“But I…”
“Yeah, you did!” Shi Nuan grinned at Fu Zhengyun stammering. “I was asking if Mr. Fu wanted to eat something just now, but it seemed like you were not in the mood to eat. However, you didn’t forbid me from eating after I told you I’m going to have a piece of the cake.”
“That doesn’t mean you can eat here!” Fu Zhengyun was vexed by Shi Nuan’s theory. “You should know better, Shi Nuan! You have worked here for a considerable amount of time. If everyone eats at their desks, the whole office space will reek of food!”
“Yeah, all the more reason it’s appropriate for me to eat here! The odor of the food won’t leave this room.” Shi Nuan saw that the water was boiling and poured it over the tea set. “Mr. Fu, please don’t be angry! For a man your age, it’s better if you stay relaxed. It’s not good for your health if you’re all worked up.”
“You!”
Fu Zhengyun was speechless. He could only glare at Shi Nuan. Shi Nuan did not fear him at all. She smiled gently at Fu Zhengyun in response. “There’s a reason Yan has food in his office. If it’s not for eating, then what is it for? Am I to offer them to the gods and pray for the prosperity of Shengyuan?”
“Nonsense!”
“Mr. Fu, which part of my speech did I not make sense?”
“Shut your mouth!” Fu Zhengyun slammed his palm on the tabletop. He finally blew his top. “Shi Nuan, do you have no respect whatsoever for the seniors? Does it thrill you to talk back?”
Shi Nuan tried to hold in her laughter. Fu Zhengyun looked comical as he scowled at Shi Nuan. Shi Nuan put in a lot of effort to maintain a straight face. She still needed to reply to Fu Zhengyun.
“Mr. Fu, my apologies. However, I wasn’t retaliating at all. I was merely speaking the truth.” Shi Nuan plopped a bag of tea leaves into the hot water and started brewing tea.
Fu Zhengyun felt like he was of no threat to Shi Nuan. He clenched his teeth upon the smug look on Shi Nuan’s face. He was now even more disapproving of Shi Nuan as Fu Chengyan’s wife.
In truth, Shi Nuan wanted to please Fu Zhengyun, but with Fu Zhengyun’s quirky demeanor, she had a feeling he still wouldn’t accept her even if she followed his wishes. Furthermore, Fu Chengyan told her to not take Fu Chengyan too seriously. Thus, Fu Chengyan decided to just deal with Fu Zhengyun as she saw fit.
Now, Shi Nuan was in a pretty good mood. As she was brewing tea, she tried to initiate a few conversations with Fu Zhengyun. Soon, the tea was ready to be served. Shi Nuan poured some tea into a teacup and took it to Fu Zhengyun. “Mr. Fu, it’s been a while since you last visited the company. Anything urgent you need to discuss with Yan?”
“Why do you have to know? Do you think I’ll spill anything to you? You are only a normal employee of Shengyuan. Speaking of which, why are you here instead of working at your desk? So what if you are Yan’s wife? If you do anything wrong, Yan will not be able to cover for you. You ought to be professional and keep your personal life separate from your work-life!”
Fu Zhengyun sneered at Shi Nuan. There was a triumphant glow in his eyes. Obviously, he was elated for being able to find fault with Shi Nuan. Meanwhile, Shi Nuan was both amused and vexed. All in all, Shi Nuan actually found Fu Zhengyun quite adorable, even though he was superb at pissing people off.
“Mr. Fu, you might not know this. I have taken a long leave. Hence, I…” Shi Nuan purposely dragged her words. She wanted to revel in Fu Zhengyun’s reaction to her pregnancy.
As expected, Fu Zhengyun’s face twitched. He responded, “If you have taken leave from work, why are you here? By the way, what kind of leave did you take from the company? Pft, I should know better! A woman like you will only slack off once you got what you wanted. You’re only after Yan’s fortune, right? Gah! I will never accept you into the Fu family! You two better get a divorce!”
“A woman like me?” Shi Nuan gestured at herself. She muttered, “I think a woman like me is pretty amazing.”
“You shameless witch!”
“I am only saying the truth. Yan thinks I am amazing and that’s all that matters! Also, Mr. Fu, do you not want to know what kind of leave I’ve taken? Just so you know, my leave is for ten months!”
“T-ten months?” Fu Zhengyun’s eyes gaped so wide that they were almost jumping out of the sockets. Fu Zhengyun’s gaze moved to Shi Nuan’s stomach. He uttered in total shock, “You’re pregnant?”
Shi Nuan raised her brows jubilantly, “That’s right!”
“And you’re happy about it?”
“What are you talking about? Of course, I am happy about it! It’s my first child with Yan. Oh, allow me to correct myself. Shaoqing said it’s a pair of twins!” Shi Nuan laid her eyes on Fu Zhengyun’s face. First, there was a shock, which was then followed by excitement. Eventually, his face sunk upon itself. “Pft! So what if you’re pregnant? You’re not the only person who can give Shen Qianan a baby. Have you forgotten that Shen Qianan also bore Yan’s son before? “
Even though Fu Zhengyun sounded contemptuous, he couldn’t take his eyes of Shi Nuan’s belly.
She’s actually pregnant? The heirs of the Fu family are in her belly?
As much as Fu Zhengyun didn’t like Shi Nuan, he loved kids a great deal, especially when they were related to him. Upon hearing that Shi Nuan was pregnant, Fu Zhengyun just wanted to confirm with her. When he heard that Su Shaoqing had checked on her pregnancy before, he was in relief.
Nonetheless, Shi Nuan’s pregnancy meant that things were going to get more complicated from now on.
“Mr. Fu, you are kidding me, right? You want Yan to accept Shen Qianan’s kid as his own to inherit the family business even when he’s unrelated to him? Oh my!”
“Hmph!”
Fu Zhengyun scoffed. He wanted to continue speaking, but Shi Nuan interjected him with a cup of tea. “You must be thirsty after talking so much.”
Now that Shi Nuan mentioned it, Fu Zhengyun fell awkward as he found his throat quite dry. Still, he glared at Shi Nuan before accepting the cup of tea from her. But when he took one sip of the tea brewed by Shi Nuan, he was wowed.
The light fragrance of the tea suffused through his oral cavity. The distinct flavor of the tea was extremely familiar to Fu Zhengyun. “From whom did you learn how to make tea?”
Who?
“My Grandpa! He loves tea.” Shi Nuan grinned endearingly. “Mr. Fu, you also know how to make tea?”
“Hmph!” Fu Zhengyun scoffed but he still wanted another cup. “Your Grandpa?”
“Yeah! His name is Jiang Shizheng.”
“Jiang Shizheng?” Fu Zhengyun spaced out for a second. He remembered his aversion to that guy.
“Yep, he’s my Grandpa!” Shi Nuan saw the dark clouds on Fu Zhengyun’s face clearing up and continued, “Mr. Fu, you know my grandpa?”
“I have never even heard of his name before, how can I know who he is?” Shi Nuan could tell from Fu Zhengyun’s antsy tone that he didn’t want to talk about Jiang Shizheng anymore. Fu Zhengyun then sneered, “Don’t think you can impress me with just a cup of tea!”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Thank you!”
“You…”
“What are you guys talking about?”
The office doors swung open. Fu Zhengyun loosened the tie around his neck and stared at Fu Zhengyun and Shi Nuan. He seemed to be unsurprised by Fu Zhengyun’s presence.
Fu Chengyan placed the documents on his desk and took the seat next to Shi Nuan. He held Shi Nuan’s hands in his. “Didn’t I ask Zhou Zheng to send you back?”
“I just don’t want to stay at home. Yan, actually I’m feeling pretty well. Why don’t you let me return to work?” Shi Nuan couldn’t bear the thought of her having to spend eight more months dawdling around.
“No!”
This time, it was Fu Zhengyun instead of Fu Chengyan who disagreed. “You are pregnant now! It’s better if you rest, you silly woman. From today onwards, you cannot come to the office.”
Shi Nuan was taken aback by Fu Zhengyun’s comment. She turned to Fu Chengyan in disbelief.
Fu Chengyan only wriggled his lips and smiled. He seemed to have seen that coming.
Fu Zhengyun felt like he had said the wrong words, but he couldn’t take any of them back now. Moreover, now that Shi Nuan was pregnant with the children of the Fu family, he needed to tolerate her as much as he despised her.
“From tomorrow onwards, the two of you are staying in the Fu Residence!” Fu Zhengyun glanced at Shi Nuan then at Fu Chengyan. “Pregnancy is a big thing. You guys have nothing at Wutong Residence. It is not suitable for Shi Nuan to stay there for the sake of the baby. Come to the Fu Residence! Your Mom and Dad, as well as Aunt Ning and Uncle Heng, can take care of her!”
“But I-” Shi Nuan was about to say something when Fu Chengyan squeezed her hands gently. It was a sign for her to stop talking. Fu Chengyan helped Shi Nuan up from her seat. “Alright then!”
Fu Zhengyun heard Fu Chengyan’s affirmative answer and the frown on his face eased up. At least Fu Chengyan still listened to him, he figured. “Then that’s settled! Bring her to the Fu Residence after work.”
It was the biggest compromise Fu Zhengyun ever made.
Fu Zhengyun turned his gaze to Fu Zhengyun. “You asked me to come here because of this?”
Fu Chengyan’s brows perked up. Neither did he nod or shake his head. Both Shi Nuan and Fu Chengyan were flummoxed.
Shi Nuan and Fu Zhengyun were still waiting for Fu Chengyan’s answer when Fu Chengyan smiled indifferently at Fu Zhengyun. “Does it really matter?”
Fu Zhengyun rolled his eyes. “Hmph!”
Before storming off from the office, Fu Zhengyun gave Shi Nuan’s stomach one last glance. He grunted, “After work, you two come to the Fu Residence for dinner!” Then, he left the place.
Shi Nuan was stumped by Fu Zhengyun’s actions. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around his conflicting behavior.
She turned to Fu Chengyan in puzzlement. “You asked Grandpa to come here to tell him about my pregnancy?”
Fu Chengyan smacked his lips. “Is it really that important?”
Shi Nuan shook her head then nodded. “No, but how do you know I’ll be here? Also, you know how Grandpa is like! Every time I bump into him, we’ll for sure get into an argument. What if Grandpa gets so pissed off at me that he fainted? Or, what if Grandpa did something to me?”
“Come over.”
