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

Yu Shinan had just returned to his office after making his rounds and was lighting a cigarette when he heard no response. "Did you dial the wrong number or what? If you're not going to say anything, I'm hanging up."

A man's low chuckle suddenly came through the receiver, "What do you want to eat? Fish? Tell him."

Yu Shinan listened intently. The words didn't sound like they were being spoken to him; it sounded like someone was asking for someone else's opinion. And it must have been a woman; her voice was so damn obnoxious.

Xu Qingcheng nodded haphazardly, her voice trembling slightly, "I'm fine with anything, you can order it."

She reached out and grabbed his arm, her expression pleading. Only then did Fu Jingting release her, speaking into his phone, "My wife wants to eat fish. Spicy and sour fish."

Yu Shinan's face darkened. "Tsk, you're far too self-aware!"

The phone disconnected with a click.

The man's eyes also turned a deep color. He smiled and kissed her, "I also want to eat fish, mermaids that are all water."

Tang Kejia knocked on Tangtang's door. "Coming."

The door was opened, revealing a delicate and charming face. Her eyebrows were graceful and gentle, and her smile was like that of a beautiful woman in the misty rain of Jiangnan.

She looked up and saw Tang Kejia, then asked her, "Shall we go eat now?"

Her voice was soft, sweet, and cloying, a natural tone that sounded like she was being coquettish.

Men might like her voice, but women might not.

Tang Kejia frowned. She didn't actually have much interaction with Tang Tang. Over the generations, the Tang family had developed to the point that, strictly speaking, only the main branch of the family could be considered true members of the Tang family.

Those collateral branches are merely people who have taken the Tang surname. Some of them don't even have a single share of the Tang family anymore, but they still call themselves members of the Tang family of Jincheng. They just want a good reputation and hope that others will respect them when things happen.

The Tang family is one such example, a branch of a branch.

If she hadn't been so obedient, Tang Kaiji wouldn't have kept her in the Tang family and taken such good care of her.

To put it nicely, it's called taking care of someone; to put it bluntly, it's just raising a skinny horse.

For wealthy families like theirs, some relationships inevitably have to be handled through marriage. Marrying someone of similar age is fine, but if the person they marry is an old man or has a hidden illness, it's always difficult for their children to live with him.

Tang Kejia actually looked down on these people, even though she herself had once been at the very bottom.

In Tang Kejia's mind, even though she was Tang Kaiji's illegitimate daughter, she had officially recognized her ancestral home, and whether she could gain the greatest recognition ultimately depended on her own abilities.

"Pack your things, Fu Pingxiu wants to meet with you first."

Tang Tang's beautiful eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Didn't we say we'd go together tomorrow?"

"He arranged for someone to come and pick you up; they'll be waiting for you downstairs," Tang Kejia said, sounding somewhat impatient.

Tang Tang said "Oh," turned around, put on her coat, and came out carrying her small bag. "Did they say what it was about?"

"Fu Pinxiu's mother doesn't quite agree," Tang Kejia frowned. "They already know you've had a child."

Tang Tang suddenly stopped walking, her expression turning pale. "Then, what do we do?"

"The Tang family doesn't have anyone more suitable. My father's idea is that you have to find a way to stay." Tang Kejia looked at her. "Fu Pingxiu is the best among all the previous marriage proposals. Your father has been very considerate of you. Don't think that just because you've had a child you can find someone to marry on your own. Yang Binshi from the south of Jincheng was also very interested in you when he saw you last time, but he's already in his fifties or sixties. Your father also wants to find you the best possible match, but you have to be ambitious yourself. Otherwise, you can forget about taking that child with you."

The fingers loosened and tightened, then loosened again.

Tangtang finally nodded.

"Good that you understand," Tang Kejia said, looking at her with a hint of disdain. "If you go tonight, just stay. You're more skilled at this than anyone else, so I don't need to teach you."

Tangtang's face flushed red, then turned pale, then flushed red again, but she didn't say a word.

Zhou Qian waited for Tang Tang downstairs, and Tang Kejia introduced the two of them.

Zhou Qian remained silent throughout the journey, while Tang Tang's heart pounded wildly. The car drove quite a distance, heading west from their lodgings.

The western part of Ancheng is all mountains, with overlapping peaks and lush greenery. However, it was already late, and the dark shadows of the roadside plants and mountains, illuminated by the streetlights, loomed into the van like monsters rushing in.

Tang Tang's heart tightened, but Zhou Qian suddenly spoke up, "Miss Tang, is your son five years old this year?"

"Not yet." Tang Tang's voice was a little tense, but her tone was still soft as she spoke, "Four years and one month old."

Zhou Qian's forehead throbbed slightly. Her voice, even when she was saying the most normal things, was evocative in the darkness.

The car was parked outside the villa in Jinxiu Mountain City.

Tang Tang got out of the car and followed behind Zhou Qian. She was wearing a dress and a jacket, and flat shoes. According to her information, she was twenty-seven years old this year, two years older than Tang Kejia, but perhaps because of her petite figure, she looked very delicate and young.

She doesn't look like a mother of a four-year-old at all.

The Hui-style architecture features high-hanging wooden beams and exquisite stone carvings. The courtyard is a harmonious blend of mountains and water, with a subtle fusion of calmness and refinement. The gentle murmur of water has a strangely soothing effect, but Tangtang can't calm down.

Following Zhou Qian inside, the room was brightly lit, its light spilling down everywhere, creating a stark contrast with the darkness outside.

"Young Master, Miss Tang has arrived." Zhou Qian stood by the door without going any further in, and then left.

Tang Tang stopped as well, looking at the man in front of her. He was sitting in a wheelchair with his profile sharp, facing away from her.

I heard that he was in a car accident a few years ago and injured his leg, so he can't stand up anymore.

Therefore, his original engagement is no longer valid.

We need to choose another person for a marriage alliance.

Fu Pingxiu pushed the wheelchair with his hand, turned around, his face was cold, and his eyes were fixed on her like daggers.

Tang Tang was slightly taken aback, vaguely feeling that the photo looked somewhat similar.

When I saw the person, I realized they really looked alike.

Fu Pingxiu looked at the woman standing at the door in the distance. She was delicate and pretty, with big, watery eyes, like a little white rabbit.

His gaze swept over her body inch by inch. He wasn't familiar with her face, but it wasn't completely unfamiliar either.

A cold, calculating smile curved the man's lips. "Tang Tang?"

"I am," she whispered, her voice drifting into my ears.

The tone was unique, like a handful of feathers gently brushing against one's heart, soft and melodious like a seductive melody.

The distant voice, tinged with sobs, seemed to travel through time and space into my ears, tugging at my nerves like a lingering thread: "Be gentle, it hurts so much."

Fu Pingxiu's arm, which was resting on the wheelchair, suddenly tightened. His sharp eyes were fixed on her, his cheeks taut from the pressure. "Why did the Tang family hide the fact that you had given birth to a child from me?"

"I was afraid you wouldn't marry me. So I wanted to tell you later. The Tang family doesn't have any other women of marriageable age," Tang Tang said softly. "A marriage alliance would be good for both sides."

The man chuckled abruptly, "But the Tang family isn't a must-have for me."

"I know. But you... you can't even stand up now." Tang Tang paused. "It's not easy for you to choose now, and no woman wants to live a life of widowhood, otherwise your previous engagement wouldn't have been canceled. Now, you can marry me first. I have a child, and I don't ask you to... you know. We can talk it over properly. Whatever you ask for, I can agree to it."

She spoke slowly, her voice soft and pleasant, yet it felt like a whip coated in salt water lashing straight at a wound.

Fu Pinxiu felt like strangling her.