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

"During the last family dinner, Jingting mentioned that his health is fine now, and he's worried about hindering your career, so he still suggested you take a job at the hospital. I thought about it and agreed. It was my own selfish decision before, but after what happened, I'm always extra worried." Zhong Wanxiu and Wen Fei chatted as they strolled around.

"I know, Jingting told me about it last time. I've been discussing it with my dad lately, and we've selected a few hospitals we want to try."

"If you need any help, just let me know. Although your father has some resources in this area, Jingting is also involved in the medical industry and has some connections, so it's only right that he help you."

People say that starting a new relationship brings a new look to life, and Zhong Wanxiu was well aware of this. Jingting's previous marriage, which was so short it was practically nonexistent, still left him with indelible wounds.

Even though he's back now and physically fine, his heart is gone. Zhong Wanxiu can't see happiness in him, and as his mother, she feels terrible too.

Even Fu Sichen, who was slow to react, said, "Mom, I'm a little scared of my second brother."

Zhong Wanxiu asked her, "Weren't you afraid of him before?"

"It's different now. Although my second brother has a sharp tongue, he wouldn't really punish me. We could still joke around. Now, looking at that unsmiling face makes me scared. It's better not to provoke him. What if he suddenly explodes and blows me up?"

Everyone could see that Zhong Wanxiu just wanted him to be happy and start a new relationship. It wasn't that she insisted on Wen Fei, but he wasn't willing to go on blind dates with her. How could there be a relationship without getting to know someone?

Fortunately, Wen Fei was by her side, and Zhong Wanxiu could tell that Wen Fei had feelings for Jing Ting.

So she was willing to try to match them up, regardless of whether it would work out or not, at least let them talk and give it a try!

Wen Fei was happy to hear Zhong Wanxiu say she needed Fu Jingting's help, but she still said, "Auntie, no need. I've already troubled him enough. It was already bad enough that I made him act in front of my father last time. I'm sorry, Auntie, I just wanted to put my father at ease."

"Hey, what's the big deal? Life is like a play, and this might just become real." I thought the two kids had something on their minds but were handling it discreetly during the hot pot dinner that day, but it turned out they were just acting.

In fact, Fu Pinghui and his wife are quite open-minded. They don't have the idea that they must be well-matched in terms of social status; as long as the two people feel it's right for them, that's enough. Moreover, Wen Liyan is truly a great benefactor to their family, and Wen Fei is gentle and sensible—there's nothing wrong with that.

So the couple went there specifically to express their stance to Wen Liyan that day. Wen Liyan didn't say much or make any demands, only saying that the young people should handle their own affairs.

That was perfect, as Mr. and Mrs. Fu Pinghui shared the same idea. After chatting for a while, they left happily.

Little did anyone expect that just a few days later she would suggest to Jingting that Feifei come home more often to sit and have a meal together, since they were practically engaged.

Then Fu Jingting said very calmly, "Mom, that day Wen Fei wanted Uncle Wen to rest assured and not worry about her too much. She said she didn't want to go on blind dates everywhere anymore."

In other words, you're overthinking it; we're fake.

When he said that, Fu Pinghui almost slammed his fist on the table. "You're not a child anymore, you've been through marriage and divorce, how can you be so shallow? Can you just lie about something like this? How is your Uncle Wen supposed to get along with us after this?"

Fu Jingting remained silent and offered no explanation, only saying, "Just letting you know."

Seeing that her husband was completely enraged, Zhong Wanxiu quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, alright, things are already like this. We know about it, but what are you going to do about your Uncle Wen?"

"The doctor said he doesn't have many years left to live, so I will take good care of him as much as possible."

Zhong Wanxiu's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she heard this. "You mean you're going to act alongside Wen Fei in front of your Uncle Wen? Isn't that just misleading yourself and others?"

"Wen Fei has someone she likes, so it has nothing to do with me anymore." Fu Jingting's voice was very calm and even, so calm that it almost ignited Zhong Wanxiu's anger.

"And what about you? If Wen Fei never finds anyone she likes, and your Uncle Wen's illness continues to improve, are you just going to stay away from dating and finding a girlfriend?"

"Um."

As soon as he uttered that "hmm," Zhong Wanxiu lost her temper and threw the chopsticks at him.

Fu Pinghui was startled. He would never see Zhong Wanxiu do such a thing, which was so unbecoming of her family and manners, even in her own home. She was furious.

As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his mother. From the very first sentence he uttered, Zhong Wanxiu had already guessed the ending.

He specifically told his parents that this was all an act and that he didn't need to treat Wen Fei as his fiancée. However, he would take care of Uncle Wen, so they could continue acting for the time being and not bother introducing him to any more blind dates, since he had no intention of dating or getting married in the next few years anyway.

Zhong Wanxiu's chest heaved violently. "Are you prepared to be alone like this for the rest of your life?"

Fu Jingting didn't say anything, but simply picked up the chopsticks and put them on the table. He then wiped the dirt off his shirt with a tissue, stood up calmly, and said, "I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."

Zhong Wanxiu was so angry she was about to have a heart attack.

But we also know that once he's made up his mind, no one can change it.

After feeling miserable for more than a week, Zhong Wanxiu decided to come to terms with it. Since he didn't want to see anyone else, he still had to pretend with Wen Fei in front of Wen Liyan. It wouldn't be bad if the two of them could develop feelings for each other.

Fu Pinghui didn't want her to interfere, and besides, matters of the heart can't be rushed. Jingting's health hadn't been fully recovered for long, so it was better to let things take their course and wait a while.

But Zhong Wanxiu thought, "Fu Jingting will be thirty soon. Time flies. In another three to five years, you'll have to find a wife. Even if you do, you might not be able to get married. And even if you get married, having children might not be so easy. If it's difficult to have children, it could take six or seven years, until you're in your forties."

Oh my god……

Zhong Wanxiu found the thought terrifying.

Look, at least the eldest has Fu Mosen. He's a bit mischievous, but his athletic ability is amazing. Even so, he's still adorable. It's only been a blink of an eye since he turned seven.

As she gets older year by year, she can understand why the old lady wants a great-grandchild.

It's just that we can't outlast time.

So after much deliberation, Zhong Wanxiu felt she had to help the two of them and create some opportunities for them. She also wanted to spend more time with Wen Fei so that Jing Ting wouldn't be so cold to people.

That's why I arranged to meet Wen Fei to go shopping and buy some things.

What's being acted out might just become real...

Zhong Wanxiu's words warmed Wen Fei's heart, and she smiled shyly with her eyebrows curving upwards.

"Don't be shy," Zhong Wanxiu said with a smile. "I know you have feelings for Jingting, and you know about his past situation. I'm afraid he..."

"Auntie, I know," Wen Fei interrupted Zhong Wanxiu. "I know everything, it's okay, I don't care. If I cared, I wouldn't have actually fallen for her."

Once she admitted it, Zhong Wanxiu knew what was going on and was overjoyed.

As the two passed by the X counter, Wen Fei said, "Isn't that the brand we bought at the jewelry exhibition?"

Zhong Wanxiu saw it too, but she didn't plan to go in, so she didn't respond to Wen Fei's words and turned away, afraid that if they met again, it would be awkward.

Since we're no longer related, anything I say will feel like I'm speaking too intimately with someone I don't know well.

Zhong Wanxiu thought that this was her opinion, and Qingcheng probably thought the same way when she saw her.

Oh dear, how did so many things happen? If it weren't for those things, Jingting and his wife might be living happily ever after, and that child could be calling her grandma by now.

That time, it was the first time Zhong Wanxiu had ever seen a grown man with tears in his eyes. He said that she had aborted the child.

It wasn't because she didn't want the child; it was because Xu Qingcheng was so heartless as to not want the child because she had no feelings for him.

When it comes to feelings, if you don't like someone, you just don't like them, and you have to suffer the pain to the bone.

Thinking of Xu Qingcheng, Zhong Wanxiu felt a little dazed. It was only when Wen Fei pulled her arm and reminded her that she saw Xu Qingcheng and the man beside her.

Unexpectedly, this deliberate avoidance resulted in a direct collision.

The feeling between the two of them was very natural.

Zhong Wanxiu's gaze instinctively fell on Xie Yin. He was indeed handsome, but he also seemed quite philandering.

"Auntie," Xu Qingcheng greeted her hurriedly, "Are you here to buy something?"

"Hmm, let's browse around. Pick out a gift for a friend." Zhong Wanxiu looked at her. If you're talking about beauty, how can Wen Fei compare to Xu Qingcheng?

But what can she do if she doesn't like her own son? She's ruthless in her actions; she can only do that if she truly doesn't care about him.

The conversation ended after a couple of short pleasantries.

Xu Qingcheng's gaze fell on Wen Fei's face. Wen Fei's spring outfit today looked very nice.

Standing next to Zhong Wanxiu, the two were so affectionate that they looked just like a mother and daughter.

Xu Qingcheng suddenly felt a pang of pain in her heart. She remembered that night when Wen Fei stood beside Fu Jingting, and together they poured red wine into the wine tower.

How did she manage to read it with tears in her eyes?

She felt that those delicate strands of wine and color, symbolizing prosperity and warmth, had all turned into the blood flowing from her heart.

The pain was so intense that she could barely breathe.

So, this is what Fu Jingting likes.

Not her.

The person who was just smiling now turned pale. Xie Yin glanced at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xu Qingcheng shook her head.

"The bracelet on your wrist," Xie Yin reminded her.

"Oh, never mind, I don't really like it either." Xu Qingcheng hurriedly took off the bracelet, her movements trembling slightly, and she couldn't take it off properly even after several attempts.

Xie Yin simply took her hand, helped her take it off, and handed it back to the sales clerk, saying, "Sorry, my girlfriend doesn't really like it. Let's look around some more."

His response remained very official.

Xie Yin noticed that something was wrong with her and, not wanting to linger any longer, decided to leave.

Wen Fei sweetly asked, "Miss Xu, are you and your boyfriend here to choose jewelry?"

"Ah, no..."

Xu Qingcheng wanted to explain, but since they had tried and tried here, it wouldn't be good to deny it, so she simply kept quiet.

They simply said, "Aunties, please continue your shopping. We have other things to do, so we'll be leaving now."

Xie Yin nodded politely to Zhong Wanxiu and left.

Wen Fei took Zhong Wanxiu's hand and said, "Auntie, let's go for another stroll over there."

"Feifei, I'm a little tired." Zhong Wanxiu suddenly didn't want to shop anymore and had no desire to buy anything at all.

Wen Fei wasn't really keen on shopping, since older people and younger people have very different tastes. Although Zhong Wanxiu has good taste, they are still at different age levels.

Wen Liyan divorced his wife many years ago, and Wen Fei has always lived with her father. She hasn't communicated much with her mother since she was a teenager. It was only in recent years that her mother started to contact her more often because her life has improved. Therefore, Wen Fei actually has little experience communicating with older women. When they are together, apart from going along with what they say, she often can't find topics to talk about.

Especially in front of Zhong Wanxiu, she was even more afraid of saying the wrong thing, and she felt tired every time she racked her brains.

The two then went their separate ways.

Only after leaving the mall and breathing fresh air did Xu Qingcheng's complexion improve.

Xie Yin looked at her. "Who was that just now?"

"Fu Jingting's mother."

"Oh, your ex-mother-in-law."

Xu Qingcheng suddenly glared at him, and Xie Yin chuckled at her inexplicable glare. "What, am I wrong? What else should I say? Your ex-husband's mother?"

"Are you never going to stop?"

"Okay, then who's that woman next to me?"

Xu Qingcheng gritted her teeth. Even though she had mentally prepared herself countless times, she still felt sad when she actually encountered it. She remained silent to calm herself down before saying, "Fu Jingting's fiancée."

Xie Yin glanced at her, pondered for a long time, and finally managed to utter two words: "Please accept my condolences."

Xu Qingcheng's head throbbed with pain, and she really wanted to find something to hit him with. She said angrily, "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak."

Xie Yin hummed in agreement.

Xu Qingcheng was in no mood to talk to him anymore. "I'm leaving now. I have someone to look at houses with this afternoon."

"I'll treat you to lunch." Xie Yin glanced at the time. "Don't think I'm taking advantage of you as your boss."

"I don't want to eat."

"Xu Qingcheng, have you noticed that you act strangely whenever Fu Jingting is mentioned?" Xie Yin couldn't stand it anymore. "Is this man really that good?"

Xu Qingcheng stopped talking. Whether it was good or bad, it had nothing to do with her anymore; he was someone else's man.

"I'm leaving."

"Wait a minute," Xie Yin called out to her. He walked over to her and said, "I just think your ex-mother-in-law looks familiar. Don't glare at me; I'm talking to you about something important."

Xie Yin took out his phone and pulled up a few pictures. "Take a look, isn't this her?"

Xu Qingcheng leaned closer to take a look. It looked like a picture of a small gathering, with several people together. Although they were over fifty, they still had an undiminished pursuit of beauty.

Women of different styles, their faces tinged with the colors of time, yet when they come together, they still retain a youthful spirit.

The beauty camera smoothed out all the wrinkles, and I smiled happily.

Xu Qingcheng nodded, "Yes."

But what happened?

"This is Pang Shenghua." Xie Yin pointed to the woman next to Zhong Wanxiu. "A friend of mine had brief contact with her at an exchange event and added her on WeChat. This is a screenshot of her WeChat Moments that she sent to me."

Xu Qingcheng opened her mouth, "So, Aunt Zhong is Dr. Pang's friend?"

"I don't know if they're really good friends, but at least they know each other." However, judging from the placement of each picture, with the two of them grouped together in every photo, Xie Yin felt it was pretty much a done deal.

People of similar age are more likely to become best friends.

Xu Qingcheng stood there, stunned, not knowing what to say for a moment.

This time, it was Xie Yin who said, "Alright, you can go now. I'll go find somewhere to eat."

Xu Qingcheng: "...Aren't you going to give me any advice?"

"No, you can figure it out yourself."

……

Zhong Wanxiu had completely lost interest in shopping and asked the driver to take her home. However, halfway there, she suddenly asked the driver to turn around and head straight for FUC.

When Fu Jingting received the message from his secretary that Ms. Zhong was coming to inspect, he was stunned for a moment, and then confirmed that it was indeed Ms. Zhong, his biological mother.

That's true.

Only then did they allow Duan Heng to go down and fetch the person.

Zhong Wanxiu rarely goes to the company. Not to mention him, she rarely shows up at her father's or her older brother's place, or even at the entire Fu Group, unless it's a special holiday.

This time, heading straight to FUC was quite surprising; it felt like they wouldn't visit a temple without a reason.

Zhong Wanxiu had no interest in inspecting his work and asked Duan Heng, "Is he busy right now?"

"It's alright, I just finished a meeting. Not busy."

Ms. Zhong barged straight into Fu Jingting's office.

"Mom, what brings you here?"

"On the way."

Zhong Wanxiu sat down on the sofa in the reception area of ​​his office and looked around the office, which was quite spacious and bright.

But actually, the office is pretty much the same everywhere, nothing special.

Fu Jingting asked her, "What would you like to drink?"

"Plain water, please."

Duan Heng hurriedly asked his secretary to pour him some warm water.

She picked up the glass, took a sip to moisten her throat, and then said, "Duan Heng, you go out first. I want to say a few words to him."

Duan Heng agreed and went out.

Fu Jingting raised an eyebrow slightly, knowing that Ms. Zhong couldn't have just happened to be passing by. He sat down opposite her. "What is it?"

"I ran into Qingcheng while shopping with Wen Fei today." Zhong Wanxiu stared at Fu Jingting as she spoke, noticing that he didn't show any reaction on his face.

Then she added, "She went to choose jewelry with her boyfriend."

The man's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. He leaned back on the sofa, his lowered eyelashes concealing all emotion. "So?"

"I don't know if you still have feelings for her, which is why you're hesitant to go on blind dates or start a relationship. But Jingting, the past is the past. As for right and wrong, it depends on how you feel about it; if you take it to heart, then it's right or wrong. If you don't, then it's not. It's just that something you did back then had some consequences." Zhong Wanxiu sighed. "Since she's already taken a step forward, you should take a step forward too. Don't stay stuck in the same place."

The person sitting opposite her remained silent for a long time. Zhong Wanxiu was so angry that she really wanted to whack this blockhead with something. "If you can't let go, then go after her. But if you just can't get over your own mental hurdle, then just let her go cleanly and start another relationship. Now you can't afford to be unable to let go; she's already found a boyfriend. Fu Jingting, are you torturing yourself or your parents by acting like this?"

As Zhong Wanxiu spoke, her eyes reddened.

Fu Jingting still didn't give any response, so she stood up abruptly in anger, "I've said my piece, it's up to you whether you listen or not."

Zhong Wanxiu left, and Fu Jingting leaned heavily backward.

She was perfectly fine before, but then she skipped lunch. Duan Heng didn't know what Zhong Wanxiu had said, and when he asked Fu Jingting, he said he wasn't hungry and wouldn't eat.

There was a series of high-level meetings scheduled for the afternoon. Seeing that he looked unwell, Duan Heng asked if the meetings should be postponed.

Fu Jingting said no need.

The meeting proceeded as scheduled, but because one issue was delayed, the meeting lasted for almost an hour longer.

After the meal was finished, Duan Heng noticed that Fu Jingting's expression had become even more unpleasant, so he asked him, "I asked the cafeteria to prepare some food for you to heat up."

Although he has recovered physically, he still has some minor lingering problems, such as his stomach.

Fu Jingting used to have no dietary restrictions, but now he can hardly eat raw, cold, or spicy foods anymore.

"No need," Fu Jingting refused, walking towards his office. He casually asked, "What's the situation with the Xinghewan apartment, you asked the agent?"

"Oh, they gave me a price, which is reasonable. I said I don't need to see the house; we can discuss the price, sign the contract, and transfer the ownership directly."

Fu Jingting paused in his steps and suddenly turned back to look at Duan Heng.

That one glance sent chills down Duan Heng's spine.

That's the kind of look that says, "You really can't do anything right."

Duan Heng, "..."

……

Honestly, accompanying someone to look at houses is exhausting.

The person who came in the afternoon was an older man who was very picky. He thought the decoration style was not good and wanted to redo it, so the selling price was too high.

He kept saying "here" and "there".

They looked so closely, they were practically ready to peel off the plaster to take a closer look.

Then they'd think, "This house is so nice, why don't you want it? Is there something wrong with it? Has anyone ever died in it?" and so on.

Xu Qingcheng's face darkened. If the real estate agent hadn't been smiling and explaining the situation, she really would have said, "Take it or leave it."

They kept talking until it was almost dark before finally offering an extremely low price and asking if it was okay.

All that talk is just an attempt to drive down the price.

Xu Qingcheng's face was stiff from smiling. The real estate agent pulled the customer who was looking at the house and said with a smile, "You can look at the house first, and I'll talk to you about the price later."

That's how they got rid of the person.

Xu Qingcheng was at her wits' end. Zhao Lan had already called several times, asking when she was going back. Zhao Lan was taking care of the child alone and couldn't prepare dinner.

She was eager to go home, and after thinking about it, she realized there wasn't much left in the house. So she took a key and handed it to the agent, saying, "I'll leave you a key here. If anyone else wants to come and see, just bring it with you. I won't sell for less than that price. If I sell for more, you can keep half of the excess."

Xu Qingcheng just wanted to avoid trouble.

The agent took the keys and smiled, "Mrs. Fu, don't worry about it. People looking at houses are always looking for flaws so they can negotiate the price. Here's what we'll do: I've noticed you've been checking your watch frequently. If you have something urgent, you can go ahead. Another guest is coming to see the house soon, and I'll wait for him here. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

"Okay." Xu Qingcheng replied. She checked the time and realized it was getting late, so she prepared to leave.

When Fu Jingting stopped his car, he saw Xu Qingcheng's car. He knew she was there. The real estate agent said that someone else was also there to view the apartment, so he should stay a little longer.

Xu Qingcheng pressed the down button on the elevator, and the real estate agent followed, saying that they were going down to wait for the clients who wanted to view the apartment.

His surname is Duan.

I initially said I wasn't going to come and see it, since I knew the apartment layout. But for some reason, I suddenly said I wanted to come and see it.

It was fortunate that Mrs. Fu gave the key to Mr. Fu's assistant. I don't understand why they didn't do an inside deal to save on intermediary fees. They seemed to be keeping it from each other, as if they didn't want to meet.

As for the reasons behind this, the agent doesn't bother to think about it; he just wants to earn a commission.

As soon as the elevator doors opened and Xu Qingcheng saw the man standing inside, she felt as if her feet were being watched.

"Mr. Fu, you've come to pick up Mrs. Fu? I'm sorry, the guest was too clingy today, which made us a little late. We were just about to go downstairs."

Neither of them spoke, but the agent kept talking non-stop, as if he had known them for ages. In reality, they had only met two or three times, but he had a particularly deep impression of the handsome men and beautiful women. Otherwise, he would have forgotten them long ago after two years apart.

Fu Jingting stepped out of the elevator. He was already tall, and his mere presence made him seem imposing.

Almost the instant he took that step, Xu Qingcheng instinctively took a step back. The man stood before her, his expression unchanged, seemingly amused as he chewed on something. "Mrs. Fu?"