Shi Nuan stayed in the meeting room after Shu Qing left. Zhou Zheng and Xu Yue stood by her side with concerned looks. “Mrs. Fu, why did you…”
The lady raised her hand to halt the question. “I fully expected her not to agree to it. It’s not the contract’s problem- it’s me.” The self-aware Shi Nuan admitted laughingly.
If she were still a delicate young lady, Shu Qing’s words would have scarred her deeply. However, she had since grown and matured, and her ego was no longer that fragile.
Zhou Zheng watched on worryingly at the side. He personally knew a lot about her family background as Fu Chengyan had instructed him to investigate it secretly. Unfortunately, being just a lowly secretary, he had no right to probe further into the matter. Nevertheless, working for Fu Chengyan for a long time did shape his perspective on the issue.
As such, he could not help but feel indignant for Shi Nuan. Yet concurrently, he realized that the lady did not actually need any emotional support- she was already rather mature, beyond what he himself was capable of.
“Alright, it’s getting late. I think that you should return to the headquarters,” Shi Nuan told Zhou Zheng.
“What will you be doing then, Mrs. Fu?” came Zhou Zheng’s question.
Usually, Shi Nuan would be visiting Shengyuan at this hour. Otherwise, she would have met up with Fu Chengyan. “I think I will go on a stroll with Xu Yue!” She turned to Xu Yue and continued, “Since Yan got you to be with me, your schedule shall be determined by me. Don’t worry though, I am a very kind person.”
“Sure thing, Mrs. Fu!” Xu Yue cheered. “Where do you want to go?”
“I haven’t made up my mind. Let’s just head out first. Meanwhile, can you help me tidy up these contracts now? I foresee that the woman shall be back.” Shi Nuan always trusted her instincts. “Anyways, what is Shi Wei doing recently? Did the company give her any new acting offers?”
The query was directed at Qin Hong and Ms. Qin. Ms. Qin replied, “She went ahead to audition for an urban drama, which we did not invest in, and got the gig. There was an official announcement made a few days ago. We originally wanted to take action against her since this was a breach of contract, but Mr. Zhou advised us to close an eye on this issue.”
Zhou Zheng concurred with Ms. Qin’s statement. “It was Mr. Fu’s orders!”
Shi Nuan nodded. “Alright then, we will let sleeping dogs lie.”
Following the exchange, Shi Nuan and Xu Yue departed from the building and headed out.
Frankly, Xu Yue was rather afraid of Shi Nuan initially. Although she had worked on the twenty-seventh floor previously, she barely had the chance to see Fu Chengyan. When Mai Qi, the head secretary, ordered her to be with Shi Nuan, she had no idea who she was. Once Mai Qi told her about Shi Nuan’s actual identity, Xu Yue began to feel apprehensive.
She had imagined that Shi Nuan would be a difficult person to be around. Nonetheless, after a while, she began to realize how wrong her assumptions were.
Tagging along behind Shi Nuan, she watched on as the lady browsed through some luxury goods and bought some children’s clothes at the boys’ section, before heading to the kids’ area.
“Is this for our future young master?”
“Master? The baby’s only over 3 months old- we don’t know the gender yet!” Shi Nuan exclaimed. “However, the doctor did tell me that they’re twins.”
Xu Yue’s eyes widened at the news. “Really? I’ve heard that twins are usually really hard to conceive if one doesn’t have the genetic heritage!”
Shi Nuan softened her voice. “That claim has no basis.”
“Well, do you wish for a boy or girl, Mrs. Fu?” asked Xu Yue.
“Either one is fine, though the most ideal outcome would be having a girl and a boy each. That way, they can keep each other company. Moreover, having one gender each may also bring good luck!”
Shi Nuan spoke fondly as she gazed tenderly at the baby clothes. Changing the topic, she asked, “Yue, do you have a boyfriend? You look pretty young- are you twenty-four yet?”
“I’m already twenty-five!”
Shi Nuan raised her brows in surprise. “Oh my, that means that you’re older than me!” For a moment, she wondered if she had gotten married too early- she was only twenty-four after all.
She continued with a grin, “So, do you have a boyfriend?”
“Yes! However, we’ve agreed to focus on our careers so that we can earn enough money to afford a house before marrying each other.”
Shi Nuan listened with an occasional nod. “One’s career is indeed important, but ladies like us should think more about our happiness too. I think that twenty-five is an ideal age for marriage.”
Xu Yue understood Shi Nuan’s concerns, but she had her own beliefs. “Both of our families are indeed persuading us to get married soon. The elders have even offered to pay for our house in advance. However, my boyfriend and I, are not really into the idea of using their money. We’d very much prefer to be financially capable of affording a home ourselves.”
“That’s very ambitious!” Shi Nuan cried out. Grabbing two sets of baby clothes, she handed them over to Xu Yue and said, “Buy these for now and keep them for the future!”
…
Ever since Shu Qing and Su Huaibei departed from Xinhuang Entertainment, the pair remained silent. In the car, Shu Qing remained fuming and had no energy to engage with Su Huaibei. The air in the car was tense. The silence only broke when Shu Qing looked out of the window and realized that the scenery looked unfamiliar. “This is not the route to the Su family residence!”
Su Huaibei scoffed, “Wow, I’m surprised that you actually recognize the route! I thought that you didn’t want to go back?”
Clenching her fists, Shu Qing hissed, “Su Huaibei, are you entertained by your own antics? If you don’t want to see me, then don’t keep me by your side!”
“I’ve already said it before, and I’ll say it again- forget about ever leaving my side. Even if you’re dead, I’ll make sure that your body remains with me.”
A wave of disgust overwhelmed Shu Qing. “You’re sick! You’re completely out of your mind!”
“Yes, I’m absolutely sick, so what? Your life will be in my hands until the day I die. Your only escape route is to pray hard that my demise comes before yours.” Out of the blue, he grabbed Shu Qing’s jaw forcefully. “Also, let me repeat myself. Be nicer to Nuan, you hear me?”
He then slackened his hold over her. Recovering from the sudden aggression, Shu Qing turned to look out of the window again. She asked with unease, “Where are you going?”
“I see that you’ve left Jiang City for so long that you don’t even recognize the way home.”
This ignited Shu Qing’s vehement protests. “No! Su Huaibei, do you not understand me? I’ve said that I do not want to go back! I refuse to go back!”
“Nevertheless, I’ve also said that I’m going to give Nuan a proper status- one that is as distinguished as Fu Chengyan’s. I won’t let anyone bully my daughter.”
Shu Qing roared in desperation, “Su Huaibei! Shu Qing is not your daughter! She belongs to Jiang Yu and Shi Jingzheng! Your own daughter is long dead. Do you hear me? Dead!”
Su Huaibei’s voice turned colder than ever. “Shu Qing, do you even have an ounce of humanity left in you? If you can recognize Shen Qianan as your daughter, why can’t you do the same for Nuan?”
“Haha… You’re hilarious, Su Huaibei. This is literally the pot calling the kettle black. If I’m void of humanity, then what about you? Also, after torturing me for so many years, do you really think that I can still remain sane?” An empty laugh echoed in the car. “I can deem Shen Qianan as my daughter because she doesn’t have your filthy DNA. Shi Nuan, on the other hand… “
A harsh slap landed on Shu Qing’s face before she could finish her sentence. Su Huaibei flashed her a menacing gaze and bellowed, “You’d dare say that again?”
“I will say it over and over again! It’s unfortunate that you’re her father. Your dirty blood flows in her, dooming her to a lifetime of shame. It’s all your fault, Su Huaibei! You ruined me, and you ruined Shi Nuan!”
“You… “ That was the last straw. The man’s hands darted out as his fingers closed tightly about her neck.
Ragged breaths escaped from Shu Qing’s throat as the grip strengthened increasingly. Her neck could quite literally snap at this rate.
Nonetheless, she did not retaliate even as her face grew ruddier over time. Instead, she forced a grin at Su Huaibei as a tear rolled down her cheek.
All of a sudden, throbbing waves of pain pierced through Su Huaibei’s chest. His hold around Shu Qing relaxed as he doubled over in pain- hands clenching at the area around his heart. Cold sweat blanketed his forehead.
Released from the death grip, Shu Qing took a while to regain her breath.
Processing the sight before her and seeing the man in agony, she sneered, “Su Huaibei, don’t tell me that you’re actually dying!”
His teeth clenched harder than ever as he threw a piercingly cold gaze at her.
The manager at the front seat soon got hold of the situation and quickly reacted. “Mr. Fu, are you alright? Medicine! Where’s your medicine?”
Rummaging through the man’s bag to no avail, he immediately instructed the driver to stop the car.
Alighting the vehicle, the manager dashed to the back compartment and dragged Shu Qing out of the car to make room. He began searching for the medicine on his body, asking anxiously, “Mr. Fu, where is your medicine?”
As Shu Qing stumbled out of the car, a chill went down her spine as the scene played out before her eyes. At this point, Su Huaibei had already lost consciousness. His figure slumped lifelessly on his seat, and his face was deadly pale.
She felt goosebumps on her arms. Winter season had yet to arrive, but for a moment, even her teeth felt like trembling.
“What… What is happening to him?”
No one heard her. She raised her voice, “What on earth is happening to him?” Dashing forward, she pulled the manager out of the car in a hostile manner and demanded an explanation. “Tell me, what happened to him?”
The manager slapped her hands away and uttered coldly, “You want an explanation? Aren’t you too busy hoping that Mr. Su would pass away soon? Unfortunately, your wishes won’t come true. Mr. Su will live a long, healthy life. I’ll make sure he shall.”
Returning into the car, the manager soon procured the buried medicine. Quickly, he placed one into Su Huaibei’s mouth. After what seemed like an eternity, the man regained consciousness. “After you feeling better, Mr. Su?” asked the manager.
A tad bit of color returned to his complexion, making him look much livelier than before. He gave the manager a brief nod as he reassured him that he was fine.
Once the entire ordeal was over, the manager swiftly returned to his original seat.
Meanwhile, Su Huaibei, who was still resting against his seat, glowered at Shu Qing’s scraggy figure. Calling out to the lady outside the car, he jibed, “Are you disappointed that I’m not dead?”
“You… “ Shu Qing bit her lips. “Yes, it’s a shame that you’re not dead.”
“I’m afraid that you would have to continue feeling this way for a while,” Su Huaibei replied.
