Tian Residence
Bam!
The door swung open violently. Upon entering the living room, Tian Yuo could smell the fresh fruit tea that his mother, Li Shen Wen has brewed for his father, Tian Guo Min. Without taking a glance at her son, she sat down as if the loud entrance that Tian Yuo made was nothing unusual, "Welcome home."
Tian Yuo's chest heaved up and down as he calmed his breathing, "Mom, dad, I am not going to marry Yin Susu! She planned this whole thing to get married to me. If I marry her, it will go exactly the way she wished!"
"Don't tell me you still want to marry that Karen girl after sleeping with Susu." Li Shen Wen calmly spoke as she sipped her fruit tea. The calmer she replies, the more unsettled Tian Yuo felt because he knew his mother's temper too well. 'She definitely has something planned.'
"I only love Karen. Other than her, nobody else deserves to be my wife." He sounded confident when saying these words, but there was a slight second where he had paused between his words.
"It seems like you're not too sure about it yourself, son. Honestly, you knew that I never liked that Karen girl, even though she was Susu's step sister. Susu was your original fiance, but you forced that change to happen. Before, there still was a small room for negotiation, but now, there is none." Li Shen Wen added a teaspoon of sugar into her tea and stirred it well with her small spoon.
"Just because I slept with her doesn't make her any special. I'm the victim who got drugged, and it is unfair for you two to separate Karen and me. Even if I marry Yin Susu, I'll never be happy." He attempted to argue his strong points, hoping his mother would soften her heart one more time.
"No. Susu is a great young lady who spent her childhood focused on what you liked and disliked. You slept with her, so you should take responsibility. Besides, I believe that she isn't the type of girl to drug another person." She remained headstrong with her decision.
"Mom! No, dad! What's the fuss anyway? So what if I did sleep with her? It's her fault for climbing into my bed! I'm not marrying her." He begged them to take back their decision.
"Tian Yuo, the money that your dad and I have saved up were meant for you and Susu, not you and that girl. Let's set a deal. If you marry Susu, we will give you the freedom that you've always wanted. You can open your own company, and we won't interfere with your business. If you insist on marrying Karen, we will strip your name from all assets and inheritance from the Tian family. Your choice."
In the eyes of outsiders, everyone would think that Tian Guo Min makes all the decisions, but in this household, the person who makes the final say is Li Shen Wen. Tian Guo Min was a doting wife machine, so he would always agree with what she says unless it is something related to the company.
Before Tian Yuo replied to her, she warned, "This is my final warning. If you do marry Karen, forget coming home and gaining our acceptance of her. She will never be my daughter-in-law. You may be young, but you have a brain. Don't get hypnotized by that girl. She's not as innocent as you see her."
Tian Yuo glared at her angrily, "Mom, you're threatening me with what I want the most. You're being unfair and obviously biased!"
"Tian Yuo, Mom only wants the best for you. There is no antidote for regret. Why not give this marriage a shot? I already made it easier for you to choose since you've been wanting freedom from the company. Nothing will always go your way in life."
"Heh, but mom, you also overestimated Yin Susu's tolerance. She just said to her father that she does not want to marry me and be my wife. What will you do about that, hmm? Even if I am willing, if she isn't, then it will still not work out." He remembered Susu's words and used it as a defense.
"So you're basically telling me that as long as we can persuade Susu, then you will agree to the marriage, right? If that's the case, then you won't have to worry about anything. This wedding will happen in a month."
"Just so you know, I'm going to make the marriage a nightmare for her. I'll torture her in every mental way possible and then dump her! I will never fall in love with her. My only love is Karen." Tian Yuo rushed out of the house and slammed the door shut.
After getting back to his car, he called Karen, but the call went straight to her voicemail. "Karen, it's me. Give me some time. I can break free from my family and have my own business. I can support us in the future. I will marry you and make you the happiest bride, but before that, I will have to marry Yin Susu. For our future, please endure anything you hear or see. I love you."
Meanwhile, at a breakfast and dessert spot...
Susu cupped her cheeks and closed her eyes while smiling happily, "Mmmmm!!! This place has the best pancakes and sweetest fruits!" She was enjoying her fluffy pancakes and let the taste melt inside her mouth.
Chen Mu let out a soft laugh and wiped the corner of her lips, "Crumbs. Eat slowly, nobody is competing with you."
"Uh huuuuh, but it tastes so good." She took another bite of the pancakes.
"By the way, earlier... why did you reject your dad's suggestion with marrying Tian Yuo?" He had been wondering about this for a while because he knew how much she loved him.
She took a sip of the warm tea in front of her before replying, "I love him, but at the same time, a part of me is already very tired of repeatedly facing his accusations. Every time he sees Karen shed one tear, his rationality would be thrown off a train and into a bottomless pit. At the end, I'll always end up as the culprit in his eyes."
Letting out a soft sigh, she wrapped her fingers around the warm cup of tea, "I'm human and I get tired too. I don't want to chase after someone who will never realize I've been there. I also don't think that I'll be able to stand another one of his insults. So, I've decided to give up on him. The feelings that I've had for him will slowly, but surely, stop."
"You deserve better and definitely find someone who loves you more in the future. Who knows though, maybe that person is just right around the corner, waiting for you." He smiled and placed the fruits from his plate onto hers.
"Hahaha, you mean the cashier over there? Pfft, he is pretty cute. Anyways, all jokes aside, I think I will spend some time gathering myself together before trying to love someone else again. I need to put myself first and treat myself better!"
"Alright! Then let's do a cheer using these two cups of tea for your new beginning!" he lifted his cup and did so with hers. When they bumped their cups together, the teddy bear designs on the cups kissed.