In Wu SuYi's head a single memory never fade away. She doubted it would disappear even after she had died.
She was still young and little, running toward her father's back while seeing her brother on both sides of her brother. It was the day to the birthday celebration of her eldest brother, JingYi. As any other girls and child of her age, she was filled with brimming joy, hiding her small hands behind her back which was holding to a lily flower.
A smile was wide on her lips but it quickly got short when her father spoke, "We don't need to wait for the last one."
The servant who heard this was shocked, "But, sir… the birthday party—"
"She doesn't need to come. She would never be allowed to come to anyone's birthday party."
Wu SuYi was stunned to hear her father's words… his first word she heard after years of unable to meet him as he got busy with his work.
She could see how her brother didn't stop her and instead followed their father to the car, ignoring her existence.
The servants couldn't help but speak for her little self to understand, "She is abandoned."
Despite that, she was still young and hope brimmed in her they wouldn't forget her if she ran fast enough. But the car had drove off and her father who could see her only stared at her with his unchanging cold look on his face.
"JingYi! HaoRan!" She remembered yelling for her brother's name. They looked at her once and never again looked back.
For her entire life, Wu SuYi's action was controlled. She would take endless lessons after lessons, but to her it wasn't the most difficult, she could do them at ease but the price of being a bright child was nothing.
Her father continued to ignore her and so did her brothers. She became more and more aware of the fact sooner. Whenever they were in the dining room, her father would speak with her brothers but never once looked at her face nor utter a word to her.
They would quickly finish their food and left her regardless if it was her birthday.
Being born in Wu Family, she was wealthy and had everything on her hands. At the same time, she didn't have anything to her hands. When she was kidnapped at the age of seventeen, her kidnappers demanded money in which her father replied, "It that so." Before cutting the call.
Life in the Wu Family was stifling but there was no chance for her to leave. Her aunts would haunt her with lists of what she couldn't do if she was alone. That she would live and have nothing if she ever leave the Wu Family. That she should be grateful she is being ignored as long as she survive in the family.
It was difficult to remember what courage she took to leave Wu Family. Everything felt like a nightmare to her.
Her father that had never took interest to her… this was the first words he said to her after years of ignoring her.
Should she be happy he talked to her?
The king of the house, how laughable.
"Well," Wu SuYi's eyes turned ice cold. She remembered all the pain she had to go through alone, of being treated as if she never existed and those pain when there was no one in her aid when she needed help. "I will help you get rid of the shame by walking away from this house now."
XingYun who had been standing behind Wu SuYi had his face covered in shock when she was about to leave the room, tryin to stop her when JingYi slammed his hand on the table.
"This is your home SuYi! Your father and your brothers are here. All the elders are here! You should pay respect to them!"
Wu SuYi clenched her fists. She wanted to punch everyone here but she had told herself to use her fists only when it is to protect people. She didn't want to become those criminals she had apprehended.
"Maybe we should instead let her walk out of her house. In the end we only need her signature." One of her aunt spoke. It was Aunt Hei, the same woman who had spoke volume how useless she is if she leave Wu Family. The woman's words are always a poison to her ears, and thorn to the world, thought Wu SuYi.
Wu SuYi's eyes narrowed as she looked back behind her. Her father's face didn't looked at her. He had ignored her existence again but she didn't mind it anymore since she had been living with the ghost treatment since she could ever remember.
"Signature? What are you talking about?"
"What else? It's about your engagement," Aunt Hei spoke. Her noisy voice sounded like a heavy hatchet dropped to the ground, dropping Wu SuYi's heart at the same time.
"Engagement?" Wu SuYi looked at her father who was silent while her two older brothers settled the same pin drop attitude. "I never agreed to this. You are planning on engagement for me, without hearing what I have to say in this engagement? If I want it or not?"
JingYi spoke up calmly, "You are of age to be married. Do you wish to continue living outside, only doing your work without having a family for yourself? Family is important for everyone in this world."
"Not to me," Wu SuYi coldly refused. "Since I was young, I lived without a family," she could see by her words, her brothers and fathers were both affected with their eyebrows twitching. Her aunt and uncle threw gasp and called her out for being ungrateful but she didn't have to deal with them. She didn't even know most of their names.
"There should be no engagement or so whatsoever! The talk ends here," she needs to get out of the Wu Family as quickly as possible. She could feel the worse thing her father could attemp if she doesn't comply to his words.
To her horror, he spoke, "I will give you two months. If you do not find anyone you can settle with, you will have no choice."
Wu SuYi didn't want to listen to the rest of her father's demand. But she knew if she didn't leave the house quickly, he would detain her at the house until she did what he demanded. And she wasn't going to have any of it!
XingYun ran following her from behind. Tired of him, Wu SuYi snapped. Her eyes flared with anger, "Was this what you wanted me to experience by coming back to the house? You and those people from this family. Isn't it enough to make me nineteen years of life a hell?"
"You have to listen, this wasn't what should have occurred," XingYun appeared shocked when the news of her one-sided engagement was announced but she didn't trust him. Not after he broke her trust first.
"Regardless. You knew if I came back to this house, I would never experience anything good. I treated you as a friend in the past but you are as shameless as ever," Wu SuYi took her leave immediately, leaving her final word, "Tell that old man. If he dares to do anything against my will. I will not hesitate to bring him to the court!"