Winter in the capital was cold and dry. Even though the sun was high in the sky, the cold wind still bombarded peopleâ¦
Shen Jinye was sitting in a car, his eyes lifeless. His head was empty of thoughts, and he was leaning his head against the car window, wanting to jump out.
He had gone to the old Fu residence to have lunch. Shen Dongwen had accompanied Old Master Fu to the birds and flowers market, while Fu Wan had brought him with her. She had first sent Huai Sheng to his tutoring class and then sent Old Madam Fu to the Pear Garden to watch the opera.
Old Madam Fu was an opera fan, but Fu Wan wasnât. She only entered the Pear Garden for a short while before soon coming out and saying straightforwardly, âCome with me to find your uncle. Iâm looking for him for some business.â
âMom, I want to accompany Grandma to watch the opera. I think the play today is pretty good.â Shen Jinye wanted to cry but had no tears. He had just escaped and didnât want to go back.
âDo you even understand? Do you think I donât know what kind of person you are?â Fu Wan sneered. âStop trying to play dumb. Letâs go quickly.â
As soon as he had left the tigerâs den, his own mother stuffed him right back in.
***
When the two reached Yunjin Prime Manor, Song Fengwan was packing up her stuff in the studio.
Qiao Aiyun and Yan Wangchuan would arrive in the capital at around eight in the evening and stay for the night. Tomorrow morning, they would visit the two elders of the Fu Family and deliver some Lunar New Year gifts before bringing her home.
Fu Chen was copying Buddhist scriptures in the study, but he couldnât calm down no matter what.
He felt agitated and depressed.
Upon hearing that Fu Wan was here, Song Fengwan hurriedly ran downstairs. âHello, Auntie.â
âHi, Wanwan. Are you busy?â Fu Wan smiled at her.
âNo⦠Nothing much.â She didnât have much luggage in the first place, so she packed very quickly. But she felt flustered that Fu Wan kept smiling at her.
âThen accompany me shopping. Thereâs no girl in our family, so I canât find anyone to keep me company.â It was really difficult to turn down Fu Wanâs warm invitation. âIf I get Jinye to shop with me, heâll whine awfully after taking two steps.â
âSure.â Song Fengwan glanced at Fu Chen, but he didnât say anything.
Song Fengwan grabbed her coat, carried her sling bag, and followed Fu Wan out. Fu Chen and Shen Jinye were the ones left in the house again.
Fu Chen shot him a cold look.
Shen Jinyeâs body trembled. âLittle Uncle, I swear I didnât say anything to anyone. Otherwise, when I go out, Iâll encounter a carâ¦â
âThereâs no need to be so cruel. If you reveal it, youâll be impotent forever,â Fu Chen said in a low voice.
Shen Jinye was speechless.?Thatâs even more f*cking ruthless, okay?
âCome into the study and help me grind ink.â
Shen Jinyeâs head hurt.
Why do old cows like to eat young grass�
Is it because young grass doesnât get stuck in their teeth?
***
Thousand Treasures Mallâ¦
âDo you want something to drink?â Fu Wan pointed at the coffee shop by the side.
âNo, thank you.â Song Fengwan and Fu Chen were secretly dating, so she felt guilty and flustered.
Fu Wan seemed not to hear her and ordered two cups, one with brown sugar added, and stuffed it into Song Fengwanâs hands. âWhy do I feel like youâre a little afraid of me? Is it because I was too fierce yesterday that you got scared?â
âNo.â Song Fengwan had truly been frightened.
Even someone as domineering as Sun Qionghua had been suppressed firmly.
She was domineering and valiant, and she even dared to criticize her Third Brother. Song Fengwan was in awe.
Moreover, she was too astute, and Song Fengwan was also afraid that she would notice something. Naturally, she behaved ever more carefully, for fear of offending her accidentally.
âDonât be afraid. Iâm a good person.â Fu Wan sized her up. When she chatted with her mother last night, Old Madam Fu had praised her for a long time. Now that she was taking her measure, she found that she was a pretty good young lady.
Yuxiu is simply blind. Why did he give up on such a nice young lady and fall in love with that illegitimate daughter?
People couldnât decide their birth, and being an illegitimate daughter couldnât decide her character. This was the sin of the previous generation and shouldnât implicate a child.
But there was definitely no such coincidence in the world. It wasnât like they were acting in a TV drama. The elder sister had met her younger sisterâs fiancé by chance, and they fell in love with each other. And she also used this opportunity to enter the Song family.
Most coincidences were deliberate and premeditated.
Even though she hadnât met Jiang Fengya, Fu Wan could still guess her character.
Hearing her say that she was a good person, Song Fengwan only smiled without saying anything.
Fu Wan was out to buy clothes for her parents. The two elders of the Fu family, like most elderly people, were used to tough times. They couldnât bear to use the things their children bought, nor did they wear new clothes. They always liked to wear their few old styles.
Old Master Fu had been involved in foreign affairs in the past, so his face was still quite recognizable. If someone who didnât know him saw him, he would simply appear to be an ordinary old man, just slightly smarter and more capable than ordinary people.
Fu Wan held an embroidered cotton shirt in front of her chest and turned her head to look at Song Fengwan. âAre you a bit bored shopping with me?â
âNo.â It was rare for Song Fengwan to go out of the house, so it was a good chance for her to relax.
âWanwan, youâve been staying at Fu Chenâs place for a while. You two seem to get along pretty well.â
âItâs⦠okay.â Song Fengwan felt guilty. The elder sister of the Fu family was too shrewd.?Could she have found something?
âThen, do you know that our Fu Chen is wooing someone?â
Song Fengwan tightened her grip on the milk tea paper cup in her hand. âWooing someone?â
âThe two of you live under the same roof. Donât tell me you donât know. When I called him before, he said he was wooing a girl, and his tone was very earnest. I wonder which girl has such high standards that even my younger brother doesnât satisfy her,â Fu Wan muttered.
âDid he tell you this?â
âOur Sanâer[1] has never been in love before. He hasnât even held a girlâs hand before. Iâm afraid he wonât know how to woo her and scare her away.â
Song Fengwan smiled awkwardly.?Third Brother doesnât know how to woo girls?
Heâs a king when it comes to flirting, okay?
When havenât I been made weak in the knees?
âActually, many young ladies pursued Third Brother when he was in school. I attended a parent-teacher meeting for him, and his desk was full of love letters, but he was slow at understanding them. He was still in school at the time, so our family wasnât in a hurry either.
âBut heâs already twenty-seven, nearly twenty-eight. If he doesnât awaken soon, Iâm really afraid that heâll leave home to become a monk.â
Song Fengwan lowered her head and drank the milk tea.?Even if he leaves home, heâll still be a non-vegetarian monk who eats meat and drinks alcohol.
âDo you really not know which girl our Sanâer likes? Or who heâs been getting close to?â
Fu Wan had specially looked for Song Fengwan to ask about this. She knew that Fu Chenâs lips were tight, and she couldnât pry them open, so she wanted to strike from elsewhere. Song Fengwan had been living with him for a few months. Even if she wasnât aware, she should have heard something.
âI was studying and taking exams, so I didnât notice,â Song Fengwan lied casually.
After all, she couldnât tell her directly that Fu Chen was wooing her.
âThatâs true. This brat has always been scheming. I wonder which young lady is so unlucky to have caught his eye.â
âUnlucky?â
âThis brat has a stubborn temper. Donât look at how he smiles at others, looking gentle and harmless, but heâs actually devious and domineering. Whatever he wants, he will hold in his hands even till death. Others canât even look at it.â Fu Wan couldnât help complaining.
Song Fengwan nodded.?Sheâs indeed his biological sister. She knows him too well.
Third Brother has very strong jealousy.
âHowever, Sanâer has a flawâ¦â Fu Wan was speechless.
âWhat?â
âItâs too easy for him to get anything, so heâs not passionate about anything. Itâs as though thereâs nothing that can interest him for a long time and maintain his enthusiasm for too long.
âIâm just worried that if he woos her so fiercely now but isnât able to bring her back⦠Iâm afraid my mother will create difficulties for him.â
Fu Wan only mentioned it casually. But Song Fengwan bit her lip tightly, her heart throbbing as though it had been stabbed by a thorn.
Actually, their relationship had warmed up during the few days when they had gone overseas on New Yearâs Eve. Their hearts and minds were connected, and they hadnât explicitly said that they were dating or together. Everything had happened naturally.
The two of them were currently in the passionate stage of their relationship, so they wouldnât consider other things at all.
Hearing Fu Wanâs words, she felt inexplicably flustered.
She would be taking the college entrance examination in June and would be returning to Yuncheng soon. She didnât even check her phone in normal times, let alone maintain her relationship. Whether he would get to know someone else and how their relationship would develop in a few months was unknown.
âHeyââ Fu Wan suddenly patted her shoulder.
âYes?â
âWhy are you in a daze? Help me take a look and see which of these two clothes look better.â Fu Wan had initially wanted to find out who Fu Chen liked so that she could help too. Unexpectedlyâ¦
She had secretly âstabbedâ Fu Chen.
While Fu Chen was âtorturingâ Shen Jinye on his end, he had been stabbed in the back by his sister.
What goes around comes around. Who would be spared by the heavens?
***
Fu Wan bought clothes for the two Fu elders and a tie for Fu Chen.
Fu Chen clearly realized that something was amiss with Song Fengwan after she returned. Even though their relationship had yet to be exposed, and they had to hide it, surely there was no need for her to hide from him.
Her face was very crestfallen. It was obvious that she had been wronged and was hiding something. Furthermore, it was definitely related to him.
Fu Chen took a look at Shen Jinye.
Shen Jinye really wanted to cry but had no tears.?What does this have to do with me? I really havenât said anything. If you two have a conflict, why are you glaring at me? Thereâs no way I can live like this anymore.
[1] ä¸å¿ Sanâer is an affectionate nickname derived from Third(San) Fu.