Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Yuncheng, Fu residence…

Not only was Fu Chen surprised by Sun Qionghua’s slap, but the Fu family’s butler and servants were also stunned. They stood at the side in shock and kept quiet out of fear.

Seeing Fu Chen enter the house, the butler said, “Madam, this…”

Sun Qionghua was so angry that her entire body was trembling. Her fingers tightened as she looked at the butler. She obviously didn’t want to hear him speak, so he could only take two steps backward awkwardly.

“Fu Yuxiu, let me tell you something. This matter is already settled. You can’t refuse.”

Fu Yuxiu’s face was burning with pain. After all, he was already in his twenties, and no man’s self-esteem would be able to take his mother slapping him in front of the servants. Anger surged in his heart.

“I’m not going, and that’s it.” He raised his voice, trying to gain the upper hand by a show of strength.

“You’ve been very obedient since you were young. Now, you’re shouting and quarreling with me because of a woman?”

“Why didn’t you discuss this with me?”

“You still have the cheek to ask me? What did you promise me previously? You said you wouldn’t contact her anymore, but didn’t you still secretly do it behind my back? Did you think I wouldn’t find out about your interactions, phone calls, and messages?” Sun Qionghua laughed grimly.

At the mention of this, Fu Yuxiu felt a little guilty. “You investigated me? Can’t you give me some respect and privacy?”

“I want to respect you as well. But you were the one who ruined my trust in you first. I just don’t understand what’s so good about her. She’s simply bewitched you.

“You don’t want to go overseas, right? You want to be with her?

“Then immediately draw up a contract for me to sever our ties as mother and son! I’ll publish it in the newspapers right away. Even if you die, I won’t care!” Sun Qionghua had been pushed past her breaking point and unleashed a big move.

Fu Yuxiu initially wanted to continue shouting. But when he heard that she wanted to sever ties with him, his face flushed red, and he abruptly swallowed the words at his lips.

Beside the purple bruises on his face, the fingerprint marks became clearer.

Sun Qionghua had always been decisive in her actions. She could really steel her heart to sever ties with him. Besides, the person in front of him was his mother after all. How could he not have feelings for her? He gritted his teeth but didn’t speak in the end. His body went limp as he fell onto the sofa.

“I’ll get someone to settle the procedures. We leave in three days.” With that, Sun Qionghua immediately turned around.

Upon seeing Fu Chen, she looked awkward and slightly embarrassed.

“Third Brother, when did you arrive?” She tidied her hair casually and smiled unnaturally.

“I just arrived. Mom knows that you’re leaving, so she asked me to come and pick up Huai Sheng. She also wanted me to see if you needed any help.”

When Fu Yuxiu saw Fu Chen, he lowered his head in shame and embarrassment.

“Huai Sheng is still with the Qiao family. You might have to make a trip yourself.” Sun Qionghua had been busy the whole night, so she looked a little tired.

“Okay.”

“You traveled here overnight, right? Have you eaten? I’ll get someone to make you something. You should rest first. I’ll go to the Qiao residence with you later.” She had to go and apologize.

“I’ve eaten. I’ll go upstairs to rest first. You go ahead with what you need to do.” Then Fu Chen went straight upstairs.

Only when his figure disappeared did Sun Qionghua pinch her throbbing temples. Although they were a family, they hadn’t interacted much. Moreover, Fu Chen had always been difficult to get close to. They were familiar with each other, but he was also like a stranger. She was embarrassed that he saw the dispute at home.

Her head hurt even more.

***

Yuncheng University…

It was already midnight when Jiang Fengya had returned to the dormitory yesterday. Her face was injured, so she had applied for a leave of absence from classes in the name of her health.

After her roommates returned from class, one of them patted her blanket and asked, “Are you still asleep?”

“No.” She hid her head under the blanket, not daring to show her face.

“If you’re not feeling well, go to the infirmary for a look. I put the notes for today’s class on your table. We’re going out to eat later. Do you want me to bring you back some food?”

“No, thank you.” Song Jingren couldn’t even take care of himself now. She still had to get a scholarship, so she couldn’t fall behind in her studies.

“I heard that Senior is going overseas. Do you know that?”

They often called Fu Yuxiu ‘Senior’ in their dormitory. She suddenly jumped out of bed. “What did you say?”

When she returned yesterday, everyone had been asleep, so no one had seen the injuries on her face. At this moment, seeing the scabs at the corners of her mouth and the red swelling on her face that had yet to subside, they were all shocked.

“Fengya, what happened to your face?”

“Who told you that Fu Yuxiu is going overseas?” Jiang Fengya jumped out of bed and tugged at the roommate talking to her.

“The whole school knows. His family came early in the morning to do the paperwork.” Fu Yuxiu was also considered a celebrity at school, so naturally, all kinds of news about him spread quickly. “His family is so rich, so it’s normal for him to go overseas. Isn’t it popular to go overseas to make yourself appear special nowadays?”

Jiang Fengya’s breathing became uneven.

Going overseas!

I can’t let him go!

She grabbed her phone and kept calling Fu Yuxiu. But the beeping tone indicated that the other party was on the phone, so she could only send him a text message.

Yuxiu, what’s going on? I heard that you’re going overseas? Is it because of me? What should I do if you leave?

After she sent the message, a WeChat notification popped up.

You are no longer friends.

Jiang Fengya was flustered beyond reason. She put on her clothes and ran out.

Before she left the campus, she was called back by the counselor.

In Yuncheng University, counselors were almost equivalent to homeroom teachers. Besides, she was waiting in her dormitory room right now, so she could only run back.

When she arrived at her dormitory room, her roommates were sitting on their own chairs in the six-person dormitory room. They didn’t speak, and the atmosphere was especially heavy. Her counselor was sitting in her seat, holding a bottle of face moisturizer.

“Senior Sister.” Jiang Fengya panted heavily, her heart pounding nervously.

“Didn’t you ask your roommate to apply for sick leave for you? If you’re sick, why aren’t you staying in the dormitory? Why are you going out?” This counselor was also a student. She was a first-year postgraduate student, so it wasn’t too much to call her Senior Sister.

“I went to the infirmary to get some medicine.”

“Have you gotten the medicine?”

“Not yet.” Jiang Fengya lowered her head.

“You applied for a grant for impoverished students previously, right?”

“Yes.” She had applied for this when she just enrolled. Her household register was still the Jiang family. According to those living conditions, she could certainly apply for it. There was five to six thousand yuan a year. To her, it wasn’t a small sum.

“Your moisturizer must be more than a thousand yuan. How can you have the cheek to apply for a low-income grant with such conditions? I think the cosmetics on your table cost at least tens of thousands.” They were all girls, so they were naturally sensitive to such things.

“Senior Sister, these are gifts from others.”

“Recently, someone has been giving me feedback. You spend money extravagantly and aren’t worthy of applying for the grant. Besides, there has been a lot of news about you recently. You don’t need it at all with your circumstances, so I gave your spot to someone else.”

Jiang Fengya was stunned.

“Moreover, some people have been reporting to the school recently that you have poor conduct.

“Even at university, where the restrictions are lax, you can’t go out and ruin our school’s reputation. If this happens again, you might not be able to stay in the school anymore.

“Focus on your studies. Don’t keep thinking about crooked methods.”

Her roommates looked at one another. Wasn’t the counselor covertly scolding her?

Jiang Fengya didn’t even know when the counselor left. She returned to her bed under her roommates’ strange gazes, her tears falling nonstop.

This was obviously a warning from the Fu family.

“Fengya, just now, Senior Sister…” A roommate who got along well with her walked over and passed her a piece of tissue.

Jiang Fengya kicked off her shoes and tugged at the blanket. Without even taking off her clothes, she went to sleep with her head covered, making this roommate feel a little awkward.

“Okay, that’s enough. Ignore her. It’s not like we’re the ones criticizing her. Didn’t she just acknowledge a rich biological father? How dare she pull a long face at us?”

“That’s right. Didn’t she move out to live in a villa some time ago? The moment she came back, she showed us such an unpleasant face, as though someone owes her.”

“The counselor was here just now. Why didn’t she lose her temper then? Instead, she’s throwing a tantrum at us like a pampered young lady of a rich family.”

“Alright. Cut it out.”

…

The news about Jiang Fengya being an illegitimate daughter was rampant. When Jiang Fengya moved out of the dormitory, there had been a lot of rumors and jealousy in the school.

The video of Song Jingren losing his power and being criticized by his ex-wife spread everywhere. Now that she had moved back to the dormitory, no one said anything on the surface, but they were more or less gloating on the inside.

Her roommates were concerned about her out of goodwill, so naturally, some people couldn’t bear to see her behave like this.

She was so angry that she hid under the blanket, her tears falling uncontrollably.

***

Dong Fang Atelier…

When it was almost noon, Song Fengwan packed her things in advance and prepared to go to the restaurant.

The place Yan Wangchuan booked was very close to the atelier. It was only a stone’s throw away, so she didn’t let someone come and pick her up.

When she washed her paintbrushes earlier, the cold water had been bone-chilling. She rubbed her fingers, which had turned red from the cold. The moment she walked out of the atelier, she saw a familiar figure standing on the opposite side of the road.

Song Jingren was dressed in full black and looked slovenly—his beard was unshaven, his eyes were bloodshot, and there were dark bruises around his eye sockets. The cold wind was biting, and his skinny body was shivering.

“Wanwan.” Song Jingren hurriedly ran across the road and was nearly hit by a car.

Song Fengwan continued to rub her fingers as she watched him run to her side with a cup of bubble tea in his hand. “I bought just this for you. It’s still hot.”

He smiled at her. His hair was a little greasy, and perhaps he had been under too much pressure recently, which had crushed his back, so he couldn’t straighten his back as he tried to please her humbly.

“Is something the matter?” Song Fengwan’s tone was cold, as though she was talking to a stranger.

It was a cold, unfamiliar feeling.

Song Jingren’s heart felt as though it had been grabbed tightly. He remembered how Song Fengwan had always smiled, hugged him, and called him Dad when she saw him in the past.

“Wanwan, I just wanted to see you.” He tightened his grip on the bubble tea.

“Now that you’ve seen me, can you leave?” Song Fengwan turned around to leave.

Song Jingren strode forward and blocked her way. “Let’s have lunch together?”

“I’ve already made an appointment with someone.”

“What about tonight?” Song Jingren pursued relentlessly.

“I have an appointment too.”

Seeing her cold attitude, Song Jingren thought that she was deliberately brushing him off. From beginning to end, she hadn’t looked him in the eye. It was winter, and a bucket of cold water was poured over his head, making his whole body feel cold.

“Erm…” He had something important to say. He hesitated before asking in the end, “Do you know your mother’s new number?”

His company was in imminent danger, and the bankers were already blocking his doorstep. At the end of his tether, he had no choice but to beg Qiao Aiyun.

“I’m just looking for her for a certain matter.

“Can you tell me her number?”

His tone was almost pleading as he reached out to tug at Song Fengwan’s clothes. His back was bent, and he was about to kneel down.

Song Fengwan raised her arm and flung his hand away.

She only said coldly, “You’re blocking my way.”

With that, she walked around him and left.

Song Jingren’s shoulder was hit, and he staggered. As he watched Song Fengwan leave, his heart ached and felt bitter.

By the time he regained his senses and chased after her, Song Fengwan was already gone.

He searched around for a long time before he finally saw her in a restaurant.

She was inside, but he could only stand outside and watch.

In the ordinary small restaurant, Yan Wangchuan was pouring her a glass of water. She held the glass and kept smiling at him.

Yan Wangchuan and Qiao Aiyun were sitting on one side, and beside Song Fengwan was an old lady. Although she was very old, her nose and lips resembled Yan Wangchuan’s. She had to be his mother.

The four of them sat together like a family.

When Song Jingren saw them chatting and laughing, his heart felt like it had been thrown to the ground and crushed repeatedly, and even his breathing hurt.

All of this should have belonged to him.

***

Yan Wangchuan had accommodated Song Fengwan and had deliberately chosen the nearest restaurant to the atelier. It wasn’t big, and there were only ordinary stir-fried dishes.

“Hello, Grandma Yan.” After Song Fengwan entered, she greeted her obediently.

Yan Wangchuan was sitting beside Old Madam Yan, but she chased him away and pulled Song Fengwan over to sit down beside her. “How obedient. Sit beside grandma. You look really beautiful. Aiyun, she looks very much like you.”

Song Fengwan lowered her head and didn’t speak.

“Look at how cold your small hands are. It must have been hard studying.” Old Madam Yan touched her hands repeatedly.

“I’m fine.”

“I told you that the weather in Yuncheng isn’t good. You haven’t been to Nanjiang, right?”

“No.” Perhaps Qiao Aiyun felt guilty and sorry to the Yan family. His family was in Nanjiang, so she naturally wouldn’t bring her daughter there.

“Nanjiang is very fun. When your college entrance exams end, come over to stay with Grandma?”

Song Fengwan smiled without saying anything.

“Nanjiang University isn’t bad. The arts faculty is great too. Why don’t you go to university there?”

Yan Wangchuan saw that Song Fengwan was a little nervous. “Mom, it’s a little early to talk about this.”

“It’s not early. When you and Aiyun get married and settle down in Nanjiang, you can’t simply throw the child somewhere else. You have to consider everything.”

Song Fengwan lowered her head, not daring to speak. How could she dare to say that her first choice was the Central Academy of Fine Arts?

“In the future, if the two of you want to move out or have a child, Wanwan will stay with me. I’ll take care of her for you two. How nice would that be?”

Qiao Aiyun choked on a mouthful of tea straight away.

Song Fengwan was even more dumbfounded. A younger sibling? I’ve never thought about such a thing..