Chapter 64 - The Patriarch's Ultimatum
"Zhiyao? What brings you here?" Yu Luoyan asked as she opened the door to let her younger cousin inside.
"I won't stay long," Yu Zhiyao replied, her gaze drifting past Luoyan to the clothes scattered haphazardly across the floor. It took only a glance to realize the garments belonged to two different women. Her elder cousin had always been a woman of meticulous order, someone whose life was managed with surgical precision. If she had left such obvious, almost deliberate traces of a guest... Zhiyao looked at Yu Luoyan with a flash of sudden understanding. "Grandpa knows about the divorce. He’s absolutely furious. He sent me here to bring you back to the main estate."
"Grandpa... he found out so soon?" Yu Luoyan’s brow furrowed in a deep, troubled line. She had calculated that it would take at least another six months before the news reached the patriarch’s ears. How had the timeline shifted so abruptly? Her father certainly wouldn't have been the one to leak it.
"Word is your ex-husband went crawling back to the Yu family home. He supposedly knelt before Grandpa, weeping about how sorry he was and begging the elders for a second chance to make things right." Yu Zhiyao’s voice dripped with disdain. She watched Luoyan’s expression shift from surprise to cold realization. Deciding to scrap her plan of leaving immediately, she added, "Should I wait for you?"
"Luoyan, what’s going on?" Having waited inside for far too long, Que Tang had finally helped herself to the most modest pair of pajamas in Yu Luoyan’s wardrobe—a simple silk set—and stepped out into the living room. Seeing the chaotic mess of clothes she had yet to tidy, her face flushed with a hint of embarrassment as she met the cousin’s inquisitive gaze.
Yu Zhiyao merely arched an eyebrow, remaining silent but observant.
Que Tang forced herself to maintain a semblance of professional composure as she walked to Yu Luoyan’s side.
"Tang... Grandpa knows we’re divorced." With Que Tang standing beside her, Luoyan finally allowed her facade of strength to slip, revealing the underlying anxiety. She leaned her weight slightly against Que Tang, her fingers sliding into the other woman’s palm, seeking an anchor.
Yu Zhiyao watched this display with genuine astonishment. In her memory, even when Yu Luoyan had defied the entire family to marry Song Aotian, or during the rare moments the couple appeared together at family functions, the prideful Yu Luoyan had never shown such vulnerability or such a need for her partner’s support.
Que Tang squeezed her hand gently, her voice a soothing balm. "Don't panic yet." She turned her attention to the visitor. "Miss Yu, would you like to come in and sit for a moment?"
"No, that won't be necessary. My errand is done. Cousin... I’ll leave her in your care." Sensing the pink, romantic atmosphere thickening between them—a space that clearly had no room for a third party—Yu Zhiyao showed considerable tact. "Cousin, I’ll tell Grandpa you won't be back until tomorrow. That should buy you some time."
Once Yu Zhiyao had departed, Que Tang set about tidying the clothes they had discarded so recklessly the night before. She led Yu Luoyan back into the bedroom, sat her down on the edge of the bed, and began to dry her hair with a blow dryer.
"Tangtang, I can't believe Song Aotian actually had the gall to go to the old estate and tell Grandpa..." Luoyan’s voice trailed off, her heart heavy with a renewed sense of regret for her past blindness. "To think he’d beg for another chance after everything."
Once her hair was mostly dry, Que Tang switched off the dryer. She ran her fingers through Luoyan’s hair, marveling at how the strands remained so silky despite the frequent coloring and styling. The perks of being a pampered heiress, she thought. "Will it be a major problem, now that Old Master Yu knows?"
"Grandpa was against the marriage from the very start. He said Song Aotian didn't truly love me, that he was after something else. But I was headstrong... I threw tantrums, I cried, I insisted on having my way." Luoyan glanced at Que Tang, worried her past behavior would be a turn-off. Seeing no judgment, she gave Que Tang a playful, frustrated nudge. "Anyway, Grandpa eventually relented, but with a condition: if the marriage ended in divorce within five years, as he predicted, I would have to submit to his arrangements and marry whoever he chose. My plan was to wait until the five-year mark passed in six months before telling him, but Song Aotian ruined everything..."
Luoyan sat in Que Tang’s lap, her mind racing. During her lowest points, she had considered just giving in to her grandfather’s whims. After all, if she couldn't have love, what did it matter who she married? But now she had Que Tang. The thought of being bartered away was unbearable. She was falling headlong into another reckless devotion, and while she couldn't be certain Que Tang would stay forever, she refused to be a passive observer of her own fate this time.
Que Tang blinked, a soft smile playing on her lips. "So, are you going to get married off again?"
"Are you happy about that?" Luoyan pouted, turning her face away in a huff.
To Que Tang’s surprise, she found this display of petulance unscientifically adorable. She clutched her chest, a frantic thought crossing her mind: *Am I actually falling in love for real this time?*
When the expected words of comfort didn't come immediately, Luoyan’s pout deepened. She turned back with a frown, only to be pulled into a sudden, tight embrace.
"Luoyan, why are you so cute?" Que Tang murmured, nuzzling against the crook of her neck.
"...Tangtang." Stunned by Que Tang’s rare initiative, Luoyan froze for a heartbeat before melting into the touch.
"Are we going to see Old Master Yu tomorrow? I'll go with you." Que Tang truly loathed the Male Lead of this world. There was no way she would let the Female Supporting Character fall back into his clutches. If she had to sabotage the original plot to ensure Luoyan’s happiness, she was prepared to sacrifice her own... integrity.
"Really?" Luoyan’s eyes lit up. When Que Tang nodded, the first genuine smile since Zhiyao’s visit broke across her face. Que Tang’s willingness to face the lion’s den with her meant everything.
The next morning, out of respect for the elders, Yu Luoyan dressed with more restraint. She picked out matching color-coordinated skirts for herself and Que Tang—a subtle "couple's look"—and insisted on doing Que Tang’s makeup. Watching Que Tang’s resigned yet indulgent expression in the mirror, Luoyan couldn't stop herself from beaming.
In the back of the family car, Luoyan clung to Que Tang’s side, whispering the complex rules of the Yu household. However, her hand began to wander, sliding from Que Tang’s knee further up her thigh beneath the hem of her skirt.
"Luoyan..." Que Tang hissed, catching her wrist. "We’re in the car."
"Tangtang, you were lucky enough to escape last night. Next time, you won't be so fortunate," Luoyan whispered into her ear, her voice thick with flirtatious intent as she pressed her chest against Que Tang’s arm.
Que Tang rubbed her temples, feeling a headache brewing.
Upon arriving at the Yu ancestral estate, Luoyan immediately reverted to the image of a poised, dignified socialite. They entered the grand living room to find the patriarch, Yu Yaobin, seated in the central chair, flanked by Luoyan’s parents.
"Grandpa." Luoyan nodded to her parents before stepping toward the imposing old man.
Que Tang met his sharp gaze with a polite smile and a nod. "Good day, Chairman Yu."
"Hmph. So you finally remembered the way home?" He ignored Que Tang entirely, directing a cold snort at his granddaughter.
"Grandpa~" Luoyan sat beside him, slipping into her role as the spoiled favorite. "I just didn't want you to worry."
"I told you back then. That man might have liked you, but he would never love you."
"I know I was wrong, Grandpa..." Luoyan admitted softly.
"You know you were wrong? And yet you tried to hide it from me? I assume you haven't forgotten the agreement we made." Yu Yaobin shook his head in disappointment. "You were trying to trick me for another six months, weren't you? If that brat hadn't come crawling here begging for a second chance, I wouldn't even know my granddaughter was a divorcee."
"Grandpa..." Luoyan instinctively looked toward Que Tang for help, realizing with a start just how much she had come to rely on her. But what could Que Tang do in a family matter like this? It was her own blind folly that had led them here.
Que Tang, receiving the SOS signal loud and clear, decided to intervene. Despite knowing her position was precarious, she stepped forward. "Chairman Yu, I am—"
"I know exactly who you are. The woman who broke up my granddaughter’s marriage." Yu Yaobin finally looked her in the eye, his aura sharp and oppressive. "You have the nerve to step into this house? Are you still shamelessly clinging to Luoyan, trying to keep her away from Song Aotian? Rest assured, our family will never give that man a second chance."
"Grandpa!" Luoyan snapped, her brow furrowing. "Que Tang isn't like that. Song Aotian hid the fact that he was married when he approached her. She broke up with him the moment she found out the truth."
"Yu Luoyan! Have you forgotten you don't interrupt your elders?" Luoyan’s father barked, seeing the patriarch’s mounting irritation.
"Father." Luoyan stood up and walked back to Que Tang’s side, taking her hand. It was only then that the elders truly noticed the atmosphere between the two women. Their matching skirts and the intimate way they exchanged glances were impossible to ignore.
Seeing the blatant display of affection, Yu Yaobin roared, "Yu Luoyan! I let you marry that man because you insisted. I could overlook you hiding the divorce because you're young and foolish. But what is the meaning of *this*?"
"Grandpa." Luoyan stood tall, her fingers interlaced with Que Tang’s. "I know I’ve been foolish and disobedient. I’ve made a mistake once, and it looks like I’m repeating it. But..." She raised their joined hands, her voice unwavering. "This time is different. I won't lose myself again. Que Tang is nothing like Song Aotian."
"Of course she isn't! Because she’s a woman, and Song Aotian was at least a man!" Yu Yaobin clutched his chest, his face reddening with anger.
"Grandpa!"
"Luoyan," Que Tang interrupted, her voice firm. "Stop. Be good."
Luoyan bit her lip, but to the shock of everyone in the room, she immediately ceased her defiance and stepped back behind Que Tang. The Yu elders exchanged bewildered looks. The headstrong Luoyan, who feared no one, had been silenced by a single word from this stranger.
Que Tang didn't care about their reactions. She had noticed Yu Yaobin clutching his chest. "Chairman Yu, Luoyan is just worried. Please, take a breath. Luoyan, does your grandfather have his medication?"
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Luoyan’s anger vanished, replaced by guilt. She rushed to her grandfather’s side, taking the medicine and water from the butler and handing them to him personally. "Grandpa, I’m sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice." At thirty, she still looked like a repentant child before him.
After the medication took effect and his heart rate steadied, Yu Yaobin looked at his granddaughter’s remorseful face. His heart softened. "I’m only worried about you. You’ve always been bright, but your father and I spoiled you. I knew Song Aotian was just biding his time, waiting to show his true colors once he had the Yu name behind him." He patted her head gently. "However... perhaps this time, you actually have a keen eye for character." He looked toward Que Tang.
He had already investigated the situation after Song Aotian’s visit. The reports had nearly given him a stroke. Song Aotian had been unfaithful throughout the marriage, and it seemed he had only turned 'serious' when Que Tang appeared—likely because he had already drained enough from the Yu family.
But this girl, Que Tang, had rejected him outright. Her background was clean; her parents were in the medical profession, and she had achieved her current success through sheer merit, far outshining that parasite Song Aotian. Moreover, during his deliberate outburst, Que Tang had prioritized his health over her own defense. She was as upright as the reports suggested.
Most importantly, his stubborn granddaughter actually listened to her.
"You want to 'marry' into our family?" Yu Yaobin asked.
Que Tang’s eyes widened in shock. The others, however, interpreted her stunned silence as overwhelming joy.
"Fine. But on one condition: you must resign from your current post and join Yu Xia," Yu Yaobin declared with the finality of a king.
Que Tang felt the weight of everyone’s gaze. She had only spaced out for a second—how had the plot suddenly taken such a sharp turn? With the Female Supporting Character, her parents, and the patriarch all watching, she didn't dare refuse. She gritted her teeth and nodded. "I understand. Give me some time to settle my affairs."
Luoyan looked at her, her eyes shimmering with emotion.
*“Meow~ Romance Level with the Female Supporting Character is now at maximum capacity!”*
*“Since it’s full, there shouldn't be any new metrics to unlock, right?”* Que Tang asked the system, feeling a sense of dread.
*“Oh, there is! The Intimacy Value. Once you reach a certain number of 'push-downs,' you can even earn exquisite little mission gifts! Meow~”*
Que Tang, realizing she was being played by the system once again, decided to remain silent.
***
