Mr.CEO, Please Sign the Divorce Agreement
Chapter 41 Redundant

Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Redundant

At the dinner table, Fu Shinian didn’t show up, but the old lady didn’t seem to care at all, as if he was never meant to be there in the first place. At that moment, Su Mu suddenly understood that the old lady had known about Fu Shinian’s abrupt departure last night from the beginning. She didn’t say anything, only because she didn’t want to make things difficult for herself.

The family reunion dinner was in the evening, so Su Mu didn’t have much to do during the day. In the morning, she accompanied the old lady to the fruit garden to pick pomegranates, and by the time they returned, Auntie Wang had already prepared the dumpling fillings, ready to wrap the dumplings. Su Mu went upstairs to change her clothes to help, but she didn’t expect Su Shiyue to block her at the bedroom door, holding her phone with a triumphant look.

Su Mu wasn’t in the mood to argue with her and directly asked, "What do you want to say now?"

"You’ve been with Grandma since this morning, so you probably haven’t had the chance to see the news, right?"

Su Mu looked at her but didn’t respond. She vaguely knew what kind of news Su Shiyue was referring to. Seeing how complacent she was, it was probably as Su Shiyue had wished. Su Mu braced herself, yet she still felt a momentary breathlessness when she saw the headline of the news.

The Chairman of Fu Corporation and Qin Nianwan returned to their love nest late at night, not leaving for the entire night.

Su Shiyue watched Su Mu’s reaction and laughed even more unbridled:

"Did you see the photos? They are quite clear. It seems my brother was drunk, and Nianwan probably took care of him for the night? No one knows if my brother did anything to her. After all, a man and a woman alone together in a room, who can really say, right? Do you need me to call and ask for you?"

Su Mu looked at Su Shiyue coldly, "Are you that happy seeing your brother cheat?"

"If my sister-in-law were Nianwan, I would definitely stand by her side to blame my brother together, calling him a heartless scoundrel. But unfortunately, my brother married you. Having a wife with such scheming, it would be abnormal for him not to cheat, wouldn’t it?"

Su Mu slowly smiled:

"Su Shiyue, remember what you said today. One day in the future, I really want to see what kind of man can tolerate you like this without going astray!"

"Are you cursing me?"

"Do I need to curse you? Don’t you know what kind of person you are?"

Having said that, she fiercely slammed the bedroom door shut, leaving her smug expression outside.

In the dressing room, Su Mu pretended as if nothing had happened and reached for her clothes, but unexpectedly, her outstretched hand was shaking. Angrily she withdrew it, turned around, and sat down on the nearby stool. For a moment, she really wanted to smoke a cigarette, which might have calmed her breathing.

She thought about what Auntie Lin had told her before, that the thing Fu Shinian despised most was infidelity, and he detested such behavior greatly.

She knew Auntie Lin wasn’t lying, but after all, Qin Nianwan was not just anyone; she was the woman Fu Shinian had once loved. To him and Qin Nianwan, she was the third party who had intervened in their relationship. Perhaps what they did couldn’t be considered cheating.

She tried hard not to think about that news anymore, not to think about anything regarding Fu Shinian and Qin Nianwan, but in the end, she couldn’t help but take out her smartphone and search for news about Fu Shinian.

Actually, there was no need for her to search; the news app’s homepage already displayed their lead story. She clicked in, not to read the report’s text, as she knew the reporters would write as sensationally as possible to seek topicality and popularity.

She went directly to look at the photos. Photos never lie. Qin Nianwan was supporting him the whole time. Even though Fu Shinian didn’t make any intimate moves, there was no denying that it was him in the photos.

Su Mu couldn’t make out the background in the pictures, not knowing whether it was Fu Shinian’s property elsewhere or Qin Nianwan’s home.

But none of this was the most important thing. The important question was, what exactly had happened between Fu Shinian and Qin Nianwan? She didn’t want to guess, for that would only add to her worry.

Although she still wore a smile as she came downstairs after changing, the old lady noticed the change in her complexion at first glance. Thinking that there indeed had been a conflict between her and Fu Shinian, she didn’t ask anything further.

With washed hands, Su Mu returned to the dining room to help Auntie Wang make dumplings, while the old lady sat on a wicker chair beside them, chatting pleasantly. Laughter occasionally chimed in; the atmosphere was harmonious.

Had Fu Shinian and Qin Nianwan not shown up abruptly, Su Mu would have presented this Mid-Autumn Festival in front of Grandma as perfectly fine, but contrary to her wishes, there was still a flaw.

When Fu Shinian’s car stopped in the yard, Auntie Wang was the first to notice. While rolling out dumpling wrappers, she cheerfully said:

"Mr. Fu is back."

Su Mu paused slightly while wrapping dumplings, but then she quickly resumed, acting as if she hadn’t heard what Auntie Wang mentioned. On the other hand, the old lady with her sharp eyes noticed the pause and spoke up:

"Ah Nian must have brought back quite a few things. Susu, go to the door to welcome him."

Su Mu knew that Grandma was trying to bridge the gap between the two of them, offering them a way to reconcile. Although she was unwilling, she couldn’t outright dismiss Grandma’s good intentions, so she agreed and put down the dumpling she had finished wrapping.

She wiped her hands on a few tissues to remove the flour and walked towards the door, but halfway there, Su Mu stopped in her tracks. Through the clean, bright glass windows, Su Mu saw both Fu Shinian and Qin Nianwan.

Fu Shinian had changed clothes and was no longer wearing the suit that had appeared in last night’s photos.

They looked like a perfectly matched couple, chatting and laughing about something. After getting out of the car from both sides, they synchronously moved to the trunk, retrieving numerous gift boxes.

If Su Mu were just an outsider, she too would find this a beautiful, blissful scene. Unfortunately, she was the one involved.

In this moment, she felt like a ridiculous statue, as though her feet were embedded in the floor, unable to move. Yet she had to move, even if she were to lose, she couldn’t let others see her in distress.

With all the effort she could muster, Su Mu forced herself to step forward again. Only this time she didn’t head for the door but returned to the dining table to continue making dumplings, as if nothing had happened at all.

The old lady noticed Su Mu’s unusual behavior but before she could ask, Fu Shinian and Qin Nianwan entered the room. At that moment, the old lady’s face could hardly be described as pleasant.

"Grandma," Fu Shinian greeted her, yet his gaze involuntarily shifted toward Su Mu.

In fact, the moment he stepped through the door he had seen Su Mu. She stood at the dining table, her head bowed, focused on wrapping dumplings. She was wearing an apron the color of the sky, her hands covered with flour, even her cheeks had a slight dusting. Her gentle appearance brought to mind peaceful times.

But she did not look up.

Qin Nianwan also sweetly called out, "Grandma," and then placed all the gift boxes she was carrying onto the coffee table:

"This is my first visit since returning to the country, and it coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival. I’ve bought you some health products which are good for the body, hoping Grandma would like them."

The old lady paid no attention to the two of them. She turned back to look in the direction of Su Mu and saw no sign of anything unusual in her. But if you looked closely, you would notice her hands trembling slightly, uncontrollably.

The old lady wanted to call her over but restrained herself. She understood Su Mu’s temperament; at this time, Su Mu might not want to face Fu Shinian and Qin Nianwan. She rose from the wicker chair, and as Fu Shinian stepped forward to help her, she slapped the back of his hand:

"I don’t need you."

Fu Shinian knew the old lady was angered, so he stayed still.

After the three of them moved to sit down in the living room, Su Mu finally couldn’t help but turn and walk into the kitchen. Auntie Wang, feeling sympathy, wanted to say something comforting but ultimately didn’t know what to say. She had worked for the Fu family for so many years, yet this was the first time she had seen such a scene.

The old lady sat on a single sofa, her cold eyes watching the two people seated by her side and asked:

"Where were you last night?"

Fu Shinian’s attention turned back from the dining area, "With Qiao Yu, Nanfeng, and the others, we got together."

"Did you drink?"

"Hmm."

"Got drunk? Drunk enough not to come home all night?"

Fu Shinian fell silent, and seeing this, Qin Nianwan, who was by his side, felt pity and finally spoke up:

"Grandma, Shinian he..."

"I’m asking him!" the old lady interrupted her sharply, her gaze cold as she looked at Qin Nianwan: "Or does Miss Qin think she can fully answer my questions on behalf of Shinian?"

Qin Nianwan guessed that the old lady might not welcome her, but had not expected such an unforgiving response. She understood how important the old lady was to Fu Shinian, and at this point, she could only smile awkwardly without daring to say more.

The old lady turned back to Fu Shinian and asked:

"What day is it today?"

Fu Shinian replied softly, "Mid-Autumn Festival."

"And what is the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

"The Festival of Reunion."

"Since birth, I have raised you by my side, but I do not know if it is I or your grandfather who made a mistake in our way of teaching you, causing you to misunderstand the meaning of ’reunion’."

Although the old lady did not specify, who could really fail to understand? Reunion refers to the family being together; this was an implication that Qin Nianwan’s presence was superfluous.

Fu Shinian was just about to explain something to Grandma when Su Shiyue, somehow having heard the news, happily ran down from upstairs and sat down next to Qin Nianwan, affectionately wrapping her arm:

"Why is Nianwan here? If you came, you should have told me. If I hadn’t seen the car in the yard and knew my brother was back and came down to see, I wouldn’t even know you were here."

Qin Nianwan smiled faintly but didn’t know what to say. Su Shiyue’s welcome indeed made her happy, but the matriarch of the Fu family was the old lady; if she did not welcome Qin Nianwan, then Su Shiyue’s joy was futile.

Seeing Su Shiyue’s beaming expression, the old lady slightly furrowed her brow, but Fu Shinian aptly spoke up:

"Shiyue, take Nianwan out for a walk."

"Okay," Su Shiyue replied excitedly, "Nianwan, it’s been a long time since you visited the old house, huh? I’ll take you out for a walk; there’ve been some big changes around here."

Qin Nianwan knew the grandparents had things to discuss, and despite her reluctance, she still stood up and politely said:

"Grandma, I’ll come back later to talk with you."

But the old lady did not even give her a glance.