The fake heiress loves to act? The max-level boss isn't interested in playing along.

"It's more than just disagreeing."

Xie Chenjie shook his head. "Su Yurou's attitude... there's no way we can talk to her. Her words were full of sarcasm. She said Xie Ci was too old to be a good match for Fu Hua, and that we were so eager to have grandchildren that we should go find someone else..."

Zhou Yun's expression changed: "How could she say that? We went to visit her with sincere intentions!"

"Even if you didn't do things perfectly before, you can't talk like that, really."

"Who says it isn't?"

Xie Chenjie rubbed his temples. "Fu Xiao isn't home, it's just her alone. She said everything she wanted to say, and we couldn't have a proper conversation."

Xie Ci was silent for a moment before speaking, "Mom, I think Aunt Su... might not really be against me and Fu Hua, but rather she's competing with Fu Hua."

"Competing?"

Zhou Yun was puzzled.

"Um."

Xie Ci nodded. "Fu Hua moved out to live independently and has almost completely cut off contact with her family. So, by opposing the marriage, what is she trying to prove?"

She wasn't judging me as a person; she was venting her frustration with dealing with Hua.

Xie Chenjie said thoughtfully, "What you said makes sense. So what do we do now?"

Although Fu Hua doesn't care about the Fu family, if they ignore the Fu family...

That means rubbing Fu Xiao's and the entire Fu family's faces in the dirt.

They can't do that.

"Let's talk when Uncle Fu gets back."

Xie Ci said, "Aunt Su's emotional outburst does not represent the Fu family's attitude. Uncle Fu is a reasonable person and we should be able to have a proper talk."

Zhou Yun looked at her son worriedly: "What if... Fu Xiao also disagrees?"

Xie Ci smiled, a smile with an indescribable determination: "Then I'll wait, until the day they agree. Anyway, I've decided on Fu Hua for the rest of my life."

His eyes were calm, and every word he spoke conveyed an unwavering determination.

Zhou Yun looked at her son, then at her husband, and finally sighed: "You two... alright, since you've made up your minds, stick to it."

"I like Fu Hua too, so...we can take it slow."

Xie Chenjie laughed and said, "Right, take it slow. I know Fu Xiao; he's not unreasonable."

As for Su Yurou... give her some time. Her family has gone through so much; she's suffered too.

After lunch, the phone rang.

Zhou Yun went to answer the call, listened for a few words, and his expression suddenly became strange.

She covered the microphone and turned to the father and son, saying, "It's Fu Xiao."

Xie Chenjie and Xie Ci exchanged a glance.

Tell them I'm not here.

Xie Chenjie said in a low voice, "Let's see what his attitude is."

Zhou Yun nodded and said into the phone, "Chief of Staff Fu, Lao Xie hasn't come back yet... Yes, he went out with Xie Ci, you know..."

As she listened to the words on the other end of the phone, her expression became more and more relaxed.

Finally, she smiled and said, "Okay, then when Lao Xie gets back, I'll have him call you back. Goodbye."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yun walked back.

A smile appeared on his face: "Fu Xiao said he knows about what happened today. Su Yurou is emotionally unstable, and what she says doesn't represent his attitude. He said... we should set a time to have a proper talk with you."

Xie Chenjie and Xie Ci both breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good."

Xie Chenjie's expression shifted slightly. "As long as we're willing to talk, there's hope."

…………

Research station, communications project team office

The fan hummed loudly, but couldn't dispel the sweltering summer heat.

The whiteboard was covered with complex formulas and flowcharts.

Several researchers were gathered around the table, engaged in a heated discussion, the sound of keyboards clicking incessantly.

Fu Hua sat by the window, with three different data reports spread out in front of her.

Her pencil moved rapidly across the paper, her brow furrowed slightly.

Completely absorbed in his own thoughts.

Xu Jing came in from outside, carrying a net bag in her hand.

Inside were several bottles of Arctic Ocean soda, emitting cold air.

She greeted everyone with a smile, "Take a break, everyone. It's on me. It's so hot outside, have some cold drinks to cool down!"

"XCMG, impressive!"

Several young researchers gathered around, laughing.

"Come on, everyone gets a share."

Xu Jing distributed the soda, and finally took one bottle to Fu Hua's table.

"Fu Hua, why don't you have a bottle too? Take a break."

Fu Hua looked up from the data and glanced at the bottle of orange soda.

He nodded politely: "Thank you, Comrade Xu."

She took the soda and casually placed it on the corner of the table.

Then he lowered his head again and continued the calculations.

That bottle of soda stood there all alone.

The water droplets on the bottle slowly slid down.

Soon, a small water stain appeared on the table.

Xu Jing's gaze lingered on the bottle of soda for two seconds, and the smile on her lips faded slightly.

She turned back into the crowd and said casually, "Our colleague Fu is such a workaholic. She doesn't even relax during breaks. She doesn't even have time to drink soda. Is she afraid I'll poison her?"

He said this with a smile, as if he were joking.

But the table fell silent for a moment.

A middle-aged researcher wearing thick glasses adjusted his glasses.

He whispered, "Fu Gong is indeed... too tense. How old is she? She's always immersed in data, making us old guys feel embarrassed to relax."

"yes,"

Another, younger female researcher chimed in.

"When I came to work overtime last Saturday, I found that Ms. Fu was there too. When I asked her, she said she had been there since Friday night and had been working all night."

Someone looked at Fu Hua and lowered their voice: "It's good to be hardworking, but being too unsociable is not good either. The project team is a team, and we need to cooperate."

These words weren't spoken loudly, but the office is so small that everyone who needed to hear them could hear them.

Xu Jing smiled and said gently, "Don't say that, everyone. It's good that Mr. Fu is young and energetic, but..."

She then changed the subject, saying, "Taking a break is also for better work. Mr. Fu, why don't you take a break too? Have some soda and chat with everyone?"

All eyes turned to Fu Hua.

Fu Hua put down her pencil and looked up.

Her eyes were calm, so calm it was unsettling.

"First,"

She spoke clearly, "I don't drink soda because I don't like carbonated drinks; they're bad for my teeth and stomach."

It has nothing to do with whether Comrade Xu poisoned her or not; she wouldn't stoop to such a low level.

Xu Jing's smile froze.

"second,"

Fu Hua's gaze swept over the people who had just spoken.

"Working habits are a personal choice. I work overtime on Saturdays because I have data to process, not to make anyone feel bad."

If you feel I'm disrupting your rhythm, you can say so directly; there's no need to mutter behind my back.

The researchers' expressions changed.

I wanted to argue, but I couldn't find the words.

"third,"

Fu Hua stood up and began tidying up the documents on the table.

"The project is on a tight schedule, and the real-time testing results must be available this week. If you think chatting and drinking soda are more important than the project, you can continue, but I'll find another place to work."

After she finished speaking, she took the documents and walked straight out of the office.

The door closed gently, leaving the room completely silent.

Several seconds passed before someone muttered quietly, "Such a temper..."

"It was just a joke, was it really that big of a deal?"

Xu Jing sighed, her tone tinged with helplessness: "Never mind, Fu Gong is young and impetuous, everyone should be more tolerant. Work is the most important thing, let's all go home."

The crowd dispersed, but the atmosphere was clearly off.