“By the way, has Shaoqing been going out with someone lately?” Shi Nuan turned to look at Fu Chengyan with newfound curiosity in her eyes. She pushed his hands away from her temples and asked after a short beat, “I saw Shaoqing with a lady outside the shopping center just now. You know what, he actually forced a kiss on that lady!”
“He forced a kiss on a lady?” Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes which were tinged with a trace of doubt. “You’re sure you saw him doing that?”
“I’m very sure!” Shi Nuan nodded. “I saw him when Shen Shixiu and I were leaving the shopping center. That lady was a badass one! She slapped him before marching away.”
“Eh?” Fu Chengyan raised his brows, intrigued by the matter. “Did you manage to see the lady’s face?”
When Shi Nuan heard his question, she couldn’t help but sigh. “I’m dying to know who that lady was because I didn’t get to see her face. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have asked you about her.” Shi Nuan sat upright and wrapped her hands around his arm instead. After adjusting her posture, she added, “The way Su Shaoqing reacted after getting slapped was very bizarre too. He actually looked quite pleased to be slapped!”
“Ha!” Fu Chengyan chuckled. “I’ve got it!”
“What do you know about it?” Shi Nuan couldn’t help but raise her brows at him. “Do you know who that lady is? Is she his crush? That doesn’t seem like it. I’ve known Shaoqing for around six months, but I’ve never heard him talking about dating any woman before,” Shi Nuan commented, feeling doubtful.
It was hard to think of that lady just now as the woman Su Shaoqing was pursuing.
Yet, Fu Chengyan curled his lips into a smile as he answered her, “That lady is his nemesis. She’s back to haunt him now!”
“His nemesis?” Shi Nuan blinked her eyes in confusion. “Do you mean that that lady is his ex-girlfriend?”
“No. Do you remember I once told you about my other younger sister?” Fu Chengyan reached out to run his fingers through her tousled hair.
Shi Nuan felt enlightened immediately. With her eyes widened in consternation, she asked, “Do you mean Ling? Fu Ling?”
Fu Chengyan had told her about his two younger sisters before. One of them was his Uncle Heng’s daughter, Pei Huan, and the other was his half-sister, Fu Ling. However, Shi Nuan had never met Fu Ling before, and Fu Chengyan did not tell her where she had gone at that time. “Does Shaoqing have a crush on Fu Ling?”
“Maybe?” Fu Chengyan sighed. “When Ling was little, she spent a lot of time with Shaoqing. She was very dependent on him.” Fu Chengyan looked lost in reminiscence the more he talked about his sister. “Ling didn’t live with me at the Fu Residence at that time, but that didn’t affect how she loved spending time with Shaoqing. However, something happened later on, and that made their relationship rather complicated.”
Shi Nuan’s heart sank a little. “Do you mean Fu Ling has feelings for Shaoqing, but that isn’t reciprocal?” After some contemplation, she thought that information did not match the scene she witnessed at the shopping center just now. “But, I think Shaoqing has feelings for her, judging from their interaction just now…”
“He only behaved that way because he felt guilty for her. Okay, enough of talking about that. So, you bumped into Shaoqing when you and Shen Shixiu were leaving the shopping center?” Fu Chengyan did not feel like dwelling on the topic, so he tried to change the subject of their conversation. Shi Nuan nodded. “Yup. In fact, it was Shaoqing who drove me home. I was wondering why he had offered to send me home, but I understand it now.” Laughing, she pointed at the stack of photos. “I think he must have underestimated your ability to handle a blow in your relationship!”
Fu Chengyan raised his brows in response and drew her into his embrace. “You aren’t allowed to hang out with guys other than me in the future!”
“For your information, I didn’t hang out with Shen Shixiu just now!” Shi Nuan clutched his arm and emphasized, “I went out with Rongrong and Yian before I met him. Oh, by the way, I got you this tie!”
Just then, she immediately sprung herself from the sofa and scurried toward the heap of shopping bags. From one of the bags, she took out a small box and handed it to him. “Check it out to see if you like it! I decided to get you this because most of the ties you’re wearing are in dark colors.” Giggling, she opened the box and took out a maroon-colored tie. “Isn’t it nice?”
With his eyes narrowed and his brows slightly furrowed, he took the tie from her. His lukewarm response made her leap to her feet and asked, “What do you think? You don’t think it’s nice?”
In resignation, he flashed her a smile. “It’s nice!”
“I’m so glad to hear that. I was so paranoid that you might not like it. This tie will be a refreshing addition to your collection as most of your ties are dull in color. At first, I even thought of buying one in pink, but I gave that thought up after some consideration.”
She then hopped onto the sofa and twined an arm around his neck. “Yan, why don’t I put it on for you right now?”
He reached out to pinch her nose. “That’s a great idea!”
Just as she was excitedly putting the tie on him, her phone started ringing. Her face fell slightly when she found the call was from Jiang Yu. “Hello?”
“It’s me!” Jiang Yu’s hostile voice came from the other end. “It’s getting harder and harder to reach you nowadays. Have you forgotten about us because you married a loaded guy?”
“Mom, I don’t quite understand what you mean!” She chuckled. “How can I possibly forget about you?”
“You can’t blame me for thinking that way because you seem uninterested to come back home for dinner lately. Have you forgotten the fact that we’re your family too? Don’t forget that you’ll need our help if Fu Chengyan decides to dump you one day!”
Shi Nuan looked grim in an instant at Jiang Yu’s remark. “Mom, what nonsense are you talking about? My relationship with Yan is very steady. There’s no way he’s going to dump me! Even if he does dump me one day, I wouldn’t need the support from you guys either. So, please don’t worry about me and reserve all your support for Wei!”
“You… You’re ridiculous! Is it very demanding of us to ask you to bring Fu Chengyan back for dinner? Why are you so stubborn!”
“That’s not the issue,” Shi Nuan explained with a smile. “We all know how distinguished Yan’s status is, don’t we? I’m afraid a visit to our place will be a humiliating experience for him. Other than you guys, Wei’s in-laws are interested in buying Yan a meal too. To spare him the trouble, I’m thinking of taking everyone to a restaurant. That way, you’ll be spared from the embarrassment of letting him taste your cooking too. How does that sound, Mom?”
“You…” Jiang Yu went livid with rage because of the underlying meaning in Shi Nuan’s remark. The woman was not a fool, so of course, she could see what her daughter was trying to imply.
Obviously, Shi Nuan was trying to point out that Shi residence was too shabby a place to be graced by the presence of someone as elegant and sophisticated as Fu Chengyan.
Just as Jiang Yu was about to lash out at her, Shi Jingzheng shot her a warning look. As he was sitting next to Jiang Yu, he had heard everything Shi Nuan said just now. It made his blood boil too, but he did not let it show. He was fine with any arrangement, as long as he was able to get something from Fu Chengyan, the moneybag.
After receiving the warning from Shi Jingzheng, Jiang Yu took a deep breath to cool herself down. “That’s a great idea. Indeed, eating out will suit Fu Chengyan better. Which one of us will decide where to go?”
“I already have a place in mind. I’ll send you the address later. Please be there on time!” Just like that, Shi Nuan hung up the phone. A trace of impatience flashed in her eyes, but she quickly covered it up.
Despite that, Fu Chengyan was sharp enough to detect it. He reached out to hold her hands. “There’s no need to feel upset because of them!”
“I know.” Pursing her lips, she added, “Since they’re so desperate for a chance to be humiliated by me, there’s no reason for me not to fulfill their wish, right?” With that, she rose to her feet and slowly started sorting out the stuff in the shopping bags. “I made a reservation for a private room at Yun Shui Jian tomorrow night with your name.”
“Okay.” Fu Chengyan nodded as he got up from the sofa to help her.
Her movement came to a sudden halt when she caught a glimpse of the photos left on the table. Fu Chengyan, who noticed her looking at them, asked, “Are you still bothered by those photos?”
“Nope. I’m just really curious to know who took them.”
“Who else could have done that, other than our long-time enemies?” In Fu Chengyan’s opinion, there was no need to find out who the photographer was at all. “Don’t worry; those photos are nothing but pieces of scrap paper to me.”
“But, your grandfather might not think of it that way.” Shi Nuan was not afraid of anyone or anything. Since she had already gotten married to Fu Chengyan, there were certain things she was obligated to do to upkeep their image.
As much as Fu Zhengyun resented her, he was still Fu Chengyan’s grandfather. As Fu Chengyan’s wife, she saw him as her own grandfather too.
Yet, she had offended the old man so badly before this making their relationship beyond salvation. If Fu Zhengyun decided to spin an ugly story out of those photos, it would be difficult for her to clear her name.
“I’m the one you married, not my grandfather. So, you don’t have to care about what he thinks.” Then, Fu Chengyan threw those photos into the dustbin.
…
Shi Nuan reserved the largest private room of Yun Shui Jian at eight under Fu Chengyan’s name.
The Shi family and the Fu family arrived at the place way earlier than the set time. They were there before Shi Nuan and Fu Chengyan even arrived. They had both agreed to reach there early to leave a good impression on Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan, as they were determined to bond with Fu Chengyan through the dinner. As for Shi Nuan… Although they looked down upon her, it was inevitable to show her some respect because she was now Fu Chengyan’s wife. They certainly hope Shi Nuan would go along with their plan. Even if she refused to do so, Jiang Yu already had a plan to deal with that – she would threaten to disown her on the spot.
Jiang Yu was very sure that would work as she knew family was Shi Nuan’s soft spot. Although they had treated her badly over the years, she knew Shi Nuan was still desperate for their love. Whenever they showed her a little shred of love and care, she would immediately jump at it and accept their gesture with a broad smile. Jiang Yu had used the same trick countless times over the past few years, and it had perfectly worked every single time.
In order to make a good impression, the Fu family put in a lot of effort in preparing themselves, too. Before they left for dinner, Fu Xicheng and Shi Wei were repeatedly urged to watch their behavior, and they were warned not to be disrespectful to Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan.
Solemnly, Fu Yuqing rambled on a slew of reminders. He reminded Shi Wei not to get into a fight with Shi Nuan and warned Fu Xicheng not to curb his feelings for the woman.
As Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan had yet to arrive at the restaurant, Fu Yuqing made use of the free time to nag them. Then, he summoned the manager of the restaurant over to order some dishes. Although Fu Yuqing had never attended occasions as grand and important as this, he had knowledge of the unspoken rules to know and the wise things to do, thanks to his vast experience as a businessman.
Not knowing Fu Chengyan’s preference in food, he ordered the most expensive dish of each category of the menu. The manager couldn’t help but narrow his eyes in consternation when he gave his order. However, he managed to remain professional as he took his order. “Sir, what would you like for drinks?”
“Hmm, let’s see…”
Before Fu Yuqing could finish his sentence, the door to the private room was pushed open.
Hand in hand, Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan entered the room with composure. “We’re sorry to have kept you guys waiting.”
