Ye Shuhua finally realized Xia Chu was about to call the police; she rushed forward and snatched away her phone, "What on earth are you doing, child? Your dad didn't even hit you, and you want to call the police. What kind of daughter does that? No matter how bad he is, he is still your father!"
She started crying, "And you, as a father, is it going to kill you to talk nicely with your daughter? I don't have a single worry-free day, my heart is almost breaking—what is all this for?"
Xia Benjun was terrified because he knew that Xia Chu could really make good on her threat to call the police and have him arrested.
Not daring to berate her further, Ye Shuhua became the convenient scapegoat again, "It's all your fault, filling that girl's head with all this nonsense every day. She's been with Xu Pei for five years, not five days, and yet she still hasn't given herself to him. What is she saving herself for, waiting until she's all old and faded?"
"Can't blame Xu Pei for looking elsewhere, can you? A living person can't just let themselves be suffocated by urine, waiting for her? Since she won't give in, doesn't understand men, then it serves her right now. Nobody else to blame but her for Xu Pei's actions!"
Ye Shuhua was left feeling guilty and defensive, "I—I taught my daughter to cherish her purity, was that wrong? How was I to know she had gone so many years still not giving in. I thought they had long since…Panpan, you are so clever in other things, how could you be so foolish in this matter? There's no man who doesn't crave flesh… Ah, it's indeed my fault, if I had known, I would have…"
Xia Chu's expression was unreadable, "Would have what? Taught me to get pregnant before marriage and have two children by the age of three? Sorry, even if you didn't teach me to cherish my purity since I was little, I would still have done so. Because cherishing my purity is a matter of self-respect and responsibility, and it has never been wrong!"
Years ago, Ye Shuhua's eldest sister got pregnant before marriage, and the man refused to take responsibility, leading her to jump into the river.
This incident also made it difficult for both Ye Shuhua and her younger sister Ye Shubi to find suitors.
As Xia Chu grew up, Ye Shuhua had always drummed into her ears that a good girl cherishes her purity and must never fool around before marriage.
Hence, Xia Chu was both shy and scared when first confronted with Xu Pei's desires.
But now, she was glad she had always cherished her purity, or she would have been utterly disgusted.
Trying to justify her position, Ye Shuhua grasped at straws, "Of course, cherishing your purity is not wrong, but you also have to consider the specific circumstances, right? Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's focus on what's important. Panpan, no matter what, you should get the divorce certificate first, okay? You've only met that man today, and you probably don't know anything about him aside from his name."
"What if he is a bad person? What if, upon seeing how beautiful you are, and then discovering you have money and a career, he refuses to divorce and clings onto you? Wouldn't that ruin your life? If you find it hard to talk to him, give me his phone number, and your dad and I will speak to him. How about that?"
Xia Chu could endure Xia Benjun's brutish and hateful behavior, never deserving to be a father, because she equally did not care about him.
But she couldn't stomach that Ye Shuhua didn't care about her feelings at all.
Continuing with an impassive face, "Even if I get divorced right away, I'll still be branded as having been married twice. Are you sure that Xu Pei's parents, once they find out, would still agree to me marrying him? If you push me any further, I'll immediately tell Xu Pei's mother. Anyway, I have her phone and WeChat contacts, very convenient indeed!"
Ye Shuhua panicked, "How can you be so stubborn, child? We are doing this for your good. It's rare for Xu Pei to not mind these things. If you pass up this chance, you may not find such an opportunity again. Panpan, be good, give your mother the number, I would never harm you."
Xia Benjun sneered, "Who are you threatening, you obstinate girl? Even if you tell Xu Pei's mother, it won't matter as long as Xu Pei insists on it."
"And I'm no pushover. If their family dares to call off the marriage because of this, I'll immediately spread Xu Pei's dirty laundry all over Su City and let everyone know how the Xu Family uses their power to bully the common folks. I've got nothing to lose, not afraid of someone who has more to lose than me!"
Xia Chu finally couldn't take it anymore, "Then I can't get divorced even more. Knowing full well it's a pit of fire, yet still insisting on pushing me into it, I never imagined parents like you could exist. Since you don't care about me, I'll have to care for myself and I won't jump into that fire pit no matter what."
She paused for a moment, "I'll call a car to take you back right away, and you won't have to worry about what comes after. I'll handle it myself! Please leave now!"
Xia Benjun abruptly stood up, "You stubborn girl, if you don't finalize the divorce by tomorrow, your mother and I won't leave, and you can forget about driving us away! Ye Shuhua, give me her phone. I'll go through her contacts one by one. She really thinks that if she doesn't call, I've got no other options!"
Ye Shuhua already had Xia Chu's phone in her hand, but seeing Xia Benjun's fierce demeanor, she noticed Xia Chu's face was abnormally red.
Instead of directly giving the phone to her husband, she tentatively looked at Xia Chu, "Panpan, what's your password? Is it still your birthday? Your dad and I don't want to push you too hard. I know you're angry and upset right now, so we can talk about your and Xu Pei's issue later."
"But we really need to get the divorce sorted out quickly, the longer it's delayed, the greater the risk. Consider this a plea from your mother, can you just make the call, please?"
At half past ten, Huo Xiyao finished his workout, drenched in sweat, just about to take a shower, when his phone rang.
He picked it up nonchalantly, but immediately stiffened, "Hello, Xia Chu? It's me, what's up so late at night?"
At eleven ten, Huo Xiyao successfully arrived at Xia Chu's home.
He saw in the modest living room, aside from Xia Chu, there was also a middle-aged couple whose facial features somewhat resembled hers.
Huo Xiyao smiled faintly, "Xia Chu, these must be my in-laws, right? It's a pleasure to meet you both, I'm Huo Xiyao, Xia Chu's newly-wedded husband."
Xia Benjun and Ye Shuhua hadn't expected him to be so handsome.
Xu Pei was already the best-looking boy they had encountered in real life, and yet Huo Xiyao turned out to be even more handsome than Xu Pei.
It was no wonder their stubborn girl/Panpan chose among countless strangers on the street to register her marriage with him, and now she refused to get divorced.
It was one hundred percent because of this pretty boy's good looks!
Despite this, Xia Benjun didn't hold back, "Mr. Huo, is it? Please don't call us that; we don't deserve it. We are already informed about how you got your marriage certificate with our daughter. It was nothing but a spur-of-the-moment act out of anger with her fiancé, misunderstanding already cleared up, and our families are now as close as relatives."
"So we hope that Mr. Huo could go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with our daughter tomorrow to get the divorce certificate. Of course, the blame falls on our daughter for being too impulsive. How could she jokingly make such a big decision? Thus, we're willing to provide compensation to Mr. Huo within our capabilities. What do you think, Mr. Huo?"