Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Fu Chen was in a meeting at the company when his phone vibrated. Everyoneâs gaze focused on his phone.
He narrowed his eyes and read Qian Jiangâs message.
[The couple found the Pear Garden and vandalized it. They want to snatch the child. They are very rampant.]
[The man wanted to hit Old Madam. Heâs very bold.]
Fu Chenâs eyes narrowed, and his gentle face instantly turned cold.
[Then I kicked him away.]
âVice President Sun will continue to lead the meeting. After this, arrange the meeting minutes for me.â Fu Chen took his phone and walked out. He went to his office to get his car key and went straight to Pear Garden.
***
Inside the Pear Gardenâ¦
When Old Madam Fu said that she wanted to seal the Pear Garden temporarily, the couple was dumbfounded. The reporters panicked, and the thirty-odd people who had come to watch opera looked at each other in dismay. They were here to see opera as a pastime. Who would want to get involved in trouble for no reason?
âOld Madam Fu, weâ¦â A friend more familiar with Old Madam Fu couldnât help speaking up.
Old Madam Fu said unhurriedly, âDonât be anxious. I wonât do anything to you. Now that things have come to this, everyone is saying that our Fu family is bullying others.
âIf only our two families are here today, Iâm afraid people will say that we bullied them.
âI want to ask everyone to be my witnesses and see who is bullying whom in this incident. After this, I will get people to send you back, and I absolutely wonât make things difficult for you.â
After hearing this, everyone felt relieved. The Pear Garden manager had already sent the opera performers backstage and settled the guests at the side. He got someone to clean Huai Shengâs broken cup and pour him a cup of hot tea.
âThank you.â Seeing the couple, Huai Sheng was trembling so much that he couldnât even hold his cup.
âWhat are you afraid of? Have some tea.â Old Madam Fu remained calm.
She had lived through the war years. Back then, she had never even blinked when someone held a gun to her chest, let alone dealing with such a scene.
âDonât just stand there. Sit down.â Old Madam Fu looked at the group of people opposite her.
Her gaze swept past the group of media people behind the couple and landed on a woman. She was quite familiar with this person with a work pass.
Previously, the TV stationâs legal program âAll Beingsâ was hosted by Yu Manxi. But now, it was her, Ding Jingyi, who hosted it.
Old Madam Fu didnât like her hosting to begin with, and she didnât expect this kind of person to get involved.
She was young and had exquisite makeup on her face, and her face was full of ambition.
She wanted to use all the opportunities she had to climb up the social ladder. The showâs good reputation accumulated from the previous host had been ruined by her.
âOld Madam, the Garden has been sealed.â The manager walked over with a respectful attitude.
The couple instantly panicked. âYouâre stopping us from reuniting with our flesh and blood, yet you still want to lock us up here? What does your Fu family want to do?â
Old Madam Fu chuckled lightly. âWith so many people around, what can I do to you? What are you afraid of?â
She raised her hand to signal the manager to take Huai Sheng away.
âGrandmaâ¦â Huai Sheng knew how unreasonable they were and was worried that something would happen to Old Madam Fu.
âQian Jiang, bring him away,â Old Madam Fu instructed.
Qian Jiang was quick and carried Huai Sheng to the lounge at the back.
âWhere are you taking our child?!â Huai Sheng was the coupleâs last hope. Seeing the child being taken away, the couple became anxious.
âThe scene later will be too bloody, so itâs not suitable for children to be present.â Old Madam Fu smiled.
After Huai Sheng left, Old Madam Fu took out her phone from her pocket, opened a video, and passed it to the manager at the side. âPlease put it on the big screen for me.â
Nowadays, the Pear Garden had advanced equipment, and the announcements all used electronic screens. Usually, there would also be advertisements.
The manager took the phone and looked at the video. His expression changed slightly. âIâll go right away.â
Soon, an image appeared on the big screen.
It was the scene of the couple causing a ruckus at the entrance of the tutoring center yesterday and pulling the child. Because the reportersâ videos had been confiscated by Jing Hanchuan, the scene had not been exposed.
Fu Chen had sent this video to her last night. She had been so angry that she had woken up four or five times in the middle of the night.
In the video, Ma Yincui and Huang Jianhua ignored the childâs feelings, tried their best to pull him away, and fought with the teachers in the tutoring center. The childâs arms were covered in red marks from the pulling, and he was crying exceptionally miserably.
The scene was chaotic.
The audience was watching the video intently. âTheyâre snatching the child. The child is already crying so much. How can they keep pulling him like that? How heartless.â
âAre they really his biological parents?â
âLook at how frightened the child is.â
â¦
Everyone present was middle-aged, and they were all parents and even grandparents. Seeing this scene, they couldnât stand it.
When Ma Yincui saw that the situation had changed, she became anxious. âItâs all because you hid the child and didnât let us see him. Thatâs why we did it!â
âIs this your reason for snatching and pulling the child away? How can there be parents as heartless as you in this world? Do you really want to bring the child back and bring him home? Or is the son in the hospital bed unable to wait any longer?!â
Huang Jianhua jumped up. âThatâs my son. What does it have to do with you, you damn old woman?! Mind your own business!â
âThatâs right. It has nothing to do with you!â They shouted with their sharp voices.
Everyone was in an uproar. This couple was really bold. They actually dared to scold Old Madam Fu.
If Old Master Fu was present, he would kill them.
Old Madam Fu picked up the teacup beside her hand, raised it, and threw it on the floor.?Bang!?The Garden instantly fell silent.
âContinue yelling. Things wonât become the way you want just because youâre loud!
âI know you are shameless, but I didnât expect you to be this shameless. Yesterday, the insiders werenât present. Is it because we didnât embarrass you that you think you can be so arrogant today?
âYou were the ones who abandoned Huai Sheng back then. How can you have the cheek to look for him today?!â
Ma Yincui jumped up, rushed over, and pointed at Old Madam Fu. âYouâre spouting nonsense. Everyone, donât listen to her nonsense. My child was obviously kidnapped.â
âWhen the pilgrims picked up the child back then, they immediately called the police, and the police station has a record of it.
âMoreover, there was a note in his swaddling clothes indicating the time of birth. If he was abandoned by a human trafficker, why would there be such a thing inside?
âMaster Pudu has always kept the note. No matter how much you spread rumors and caused trouble online, he didnât expose you. He just thought that youâre Huai Shengâs biological parents and that your other child has a serious illness, so he didnât want to embarrass you.
âBut you donât know how to be grateful. You went to the mountain to cause trouble and disturb the peaceful Buddhist land. Donât treat the kindness of others as capital for you to trample on them wantonly.â
Old Madam Fuâs words revealed a lot of information. Everyone was whispering and discussing.
âYouâre slandering us. What can a note prove?!â Ma Yincui shouted. But being stared at by Old Madam Fu, she couldnât help feeling a little guilty.
The handwriting on the note didnât belong to the couple.
Moreover, just the note alone couldnât prove who had abandoned the child. This was also why the police had let them go after arresting them yesterday.
Actually, the couple had been confused when they arrived at the police station yesterday. They knew better than anyone that they had abandoned the child, but they hadnât left the note inside.
The date of birth was exactly the same as Huai Shengâs. The two of them were dumbfounded. Where did this thing come from?
âWhat people do is watched by the heavens. The heavens are clear, and the wicked will be punished by the heavens.â Old Madam Fuâs tone was mocking.
Ma Yincui had a guilty conscience. When Old Madam Fu spoke of karma and retribution, she immediately thought of her sick son lying in bed. She was furious and rushed over to hit her.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Even the reporters were stupefied. No one would dare to touch this old madam.
As there were still pieces of the broken porcelain cup on the floor, Ma Yincui had to raise her foot to avoid them. Her thoughts were in a daze for a moment. And when she looked up again, a slap came at her.
Slap!?The sound was crisp and clear.
âBack when I was still unmarried, I saw some unreasonable people. I have seen many people more shameless than you, who blamed others for their misdeeds. And there was no shortage of people driven to desperate actions. You still want to fight me?â
Old Madam Fu sneered, feeling that her actions were laughable.
âI havenât fought with anyone for many years. Youâre quite capable to be able to make me anxious.
âDonât keep saying that Iâm taking advantage of my power to bully others. Just because youâre weak, it doesnât mean that youâre right.
âNo one has dared to clamor like this in front of me before!â
Old Madam Fuâs words were harsh, and her experienced eyes seemed to be covered in a layer of frost, making people feel intimidated.
Ma Yincui was an uncouth person to begin with. Yesterday, she had met a sharp-tongued brat and couldnât win against her. How could she still be threatened by a woman whose body was more than half buried in the ground today?
The discussions around them became louder and louder. It was obvious that they were siding with the Fu family.
âYou damn old woman, how dare you hitâ¦â
Old Madam Fu raised her hand and slapped her again.
âSo what if I hit you?
âYou keep calling me a damn old woman. Youâre vulgar, barbaric, and have no manners.
âYouâve been slandering and smearing the Fu family these days. Do you think I can tolerate you? Our Fu familyâs hundred years of good reputation, do you think you can slander it as you please?â
Old Madam Fu had been suppressing her anger since yesterday. Seeing that she wasnât repenting even at the brink of death, she naturally couldnât stand it and wanted to act herself.
âYouâ¦â Huang Jianhua held his stomach and tried to rush over. From the corner of his eye, he saw Qian Jiang standing behind Old Madam Fu and flinched back.
Old Madam Fu sneered.?How cowardly.
Not even one ten-thousandth of my old man.
The crowd gulped nervously.?Sheâs indeed impressive.
The reporters at the back looked at each other and didnât dare to come forward.
In the past, they had only heard about the Fu family. Everyone outside said that Old Madam Fu was from the south and was gentle, virtuous, and well-mannered. How was she gentle? She was clearly very formidable.
Even a barbaric person like Ma Yincui was so frightened that she didnât dare to make a sound.
How could she be simple since she was the mistress of a prestigious family and managed the affairs of this large family?
Ma Yincui was anxious and angry.
After suffering consecutive setbacksâhit by a little girl and an old womanâshe was utterly ashamed. Just as she was about to open her mouth and shout, Old Madam Fu glared at her coldly.
Her heart was pounding wildly, and she could only say in a muffled voice, âYouâre simply bullying us!â
Old Madam Fu glanced at the video from the corner of her eye. Then she suddenly slapped her.
Ma Yincui was caught off guard and almost fell.
âThis slap is for Huai Sheng. Youâre not worthy of being a parent by torturing a child like this.â
ââ¦â Ma Yincui glared at her fiercely.
âSo what if I bully you today?!â
âYouâ¦â Ma Yincuiâs face was swollen from the slaps, and her mouth hurt. She couldnât even speak properly, so she could only say ruthlessly, âJust you wait. â
Old Madam Fu sneered. Before she could speak, she heard the door of the Pear Garden being kicked open.
âWhat happened?â The manager was shocked, thinking that someone had barged in.
Walking past the small courtyard at the entrance and passing through the pear wood screen, Fu Chen appeared in front of everyone.
Fu Chen had gone to the company today and was dressed very formally.
He was wearing a black suit with his jacket unbuttoned, and the white shirt underneath was spotless. His expression was cold.
Other than the senior fans who often came here to watch opera, many of them were seeing Fu Chen for the first time. His well-ironed suit pants were like knives, complementing his valiant bearing and making his expression look even more cold and severe.
Not far away, the reporters were even more stunned. The female host called Ding Jingyi had just seen Jing Hanchuan yesterday and had been extremely shocked. And now, she was looking at Fu Chen.
His temperament was soft and gentle, but his eyes were sharp and exuded an evil aura. She was even more astonished.
âWho is thisâ¦â She poked her colleague beside her. âIs he the boss behind the Pear Garden?â
The sharp-eyed cameraman saw the prayer bead bracelet hanging on his wrist, and his heart raced. âHe isnât the owner of the Pear Garden. He isâ¦â
âThird Master, youâre here.â The Pear Garden manager hurriedly greeted him. He had finally waited for him.
Old Madam Fu sat down on her chair. âThird Son, if you had come any later, someone would have slapped my face. I was really scared to death.
âThese people are really impressive. They rushed over and wanted to fight me.
âThey even called me a damn old woman. I canât live like this anymore.â
âReally? Who?â Fu Chen smiled.
Ma Yincui was dumbfounded..?Itâs obviously me who was beaten up. How can you have the cheek to complain and even say that you were scared to death?