Su Jin Yue looked at her father and answered firmly, “He is Gu Jing Shen, my husband.” Su Zheng Ting’s gaze remained fixed on Gu Jing Shen, carrying a mixture of scrutiny, disdain, and a faint warning.
To Su Zheng Ting, any man who wanted to become his son-in-law had to be qualified to stand before him without making him feel humiliated.
Family background, wealth, status, connections in the business world… in every aspect, he had to be better than the Su family, never inferior.
Su Zheng Ting tossed the marriage certificate onto the desk and leaned back in his chair, his sharp gaze immediately turning toward the man standing before him.
He had spent decades in the business world and had dealt with countless influential families in Dongcheng.
He knew almost every prominent family and powerful figure in the city.
Yet the name Gu Jing Shen was completely unfamiliar to him.
“In Dongcheng, I know every family with any real influence, yet I’ve never heard of your family.
What prestigious family do you come from?
What kind of business are you in that you managed to catch my daughter’s eye?” There was no attempt to hide the scrutiny in Su Zheng Ting’s voice.
He deliberately emphasized the word “family,” as if reminding the man in front of him that anyone who wanted to become his son-in-law had to at least belong to the same social class as the Su family.
Gu Jing Shen remained standing there, his expression so calm that there was hardly any change in it at all.
Faced with Su Zheng Ting’s intimidating gaze, he neither avoided it nor showed the slightest trace of nervousness.
He remained composed, as though his father-in-law’s sharp eyes had no effect on him whatsoever.
After looking at Su Zheng Ting for a few seconds, he finally spoke.
“Perhaps you… I mean, Dad, are looking in the wrong direction.” Su Zheng Ting frowned slightly.
Gu Jing Shen remained calm, his voice neither hurried nor slow.
“I’m currently a freelance lawyer.
My parents have both passed away, and my family has no business or political background.
I don’t own much either.
I only have an apartment and an electric car that I’m still paying off.” Gu Jing Shen’s words were straightforward, without the slightest attempt to hide anything.
He did not embellish his circumstances, nor did he try to fabricate an impressive identity to deal with his powerful father-in-law.
Su Zheng Ting stared at Gu Jing Shen for several seconds before suddenly laughing.
This time, his laughter was unmistakably mocking.
He had already suspected that the man standing before him did not come from an impressive family, but he had never expected him to be this poor.
A lawyer who owned nothing more than an apartment and an electric car he was still paying off.
By the standards of the Su family, those possessions were hardly worth mentioning.
Su Zheng Ting abruptly turned toward his daughter, the coldness in his eyes instantly erupting into fury.
“Jinyue, have you lost your mind?
You turned down so many respectable families only to throw yourself at some penniless nobody like him?
What can a lousy lawyer like him possibly offer you?” Every word seemed to be hurled directly at Gu Jing Shen.
Yet the man being insulted showed no reaction whatsoever.
He simply stood there, his gaze calm, as though the man Su Zheng Ting was berating had nothing to do with him.
Instead, Su Jin Yue stepped forward and positioned herself in front of him.
The movement made Gu Jing Shen pause slightly.
He looked at her back, and a strange, indescribable feeling briefly passed through his heart.
Su Jin Yue did not turn around to look at him.
She simply faced her father head-on.
She knew that bringing Gu Jing Shen here today would inevitably lead to a storm, but from the moment she had decided to marry him, she had already prepared herself to face everything that came with it.
“You wanted me to get married, and I did.
Whether he’s rich or poor is my choice.
You don’t need to worry about it.” Her voice was calm, without the slightest tremor, yet the determination in every word made Su Zheng Ting’s expression even darker.
He had thought that as long as he brought up money, power, and her future, she would waver.
After all, Su Jin Yue had grown up under the protection of the Su family.
He believed she could defy him once or twice, but eventually, she would still have to bow her head.
This time, however, he was wrong.
Su Zheng Ting slammed his hand down on the desk and shot to his feet.
The loud bang seemed to shake the entire room.
“You’re getting more and more bold!
Do you think I don’t dare to do anything to you?
If you don’t divorce him immediately, I’ll freeze all your bank cards and strip you of every position and inheritance right you have at Shengshi Group!” That was the trump card Su Zheng Ting believed would force his daughter to surrender.
He knew Su Jin Yue was capable, but he also knew that she still had considerable assets and privileges in her hands.
As long as he cut her off from those things, she would have nowhere to turn.
But Su Jin Yue remained silent for a few seconds before suddenly laughing.
Her smile was so cold that Su Zheng Ting instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
Su Jin Yue opened her handbag and took out a carefully preserved bundle of documents.
She then walked to the desk and placed it directly in front of her father.
“You’re getting old, Dad.
I suppose it’s time you started taking something for your memory…” She deliberately paused, looking straight at him before continuing slowly, “This is Mom’s will.” Su Zheng Ting’s expression changed instantly.
In just a few seconds, the anger on his face was replaced by undisguised shock.
His hand, which had been resting on the desk, unconsciously clenched into a fist.
He stared at the documents in front of him.
Su Jin Yue gave him no chance to avoid the matter.
She opened the copy of the will, her eyes moving over each line before she calmly read it aloud.
“Mom wrote in her will: ‘If Su Jin Yue gets married before the age of twenty-five, all Shengshi shares and real estate registered under my name shall be transferred directly to my daughter.'” Su Zheng Ting stared at the will, his expression growing increasingly grim.
He remembered this matter very clearly.
It was just that over the years, he had almost forgotten about the condition his late wife had left behind.
It wasn’t that he had been unaware of the will.
He had simply never imagined that Su Jin Yue would actually make use of it.
Su Jin Yue closed the document, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips.
She placed the copy of the will on the desk, right beside the red marriage certificate.
The two things had nothing to do with each other, yet now they lay side by side like two chess pieces placed precisely where they needed to be.
“Next month, I’ll turn twenty-five.
I’ve fulfilled Mom’s final wish right on time.” She looked at her father, her gaze calm yet carrying undeniable weight.
“I am now the second-largest shareholder of Shengshi Group.” Su Zheng Ting clenched his teeth.
He looked at his daughter, then at the will in front of him, unable to utter a word for a moment.
The anger from just moments ago was still there, but beneath it, another emotion had begun to emerge, one he was unwilling to acknowledge.
Unease.
He had always believed that as long as he wanted something, Su Jin Yue would never be able to go against him.
Yet it turned out that many years ago, his late wife had already left their daughter a way out—one he could no longer interfere with.
Su Jin Yue picked up the marriage certificate, her voice remaining as calm as before.
“I’m only taking back what belongs to me.
As for your share, of course, that’s entirely up to you.
If you want to strip me of my privileges, go ahead.” There was no trace of pleading in her voice.
She knew that from the moment she took out this will, the things Su Zheng Ting had once used to control her were no longer strong enough to hold her back.
Su Zheng Ting stared at his daughter, his lips moving slightly, but in the end, only two broken words escaped him.
“You… you…” Su Jin Yue had no intention of continuing the argument.
She took back the copy of the will and placed it together with the marriage certificate inside her handbag.
Then, just as she was about to leave, she suddenly reached toward Gu Jing Shen and naturally intertwined her fingers with his.
Gu Jing Shen froze for a brief moment.
He lowered his eyes to look at the hand resting in his.
This was the first time Su Jin Yue had taken the initiative to hold his hand.
Perhaps she simply wanted to tell her father that this marriage was not some impulsive decision.
Perhaps she wanted to prove that no matter how many people opposed them, she would still stand beside the man she had chosen.
Whatever the reason, Gu Jing Shen was genuinely surprised.
Yet he soon gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
It was a very light gesture, but enough to convey his support.
Su Jin Yue felt the warmth of that gesture, and the corners of her lips curved slightly.
“Let’s go.” Gu Jing Shen nodded.
The two of them turned and walked toward the door together.
As they passed the desk, Gu Jing Shen paused for a brief moment and glanced back at Su Zheng Ting.
His gaze remained as calm and deep as ever.
There was no provocation in it, nor was there any trace of fear.
It was simply a look so profound that it was impossible to tell what was truly going through his mind.
Then, without saying another word, he held Su Jin Yue’s hand and walked out of the office with her.
The door closed behind them.
As he stared at the closed door, an inexplicable sense of unease rose in Su Zheng Ting’s heart.
He had a feeling that Gu Jing Shen… was not as simple as he appeared.