Everyone at the dining table was aware of the intimacy between Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan. Ning Xin shot Fu Heng a meaningful look, and the latter responded with an understanding nod.
Fu Heng knew what was Fu Chengyan up to. He didn’t bring Shi Nuan back home as he didn’t have any bargaining chips to win Fu Zhengyun’s approval and trust. Now that Shi Nuan was pregnant, the gap between Fu Zhengyun and Shi Nuan was smaller, if not completely bridged. With everything going Fu Chengyan’s way so far, Fu Heng was sure that his nephew was now watching as the rest of his plans come true.
Still, Fu Heng was surprised at how quickly Fu Zhengyun had changed his views towards Shi Nuan.
After dinner, Shi Nuan accompanied Ning Xin upstairs and the latter took the expectant mother for a tour around the Fu Residence. Meanwhile, Fu Chengyan went out with Fu Heng for a walk.
In the Fu family, Fu Chengyan found his uncle Fu Heng the most approachable, and not his father Fu Sheng. Perhaps it was because the two of them had similar worldviews. Thus, Fu Chengyan would always come to Fu Heng if he needed advice.
“Tell me. What do you have on your mind now?”
Fu Heng knew Fu Chengyan well. He would only seek help from other people only if he could not solve his own problems himself.
Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes and followed Fu Heng to the west yard of the Fu Residence. There was plenty of space there, but most importantly, it didn’t have many visitors.
“Uncle Heng, how well do you know Shen Feng?”
“Shen Feng?”
Fu Heng was taken aback by Fu Chengyan’s sudden inquiry. He replied softly in his low voice, “Is it because of Shen Qianan?”
Fu Chengyan remained silent for a few seconds. Neither did he admit or deny his uncle’s question.
“I don’t really know Shen Feng well, but I have run into him a few times before in the capital because of Shengyuan. That man has a lot going on in his brain. I remember he lived a fulfilling life with his wife back then. She’s Shen Shixiu’s mother.”
Fu Heng paused for a while before he continued. He shook his head gently. “Shen Shixiu’s mother was quite a capable woman. She’s not a scheming person, but she was very bright.”
Fu Chengyan nodded gently. “I can imagine that.” He had a few encounters with Shen Shixiu before. “Then, what happened after that? How are they related to Shu Qing?”
“Shu Qing was a famous pop star back then. She became a hit at a very young age. But at the peak of her fame, she disappeared for a year. No one knew where she went, but there were rumors saying that she got pregnant. Back then, the media companies weren’t as advanced. No one had a clue about Shu Qing’s disappearance. A year later, she returned to the scene, but she was already replaced by new actresses then. She disappeared again, but this time, rumors had it that she went to C Country. She was doing pretty well there,” Fu Heng replied in detail. He then asked, “Why are you asking for her information, though?”
“Uncle Heng, aren’t you curious as to who’s Shen Qianan’s biological mother?”
Fu Heng’s eyes gaped wide. “I’m not very sure about that, but Shu Qing was indeed rumored to be in a relationship with Shen Feng back then. It caused quite an outburst, I remember. It was during that time Shen Shixiu’s mother grew distant from Shen Feng. Hmm, are you suggesting that Shu Qing is Shen Qianan’s biological mother?”
Fu Chengyan nodded. “It’s just a guess.”
Fu Heng remained silent for a beat. “I am not close to Shen Feng. However, your father is quite close to him. In fact, their friendship was the reason why your father tried so hard to ship you and Shen Qianan together. Okay, what else do you want to know?”
“Shu Qing only had a daughter?”
“I have no idea.” Fu Heng shook his head. “If you want to know more, I think you should hit your father up.”
“Understood.” Fu Chenyan kept mum for a moment before continuing, “Uncle Heng, do you have anything on Shu Qing’s background? “
“Huh, why are you asking me? Does she come from a complicated background?” Fu Heng responded with a question. He then raised his head abruptly. “You suspect there’s a connection between Shu Qing and Nuan?”
Fu Heng didn’t know what was the reason he brought Shi Nuan up. For some reason, Shi Nuan was always linked to Shu Qing and Shen Qianan in his head.
“You also think that Nuan is related to the Shen family?”
“We all know Nuan isn’t the biological daughter of Shi Jingzheng and Jiang Yu.” Fu Chengyan fidgeted with the button on his sleeve. He furrowed his brows slightly, “I have looked up Shu Qing before. There’s nothing on her. She’s a ball of mystery I can never untangle.”
“Is that why you look for me?”
Fu Heng then chuckled. “I didn’t think there’s something you cannot do. Alright, I’ll ask around for you. Shu Qing was so famous back then. There’s sure a lot of people who know something about her. I’ll let you know if I find anything on her!”
“Alright then. Thank you so much, Uncle Heng!”
Fu Heng waved his hand dismissively. “Bah, there’s no need to thank me! By the way, how did you manage to persuade the old man to bring Shi Nuan home? I must say, you have impressed me with that!” Fu Zhengyun was an obstinate and hot-headed man. Previously, he was trying his best to pry Shi Nuan away from Fu Chengyan. He even went so far as to conjure Shen Qianan out of nowhere.
Fu Chengyan’s eyebrows perked up. “What do you think I did?”
“You did nothing?”
“Yeah, I did nothing!” Fu Chengyan teetered. “Let’s head back into the house. It’s getting late.”
Fu Heng seconded Fu Chengyan’s idea. “Alright, let’s get back. Anyway, now that Nuan is living with us, that old man will certainly see the good in her.”
Fu Heng was already quite a picky man, but he was satisfied with the qualities she had. Since the moment he met her, he found her quite endearing. Having spent some time with her, Fu Heng also found her a smart woman when it came to tackling challenges. All in all, she was perfect for Fu Chengyan.
The Fu clan was a prominent family. Since Fu Chengyan was going to lead the family someday, he would definitely need a competent wife to support him. It was not important that Fu Chengyan’s partner also came from a prominent family. What mattered more was for the woman to possess both intelligence and charm to command respect.
As of now, Fu Zhengyun didn’t think that Shi Nuan fit to be the matriarch of the Fu clan as he didn’t know her well as a person.
Although Fu Heng could understand Fu Zhengyun’s aversion towards Shi Nuan, it didn’t affect his opinion of Shi Nuan.
Fu Heng gave a reassuring pat on Fu Chengyan’s shoulder. “Nuan is really a good girl!”
“That’s for sure!” Fu Chengyan was the person who picked Shi Nuan out of so many women. Of course, he knew she was a gem. If not, he wouldn’t have stuck to her until now.
When Fu Chengyan returned to the Fu Residence, Shi Nuan was leaving Ning Xin’s room. She saw Fu Chengyan at the door and approached him. “Yan, you’re back.”
“Mhm. Did you see our room?”
“Yea! Aunt Ning said that room is ours. She also told me that you used to stay in that room too.” Shi Nuan led Fu Chengyan to the room and she pushed the door opened. “Aunt Ning said most of the furniture is the same, but some of the items have been replaced. Everything is done just for us!”
Shi Nuan snooped around like a curious toddler. “I didn’t expect your room to look like this!”
“Mm? How so?” Fu Chengyan took in the view of his room and realized that it was very different from his memory. Ever since he came back from overseas and went straight to Shengyuan to work, he seldom stayed at the Fu Residence. He didn’t know that the room still retained its past style.
Shi Nuan let go of Fu Chengyan’s hand and made a break for the bookshelf. Her eyes scanned the titles and uttered, “Oh wow! You own the whole series of the ‘Journey To The West’? You read this too? Let me see what else is there… ‘The Outlaws Of The Marshes’, ‘A Brief History Of Time’, ‘The Art Of War’… Yan, you used to read so much!”
Fu Chengyan squinted at his wife. “Meh, I was only pretending to be studious.” He sounded bland as if his past were not worth bringing up.
Shi Nuan widened her eyes. “You were pretending to be studious?”
“Mhm!” Fu Chengyan smiled and gestured at Shi Nuan with his hand. “Come here!”
Shi Nuan writhed her lips. “I don’t trust you! Grandpa said you are a genius! You’re much smarter than your peers at a young age! Aunt Ning also praised you for that just now. She also said you were an avid reader, so don’t you lie to me!”
“Take Aunt Ning’s words with a grain of salt. Which parents in the world don’t praise their own children?” Fu Chengyan’s voice was full of nonchalance. On the other hand, Shi Nuan seemed to have caught onto something. She turned to Fu Chengyan with a question on her face. “Aunt Ning took care of you when you were a kid?”
Fu Chengyan lowered his gaze to Shi Nuan. He could see the light in her eyes. Fu Chengyan stroked her face and replied, “Yeah. Aunt Ning is someone I hold very close to my heart. She’s like a parent to me.”
There was a light scratch at the door. Both Shi Nuan and Fu Chengyan were startled. They exchanged glances with each other.
Fu Chengyan walked to the door. He pulled open the door in time to see Song Zhenyan scampering away in a rush.
Fu Chengyan had one hand on the doorknob and the other limping against his side. His dark eyes were glued to the back of Song Zhenyan’s body. It had a menacing glow.
Shi Nuan who was behind Fu Chengyan also caught a glimpse of Song Zhenyan’s silhouette. As she stepped ahead, she could feel the forbidding air around Fu Chengyan. She reached out to clasp her fingers around his hand.
Fu Chengyan slanted his eyes to look at Shi Nuan. When he saw the worried expression of Shi Nuan, the scowl on his face was instantly replaced with a grin. “Silly girl!” He knocked her on her head. “What are you doing here?”
“Yan, perhaps… she just doesn’t know how to express her feelings!”
“Maybe.” Fu Chengyan took his eyes off Shi Nuan and stared ahead. He replied impassively, “But I’m fine with what it is now.”
“She will always be your mother, Chengyan. Now that you guys live under the same roof, she can sense you ignoring her on purpose. Also, I feel like she’s regretted her actions.” Shi Nuan placed her hand on the back of Fu Chengyan’s hand. “Maybe you can give her another chance. People change.”
“May, let’s go out for a walk! Didn’t I say that there’s a lake nearby?” Fu Chengyan cut Shi Nuan off.
Shi Nuan was slightly stumped. She wriggled her lips unnaturally. However, she knew Fu Chengyan was not going to change his opinion of Song Zhenyan in such a short time. If Fu Chengyan were any harder on his mother, Song Zhenyan wouldn’t get to stay at the Fu Residence. Thus, Shi Nuan did not say anything else but nodded. “Okay, let’s go!”
