Under his daughter’s unwavering gaze, Master Situ finally began to waver!

Being a father!

What else could he do? However harsh and unforgiving he might be toward others, when it came to his own daughter, once she truly threatened her life against him, even at the cost of his own dignity, he’d have to yield!

This, perhaps, was the tragedy of being a parent!

Having spoiled a child to this extent, the one who ultimately suffered the consequences was oneself.

Curled against Jun Beiyue’s chest, her face buried in his chest, Ziqing had been listening clearly to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat the entire time. The room had fallen into a tense, unmistakable standoff.

Only, she couldn’t quite guess Jun Beiyue’s thoughts either—why had he still not spoken up until now?

Finally, Master Situ spoke again. “Beiyue… this matter really has no room for discu—”

But before he could finish, Jun Beiyue immediately raised a hand to cut him off. “Discuss it with her. On my end, there’s nothing to discuss.”

Situ Xin’er was so infatuated with Jun Beiyue that even after hearing this, she still didn’t dare defy him directly—she simply stayed put, saying nothing, placing all the pressure squarely on her father.

If Master Situ could have discussed it with her, he would have done so long ago!

Hearing Jun Beiyue’s words, he choked with frustration, wanting to vent but finding nowhere to release it, all of it building up inside him, nearly to the point of raising a hand to strike Situ Xin’er!

Yet he wouldn’t do it—there was nothing he couldn’t endure, and when it came to Situ Xin’er, he could endure anything.

Seeing his father so distressed, Situ Haonan couldn’t help but speak up again. “Situ Xin’er, that’s enough. Have you no shame at all!”

“Haonan!” Madam Situ immediately scolded.

“Can’t I even say it? It’s precisely because you two have spoiled her that she’s turned out this way!” Situ Haonan said angrily.

This was the first time Jun Beiyue had seen his old friend lose his temper so thoroughly in front of his parents, a flicker of complicated emotion crossing his eyes, yet he still said nothing.

Situ Xin’er ignored Situ Haonan entirely, letting him scold her as he pleased, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on her father!

Yingzi and Physician Gu, standing nearby, watching this unfold, could hardly restrain the urge to throw this entire family out.

The Gu family had been like this, and now the Situ family too—did everyone assume they could bully the consort simply because she had no maternal family to shield her, no maternal家族 to lean on?

Fortunately, Prince Yao’s heart belonged entirely to his consort, cherishing her—otherwise, she’d surely have been bullied miserably by these young ladies long ago.

Seeing that scolding wasn’t working, Situ Haonan, no longer caring about propriety, suddenly rushed forward and grabbed Situ Xin’er’s arm, shouting angrily, “Come on, whatever the matter, we’ll discuss it back home—stop making a spectacle of yourself here!”

Situ Haonan understood his sister well enough—if this dragged on any further, things would inevitably blow up, and this certainly wasn’t the place for that to happen.

Even as he pulled her along, Situ Xin’er still said nothing, following for a few steps before suddenly lunging forward and biting down hard on Situ Haonan’s hand!

“Ah… let go, you wretched girl, let go!” Situ Haonan cried out. This girl’s teeth were sharp, and he couldn’t very well hit her, nor could he shake her off.

Madam Situ immediately grew anxious. “Stop it, both of you! Xin’er, you’re going too far—let go of your brother! Or Mother really will get angry!”

Hearing this, Ziqing felt an odd twinge of something sour in her heart—Situ Xin’er was already a grown woman, yet Madam Situ still spoke to her as though coaxing a small child.

“Xin’er, let go, do you hear me!” Madam Situ hurried over to pull her away as well, but Situ Xin’er simply wouldn’t release her grip, saying nothing, biting down harder and harder.

“Haonan, let go first!” Madam Situ urged urgently.

Situ Haonan, unable to bear the pain any longer, had no choice but to release her. The moment he let go, Situ Xin’er immediately released her bite as well, quickly stepping back to her original spot, hugging her pillow again, continuing to stare at her father!

Utterly stubborn to the end—she was determined to marry him, regardless of anything, insisting they find some way to make it happen!

Situ Xin’er’s persistence was fierce and dramatic, while Jun Beiyue’s resolve required only a word or two.

Madam Situ no longer dared to argue with Jun Beiyue further, continuing instead to try to persuade Situ Xin’er, exhausting every kind word she could think of, her voice growing hoarse from the effort, yet Situ Xin’er remained utterly unmoved.

Finally, exhausted, she sat down helplessly, casting a pleading look toward her husband. Her husband turned his head away, at a loss. She then looked toward Situ Haonan, who turned away sharply, thoroughly fed up.

Finally, Madam Situ had no choice but to face Jun Beiyue directly, saying flatly, “Beiyue, you’ve seen it yourself—we can’t reason with her. Won’t you try to persuade her? She’s always listened to you, hasn’t she? However you choose to persuade her is up to you.”

Jun Beiyue showed little reaction, merely nodding, finally turning his gaze directly toward Situ Xin’er.

A flicker of cunning crossed Situ Xin’er’s eyes, barely concealing her delight.

She’d been waiting for this!

She’d been waiting precisely for this man to finally look at her directly, to finally speak with her!

Before coming to Liuxian Island, she’d spent so long preparing, rehearsing so many heartfelt words over and over, all of them declarations of love straight from her heart. She was determined to rein in her spoiled temper completely, saving every word for him alone!

This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for—she refused to believe her brother Beiyue could possibly be so cruel!

Ziqing, meanwhile, couldn’t help but feel a flicker of tension. Why, even now, did Jun Beiyue still not speak? What was this man actually thinking?

What would he say to her?

Situ Cheng truly wasn’t someone easy to deal with. If the relationship couldn’t be salvaged, Jun Beiyue would undoubtedly lose a formidable ally in Da Zhou, an exceptionally rare friend!

Earlier, back in the northern borderlands, hadn’t Jun Beiyue’s concession to Situ Xin’er’s demands demonstrated just how much he valued this relationship?

Ziqing worried, while Situ Xin’er, delighted, finally shifted her gaze from her father’s face to look at Jun Beiyue.

This man—even without smiling, he was so handsome, so dazzling that one couldn’t tear their eyes away.

Situ Xin’er took a deep, silent breath, seizing the moment to speak first, calling out just a single phrase, “Brother Beiyue.”

Yet this single call carried an unprecedented gentleness, sweetness, and vulnerability—though she wasn’t crying, it sounded more heart-wrenching than tears themselves, enough to melt anyone’s heart.

Just as everyone’s hearts began to soften at this, who could have known! Who could have known! Who could have known that Jun Beiyue would coldly utter just a single word: “Scram!”

At this, Situ Xin’er was struck utterly speechless, Master Situ drew in a sharp breath, and even Situ Haonan’s brow furrowed.

Jun Beiyue, this…

Yet Jun Beiyue paid no attention to their reactions, saying coldly, “Don’t disturb Qing’er’s rest. Yingzi, see the guests out.”

These words were directed at Master Situ and the others. As for Situ Xin’er, he offered her only that single word: “Scram.”

He’d watched coldly up until now, waited until now, precisely because of what Madam Situ had said earlier!

It was Madam Situ who’d asked him to persuade Situ Xin’er—if anything happened to her, the responsibility would no longer fall on him. He truly had never persuaded a woman before—he hadn’t even seriously persuaded Ziqing of anything!

He simply didn’t know how.

Suddenly, amid the silence, Situ Xin’er burst into tears with a loud wail, rushing out first of all.

Madam Situ shot Jun Beiyue a fierce glare before hurrying after her, while Master Situ let out a long sigh and swept out with a flourish of his sleeves!

Only Situ Haonan remained, saying with certainty, “Beiyue, refusing to yield will come at a price. Even I can’t help you with this one.”

“Is that a warning?” Jun Beiyue said with a faint smile.

“Handle it however you see fit!” Situ Haonan said helplessly, hurrying out after them!