Zhou Lihai had initially thought that Xuan Yang, with her gentle and refined appearance, would be an easy pushover.
But he hadn't expected that before he could say anything, she had already politely but firmly refused him.
Her attitude seemed quite resolute.
The private room fell silent for a moment. Zhou Lihai leisurely poured himself a cup of tea.
Steam rose and dispersed like light smoke, and the fragrant sweetness of the tea leaves slowly floated in the air.
Zhou Lihai swirled the lid of the blue-and-white porcelain teacup to brush away the floating leaves, no longer looking at Xuan Yang across from him. "I know it's hard for you to give up the status of Mrs. Zhou right now."
"But I think you should first hear the conditions I'm offering."
Xuan Yang sat upright, her posture graceful, her temperament both pure and elegant with a touch of gentle serenity.
If it were just about appearance and character, Zhou Lihai would have no complaints about her.
Unfortunately, the Xuan family's social standing was lacking, and Xuan Yang was only an adopted daughter of the Xuan family.
"As far as I know, you and Zhou Dang didn't marry because you love each other," Zhou Lihai said in a deep voice, his imposing gaze falling on Xuan Yang again, heavy as a mountain. "Before this, you were still discussing marriage with the Chen family's son, weren't you?"
Xuan Yang was momentarily at a loss for words.
She couldn't bring herself to say the excuses she and Zhou Dang had agreed upon in front of Zhou Lihai.
She felt that he had already seen through everything, and no matter how she denied or quibbled now, she would only look like a clown putting on a poor performance.
And Xuan Yang simply couldn't bring herself to lie and say that she and Zhou Dang had been secretly in love for a long time, loving each other to death.
So she chose silence.
Seeing this, Zhou Lihai pushed a prepared document over to her. "Here is a compensation agreement. You can take a look."
He examined Xuan Yang with confidence. "You're very clever—using the Chen family's son to climb up to A Dang, transforming from an adopted daughter of the Xuan family into Mrs. Zhou."
"You do have some skills, making my son fall head over heels for you, even going against the family to marry you."
Zhou Lihai paused, his voice deepening with a hint of worldliness. "But Miss Xuan, feelings are the most unreliable thing."
"A Dang likes you now, he's infatuated with you, willing to oppose his family for you—that's normal."
"But how do you know how long his passion for you will last?"
"Once love fades, can this mistaken marriage between you two continue?"
Xuan Yang listened quietly, somewhat surprised that Chairman Zhou actually believed Zhou Dang was deeply in love with her.
She wondered what Zhou Dang had said when he contacted him.
To make him so convinced that Zhou Dang had true feelings for her.
While Xuan Yang's mind was wandering, Zhou Lihai had finished laying out those hypothetical futures, and then he shifted gears and got to the point. "This compensation agreement includes a settlement for you."
"As long as you agree to divorce A Dang, a large sum of money will be transferred into your account immediately," Zhou Lihai said solemnly. "I know your situation in the Xuan family is difficult. With this money, you can go anywhere you want and live the rest of your life without worry."
"But if you insist on entering the Zhou family, I can only tell you that a marriage not accepted by the elders will surely not be as carefree and happy as taking the money and disappearing."
Xuan Yang wasn't stupid; she could hear the combination of threats and inducements, the carrot-and-stick approach in Zhou Lihai's words.
It was just like how she had once tried to persuade Chen Xingyue to break off the engagement.
He was clearly determined.
Xuan Yang also understood that if her husband's family was dissatisfied with her, even if Zhou Dang was willing to treat her with respect, her future life wouldn't necessarily be easy.
If this were a business deal, she would definitely choose to take the money and leave without hesitation.
But this wasn't a business deal, and she had promised Zhou Dang that they would live well together after marriage.
So no matter how great the external pressure, Xuan Yang couldn't betray her ally.
Unless one day Zhou Dang betrayed her first.
"Sorry, Uncle Zhou." Xuan Yang collected her thoughts and looked calmly and steadily at Zhou Lihai. "Although your terms are tempting, I promised Zhou Dang that I would never abandon him."
"Unless he asks for it, I won't divorce him."
Xuan Yang's eyes were firm, as if she had made up her mind.
This surprised Zhou Lihai quite a bit.
He was well aware that this marriage was just his son's wishful thinking.
Xuan Yang had no feelings for his brat of a son at all.
This kind of mercenary marriage couldn't possibly be stable.
Not only was it meaningless for the Zhou family and the Zhou Group, but it also posed a hidden danger to Zhou Dang personally.
Zhou Lihai was also afraid that Zhou Dang would be hurt.
After all, he was his only remaining son.
After a moment of silence, Zhou Lihai took another sip of tea, a complex look in his deep eyes. "It seems you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."
Xuan Yang: "..."
She didn't mean that at all.