Chapter 212: Chapter 212

Shen Jianian left the hospital, didn’t rush home, and went to a frequently visited bookstore to select a few books, which she took to the cashier to pay.

On the nearby white iron rack were various types of magazines and the day’s newspapers. She casually picked up a newspaper to pay with the books.

Shen Jianian tucked the receipt into the paper bag, carrying it to the neighboring drink shop to buy a beverage, and headed to the bus station.

Sitting in front of the station, she flipped through the newspaper while sipping her drink.

The headline on the entertainment page was quite eye-catching, written in bold black letters, "Good News for Junshan Group’s Leader and Xu Family’s Young Lady, A Strong Alliance, A Century Wedding is About to Unfold."

The accompanying pictures were the backs of the two involved individuals, set in the banquet hall of a certain grand hotel. The man was tall and upright, wearing luxurious suits, and the woman was slim and elegant in a beautiful gown, very well-matched.

Shen Jianian glanced over the text content briefly, didn’t pay much attention, and flipped to another page.

The bus slowly approached, Shen Jianian looked up, it was the one she was waiting for, so she folded the newspaper, and put it into the paper bag.

The bus came to a stop, the front and rear doors opened, and passengers disembarked one after another. Shen Jianian boarded from the front, swiped her card, walked towards the back, and found an empty seat to sit down.

A Mercedes-Benz followed behind the bus, from inside came the voice of a man reporting business affairs.

After Song Fang finished talking business, he paused for a few seconds and brought up the news in the newspaper: "Mr. Chen, you attended Mr. Xu’s birthday banquet last night, and were photographed standing with Xu Family’s second young lady, rumors online say your marriage is imminent."

Song Fang was somewhat aware of the arranged marriage between the Fu Family and the Xu Family.

Back then, the engagement with Fu Jichen was set with Xu Family’s eldest daughter, Xu Youxuan, engagement invitations were even sent out, but then Fu Jichen’s father suddenly died in a car accident, leading to a year of mourning and the engagement came to nothing.

During this period, Xu Youxuan’s relationship with her boyfriend progressed. It was heard that her boyfriend, Chu Siyuan, went to Xu Family during the National Day holiday with his parents to propose marriage. Chu Siyuan’s family background did not compare to Xu Family’s, but in their locality, they were regarded as a literary family, as both parents were teachers. Xu Family, being a prestigious family in Beicheng, naturally would not simply dismiss them.

The parents of both sides sat down to discuss the children’s marriage.

Xu Youxuan and her boyfriend’s matter was settled openly, and not long after, she became pregnant.

The Xu Family elders had no choice but to relent and agreed to the marriage, and now Xu Youxuan even had her child.

This June, the arranged marriage between the Fu and Xu Families was back on the agenda, but the bride-to-be changed to Xu Family’s second young lady, Xu Jingyi. She just graduated from college this year.

Compared to the eldest who’s gentle and well-mannered, the second young lady was clearly not yet mature. Thɪs chapter is updated by N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

Mr. Fu valued Xu Family, the second young lady’s youth and ignorance didn’t matter, as long as she was a legitimate daughter of the Xu Family.

After Song Fang finished that sentence, he heard no response from Fu Jichen for a long time, so he added: "I asked someone to speak to the editor-in-chief of that newspaper, he discreetly revealed that this report was directed by Mr. Fu."

Mr. Fu’s intent was not hard to guess, the old man wanted to release the news first, to pressure Fu Jichen, forcing him to agree.

Upon hearing this, Fu Jichen’s expression remained unchanged.

Even without Song Fang saying it, he had a clear idea in his mind.

Last night, after attending Mr. Xu’s birthday banquet, he was called to the old residence by Mr. Fu. In the study, the grandfather and grandson talked for about half an hour, Mr. Fu spoke frankly, telling him that if he agreed to marry the Xu Family’s young lady, all his shares would be transferred to him, and from then on, he wouldn’t interfere with anything related to Junshan, allowing him to freely pursue his own interests.

For a man greedy for power, this was probably an irresistible temptation.

Fu Jichen didn’t agree on the spot, yet today this news came out, how could he not suspect it was Mr. Fu’s doing? Any newspaper would be daring to casually report on the marriage alliance of the Fu and Xu Families.

"Should the PR department handle it?" Song Fang hesitantly asked.

If Junshan’s PR department intervened in news crafted at Mr. Fu’s behest, it would mean opposing Mr. Fu, simply put, it’s like "the flood washed away the temple of the Dragon King."

Fu Jichen caressed the object in his palm: "No need for now."

On the way to the airport, Song Fang checked online discussions about the matter on his phone, unsurprisingly it had hit the trending topics on Weibo, even mentioning Shen Jianian’s name.

"Isn’t the leader of Junshan Fu Jichen? How come I remember seeing somewhere that he and Shen Jianian were a couple?"

"You’re not mistaken! I’ve also seen that news, regret not saving it and then I couldn’t find it again."

"The image of the big boss lowering himself to wash Shen Jianian’s feet is still vivid in my memory, still touches me!"

"This circle is so chaotic! Pei Che and Shen Jianian, Shen Jianian and Fu Jichen, Fu Jichen and Xu Family’s young lady, are they playing some kind of partner swapping game?"

"Simply put, they still emphasize matching families of equal status, Pei Che and Shen Jianian broke up because Shen Family collapsed. Fu Jichen and Shen Jianian didn’t last, probably for this reason. It seems this Xu Family is quite powerful, can anyone provide some insight?"

"Shen Jianian seems to have disappeared, I originally thought as Yan Qiusheng’s only closed-door disciple, she would rise to fame in the music world after that stunning performance, who knew she’d suddenly vanish."

"I heard Yan Qiusheng is holding a personal concert in mid-month, his first public performance in years, it has already stirred up most of the music scene. I wonder if Shen Jianian will appear as a special guest, looking forward to it."

Song Fang closed Weibo, glanced at the rearview mirror, only seeing Fu Jichen’s slightly closed eyes.

It’s the third year since Shen Jianian’s death, and Fu Jichen hasn’t moved on, he still refuses to believe that she is dead, otherwise, why would he pray to the gods and worship Buddha.

Fu Jichen returned to Beicheng at two in the afternoon.

Qu Mo came to the airport early to pick him up, asking if he wanted to go to the company or home next.

After saying "Tanfu Temple," Fu Jichen closed his eyes.

Qu Mo instinctively took out his phone to check the date; it was already August, and the boss hadn’t been to Tanfu Temple this month.

He didn’t say anything else, dropped Song Fang off at the road to Junshan Headquarters, then drove to Tanfu Temple.

Today Beicheng was overcast, with no wind, and the air stifling. Standing outside felt like being sealed in a jar.

On the path leading to Tanfu Temple at the foot of the mountain, Fu Jichen had walked back and forth many times over the past three years, always by himself. As he stepped on the stone stairs, scenes of walking there with Shen Jianian floated in his mind.

The little monks in the temple were all familiar with Fu Jichen; each time he came, he d a large sum of incense money and was called a great philanthropist dedicated to Buddhism by the little monks.

Seeing the great philanthropist come again, they were not surprised at all.

"Mr. Fu, the abbot is not here today." The fortune-telling monk folded his hands, preemptively informing Fu Jichen before he asked.

On the way up the mountain, Fu Jichen had taken off his suit and untied his tie. Wearing only a shirt and trousers, he looked tall, slim, and relaxed, with his sleeves casually rolled up, adding a touch of nonchalance. In a peaceful voice, he said, "I’m not here to see him today."

The little monk watched as he entered the Great Hall.

Fu Jichen stood before the solemnly dignified statue, reverently lit three sticks of incense, and after coming out, d another sum of incense money as usual. As he was about to leave, the little monk called out to him.

"The abbot guessed that you would come today and left a note for you." The little monk rubbed his bald head, showing an embarrassed expression, "I just forgot."

After speaking, he handed a light yellow square-folded paper note to Fu Jichen.

Fu Jichen took it but did not open it immediately, walking all the way down the mountain, with a gentle breeze coming by, as if the sealed jar-like weather had opened a gap.

Qu Mo saw him, got out of the car to open the door, the air conditioning was on, and the cool air escaped.

Fu Jichen sat in the car, glanced at the note clutched in his hand, slowly unfolding it, the black calligraphy jumping out, with only four simple words: Await good tidings.

In Jiang City, at around six in the evening, Pei Che returned to the villa in Jade Heaven, where Shen Jianian was helping Zhou Ruo with cooking in the kitchen.

She wasn’t adept at cooking, responsible for mixing cold dishes, occasionally sneaking a bite.

Pei Che stood by the door watching, a smile on his lips, not interrupting them. Zhou Ruo, holding a spatula, turned around and saw him, initially stunned, then smiled, "When did you come back? I didn’t hear the door."

"Just arrived," Pei Che said, "maybe you were busy cooking and didn’t notice."

Shen Jianian brought over a plate of cold fungus, using chopsticks to feed Pei Che, "Try what I made."

Pei Che’s brows were full of sweetness, opening his mouth to eat, the fungus was crunchy, paired with a refreshing cold dressing, it tasted quite good. He nodded, giving affirmation, "Chef level."

Shen Jianian knew he wasn’t exaggerating; she had tasted it herself and found it very delicious.

"I’ll make some tomato egg soup next!"

With confidence, Shen Jianian went to the counter and proposed to Zhou Ruo that she’d handle the soup.

Pei Che went to the living room to drink water, where a newspaper was laid out on the coffee table.

The family didn’t have a habit of subscribing to newspapers, curious, he picked it up to browse, and news about the alliance between the Fu and Xu Families caught his eye, making him pause.

Pei Che looked toward the kitchen, asking casually, "Who bought the newspaper?"

Shen Jianian’s voice came, "I bought books at a bookstore and casually took a copy. Why?"

Pei Che feigned indifference, responding briefly, picking up his phone and walking to the window, finding discussions online mentioned Shen Jianian.

The internet remembers.

Before, it was seen as a mere remark, but now he realized it was quite true.

He didn’t want Little Nian’s past to be dug up, including the entanglement with Fu Jichen, so he had spent a fortune back then to erase all entries linked to her name, attempting to cover up that period.

Entries can be deleted, but it doesn’t mean those events never happened.

Pei Che stared out the window, pondered for a moment, found a number in his contacts, and dialed it.

Soon, online comments about Shen Jianian disappeared without a trace.