Song Fengwan lay on her bed and talked on the phone with Fu Chen for over an hour. When Qiao Aiyun knocked on her door and urged her to turn off the lights and go to sleep, she finally pressed the switch and crawled under the covers.
Qiao Aiyun stood at the door of her room for a while. The soundproofing of the room was good, and she couldnât hear anything from inside. She only turned around and left when the light peeking from the cracks of the door disappeared.
She tilted her head and looked at her watch.?Itâs almost midnight. Why wasnât she sleeping? What was she busy with?
She thought that Song Fengwan was too excited after the exam and was probably playing with her phone. She never imagined that her daughter was stealthily on the phone.
Song Fengwan had just finished her exam and was inevitably excited. From the odd behavior of the invigilator in the examination hall to complaining about the windy windows in Yuncheng University, she seemed to have endless things to say.
Fu Chen leaned against his bed with a faint smile on his lips.
It was not until midnight that Song Fengwan coughed twice. âThird Brother, itâs already so late.â
âMhm.â
âI think I talked too much.â
âItâs okay. I like hearing you talk.â
Song Fengwan bit her lip. âItâs getting late. Letâs sleep.â
âTogether?â Fu Chen raised his eyebrows. His voice was hoarse, as if he was rubbing against her ear.
Song Fengwanâs ears turned slightly hot. âMm, go to sleep.â
They said they were going to sleep, but they dawdled for more than ten minutes before hanging up.
Fu Chen glanced at the call time.
1:52:00.
I even love you on the phoneâ¦
This was the first time they had talked to each other for such a long time. It was worth remembering.
Fu Chen rarely slept so late. After hanging up the phone, he was no longer sleepy. After talking for nearly two hours, his mouth was inevitably dry. He went downstairs to pour some warm water, and from the corner of his eye, he saw that it had started snowing outsideâ¦
He walked to the window. The street light was warm yellow and dim, and the tiny snowflakes, like grains of salt, were swept around like waves by the cold wind, flying all around.
Yuncheng was located further south. The snow was not too heavy and melted upon entering the ground. It was still quite a beautiful sight.
Just as he was about to return to his room, he heard the sound of a door closing from upstairs, followed by the sound of someone sneaking downstairs. It was obvious that he was restraining his strength, afraid that he would be discovered.
He squinted and caught a glimpse of a black shadow coming down. Based on the figure, he could guess who it was.
Fu Chen didnât turn on the lights and hid in the dark. He rubbed the cup in his hand and watched as the figure crept lightly to the door and was about to leave without even changing his shoes.
âWhat are you doing in the middle of the night?!â
Fu Yuxiuâs fingers had just touched the doorknob when he heard a deep voice behind him. He was scared out of his wits.
His legs gave way, and he almost fell to her knees.
Fu Chen turned on the floor lamp beside him, and his figure was instantly illuminated.
âTh-Third Uncle?â Fu Yuxiu turned around stiffly. His voice was trembling, and his lips were quivering. He was so frightened that his face had turned pale.?Damn it. Why isnât Third Uncle sleeping in the middle of the night?! Itâs already one in the morning, and heâs alone in the living room. Why didnât he f*cking turn on the lights?
âWhy are you going out so late at night?â Fu Chen hadnât expected Fu Yuxiu to be so obsessed. He was behaving like a thief in the middle of the night for Jiang Fengya.
âItâs nothingâ¦â His voice was weak and powerless. At this moment, his heart was still beating wildly, and his soul was on the verge of flying away from fear.
âSince thereâs nothing, go back to sleep. I even thought you were going out to meet someone.â
âHow is that possible? Itâs so late. Who could I meet?â Fu Yuxiu felt like crying.?I must have owed Third Uncle in my previous life to be tyrannized like this in this life.
Fu Chen drank his water unhurriedly and looked at him quietly.
This gaze seemed to see through everything. Fu Yuxiu gritted his teeth in hatred and could only scram back to his room.
Fu Chen shook his head helplessly. He couldnât really understand why Fu Yuxiu had fallen for Jiang Fengya.
Actually, Fu Yuxiuâs personality was not like that of the Fu family. He had always been living in a greenhouse and naturally didnât know the dangers and sinisterness of the world. With such a dominating mother, his life had been too smooth-sailing, and he lacked experience.
If he left his family, he might not even be able to support himself. Yet he still bore the delusion of being someone elseâs savior?
Fu Chen smiled to himself.?Itâs too ridiculous. If he continues being so stubborn, he will fall sooner or later.
Jiang Fengya was a deeply scheming woman. If Song Jingren was completely defeated, she would definitely look for a new backer. Fu Yuxiu was the best choice. If that happened, there would very likely be another stormâ¦
Fu Chen finished the remaining warm water and turned to go upstairs.
***
Over the next few days, everyone was very busy except for Song Fengwan.
After Qiao Aiyun held a press conference to clarify the matter regarding the sale of fake goods in the Jade Hall of Spring, the police stepped in and reported the progress of the case. They had indeed been framed. Apart from the underage child, the entire family had been detained.
However, the police still couldnât find any evidence of Song Jingrenâs involvement. The conversation at the press conference and the testimony of the criminals were not enough to confirm him as the mastermind.
After this incident, the Jade Hall of Spring was once again pushed into the public eye.
It was a hundred-year-old store with pure hand-carved workmanship. Their jade works were unique and lively, totally different from the machine processed and polished ones. It was almost the new year, and many people went to buy jade. The business orders were several times more than usual.
It was hard to manage the orders, so Qiao Xiyan could only return to Suzhouâs head store first to help take care of it. Qiao Wangbei stayed behind to help Qiao Aiyun fight the divorce lawsuit.
Song Jingren wasnât having a good time on his end.
That day, when Qiao Wangbei chased him out of the house, he had only been wearing thin pajamas. His old injuries had not healed, and he had been beaten up by him again. His body had been in so much pain that he had almost lost consciousness.
The night he was sent to the hospital, he caught a cold and had a fever. He almost lost half his life.
Luckily, Jiang Fengya took care of him. Song Jingren was touchedâ¦
With Qiao Wangbei here, he was scared and couldnât think of a good way to deal with him. His head hurt so much every day. At this time, something happened in the company.
When Secretary Zhang arrived at the hospital, he was reclining on the bed and eating breakfastâ¦
âPresident Song, something bad has happened!â He pushed open the door and entered, his voice shaking the heavens.
When he had been chased out of the house, Secretary Zhang had left him behind on his own. Song Jingren was already unhappy with him in his heart.
He didnât fire him because he still had a lot of things that he needed his help with. If he changed his secretary now, no one would even be able to take over his work.
He gripped his chopsticks tightly and glanced at Secretary Zhang. âWhat are you shouting for?â
âPresident Song, itâs over. This time, itâs reallyâ¦â Secretary Zhangâs face was pale as he panted heavily and stammered.
Song Jingren had been in a bad mood recently and couldnât stand hearing such unlucky words. He lifted the meal box in front of him and threw it straight at him. âDamn it. I dare you to spout another line of nonsense!â
Jiang Fengya was frightened and stood by the side without moving.
The box of porridge landed on Secretary Zhangâs clothes. It was sticky, white, and scalding. Secretary Zhang held his breath and didnât dare to make any noise.
âTell me. What happened now? Let me tell you. If thereâs nothing serious, Iâll skin you alive.â Song Jingren threw his chopsticks away angrily.
It was early in the morning, and he was angry and unlucky.
âAll the directors of the company came to the office this morning and said they want to hold a board meeting.â
âNonsense. Iâm still here. What board meeting?â Song Jingren sneered coldly.
âI asked around in private. Itâs Mrs⦠Ms. Qiao notified them.â
Song Jingrenâs pupils dilated. âWhat right does she have!â
âOther than you, she is the largest shareholder and has the right to convene the board members and shareholders,â Secretary Zhang said softly.
âWhat is she trying to do?!â Song Jingren couldnât sit still when the company was involved.
âI heard that she told many people that you were sick and hospitalized and couldnât manage the company. The company canât be without a leader for a day, soâ¦â
âBastard!â Song Jingren was so angry that he raised his hand and knocked over a fruit basket at the head of the bed. âQiao Aiyun wants to kick me out of the company while Iâm not around? No way.
âThis is my years of hard work. How can it fall into her hands?
âI knew she wouldnât let go so easily. That bitch!â
âDad, calm down. This company was built by you. How can it be so easy for her to take it away?â Jiang Fengya comforted.
She was even more anxious than Song Jingren, and her heart was pounding. She had only been an eldest young lady for a few days. She didnât want to be beaten back to her original state so quickly.
âWhatâs the situation now? How many people have gone?â Song Jingren kicked the blanket and got off the bed.
âAlmost all of them went.â Secretary Zhangâs voice was timid.
âThis bunch of dogs. Iâve always treated them well. Now that Iâve lost my power, they want to f*cking kick me away! Bastards.â Song Jingren didnât even put on his clothes and directly walked out.
âDad, put on some clothes.â Jiang Fengyaâs heart was pounding.
She hated Qiao Aiyun to the core.
Secretary Zhang lowered his head and looked at his own clothes. He felt upset. He gritted his teeth but still chased after him.
âWhy are you dilly-dallying at the back? Why donât you go downstairs and get the car first?â Song Jingren glanced at Secretary Zhang. âYou canât do anything right, but youâre good at ruining things.â
During the press conference previously, if not for him not turning off his phone and even being intimidated by Qiao Aiyunâs few words of threat, things wouldnât have turned out this way.
How stupid.
Secretary Zhang gritted his teeth and ran down the stairs first.
***
Yuncheng, Fu family residenceâ¦
Fu Yuxiu had been going crazy over the past few days. The new year was soon, and there were hardly any classes at school. He almost didnât need to go to school, and most of his classmates had gone on vacation together. But he was still stuck at home.
Fu Chen refused to leave and stayed in the house all day.
The task Sun Qionghua gave him was to serve Fu Chen well.
Serve?
He was being ordered around like a slave by Fu Chen.
Fu Chen didnât go out, so he couldnât even step out of the door. Fu Chen copied Buddhist scriptures and made him be in charge of grinding the ink and flipping pages. These days were too damn depressing.
âThird Masterâ¦â Shi Fang knocked on the door, seeming to have something to say.
âYuxiu, you can leave first,â Fu Chen lowered his head and continued to copy the scriptures without looking up.
Fu Yuxiu felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.?F*ck, itâs suffocating to be with him.
Getting up at six, taking a walk, drinking tea, copying scriptures, and watching the news broadcast, was this still the kind of life a person led?
He had complained to his mother before, but Sun Qionghua said directly, âYouâre too impetuous. Follow your third uncle and train your temper well. If you build a good relationship with him, it will only benefit you. Just bear with it.â
Now that he had been pardoned by Fu Chen, he hurriedly ran out with a smile.
Shi Fang made sure he had gone far away before closing the door.
âThird Master, the Qiao family is making a move.â
âOh?â
âMs. Qiao contacted the companyâs shareholders last night and is holding a board meeting this morning. She wants to depose Song Jingren while heâs not around.â
Fu Chen glanced at the Buddhist scriptures and concentrated on copying.
âSong Jingren has already left the hospital and is rushing to the company. He has a lot of influence in the company. I think itâll be very difficult for Ms. Qiao to chase him away.â
According to Shi Fangâs objective analysis, no one in the Qiao family was business material, and the company had been founded single-handedly by Song Jingren. It definitely wouldnât be easy to shake him up.
âEven though the major shareholders and board directors have gone, I think things are still difficult.
âQiao Wangbei went over too. I think this was most likely his idea. Itâs definitely not a good idea to snatch the company right now. Do you think Mr. Qiao is too impulsive?â
Shi Fang really couldnât tell what they were doing. Even if the company really fell into their hands, they wouldnât be able to manage it.
Song Jingren was too powerful and still had a lot of popularity in the company. The people who had followed him to build his empire were the mainstays of the company. If he left, he might take away a large number of the companyâs backbones. If they took back such a company, they could only wait for it to wither.
âYouâre underestimating Mr. Qiao too much. Do you really think that heâs aiming for the company?â Fu Chen put down his brush.
âWhat do you mean by that?â
âJust wait and see. Iâve said it beforeâ¦â Fu Chen picked up the Buddhist scripture that he had just copied and studied it carefully. âThe Qiao family has definitely been underestimated by everyone.
âThis father and son are not to be trifled with.â
Shi Fang raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
âHeâs obviously trying to kill Song Jingren off thoroughly.â
Shi Fang couldnât see through the current situation entirely and could only nod along. Third Master rarely praised people, and he naturally couldnât be wrong in his judgment of people.
âThird Master, since the Qiao father and son are so powerful, wonât it be even harder for you to marry Miss Song in the future?â
Fu Chenâs fingers trembled as he looked at him coldly. âYou talk too much. Get out!â
Shi Fang was speechless.?I was just telling the truth. Why did he get angry?