The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 419 - 421. Young Master Fu who can’t bear to leave Daddy

Chapter 419: 421. Young Master Fu who can’t bear to leave Daddy

Because Anan was so young, Qinglan only took him to ride the merry-go-round. After that, she sat down with Pei Yinong. Along the way, Anan kept his eyes glued to the colorful balloons, so Pei Yinong bought one for him. Holding the balloon, Anan stared intently at it, completely absorbed and happy on his own.

Haohao had gone wild with excitement and was taken by Fu Hengyi to those attractions that boys love to play. Pei Yinong watched her son from a distance, her smile gentle at the sight of him having such a great time, "Haohao really likes Hengyi."

Qinglan’s eyes flickered upon hearing this, "Cousin, do you really not plan to find a daddy for Haohao? Having a dad in the house or not makes a difference for a child." Unlike Haohao, who adores Fu Hengyi and Jiang Chenxi, his own fondness was related to the fact that he’d grown up without a father.

Qinglan distinctly remembered how Haohao had once mentioned to her, without realizing it, that coming to the amusement park with mommy wasn’t fun because mommy was scared and wouldn’t ride the rides with him.

After hearing Qinglan, Pei Yinong fell silent for a moment, then spoke with a smile, "Actually, it’s quite good as it is now. Haohao will grow up in the blink of an eye, and I’ll be old. Whether or not I find someone won’t matter much then."

Qinglan, however, disagreed, "Cousin, from both your perspective and Haohao’s, I think you should find someone. You still have a long life ahead of you. When Haohao grows up and has his own life, he won’t always revolve around you, nor will you need to revolve around him. That’s when you’ll need your own life. Even now, there’s a difference between supporting a home on your own and having someone to share the burden. Besides, Haohao is a boy; lacking a father’s presence in his life is a regrettable absence."

Pei Yinong gave a wry smile, "Qinglan, I know what you’re saying makes sense, but which man would be willing to marry me with a child in tow? Even if someone does marry me, can he truly love Haohao as his own?"

"Cousin, why won’t you consider Chenxi?" Qinglan asked, since Jiang Chenxi met both her criteria, "Chenxi is outstanding and a worthy match for you."

The bitterness in Pei Yinong’s eyes deepened, "It’s precisely because he is outstanding that I am more reluctant to burden him."

"But he doesn’t see it as a burden," Qinglan was somewhat puzzled by Pei Yinong’s hesitations, "Are you still waiting for Haohao’s biological father?"

Pei Yinong shook her head, "No, I’ve never waited for that man. Perhaps when I first found out I was pregnant with Haohao, there was a glimmer of hope in my heart, but that hope was spent when I decided to return to Beijing. Qinglan, if you ask how I feel about Chenxi, I can honestly tell you that I like him. If it weren’t for Haohao, I would have willingly committed to him. But Qinglan, it’s precisely because I like him that I have to consider for him. He might treat Haohao as his own flesh and blood, but what about his parents? Their family is very strict; how could they accept an unmarried pregnant woman as their daughter-in-law, even if I come from a good background."

This time it was Qinglan’s turn to be silent. From Fang Tong’s experience, she understood that love was a matter for two people, but marriage was not; marrying a man meant marrying into his family too. Qinglan was strongly against the notion of abandoning familial bonds for love, like her second uncle did.

If Jiang Chenxi’s parents truly disapproved, that indeed posed a problem.

"Did Chenxi tell you that his parents disapprove of your relationship?" Qinglan asked.

Pei Yinong shook her head, "No." She could guess what his parents thought.

"Cousin, I think everything you’re assuming now is just that—assumptions. You don’t actually know the reality. I can see that Chenxi likes you too. Why not find a time to discuss it with Chenxi? If his parents really oppose your relationship, then you can think of another solution."

Qinglan didn’t want to persuade Pei Yinong to give up. In life, it was already not easy to find someone who truly loves you. If you don’t even try, who will bear the regret and sorrow that come later?

Pei Yinong bowed her head, saying nothing. Qinglan did not disturb her further, some things she had to figure out on her own.

"Mommy, Auntie." Haohao ran over from afar, covered in sweat, his little cheeks flushed. Pei Yinong snapped back to reality and wiped the sweat from her son’s face, "Why are you playing so wildly?"

The boy’s face was full of smiles, "Mommy, Uncle just took me to play CS. It was great fun, Uncle is so cool, even cooler than Uncle Jiang!"

"He’s cooler than Mommy?" Pei Yinong teased her son with a laugh.

Haohao shook his head, "You can’t compare the two of us, you’re girls and Uncle is a boy, Mom doesn’t know how to play these games. I always wanted to play before, but you didn’t know how, so I didn’t. Today Uncle took me to play, and it was really fun."

After saying this, Haohao eagerly looked at Fu Hengyi, "Uncle, next time you bring my younger brother to play, can you bring me along?"

Pei Yinong watched her son’s eyes gleam as he cautiously asked Fu Hengyi, her nose suddenly felt sour, and she was on the verge of tears. She quickly turned her head away, not wanting to look at her son.

Fu Hengyi slightly curved his lips, "Of course, we’ll call you before we come next time."

"Yay! Can I invite Uncle Jiang next time?"

"Sure, you can team up with Uncle Jiang, and we’ll play a team match."

Haohao’s eyes shone, "That’s great, but I don’t want to be in Uncle Jiang’s team. I want to be in your team, Uncle. You’re better than Uncle Jiang. Uncle, how did you make that last shot just now? It was so cool."

Haohao tugged on Fu Hengyi to discuss the games they had just played, and Pei Yinong watched from the side. This was the first time she had seen her son play so happily and contentedly. When she used to bring Haohao to the amusement park, although he was happy, he never seemed to have as much fun. Was this the difference between having a father’s love and not? Was her previous determination wrong? She had always thought that as long as she gave Haohao more love, it would make up for the lack of a father, but now it seemed that was not the case.

Shen Qinglan had been keeping an eye on Pei Yinong and naturally noticed the changes in her expression, her mouth forming a slight smile.

On the way back, Haohao wanted to eat ice cream, so Fu Hengyi bought him one. Anan’s gaze shifted from the balloon in his hand to Haohao’s ice cream, staring eagerly at it.

Noticing Anan’s gaze, Haohao turned to Shen Qinglan, "Auntie, my little brother wants to eat ice cream, can I give him some?"

"Your little brother is too young to eat ice cream, Haohao, you eat it yourself," Shen Qinglan said with a smile.

Haohao looked regretfully at Anan, "Little brother, it’s not that I don’t want to give it to you, but you’re too young to eat it. When you grow up, I’ll buy you some, okay?"

Anan didn’t understand what he was saying and just kept eagerly looking at the ice cream in Haohao’s hand. Haohao, with a troubled face, said, "Auntie, just one bite, let me give him just a taste."

"No way, little brother will get sick if he eats that," Pei Yinong interrupted. "You wouldn’t want your little brother to get sick, would you?"

"Then there’s nothing I can do, little brother, you can’t eat it now," Haohao said seriously.

Perhaps worried that eating ice cream would make Anan envious, he even deliberately turned his back so that Anan couldn’t see.

Anan watched Haohao’s back for a few moments but quickly became captivated by the pinwheel in Fu Hengyi’s hand, forgetting about the ice cream in Haohao’s hands entirely, his eyes glued to the pinwheel without blinking.

Since they had left right after lunch, Anan hadn’t had his nap, so he immediately fell asleep on the way home. Haohao, having played hard for most of the day, was also tired and slept sweetly in the child seat.

Pei Yinong looked at her son through the rearview mirror, a determination flashed in her eyes.

At the same time, Shen Qinglan and Fu Hengyi were discussing Pei Yinong and Jiang Chenxi’s situation.

"Fu Hengyi, you’ve known Jiang Chenxi for so many years, do you know what kind of people his parents are?" Shen Qinglan opened the conversation, lowering her voice as much as possible so as not to wake up Anan.

Chenxi’s father is a professor and a well-known economist. Although he is amiable, he’s very old-fashioned, stubborn, and has a tough temperament. His mother, compared to his father, isn’t as rigid, but she’s still a traditional woman. For your cousin to marry Chenxi would be simple, but to gain his parents’ consent is virtually impossible."

"Really, not even a slight chance?"

Right when they reached a red light, Fu Hengyi stopped the car. "Let’s put it this way, if his father knew that Chenxi wanted to marry your cousin, he would only kick Chenxi out of the house and would behave as if he had never had that son, rather than compromise after a few years."

Shen Qinglan hadn’t expected the old man to be so obstinate, even more difficult to deal with than her own grandfather. She was now uncertain whether advising Pei Yinong to persist was right or wrong. She shared her conversation with Pei Yinong with Fu Hengyi.

After listening, Fu Hengyi comforted her, "After all, this is a matter between the two of them. They are both adults and will have their own judgment. Don’t worry."

Shen Qinglan nodded, knowing she couldn’t help at all, so she could only put it aside for now.

Before bedtime that evening, as Shen Qinglan was packing her luggage, Fu Hengyi had just put their son to sleep and came in. He saw that Shen Qinglan included Anan’s things as well and said, "Qinglan, I’ll go ahead this time. After I’m done with my business there, I’ll pick you and Anan up."

Shen Qinglan paused her actions and looked at Fu Hengyi, puzzled. "What happened, hadn’t we agreed previously?"

"Now there will certainly be a lot of things to handle there, and I’m worried you won’t be able to manage alone. It’s better that I go first, and after I settle some affairs and free up, I’ll pick you up. Besides, suddenly leaving Grandfather alone at home, I’m also worried he might not adapt well."

Mentioning Old Sir Fu, Shen Qinglan couldn’t help but take it seriously. Old Sir Fu had been so good to her, in fact, no less than Old Sir Shen. With her and Fu Hengyi leaving, Grandfather would certainly feel out of place.

"Alright, Anan and I will come to see you over the weekend."

"Okay."

Shen Qinglan then removed her and Anan’s things and organized Fu Hengyi’s neatly.

Fu Hengyi went to take a shower and also washed the diapers their son had changed out of.

By the time Fu Hengyi came out of the bathroom, Shen Qinglan had changed into her clothes, wearing a black camisole nightgown that revealed large areas of her fair skin. Such a glaring invitation was obviously understood by Fu Hengyi, whose eyes immediately deepened.

He walked to the bed and abruptly picked up Shen Qinglan. "Let’s go to the bathroom."

Shen Qinglan, with her arms around Fu Hengyi’s neck, her cheeks flushed, couldn’t help remembering the last intimate moment they shared in the bathroom.

Soon, the bathroom echoed with sounds that made one’s cheeks flush and heart throb. Shen Qinglan, with her waist confined by Fu Hengyi, watched in the mirror as she appeared with seductive, half-closed eyes, and she involuntarily let out a moan, "Fu Hengyi."

The voice was enchanting, full of allure.

Fu Hengyi’s grip tightened, his whole body excited.

Shen Qinglan was carried out of the bathroom by Fu Hengyi, completely drained of strength. She leaned wearily against his chest and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

In the middle of the night, Anan was woken by hunger. Just after letting out a howl, Fu Hengyi opened his eyes, swiftly got out of bed, picked up Anan from the crib, and glanced at Shen Qinglan who was sleeping soundly. He really couldn’t bear to wake her, so he took his son downstairs.

Anan didn’t like the taste of the formula and was reluctant to drink. Fu Hengyi held the bottle to his mouth and waited a few minutes until, probably because he was truly hungry, Anan decided to fill his stomach first.

After eating, Anan didn’t go back to sleep but was instead quite happy playing with his own feet, and no matter how Fu Hengyi tried to coax him, he refused to sleep. Fu Hengyi had no choice but to sit on the sofa with him.

Having gone to bed late and after much tossing and turning in the night, and now having to get up to care for his son, even someone with Fu Hengyi’s strong constitution was showing signs of fatigue, yawning.

It wasn’t until four in the morning that Anan finally fell asleep. Fu Hengyi carried the child back to the room, lay down in bed, and continued to sleep while holding Shen Qinglan.

In the morning when Shen Qinglan awoke, she was surprised to find Fu Hengyi still in bed.

Just as she was about to get up, Fu Hengyi opened his eyes, "Where are you going?"

"Getting up. Are you getting up now or sleeping some more?"

"I’ll lie down a bit longer." He had slept too little the previous night and just couldn’t get up today.

Seeing his exhausted appearance, Shen Qinglan knew he must have been up again with the child after she fell asleep. Feeling a pang of heartache, she lowered her head and kissed his face, "Husband, you’ve worked hard."

Fu Hengyi’s eyes narrowed slightly, momentarily wanting to become a wolf and have some fun with his wife, but he was simply too tired and closed his eyes, falling asleep again.

Shen Qinglan tiptoed out of the bedroom, went downstairs for a run, and came back to find the father and son still asleep.

"Why hasn’t Hengyi gotten up yet?" Not having seen his grandson, Old Sir Fu was somewhat surprised.

Shen Qinglan was having breakfast with the old man. Upon hearing him, she explained, "Anan woke up last night, and he was feeding the child, so it got late."

"Have you packed your things?" Old Sir Fu asked again.

"This time only Hengyi is going. He has just been transferred back to the Beijing Military Region, and there’s a lot to take care of. I’ll go over with Anan after he gets through this busy period."

"Weren’t you supposed to go together before?" Old Sir Fu was puzzled. "Qinglan, you’re not doing this because of me, are you? There’s no need if it’s for me. I’ve already gotten used to being alone at home, it’s quite all right."

Shen Qinglan smiled, "Grandpa, it’s not entirely because of you. Mainly, Anan is still too young, and with Fu Hengyi having to take care of both Anan and me, along with his work, I’m worried he might get overwhelmed. So, we decided to wait until his work stabilizes before we consider going over."

After pondering for a moment, the old man nodded, "That makes sense. Then wait until later to go over."

The two were chatting when they saw Fu Hengyi come down with the child.

Shen Qinglan had already finished eating, so she took the child from him, letting Fu Hengyi eat.

The car to pick up Fu Hengyi had already arrived. He quickly finished his meal, and Shen Qinglan had someone put his luggage in the car. Having had Fu Hengyi at home for the past half year, Shen Qinglan had gotten used to it, and now seeing him suddenly leaving stirred a sense of reluctance in her heart. However, her emotions were always restrained; her face did not betray her feelings.

"I’m about to leave, you need to take good care of yourself at home, and Aunt Liu will help you with the children at night..." Fu Hengyi rambled on.

Shen Qinglan listened attentively, her expression showed no sign of impatience. However, Anan, seeing Daddy talking non-stop, furrowed his little brows. Fu Hengyi saw this and reached out to rub his head, "You heartless little guy, I’m about to leave, and you won’t even give me a smile to send me off."

Anan shook his head, seemingly wanting to get Daddy’s hand off his head. Fu Hengyi laughed and then got into the car. Shen Qinglan held the child and stood still, watching him go. Just as the car was about to disappear from view, Anan suddenly started to cry loudly, stretching his arms out as if he wanted Fu Hengyi to come back.

Shen Qinglan quickly took her son inside, "Why didn’t you seem to miss Daddy just now when he was here?" she said with a smile.

Old Sir Fu heard Anan’s crying and asked what the matter was. Shen Qinglan said without words, "He’s crying because he misses Daddy."

Old Sir Fu also laughed upon hearing this. Shen Qinglan held her son and comforted him for a while, and Anan’s crying gradually stopped.

That night, Anan didn’t want to fall asleep and kept looking around, as if searching for someone. Shen Qinglan knew he was looking for Fu Hengyi. Her nose felt a bit sore, and she began to miss Fu Hengyi as well.

Just as she was thinking about it, Fu Hengyi’s call came in. Shen Qinglan quickly picked it up.

"Qinglan, have you gone to bed?"

Shen Qinglan heard the familiar voice and her lips curved into a light smile, "Not yet, today is your first day at the Military Region. Are you adjusting well?"

"It’s okay, there are quite a few things to hand over and I need to get a clear understanding of the personnel here. I guess I’ll be busy for a few days. Is Anan asleep?"

Fu Hengyi was worried as he hadn’t seen his son. Shen Qinglan looked at a certain little fellow who was overexcited and not willing to sleep. She said, "Not yet, he probably isn’t adjusting well to not seeing you, and refuses to sleep." In the past few months, Fu Hengyi had spent even more time with the child than she had, and Anan’s reliance on Fu Hengyi was no less than on her.

"Let’s video call," Shen Qinglan suggested, and Fu Hengyi, also eager to see his son, naturally agreed.

Anan looked at Daddy in the phone, his big eyes blinking, his face full of bewilderment, seemingly not understanding how his grand and mighty father had become so small, stretching out his hands to try and grab the phone from Shen Qinglan.

Shen Qinglan didn’t hand it to him and placed the phone in a spot out of his reach.

"Anan, do you miss Daddy?" Fu Hengyi asked his son softly.

Upon hearing Daddy’s voice, Anan smiled, waving his little hands excitedly. Fu Hengyi’s gaze became even more tender.

After talking for half an hour and seeing Anan begin to yawn, Shen Qinglan ended the call. This time, Anan fell asleep quickly, but Shen Qinglan tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. She touched the empty space beside her, silently sighed, closed her eyes, and forced herself to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Shen Qinglan got up to check on her son once. Seeing Anan sound asleep with no signs of waking, Shen Qinglan went back to sleep until the next day when Anan woke up.

As Shen Qinglan was changing her son’s diaper, she said with a laugh, "Do you think you were deliberately giving Daddy a hard time before? As soon as Daddy leaves, you behave." There were times before when Fu Hengyi got up three or four times, either to change his son’s diaper or to feed him.

Anan made a sound, seemingly in response to Shen Qinglan’s words. Shen Qinglan fondly smiled, "No wonder Daddy said you were a heartless little thing."

Shen Qinglan had finished her breakfast and then took Anan to the Shen Family, where she encountered an unexpected person—Shen Junze.

Shen Junze saw Shen Qinglan and stood up from the sofa. "Sis."

Shen Qinglan nodded. "When did you get back?"

"Last night. Big brother transferred me back to the headquarters, and I’ll report to the office tomorrow, so I came to see Grandpa today," Shen Junze explained.

Shen Qinglan raised an eyebrow. "Did you finish your studies in the U.S.?"

Initially, Shen Junyu had said that Shen Junze could only return to the headquarters for training after he had obtained an MBA and performed excellently at the branch office. Shen Qinglan had thought that it would take at least three years for Shen Junze to meet these goals, but now it seemed he had finished ahead of schedule?

Shen Junze nodded. "I’ve completed them." He said this and took out two bags from several beside him and handed them to Shen Qinglan. "Sis, these are gifts for you and Anan, I hope you won’t despise them."

Shen Qinglan took them and put them aside. "It’s the thought that counts, thank you. Now that you’re back, focus on doing a good job at the company. Some things have to be achieved step by step, and you can’t be too eager for quick success."

"I understand. This time coming back to the headquarters, big brother also arranged for me to start from the bottom to accumulate more work experience." Shen Junze’s demeanor was very calm as he discussed these matters, showing that the nearly one year of experience truly made him grow a lot.

Old Sir Shen, although previously frustrated with his grandson’s lack of ambition, now saw that he had become sensible, and his anger naturally dissipated. "Where are you planning to live now that you are back?"

"I’ve rented a place myself, close to the company. It’s very convenient for commuting to and from work."

"Not living with your mom?"

Shen Junze shook his head. "No, her place is too far. I spend too much time commuting every day, and I want to learn more while I’m young."

Old Sir Shen was pleased. "Hmm, that’s a good attitude to have. It’s always good to learn a variety of skills. When you have time, come home and join me for a meal."

Shen Junze’s eyes brightened, and he nodded. "Sure."

Shen Junze stayed at the Shen Family until after lunch before he left. Meanwhile, Shen Qinglan took the opportunity of Anan’s nap time to chat with her grandfather.

"Grandpa, you should be relieved now," said Shen Qinglan with a smile.

Old Sir Shen looked at her with a face full of affection. "Lanlan, Grandpa wants to thank you."

Shen Qinglan smiled. "Grandpa, thanking me seems a bit too formal, doesn’t it? Jun Ze is Second Uncle’s only child, and when Second Uncle passed away, I promised him I would look after Jun Ze."

Old Sir Shen understood very well. When Shen Rang passed away, Shen Qinglan had agreed to care for Jun Ze also for his sake; his granddaughter was always so considerate that it pained his heart.

Old Sir Shen smiled. "All right, I won’t be formal with you, especially since you’re my granddaughter. Hengyi has gone to the army, is it hard taking care of the child alone?"

"Not really. Anan has been very well-behaved these past few days and easy to take care of. Besides, there is an auntie at home to help."

Shen Qinglan was increasingly convinced that Anan had been deliberately giving Fu Hengyi a hard time before. Ever since Fu Hengyi left, Anan had been so obedient—aside from not liking to go to bed early, there wasn’t anything particularly troubling.

"Hengyi will be hurt if he hears what you said," Old Sir Shen said with a bit of schadenfreude.

Qinglan chuckled along, and the pleasure of chatting and playing chess with her grandfather made for a contented time.

On the other side, Shen Junze returned home, where Lu Yaqin was tidying up his room. On seeing him, she smiled and asked, "Did you visit your grandfather?"

Shen Junze nodded, and noticing Lu Yaqin was about to take his quilt out to air, he said, "Mom, no need to tidy up anymore, I’m moving out tonight."

Lu Yaqin’s movements stiffened as she turned to Shen Junze, "Moving out? Why?"

"I already asked a friend to rent a place for me near the company before I returned. It’s closer to the office and more convenient for me to commute," Shen Junze explained.

Lu Yaqin stopped what she was doing, "Jun Ze, you can also live at home. Don’t you have a car? Driving to and from work is easy too." She didn’t want her son to move out.

Thinking of the luxury sports cars in the garage, Shen Junze smiled. He used to be oblivious to the hardships of earning money, his life revolving around pleasure and fun, buying one sports car after another until the garage almost could not contain them all. It was about time to deal with those sports cars.

"Mom, I’m just an ordinary employee at the company. You want me to drive a sports car to work?"

"If you think the sports car is too ostentatious, then mom will have your uncle buy you an ordinary car for commuting," Lu Yaqin said subconsciously.

Shen Junze’s expression darkened in an instant, "Don’t bring up that person to me."

Hearing this, Lu Yaqin felt uncomfortable, "Jun Ze, mom was just about to speak to you about that. Your uncle knows you’re back. He’s already called me, asking you to work at the company as Vice President. That has to be better than doing some ordinary sales job at Junlan Group, right?"

"I told you not to bring him up to me," Shen Junze suddenly burst out in anger. "Even if I were to work as a sweeper at Junlan Group, I wouldn’t go to Shen Family and act like a groveling dog for him."

Lu Yaqin was startled by his sudden rage, "Jun Ze, don’t be angry. Mom was just speaking off the cuff. If you don’t want to go, then don’t."

Shen Junze’s expression softened, "Mom, let’s not talk about this anymore. From now on, you should cut ties with them too. As for Shen Family, that’s the company dad left for me, and I will take it back eventually. Right now, Lu Jincai is just keeping it for me."

"Jun Ze, your uncle said he’s not trying to take over your dad’s company. He mentioned that you’re still young and can’t control the people in the company, so he’s managing it for you for a few years. Once you’re capable of running the company, he will return it to you."

Shen Junze’s face darkened as he gazed steadily at his mother. Lu Yaqin felt her heart go cold under his stare, "Jun... Jun Ze, what’s wrong? Why are you looking at your mom like that?"

"Mom, if you have any more dealings with Lu Jincai, then you can stop recognizing me as your son. In this home, it’s either him or me. Make your choice."

Lu Yaqin looked incredulously at her son, "Jun Ze, do you realize what you’re saying? He’s your uncle, the only relative I have in this world besides you."

"You consider him family, but has he ever considered us family? Mom, can’t you see it? He’s no longer the uncle he used to be; he has become an ambitious villain now, coveting dad’s fortune. Have you forgotten how he conspired with the company executives to edge me out and throw me out of the company? I begged him for help. What did he do? He wouldn’t even let me through his doorstep. Have you forgotten all of that? I tell you, I will never forget this in my life."

Lu Yaqin stood there stunned, softly defending, "Your uncle didn’t mean that..."

"Then what did he mean?" Shen Junze counter-questioned, his gaze on Lu Yaqin chilling.

Lu Yaqin nodded, "Your uncle really didn’t mean that. He knows you have misunderstandings about him. When you were not at home, he would often come over to see Mom, and your auntie, too, brought the kids over to keep Mom company."

"Haha." Shen Jun Ze sneered, "I think you’ve been brainwashed by their whole family."

"Jun Ze, you are the one who has been brainwashed by the Shen family." Seeing that she couldn’t get through to her son, Lu Yaqin also got a bit annoyed, "In the beginning, the Shen family wouldn’t let me through the door. Your father and I had no choice but to elope. But when your father came back, his health was already like that, and the Shen family still refused to acknowledge me, nor recognize you as their grandson. Have you forgotten all that?"

When it came to the Shen family, although Lu Yaqin seemed compliant on the surface, she harbored anger and resentment in her heart. She had left her own family for Shen Rang, and had not even seen her parents for the last time. After Shen Rang’s death, the Shen family superficially agreed to take care of them, mother and son, but in reality, they didn’t so much as glance at them, leaving them to fend for themselves. They said one thing and did another, the epitome of hypocrisy.

Shen Jun Ze looked at Lu Yaqin, his eyes deep, and after a long while, he slowly began to speak, "Mom, deep down, you’ve always resented Grandpa, haven’t you? You hate the Shen family for not acknowledging you as their daughter-in-law, for not willing to recognize me as their grandson. You hate the Shen family for not caring about us after Dad passed away, for not lending a hand when Lu Jincai bullied us."

"Isn’t it true? Speaking of which, you have the blood of the Shen family running through your veins; you are a rightful grandson of the Shen family. But look around the whole of Beijing, who knows that the Shen family still has you as a grandson? A few days ago, Shen Qinglan’s child had his hundred days celebration. Did they ask you to join? So many people were there, but you were the only one forgotten. Don’t you understand what that means?"

When it came to this matter, Lu Yaqin became even angrier. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to mend the relationship with the Shen family. Knowing that Shen Qinglan’s son was having a hundred-day celebration, she had even prepared a gift for the child, but the family clearly had no intention of inviting her.

"Grandpa asked me to come home, but I didn’t want to go," Shen Jun Ze said. It wasn’t just for Shen Qinglan’s child’s hundred-day celebration, but also Old Sir Fu’s ninetieth birthday. After all, his own parents had hurt the Fu family’s girl that way; the Fu family members didn’t like them. Why should they disturb Old Sir Fu on such a joyous occasion?

Lu Yaqin was stunned, "What did you say? The Shen family invited you?"

"Yes, Grandpa called me a long time ago, asking me to come back for the banquet. It was me who didn’t want to come back. Besides, I also needed to completely hand over my work and didn’t have the time. Mom, it’s not because I’m your son that the Shen family does not accept me, but because I myself was a bastard, useless, and can’t blame anyone else."

"You say the Shen family didn’t care about us, but I know that everything I am today is because of Shen Qinglan and Shen Jun Yu. They gave me the chance to start over, to realize the importance of self-reliance, and to know what true responsibility is."

Shen Jun Ze softened his tone and continued, "Mom, I know Lu Jincai is your only remaining family, but he truly is a person with wolfish ambitions. Whatever he’s told you is false—all those promises about helping me manage the company and giving it back to me someday—they’re all lies. The meat that’s entered his mouth, do you think he’d willingly spit it out?"

"But Jun Ze, your uncle really said he would return the company to you, and he even made a contract," Lu Yaqin said, going out of Shen Jun Ze’s room to her own to fetch a document, "Look at this, this is the promissory note your uncle made. Three years, he’ll return the company to you in three years."

Shen Jun Ze flipped through the document, his expression unchanging, "Mom, this is just a worthless IOU without any legal effect, meant to deceive someone like you who doesn’t understand the law."

And even if it were a real document, what would it prove? Three years later, Lu Jincai could take away all the company’s money and leave, fulfilling the promise made in the document by leaving him an empty shell of a company, or perhaps even one deep in debt. And himself? He’d be left to clean up the mess, with Lu Jincai having played a good game of chess.

Having thought this through, Shen Jun Ze’s expression grew colder. He put the document aside casually, "Mom, just listen to me on this. Cut ties with Lu Jincai and his family, if you still recognize me as your son."

"Jun Ze, does it have to be this way?"

"Yes, it must be this way."

Lu Yaqin covered her face, "We are family, we used to have such a good relationship. How did it come to this?"

Shen Jun Ze watched his mother looking sad but did not go to comfort her. Some things, once seen clearly, harden the heart, and he could understand why Old Sir Shen did not like his mother. Maybe it wasn’t simply because of her background.

"Mom, I’ve got things to do, so I’ll leave first. I’ll come see you again this weekend." Shen Jun Ze left without a second thought, leaving Lu Yaqin standing there, heartbroken.