“Is this acceptable?” Su Nian’an asked again, noticing that Su Aiguo kept staring at the written Declaration of Severed Kinship without a word.
Su Aiguo read the document over several times, found no issues, and finally nodded. “It’s fine.”
He stood up and walked toward a cabinet, opened a wooden box inside, and took out a stack of cash and food coupons.
“Nian’an, our family is going through hard times right now. The money and supplies we’re giving you for the countryside are nearly draining the Su family’s entire savings,” Su Aiguo said suddenly.
Really? At a time like this, this old fox is still trying to play the emotional card?
“Is the price for sending me to the countryside really that high? In that case… don’t send me away then. That way, the Su family’s wealth can be kept safe,” Su Nian’an replied.
Her words nearly choked Su Aiguo speechless. What made it worse was the innocent, clueless look on her face—so convincing he couldn’t tell it was an act. For a moment, he had no idea how to argue back.
He wondered: does Su Nian’an even understand his real intention? He wanted her to soften up and not demand so much money and supplies.
When they first brought this daughter back from the countryside, Su Aiguo and his wife thought they had hit the jackpot. With how simple, gullible, and starved for affection she seemed, tricking her into taking her cousin’s place for the marriage and the countryside assignment would be child’s play.
But this girl turned out to be sharp—she had just demanded half the Su family’s fortune! It made him suspect she had been pretending all along. If that was true, his daughter was far cleverer than he realized.
Regardless, Su Nianxi could never marry Gu Qingyu.
Putting aside his emotional ploy, Su Aiguo decided to speed up the plan to send Su Nian’an to fulfill the marriage agreement.
“Very well. Life in the countryside will be tough, so it’s only right we give you extra money and supplies to get by. But Nian’an, no matter what happens in the future, you must always remember the Su family’s kindness—”
Su Nian’an nearly laughed out loud at his absurd words.
Kindness? Are you out of your mind? They ignored their own daughter for eighteen years, searched for her only to use her as a scapegoat—and now they expected gratitude?
Oh, she would remember all right. She would remember every bit of the Su family’s coldness and coercion toward the original owner.
Since she now inhabited this body, Su Nian’an wasn’t the type to be ungrateful. But for now, she had no better way to deal with the Su family.
Time was on her side anyway. With Su Nianxi being nothing but a walking disaster, the Su family’s future was bound to be anything but peaceful.
“I shall make good use of this money. After all, it was bought with my entire lifetime of happiness,” Su Nian’an replied with a perfectly straight face.
Su Aiguo: …
Fine. He was certain now—his daughter was definitely putting on an act. She understood every hint he dropped.
Very well, he thought. She was merely a pawn meant to take Nianxi’s place in marriage. There was no point investing emotion in her. As long as she fulfilled the marriage alliance with the Gu family, that was all that mattered. He would never be able to count on her later in life anyway—why waste effort?
Even so, as he handed over the money and coupons, he couldn’t help adding one last remark.
“Nian’an, we may not have shared much affection, but as your father I must warn you: do not be so calculating about everything. Leave some leeway in life, and we shall meet again on good terms.”
Su Nian’an snatched the money from his hand, then let out a cold chuckle. “I return those very words to you.”
What a miser—he couldn’t bear losing even a penny. And here he had thought her simple and easy to deceive!
“Enough. Come with me to the Gu family’s house shortly,” Su Aiguo said.
“I thought we agreed tomorrow?” Su Nian’an frowned.
“It’s still early. The sooner, the better.” He wanted her gone to the countryside before anything could go wrong.
Su Nian’an was far from pleased—she had planned to stock up on supplies. They had clearly agreed she would be sent off tomorrow; it was far too early now. She intended to go shopping with the money this very afternoon.
“How about this? You go ahead to the Gu family’s place first, speak with them, and sound out their attitude? Once I’m sent away, coming into town will be nearly impossible. I was hoping to do some shopping while I still can.”
She made no secret of her plan—after all, carrying such a large sum of money and buying nothing would look suspicious.
Su Aiguo stared at her intently with sharp, piercing eyes for several long seconds before finally nodding. “Very well. But you must take your mother or Nianxi with you. Otherwise… I shall worry.”
Su Nian’an: …
This old fox—he was terrified she would run off!
“Fine. That suits me,” she agreed readily. She could easily shake off whoever accompanied her once downtown.
“Let Su Nianxi come with me instead. She has nothing better to do anyway,” Su Nian’an added with a smile.
Su Nianxi was simple-minded and would be easier to get rid of.
Su Aiguo was about to object at the dismissive tone in her voice, but had to admit she had a point. Su Nianxi was nearly nineteen—old enough to be assigned a job somewhere. Instead she idled about all day, caring of nothing but shopping for clothes and having fun. He had put off arranging work for her since he intended to marry her to Gu Qingyu eventually… but now…
“Very well. Let Nianxi go with you,” he conceded.
“Wonderful! I shall get ready and depart shortly.”
With that, Su Nian’an turned and left the study.
Watching her retreating figure, a dark glint shone in Su Aiguo’s eyes. She had her uses, certainly—but her heart did not belong to the Su family. A pang of regret struck him. If only they had shown her even a scrap of affection when she was small, she would have been utterly devoted to them. What a wasted chance to win her loyalty. He sighed deeply.
Meanwhile, back in her room, Su Nian’an immediately pulled out her newly acquired fortune and counted it thoroughly.
I’m rich! I’m loaded!
What a wonderful marriage! Truly auspicious!
The wedding hadn’t even begun, and she had already received such a handsome sum! She was in excellent spirits—though carrying so much cash felt far too conspicuous. If only she could store it somewhere safe…
Why didn’t I get any perks from crossing over? Like a magical storage space or something? In all the novels she read, transmigrators always had one!
A storage space… wait a minute! Good heavens—she actually did have one!
Su Nian’an wanted to cry at her own forgetfulness. How could she have overlooked such a critical detail?
In the novel, the female lead possessed a magical bracelet with its own storage dimension. But it originally belonged to the male lead. To be precise—the female lead had set a trap to make him fall for her, then tricked him into giving it to her as a gift.
Oh no—
She had to find Gu Qingyu immediately! She couldn’t let the original female lead get there first. That magical storage bracelet had to be hers
!