Chapter 183: Chapter 183

The Fu Family’s old house was filled with jubilation.

Though it was just an engagement, for such a prestigious family, it was more grand than a formal wedding banquet of ordinary folks.

Invitations were scattered on the wooden table in the living room, with some having been sent out a few days ago. The remaining ones were for local guests in Beicheng, and could be delivered at any time.

Fu Feibai, who was rarely seen, was summoned back by the old master, and even Fu Yunhan, who had previously committed a grave mistake and sent to the military for reflection, had returned.

The Fu Family hadn’t held a joyful event in years, so the atmosphere was naturally unprecedentedly lively.

Fu Jianfang held a peeled orange in her hand, casually flipping through the engraved gold invitations on the table, and nitpicked, "The old man’s taste is so tacky. Must it be so gaudy?"

No one dared to respond to her remark.

Fu Yuling glanced at her while holding a cat, unable to hold back a moment of unhappiness that had accumulated over several days, about to retort her aunt with a few words when her elbow was suddenly pulled by someone. She turned back to see Fu Feibai holding an invitation, asking in a low voice, "Is Big Brother getting engaged to the Xu Family’s daughter?"

Upon hearing that Big Brother was getting engaged, Fu Feibai’s film crew had just wrapped up, and he canceled the subsequent filming to rush back from out of town, arriving in Beicheng this evening.

Subconsciously, he had always thought Big Brother was getting engaged to Shen Jianian, but he realized when he saw the invitation that the woman’s name was written as "Xu Youxuan."

Seeing this bright red invitation only made Fu Yuling feel irritated and annoyed. She replied irritably, "It’s clearly written above. Didn’t you see it?"

"Then Shen Jianian..." Fu Feibai hesitated to speak.

Fu Yuling sneered coldly, thinking to herself that there’s long been no such person as Shen Jianian in this world, and whether or not her remains were found was uncertain.

"You’ll have to ask Big Brother." She said.

Just as she finished speaking, the door was pushed open from the outside, and Fu Jichen’s tall figure came into view. Fu Yuling instantly forgot all her displeasure, tossed the cat aside, and ran forward to greet him, "Big Brother, you’re back."

Last night, when Mom returned from Yunding Palace, she told her that Big Brother had become a lot more haggard, and now she saw it was indeed the case.

Upon learning that Brother would visit tonight, Mom had already started preparing nourishing soup with the chef at noon, specifically instructing not to make it too greasy, a privilege only Big Brother enjoyed.

"Fu Da is here. Aunt must first congratulate you." Fu Jianfang leaned against the wooden table, a smile spreading across her lips, "Previously, seeing you bring that girl from the Shen Family home and introduce her to the family, I thought it was serious. Men, though they talk about love, are ultimately drawn to family status. The Xu Family has produced talented people for generations. I heard Miss Xu’s uncle is even up for promotion this year. You’ll have support from your niece’s future husband in the future!"

Fu Jichen showed no sign of emotion and replied, "When the time comes, Aunt won’t miss out on any benefits."

"You’re always so flattering with your words. Where am I going to benefit from you?" Fu Jianfang said with a laugh, then shifted the topic, "Have you settled that Miss Shen? Make sure nothing unpleasant is talked about later, or if it ends up like the last time and makes the news, the situation will be different."

"No need for Aunt to worry."

Fu Jichen didn’t show a trace of anger from start to finish, casually leaving a sentence and going upstairs to the study to find the old man.

Fu Jianfang put a slice of orange in her mouth, secretly rolling her eyes, thinking to herself what a romantic he was pretending to be. He was probably gloating inside already.

The old man called Fu Jichen back for nothing else but to discuss the engagement.

Fu Jichen’s attitude had shifted from resistance, accepting everything the old man said, never contradicting a word.

This acquiescent demeanor instead made the old man skeptical, as he slowly sipped his tea, earnestly asking him, "You have no opinions?"

"Everything is according to Grandpa’s arrangements." Fu Jichen sat expressionlessly, with his hand resting on the armrest, appearing indifferent to everything, "In any case, no matter what this grandson says, Grandpa will ultimately have his own plans. It’s better to save the effort to spare you any upset, avoiding others blaming me."

These words were spoken, leaving the old man speechless, simultaneously fearful that his grandson might indeed hold a grudge against him.

Fu Jichen toyed with the toggle that hung from his wrist, his fingertips caressing the smooth jade, his thoughts as calm as water.

Showing some vulnerability, the old man sighed lightly, speaking frankly, "Someday you’ll understand Grandpa’s intentions. Everything Grandpa does, it’s all to pave the way for you."

"Grandpa seems to have never considered whether I want to walk the path you’ve paved." Fu Jichen raised his eyes, directly gazing at him, "Has my father understood your intentions with the path you laid for him back then?"

The old man’s expression faltered, gradually revealing a deep meaning in his eyes. Why suddenly bring up his father? Could it be he knows something... Impossible.

The old master immediately dismissed the answer in his mind.

"I heard it was you who brought my father and mother together," Fu Jichen said casually.

The old master’s doubts were completely dispelled. After pondering for a while, he smiled faintly and said, "Aren’t they doing well now? And they have the three of you kids."

Fu Jichen didn’t delve deeper into the topic with him, drank a cup of tea, and left the study.

At the corner on the second floor, he encountered Fu Feibai, who was leaning against the wall playing on his phone. Standing over 185 centimeters tall, he had a lean physique typical of men who look good on camera, yet didn’t appear frail, with firm muscle lines on his bare arms, wearing a loose trendy T-shirt and black cargo pants, with one hand tucked into his pocket.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Fu Feibai put his phone into his pocket, straightened his posture, and asked, "Brother, are you really going to get engaged to Miss Xu?"

Having witnessed firsthand how his brother cherished and cared for Shen Jianian, he couldn’t believe his brother could let her go.

Fu Jichen obviously didn’t want to discuss this, gently patted his shoulder, and said, "Since you’re back, take a few days’ rest. Other matters are not for you to worry about."

Fu Feibai didn’t steer away from the topic as his brother intended and persisted, "I am concerned about you. If you get engaged, what about Miss Shen?"

After a while, Fu Jichen said nothing.

"Why are you two brothers hiding here having a chat?" Wei Ronghua’s voice came from below the stairs, slightly relieved as she spoke.

Having heard that Jichen had gone to the study on the third floor after returning, and worried he might have quarreled with the old master over the engagement, she came up specially to check and unexpectedly found the two brothers talking there.

Fu Jichen glanced over, looking down at her. The grip on the handle tightened, his knuckles formed a sharp arc.

He didn’t look at Fu Feibai, but spoke to him, "Go downstairs first. I have something to say... to mother."

When Fu Jichen uttered the word "mother," he couldn’t hide his sarcasm. A crack appeared in his calm façade, with a hint of coldness seeping through.

Wei Ronghua was slightly taken aback by his words, but she didn’t think much, waiting for Fu Feibai to go downstairs. She walked up a few steps, with a gentle smile on her face, "What do you want to say to mom?"

This wasn’t the place to talk; Fu Jichen walked straight through the corridor on the second floor towards the west terrace.

In May, nightfall didn’t come as early as in winter, and one could still catch a glimpse of the sunset’s afterglow. Several flower racks were arranged on the spacious terrace, with some potted plants placed on them, while a sunshade was set up on the other side, with a set of table and chairs beneath it.

Fu Jichen stood in front of the railing, leaning on it, back to Wei Ronghua, speaking bluntly, "Aren’t you curious why I went to Jiang City after returning to the country? You seemed to have not asked me yesterday when visiting the villa at Yunding Palace."

Wei Ronghua’s heart skipped a beat; her palms instantly broke out in cold sweat.

Fu Jichen turned around, capturing her sudden tense expression in his eyes, inwardly amused. His "mother" was ruthless but had an ordinary level of courage.

"I... I don’t understand what you’re talking about," Wei Ronghua straightened her expression, attempting to change the subject, "Dinner is almost ready. Let’s go call your grandfather for dinner, and we can talk about it at the table."

"Talk about what at the table?" Fu Jichen sneered, his voice low and light, "Shen Jianian died in a car accident in Jiang City, with no remains. Do you really not know?"

Everyone mentioned Shen Jianian in front of him, except for her. If there wasn’t something on her mind, what else could it be?

Wei Ronghua’s face turned slightly pale. Seeing the coldness in Fu Jichen’s eyes, she couldn’t help but feel sad. He went out of his way to confront her for a woman, but did he ever consider how she would feel?

Yes, she did threaten Shen Jianian, asking her to leave Beicheng, but the car accident was her bad luck; she couldn’t blame it on her!

"Why are you not speaking?" Fu Jichen walked closer to her, each step seemed to tread on her heart, making her scalp tingle. His words grew increasingly direct, "Was it you behind this?"

"I didn’t!" Wei Ronghua shook her head, her eyes turning red instantly, grabbing his arms, confessing to him sincerely, "I did talk to Shen Jianian, saying you were going to be engaged to the Xu Family’s daughter, and asked her to leave you. She agreed. I had no reason to trouble her further. The car accident was an accident, it wasn’t my doing. How can you... how can you doubt your own mother?"

What was even more unbearable than being given the cold shoulder by her son was his doubt.

Before she could finish speaking, Wei Ronghua was already in tears.

She was the mother who carried him for ten months, almost losing her life to give birth to him. How could he think she was a murderer, practically breaking her heart?