In the early morning, white light streamed through the windows into the hall, where Li Dafu's family of four and Li Erfu's family of three sat together, their eyes all focused on the elderly mother, Su Zhenzhu, who was sitting on the sofa and crying.

Li Dafu frowned, his face full of anxiety. He couldn't bear to see his mother so upset, so he quickly comforted her, "Mom, don't cry. No matter what happened, we can talk it out!"

The daughters-in-law standing nearby nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with confusion, wondering why their usually strong mother-in-law had lost her composure like this.

Just then, Li Zhaomei slowly walked down the stairs.

He hummed a classic old song from Haicheng, his relaxed and carefree demeanor completely out of place with the tense and oppressive atmosphere in the hall.

He glanced at the weeping Su Zhenzhu and said in a nonchalant tone, "Why are you crying? This should be a happy occasion."

Upon hearing this, Su Zhenzhu cried even harder. She wiped away her tears and said in a sob, "Happy? You've been married to me for over thirty years, and in all that time, you've never mentioned your parents. Now, I'm old and faded, and you're only now saying you want to take me to meet them. What if some poor relatives find out you're rich and try to take advantage of us?"

As she spoke, Su Zhenzhu's tears flowed uncontrollably again.

She felt wronged. Over the years, she had been the one maintaining the family and tolerating Li Zhaomei's taciturn nature.

She had always thought Li Zhaomei was an orphan, so she never asked about his background. But she never expected that he had kept it from her for so long.

This made Su Zhenzhu wonder what she really meant to Li Zhaomei.

Could it be that all those years of marriage couldn't outweigh his concealment of his true identity?

Did he never truly accept his wife?

Li Zhaomei sneered, "Hmph! Trying to freeload? My family doesn't have any poor relatives. If you hadn't been so shameless in clinging to me back then, would I have been able to settle down in Haicheng?" His words were like a sharp blade, piercing straight into Su Zhenzhu's heart.

Su Zhenzhu's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief: "You...I...we settled down in Haicheng, and you didn't contribute a single penny. I brought all my family's assets, and even our son has your surname. How...how can you say that? Where did you lose out?"

Su Zhenzhu felt a wave of fear. The reason she made such a scene today was simply to gain some standing for herself in this matter, to let Li Zhaomei know her grievances, and to show that she didn't want to remain in such a humble position in this marriage.

But now, she's afraid that her actions will make Li Zhaomei dislike her, which would really be a loss.

She looked at Li Zhaomei with a mixture of anger and pleading in her eyes, hoping he would understand her good intentions instead of pushing her further away.

Li Zhaomei remained silent, only frowning as if deep in thought. The hall fell into a deathly silence, with only Su Zhenzhu's occasional sobs echoing in the air, as if telling of the long-hidden conflicts and bitterness between the couple.

"If it really doesn't work out, let's get a divorce! It's time for me to go back and take care of my parents."

As soon as Li Zhaomei finished speaking, it was as if a cold wind swept through the entire hall, instantly freezing the air and plunging the whole place into a deathly silence.

Li Dafu and Li Erfu stared wide-eyed, as if struck by lightning, their faces filled with disbelief.

In their memory, their father had always been a man of few words. They never imagined that when he opened his mouth, he would say such explosive news. It was like a bombshell that shattered their world.

Su Zhenzhu was also stunned, but she quickly recovered, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes, but she immediately put on a calm demeanor.

"No... Don't even think about it. It's just going to the capital, right? We'll all go, okay? Why are you so agitated? We didn't say we weren't going."

As she spoke, she hurried toward the dining table. "Quick, go eat breakfast! The steamed buns are getting cold. Oh, and I also cooked some glutinous rice balls for you. Go eat them!" She was like a startled bird, chattering incessantly, trying to use these trivial words to cover up her inner panic.

She wiped away the remaining tears on her face and then started to busy herself, as if she could escape the terrible word "divorce" by simply moving around, as if she hadn't heard Li Zhaomei say those words at all.

Li Zhaomei watched Su Zhenzhu's busy figure, remained silent for a while, and then said, "Alright! We'll leave in January. All the company's projects and work will be handled by the assistant. Video conferences and remote work are fine with Dafu and Erfu! Also, don't give me that long face, it's bad luck." His tone was still indifferent, but with an added touch of unquestionable authority.

"Yes, yes, I've noted it all down. Hurry up and eat your breakfast." Su Zhenzhu's voice carried a hint of flattery.

Her attitude greatly surprised her two daughters-in-law, who felt as if they were seeing a complete stranger.

Normally, my mother-in-law is always high and mighty, constantly criticizing their family background, her eyes full of disdain. But now, in front of my father-in-law, she acts like a humble maid, treating him like an ancestor.

Li Dafu and Li Erfu, however, were not surprised by this.

As they grew up, their mother's excessive love for their father was deeply imprinted in their memories.

The mother loved the father so much that she lost her mind; this love had seeped into her very bones, making her lose all sense of self in front of him.

Watching their mother's busy figure, they felt a mix of emotions, wondering what changes this trip to the capital would bring to their family.

Su Zhenzhu was still busy at the dining table, setting out the bowls and chopsticks, and serving steaming buns and glutinous rice balls. Her eyes kept glancing at Li Zhaomei, her gaze filled with worry, fear of loss, and a hint of humble expectation that Li Zhaomei would change her mind and forget the terrible word "divorce," just like forgetting a nightmare.

Li Zhaomei sat at the dining table, silently eating her breakfast with no expression on her face, as if she had already made a firm decision in her heart.

"Dad, have you ever met Grandpa's dad?"

Li Dafu's son asked curiously.

Li Dafu was taken aback and fell silent. He had never seen it before, and his father had never mentioned it to him since he was a child.

"Dad, can we not go? We still need to go back to Grandpa and Grandma's house!"

A 15-year-old girl spoke, her face full of reluctance.

"bump!"

Li Zhaomei abruptly put down her bowl and glanced at her granddaughter.

The girl trembled with fear under her grandfather's gaze.

Li Dafu's wife immediately objected.

"Dad, Yiyi is still a child, and she sometimes speaks without thinking. Do you have to get angry?"

Her mother-in-law usually puts her down, but now she really doesn't want to compromise anymore. She has to fight for herself and ideally, she can separate the family property so that the eldest son should get more.