Chapter 16 Negotiation 8
"Woof~" Wealth lunged towards Tian Xingyun, jumping up to grab her clothes.
"Alright, calm down." Tian Xingyun grabbed Wealth's front paws, making it stand up straight.
When Wealth stood up straight, it was almost as tall as Tian Xingyun!
"Woof~" Wealth barked happily, licking Tian Xingyun with its tongue.
"Okay, let's go." Tian Xingyun released Wealth, walking ahead while Wealth followed behind.
Tian Xingyun brought Wealth to the village entrance; the Huo Family members saw Wealth's imposing figure.
They all silently swallowed and stepped back; the dog looked fierce just standing there.
"Wealth, stay here and guard. If any strangers come in, bite them!"
"Woof~"
"I'll go home and get you some bones to eat. Good boy." Tian Xingyun patted Wealth's head.
After leaving Wealth at the entrance, Tian Xingyun was at ease and left with Tian Mimi.
Huo Shaohua had just returned to the Huo Family when his grandmother called him to the living room.
He didn't need to guess what his grandmother wanted to talk to him about.
Sitting on the sofa, he spoke first, "I won't marry Tian Xingyun."
There was only one woman he would marry, and that was Song Yi.
He was already at his limit by agreeing to keep the child Tian Xingyun was carrying.
It was impossible for him to marry her.
"What do you plan to do then?" his grandmother retorted, waiting to see how Shaohua would handle it.
Everything happened so suddenly; he certainly felt troubled inside.
"I don't want that child."
"Nonsense! That is your own flesh and blood." His grandmother angrily slammed the table.
"The child was a mistake from the beginning; it shouldn't exist!"
"Huo Shaohua, I never thought you would kill your own flesh and blood for a woman who won't marry or bear children with you." His grandmother stood up, angrily accusing him.
Shao Hua and Song Yi had been together for years, but Song Yi had never mentioned marriage.
She had even said she wouldn't have children and didn't want to be bound by the Huo Family's rules.
The responsibilities of being the Huo Family's eldest daughter-in-law went beyond just bearing an heir.
"..." Huo Shaohua remained silent, not refuting his grandmother's words.
What his grandmother said was true, Song Yi had repeatedly refused to marry or even to become pregnant.
On one occasion when she did become pregnant, she insisted on having an abortion.
He had argued many times with his grandmother about marriage, determined to marry only Song Yi.
Yet she remained steadfast in her refusal to marry or have children.
This was why his grandmother valued the child in Tian Xingyun's womb so much.
Perhaps, this child would be the only one he would ever have.
"The child in Xingyun's belly must be kept!"
"The child can stay, but I won't marry Tian Xingyun." Huo Shaohua compromised, agreeing to keep the child.
Perhaps having this child would be a good thing, so he wouldn't be pressured by the family anymore.
And he wouldn't need to pressure Song Yi either.
"If you don't marry her, do you want the child to be illegitimate?"
Huo Shaohua frowned instinctively at the term "illegitimate child."
How could his child be illegitimate?
"She can give birth in secret. Once I marry Song Yi, the child will be ours."
"Absurd!"
"I will not marry her."
"You must marry her. It's your responsibility as a man."
"Grandmother, have you ever considered my feelings?" Huo Shaohua angrily stood up.
Why must he be forced to marry a woman he didn't love or even know well?
"From the day you were born into the Huo Family, you no longer had the right to think only of yourself!" His grandmother's authority left no room for refusal.
The Huo Family descendants always prioritized the family over their own lives.
"I'd rather not have the Huo surname!" Huo Shaohua shouted angrily, turning to leave.
This place and this surname had been suffocating him ever since he was a child.