Mrs. Fu, please be mindful of the appropriate boundaries.

"How long has it been?"

"About two months."

Xu Qingcheng replied without much confidence. She was in charge of the entire group and had met countless leaders and partners over the past year, but even she felt that it was difficult to give a reply at this moment.

Jiang Wenyu frowned. "Girl, didn't you tell me last time that you wouldn't bother with him anymore?"

Xu Qingcheng was startled, and just as she was about to speak, she heard Fu Jingting say, "Right then."

The old man suddenly slammed his hand on the table. "Did I ask you?"

Fu Jingting fell silent.

Xu Qingcheng was so frightened by the sudden slap that her heart almost jumped out of her chest, and her eyes suddenly became even redder.

Seeing her like this, the man felt a chill run down his spine. "Damn it, don't cry!"

Stare at her.

His expression seemed to be threatening her, as if to say, "Try shedding a single tear."

He wouldn't have glared at her if he hadn't, but when he did, his eyes suddenly welled up with tears, brimming with a misty haze.

Xu Qingcheng gritted her teeth. She didn't know what was wrong with her; she just suddenly couldn't hold it in anymore.

The feeling in my heart was so painful.

Jiang Wenyu glanced at the two of them, snorted, and said, "What are you glaring at for? Do you think you have the right to glare at people here?"

Fu Jingting obediently accepted the instruction; not only was he not allowed to glare at people here, he wasn't even allowed to speak.

Fu Shiqing tapped his fingers on the table and continued, "I heard you're going to have an abortion. Whose idea was that?"

Fu Jingting: "No."

Xu Qingcheng, "It's me."

The two spoke at the same time, but their answers were completely different. Fu Jingting hissed, glanced at her, and turned his face away. The man's jawline tightened. Well, there was no escaping it this time.

Xu Qingcheng was puzzled by his answer when Jiang Wenyu asked again, "Girl, tell me. Whose idea was it to abort the child?"

Before she could speak, Jiang Wenyu narrowed his eyes at her and said, "Think it through before you speak. Is it your idea or his?"

Xu Qingcheng really didn't know how to answer. She looked at Fu Jingting for help, but the man didn't even look at her anymore.

She turned around, tears falling unexpectedly, and bit her lip as she said "yes".

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, Fu Shiqing, sitting in the main seat, said with suppressed anger, "You've got some nerve. Kneel down."

Xu Qingcheng's head buzzed. Without even distinguishing right from wrong, she was about to kneel down when Fu Jingting grabbed her arm.

He knelt down beside her.

Jiang Wenyu looked at Xu Qingcheng and said, "Girl, you don't need to kneel. You're not a member of the Fu family, so you have no reason to kneel."

Xu Qingcheng's mind was buzzing.

"A man's knees are worth gold; he kneels to heaven, to earth, and to his ancestors and parents. Young man, your kneeling is well-deserved." Fu Shiqing stood up, opened the box on the table, and inside lay a ruler lying quietly.

Fu Shiqing took it out and pointed at Fu Pinghui, saying, "If a son is not taught, it is the father's fault. You come here, I'm too old to be strong anymore. If this kid doesn't learn his lesson today, he'll cause trouble in the future."

The man who had been silent stood up, and Fu Pinghui took the ruler from his father's hand. "It's my fault for not teaching him well."

The calm and serious words startled Xu Qingcheng, making her heart pound.

She thought that once she arrived here, they would ask her how she wanted to handle the situation, what her conditions were, and what the Fu family's attitude was.

But since she came in, no one has asked her any questions, or even bothered to discern the truth or falsehood in her words. After all this, she has absolutely no idea what to do.

Zhong Wanxiu walked to her side and pulled her aside to separate them, so as not to hurt innocent people.

"Miss Xu, this is not your fault. It is Jingting who made the mistake." There seemed to be a sigh in his voice.

Xu Qingcheng didn't understand.

She turned her head and saw that Fu Pinghui had already reached Fu Jingting's side. Without saying a word, Fu Jingting had already taken off his shirt.

He knelt on the ground, his hands resting on his thighs, his arms bare, and his entire back muscles were taut from the effort he was putting into it.

The ruler struck the man's back heavily.

With a loud crack, a heavy thud.

Fu Jingting gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

There was a noticeable red and swollen mark on his back.

Fu Pinghui's hands didn't stop, the ruler striking Xu Qingcheng's back again and again. Xu Qingcheng watched as he endured the cold sweat pouring down his forehead, and she was also terrified. She wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it.

"Auntie." She looked at Zhong Wanxiu beside her, only to find that she was no longer standing beside her and had returned to her seat.

Zhong Wanxiu turned her back, not looking at Fu Jingting, as if out of sight, out of mind.

The two elderly people at the head of the table were either drinking tea or sitting, completely calm, and showed no intention of stopping.

The sound of the ruler hitting flesh drilled into Xu Qingcheng's ears, making her uneasy as she watched the wounds pile up, turning purple where they overlapped.

Xu Qingcheng's face was a little pale. Perhaps she had underestimated some things. She thought that the Fu family would care and would agree to negotiate with her, but after this inexplicable conversation, she knew that the Fu family would not accept her.

Unable to bear it any longer, she rushed directly in front of Fu Jingting.

Fu Pinghui quickly stopped to avoid hurting him.

"Uncle, I already said I..."

As soon as Xu Qingcheng opened her mouth, Fu Jingting's forehead twitched violently. He grabbed her hand with one hand and used the other hand to push himself up. "Shut up."

The voice was very cold.

Xu Qingcheng looked at him, her lips pressed tightly together, tears welling up in her eyes.

Fu Jingting gritted his teeth, wiping her face haphazardly with his hands, not caring that the elders were around, and started cursing, "If you fucking shed another tear, I'll get beaten up again."

Xu Qingcheng was taken aback and suddenly looked up at him.

Fu Pinghui asked her, "Miss Xu, do you know why he was beaten?"

Xu Qingcheng pursed her lips. She understood that it was probably because he was engaged, yet he was still entangled with her and had gotten her pregnant.

But Xu Qingcheng couldn't bring herself to say those words.

Fu Pinghui's face darkened slightly. "What he did violated social norms and caused trouble for our elders and parents; that was his fault. The mother of a Fu family child must be married off properly and in a grand manner. If it were consensual, then it would be fine if he had conceived out of wedlock. But since you want to abort the child, it means you didn't intend to marry him, which is his grave mistake. Miss Xu, a father's fault is the father's fault for not teaching his son properly. Wasn't it right for me to teach him a lesson today?"

Xu Qingcheng pursed her lips. "I didn't say I didn't want to marry him."

That was her original intention, so she gritted her teeth and said it, not daring to look at Fu Jingting's face afterward.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wenyu put down her teacup. "Girl, I understand what you mean. You're willing to marry me."

Then the old lady looked directly at Fu Jingting, "The Fu family has no precedent for abortion, unless there's a genuine problem with the child that prevents delivery. Since this girl is willing to marry, you have no right to refuse. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The man lowered his eyes and looked at Xu Qingcheng, asking her, "Are you sure?"

Xu Qingcheng slightly raised her head to meet his deep gaze. She gritted her teeth and answered crisply, "I'm sure."

Seeing her resolute expression, Fu Jingting clicked his tongue, his voice carrying a slightly frivolous tone, "Since she dares to marry, then I dare to marry her."