Using power to force marriage

But if he prepared a birthday gift for Su Yao, then who prepared one for him?

Ruan Fu wiped away her tears, took a picture at the door of the attic, and then locked the door.

Seeing that it was still early, she asked the driver to take her to the old house.

The Zhao family's old house is much quieter now, with only Zhao Yuzhou and Su Yao living there.

Ruan Fu returned to the old house twice with Zhao Jingnian. She always said she didn't like the place, feeling it was lifeless and devoid of vitality.

Since Old Master Zhao was moved to a villa in the suburbs, Zhao Jingnian has returned much less often. This is mainly because he has a distant relationship with his parents and they have nothing to talk about when they meet, so there is no need for him to come back.

The car drove into the old house courtyard and came to a steady stop in front of the gate.

Ruan Fu's foot injury has almost fully recovered, and she can walk normally.

Only Zhao Yuzhou and the servants were in the old house. He sat in a wheelchair, looking at an old photograph over and over again.

Su Yao went to work.

Zhao Yuzhou was somewhat surprised to see her come alone.

Ruan Fu got straight to the point and explained her purpose.

She showed Zhao Yuzhou photos of the attic, and when he saw the neatly arranged gift boxes on the table, his eyes welled up with tears.

"Dad, do you blame him?"

Zhao Yuzhou shook his head, blaming it on his bad luck.

"And what about Mom?"

When asked about Su Yao, Zhao Yuzhou remained silent.

After a moment, he replied, "She felt mostly guilty, thinking she wasn't a good wife and mother."

"I don't understand. If the three of you didn't hold any grudges against each other, why did things get to this point?"

She then asked about Zhao Yuzhou's leg, inquiring whether there was any possibility of recovery.

He said with a wry smile, "I've had two major surgeries, but not only has it not improved, my condition is getting worse day by day."

In the early stages of his injury, Su Yao stayed by his bedside all night, enduring immense anxiety and pain.

Two consecutive failed surgeries devastated her. Zhao Yuzhou didn't want Su Yao to suffer the torment of his illness repeatedly, so he never tried any surgical options again.

"My brother's company specializes in the field of intelligent medical care. The brain-controlled intelligent bionic limbs they have developed can directly connect with human nerves and brain signals, and their flexibility is close to that of native limbs..."

The technology has now entered the testing phase, and its stability and compatibility have been tested multiple times. She wants Zhao Yuzhou to give it a try.

"Dad, once you get your bionic limbs, you'll be able to stand and walk like a normal person, and your daily life will be no problem at all."

Zhao Yuzhou hesitated. "Can I really still act like a normal person?"

For 25 years, the old man never stopped suppressing and belittling him, calling him a useless person and a disgrace to the Zhao family, allowing Zhao Qi, an illegitimate son, to bully and humiliate him at every turn.

He also tried wearing a prosthetic leg, but the old man said he looked like a monster with a prosthetic leg and wouldn't let him go out, saying he was a disgrace.

Therefore, Zhao Yuzhou no longer hoped that he could stand up like a normal person, and thus lived his life contentedly in a wheelchair.

Since injuring his leg, he has completely isolated himself from the world and stayed indoors.

After hearing this, Ruan Fu gritted her teeth and cursed silently in her heart, "What a wicked old man."

Without him, the Zhao family would have had a much better life, and Zhao Jingnian would have suffered less.

Noticing that Zhao Yuzhou was clutching an old photograph, she asked, "Is this you when you were young?"

"It's me and A Yao." He handed the photo to Ruan Fu.

It's a group photo of them receiving awards at a badminton competition during their university years.

He and Su Yao were both members of the school's badminton team. They met and fell in love on the team and later won the men's and women's doubles championships together.

On the podium, Zhao Yuzhou was in high spirits, possessing the same good looks and handsome appearance as Zhao Jingnian.

But nowadays, let alone swinging a racket to play, even standing up has become a luxury.

Zhao Yuzhou looked on with regret, "I can no longer play ball with her."

"Why not?"

Nguyen Phu gently encouraged, "If people with disabilities should be deprived of their right to a normal life, then there's no point in having the Paralympic Games."

"Dad, the bionic limb technology developed by my brother's company is already very mature. Let's give it a try."

Zhao Yuzhou's heart wavered. The old man and Zhao Qi were no longer in the old house, and no one had been humiliating him by calling him a useless person lately.

Ruan Fu's words gave him great encouragement. He longed to stand and walk like a normal person, to pick Su Yao up from get off work with flowers in hand, and to play badminton with her in his spare time, reliving the beautiful memories of university.

"Dad, Zhao Jingnian and I both hope you can stand up again, and Mom certainly hopes even more."

Ruan Fu has a warm and bright personality, and she is as vibrant as a sunflower that never fades, always warm and illuminating everyone around her.

After chatting with her for a while, most of the gloom that had been building up in Zhao Yuzhou's heart for many years was dispelled, giving him the courage to try again.

He nodded slowly. "Okay, let's give it a try."

Ruan Fu was delighted to hear this, "How about we have a family reunion dinner together on my birthday?"

"Jingnian doesn't want to celebrate his birthday, and no amount of persuasion will change that."

Zhao Yuzhou had mentioned it once a couple of years ago, wanting to invite him back for dinner on his birthday.

This was also Su Yao's idea. She had been trying to ease the tension between mother and son for the past two years, but she was sensitive and introverted, not good at expressing herself, and had also been ill before, so she didn't know how to communicate with him.

Zhao Yuzhou spoke on her behalf, but Zhao Jingnian refused, making excuses and saying he was busy.

Ruan Fu smiled slightly, "It's okay, Zhao Jingnian has already agreed to celebrate my birthday."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuzhou looked surprised. "He's willing?"

"Yes, he's willing."

The man in the wheelchair looked at the little girl in front of him with some disbelief, never expecting that she held such a heavy place in Zhao Jingnian's heart.

Ruan Fu sent the photos she took in the attic to Zhao Yuzhou, saying, "Mom will be very touched to see these gifts."

The man in the wheelchair had tears in his eyes. "Yes."

"Then it's settled. I'll bring him back for lunch on his birthday. Please remember to prepare our favorite dishes."

Ruan Fu was in a good mood. She would be very happy if her mother-son relationship could be improved.

"Thank you for coming into Jingnian's life, thank you for loving him."

Zhao Yuzhou thanked her very sincerely.

"Because of my leg, he has suffered a lot of injustice over the years. I am an incompetent father."

He owed Zhao Jingnian more than a little bit. After being injured, he was stripped of his power by the old man and even taking care of himself became a problem, let alone protecting his wife and children.

If Zhao Jingnian hadn't been so capable, his family would probably have been trampled on by Zhao Qi and dependent on him.

Ruan Fu smiled brightly, "We're family, thank you is too formal."

On the way back to Xiyue Manor, she couldn't help but curse the old man.

He's the biggest villain in the entire Zhao family; he's utterly despicable!

She wanted to curse that wicked old man to have nightmares every night, so that he wouldn't have any more comfortable days.

The sky was overcast, and it looked like it was going to rain.

Ruan Fu saw Zhao Jingnian as soon as she entered the door.

It's only six o'clock in the afternoon; he's back very early today.

Upon seeing him, Ruan Fu was overjoyed and threw herself into his arms.

"Why are you back so early?"

"The weather forecast says it will rain at seven o'clock, so I came back early to keep you company."

Ever since he learned that Ruan Fu was afraid of thunderstorms, Zhao Jingnian has been checking the weather forecast every day.

"Honey, you love me so much." Ruan Fu tilted her head up and kissed him on the lips.

The next second, she suddenly lost her balance and was swept into his arms.

Ruan Fu exclaimed in surprise, "Why did you suddenly hug me?"

Zhao Jingnian: "You have an injury on your foot, you can't stand for long."

The older man has been acting strangely lately, basically never letting her feet touch the ground. He carries her while she washes up, takes her to the bathroom, eats with her, watches TV with her, and sleeps with her.

It's a perfect description of someone who's treated like a precious gem, someone who's afraid of breaking a child or melting in their mouth.

"But my foot is all better now, I even went out today."

As soon as she finished speaking, she regretted it, because Zhao Jingnian would definitely ask her where she was going.

"Your foot isn't fully healed, why are you going out?"

Ruan Fu casually lied, "Tan Tan is going on a date and asked me to help her choose an outfit."

Zhao Jingnian's words were cold and stern. "Since she needed your help, why didn't she bring the clothes herself and come to your house?"

She obediently replied, "Next time, next time I'll have her bring her clothes to my house."

She was almost bored to death staying at home these past two days recovering from her injury, but she's much better now and can move around freely.

The older man insisted on making a mountain out of a molehill, demanding that she rest for two more days and forbidding her from running around.

Since it concerned her health and safety, Zhao Jingnian's tone became serious.

"I checked your ankle this morning, and the swelling hasn't completely gone down. If you dare to run around again, I'll..."

Ruan Fu interrupted him, a sly glint in her clear, bright eyes. "So what?"

She was certain Zhao Jingnian wouldn't dare do anything to her. "Are you going to tie me up?"

Tie them up?

He lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, "It's not impossible, want to give it a try?"