable, hoping that this will reveal the kind of woman that she was inside. "But I firmly believe that wives should serve their husbands. This might be because I was born at a different time. But in my personal opinion, wives should be there for their family. They should support their husbands and take care of their kids." He gave Zhou Jingren a meaningful eye. Hoping that he would understand his concerns. "Marriage is not a game. It requires cooperation, understanding, and compassion. And this will only happen if the husband and wife would act their role."
"Wrong." Zhou Jingren's words brought everyone's attention towards him. "A wife and a husband are of equal footing. She does not need to stand behind her man feeding his ego and feeding his babies. She stands next to him. Holding his hand as they walked together in this world." Lily immediately smiled at her husband's words. She lifted her chin, a tinge of pride swirled in her orbs. Hearing him say things like this always makes her happy.
"Men exist to lead." Isaac rebutted. "We exist to support and lead a family. This is supported by our cultural norms and tradition. We have seen men lead throughout history while women… easily submit to conquerors. This has been proven in our history." He shifted his gaze towards Lily. "No matter how strong a woman is, he still needs to submit to her husband and let him lead the marriage."
Everyone including Lily nodded at his words. "Because of this, I believe that the perfect woman should submit to her husband and act as his support. I think that women who work so hard to prove that they are equal to men are moronic."
"Do you think women only work to prove that they are equal to men?" Lily's words were crisp and sharp. Don't get her wrong. She does not hate the old man's opinions. These beliefs are his, and this has nothing to do with Lily or Zhou Jingren. However, this does not mean that she agrees to his misogynistic words.
"Isn't that why women work so hard in the business world?" Thomas fired back. "Isn't that why they do all underhanded means just to succeed and prove that they are worthy of their current position?"
"So when… a woman does everything to close a deal, it is called underhanded but when men do it… it's called being wise?" Lily gave a mocking laugh. "You are making me laugh, Mr. Lee." She pursed her lips. "Both men and women have the right to do whatever they want. Men are not just money makers, they can cook, wash the dishes and they can cry whenever they want to. Women are also capable of doing some things that men can do. Why limit ourselves to the norms and culture? This belief only cut someone's potential to explore the other side of themselves."
She met Thomas' eyes before staring at Isaac's face. "We don't need to live by the standards set by misogynistic men. The women that you call moronic are doing their best to succeed, not because they wanted to prove that they can also do what men can. We do it for ourselves. Not for other people. Not all women wanted to ride a man's white horse and live in a palace. Not all women wanted to wear glass shoes to attract a prince."
Her gaze darted towards Demi. "We are independent creatures capable of thinking and doing what we want. We are strong, talented and our potential is endless. While I am lucky that I have the opportunity to grow to where I am now, most women are unlike me. And I cannot do anything to change their views." Lily shrugged. "I am not some powerful human capable of changing one's opinions. However… I can assure you that those moronic women that you are talking about are not the type that needs saving. They save themselves and get their own sh*t handled like a true boss."
"Hah! I was already expecting such words from you." Isaac beamed. "You speak as if you hate marrying my grandson. I hope that is not true."
"Marrying him?" Lily looked at Zhou Jingren as she smiled. "Was not my plan. But I can assure you… it is one of the best decisions that I have ever made in my life." She held his hand as Zhou Jingren leaned towards her, giving her a light kiss on the lips in front of his seething grandfather.