Inside the private room, Lu Zheng stood by the window with his hands behind his back.
Shang Wu stopped at the door, glanced at Ruan Yuzhi without making a sound, and left the main stage to them.
Ruan Yuzhi took a deep breath, her body trembling slightly.
She remained calm and walked over.
Lu Zheng paused slightly when he heard footsteps approaching, turned around and looked at Ruan Yuzhi, narrowing his eyes.
"Ruan Hua, it's been a long time."
Ruan Hua?
Shang Wu glanced at Ruan Yuzhi.
She had no idea her mother had this name, was it a nickname?
Ruan Yuzhi's tone was unusually calm: "I didn't expect you to still be thinking about the past. Tell me, what do you want to do? Kill me? Don't forget what Xiaoyun said before."
Lu Zheng clenched his fist and said coldly, "Of course I won't forget. Don't worry, I won't lay a hand on you or the merchants. I just need you to do what you should have done twenty years ago."
Ruan Yuzhi's body stiffened.
"Don't even think about it. You might as well kill me if you want me to kneel down before you."
Lu Zheng smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on Shang Wu in the distance.
"Of course you don't have to kneel before me or admit your mistakes. Because of Ru Yun's last wishes, I won't make things difficult for you."
He changed the subject: "And what about your daughter?"
Shang Wu remained unmoved.
Lu Zheng stared intently at Ruan Yuzhi: "I've frozen all of your daughter's assets, her Freya Studio that she used to pursue her design dreams, the people she loved, her reputation—you're going to throw all that away for her too?"
"Don't forget how badly the Zhou family schemed against you. Your daughter went to great lengths to help you and your husband escape your misery and reunite with your son."
Shang Wu crossed her arms and listened quietly.
Lu Zheng continued, "Now she has someone she likes and can have a bright and upright life. As long as you kneel down, I will immediately return everything to her. How about it?"
"Enough!" Ruan Yuzhi said, her voice suddenly becoming sharp with emotion.
She took a deep breath, turned around, and glanced at Shang Wu.
“She’s cut ties with me now, she’s not my daughter anymore, you can do whatever you want with her, it’s none of my business.”
Shang Wu paused, then pursed her lips.
Lu Zheng was also somewhat surprised, as if he hadn't expected Ruan Yuzhi to say things to this extent, but he quickly came to his senses and smiled.
“The relationship may be severed, but the blood ties can not be severed. Shang Wu has nothing now. Those who are jealous of her or who were once afraid of her can trample on her. Do you know how dangerous it is to leave Shang Wu outside?”
“She will be bullied by anyone. Your constant claims that the business has nothing to do with Shang Wu will only embolden those people to target her.”
"Are your knees so valuable, so precious? You won't even kneel down for your daughter?"
After he asked the question, the entire private room fell completely silent.
Ruan Yuzhi remained silent and motionless.
Shang Wu stared intently at her back.
On the way here, she had already decided to uphold Ruan Yuzhi's dignity.
Bringing Ruan Yuzhi to see Lu Zheng was merely a way to buy time.
She thought to herself that if Ruan Yuzhi was determined to kneel down to protect her, she would no longer hold any resentment towards her. She would rather bear any consequences and costs than let Ruan Yuzhi submit to someone like Lu Zheng.
Shang Wu lifted her toes, seemingly wanting to stop Ruan Yuzhi.
The next second, Ruan Yuzhi moved.
She took a step back, as if preparing to kneel.
Shang Wu felt a slight warmth in his chest and subconsciously reached out to help Ruan Yuzhi.
However, before she could even touch Ruan Yuzhi's arm, Ruan Yuzhi straightened her back and let out a cold laugh.
“I’ve already said it, Shang Wu is no longer my daughter. What kind of life she leads in the future has nothing to do with me. I told her not to leave, but she wouldn’t listen. This is the life she chose, and she will bear the consequences herself.”
Shang Wu's outstretched hand suddenly froze.
Lu Zheng was taken aback.
He looked at Ruan Yuzhi quietly, his eyes filled with indescribable emotions.
After a long while, he smiled with a sigh.
"Ruan Hua, don't try to provoke me with those words. It would be bad if it hurts your relationship with your daughter. Also, I won't stop doing what I did to Shang Wu just because you don't care."
Shang Wu looked at Ruan Yuzhi's expression.
Ruan Yuzhi showed no emotional fluctuation, raised her eyebrows, and even seemed to have a sense of triumphant confrontation.
"Okay, you can give it a try."
Can you give it a try?
Shang Wu was momentarily dazed.
Was it to make Lu Zheng feel that they were no longer mother and daughter, and that he couldn't use this to threaten them, or did he really not care about her as his daughter?
As she was thinking, Ruan Yuzhi had already turned around to face her.
"Shang Wu, I had the media release a statement before I came here. From now on, the business has nothing to do with you. Whether you live or die is none of the business's business. Go and fend for yourself."
Shang Wu's face instantly drained of color, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a sound.
It turns out she was just imagining things.
Knowing full well that she had no money, nowhere to live, and was being targeted by the Yu family, they still cut off all her escape routes in order to avoid being controlled by others.
Lu Zheng gasped: "Madam Shang's ruthlessness is truly astonishing. Then I will be very ruthless towards Shang Wu, since she is not your daughter anyway."
Ruan Yuzhi nodded and said calmly, "Do as you please."
Shang Wu clenched her fists, watching as one treated her as a bargaining chip and the other discarded her like trash. She forced a smile and suddenly felt tired.
People used to say she was lucky; no other daughter in the upper-class circles of Lincheng was as fortunate as her.
The sordid stories of infidelity and illegitimate children in her family are nonexistent. Her parents were loving and affectionate from a young age, and the whole family doted on her.
But now, when she is in danger, her mother even has to announce it to Lincheng in advance and actively sever ties with her.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
