After Bankruptcy, the Billionaire Asked Me to Marry Him!
Chapter 359: Strange Intuition

Chapter 359: Chapter 359: Strange Intuition

A dreamless night.

As Ye Li opened her eyes to the bright morning light streaming in through the window, only one thought crossed her mind.

So this is what people mean by "absence makes the heart grow fonder."

The next moment, Ye Li raised her hand to cover her face.

The bedroom was quiet; there was no warm embrace beside her, nor the muffled laughter of a man in her ear.

Ye Li opened her eyes and realized that Fu Yanci had already gotten up long ago.

Thinking he might have slept in Xiao Bao’s room downstairs last night, Ye Li took a deep breath.

Time to get up.

Wash up.

When she went downstairs, she saw one big figure and one small figure building Legos on the master bedroom floor.

"Ten more minutes of playtime, then we’re getting ready to leave!"

Ye Li announced.

It was Saturday, and today was the day she had planned to host a banquet with the moms at the Fu Mansion.

The old butler had sent her the plan and schedule several days in advance for her review.

Fortunately, Fu Yanci didn’t push things too far.

Fortunately, she could still get out of bed!

Xiao Bao nodded and made an "OK" gesture with his hand.

From head to toe, Fu Yanci gave her a once-over. Though he said nothing, Ye Li felt she understood.

He was saying: "Ah Li, not bad, you’ve improved!"

Giving him an embarrassed glance, Ye Li fled the scene.

Over ten minutes later, the three of them held hands as they left the house, and the Maybach drove directly toward the Fu Mansion.

Shortly after ten, luxury cars began arriving one after another at the alleyway entrance.

Each car came with the standard configuration of two adults and one child, or two adults and two children.

The guests were ushered into the banquet hall, and from the moment the adults and children exchanged greetings upon entering, they naturally split into three groups.

One group for the men.

One group for the women.

And one group for the children.

When Ye Li told Xiao Bao to take his little friends to play in the courtyard, the cheers began ringing out, and the spacious siheyuan was soon filled with laughter.

The liveliness lasted until evening.

After dinner, when Fu Yanci and Ye Li were about to leave, Xiao Bao let go of Ye Li’s hand and walked over to stand by Old Mrs. Fu’s side, holding onto her hand instead.

Ye Li paused for a moment. "Brother Mu, you’re not coming home with us?"

Xiao Bao nodded, leaning his head against Old Mrs. Fu’s arm while letting out a yawn.

Fu Yanci shook his head and laughed, "The mansion is closer to his kindergarten. Don’t you want to avoid the hassle?"

Xiao Bao nodded again.

Part of her felt that he truly thought so. After all, the past half-month of early mornings and late nights had tired even her, an adult, let alone a five-year-old child who needed more sleep to grow.

But another part of her felt like he was trying to avoid Fu Yanci and herself.

Ye Li didn’t know why she had such a feeling, but ever since that illness, Xiao Bao seemed a little different.

Different, but she couldn’t put her finger on how.

It was just... an odd intuition.

"Are you really not coming home with us?"

Ye Li crouched down and looked into Xiao Bao’s eyes as she asked.

Xiao Bao nodded.

"Alright then, but if anything happens, you have to share it with me immediately, okay? You said we’re each other’s best friends, so you have to keep your word. Otherwise, you’ll turn into a long-nosed Pinocchio."

Xiao Bao nodded again.

"Alright, pinky promise..."

A small hand and a big hand locked pinkies.

The same bright smile bloomed on both of their faces.

Ruffling Xiao Bao’s hair, Ye Li reminded Old Mrs. Fu to take care of her health, and then Fu Yanci took Ye Li’s hand and led her out the door.

The Maybach drove out of the alley, and a notification dinged from Fu Yanci’s phone.

He put it on speaker, and Xiang Yang’s voice came through, "Boss, do you want me to deliver flowers to the West Suburb Cemetery tomorrow?"

Fu Yanci froze for a moment, glanced at the date on the screen, and said in a low voice, "No need."

"Understood."

The call ended, and Ye Li’s questioning gaze met Fu Yanci’s. He replied in a calm tone, "It’s my brother’s death anniversary."

Fu Mingzhen.

Ye Li nodded. "You’re not taking Brother Mu?"

Fu Yanci shook his head. "When he’s older and more stable, maybe. But not yet."

Born without ever meeting his father, with so few mentions of him that even hearing his name was rare, why make him face a cold tombstone on this day?

Thinking about it, Ye Li found the idea cruel as well.

The next morning, when they left, Xiang Yang was already waiting outside.

Fresh white lilies.

The offerings prepared in advance.

Fu Yanci placed everything in the trunk and drove Ye Li to the West Suburb Cemetery.

This was Ye Li’s first time meeting Fu Mingzhen, the legendary Young Master Fu.

In the black-and-white photo, the young man was striking and handsome, his features bearing some resemblance to Fu Yanci but exuding a gentler, more refined aura.

Just from his appearance, he seemed far more approachable than Fu Yanci.

As the only son of the Fu family’s second branch, polite, modest, and exceptionally talented, Fu Mingzhen was the textbook example of a positive, capable scion of a wealthy family.

Back then, it was widely rumored among the Imperial Capital’s rich families that Mr. Fu planned to pass down the position of Fu Family Patriarch, along with control of the Fu Group, to Fu Mingzhen, the eldest grandson.

But no one could have foreseen the car accident that claimed Fu Mingzhen’s life abroad.

And Fu Yanci became the one to inherit it all.

In the following years, whispers circulated within the Fu family, and even among Fu Group’s shareholders. Some maliciously speculated whether Fu Mingzhen’s car accident might have been orchestrated by Fu Yanci.

If not for the fact that the overseas negotiation had been a decision brought up by Fu Mingzhen himself at a Fu Group shareholder meeting, Fu Yanci’s suspicion might have been even harder to shake.

But Fu Yanci didn’t make excuses or show mercy. Within two years, he used decisive methods to stabilize the Fu Group’s foundation, not to mention its exponential growth afterward.

The Fu Group became rock-solid, and "Uncle Fu" became a name that resounded widely.

When the time came for him to naturally take over as Fu Family Patriarch and Fu Group’s CEO from Mr. Fu, no one dared to question him anymore.

The wine was just regular rice wine bought from an ordinary supermarket.

The pastries, on the other hand, were the signature delicacy of Hongfu Building.

Fu Yanci poured the wine, opened the pastry box, and said to the young man in the photo on the tombstone, "Another year has gone by. Look, none of us ended up alone."

Ye Li glanced sideways.

She saw Fu Yanci pour another cup of rice wine, clink it against the one in front of the gravestone, then tilt his head back to finish the drink. He said, "Brother, thank you!"

Two sentences, abrupt and without context.

Ye Li didn’t understand them and didn’t try to. She simply hugged the bouquet of lilies in her arms, quietly watching as Fu Yanci drank three cups of rice wine and ate a piece of jujube-filled pastry.

"I’m leaving now. I’ll come see you again next year!"

Fu Yanci turned to leave.

Ye Li was just about to remind him that they hadn’t placed the flowers yet when she saw him take the bouquet from her arms and walk past Fu Mingzhen’s tombstone to place them in front of the one directly behind it.

Lifting her gaze, she saw his upright figure blocking the black tombstone almost entirely.

Without saying anything, Fu Yanci merely stood in front of the tombstone quietly for a moment before turning back and saying, "Let’s go..."

He took her hand and led her away.

Ye Li turned back to glance at the tombstone.

Her gaze paused slightly.

A young woman in her twenties, her long hair draping over her shoulders, with a gentle and elegant smile.

On the tombstone, the words "The Grave of Li Li" were starkly cold.

Ye Li was certain she didn’t know this girl named Li Li.

Yet looking at that serene smile, she could swear she had seen her somewhere before.

The Maybach drove steadily away from the West Suburb Cemetery, and Ye Li tentatively asked Fu Yanci, "That Li Li..."