Chapter 165: Chapter 165

At eleven-thirty at night, Xu Youxuan returned to the Xu Family villa with her bag.

She had dinner with her boyfriend at a private restaurant, shopped at a nearby mall briefly, and then watched a movie. Her boyfriend had just arrived in Beicheng and hadn’t had the chance to buy a car yet, so he called a taxi, worried about her safety. He first took her home before instructing the driver to take him to the hotel he was staying at.

Xu Youxuan used her key to unlock the door, entering quietly, afraid of disturbing her family who might be asleep.

She didn’t expect, however, that as soon as she walked past the partition wall of the hallway, her mother would be sitting in the living room, looking like she was waiting for someone. On the coffee table in front of her was a pot of brewed tea and a plate of handmade snacks, as if to pass the time.

"Mom, why are you still awake so late?" Xu Youxuan walked over in her slippers, speaking softly with an elegant demeanor, "Were you waiting for me?"

She felt a bit guilty inside, and also slightly anxious.

Mrs. Xu looked up and could tell she had dressed up carefully. She was wearing a light beige suit, her long hair flowing smoothly down her back, with a small diamond clip shaped like a seashell affixed, her dark eyebrows gently arched, her lips a delicate shade, exuding a softly beautiful and elegant aura.

Mrs. Xu silently observed her for a moment, then lifted her chin, indicating the sofa beside her for her to sit down.

Xu Youxuan sat on a single sofa, placing her chain bag on her closed knees, quietly waiting for her mother to speak next.

"Coming home so late, were you out on a date?" Mrs. Xu poured her a cup of red date longan tea, asking softly without any hint of blame.

Aside from her sister, only her mother in the family knew about her having a boyfriend. Her mother had mentioned she would find time to talk to her father about it, but her father seemed to be busy lately and couldn’t tend to other matters.

Xu Youxuan picked up the teacup and took a sip, the sweet flavor spreading in her mouth, very comforting. She didn’t deny it with a lie, just softly acknowledged, "He just sent me back. It was too late today, I’ll introduce him to you next time when there’s a chance."

Hearing this sigh, Xu Youxuan’s heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at her mother.

"I was waiting here for you to say that I haven’t had a chance to explain your relationship to your father." Mrs. Xu spoke helplessly, "He went to the Fu Family’s old house today, met with Master Fu, and confirmed your engagement date with Fu Jichen, which is on the 28th of this month. Your father went on behalf of your grandfather, it was your grandfather’s idea."

Xu Youxuan’s hand trembled, spilling some tea on the back of her hand.

The teapot had been kept warm on the heater, the water very hot, but she felt nothing.

Her face visibly turned pale, and Xu Youxuan numbly whispered, "How could this happen...what about Fu Jichen, did he agree?"

Mrs. Xu spoke the truth, "The old gentleman of the Fu Family will tell him."

Xu Youxuan shook her head, tears unexpectedly welling up, "Is Dad home? I want to see him, I want to ask him how he can finalize the engagement without asking for my opinion, how can he!"

As she spoke, she couldn’t control her emotions, hysterically questioning.

Mrs. Xu quickly stood up, walked around the coffee table, came to her daughter’s side, and hugged her shoulders lovingly: "Don’t shout, your grandfather has trouble sleeping, if you wake him up, he’ll be furious. Your father had too much to drink at a business dinner and went to sleep as soon as he got home."

Xu Youxuan held her mother’s hand, pleadingly looking at her: "Mom, help me, I don’t want to be engaged to Fu Jichen, help me speak to Dad and Grandpa, okay?"

Even with the old lady at home, Mrs. Xu didn’t have much say even regarding her own daughter’s marriage.

Xu Youxuan was aware of this, but she was panicking and couldn’t think of a better way than to seek help from her mother.

"It’s late, you should go to sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow." Mrs. Xu wiped the dampness from the corner of her eyes as she spoke and lightly patted her daughter’s back, consoling her, "Your father will be home resting tomorrow, we can discuss it with him properly then."

Mrs. Xu spoke soothingly for quite a while before sending her back to her room upstairs.

Xu Youxuan lay on her bed without changing clothes, her mind a mess all night thinking about the engagement, barely closing her eyes until the first light of dawn appeared.

The pillow was marked with mottled wet stains from her unconscious tears.

At a little past seven in the morning, Xu Youxuan calculated her father’s wake-up time, took a shower in the bathroom, changed into clean clothes, and went downstairs to the living room.

The maid was in the kitchen making breakfast, the television broadcasting the morning news, and Xu Qinian had just gotten up not long ago, wearing a black and white striped polo shirt and dark gray casual pants, his eyes fixed on the TV.

Noticing the footsteps behind him, Xu Qinian turned around and looked, his expression gentle: "Up so early?"

"Yes." Xu Youxuan’s eyes were a bit puffy, after a moment of inner struggle, she walked up to her father, "Dad, I have something to discuss with you."

Xu Qinian picked up a glass of water from the coffee table and took a sip, then turned down the TV volume with the remote a few notches. He was very satisfied with this exceptionally talented daughter since childhood: "What do you need to tell Dad?"

"You’ve been very busy recently, and there’s something I haven’t told you in time." Xu Youxuan took a deep breath, feeling a bit anxious as she expected her father’s reaction even before speaking, but she wanted to give it a try for herself, "I have a stable relationship, and if nothing unexpected happens, I’m considering getting married by the end of the year. So, can you cancel the arranged marriage with the Fu Family?"

Xu Qinian paused his action of drinking water, fixing his gaze on her face, as if not believing that what she said came from her gentle and obedient daughter.

After a while, he somberly asked, "You’re saying you have a boyfriend?"

Mrs. Xu, who hadn’t slept well the previous night, only just then came out of the bedroom. She had just stepped into the living room when she heard her husband questioning severely. When she saw the father and daughter confronting each other, she became fully alert.

She walked over quickly, pulling her daughter’s hand: "Did you tell your father?"

Xu Qinian looked at his wife incredulously: "You knew about this?"

Mrs. Xu’s expression stiffened slightly, "I knew a few days ago, I was going to tell you, but you’ve had social engagements these days, and I didn’t find the chance."

Xu Qinian’s previously kind fatherly demeanor disappeared. He exuded authority without anger, showing disdain to learn about his daughter’s boyfriend’s name, residence, or occupation. He directly declared, "I don’t care how far you’ve gotten, break up immediately. On the 28th, I want to see you at Mandiri Hotel, getting engaged to the eldest grandson of the Fu Family!"

With that, he placed the glass heavily on the coffee table.

Xu Youxuan’s face turned ashen, her heart sinking heavily.

The meaning in her father’s words was very clear; there was no room for negotiation in this matter.

Xu Youxuan returned to her room upstairs alone without having breakfast.

She knew tears wouldn’t solve the problem, so after grieving in silence for a while, she pulled herself together and started calling her friends in her circle, trying to get Fu Jichen’s personal contact information from them.

Judging from the photos circulating online, Fu Jichen’s affection for Shen Jianian didn’t seem fake, she couldn’t believe Fu Jichen would comply.

After several twists and turns, she finally got Fu Jichen’s phone number.

Without much hesitation, Xu Youxuan dialed the number.

However, the mechanical female voice from the receiver informed her that the number she dialed was turned off.

Shen Jianian also hadn’t slept all night. After leaving the airport, she returned to her villa at Yunding Palace around three o’clock in the morning. She sat in a daze for a long time before continuing to pack the things she hadn’t finished packing earlier.

There were only a few items that truly belonged to her. Everything she laid eyes on was given to her by Fu Jichen.

Even her beloved cello was bought back from Yin Shuyao by Fu Jichen, and later when she tried to repay him, he didn’t accept the money.

And the cello by Yan Qiusheng, bought back at a high price from the auction, was something she couldn’t take away either.

In the end, Shen Jianian only packed a travel bag with a few changes of clothes. Sitting on the carpet, her fingers caressed the white jade piece on her wrist, as if she could still feel Fu Jichen’s warmth lingering on it.

The morning light spilled into the room, Shen Jianian leaned weakly against the wardrobe, her thoughts drifting.

The door to the room wasn’t fully closed, Cheng Jin came up to call Shen Jianian for breakfast, knocking on the door first. Shen Jianian, in the walk-in closet, didn’t hear him, so Cheng Jin walked in.

"Jianian, are you going on a trip?"

Standing at the doorway of the walk-in closet, Cheng Jin noticed the travel bag near Shen Jianian’s feet, asking in confusion.

Shen Jianian’s face briefly revealed unease, which she quickly concealed. She used the excuse she had given Fu Jichen before: "No, I’m just packing away some clothes I don’t wear."

Cheng Jin didn’t doubt her. With the temperature growing warmer each day, winter clothes indeed could no longer be worn. She smiled and said, "Breakfast is ready."

"I’ll come down to eat in a bit." Shen Jianian smiled faintly, pulling at the corners of her lips.