Fu Chengyan continued to give her a few more cups of water. It was not until she insisted that she couldn’t drink anymore that he stopped. “Who did you see today, Grandpa?” Fu Chengyan asked.
Upon hearing that question, both Jiang Shizheng and Shi Nuan turned to look at him. Then, Shi Nuan blinked her eyes and asked, “Who did he see?”
Shi Nuan darted a glance at Fu Chengyan and then at Jiang Shizheng. “Did anyone visit you today, Grandpa?”
With a grim look on his face, Jiang Shizheng stared into Fu Chengyan’s eyes for a long time before shaking his head. “No. I’m just an old man. Other than the occasional visits from you two, no one remembers me.”
Jiang Shizheng seemed to be mocking himself, but in fact, he was warning Fu Chengyan. He knew Fu Chengyan was a smart man, but he couldn’t let Shi Nuan know about his previous encounter.
Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes knowingly. “You’re wrong, Grandpa. You had so many outstanding students back then. I don’t believe that they would not come to see you!”
“Did a student visit today, Grandpa?” Shi Nuan grinned happily. “I still remember many students of yours coming to see you when I was still going to school. Most of Grandpa’s students are insightful and good!” Shi Nuan looked at Fu Chengyan as she spoke. The latter narrowed his eyes and couldn’t help but pinch her nose.
Shi Nuan slapped his hand away. “How dare you bully me in front of Grandpa!”
“Alright. You’re not kids anymore!” Jiang Shizheng couldn’t help but shake his head. “It was just a former student of mine, whom you don’t even know!” Jiang Shizheng said, making it clear that he didn’t want to continue with the topic.
With an unknown gleam in his eyes, Fu Chengyan did not continue asking more questions. Instead, he engaged in academic discussion with Jiang Shizheng. Although Jiang Shizheng was old and no longer taught, there was no end to learning, and he couldn’t remain idle for even a moment.
Jiang Shizheng went to Jing University last time because the principal of Jing University had sent him an invitation and wanted to hire him as their lecturer again.
Jiang Shizheng only promised them to consider it, but they kept urging him. In fact, this was more or less because all the students under Jiang Shizheng had become successful. They wanted to use his name to associate themselves with these scholars, particularly a bigshot like Fu Chengyan. This was also the reason why Jiang Shizheng had been reluctant to agree to the offer.
Speaking of this issue, Jiang Shizheng heaved a sigh. “The ethos nowadays is different from when I was teaching back then!”
“The times are changing, Professor!” Fu Chengyan quipped.
After hearing the way Fu Chengyan addressed him, Jiang Shizheng was slightly taken aback. He then laughed out loud. “So you’re saying I’m getting old and may be unsuitable for these times.”
Fu Chengyan raised his eyebrows noncommittally.
Shi Nuan felt a little drowsy while listening to Fu Chengyan and Jiang Shizheng’s conversation.
In fact, her lethargy had started way before this; she would also have a bad appetite at times. She was unaware of her pregnancy back then, so she didn’t know the cause of such lethargy. She had thought she was simply too tired from work. Now that she knew that she was pregnant, she turned bold and would sleep whenever she was sleepy.
Fu Chengyan looked at her as she nodded off. Just as her head was about to fall forward, he reacted quickly to support it and placed it gently on his thigh.
She looked at him in a daze, blinked, and rubbed her eyes cluelessly. “I’m so sleepy, Yan!”
“Sleep for a while then. Be good!” Fu Chengyan found a more comfortable position and got a pillow to make her more comfortable. Shi Nuan then laid on his thigh and drifted off.
As Jiang Shizheng watched the affectionate interaction between Shi Nuan and Fu Chengyan, there was a glint in his eyes before he let out a helpless sigh. “I know your feelings for Nuan. I’m your teacher, and so I know I can trust you!”
“You’re right, Grandpa!”
Jiang Shizheng shook his head. “Take good care of Nuan. I know you will definitely protect her well!”
Fu Chengyan’s eyes were shimmering. “Who did you see today?”
Meanwhile, Jiang Shizheng’s eyes also held a glint of something. “Alright. Let Nuan sleep for a while! I always get Aunt Fei to clean her room. You should take her there!”
Hearing this, Fu Chengyan nodded, then carefully supported Shi Nuan’s body and carried her. He did everything lightly for fear that he would wake her up.
After putting her on the bed, Fu Chengyan closed the door gently and headed to Jiang Shizheng’s study.
At that moment, Jiang Shizheng had already taken out the chessboard. When he saw Fu Chengyan coming in, he beckoned him. “Come here!”
The man walked over as told. Upon seeing the chessboard, he set it up with Jiang Shizheng. “You want to play a game with me, Grandpa?”
Jiang Shizheng nodded. “Black or white?”
“As usual, black for me!”
Fu Chengyan took the black pieces over. “You go first, Professor!”
When Jiang Shizheng heard the form of address Fu Chengyan used, he knew that the latter was really going to play chess with him, so he nodded. “Just ask whatever you want to!”
“If I win this game, you have to tell me whether May had an accident in the past or if she has suffered from some memory loss, okay?” Fu Chengyan asked.
Hearing his words, Jiang Shizheng froze as a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes. “How did you know about that?”
Fu Chengyan caught his drift.
Jiang Shizheng seemed to be taking a walk down memory lane as he added, “It’s not like I can’t tell you about this, so we don’t have to wait until the game is over.”
Fu Chengyan nodded, signaling Jiang Shizheng to go on with what he had to say.
Jiang Shizheng thought for a while and sighed. “It happened when Nuan was about fifteen years old. You had gone abroad then. She did not return home after school one day. No one in the Shi family knew where she had gone until someone from the hospital called the next day…” Jiang Shizheng said while choking up, “Nuan was covered in cuts and bruises. When she was sent to the hospital, she had lost consciousness. No one knew what had happened. She was found floating by the river. When she was rescued, the person thought she had died.”
As Jiang Shizheng spoke, he noticed a trace of astonishment in Fu Chengyan’s eyes. “Nuan doesn’t know about this. She merely thought she had a bad illness. The old man from the Shi family and I told them clearly that they shouldn’t let Nuan know about this.”
Fu Chengyan knitted his brows. “So May has really lost her memory?”
“Not completely. She just forgot about things that had happened during that period of time!” Jiang Shizheng thought for a while and added, “I thought I didn’t need to tell her about the truth since everything was alright!”
Fu Chengyan raised a corner of his lips in a wry smile. “But she forgot about me, Professor!”
Jiang Shizheng nodded. “I know. Since then, she has never mentioned you again. I thought that since you had gone abroad, maybe you and she…” Jiang Shizheng paused midsentence when he met Fu Chengyan’s eyes.
Although Fu Chengyan was his student, he was still intimidated by the strong presence exuded by the man. After all, Fu Chengyan was no longer an underage student like he had been back then.
“You can guess what happened later. Nuan forgot about the things during that period, but she remembers everyone except you!” As Jiang Shizheng spoke, he clearly saw the change in the expression on Fu Chengyan’s face. “Later, she met Fu Xicheng in university, and the two started dating. They were initially going to get married, but unexpectedly, something like that happened later. I think you know what happened after that!”
“So, if Fu Xicheng hadn’t cheated on her, would you have allowed May to marry him?” Fu Chengyan asked coldly. “What do you think I would have done if May really married someone else?”
Jiang Shizheng squinted his eyes and replied, “You wouldn’t have done anything! You’re my student. I know how you are!”
Fu Chengyan flashed him a smile. “People change, Professor!” He was not a saint. “May belongs with me, no matter in the past or now or the future!”
At this, Jiang Shizheng nodded. “I know!” In the matters of Shi Nuan and Fu Xicheng, what Fu Chengyan did was so much more than met the eye.
“It’s not accidental that you and Nuan met again.” The introduction of their acquaintance was also not accidental.
Jiang Shizheng knew him too well. Fu Chengyan would go after everything he wanted quickly – he would never give up before he achieved his goal. “If Fu Xicheng and Shi Wei didn’t betray Nuan, what would you have done?”
Fu Chengyan raised his brows. “What do you think, Professor?”
Jiang Shizheng shook his head. “Let’s play chess!”
Fu Chengyan wore a faint smile. “After you, Professor.”
Then, Jiang Shizheng played a piece. Looking up, Fu Chengyan also picked a black chess piece to play. “After this game is over, you still have to answer me a question, Professor!”
“What’s it?”
“It’s about May’s parents.”
Following his reply, a white piece fell from Jiang Shizheng’s fingers and landed on the chessboard.
There was a hint of panic on his face as he looked up and asserted with an impatient look, “She’s the daughter of Shi Jingzheng and Jiang Yu.”
Fu Chengyan smirked. “Are you still trying to hide the truth from us, Professor?”
Jiang Shizheng squinted his eyes. “I didn’t hide anything from you. Nuan is indeed the daughter of Shi Jingzheng and Jiang Yu. Otherwise, do you think I will let my granddaughter go to a stranger’s house given my relationship with Shi Yunsheng?”
There was now a dangerous glint in Fu Chengyan’s eyes.
He played another piece and said, “Do you have your reasons for doing so, Professor? Or could it be…” He paused and rephrased, “I saw a man, who May mistook for her uncle, Shi Yu, a few days ago. The man is called Shen Shixiu. Do you know him, Grandpa?”
Jiang Shizheng suddenly dropped the chess piece in his hand on the chessboard. A cold expression was apparent on his face. “Yan, are you questioning me?”
“I wouldn’t dare to! One or two coincidences are normal in this world, but Shen Shixiu’s younger sister, Shen Qianan, looks exactly like May. What do you think, Grandpa?”
