At this moment, the voice of the nanny, Nanny Wang, came from outside the door, "Miss, the old master has returned, he asked you to come over!"
Seeing that Sophie remained seated, Nanny Wang added, "It seems the new son-in-law has arrived!"
Sophie's expression immediately turned sour, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, as if she was about to do something she was very reluctant to do.
"I know!" Sophie replied coldly, then said goodbye to Qi Manlin on the phone, "Help me look after Xiaowan, I have something to do, we'll talk later!"
Nanny Wang seeing Sophie still hadn't moved for a long time, couldn't help but urge, "The old master said you should go immediately, you know how impatient he usually is..."
"Alright, I'm going now!"
Although extremely unwilling, Sophie loved her grandfather very much. Her parents were busy in business when they were young and had no time to accompany her, so she was raised by her grandfather. The bond between them was deep and profound, and she didn't want to defy his wishes, even if he privately decided on her lifelong matters against her will.
"Feifei, Xiaomu is coming back today, you should also get ready so people don't say our Su Family looks down on others and slight the Lin Family! Xiaomu is so pitiful, having lost his parents at a young age, living with Old Lin, he suffered a lot, we must compensate him well this time when he comes..."
Upon entering, the elderly man sitting in the hall kept talking about Lin Mu. Although frail, he was spirited, his eyes piercing, vaguely exuding the commanding presence of a battlefield general.
"Grandpa, I've never met that Lin Mu even once, yet just because of a childhood engagement you casually made, you want me to marry him? Have you considered my own wishes?"
Sophie felt very wronged. She knew if she didn't speak up now, there would be no opportunity later. Her grandfather was really stubborn, insisting she marry a complete stranger despite her clear refusal.
If that Lin Mu was blind or crippled, with body odor or foot fungus, or even a third-degree disabled person like Pan Changjiang, do I still have to marry him?
"Ahem, you girl, that Old Lin, who is Lin Mu's grandfather, once saved me from a pile of corpses! We agreed then, and all these years you've known, why are you backing out now? Also, that Old Lin is not an easy man, if you don't marry, he might truly pull out my beard one by one as he promised back then—he's always kept his word! Do you really have the heart to see your grandfather, at such an old age, suffer such humiliation and torment?"
It turns out the deeply bonded elders had already promised during their youth that if their descendants were a boy and a girl, they had to become in-laws. In the previous generation, their parents were all males, so this promise continued to the third generation.
Grandpa Lin kept speaking, his voice starting to choke, clearly showing how much he valued this lifelong friendship.
Sophie, seeing her grandfather like this, also felt a bit heartbroken, but she really couldn't accept marrying a completely unrelated person just like that.
"Grandpa, is there another way? You see, after half a century, who can remember it so clearly? How about this, if they agree to cancel the engagement, we can compensate them financially, no matter how much they want, I can consider it, or I'm willing to help him find a suitable partner, would that work?"
For the happiness of her later life, Sophie desperately tried to persuade her grandfather to reconsider, to give up that dubious childhood engagement.
"Feifei, your grandfather has always accommodated you all these years, never forcing you to do anything, but on this matter, your grandfather will not change his mind. Although it was only a verbal agreement between me and Old Lin back then, we never thought of going back on it! Besides, Old Lin saved my life, if our Su Family backs out, how will your grandfather face him in future meetings?"
Although sensing her grandfather's firm attitude, Sophie likewise refused to give in. She stood up with a cold expression, saying word by word: "Grandpa, since we cannot communicate, I have only one path left, to become a nun! I absolutely will not submit, and you, at once, will see the Su's Great Enterprise, first in Wancheng, among the world's top 500, fade away into obscurity!"
After saying this, Sophie resolutely turned around, ready to leave.
"Wait!"
A loud shout came from behind her, and Sophie's ultimate move indeed worked. She hesitated and stopped just as she was about to step out.
"Alright, Feifei, your grandfather promises you, I will take a step back, and you take a step back, one month, just one month. If, after a month, you and that boy don't get along at all, then your grandfather concedes, gives you freedom, lets you go..."
After saying these words, Grandpa Su suddenly seemed exceptionally old, his voice trembling, the clarity in his eyes clouded, and as he finished, he headed towards the side hall. Watching his bent figure, Sophie's heart was weeping.
"Grandpa, then how will you account to Lin Mu's grandfather?"
Sophie suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt towards her grandfather. She even wondered if she was being too willful, forgetting to consider issues from her grandfather's perspective, given his unchanged kindness and affection towards her over the years.