Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
After Fu Chen and Song Fengwan left the Jing residence and watched a movie, they received a call from Old Madam Fu and went home for dinner.
It was the weekend, and Yu Manxi had the weekend off, so she cooked dinner.
When Song Fengwan arrived at the old residence, Fu Sinian was playing Go with Old Master Fu, Old Madam Fu was stroking the cat happily, and Yu Manxi was busy in the kitchen.
âWanwan, youâre here. Come and sit.â Old Madam Fu had been addicted to petting the cat recently. Ever since this cat came to the old residence, it had never been on the ground. It was very precious.
Song Fengwan smiled and passed the snacks she had brought over before glancing at the kitchen.
Although she and Yu Manxi werenât sisters-in-law, they were both daughters-in-law of the Fu family. Since she was helping in the kitchen, it wasnât good for her to just sit around.
âIâll go to the kitchen to take a look and help!â
âWanwan!â Fu Chen hurriedly stopped her. Even Fu Sinianâs fingers trembled, and the white Go piece in his hand fell onto the board, almost ruining the game.
âWhat are you two doing? Wanwan is going to the kitchen to help. Is there a need for such a big reaction?â Old Madam Fu stroked the catâs fur.
âThird Son, are you reluctant to let Wanwan cook?â
âNo.â Fu Chen coughed twice. âShe⦠doesnât know how to cook.â
How could he have the nerve to say directly that his wifeâs hands were dreadfully clumsy? The food she had cooked at Yu Manxiâs place was still fresh in his mind.
âIâm just going to take a look and help. I wonât do anything.â Song Fengwan also knew Fu Chenâs concerns and went straight to the kitchen.
âWanwan, why are you here?â Yu Manxi couldnât help feeling alarmed when she saw her enter. Last time, she had fried something until it was stuck to the bottom of her pot. She had had to scrub it for a long time.
âIâm here to help.â
âHelp me wash the vegetables.â Yu Manxi didnât dare to let her help with things that required using a knife or a pot.
âOkay.â Song Fengwan just wanted to find something to do for herself.
âThereâs an apron over there. Donât get your clothes dirty.â
âOkay.â Song Fengwan put on an apron and sized up Yu Manxi while washing the vegetables.
Ever since she got married, she had always dressed very elegantly. When people had a happy event, they looked much better than before.
âBig Sister Yuâ¦â Song Fengwan had met the He family before. They had come to Yu Manxiâs condo to ask her to go home, but they had put on airs. When Yu Manxi had been kidnapped, rumors had spread everywhere, but the He family hadnât stepped forward to say a word. They had only gone to the hospital later as an afterthought.
It didnât matter if she returned to such a family.
She couldnât understand why Yu Manxi agreed to acknowledge her relatives.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âAre you going back to the He family?â
âWhat?â Yu Manxi was stunned and laughed involuntarily. âWho did you hear that from?â
âDidnât you say it yourself?â Song Fengwan was surprised.?Why does she look like she doesnât know?
âMe?â Yu Manxi had been busy with work at the station recently. It was almost December, and the station was holding the annual gala. They wanted her to present a program, and she was worried about this.
The renovations of their home were even more cumbersome, and she still had to supervise the work.
At first, she had handed over the renovations to Fu Sinian. But a certain straight manâs aesthetics were really hard to compliment, so she could only do it herself.
How could she have the time to care about the He familyâs matters?
âReally?â Song Fengwan looked at her seriously. âBut the He family has already sent out invitations and said that theyâre holding a filiation banquet to bring you back.â
Yu Manxi exclaimed in surprise, âWhat?!â
âThird Brother and I were at the Jing residence in the afternoon. They sent the invitation over, and we saw it. If you didnât approve of it, how would they dare to do this?â
Yu Manxi couldnât help laughing. She recalled the phone call yesterday. âMy father did look for me. I agreed to have a meal with him, but⦠I wanted to make things clear, not acknowledge family.â
If not for the crazy fan incident, she would have already cut ties with the He family long ago.
âIn that case, does the He family think that you agreed to have a meal because you want to go back?â Song Fengwan didnât know what to say.?Doesnât this family feel too good about themselves?
âProbably. I plan to cut ties with them completely. There are some things that canât be explained over the phone, soâ¦â Yu Manxi hadnât expected the He family to think in that direction.
âI think many people in the capital have already received the news. Itâs only a matter of time before the invitation is sent here. The He family has made this matter so big. It seems like theyâve put in a lot of effort.â
Song Fengwan shrugged. âHave you really decided to cut ties with the He family completely, or are you still hesitatingâ¦
âIt would have been fine if you two just met in private. But now that the matter has blown up, if you cut ties, thereâs no turning back. The He familyâ¦â
They would probably become the laughing stock of the entire capital.
âWhatâs there to hesitate about? Iâve already thought it through. He misunderstood himself and made such a big commotion. Heâs probably putting pressure on me in disguise.â
After all, the arrow was already on the bowstring. Everyone thought that Yu Manxi would acknowledge her roots and return to her family. Falling out with oneâs entire family in public, anyone would have to consider this matter carefully.
âThereâs this feeling.â Song Fengwan nodded. They had already brought Yu Manxi onto the stage, which meant there was a hint of moral kidnapping.
In the eyes of others, they were still a family. If Yu Manxi was too extreme, people would probably criticize her for being too ruthless in the future.
âThen, what do you plan to do now?â Song Fengwan didnât expect Yu Manxi not to know about this at all.
âI canât take their face into consideration and wrong myself.â Yu Manxi lowered her head to cut the vegetables without a hint of hesitation. âTheyâre not worth it.â
Song Fengwan knew what she was thinking and nodded.
Sometimes, indecisiveness led to trouble. The He family wasnât easy to deal with either. They were clingy and unclear, and they would cause endless trouble.
In that case, they could just wait for this familyâs face to swell completely.
Sure enough, when they were eating at the old Fu residence, Uncle Zhong received a call from the security guards at the entrance of the compound. They said that the He family were specially delivering an invitation card. Perhaps they were afraid that the Fu family wouldnât accept it, so they deliberately chose to deliver it during dinner.
âOld Master?â Uncle Zhong pointed at the door. âMr. He is outside.â
âLeave it to the security guards at the entrance. Whoever goes out later can just take it.â Old Master Fu lowered his head and ate without being affected at all.
Wouldnât letting him in at this time affect his appetite?
Furthermoreâ¦
My granddaughter-in-lawâs craftsmanship is really good. No wonder this brat Sinian doesnât want to come home ever since he got into a relationship.
âWhat invitation card did the He family send? Which of the two daughters of the He family is getting engaged?â On Old Madam Fuâs right was her daughter-in-law, and on her left was her granddaughter-in-law, so she was happy all this while.
âNo, itâs about meâ¦â Yu Manxi explained slightly.
âItâs fine as long as you have your own ideas and plans. We wonât get involved.â Although logically speaking, the two families were in-laws, they werenât familiar with each other to begin with, so it wasnât good for them to participate too much in this matter.
âOkay.â Yu Manxi nodded.
âIâve asked Sinian to accompany you that day. If youâre afraid, I can go with you,â Old Master Fu said bluntly.
âThank you, Grandpa.â
After Yu Manxi moved into the old Fu residence, she was still very reserved and nervous at first. After all, it wasnât her home. She usually didnât even dare to act cute with Fu Sinian, afraid that the two elders of the Fu family would think that she was finicky.
Unexpectedly, the two elders were very open-minded. They even went out for a walk at night and specially stayed outside for a while, giving them some alone time.
Their interactions now were naturally much more casual.
***
Song Fengwan and Fu Chen had dinner. Although Old Madam Fu asked her to stay, the two of them still returned to Yishui Community.
In Fu Chenâs words, âItâs not convenient to stay here.â
Then he took a deep look at Fu Sinian.
In the warm car, Song Fengwan leaned against Fu Chenâs shoulder and was browsing the news. There was already a lot of news about Yu Manxiâs imminent return to her family, and she suddenly saw a Weibo post by Duan Linbai.
[The result of being tricked by my biological father and good friends.]
In the photo, Duan Linbai was standing in the middle of a stretch of broken tiles. Even though the cold wind was biting, he was still posing, and he had put together a picture on the floor. Even though he was wearing a thick down jacket, he was still handsome. The over-the-top comments below were even more indescribable.
[Heart Critical Hit. I can lick Big Brother Duanâs face for the rest of my life.]
[Whatâs the point of living without sleeping with Duan Linbai? Big Brother Duan, I want to have your children.]
[Iâm crazy for him, crazy for him, and banging my head against a wall for him.]
â¦
Song Fengwan happily scrolled through the comments and clicked on Duan Linbaiâs international fan group chat. She usually ignored the group chat, so there were a lot of messagesâ¦
Everyone was discussing who this good friend was, and they had basically locked onto Fu Chen.
[Third Master and Big Brother Duan have a love-hate relationship and grew up together. Is there anything more loving than this?]
[When will Big Brother Duan be able to counterattack? He canât be suppressed forever.]
[I support the counterattack. Hahahaâ¦]
Song Fengwan was cramping up with laughter.?What are these people thinking?
Fu Chen originally had his arms around her and was looking out of the window, so he didnât notice what news she was browsing. At this moment, he narrowed his eyes when he saw that the chat group had the words [Duan Linbaiâs International Fan Group 8].
âSong Fengwan.â
Song Fengwan was really happy reading the comments. Hearing his voice, she raised her slightly to look up at him. The bright light from the street lights kept sliding past outside the car window. In her eyes, it was colorful. âWhatâs wrong?â
âAre you a fan of Linbai?â
âThisâ¦â Song Fengwan had joined this group chat out of curiosity.
Moreover, the verification message was very strangeâuse one word to describe Duan Linbai in your eyes.
Song Fengwan replied with âunrestrainedâ and actually passed.
The management of this group was most likely his anti-fans. She could even pass with this word.
âYouâre infatuated with his looks behind my back? Am I not good-looking?â Fu Chenâs voice was hoarse and extremely displeased.
âNo.â Song Fengwan felt very guilty.
Under a certain someoneâs murderous gaze, she was about to cry.
When they were almost at Yishui Community, Song Fengwan received an unknown call. Because it was in the capital, she thought it was from a schoolmate. There were often people she didnât know who called her to ask for her help with something or other.
âHello.â
âSong Fengwan?â
Song Fengwan recognized the voice.
âMiss He?â?Why is this woman looking for me?
âItâs me. Our family is hosting a banquet in a few days, and I want to invite you to come. Iâm at the entrance of your school. Is it convenient for you to come?â He Shiqing was here to send an invitation card and also to figure out Song Fengwan and Jing Hanchuanâs true relationship.
âSorry, itâs not convenient for me to go out. Please put the invitation card at the security post at the entrance. Iâll get it later.â
âIs it too cold? I can send it to your dormitory.â
âYou should leave it at the security post. Iâm outside with a friend. I still have something to do, so Iâll hang up first.â Song Fengwan hurriedly hung up.
She wondered why He Shiqing insisted on seeing her, but she didnât consider it further.
He Shiqing was furious now. She was sure that Song Fengwan was definitely not in her dormitory. It was winter, and she was still not going back so late? She was outside with a friend. She was probably her boyfriend.
The He familyâs filiation banquet was in full swing. The best hotel, the largest venue, and the hottest publicity, everyone could tell how much the He family valued Yu Manxiâ¦
But what awaited the He family might not be a resplendent event but a bottomless abyss.