Chapter 231: Chapter 231

Pei Che was caught off guard, kicked to the ground, a sharp pain hit one side of his abdomen, and his shoulder blade collided with the tiled floor, causing the same pain. Before he could react, his shirt collar was yanked up, and he received a heavy punch to the face, instantly tasting blood in his mouth.

Several store employees backed away repeatedly, covering their mouths in shock, completely at a loss.

Qu Mo and Zheng Yi, who came with Fu Jichen, were seeing their boss resort to violence for the first time, and were equally stunned.

The first to come back to her senses was Shen Jianian, who inconveniently wore a cumbersome wedding dress paired with seven-centimeter stiletto heels, making movement difficult. She lifted her skirt with one hand and rushed over to grab the man’s wrist: "What are you doing? Let him go! Why can’t you speak properly, do you have to resort to violence?!"

Shen Jianian only saw blood at the corner of Pei Che’s mouth and didn’t notice who was hitting him, thinking solely about where this madman came from who started hitting people at once, utterly unreasonable.

Upon hearing the deeply familiar voice, Fu Jichen paused, calming down completely, and released his grip on Pei Che’s collar.

Pei Che staggered backward a few steps as if drained of energy, using the back of his hand to wipe the bloodstains from his lip, remaining silent from start to finish. He hadn’t expected Fu Jichen to find him here.

Despair surged over him like a tidal wave, overwhelming the physical pain.

Shen Jianian, fearing the man might strike again, shielded Pei Che, adopting a defensive stance, glaring angrily at the man opposite her upon recognizing his face.

It was the same face she had seen in the interview video two days ago, the ruler of Jun Mountain, Fu Jichen.

"Fu Jichen?" Shen Jianian instinctively muttered his name, baffled at the thought of any grievances between Fu Jichen and Pei Che. Content originally comes from novelFɪre.net

Fu Jichen’s eyelashes quivered, his deep gaze locking onto her face, scanning it inch by inch. A once unfamiliar face bore only two or three faint remnants from the past, yet her eyes remained unchanged.

When Fu Jichen first met Shen Jianian, she gazed at him with those cool, stubborn, and unyielding eyes.

Fu Jichen lingered on her face for a long time, the red at the corner of his eyes gradually spreading. So what if it was an unfamiliar face, she was undoubtedly Shen Jianian; he wouldn’t mistake her.

"You’re marrying Pei Che?" Fu Jichen heard his own restrained and calm voice say.

In reality, the bones in his hands were clenched tight, swallowing all the bitterness in his throat, barely maintaining a surface calm.

Shen Jianian’s loosely gathered hair had already fallen into disarray amid the chaos, soft strands hanging beside her ears, cheeks, and neck. She looked at the man in confusion, finding his actions inexplicable. Entering and punching people, then asking such bizarre questions—did he really have some screws loose?

She had seen his interview; his speech coherent and concise, not like someone with issues.

"What does it have to do with you?" Shen Jianian’s first impression of him was bad, naturally leading to a harsh tone.

She turned to look at Pei Che, who appeared in a terrible state, clutching one side of his abdomen, his face pale, forehead covered in cold sweat, and blood re-emerging from his lip even after being wiped clean.

The store employees were still in shock, one of them offering Pei Che some tissues, to which he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Shen Jianian anxiously supported Pei Che’s arm, unable to conceal her panic in her voice: "Ah Che, are you alright? We’re going to the hospital right now."

Fu Jichen witnessed the glaring scene, his heart momentarily numbed by the pain. She was wearing a pure wedding dress, intending to marry another man, looking at him only with unfamiliarity, as if she didn’t recognize him.

Was she angry with him? Deliberately ignoring him?

Fu Jichen didn’t know what he had done wrong.

Even if he were to be sentenced to death, shouldn’t she at least tell him what crime he had committed? He couldn’t accept being cut out of her world without a reason.

Fu Jichen took a step forward, disregarded Pei Che, and grasped Shen Jianian’s wrist, in pursuit of an answer: "Why? Tell me, why are you with him?"

Pei Che coughed and, enduring the pain, said: "Fu Jichen, let her go."

"Sir, please calm down." The older store employee, just regaining composure from the shock, fearful of another conflict, stepped up to manage the situation, "After all, we’re in a semi-public area, if there’s an issue, we can sit down and resolve it peacefully."

The store employee, accustomed to serving wealthy and distinguished guests, naturally saw the extraordinary status of the man before them, speaking gently to avoid trouble.

Fu Jichen ignored it, tightening the grip, his gaze fixed on Shen Jianian’s face, repetitively asking, "Say something, why are you marrying him? The person you clearly like..." His throat bobbed, each word spoken with difficulty, "is me."

Shen Jianian furrowed her brows and twisted her wrist, attempting to break free from his grasp, but the disparity in strength was too great. The more she struggled, the tighter he held on, like a vine endowed with magical power.

At this moment, hearing his words, Shen Jianian froze and ceased her resistance, staring straight at him in confusion, "What are you talking about? When have I ever liked you?"

Shen Jianian glanced at her held wrist, unable to free herself on her own, and reminded him, "Mr. Fu, please have some respect."

The words "Mr. Fu" shattered all of Fu Jichen’s pride and self-respect. He slowly relaxed his grip, unable to utter a single word of interrogation.

Shen Jianian seized the opportunity to free her hand, shook it, and saw that her wrist was reddened. A surge of anonymous anger rose within her, yet she dared not vent it at Fu Jichen. The man didn’t seem quite normal; she didn’t want to make things more complicated and held back, then turned her head to Pei Che and said, "Wait for me a while, I’ll change out of the wedding dress and then take you to the hospital."

Pei Che was seriously injured and needed to see a doctor urgently.

Shen Jianian bent over to pick up the phone that had fallen to the ground, noting that her call with Bai Changxia had ended at some unknown point. She wasn’t in the mood to select wedding dresses now, so she put the phone back in her bag, walked behind the curtain, and without calling for an attendant, reached behind her back to undo the knot of the dress strap.

Suddenly, someone lifted the curtain and stormed in.

Shen Jianian was startled, hurriedly turning around to find Fu Jichen entering, her whole being at the brink of explosion. How could someone be so twisted!

"What are you doing?!" Shen Jianian was both ashamed and angry. Luckily she hadn’t taken off the wedding dress, or she would have been exposed. "If you’re sick, go to the hospital for treatment. I’ve already said I have nothing to do with you; can’t you understand words?"

Fu Jichen advanced step by step, his face showing both confusion and deep pain: "You harbor resentment toward me, torment me however you wish, but marrying Pei Che, I will never allow it."

"Mr. Fu, let me say it again to you, I don’t know you, and whom I want to marry doesn’t require your permission." Shen Jianian pointed outside, coldly saying, "Please leave now, or I’ll call the police."

Pei Che was blocked by Qu Mo, unable to reach Shen Jianian’s side, could only shout in that direction: "Fu Jichen, if you have any issues, come at me. Don’t trouble Little Nian."

Fu Jichen’s voice came through the curtain: "Of course, the account between you and me will be settled."

Shen Jianian took a deep breath, closed her eyes a moment, despite a severe headache, full of anger, still tried to calm herself a little to clarify things: "Mr. Fu, have you mistaken me for someone else, or is there some misunderstanding? Otherwise, I really can’t comprehend why you rushed in, hurt my boyfriend, and said these strange things. Because I’m truly not familiar with you, let alone having any enmity."

Not only unfamiliar, today was the first meeting.

Shen Jianian believed she had already explained it thoroughly; anyone not foolish would understand.

Her words were naturally heard loud and clear by those outside the curtain, and Qu Mo and Zheng Yi couldn’t help but begin to doubt if it was a real mix-up. Otherwise, why would Miss Shen speak to the boss.

Fu Jichen waited for three years, hoped for three years, searched for three years; everyone told him Shen Jianian was dead, no bones left, but he refused to believe or give up, always believed she was still alive. Now, finally seeing her, she says to him, we’re not familiar.

Is there anything more heart-wrenching?

Fu Jichen looked absent-minded, seemingly entranced, repeating her words: "Not familiar with me? You say not familiar?"

Shen Jianian met his gaze, saying with certainty: "Not familiar."

In Fu Jichen’s dark eyes surfaced self-mockery, after a while, he nodded, the corners of his lips tightened then pulled, the smile on his face was harder to look at than crying: "Turns out, what I thought was mutual love for you is unfamiliar."

Again, what mutual love, Shen Jianian now almost certainly believed he had mistaken her for someone else.

"Mr. Fu, may I ask if you can leave? I need to change." Shen Jianian said coldly, unwilling to speak further with him.

Fu Jichen pulled the curtain apart and walked out, down the stairs.

Qu Mo saw this, released Pei Che, and followed the boss’s steps down, Zheng Yi went along too.

However, they saw Fu Jichen stopping on a certain step, one hand holding the railing, his straight back slightly bent, as if unable to maintain his strength in front of others, revealing his inner vulnerability.

Even just a silhouette could make one see his immense pain.

Qu Mo and Zheng Yi did not continue forward, leaving him some space.

In the fitting room, Shen Jianian irritably tugged at the ribbon on her back, the more anxious, the more chaotic, the ribbon was pulled into a dead knot, preparing to call an attendant over for help when someone came in.

Shen Jianian looked up, and it was Fu Jichen who returned.