Looking at his mother—though she hadn’t been the one to raise him, and though, compared to Situ Xin’er, she’d never doted on him quite the same way—she was still his mother, after all, and had never once been unfairly harsh with him. She’d simply shown him a little less concern, that was all.
Before, he’d been caught between a woman and his brother. Now, he found himself caught between his parents and his brother.
Situ Haonan looked back at Lady Situ, quietly letting out a slow breath. He understood exactly what she meant, but he still hesitated, saying nothing.
He knew Jun Beiyue well enough to know that no matter what choice he made today—even if he gave up Yelu Qianqian entirely and went home with his mother willingly—Jun Beiyue would never simply let this go.
In the end, he chose to stay silent.
Seeing him say nothing, Lady Situ snapped sharply, “Are you coming or not?!”
Just then, the Lord of Situ City appeared as well, seemingly out of nowhere, stepping out from the side, his fine features set in a stern expression, a barely-contained fury in his eyes as he stared at Situ Haonan from a distance.
That look made Situ Haonan instinctively take a step back. It had always been this way, ever since he was a child—that look struck fear into him down to his very bones.
He knew that his grandfather’s doting affection for him, and his grandfather’s interference in Situ City’s affairs, had left his father more than a little dissatisfied over the years. But out of deference to his grandfather’s seniority, his father had always deferred to whatever his grandfather said, swallowing his frustration—and doting so heavily on his wife besides, that Situ Haonan, as his grandfather’s favorite, had become the sole outlet for all that pent-up anger.
That look was, without question, the single greatest fear of Situ Haonan’s entire life.
The Lord of Situ City advanced step by step. Lady Situ immediately pulled Situ Xin’er back protectively, both to save her husband face and, at the same time, unable to resist lodging her complaint. “Look at this—her face is beaten black and blue, and now she wants to hold us accountable!”
With Jun Beiyue having already spoken as bluntly as he had, now that her husband had arrived, Lady Situ had no intention of backing down any further. Situ City’s centuries-old standing in the martial world was something every nation coveted as an ally—Jun Beiyue might not care much for Situ City, but Situ City certainly wasn’t afraid of him either.
The moment the Lord of Situ City saw his precious daughter’s face beaten like this, a surge of fury welled up within him. But rather than turning on Jun Beiyue, he strode straight over to Situ Haonan instead and struck him hard across the face. “Wretched son!”
Situ Haonan stumbled back several steps under the blow, lowering his face to one side, drawing a deep breath, saying nothing.
“Your sister told me you struck her, and I didn’t even believe it—yet here you are, letting your own sister be bullied like this! You’ve disgraced the entire Situ name!”
Facing the Lord of Situ City’s accusations, Situ Haonan said nothing at all, utterly silent—whether out of fear, or something else entirely, no one could say.
He simply seemed to wilt entirely, the very picture of a timid, dutiful son cowering beneath a stern father.
“What are you standing around for? Go home with your mother, now!” the Lord of Situ City commanded.
Their purpose in coming here was singular: to bring Situ Haonan back home. Whatever the current situation, they would absolutely not permit him to marry the princess of Xijing, nor would they allow the martial world’s influence to interfere in a war between two nations.
The Lord of Situ City’s intent was clear—have Lady Situ take Situ Haonan away, while he himself stayed behind to deal with Jun Beiyue.
But Situ Haonan, for all his apparent meekness, showed no sign of obeying the command at all!
After a long moment of silence, all eyes turned to Situ Haonan—but no matter how long they waited, he still gave no response.
The Lord of Situ City’s expression darkened further. “Did you hear me? I’m giving you an order—still not moving?”
Once he truly lost his temper, his son had never once defied him before.
Could it be that this time…
“You’re not going?” the Lord of Situ City demanded loudly.
Seeing this, Jun Beiyue’s mouth curved into a cold smile, and he said flatly, “Yingzi, take Young Master Situ ahead. He doesn’t have time to waste.”
At that, Situ Haonan finally lifted his head and looked up.
The Lord of Situ City was struck with shock. “You… you… if you dare leave, don’t you ever set foot in Situ City again!”