Approaching Gu Beixian, Su Hua tilted her head up and smiled at him.

He stood tall and straight like a pine, his handsome features almost unreal against the backdrop of lights.

Su Hua's eyes curved as she looked at him, her eyes shining like stars, her small fingers gently rubbing against his much larger ones.

Feeling her touch, Gu Beixian smiled and took her hand, his other hand patting the back of her head as he spoke softly, "Sorry I'm late, there was a traffic jam on the way."

Su Hua smiled lightly, "It's okay, I just got here too."

Gu Fengjiao, feeling annoyed, pursed her lips, wanting to say something but afraid of angering Beixian and losing face, she moved away with her wine glass.

Gu Beixian, holding Su Hua's hand, walked to the table and sat down.

He picked up a piece of bluefin tuna sashimi with silver chopsticks and held it to Su Hua's mouth, "Bluefin tuna, just flown in from abroad this morning. This belly meat is the tastiest part, have a taste."

Bluefin tuna, known as the "king of sashimi" and the "Rolls-Royce of fish," is one of the world's most luxurious seafood delicacies.

Su Hua took a bite, slowly savoring the refreshing and elastic texture, the lingering fragrance and exquisite flavor.

After swallowing, she smiled at him, "Delicious."

She also picked up a piece with her chopsticks and offered it to him, "Your turn."

Gu Beixian pushed it back, "You eat, don't mind me."

Amidst the bustle, Qin Shu glanced over at Gu Beixian and Su Hua from a distance, her lips curling slightly at the sight.

A lady in a green cheongsam who had also noticed commented, "Your son is really good to your daughter-in-law."

Qin Shu modestly replied, "It's alright. She deserves it, she's a girl of good character."

The green cheongsam lady said, "That's good. But I wonder how much use a scholarly family is to us businesspeople?"

Qin Shu smiled perfunctorily and bent down to pick up a piece of cake from the table, offering it to the lady, "Mrs. Li, the desserts we ordered this time are quite good, try some."

"Thank you," the lady in green cheongsam took it and began eating with a spoon, her gossiping mouth now occupied.

Suddenly, a small commotion came from outside the door.

Su Hua turned to look.

A man in a black suit, over sixty but still with a straight posture and broad shoulders, his gray hair neatly trimmed and his brows sharp, walked in with an imposing presence.

It was Gu Beixian's father, Gu Aoting.

Su Hua was about to stand up to greet him when she noticed a petite young woman following behind him, Chu Suosuo.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Coincidentally, she too wore a night-blue starry dress, adorned with countless bright diamonds, sparkling brilliantly.

However, while Su Hua's was a floor-length gown, Chu Suosuo's was a shorter, puffier style, revealing her straight, white legs.

Su Hua embodied an elegant and gentle style.

Chu Suosuo, on the other hand, exuded a cute and charming vibe.

Su Hua turned to Gu Beixian, "Did you invite her?"

Beixian shook his head slightly, "Neither my mother nor I invited her, she must have been called by my father. He and Suosuo's father have been classmates since childhood and later joined their respective family businesses, maintaining good business relations."

Su Hua pursed her lips in silence.

She rarely interacted with Gu Aoting.

Only during holidays, when they gathered at the old house for meals, would she occasionally see him and exchange greetings.

After entering, Chu Suosuo busily greeted the male and female guests familiarly, calling out, "Hello Uncle Zhang, Auntie Li, Auntie Tang..."

With her injured hand hidden behind her back, she smiled sweetly, the picture of gentleness and obedience.

The guests praised her, "A young woman is very different from the little girl she once was, Suosuo is growing up to be more and more beautiful."

Chu Suosuo's eyes crinkled into slits as she smiled, "Thank you, Uncle Zhang, Auntie Li, Auntie Tang..."

Seeing Su Hua's gaze fixed on Chu Suosuo, Gu Beixian gently patted her hand, "They've watched Suosuo grow up, they're all familiar."

Whether it was her own overthinking or not, at that moment, Su Hua felt like an outsider who had accidentally intruded into their circle, unable to blend in.

Soon, Chu Suosuo noticed Gu Beixian, her eyes lighting up as she trotted over in her high heels, cheerfully calling out, "Brother Beixian!"

Compared to her enthusiasm, Gu Beixian's response was much cooler, barely curving his lips and nodding slightly in acknowledgment.

Unfazed by the cold reception, Chu Suosuo ran over and stood next to him, admiring Su Hua, "Wow, Sis Su Hua, you look so beautiful today."

She pressed down her overly puffy skirt and said shyly, "We're wearing matching dresses today, what a coincidence."

Mimicking Gu Beixian's gesture, Su Hua nodded slightly at her and picked up a tiramisu, lowering her head to eat.

She couldn't even bother to feign interest in Chu Suosuo.

Chu Suosuo, feeling slighted, said to Gu Beixian, "Sis Su Hua doesn't seem to like me much."

Gu Beixian lifted his chin slightly, pointing to a seat across from them, "You eat over there."

Chu Suosuo looked at him, hesitated, and then reluctantly said, "Alright then."

She sat down across from them, but her gaze lingered on Gu Beixian.

After Gu Aoting finished mingling with the guests, he approached Gu Beixian and Su Hua.

As he got closer, Su Hua stood up and greeted him with a smile, "Dad."

Gu Aoting glanced at her coldly, responding lightly, and then said to Gu Beixian, "Come with me to the study upstairs."

Gu Beixian hummed softly and tenderly told Su Hua, "Eat slowly, have whatever you want. You're at home, don't be shy. Call me if you need anything."

Su Hua replied, "Alright, go ahead."

As soon as Gu Beixian left, Chu Suosuo approached with her wine glass, looking quite smug, "What does it matter if everyone in the Gu Family likes you? Uncle Gu prefers me, I'm his ideal choice for a daughter-in-law."

Su Hua thought of Gu Aoting's cold attitude towards her just now, no doubt influenced by Chu Suosuo's machinations.

After all, it wasn't the first time she had exaggerated and played the victim.

Su Hua felt extremely uncomfortable, as if she had swallowed countless flies.

She gripped her glass tightly and said coldly, "Are you done? If so, please disappear from my sight. Go squat wherever you like. It's my mother-in-law's birthday today, and I don't want to cause any unpleasantness."

Chu Suosuo remembered how Su Hua had once smashed a thermos at her mother's face and instinctively touched her nose, feeling a phantom pain, then turned and walked away.

Around nine o'clock, Qin Shu came over and asked Su Hua, "Where's Beixian?"

Su Hua stood up and said, "Dad called him to the study upstairs."

Qin Shu checked her watch, "It's time to cut the cake, go upstairs and call them down."

Su Hua smiled, "Okay, Mom."

She lifted her dress and went upstairs.

The second floor was very quiet, and Su Hua, not wanting to disturb their conversation, walked lightly.

Reaching the door of the study, she raised her hand to knock but heard Gu Aoting's voice from inside, "Suosuo is a better match for you. Her father and I have been in business for so many years, our dealings are deeply intertwined. If you two marry, it would greatly benefit our family business. On the way here, I hinted at it with Suosuo, and from what she said, she still has feelings for you."

Su Hua's heart sank, as if doused with cold water from head to toe.

After a while, she heard Gu Beixian say, "When I was at my lowest, Su Hua was the one by my side."

Gu Aoting scoffed, "Money would have sufficed. Nothing can't be solved with money. Three years ago, if you had no money, she wouldn't have married you. Over the years, you've given her so much money, bought her family a house, found a kidney for her grandmother, covered all medical expenses, and supported three generations of her family. You've done more than enough."

After a moment of silence, Gu Beixian said, "The biggest difference between humans and animals is that humans have emotions."

Gu Aoting frowned, "You're a man, and a man can't just indulge in romance. In the volatile business world, it's safer to have two boats than to sail alone. Marrying into the Chu Family would provide a safety net if the company faces trouble. What can Su Hua do?"

Standing quietly outside the door, Su Hua felt an overwhelming sadness.

Indeed, what could she, a restorer of ancient paintings, do for Gu Group?

She was out of her depth and couldn't help at all.

Yet she didn't leave, wanting to hear what Gu Beixian would say.

But after a long wait, she heard nothing.

She laughed at herself mockingly.

She had thought his desire for a divorce was due to lingering feelings for Chu Suosuo, but now it seemed there was this reason as well.

Turning to leave, Su Hua realized her legs were weak.

By the time she managed to reach the bottom of the stairs, leaning on the wall for support, Gu Beixian's voice came from the study, "I'm sorry, I can't do that."

Unfortunately, Su Hua could no longer hear it.