The atmosphere in the study of the Su family's old house was extremely depressing.

Su's father was usually quite gentle, but at this moment, he slapped the huanghuali wood table hard, and the purple clay teacup on the table shook, and some tea spilled.

"Where's the person?!" He roared at the humble but respectful butler. His voice was not loud, but it was filled with ruthlessness. "A living person, and you just lost him like that? You're a bunch of rubbish!"

The housekeeper's forehead was covered in sweat, and his voice was trembling: "Master, the eldest lady...she said she just wanted to go out for a walk. Who would have thought..."

"Go for a walk?" Father Su's chest heaved violently. "She still has the nerve to go out for a walk? There's still no explanation for what happened at the Fu family, and yet she's playing hide-and-seek with me? She's really capable!"

Su's mother's eyes were red, and her hand holding the phone was shaking. On the screen, after dialing Su Yao's number, the cold female voice of the system said "Cannot connect".

She pressed the redial button again and again without giving up.

"Hubby, Yaoyao...could she have done something stupid because she couldn't think straight?" Mother Su's voice was filled with tears. She had seen everything her daughter had been like these days. The Jiang family refused to give in, and Fu Chen was so heartless, so her daughter must have gone crazy.

Father Su waved his hand impatiently: "Her? Give her some courage! If she really had that kind of backbone, she wouldn't have done those shameless things before!"

Having said that, there was still a hint of worry in the depths of his eyes.

After all, Su Yao was his only daughter, and she had been cherished since she was a child. How could she have suffered such a big loss?

Just then, there were two knocks on the study door.

"Sir, Madam," a young secretary leaned in halfway, his face looking a little strange, "There are two lawyers outside. They say they are from Hengtong Loan and want to see you."

"Hengtong Lending?" Father Su's brows were knitted into a knot. "I don't have much dealings with their company. I won't meet them. Send them away." He didn't have the time to deal with any lawyers now.

The secretary paused and lowered her voice, "They said...it was about the mortgage of the old house, and they even produced a document signed by the eldest daughter..."

"What did you say?" Father Su stood up suddenly, and the legs of the chair made a harsh sound when dragging on the ground.

Su's mother was so scared that she covered her mouth. The phone fell on the thick carpet with a "bang" but did not make much noise.

Father Su rushed to the door and yelled at his secretary, "Let them in!"

Two lawyers in suits were brought into the study, their faces expressionless.

The leading lawyer, Chen, opened his briefcase, took out a stack of documents and placed them in front of Su's father.

"Mr. Su, this is the real estate mortgage loan contract signed by your daughter, Miss Su Yao, as well as the relevant notarized power of attorney. She used the old Su family house as collateral to borrow a short-term loan of 30 million from our Hengtong Loan, saying that she wanted to fill the funding gap on the Fu Group's side." Lawyer Chen spoke in a flat tone, without any emotion.

Father Su grabbed the document.

He recognized it as Su Yao's signature at a glance. The familiar handwriting now looked like needle pricks.

The old house is not only the foundation of the Su family, but also the thoughts left by his parents. Su Yao... How dare Su Yao touch the old house!

"Where is she?" Father Su's voice was so hoarse that every word seemed to be forced out of his throat.

"Ms. Su left after completing the formalities, and we don't know where she went," Lawyer Chen replied.

"Thirty million is used to fill the hole in the Fu family..." Su's mother muttered absentmindedly, her face as pale as paper. "What is she planning to do... Is she going to drag the Su family down with her?"

Father Su closed his eyes, then opened them again, his eyes cold. He grabbed the phone on the table and dialed a number: "Old Liu, use all your connections to find Su Yao for me! She must be seen alive! Humph, want to die? She's not qualified yet!"

After hanging up the phone, he turned to the two lawyers and said in a cold and hard tone: "I will handle this matter. The Su family will pay back the money owed by Su Yao. But I have a request. This matter cannot be spread for the time being."

Lawyer Chen nodded. "Of course, we hope this matter can be resolved peacefully. However, Mr. Su, according to the contract, if the mortgage is not repaid on time, we have the right to dispose of the mortgaged property."

Father Su showed no expression: "I understand."

Su Yao was "invited" back from an inconspicuous hotel by the Su family bodyguards.

She thought she had done it perfectly, but she didn't know that Su's father's network of contacts was much wider than she imagined.

She was brought back to the Su family's old house and pushed directly into her bedroom, which was once filled with luxury goods. What greeted her was not the comfort of her parents, but the cold sound of the door being locked.

The door was locked from the outside and the windows were bolted from the inside.

"Dad! Mom! Let me out! Why are you locking me up?" Su Yao pounded on the door, her voice sharp and thin.

There was no movement outside.

She felt exhausted and slid down the door panel to sit on the ground, looking at everything in the room. The things that she used to love the most now seemed to be laughing at her.

What object in the room could give her some comfort?

I don't know how long it was before the door lock clicked and Su's mother came in with a tray with a simple meal on it.

"Mom!" Su Yao rushed over and grabbed Su's mother's arm as if she had seen a savior. "Mom, please talk to Dad and ask him to let me out! I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong!"

Mother Su looked at her daughter's messy hair and bloodshot, panicked eyes, and she couldn't describe the feeling in her heart.

She put down the tray and gently pushed Su Yao's hand away.

"Yaoyao, what did you do wrong?" Su's mother's voice was very soft, but it revealed an indescribable tiredness and disappointment.

"I...I shouldn't have gone to find Ning Nanxue again, shouldn't have gone against Fu Chen, and shouldn't have disobeyed you and escaped." Su Yao said hurriedly, trying to find the answer her mother wanted to hear.

"No," Mother Su interrupted, looking at her intently. "Your biggest mistake was not thinking about the old house. That's the root of the Su family, the last thing your grandparents left us! For a man, for your wild fantasies, you're actually going to uproot the Su family's roots?"

At the end of her speech, Su's mother's voice became higher, with uncontrollable sadness.

Su Yao was stunned. She didn't expect her mother to scold her like this.

In her opinion, if she lost the house, she could just buy another one. There was only one Jiang Tingchen, and Ning Nanxue had to disappear from his side.

"Mom, I did that for the good of the Su family! Fu Chen said that as long as I can solve the financial problem, he will..."

"What is he doing?" Mother Su sneered. "He's just going to keep treating you like a fool, letting you fight Ning Nanxue, and then wait until Jiang Tingchen is completely fed up with you before kicking you away, right? Yaoyao, can you wake up a little! What kind of person is Fu Chen? You still don't understand?"