Fu Jichen also put down his chopsticks and turned to look at Mr. Fu, first asking him, "Grandpa, where did you hear about this from?"
Mr. Fu gave a cold snort, glaring as he blew his whiskers, "We have a Bai Xiaosheng in the house, what could possibly escape my ears?"
Fu Jichen chuckled cooperatively, this "Bai Xiaosheng" naturally referred to Fu Jianfang. She was always the first to report any stir to the old man, especially matters related to the main branch.
Now that Fu Jichen was in control of the powers at Jun Mountain, it was an unshakable fact. All Fu Jianfang could do was to gather so trivialities to cause him trouble.
"Don’t evade the issue, tell the truth, has sothing happened to Fu Yuling?" Mr. Fu was anxious, not in the mood to eat.
Fu Jichen advised him, "How about you eat first, and then I’ll explain everything to you thoroughly." He feared that if he spoke first, the old man wouldn’t be able to eat another bite.
"Dawdling is not your style."
Fu Jichen asked, "What is my style then?"
The old man glared at him, saying nothing.
Seeing that there was no more ti to delay, Fu Jichen cleared his throat, retracted his smile, and spoke the truth: "Just as you heard, she indeed got into trouble and was taken in."
There is no wall in the world that does not let the wind through; the matter had already happened, and no matter how it was hidden, people would know.
Fu Jichen was not worried about anything else, only worried that the old man’s body wouldn’t be able to withstand it. The old man had already fallen ill several tis from the end of last year to the beginning of this spring; his body couldn’t endure more turmoil.
The old man’s gaze was fixated on Fu Jichen. After a while, his mouth quivered as he asked, "What, what did she do?"
Before Fu Jichen could answer, the old man spoke first: "No matter what she did, she still bears the Fu Family na; we cannot disgrace the Fu Family’s reputation. Think of a way, grandpa knows you have a way, first get her out, then send her abroad with so people to keep a strict watch; just don’t let her co back again."
In the eyes of outsiders, Fu Yuling was the eldest daughter of the Fu Family.
He couldn’t let the Fu Family be shad in his old age.
Fu Jichen took a sip of tea, his expression calm, and said, "Grandson fears he cannot abide by your wishes this ti. Fu Yuling’s cri is not a trivial matter; no matter how capable I am, I live on this land and must act according to its laws. When I was young, you taught to not act recklessly due to my status, to stand and sit properly, with a clear conscience. You repeatedly warned that the Fu Family’s current status is prominent, attracting attention from many who await its downfall. Only caution can ensure safety over a long period. I’ve kept these words in mind, never daring to forget them for a mont."
Mr. Fu squinted his eyes, rendered speechless by this grandson who sat upright before him.
Fu Jichen simply laid it all bare, letting the old man know the gravity of the situation: "Fu Yuling committed murder."
Mr. Fu’s hand trembled on the edge of the table, the hand full of veins and liver spots, resembling a piece of withered bark: "...Who?"
"Shen Jianian."
Jianian didn’t die because she was lucky, favored by the heavens, and protected by Pei Che, not because of rcy from Fu Yuling. That woman had no heart.
Apart from Shen Jianian, the taxi driver, the stranger female passenger—they were all living people, all so innocent.
The investigation results were still unclear; who knew how many more grievous cris Fu Yuling might have committed.
"The police have already taken over the case for investigation, I have no right to interfere, nor have I ever intended to interfere," Fu Jichen’s voice was deep and resonant, "Grandpa needs to think clearly, is it the reputation of the Fu Family you want to protect, or the future of the Fu Family."
Since deciding to hand over that cleaner to the police, there had been no thought of keeping things hushed.
The old man slumped against the back of the chair, and at this mont he had to admit that his obstinacy at the ti was a grave mistake. Stopping Fu Zhengjun and Xiao Heting’s union was the first misstep.
One wrong step led to another, and now there was no turning back.
Fu Zhengjun was no more, Wei Ronghua had little ti left, and the adopted Fu Yuling had caused such a catastrophe. The old man dared not think, if the matter spread widely, what the consequences would be.
Everyone would know the Beicheng Fu Family produced a murderer, they would gossip about the Fu Family’s education and cultivation, perhaps even drag in the past scandal of Fu Huaxian’s licentiousness leading to death.
The old man couldn’t help but wonder, what if he had agreed to Fu Zhengjun and Xiao Heting’s marriage back then...
Xiao Heting might not have died, he might have beco a loving couple with Fu Zhengjun, they might have safely given birth to Fu Jichen, perhaps even had other children. Fu Zhengjun wouldn’t have stord out one day in anger, t with an accident, and died.
The whole family living harmoniously together.
The old man lowered his head, having spent a lifeti scheming and controlling everything, never could he have anticipated experiencing such regret today.
His cloudy eyes grew moist, and after a deep sigh, he asked the grandson who had been silent for so long: "Did you ever hate grandpa in the past?"
He should hate him.
His early-ended son Fu Zhengjun should have hated this father too.
Fu Jichen’s fingers turned the teacup on the table, not looking at Mr. Fu, his thin lips lifting ever so slightly—not even enough to call it a smile: "Never."
To ease the old man’s heart, Fu Jichen continued, "I am very grateful for grandpa raising ."
Everything he said was sincere.
If Mr. Fu hadn’t brought him back to the Fu Family back then, he wouldn’t be in this world anymore. After finding out about his parents’ situation, he resented Mr. Fu for breaking up the pair, but never hated him.
Mr. Fu was different from Wei Ronghua; Wei Ronghua was a butcher.
*
Fu Jichen did not stay overnight at the old house. After a heart-to-heart talk with Mr. Fu, he returned ho.
Feeling vexed on the way, he smoked two cigarettes. As he opened the door, the ugly cat that disliked him had recently begun to depend on him, rubbing against his pant leg as soon as he entered the door.
Before long, there were a few white cat hairs on the black trousers.
Having a cleanliness obsession, Fu Jichen rely frowned and made a gesture to shoo it away. The next mont, he realized sothing was off; he had turned off the living room lights before leaving, but now they were on.
Fu Jichen strode toward the bedroom, calling as he walked, "Shen Jianian?"
As his words fell, he pushed open the bedroom door. Soone lay sleeping on the bed, wearing soft pajamas, sprawled out in a star shape on the blanket, a side of the face pressed against the pillow.
Fu Jichen’s shout did not wake her up.
He took a quilt from the cabinet and placed it over Shen Jianian to prevent her from catching a cold, then grabbed a pajama and went to the outside bathroom to shower.
Shen Jianian originally intended to rest on the bed for a bit before getting up to apply a facial mask but fell asleep without realizing it. Her neck felt stiff from sleeping, and as she turned over, she gradually woke up to find a quilt covering her.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up just as Fu Jichen walked in.
Their eyes t.
Fu Jichen sat on the edge of the bed, tidying her sleep-tousled long hair: "Why didn’t you tell you were coming back?"
"The training isn’t closed off. We can arrive and leave on ti. So people prefer the convenience of staying at a hotel near the base, but since there’s a driver to pick up and drop off, I decided to co ho."
Shen Jianian, not having slept well, couldn’t sit steadily, her head tilting into his arms.
Looking down at the person bumping her forehead against his chest, Fu Jichen felt a softness in his heart, gently stroking her back with his broad hand, "You said you weren’t tired, but you’re this sleepy."
Shen Jianian said, "Maybe it’s just that I haven’t exercised in a long ti. I’ll gradually adjust."
Fu Jichen held her soft body, savoring the tranquility.
"Have you been busy till now before coming back?" Shen Jianian asked softly.
"Finished the company’s business then went to the old house," Fu Jichen replied, lying down, nestled between the two quilts like the filling of an Oreo, his arm still draped around her, "I almost decided to stay over there. It’s a good thing I ca back, otherwise, you’d be alone at ho."
"What about being alone at ho?"
"Not scared?"
"I have Jixiang with ." Shen Jianian mumbled, about to drift off again, suddenly rembering sothing she hadn’t asked, "What’s the status on that cleaner’s investigation?"
She still couldn’t understand why that person would want to harm her, with no grievances between them.
"It was Fu Yuling," Fu Jichen confessed to her.
Instantly, Shen Jianian was wide awake, propping herself on her elbow to sit up and face Fu Jichen, "Fu Yuling? Your sister? How could she..."
"She isn’t my real sister," Fu Jichen corrected.
"Right, you told before." Shen Jianian recalled how on New Year’s Eve, Fu Jichen had clearly explained his background, and she rembered that sister was adopted from an orphanage by Mr. Fu to form a pair of siblings. Yet Shen Jianian still didn’t understand, "I’ve never t her, why would she target ?"
Fu Jichen rubbed his forehead, experiencing a rare mont of difficulty in speaking; such situations were unfamiliar to him.
If possible, he truly did not want to ntion Fu Yuling.
"She has a different kind of emotion towards ," Fu Jichen chose a gentle way to express it.
Shen Jianian paused, understanding, realizing that Fu Yuling had feelings for her brother with no blood relation, making her a rival in Fu Yuling’s eyes.
Even if this explanation made sense, Fu Yuling’s actions were terrifying. Just because she and Fu Jichen were together, Fu Yuling hired soone to drug her? How could soone have such extre thoughts? If she hadn’t been rescued in ti, what would have awaited her?
It really was terrifying.
Looking into her eyes, Fu Jichen found it equally challenging to talk about the truth behind her car accident.
Shen Jianian pressed on, "So what about Fu Yuling now?"
"She’s being detained and questioned. Once the evidence is sufficient and the investigation concludes, she should be sentenced," Fu Jichen replied.
Shen Jianian was speechless for a mont.
Whether or not there’s a blood relation, Fu Yuling was, at least nominally, Fu Jichen’s sister. This incident disgraced the Fu Family, and surely the family put pressure on Fu Jichen to quiet this matter?
Right, he ntioned going back to the old house today, was it for this issue?
"Jianian." Fu Jichen softly called her back to the present mont, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he prepared to voice so truths, "Your car accident in Jiang City back then, Fu Yuling was involved."
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