Chapter 12: The truth of the contract
1087 Words
At night, in a luxurious villa, Su Qian sat alone on the sofa, her fingers unconsciously stroking her wedding ring. She looked at the city lights outside the window, and an inexplicable complex emotion surged in her heart. Today's events replayed in her mind, Bai Xiner's return, Li Tingchuan's indifference, everything made her feel powerless.
She knew that she was just a nominal wife, and there was no real affection between Li Tingchuan and her. He just kept her by his side for some purpose. And all this doomed her role from the beginning.
"Miss Su Qian." Lin Mo's voice came from outside the door. He knocked on the door and then opened it.
Su Qian looked up and saw Lin Mo walked in. His expression was still calm, without any extra expression, "Mr. Li asked you to go to his office."
She was slightly stunned and a little surprised, "Now?"
"Yes." Lin Mo nodded, "There are some things that Mr. Li needs to talk to you about."
Su Qian stood up, with an ominous premonition in her heart. Li Tingchuan called her over, and she didn't know what kind of cruel arrangement he would make.
She followed Lin Mo into Li Tingchuan's office. The room was as clean as ever, dimly lit, but it seemed particularly cold and lonely. Li Tingchuan sat at his desk, flipping through the documents in his hand. When he saw her come in, he raised his eyelids and said coldly, "Sit down."
Su Qian sat down silently, and her heartbeat unconsciously accelerated a few points. She could feel the solemnity in the air, as if something big was about to happen.
"I know you have a lot of confusion about this marriage, and maybe you have a lot of questions." Li Tingchuan spoke, his voice was still low, but with a hint of unquestionable pressure, "So, today I'm going to tell you something."
Su Qian nervously held the wedding ring in her hand, her heart beating violently. She didn't dare to look up and look into his eyes, but just lowered her head and waited for his next words.
"This marriage is not as simple as you think." Li Tingchuan paused, as if thinking about how to express his meaning more clearly, "The relationship between Bai Xiner and I has ended long ago. She came back just to get entangled. As my wife, you have a mission in addition to fulfilling your responsibilities."
Su Qian was stunned for a moment. The words in front of her shocked her. She couldn't believe her ears, "Mission?"
Li Tingchuan nodded slightly, "As my wife, you are not only to meet the requirements of the family. In fact, you also bear another kind of responsibility. You are not just an empty existence, but the key to this marriage."
"Key?" Su Qian's voice trembled a little, and her mood became more complicated. "What is the key?"
Li Tingchuan put down the documents in his hand, his eyes became deep, as if he was thinking about whether to tell her all the truth. "This marriage is not just for superficial family responsibilities. In fact, my contract with the family has already included you in a complicated situation." He said calmly.
Su Qian was completely stunned, her mind was blank. She never expected that this marriage had such a deep purpose and contract behind it. She had never been told this, and she didn't even realize that she was a pawn arranged by the family.
"Your father, the Su family, reached a cooperation with the Li family several years ago." Li Tingchuan continued, "And you, as the daughter of the Su family, are an indispensable part of my contract with the family."
Su Qian's head buzzed, and she finally understood that she didn't really marry Li Tingchuan out of love from the beginning. It turned out that this marriage was an exchange of family interests, and she was just a tool to be used.
"You mean... I have been fulfilling some kind of family arrangement?" Su Qian's voice was low, and her eyes were full of shock and disbelief.
Li Tingchuan nodded coldly, "You are just one of the tools. Our marriage is to consolidate the relationship between the two families, and you are also living for this purpose."
These words were like a sharp knife, piercing Su Qian's heart. She couldn't accept such a truth, and couldn't understand why she was regarded as a bargaining chip for exchanging interests from the beginning. Her existence was just to maintain the business cooperation between the two families, not for love, family affection or anything worth relying on.
"You... knew all this from the beginning?" She almost growled.
Li Tingchuan's eyes were still cold, as if he had never been moved, "I know, but I can't change this. This marriage is of great significance to both of our families."
Su Qian's heart completely cooled. Her whole world seemed to collapse. She had never thought that there was such an unfathomable exchange of interests behind this marriage. All her efforts and expectations were doomed to failure from the beginning.
"You know I don't want such a marriage." Su Qian whispered, with complex emotions flashing in her eyes, "You never told me the truth, always treated me as a substitute, and you... never really paid for me."
Li Tingchuan looked up at her, his eyes still cold, "Do you have a choice? From the beginning, you are destined to an inescapable fate."
Su Qian's eyes gradually moistened, but she did not cry. She bit her lips tightly, holding back tears. "I thought you would at least give me a little warmth." She said softly.
"Warmth? The warmth you want is destined to be unavailable from me." Li Tingchuan's voice was still calm, but the words "destined to be unavailable" hit her chest like a heavy hammer.
"If that's the case, what else can I miss?" Her tone became resolute, "If this marriage didn't belong to me from the beginning, why should I continue?"
Li Tingchuan was silent for a moment, and suddenly whispered: "You can leave, but you must know that once you walk out of this door, your future may not be what you want."
Su Qian stood up, looked at him deeply, and then turned away, her back lonely and resolute. She no longer had any nostalgia in her heart, and this marriage had long become meaningless to her.
For Li Tingchuan, Su Qian's departure may be just her destiny.
- Writer
