Yu Lingyi took Su Hao to the lounge for a private conversation.
Over the past few days, she had hired Ruan Tian, the private investigator who had approached her on her own initiative. The reports had been arriving one after another.
Hotel surveillance footage, the training center’s accounts, the transactions of the company registered under Qiao Tang’s name, several payments Su Hao had transferred to Qiao Tang, and the contracts deliberately routed around the projects between Qiao Tang’s studio and the film company…
Su Hao had been slowly treating her as a stepping stone into the Yu family for a very long time.
These past few days, whenever Yu Lingyi saw Su Hao smile at her tenderly, she would wonder:
How did he do it?
How could he look at her with such deep affection while scheming against her?
He was so good at acting. Why hadn’t he become an actor instead of a director?
Yu Lingyi had never confronted him. She had quietly waited until filming was finished.
After all, she no longer had the budget to hire a new director for her one and only project.
Now, at long last, filming was complete.
The two sat facing each other in the lounge.
Su Hao smiled. “What’s wrong? Why so formal?”
Yu Lingyi was the perfectly poised heiress of the Yu family, always dignified and composed.
She raised a hand and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear with graceful elegance.
“The project has finally wrapped up, so I have time to talk to you about something personal. We’re getting married next month, and there are some things I’d like to make clear in advance.”
Su Hao remained calm and asked gently, “Go ahead.”
Yu Lingyi looked at him. “The Yu family has a rule. I told you about it before we started dating.”
A flicker of confusion passed through Su Hao’s eyes. “What rule?”
Yu Lingyi said evenly, “A man who marries into the Yu family must sign an agreement before the wedding, promising that he will never have an illegitimate child. Even if he does, that child will never receive a single cent from the Yu family. Once the women of the Yu family have had as many children as they want, their husbands must also undergo… sterilization.”
Su Hao remembered. Yu Lingyi had indeed mentioned it at the time.
He had readily agreed, but he had never taken it seriously.
The women of the Yu family all had careers. After marriage, they would certainly prioritize their work at first. Who knew when they would have children?
If he really wanted an illegitimate child, he would have plenty of opportunities.
Besides, once they were married, he would have plenty of time to gradually take control of the relationship.
Their children would bear the Yu surname, and by the time the grandchildren’s generation came around, the family name would be changed back to Su.
Su Hao had never thought that marrying into a family was humiliating. He had already decided that he was merely lending the right to pass on his surname to the woman for one generation. Once the third generation came along, the family name would return to the Su line. It was a classic arrangement for a man who married into his wife’s family; most such men throughout history had done the same.
Su Hao smiled. “Of course I remember. I agree. Once we’re married and have a child of our own, I’ll get sterilized right away.”
Yu Lingyi looked at him. “But I don’t want any children at all.”
Su Hao froze, as if he didn’t understand what she meant. “What?”
Yu Lingyi continued, “The Yu family rule says that once you’ve had as many children as you want, you get sterilized. I don’t want any children, so there’s no need to wait until after we have one. You should get sterilized now.”
Su Hao was completely dumbfounded, wondering if he had heard her incorrectly.
Yu Lingyi smiled gently and reached out to straighten his cuff, her gesture intimate and affectionate.
Su Hao finally came back to his senses. “You’re joking, right? You’re a member of the Yu family. You don’t want any children at all? Aren’t you afraid of ending the family line?”
Yu Lingyi shot him an unhappy look. “What kind of thing is that to say? I have two older brothers, and plenty of cousins on both sides of the family. The Yu family is flourishing. Whether I have children or not makes no difference.”
Su Hao frowned. “I can’t agree to that. I want children!”
What a joke. How else was he supposed to get his hands on more of the Yu family’s wealth if they had no children?
Yu Lingyi put on a heartbroken expression, and her eyes reddened.
After a long silence, she said, “If you refuse to respect my wishes regarding childbirth, then our wedding can only be called off. You can find a woman who wants children and marry her instead. We should respect each other’s views on having children.”
“I’ll issue a public statement explaining that we broke up because we had different wishes about starting a family. Don’t worry. That way, we can both leave with our dignity intact.”
Su Hao’s heart tightened.
Could Yu Lingyi already know about him and Qiao Tang? But Yu Lingyi had always cared deeply about her reputation. Perhaps she didn’t want to get entangled in some melodramatic relationship scandal, so she had deliberately chosen differing views on children as an excuse to end things amicably.
Su Hao stared at her.
Once his initial anger gradually subsided, cold sweat began creeping down his back.
He couldn’t leave—not now, at least.
He was already so close to the Yu family’s trillion-yuan fortune. How could he accept being forced out at this point?
Besides, the training center on Qiao Tang’s side still needed Yu Lingyi’s funding and the film company’s resources.
He absolutely could not lose Yu Lingyi now.
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Su Hao asked gently, “Lingyi, I love you so much. I don’t want to break up with you. I’ll agree to your condition, but sterilization is still a surgical procedure. Why don’t we use another form of contraception for now…”
Yu Lingyi shook her head and said seriously, “I’m usually very easygoing. When people bully me, I’m used to giving way. But when it comes to matters of principle, I won’t take a single step back.”
“…”
Su Hao’s mind was locked in a fierce internal struggle.
Yu Lingyi looked at him tenderly.
Her eyes were beautiful, and her graceful, refined bearing made her one of the most admired heiresses in Pucheng.
Then Su Hao thought about it again. The reason he had been able to get together with her in the first place was precisely because of the Yu family’s bizarre and stringent conditions.
The family only allowed its daughters to marry men who would join the family, and forbade them from entering into business marriages. Those requirements had scared away countless heirs of wealthy families.
That was how she had ended up with an ordinary man like him. Otherwise, she would certainly have formed a marriage alliance with some elite from another prominent family.
Yu Lingyi took his hand. “Darling, don’t be afraid. I’ll accompany you to the surgery and take care of you the entire time.”
Su Hao felt a tightness in his chest.
Should he agree to sterilization, or let the trillion-yuan fortune within his grasp slip away?
Very soon, he reassured himself. Medicine was highly advanced nowadays. Even after sterilization, the procedure could be reversed.
He could get married first, then find an opportunity to secretly have the reversal done behind her back.
In the end, he nodded. “All right. If that’s what you want, I’ll agree to anything.”
Yu Lingyi smiled and leaned lightly against his shoulder. “I knew you loved me. I knew you would agree. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the hospital for the procedure first, then go register our marriage.”
Su Hao took a deep breath. “All right. Whatever you say.”
They were finally going to get their marriage certificate.
They were finally going to become one with the wealth.
—
The two of them left the lounge and announced to the entire crew that they would be going to register their marriage the next day.
Qiao Tang was the first to rush over and offer her congratulations. “Congratulations! You two have finally made it to the altar!”
She smiled sweetly, her eyes bright, as though she were genuinely happy for them.
If Yu Lingyi hadn’t already seen the videos and financial records Ruan Tian had given her, she might have thought that Qiao Tang was simply an actress with a silver tongue.
Now, she merely smiled faintly, maintaining her composure. “Thank you.”
The other staff members also came forward one after another to offer their congratulations.
“Congratulations, Director Su. Congratulations, Boss Yu.”
“Everything will go smoothly tomorrow.”
“Director Su and Boss Yu are truly a perfect match.”
Yu Lingyi smiled graciously and accepted each congratulation in turn.
Su Hao stood beside her, one hand resting lightly at the small of her back, his face glowing with the happiness of a man who was finally about to marry the woman he loved.
Shen Zhi couldn’t bring herself to offer her congratulations... When Yu Lingyi had asked her to come back and resume filming, she had promised that Su Hao and Qiao Tang would never team up to bully her again.
Shen Zhi had thought the heiress had finally come to her senses.
But apparently not.
Knowing full well what a rotten man he was, she still insisted on getting a marriage certificate with him. Shen Zhi really couldn’t understand what went through the minds of wealthy heiresses.
Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.
At first, it was only a few hushed arguments.
But before long, the voices grew louder and louder.
“Qiao Tang, get out here!”
“We demand an explanation today!”
“You made all sorts of grand promises when you took our money. Now that something’s happened to our child, no one wants to take responsibility?”
The lively congratulations filling the studio abruptly fell silent.
Everyone turned to look toward the entrance.
