Chapter Thirty: The Cooked Goose Has Completely Flown Away

Xiang Fuqiang and his wife waved their hands frantically in fear. "No, it wasn't us. She left on her own."

"Xiang Yu, Xiang Yu, tell the officers quickly! We didn't force her!"

Xiang Yu watched them coldly, feeling utterly disappointed in her parents. Her round, bright almond eyes were filled with frost. She had no interest in continuing this charade, knowing full well that handling this matter at the police station was the most favorable outcome for her.

She spoke with firm resolve, "I will get into a top-tier high school. By my junior year of university, I will give you 500,000 yuan. If I fail to do so within five years, I will submit to whatever you decide, no questions asked. After that, I will provide you with an annual support payment of 30,000 yuan."

The officer frowned upon hearing this. "We will not witness such an unreasonable agreement. Children are under no obligation to provide a specific amount of money to their parents. Support payments are only mandated under special circumstances, such as when parents reach a certain age or lose the ability to work."

Xiang Fuqiang and Li Meilan looked at each other, not daring to respond, nor wanting to. They did not believe for a second that Xiang Yu could earn that much money, nor did they wish to accept the officer's words. The belief that a daughter should not be raised in vain was deeply ingrained in their hearts.

Xiang Yu only wanted to resolve the issue quickly; she did not have the time to waste.

She gestured toward her parents with her chin. "Let's step outside to negotiate."

Once they were out the door, Li Meilan seemed to come back to life. She reached out to pinch Xiang Yu. "You little wretch..."

Xiang Yu stepped back, threatening to walk back into the room.

Xiang Fuqiang hurriedly grabbed Li Meilan and lowered his voice. "Don't make a scene here."

He turned back to Xiang Yu. "What if you don't get into a top-tier high school?"

Xiang Yu had been waiting for this. She raised an eyebrow. "If I don't, I will take my sister's place and marry Liu Gang, or anyone else you designate. You can set the bride price to whatever you want."

Xiang Fuqiang was stunned, but quickly retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting? How old are you? Who marries at sixteen?"

Xiang Yu gave him a look of pure irony. Hah, she didn't expect him to have a shred of fatherly conscience left.

Li Meilan, having lost her temper entirely, spat, "Let her marry! It would be best if she were worked to death."

Xiang Yu ignored the sting of her mother's curse and looked at them with cold detachment. "Agree to my terms, or we file a report. If anything happens to me or my sister, we have left suicide notes naming you both. You will be held responsible and drowned in the public's scorn."

Xiang Fuqiang trembled with rage, pointing a finger at her. "Fine! We'll write the wager. If you don't get into that high school, don't blame us—it will be your own cheap life to forfeit."

Xiang Yu agreed immediately. "Fine. Now, dissolve my sister's engagement with the Liu family."

Xiang Fuqiang was seething; everything was going against his intentions, so he resorted to playing the rogue. "The Liu family won't call off the engagement unless we pay them compensation. We don't have the money!"

Xiang Yu sneered, her tone ice-cold. "Then ask the police to help resolve it. They lied and hid the truth to secure a marriage, and now they dare to demand an exorbitant sum. I want to see just how tough they really are."

The police officer, also prone to curiosity, had been listening intently to every word from behind the door. Seeing no reason to make things difficult for Xiang Yu, he obtained the Liu family's phone number from Xiang Fuqiang after being briefed on the situation.

He had intended to summon the Liu family to the station, but the Lius were classic bullies who crumbled at the first sign of trouble. Upon hearing from the officer that they were in the wrong for concealing the truth during the matchmaking process, they panicked and immediately agreed to cancel the marriage without asking for a single cent in compensation.

With the prize slipping through their fingers, Xiang Fuqiang and Li Meilan looked as if they were mourning the dead. They glared at Xiang Yu with a mix of resentment and fury.