Chapter 7

Yin Baifan jumped up from the sofa and glared daggers at Yin Xiaoxiao. He pointed at her furiously and the tiny twinge of guilt he had been feeling disappeared as he yelled. "Yin Xiaoxiao, let me tell you, you will have to get married no matter what your wishes are! You will never be able to call the shots in the Yin family!"

Yin Xiaoxiao immediately turned pale and all the color drained from her face, making her look very pitiful.

Silence fell upon the room. Yin Baifan didn't leave after he spoke and stood quietly as he waited for his stubborn daughter to rebut his words. He was sure that he would be able to subdue the stubborn streak in his daughter. After all, he was her father!

Yin Xiaoxiao finally understood the meaning behind the saying "when it rains, it pours". Her relationship of four years had ended that day and this had been quickly followed by her father heartlessly sending her away from the family even though she had never dared to hope for his affection! Was she that detestable?

Li Meng immediately approached Yin Baifan and gently stroked his back as she said, "Baifan, why are you getting so agitated when you know that Xiaoxiao will obey your words? It is a well-known fact that everyone in the Yin family will contribute to the progress of our family. Ruoyun is sacrificing her happiness to enter into an arranged marriage with the Xiang family, so as her elder sister. I'm sure Xiaoxiao will appreciate what we've done for her. After all, she is ultimately part of the Yin family."

Yin Ruoyun quickly tugged at Yin Xiaoxiao's arm and said gingerly, "I think Uncle Zhang is not a bad choice. Doesn't he look like he will take good care of you? I heard that he calls the shots in the Zhang family right now, so I'm sure you'll be happy after you marry him."

Yin Xiaoxiao scoffed coldly and the sound of it seemed exceptionally loud in the quiet room. She turned to look at Yin Ruoyun and said, "Why don't you marry Uncle Zhang in that case? I'll let you have him since you think he's so great."

Yin Ruoyun immediately turned pale and her eyes flashed with barely concealed hatred as she looked at Yin Xiaoxiao.

"Xiaoxiao, what are you saying? I'm just showing my concern for you. You're about to graduate from university but you've never even had a boyfriend and have been dogged by dating scandals. Do you really want to be known as a notorious flirt? Do you not have any sense of shame?" Li Meng quickly changed the topic and continued, "If you think you're so great, find yourself a boyfriend! Your dad won't force you into this marriage if you manage to get yourself hitched to a boyfriend!"

Yin Xiaoxiao looked coldly at her family and felt like laughing hysterically. She refused to believe that Li Meng and Yin Ruoyun were not aware of her relationship with Xiang Chen. How could Li Meng ask her to find a boyfriend so brazenly?

Did she not have a conscience at all!?

Although Yin Baifan was upset at Yin Xiaoxiao's behavior, he echoed his wife's words and his commanding voice sounded more convincing than Li Meng's. "Xiaoxiao, bring your boyfriend back to see us if you're in a relationship. You may be able to get married if we think he's a suitable match. If we don't think he's a suitable match, you should just accept your fate and marry Uncle Zhang. Trust me, I mean well."

Yin Xiaoxiao bit her lips tightly and glared furiously at Li Meng. She said stiffly, "I have a boyfriend, so I'll bring him home to meet you. You can go ahead and call off this arranged marriage!"

"We can't do that. Who knows if you're telling the truth? You should bring him home to meet us first. Otherwise, if it is discovered that you have been lying to us and Uncle Zhang, your dad's reputation would be damaged. Don't blame us for being tough on you." Li Meng interrupted. She didn't even give Yin Xiaoxiao any time to react as she said, "Moreover, we have many business dealings with the Zhang family. You're just an inexperienced design student, so we can't expect you to be able to weigh your priorities."

Her words were a reminder to Yin Baifan of what he needed to do if he wanted to form an alliance with the Zhang family. He immediately echoed his wife's words and announced solemnly. "Bring your boyfriend home to see us tomorrow."

All the color drained from Yin Xiaoxiao's face after she heard the deadline her father had given her.