Chapter 125: Chapter 125

Shen Jianian, not wanting to inconvenience others, thought for a moment before politely declining Fu Yuling’s offer: "No need..."

Before Shen Jianian could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Fu Jichen. She looked towards him, and he nodded, indicating for her to follow.

Seeing that Shen Jianian was still a bit hesitant, Fu Yuling said, "Don’t be polite with me. We are about the same height, you should be able to wear my clothes."

"Alright then." Shen Jianian smiled slightly and said, "Thank you."

Fu Yuling: "It’s nothing."

She led the way with the demeanor of a host, taking Shen Jianian upstairs.

After taking a few steps, realizing the footsteps behind her weren’t quite right, Fu Yuling turned back to look. Shen Jianian was following behind her, and her brother Fu Jichen was following closely in stride with her.

Fu Yuling’s expression cracked slightly, and she couldn’t help but complain, "Brother, what are you doing? I’m not going to eat Miss Shen, you also want to follow when I take her to change clothes?"

Shen Jianian also said, "You can wait for me downstairs, I’ll be down soon."

Fu Jichen, with one hand in his pants pocket, ignored Fu Yuling and only replied to Shen Jianian, "I’ll accompany you."

Shen Jianian couldn’t change his mind, so she smiled helplessly at Fu Yuling ahead.

Fu Yuling reluctantly looked away and focused forward, her expression a bit cold.

Was Fu Jichen afraid that she would bully Shen Jianian?

Though she did indeed think about giving her a taste of her own medicine, she hadn’t forgotten the last time it rained, and she was embarrassingly blocked from entering Yunding Palace.

Outside the room, Fu Yuling grasped the doorknob and turned it open, stepping aside to invite Shen Jianian in.

Her room was very large, just the closet occupied about a hundred square meters. As she entered, the lights came on like flowing water, lighting up the entire space brightly.

"See if you like any, feel free to choose."

Fu Yuling glanced at Fu Jichen behind, though her words were directed at Shen Jianian.

Rows of clothes hung in the cabinets on either side of the corridor, sorted by season and color, creating a dizzying array like a palette. A glass cabinet at the very front held shoes and bags.

Fu Jichen scanned through the flashy fashions, which didn’t quite match Shen Jianian’s usual style. He helped her pick and choose, finally pulling out a white long-sleeved dress: "This one."

The style was relatively simple, and the color wasn’t too eye-catching, more suitable for Shen Jianian.

Fu Yuling glanced at it, almost biting her tongue; it was a limited edition piece she had asked a friend from abroad to buy from a fashion show!

It had taken almost a month to arrive via international shipping, and she hadn’t worn it once since receiving it, with the tag still on it.

But she had already said it, letting Shen Jianian choose whichever she liked, so it was impossible to go back on her word now. She gritted her teeth and generously said, "If Miss Shen likes it, you can wear it."

Shen Jianian thanked her, saying, "I’ll take it to the store for dry cleaning before returning it to you."

Fu Yuling really liked that dress, otherwise, she wouldn’t have waited a month for it, but she didn’t express any objection to Shen Jianian’s words.

Shen Jianian needed to change clothes, so the other two left the wardrobe room.

Fu Yuling’s gaze fell on Fu Jichen. This was the first time since coming of age that he had entered her boudoir. Unlike other men who might appear flippant when entering a woman’s room, he didn’t look around carelessly. He took out his phone from his pocket, looking at messages while occasionally glancing towards the wardrobe.

The temperature inside was warm and comfortable, and he took off his jacket, wearing an expensive handmade shirt. The hem was tucked into his trousers, with a black belt accentuating his narrow waist, giving his tall and strong physique a sense of security.

"I’ve transferred it to you," Fu Jichen suddenly looked up and said to her.

Fu Yuling’s gaze didn’t have time to dodge, meeting his eyes directly, leaving her stunned for a few seconds: "What, what?"

"Check your phone," Fu Jichen prompted.

Fu Yuling picked up her phone, casually placed on the table when she came in, and saw a bank transfer notification on the screen. She opened it and counted the number of zeros.

"What does this mean?" she asked.

"For the dress Jianian is wearing," Fu Jichen said lightly, putting his phone back in his pocket.

Fu Yuling furrowed her brows, looking quite unhappy: "She already said she’d return it to me after wearing it."

The money he transferred over was more than enough to buy that dress, but she really disliked how it made it feel like he and Shen Jianian were the intimate family, while she was the outsider who needed to be quantified with money.

Shen Jianian emerged from the wardrobe room, holding the changed cheongsam in her arms.

The runway piece from a top luxury brand was intricately done, mainly white with a bit of silver-grey thread mixed in that shone only under the light, with a circle of pearls and rhinestones adorning the waist. Though the style looked simple, the details exuded sophistication everywhere.

Seeing her dressed so brightly, Fu Yuling’s cheeks hurt a bit.

She originally planned to wear it at a friend’s birthday party for an understated stunning effect, and this dress was perfect for that.

Now the dress had been bought by her brother, and she didn’t have another chance to wear it.

Fu Jichen took Shen Jianian’s hand and said as they walked, "Let’s have the maid clean the stains on the qipao first, and then take it to the dry cleaner to see if it can be salvaged. If you like it, you can go back to the qipao store to customize a set; it won’t be difficult..."

His voice gradually faded, becoming inaudible. Fu Yuling, left behind, closed the room door behind her, her eyes obscure as she stared at the couple ahead.

She had only heard through rumors that her brother in Yicheng treated his girlfriend with great affection, and she had heard from Fei Bai about how gentle and caring he was towards that girl. Today, seeing it with her own eyes, she realized it was all true.

The unpleasantness before the meal didn’t carry over to the banquet.

Fu Jianfang, though strong-willed, wasn’t without perception. After the meal began, he, in front of the old man, once again on behalf of his son, expressed apologies to Shen Jianian.

Shen Jianian naturally wouldn’t make things difficult for the elder, repeatedly saying she wasn’t bothered.

That matter was thus settled.

During the meal, the atmosphere was harmonious and cheerful, lasting for over an hour.

Servants came to clear the tableware, and the others moved to the game room, naturally forming groups, some playing cards, others mahjong.

The mahjong group was one short, and Chen Jinhui called Fu Jichen over to make up the numbers: "Fu Da, play a few rounds? We brothers haven’t won any money from you in a long time."

Fu Jichen chuckled: "It’s uncertain who will win."

Chen Jinhui’s competitive spirit was piqued, and he slapped the mahjong table: "If you say that, I must make you lose completely today and have you call me grandpa."

The men spoke without reservation, and after saying this, Chen Jinhui realized he had misspoken. On the old man’s turf, claiming to be Fu Da’s grandfather was going too far.

Chen Jinhui broke out in a cold sweat, looking around to ensure the old man wasn’t present. Otherwise, he’d slap himself twice to apologize.

Zhou Zhizhen, seeing his embarrassed look, pointed at him with the hand holding his cigarette: "Your mouth has no filter, and you’ll dare say anything."

Ye Xu: "Stop talking nonsense, are you in or out?"

Fu Jichen didn’t respond to them, his gaze turning to Shen Jianian with a slight raise of his eyebrows.

Ye Xu, seeing this, couldn’t help but tease, "Really, Fu Da? You’re already whipped so soon before marriage? You need to check with your wife even to play cards, can you do it or not?"

Shen Jianian, having seen their joking around at parties before, still felt out of place, especially with the word "wife" making her ears warm.

She smiled shyly and said to Fu Jichen, "You go play cards with them, I’ll watch some TV."

Just as Fu Jichen was about to take another step, the housekeeper came to relay a message: "The old gentleman is in the study and wants the young master to go over."

The expressions of everyone present changed to varying degrees.

Zhou Zhizhen exchanged a look with someone next to him, lowered his voice, and said, "Is the old man planning to settle accounts after the autumn harvest?"

Chen Jinhui shrugged: "Who knows."

The mahjong game couldn’t be formed. Fu Jichen squeezed Shen Jianian’s shoulder, told her to sit on the sofa and eat some fruit, and said he’d be back after talking with the old man.

Shen Jianian sat down, the dress being a bit short, so she kept her knees together and her legs to one side to prevent exposure. She looked up at Fu Jichen’s retreating back as he went upstairs, intertwining her hands and tentatively guessing the reason the old man wanted to see him.

Outside the study on the third floor, Fu Jichen raised his hand to knock, heard the old man call him in, and pushed the door open, taking in the old man’s imposing face.

"The things I told you at the hospital that day, you treated them like they were nothing," the old man cast a cold glance his way, rebuking him harshly without consideration.