Chapter 91: Chapter 91

At the Fu Mansion, the over-fifty-year-old butler hurried into the main hall, without stopping his steps, he turned to the dining room and almost collided with a servant walking out.

Barely avoiding the collision, the butler wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking anxious as he approached Mr. Fu and whispered something in his ear.

The others at the table noticed the elder’s face darken and immediately sensed something significant was amiss.

"Go invite them in," Mr. Fu instructed in a low voice.

"Yes." The instructed butler quickly turned around, and upon leaving the main hall, he bent his elbow and started jogging.

Fu Jichen finished his call with Shen Jianian, put his phone back in his pocket, and returned to the dining room, sensing something was off. After sitting down, he asked Fu Feibai beside him, "What was discussed while I was away?"

Fu Feibai covered his mouth with one hand and said mysteriously, "The butler conveyed a message to Grandpa, and after hearing it, his face changed. We feel something big has happened, and no one dares to speak."

The television in the main hall was on, and the sound of a skit from the Spring Festival Gala, accompanied by the laughter of the audience, only highlighted the deathly silence in the dining room.

Fu Jichen picked up a pack of cigarettes from the table, tapped one out, and twirled the tobacco between his fingers without lighting it, when footsteps approached.

He turned slightly, looked toward the main hall, and saw the sweaty butler enter first, followed by several policemen.

Mr. Fu stood up and moved to the main hall with a straight back like a pine, his steps steady, and his face solemn, fully displaying the demeanor of the head of the family.

The three policemen respectfully nodded upon seeing the elder, and the leader politely explained their visit: "Sir, we apologize for disturbing you on New Year’s Eve. We’ve received a report, and Mr. Fu, the third, is suspected in an assault case. We need him to come with us to the station for investigation."

The people in the dining room, after hearing the policemen’s words, all turned to look at Fu Huaxian. Some secretly thrilled, some couldn’t hide their concern, and some merely looked on coldly.

Fu Jichen sat quietly without showing any emotion, the cigarette between his fingers never lit, tossed onto the table, while he played with the sleeping white jade lion.

Another policeman supplemented, "Rest assured, Sir, we’re just following procedure to ask some questions. If it is confirmed that he is not involved, we will clear his name."

Fu Huaxian looked as if he had been struck by lightning, with a pale face, sitting stunned in his chair, listening to Mr. Fu negotiate with the police.

Mr. Fu asked a few questions about the case to gather information for a quick response strategy.

Having seen many storms, Mr. Fu was clear-minded; the police would surely have some evidence to come to their door, they wouldn’t arrest people without cause.

The police, after a brief pause, respectfully answered Mr. Fu’s questions: "Technically, the investigation is ongoing, so we can’t disclose all details. But we trust you, Sir, so we’ll be candid. The deceased is an eighteen-year-old girl, surname Dong, a freshman at Beicheng Film Academy. She jumped to her death at the Mandiri Hotel at 8:05 tonight. She left a suicide note in the hotel room, accusing Mr. Fu, the third, of assault and abuse."

What the police said was partly revealed in the news, known public facts, so it wasn’t a breach of protocol.

Mr. Fu listened, his expression heavy, his eyes sharp and clear, unlike those of other elderly people.

He looked at the motionless Fu Huaxian with a scrutinizing gaze, never expecting the most honest and introverted family member to be involved in such a lawsuit.

Mr. Fu shouted angrily, snapping Fu Huaxian back to reality, as he stood up with a wooden face and went to the main hall.

"Explain clearly to the police, what on earth is going on." Mr. Fu was visibly angry, and the butler feared for his health, stepping forward to support his arm, only to be dismissed with a wave, his sharp gaze directed at Fu Huaxian, "Do you know that girl surnamed Dong? Tell the truth!"

The remaining people in the dining room couldn’t sit still and moved to the main hall to listen.

Only Fu Jichen remained calmly seated.

Fu Feibai moved his chair aside, paused seeing that he had no intention of going, "Brother, aren’t you going to check? It seems very serious."

"There are police handling the case, and Grandpa is overseeing it. What noise do I have to make?"

Fu Jichen poured himself a cup of tea at his leisure; the tea at Rose Manor was good, and the tea at the Fu Family’s old house was even better.

His tea-drinking habit was subtly influenced by Mr. Fu from a young age.

Many people crowded into the main hall; Mr. Fu, the third, stayed silent for a long time, and the anger in Mr. Fu’s chest intensified: "I’m asking you a question!"

Fu Huaxian swallowed hard, his lips trembling, as he said, "I, I’ve met her a few times."

Hearing this, Mr. Fu felt a strong premonition of bad news.

This third son of his was married early on, and within a year, divorced, never remarried since, and had no children, remaining inconspicuous among his siblings.

"You’ve met only a few times, and she committed suicide for you?" Mr. Fu sternly questioned.

In the dining room, Fu Jichen gently sipped the tea, lifting the cup under the light to see. The thin porcelain cup revealed the color of the green tea like the mountains after rain. Beautiful it was, but very hot to hold.

He set down the cup and went to the main hall.

Fu Feibai saw his figure, a bit puzzled. He said he wasn’t coming to join the fun, so why did he?

However, Fu Jichen merely passed through the main hall without even a glance this way, went up the stairs, returned to his room, and closed the door.

Amidst the chaos downstairs, he only wanted peace.

Fu Jichen took a shower in the bathroom. It wasn’t too late when he checked the time, so he called Shen Jianian. She had said she was going to sleep earlier; who knows if that was true or not.

Today is New Year’s Eve; does she not plan to stay up for the year change?

The phone rang for quite a while before it was answered, and on the other end came the girl’s somewhat drowsy voice, "Hello?"

"Really asleep?" Fu Jichen was slightly surprised.

"Mm..." Shen Jianian hummed through her nose with heavy sleepiness, seemingly about to fall asleep again the next second.

Though he disturbed her, Fu Jichen felt no guilt at all, instead teasing her, "Shen Jianian, I’m sending you a New Year’s red envelope. Do you want it?"

Shen Jianian, not fully awake, only caught the gist of what he said: "I don’t want it. Don’t touch me."

She was groggy, forgetting she was on a call, mistaking it for one of those nights when Fu Jichen, half-dressed, lay beside her, asking if she wanted more as her consciousness faded.

Fu Jichen held the phone, his body tensed for a moment, and then he laughed lowly, "Shen Jianian, and you said you didn’t miss me."

Shen Jianian responded with another "Mm" and suddenly realized something was wrong. She opened her eyes wide and, realizing she was on a call, remembered what she had just said, becoming fully awake.

She didn’t speak, and Fu Jichen couldn’t see her situation, asking softly, "Fallen asleep?" If he’d known, he would have video called her so he could at least see her.

Shen Jianian decided to stay silent, making him think she was asleep, so he would hang up himself, allowing her to avoid the embarrassment.

But Fu Jichen showed no intention of hanging up, letting the call duration keep increasing.

Shen Jianian was momentarily caught in a struggle; if she hung up now, Fu Jichen would surely know she wasn’t asleep. If she left it, who knows how long it’d go on.

If he didn’t hang up until dawn...

The thought of that possibility made Shen Jianian’s scalp tingle.

Just when she was stuck in a dilemma, Fu Jichen suddenly spoke. His voice, magnetic with a laugh, was alluring in the night, "Shen Jianian, you’re pretending to sleep. I can hear your breathing."

The breathing of someone asleep is different from when they’re awake.

She definitely didn’t know that the breathing he heard through the receiver was fast and uneven, like a rabbit trapped and confused.

Only then did Shen Jianian realize the phone was too close to her face, the rise and fall of her breath completely heard by the other side.

She felt like she was being made a fool of.

"Not joking with you, seriously," Fu Jichen’s voice suddenly became gentle, filled with intimacy, "Sending you a New Year’s red envelope. It’s in the pocket of your white down jacket. Go find it yourself."

Shen Jianian forgot the earlier awkwardness, got off the bed with a face of surprise, and followed his hint to the closet in the dressing room.

Inside was a row of winter clothing. She found the white down jacket, reached into the pocket, and felt something indeed there.

Shen Jianian took it out, using the overhead light strip in the dressing room to see the thickness of the red envelope, snugly filling the pocket, barely able to hold another bill.

The call hadn’t ended, Fu Jichen’s clear voice came through, "Found it?"

Shen Jianian stood barefoot on the plush carpet, looking at the thick red envelope in her hand, her eyes slightly warm, lips pursed, saying nothing for a long time.

"I might be a bit busy coming up, will contact you in a few days," Fu Jichen said as if instructing a child, "Use the money to buy some candy; if it’s not enough, there’s more."

Shen Jianian licked her lips, leaning against the cabinet door, wanting to say something, but ultimately only responding with a low "Mm."

She was afraid she’d sound like she was about to cry, which would be both unreasonable and weak.

Fu Jichen wished her a happy new year, then urged her to go to sleep.

At that moment, someone knocked on his room door.

Fu Jichen put down his phone and went to open it. Fu Feibai was standing outside, acting as a messenger relaying Mr. Fu’s message, "Grandpa wants you to come down and help handle Third Uncle’s matter."

Fu Feibai looked at his older brother sympathetically. Sometimes being too capable isn’t a good thing; you have to shoulder all kinds of burdens, big and small.

Things , you don’t need to think to know how tricky they are to handle.