When Chen Jin finished speaking, Su Li looked down, her thick eyelashes concealing a look of disdain.
The person opposite her, however, didn't notice in the slightest and continued talking confidently.
"Xiao Li, don't be stubborn, if your parents find out, they won't agree either."
"How important is the child's education these days, you're a mother after all..."
The last time, when they tried to persuade her to find an easy job with the help of her parents, Chen Jin was just as earnest, the words between the lines full of straightforward consideration for her.
The time before that, it was about getting married right after graduation, and before that, when she was filling out her college application forms...
Oh, how selfish the human heart can be.
Su Li curled her lips in boredom, directly interrupting Chen Jin's speech, "I'll handle my parents myself."
Chen Jin had a lot more to say, but Su Li's interruption caught him, leaving the words stuck in his throat, neither up nor down, making him uncomfortable.
It was the second time today that he was dumbstruck on the spot.
Looking at Su Li, whose expression was indifferent, Chen Jin belatedly noticed how unfamiliar the person in front of him had become.
It was as if she had stripped away the soft outer layer to reveal a hard shell, making people extremely uncomfortable.
Su Li ate until she was seventy percent full before putting down her chopsticks, while Chen Jin was still lost in his thoughts, not coming back to his senses.
"I'm finished eating..." Su Li sat quietly, stating this one sentence without saying more.
"Oh, oh... then let's go home..."
Chen Jin didn't look very happy, and the wrinkles between his eyebrows seemed deep enough to pinch a fly to death.
Su Li acted as if she didn't see it, elegantly turned around, and walked ahead.
Chen Jin's expression grew colder.
By the time they returned home together, Chen Jin hadn't spoken another word to Su Li the entire way.
A dull, oppressive atmosphere loomed between them.
In the past, Su Li would have already given in to Chen Jin.
Whenever they disagreed, Chen Jin always used this tactic, and Su Li could never go against him.
But this time...
Su Li seemed completely unaware of the strange atmosphere between them, contentedly fiddling with her smooth fingertips.
Her hand shape was exceptionally good, like fine white jade, making one want to hold it in their hand and admire it closely.
But unfortunately, it wasn't delicate enough.
Su Li thought maybe she should get some hand care tomorrow and get another manicure.
This kind of elegant embellishment was something the original Su Li had never tried.
Her parents always thought their daughter's beauty was too much and tried to suppress her, afraid of unkind comments from others.
The original Su Li, being really filial and obedient, always listened to her parents' ideas, seeming never to have had a rebellious phase in her youth.
------
The next day, early in the morning, while Su Li was still immersed in her dreams, the phone by her bed rang incessantly like a life-saving pager, never taking a break.
Su Li stretched lazily before casually glancing at the phone screen.
It was Mrs. Su's call...
"Su Li, this morning, A-Jin called your dad, and your father-in-law met your dad early for tea... your dad wants you to come back quickly."
Mrs. Su's voice was slow but clearly tinged with shame and annoyance.
Su Li had the speakerphone on, the phone casually placed on the dresser, still having the leisure to style her hair nicely.
She wasn't affected by Mrs. Su's emotions at all.
"Mom, I have plans today, so I won't be going over..."
With that, without waiting for the person on the other end to respond, she hung up the phone straight away.
The Chen Family, the three of them, were really something, trying to use the Su Family's parents to pressure her was something they had perfected.
Too bad, the person they cared about, that Su Li, was long gone.
She didn't care anymore, who could truly control another person's life?
Su Li paid no mind to Mrs. Su's words and continued with her plans for the day as before.
This was the first time Mrs. Su's call was coldly hung up by her daughter, leaving her momentarily stunned.
Holding the phone in her hand, still maintaining the posture of answering the call, until the beeping sound reminded her that her daughter seemed a bit impatient with her.
Mrs. Su suddenly felt hugely wronged.
This child really didn't know to appreciate her parents.
If Su Li had known, she might have sighed: Really spoiled.
Those loved always seemed to act fearlessly, unable to endure the slightest grievance.
The original Su Li, extremely filial, always went along with her parents, afraid they would be even the slightest bit unhappy.
"When Su Li comes back, we need to talk to her properly... You wouldn't know, when the in-laws indirectly mentioned our daughter today, I really wanted to find a hole to hide my head in..."
"Look at her, now has a peaceful life and doesn't enjoy it, just thinking of the glamorous outside world, what about the kids? Isn't she taking care of her husband? Doesn't she have any awareness of being a mother or a wife..."
Mr. Su held a teacup, still wearing an indignant expression, "Luckily, her husband is tolerant..."
"...Su Li said she's not coming back today..." Mrs. Su's sentence abruptly interrupted Mr. Su's continuous complaints about Su Li.
"Not coming back?" Mr. Su couldn't believe what his wife just said because Su Li had never disobeyed them ever since she was young.
"Isn't the child planning to come pick us up either?" The next moment, Mr. Su jumped up in anger, face turning red, blurting out, "Isn't the child planning to come pick us up?"
"How can we face the in-laws opposite like this..."
"It's all thanks to your great parenting..."
At the thought of the two old faces of the Chen Family, wearing false smiles, Mr. Su felt exceedingly annoyed, immediately turning his anger towards Mrs. Su in front of him.
It's really baffling.
Mrs. Su silently endured it, but in her heart, she blamed Su Li, the source and culprit for all these issues, enough.
Su Li tendered her resignation smoothly, since the clerical position was rather dispensable and easily replaceable.
By the time she left the company, Chen Jin's call followed immediately.
The subtext was probing, "You should be going home to pick up Doudou and Yaya by now..."
Su Li, irritated by the roundabout talk, directly said, "I haven't gone, I have something to do today..."
"You shouldn't have to work late today, right? On your way back after work, bring Doudou and Yaya home. Both kids keep complaining that you spend too little time with them."
"Alright, I'm busy, we'll talk at home if there are things."
Without waiting for Chen Jin to speak further, Su Li hung up the call.
When Chen Jin tried to call back, her phone was persistently busy.