It was evident that, even though Wen Han didn’t spend all his ti with Wen Shaoyuan, his care and concern for him hadn’t diminished at all. Su Mu hesitated for a few seconds regarding this request. If she accepted the job, it ant she wouldn’t be able to get ho until about 10 p.m. every night. She hesitated when she thought of Fu Shinian, but considering recent events and her own health condition, she felt it might actually be a good thing, and so nodded in agreent:
"No problem, I can."
"Then that settles it for ."
"Does this an I got the job?"
"Yes, from now on, you are Shaoyuan’s ho tutor. As for the salary, it will be calculated at $500 per hour, payable weekly or monthly. I hope he can grow happily under your guidance."
Su Mu was taken aback:
"Isn’t the salary a bit too high?"
Wen Han smiled slightly, "Shaoyuan is worth the price."
——
When Qiao Yu returned to the old mansion, they had all finished eating, and only the leftovers remained. Fortunately, Auntie Wang, feeling sorry for him, took out the dumplings she had planned to freeze for Ji Nanfeng to bring to him and boiled them so that Qiao Yu’s grudge against Fu Shinian could finally settle down.
Su Shiyue was chatting with Qin Nianwan, Ji Nanfeng was coaxing the old lady, and Fu Shinian found a mont to join the happily feasting Qiao Yu:
"Is it good?"
Qiao Yu covertly rolled his eyes at him, pretending not to understand the underlying aning of his question, and nodded, "Delicious."
"If it’s good, eat more. If it’s not enough, I’ll have Auntie Wang make more for you."
"Alright."
The two n who had grown up together could often understand each other’s intentions with just a glance. Fu Shinian’s inquiry about the al’s taste was just a pretext for asking about Su Mu, but he wouldn’t say it outright, waiting for Qiao Yu to bring it up. If Qiao Yu was not mistaken, and if he did ntion it first, given Fu Shinian’s proud and petulant disposition, he would surely retort, ’Why are you telling this? I don’t care.’
Qiao Yu thought to himself: I won’t say it, I’ll just let you stew!
Fu Shinian stood silently to the side for a while, watching as Qiao Yu’s plate gradually emptied, and as he got up from the dining table and walked towards Ji Nanfeng and the others. Shinian didn’t say a word. It turned out that Qiao Yu had underestimated his own patience and, unable to hold back, he turned back and approached Fu Shinian again:
"Isn’t it uncomfortable, holding it in?"
Fu Shinian was fiddling with a lighter in his hand and laughed lightly:
"It seems that between the two of us, you are the one who is more bothered."
Qiao Yu: "..."
Based on that comnt, Qiao Yu made up his mind. As for the matter of where Su Mu had gone, he wouldn’t be the one to tell Fu Shinian, not even if Shinian begged him!
Half an hour later, Su Shiyue and Qin Nianwan went out shopping, and the old lady had gone back to her room for her noon rest. Fu Shinian leisurely started heading upstairs, but Ji Nanfeng, who lacked the patience to stay put, followed him:
"What are your plans for the afternoon?"
Fu Shinian replied indifferently, "Sleeping."
Although he hadn’t drunk much the night before, it was a fact that he hadn’t slept at all. He needed to catch up on his sleep.
"You have the energy or not? To squander such good ti by sleeping, which is utterly aningless."
"Then what’s a aningful thing to do? Join you in picking up girls?"
"Have you figured it out?"
Fu Shinian snorted lightly, "The door is behind you, don’t let it hit you on the way out."
Ji Nanfeng was about to persuade him further when Qiao Yu, who was sitting in the side hall drinking tea, suddenly slapped his thigh in a mont of realization and exclaid:
"I rember now!"
Both n turned to look at him with a gaze that one might use on a fool.
Ji Nanfeng: "What did you think of?"
"Su Mu’s lunch companion today, the one I saw and found familiar. I just couldn’t place it earlier, but now I rember."
Ji Nanfeng’s interest was piqued:
"Soone we know? Who?"
"Wen Han!"
Hearing this na, Ji Nanfeng instinctively looked at Fu Shinian and teased:
"Since when did Su Mu’s social circle get so impressive?"
ntioning Wen Han made Ji Nanfeng imdiately think of the Wen Family’s only son, without considering other people with the sa na. After all, the Wen Han who Qiao Yu and he would both know was likely to be just one person.
But Ji Nanfeng spent most of his ti in the military. When did he have any connection with Su Mu? Ji Nanfeng found this quite intriguing, so he quickly descended the stairs to sit beside Qiao Yu, full of curiosity:
"You an Wen Han is the one who had lunch with Su Mu?"
"Definitely Wen Han. Although I haven’t seen him many tis, I couldn’t have mistaken him."
"What did the two of them say?"
Just as Qiao Yu was about to speak, he lifted his eyes and saw Fu Shinian standing on the stairs, watching him. He couldn’t help but laugh:
"Aren’t you not interested in Su Mu? Why are you so curious now?"
Fu Shinian’s hands were in his pockets, and his whole deanor was languid and distinguished:
"Which eye of yours saw being curious?"
Qiao Yu: "Both eyes!"
Fu Shinian chuckled lightly, "Nanfeng, want to make a bet?"
Ji Nanfeng was always one to gamble. Hearing Fu Shinian say this, although he knew it wouldn’t be a big wager, it still piqued his interest:
"How should we bet?"
"I bet Qiao Yu doesn’t have a clue about what Su Mu and Wen Han talked about."
At these words, Ji Nanfeng turned to look at Qiao Yu and scrutinized him for a few seconds before feeling that this bet wasn’t interesting, "No bet, I also think he doesn’t know."
Qiao Yu: "..."
——
After finishing her al with Wen Han, Su Mu declined his offer to drive her back and took a taxi directly to a care ho.
Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival; she had planned to visit her mother in the afternoon but didn’t expect her eting with Wen Han to happen so much earlier.
Her mother was still asleep in the hospital room. After the surgery, her mother’s hair had grown a bit, but she looked thinner than before. Two years ago, when her father committed suicide by jumping from a building, her mother couldn’t accept it, leading to a stroke that left her paralyzed. From that mont, Su Mu had never heard another word from her mother.
Su Mu never really understood why her mother, who had been divorced from her father for many years, reacted so strongly upon hearing of his death. However, after she got married, she gradually understood that liking soone is irrelevant to distance, age, or reason.
Just like her feelings for Fu Shinian.
Even though her father had done sothing unforgivable to her mother, her mother had chosen divorce to prevent their love from wasting away to nothing.
She held the most beautiful part of her life at a mont she thought it should end, then spent her remaining years in vigil.
Su Mu admired her mother for being able to let go as easily as she could hold on.
But she couldn’t do the sa.
It was already 4 o’clock in the afternoon when Su Mu left the care ho. She had promised her grandmother she would return for the family reunion dinner, so she had to go to the old house, despite her unwillingness.
No one had told her whether Qin Nianwan was still at the old house, or if Fu Shinian had left with her. Su Mu wouldn’t call to ask, so she had no choice but to go back.
However, she didn’t expect, upon stopping the taxi at the old house gate, to see Su Shiyue’s car slowly co to a halt. Su Mu saw Su Shiyue behind the wheel and Qin Nianwan in the passenger seat.
As she had thought, she hadn’t left yet.
Su Shiyue rolled down the window, showing her disdain for Su Mu openly on her face:
"Why did you co back? Don’t you feel superfluous?"
Su Mu wasn’t angry, calmly eting her gaze:
"The superfluous see everyone as superfluous. On the Fu family’s household registration book, I’m rightfully there."
With those words, even Qin Nianwan’s complexion soured. She never expected Su Mu to bring this matter up directly in front of her, especially since she had once used deplorable thods to snatch Fu Shinian away from her.
But now, looking at Su Mu, where was there even a hint of guilt? Instead, Su Mu flaunted her triumph proudly.
Su Shiyue couldn’t stand Su Mu’s facade, and with Qin Nianwan by her side, she beca even less willing to let her dear sister Nianwan be slighted:
"Su Mu, don’t be too proud just yet. You’re indeed my brother’s wife now, but can you guarantee it will be for life? If my brother sees your true face, maybe he will dump you imdiately!"
At these words, Su Mu seed to hear a funny joke. Her gaze swept lightly over Su Shiyue and finally lingered on Qin Nianwan’s face:
"My true face is crystal clear to Fu Shinian, but so people’s true faces may not be so clear to him."
Qin Nianwan was startled. However, she maintained composure outwardly, wondering what Su Mu ant by those words. Was it implying that she was hiding sothing from Fu Shinian? But how did Su Mu know?
Just as Qin Nianwan was about to speak, Su Mu turned her attention back to Su Shiyue, giving Qin Nianwan no chance to interject:
"Su Shiyue, you’re already 20 years old, an adult. So in the future, act more maturely and understand the world better. Don’t let others think you are still a child who can’t grow up. In this world, there is no such thing as forever. What do I need such an illusory notion for? Just having been Mrs. Fu is enough for . Aren’t so people just reminiscing about their ti as Fu Shinian’s forr lover, trying to stir up old emotions? However, if I do part with your brother as you wish, I believe being an ex-wife will be much more useful than an ex-girlfriend."
With that, Su Mu walked away without a care for how fud Su Shiyue had beco or what Qin Nianwan’s expression turned into.
Qin Nianwan watched Su Mu’s retreating figure without a word. She had only seen her twice: once in a restaurant and just thought her beautiful, and the second ti was today, when she saw her enter the living room with Fu Shinian, appearing ek enough to be bullied. Who could have imagined she would hide her claws so well, deceiving everyone.
Su Shiyue was on the brink of exploding at the driver’s seat:
"Sister Nianwan, did you see that? She’s such a duplicitous person, playing the pitiful card in front of grandma and my brother but is a wolf in sheep’s clothing behind their backs! I cannot let her off the hook like this!"
With that, she ignited the engine, stomping on the brakes fiercely. Qin Nianwan was startled and yelled:
"Shiyue, what are you doing?!"
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