"What is it?" Huo Ru's tone was terrible. She and Huo Ru were still a family, but she only had disgust for her stepmother.
However, Jiang Li was not angry. Instead, she smiled and asked about her recent situation as if she had lost her memory.
Jiang Li asked about Huo Ru's recent situation kindly, as if she was really her mother. She knew that things were not that simple.
"If you don't say something, I'll hang up. My time is precious, I don't have time to listen to your gossip."
"I know you're still angry with your father. He's doing this for your own good." Jiang Li finally reached the key topic.
"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up." Huo Ru didn't want to be hypocritical with her.
"I shamelessly called you. I know you don't like me, and I didn't expect you to like me, but your father didn't do anything wrong. He's been supporting the family all these years, he fell ill after arguing with you a few days ago and always looks at your photos without saying anything."
Jiang Li said worriedly, "I really don't have the right to care about your relationship, but your father hasn't been well recently. Only you can help him get better."
"I don't have the ability to affect him. I think he's in good health, I don't need to care!" Huo Ru's words were firm, but her attitude wavered.
Jiang Li seized this moment of hesitation and sighed. "I'm your stepmother. Logically speaking, I shouldn't have made this call, but he's such a prideful person. No matter how much he misses you, he can only keep it in his heart. Just take pity on him and give him a call. He's not young anymore."
Huo Ru hung up the phone. Those long years had passed through the layers of time to come to her. She had also been carefree under her father's protection until her mother fell seriously ill and all her happiness ended.
Although his father was indeed quite overboard, but…
Huo Ru dialed the familiar number and it was immediately picked up.
"Ru Ru…"
"Dad…" For a moment, Huo Ru didn't know what to say.
On the other end, Huo Ru let out a long sigh. "You've been stubborn since you were young. When I was young, I could easily support the Huo family, so of course you could be carefree. But now that I'm old, I know you blame me for not giving you freedom, but I don't want to see you think about buying a bag worth tens of thousands for a long time."
"I don't need it!" Huo Ru was like a hedgehog. Once she was threatened, she would immediately raise her spikes.
"Ru Ru, don't I know you? When the clothes you wore in the past were not as good as others', you would cry. I bought a few more expensive dresses to coax you."
Huo Ru lowered her head. If her mother hadn't died, she might have really become such a delicate little demon that gave her indulgent parents a headache. However, she had already grown up alone and become a completely different adult, but her father was still immersed in the past.
Huo Ru continued to act pitiful. "Ru Ru, Daddy is old and doesn't have the strength to continue fighting. You can be carefree now because of the Huo family, but what if there's no Huo family? What will you do? Daddy has to find you a decent person to marry. At least you won't have to worry about food and clothes in the future."
Huo Ru didn't say anything for a long time. There were many times when the guilt in her heart tugged at her. Other than what happened with her stepmother and Huo Yun, he really didn't do anything to her. It was precisely because of this that she felt like she was being held over a fire. If he was any worse, she could hate him without any guilt.
"Ru Ru, I know you're unhappy, but you're all grown up now, and you always have to shoulder your own responsibilities." Huo Ci's lecturing voice sounded very flat, completely removing the last bit of cover called kinship. "This marriage with the Yun family is the responsibility of the family's revival. Once you're done playing, you can go home and prepare to get married."
The Yun family! The Yun family! The Yun family again!
Beside her was Yun Feng who saw her glare and spread his hands innocently. How could she be angry at him?
"If you're done, I'm hanging up! Do you think I'm just a rebel? Let me tell you, I won't go back even if I die outside! You and the Huo family can go to hell!"
Huo Ru sneered. It was unknown if she was laughing at Huo Ci's wishful thinking or at herself for having expectations that she shouldn't have.
However, Huo Ci didn't continue. Instead, he let out a long sigh. "Forget it. If you don't want to, so be it. Daddy shouldn't have forced you. When you're free to come home, let me see you more often."