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

"Mr. Fu, I have no ulterior motives towards you. You don't need to share your assets with me, and I won't interfere with your cooperation with the Tang family. I have my own job and income, so you don't need to worry about me. My son doesn't lack a father, and he doesn't need you to give him extra fatherly love. We won't bother you too much in your life." Tang Tang racked her brains to dispel his doubts. "You see, marrying me won't bring you any trouble, and there are actually many benefits."

She spoke to him in a tone as if she were coaxing a child to give him candy, listing out the details clearly and concisely.

"After we get married, your family won't pressure you to get married anymore, and you won't need to let unrelated women nitpick and judge you because you're disabled or useless. Plus, I can show off our love in front of the elders so you don't get tired of being nagged. If one day you find a girl you like, and she likes you too, you can divorce me and be with her, or you can stay married and be with her—it's up to you. Or if you just want to keep the marriage going and have affairs on the side, as long as your health allows, I have no objections. Most importantly, your business partnerships with the Tang family won't be affected."

She counted on her fingers, one by one, and then looked at him with her bright, clear eyes, giving him an expression that said, "Look how great these conditions are, you absolutely can't miss them." "Well, my situation is very simple. I just need a room."

With each word she spoke, the veins on Fu Pingxiu's forehead tightened, the meaning in her words piercing and stabbing at his wounds, yet her soft and gentle voice was like a handful of feathers brushing against every pore of his body.

The man's anger flared up instantly, as if his forehead were about to burst open. He suddenly shouted, "Shut up!"

Tang Tang fell silent instantly after being suddenly yelled at by him.

This person has changed so much. Even though we didn't have much contact, he was quite gentle in our tender moments. Back then, he always had a smile on his face when he talked to others.

The phrase "Young Master Ruyu" refers to the next successor of the Fu family, who rose to the top at a young age.

The man in the wheelchair now exudes a cold aura, his face as frosty as ice. His temper is hidden in his voice, making one's heart pound as if it were about to be crushed by him at any moment.

This is not the same person at all.

Tang Tang tried hard to control her wildly beating heart, constantly telling herself not to be afraid, that he couldn't stand up.

In terms of flexibility, he can't compare to you.

With his ears finally at peace, Fu Pingxiu took a breath and tried to calm his temper, his gaze sweeping coldly over her.

The woman looked like a trembling little white rabbit, as if she would run away if he said another word.

He felt inexplicably irritated. He didn't like this kind of woman; he always felt she was a nuisance. They weren't on the same wavelength, and even communication was difficult.

However, the marriage alliance with the Tang family was already agreed upon; it was merely a strategy to further solidify the chain of interests.

However, Tang Kaiji's deliberate concealment of her childbirth did make him suspicious, wondering what other tricks this old fox was up to.

He wanted to learn something from her, but she evaded the question and talked about irrelevant things.

"Even if I don't have many options, I can easily choose someone better than you." Fu Pingxiu's face was very serious.

Years ago, a messy and vulgar affair unexpectedly brought her back to him, this time as his marriage partner.

Fu Pingxiu couldn't help but overthink it.

Even though the child had nothing to do with him, he couldn't help but overthink it.

What he said seems to make sense.

Tang Tang sighed, thinking that it really wasn't that easy.

"So, you called me here to tell me you don't want to marry me?" Tang Tang pursed her lips. "Besides me, Kejia is the only other eligible daughter in the Tang family. If your leg were still intact, it would be a wonderful thing. But now, she won't be happy, otherwise she wouldn't have asked me to fill the gap. You agreed to the marriage alliance with me, but now you're refusing."

She paused for a moment, then said, "So, this is the second time you've rejected me."

Her voice always seemed so gentle, yet Fu Pingxiu could still detect a faint sigh in it.

"Wouldn't it be better to make do for now? The day you're able to stand up again, that Miss Shen might come back to you. I won't stop you. But if it's someone else, with a marriage involved, it won't be easy for you to handle." Tang Tang frowned and looked at him, her voice lowering slightly, "I'm very obedient, you know that."

Her voice was low, so low it was like whispering in your ear in the dark, and even from such a distance, you could almost feel her warm breath.

I'm very obedient, you know that.

It felt like insects had crawled into my ear; it was numb and itchy.

Stirring up long-forgotten memories, the woman covered his eyes with her hands and pressed her lips to his earlobe, "I'm very obedient, whatever you say goes."

A fleeting affair, clean and tidy, without causing any trouble, like a man's drunken revelry that leaves no trace when he wakes up.

Easily forgotten.

That's why I found it hard to believe when I saw her photo again.

Fu Pingxiu closed his eyes briefly. "Remember what you said."

Tang Tang's dimmed eyes suddenly brightened, her smiling eyes crinkling, "Of course, I always keep my word."

"Is your son with you or his father?" Fu Pingxiu's voice was still cold, but his tone was no longer so tense.

"If I get married, his father will take him with him." Tang Tang carefully observed his expression. "I'll go back to be with him whenever I have time. If he misses me, he can come to see me. Of course, I'll rent an apartment; I won't bring him here."

He paused for a moment, then added, "If you don't need my help, I can live in an apartment on my own. I'll come when you need me."

Now that she knew about her child, Tang Tang decided to stop hiding it and tell her everything.

After she finished speaking, Fu Pingxiu suddenly raised his eyebrows, his sharp brows radiating coldness, yet his gaze held a deeper meaning. His voice, like icy water, was cold to the extreme yet warm nonetheless, "Need you? Need what from you?"

Her cheeks flushed instantly, and she realized that her words had been somewhat vague. Tang Tang bit her lip lightly, "Do you need me to go home with you to see your parents, or attend an event?"

Fu Pingxiu didn't ask any more questions, only saying, "I hope you're not hiding anything from me."

"No. Absolutely not." Tang Tang shook her head. "Marriages between wealthy families are all about interests. Even if I didn't marry you, I would have married someone else. If you could give me some freedom, I would be extremely grateful."

The conversation has come to an end.

Fu Pinxiu asked Zhou Qian to take her home.

Tang Tang said goodbye to him very politely. Her voice was relaxed, and her tone sounded like she was laughing.

Zhou Qian saw her off and watched the car leave. Tang Tang hurriedly grabbed her phone and dialed a number, "Yuan Kui, there's something you need to help me with."

A commotion erupted on the other end of the phone. Zheng Yuankui grabbed the jumping Tang Mosen, "Help with what? As long as you take this brat away, I'll help you with anything!"

Tangtang, "..."

I just want you to take care of this brat for a while longer...

The next morning, when Zhou Qian arrived, Fu Pinxiu was in the rehabilitation room. He was wearing a black vest, and in the cool morning air, his chest was soaked with sweat, making it a darker color.

The man supports himself on the rehabilitation equipment on both sides, which resembles parallel bars, to help him stand.

Because of the exertion, the muscles in the entire shoulder and back clenched into a strong and resilient force, while the muscles in the arms clung tightly to the bones, outlining a solid and robust physique.

Judging from this, they must have been practicing for a long time.

Zhou Qian walked over and handed him the crutches.

Fu Pingxiu took the crutches and easily moved to a resting bench on the side, tucked them under his armpits. If it weren't for his legs, this man would be no different from a normal person.

He casually wiped his face with a towel. The man's sharp features were flushed from the exercise, which softened his cold and aloof demeanor. He put down the towel, placed his palm on his left thigh, and stomped his calf on the ground.

Zhou Qian noticed the veins on his forehead suddenly bulging. "Chen Dong said you're in better shape than ever before. You can't be too hasty."

Fu Pingxiu hummed in agreement. He took a deep breath to calm his tense nerves. It had been so long that he had almost forgotten what it felt like to stand up.

"I've already had breakfast."

Zhou Qian would come over early in the morning to accompany him during his rehabilitation training, and then they would have breakfast.

Fu Pingxiu's daily routine of going to bed at dusk and contemplating the morning was as regular as that of a man in his sixties or seventies. Especially in recent years, after Fu Jingting joined the Fu family, he only served as an advisor and remained behind the scenes. This habit had settled down over the years.

Even if he rejoins the Fu family now, nothing will change.

But clearly, the time is messed up today.

"Why are you up so early today?" Zhou Qian asked.

The man had already sat in his wheelchair and pushed it into the bathroom, completely ignoring Zhou Qian's question.

Seeing the bathroom door close, Zhou Qian raised an eyebrow and went to eat breakfast.

The entire room was arranged according to Fu Pingxiu's living habits, and he could move freely in the room without anyone's assistance.

The aftereffects of the car accident damaged his nerves; for the first two years, he couldn't even use the slightest bit of strength, and now...

The water rushed down from above, blurring his vision. Fu Pingxiu closed his eyes briefly. He had a strong sense of time. Because of the series of problems caused by the initial car accident, he had become extremely thin. In order to recover his physical functions as quickly as possible, he strictly controlled his schedule, which eventually became a habit.

But last night a voice bothered him and made him very angry.

"No, it's too big, I can't eat it..."

Her coquettish voice, tinged with a sob, was so enticing it made my bones itch.

Fu Pingxiu snapped the shower switch on and turned it in the opposite direction, and cold water gushed down.

……

The banquet with the Tang family was scheduled at Chenghai Restaurant.

Tang Kaiji took an early flight this morning and arrived just in time.

He hadn't originally planned to attend the banquet, but Fu Pinghui and his wife wanted to meet the guests first, so they sent a few of the younger generation over. He would only show up once everything was finalized.

As a result, Fu Pingxiu suddenly asked about Tang Tang's child last night. Fearing that things might change, Tang Kaiji immediately booked the earliest flight to Ancheng.

Zhong Wanxiu didn't have much of an opinion about Tang Tang herself, since she had never met her. However, the Tang family in Jincheng had a criminal background and later went into business to clean up their image, but it was still ingrained in their bones, so they couldn't completely clean up their image. She had dealt with these people before, and their methods were different from normal people. She had also suffered losses from hiring them before.

Zhong Wanxiu just couldn't understand why she had to be associated with the Tang family.

It was originally intended that only Fu Pinghui and his wife, along with Fu Pinxiu, would attend, but to avoid the event appearing lonely and cold, Fu Pinghui asked Fu Jingting and his wife, along with their youngest daughter, to come along.

They said they should keep an eye on each other.

In reality, everyone knew that it was just a formality. The eldest brother made the decision himself, and apart from our parents, who else dared to say a word?

The Tang family had arrived. Zhong Wanxiu stared at the petite woman, who was very gentle and politely called her "Auntie."

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a touch of coquettishness.

She wasn't as arrogant as Tang Kejia.

The thought of her having a child out of wedlock made Zhong Wanxiu feel uncomfortable, so she kept a straight face and didn't show any kindness. She just hummed in response.

Tang Tang coughed lightly. Her voice was naturally like that, and even though she tried to sound tougher, her voice still didn't change.

Seeing that Zhong Wanxiu's expression was not good, he didn't dare to say anything more, knowing in his heart that she was dissatisfied with him.

She quietly turned her head to look at the man in the wheelchair, who was talking to Fu Pinghui and Tang Kaiji. Even though he was in a wheelchair, his elbows were lightly pressed on the armrests on both sides of the wheelchair, and his hands were clasped together in front of him. He was thoughtful and composed when he replied, showing no signs of being at a disadvantage.

Tang Tang withdrew her gaze and sat quietly in her seat, her eyes lowered, unsure if there were any changes in the situation.

Only after the two elderly people were seated did Fu Pingxiu push his wheelchair to her side. Knowing that he wanted to sit next to her, Tang Tang hurriedly got up.

Zhou Qian followed behind Fu Pingxiu and helped him sit down in his seat.

Tang Tang subconsciously reached out to help, her palm resting on the man's arm. Fu Pingxiu looked up at her, then pulled his arm back and grabbed her hand.

Before she could even react, her hand was grabbed, and a sudden downward force pulled her to the side, causing her to crash into him.

He swallowed his screams, his first thought being that he was doomed and she would knock him to the ground.

With a soft thud, the extremely slight sound of bodies colliding exploded in her ears. The man's fresh, clean scent filled her nostrils. Tang Tang looked up and saw that he was sitting steadily in his seat, while she was half-lying on him in a very ungraceful posture, her buttocks sticking up high.

Her face flushed red, and she hurriedly stood up straight, only to realize that her hand was still being held in his palm. She quickly pulled her hand back and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Zhou Qian had already pushed the wheelchair away. Tang Tang hurriedly straightened the seat, smoothed her skirt down, and sat down properly, pretending to be nonchalant.

This made my heart race.

She haphazardly inserted the tips of disposable wooden chopsticks into the handles, trying to calm herself down by doing something.

I also helped him stick his chopsticks back together.

As she set out the chopsticks, the man unfolded the napkin in front of him, glanced at her, and said, "My hand is fine."

Tang Tang silently withdrew her hand. "Just doing it on the spur of the moment."

Fu Pingxiu glanced at her with his cold gaze, then looked away indifferently.

Tang Tang casually reached out to adjust the collar of her right dress, her palm sliding diagonally down her right shoulder and gently massaging her chest.

It hurts.

The impact felt like hitting metal; it hurt so much I wanted to scream, but I couldn't even properly rub it.

Fu Pingxiu's eyes swept over her movements, his fingers lightly twirling the napkin.

He admitted that he felt a moment of malice.

Even if he can't stand up, it doesn't mean he has no strength.

But he couldn't help but caress the remaining softness between his fingers, and the tenderness of her half-body bumping against his shoulder.

Half of it was burned numb like a ball of flame.

When Fu Jingting arrived, Zhong Wanxiu looked behind him and asked, "Where's Qingcheng? Didn't she come with you?"

"She came by herself. Hasn't she arrived yet?" Fu Jingting looked around but didn't see her, so he took his phone and went outside to make a call.

"Jingting." Tang Kejia came out after washing her hands and bumped into him, greeting him warmly, "Why are you going out?"

She was dressed semi-formally today, wearing high heels with black straight-leg pants and a printed Hong Kong-style blouse, looking intellectual and elegant.

"My wife hasn't arrived yet." He said, stepping out of the room. Tang Kejia's smile froze for a moment. She twirled the pendant she was holding to her chest and took a deep breath.

……

"Get out of the way!"

Xu Qingcheng was pinned against the wall, the mottled wall behind her making her face appear even more exquisite and cold. Her voice was as cold as the coldest icicle, piercing straight into her heart.

If the pain lasts too long, you'll become numb, to the point that it feels abnormal not to feel pain at all.

The sound of her sweet, coquettish voice still echoes in my mind; the mere mention of "Brother Hong" makes my heart flutter, and I wish I could present the whole world to her. But now, even getting close to her feels like a luxury.

The man chuckled softly, his arm braced against the wall beside her face. Layers of peeling paint crumbled from his palm, accompanied by the sound of his laughter, which carried an indescribable sense of desolation.

"You have no conscience." Ye Tinghong's gaze fell on her cold, beautiful face. "If it weren't for me, you would have been eaten by those villagers just now. And now you're telling me to get out of the way?"

His voice was low and deep, carrying an inexplicable chill. As he finished speaking, he suddenly leaned forward, pressing their bodies tightly together.

Xu Qingcheng jerked her head back to avoid his close-up face, and her shiny black hair was covered in dust.

The cell phone in her pants pocket rang loudly, but her hands were pinned behind her back and she couldn't move at all.