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

For a moment, the air was still for a few seconds.

Fu Pingxiu looked at the woman in his arms, his voice slightly hoarse, "Is this what you wanted to tell me?"

"You brat," Tang Tang pouted, "I wanted to give you a surprise, but he ruined it."

Fu Pingxiu laughed, pressing his forehead against hers. "You should have told me sooner. How many months pregnant? Boy or girl?"

"It's been less than two months. It's too early to tell if it's a boy or a girl."

The whole family was blown away by the news at dinner tonight. Fu Pinghui and Zhong Wanxiu were overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling.

The merrier the atmosphere, the more pitiful the person who doesn't say a word seems.

Amidst the joy, Zhong Wanxiu interjected, "You and Wen Fei should get along well, get married soon so I can hold my grandson."

Fu Jingting frowned. "Mom, I've made myself clear enough."

Fu Pingxiu looked up, and if Tang Tang hadn't reminded him, he really wouldn't have thought much of it.

The wound on Jingting's lip was from being bitten.

It bit down really hard; you have to be really ruthless to do that.

Clearly, it wasn't resolved.

Fu Pingxiu lowered his eyes. It was hard to say who was right and who was wrong about the past, especially when emotions were involved, it was a complete mess.

Since Jingting's incident, Xu Qingcheng's name has almost never appeared in the home again.

But whenever Fu Jingting sat there, the family couldn't help but think of that woman.

I know my brother's temperament well, and there's probably only one woman who would make him disregard his manners and force himself on me.

After that experience, my mother was terrified and just wanted a peaceful and ordinary life.

Fu Pingxiu understood.

But when it comes to feelings, they're etched into your bones, and even if you burn them to ashes, it's hard to let go.

"Mom, he's not a child anymore, he knows his own place, so don't worry too much."

Fu Pingxiu rarely chimed in on such matters, and Tang Tang couldn't help but glance at him again.

So much so that on the way home later, I couldn't help but ask him, "Does Uncle have someone he likes?"

Fu Pingxiu remained tight-lipped, but finally gave in to his daughter-in-law's gossip and said, "If he didn't have someone he liked, why would he have gotten married in the first place?"

"I didn't want to either..." Zhong Wanxiu wanted to say something, but Fu Pinghui stopped her, "Alright, that's enough. We're in a good mood, let's have a few drinks together."

"Dad, I'm applying to join." Fu Sichen said with a grin, holding a small cup. "I hope it's a little niece, not a naughty brat."

This time, Fu Mosen surprisingly didn't disagree, saying, "I also hope it's a little sister."

"Didn't you always say you wanted a younger brother?" Tang Tang said, smiling at him.

"The transfer student in my class has a younger sister. I need to have a younger sister too."

Fu Sichen chuckled, "Fu Mosen, are you even up to par? You compare yourself to others in terms of studies and toys, and now you're comparing your sister too."

"My younger sister is beautiful. Just as beautiful as my aunt."

"Hey. You little rascal, it's rare to hear you speak like a human being." Fu Sichen chuckled, tossing his hair in a charming pose. "I must praise you, you have good taste."

Fu Mosen's bright eyes darted around, and he suddenly asked, "Auntie, can a brother and sister get married?"

puff!

Fu Sichen almost spat it out.

At this table, you can hear people coughing and pounding their chests, but only two young men remain calm.

Fu Pingxiu simply replied with two words: "No."

"That's not right." Fu Mosen's eyes narrowed. "Xie Mingchen's cousin made fun of his wife, saying she's like a baby. But that baby is his sister."

Tangtang snapped out of her daze. "They definitely aren't siblings."

"So it's okay for my aunt and Uncle Shi Nan to get married, but my second uncle and aunt can't?"

"Yes." Fu Sichen snapped his fingers, then asked him, "Who is Xie Mingchen?"

"The transfer student who came to our class," Fu Mosen scratched his head, "is not easy to communicate with and doesn't like to talk much. I think he might be lacking in love."

The little guy was spouting nonsense with a straight face, which amused Fu Sichen. "What makes you think that someone who is difficult to communicate with and doesn't like to talk is lacking in love?"

"He only has a father, not a mother."

"You used to only have a mother and no father, so I think you're perfectly normal," Fu Sichen retorted.

He stuck out his tongue and shut up after being glared at by Fu Pinxiu.

Fu Mosen didn't seem to care, simply nodding in agreement, "Auntie, you think so too, right? I also think he's just showing off... Oh dear..."

*Slap!* Fu Mosen got slapped by his mother for swearing.

"It's a bad habit to talk badly about people just because you can't pass an exam," Tang Tang scolded.

Fu Mosen muttered dejectedly, "I was just careless and that's why I was overtaken."

Fu Jingting, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "Then don't give him a chance to surpass you in the future."

Encouraged, little Mo Sen stood up straight and gave a military salute, "Understood, Second Uncle."

Xie Mingchen. Xie Yin's son.

Gu Feibai provided very detailed information, but Xie Yin's abilities in the jewelry industry were far beyond Gu Feibai's.

Of course, you could also say that Xiaobai's approach is not in this direction.

Xie Yin's career path was very simple. The Xie family was originally involved in the stone business, and his choice of this path was a continuation of his family's tradition. He got married very early and then divorced in less than a year.

He has a son. Xie Mingchen.

It can be said that Xie Yin's love life was very simple. Apart from getting married, he had no girlfriends after that, and none of them worked out.

The only connection Xie Yin had with Xu Qingcheng was that he was Feng Chengzhou's apprentice and Feng's last disciple.

Xu Qingcheng, who became a jade carving student later in life, also learned from Feng Chengzhou.

Fu Jingting remembered her because she had taken him there; on that quaint old street, she had secretly kissed his neck while lying on his back.

She said she would carve a landscape plaque for him.

But only half of it was carved.

It was that unfinished piece that he wore around his neck, half of it broken.

As he lost blood and his body grew cold, he gripped the remaining half of the jade pendant on his chest, clenching it tightly in his hand. The sharp edges of the broken piece cut his palm, drawing blood.

I just want to laugh.

In the end, what accompanied him was her unfinished peace plaque.

What is this so-called peace?

But after waking up, he never saw the broken jade pendant again.

He didn't even ask again; the broken things were naturally discarded.

Today, among the items she was about to throw away along with her wedding photos, she found a strangely shaped jade pendant. Fu Jingting wasn't sure if the jade pendant was his landscape pendant, but she had carved a deformed F on one corner of that pendant. At the time, she had excitedly told him that it was a deformed version of his surname letter that she had designed.

The F was also missing a piece, but it was mostly intact. The broken parts had been smoothed out and wrapped with gold trim. Two characters were engraved on the jade plaque.

To make a wish.

He didn't know what she wished for, but it was true that she wanted to throw away everything related to him.

Xie Yin's profile doesn't contain much information about Xu Qingcheng. She only joined X about a year and a half ago, and last year's flagship product was her creation.

Fu Jingting felt very upset.

An indescribable feeling of suffocation.

After dinner, the nanny cleaned up the dining room.

Fu Pinghui and Fu Jingting were playing chess, Fu Pinxiu and his wife were having a private chat, and Fu Sichen and Fu Mosen were playfully bickering. The whole family felt harmonious and happy.

Zhong Wanxiu's phone rang; it was an unfamiliar number. She answered it.

"Auntie, I am Xu Qingcheng."

Zhong Wanxiu was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked in Fu Jingting's direction.

She quickly got up, grabbed her phone, and went into the room. "Qingcheng, what's the matter that you called Auntie?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I have something I'd like to ask you for a favor. I wonder if you have time? I'd like to meet with you to talk about it, is that alright?" Xu Qingcheng's voice was cautious and polite, with a hint of trepidation, as if she was afraid of being rejected.

Xu Qingcheng has been to the hospital several times in the past two days, but has been unable to find help.

What's the point if you can't even see anyone?

If possible, she really didn't want to have anything to do with Fu Jingting anymore, but she just wanted Pang Shenghua to see Yuanyuan's medical records. She had been to countless hospitals, and the treatment plans they gave her were all different.

She should trust the doctor, but as a mother, she couldn't help but worry.

They always want to find the best surgical option with the lowest risk.

Xie Yin had heard from a friend that Pang Shenghua was an absolute authority in this field, and Qingcheng had been asking around about him for a long time.

She had her doubts these past few days, but compared to Yuanyuan, everything else seemed less important.

However, Xu Qingcheng was still uneasy when she made the call to Zhong Wanxiu, afraid of being rejected and afraid that Zhong Wanxiu would still hold a grudge because of what happened in the past.

After several meetings, Qingcheng could sense Zhong Wanxiu's politeness and distance towards her.

"What is it that you need to talk to me in person and can't say it over the phone?" Zhong Wanxiu asked, somewhat puzzled. They hadn't been in contact for over two years, so it was impossible for them to be as intimate as before.

Since they didn't have any necessary interaction, Zhong Wanxiu immediately thought of something related to Jingting.

I ran into her at the mall that day. She seemed to have a boyfriend, and they looked to be getting along well.

Her son is still stuck in the past and can't get over it.

Zhong Wanxiu's inner balance was somewhat disrupted. She wouldn't resort to harsh words, but a trace of impatience still seeped into her tone. "Just say what you need to say over the phone. Aren't we just saying the same things when we meet?"

Xu Qingcheng bit her lip but still spoke, "I heard that you are very familiar with Dr. Pang Shenghua. I was wondering if you could help introduce us. A friend of mine has a child with hearing loss in the left ear who needs surgery, and we'd like Dr. Pang to take a look."

Thankfully, it wasn't about her and Jingting.

However, Zhong Wanxiu was also surprised, as few people knew about her relationship with Pang Shenghua, since Pang Shenghua's family had long since immigrated abroad.

The friendship between best friends from their teens has not faded with age or distance.

It seems that the older one gets, the deeper their feelings become, and they feel that the feelings during that period were the purest.

When Jingting got into trouble, it was thanks to Shenghua's influence that Wen Liyan was able to come out of retirement.

"I am indeed very familiar with Shenghua, but she no longer sees patients." Zhong Wanxiu said truthfully. Sometimes, that's how relationships are. Even if you're familiar with someone, you won't just use your connections on anyone. After all, it would be annoying for them. If everyone keeps asking for favors, what's the point of her decision to stop seeing patients?

A friend's child—that creates another layer of separation.

"However, I know that she has apprentices at South China Hospital. You can ask your friend there. The ENT department at South China Hospital is one of the best in the country," Zhong Wanxiu suggested.

There was no response from the other end of the phone for a long time.

Zhong Wanxiu almost thought the call had ended when she heard Xu Qingcheng speak, her voice already choked with sobs, "Auntie, please help me get an introduction. I've asked so many people to see Dr. Pang, but I can't. Today, the doctor said my child's hearing is unstable and has worsened compared to before."

"You said it yourself, you've asked a lot of people to let you meet up, but sometimes it's your friends who are the ones you can't bring yourself to ask."

Fu Sichen called from outside, "Mom, my older brother and sister-in-law are going back."

Zhong Wanxiu quickly replied, "I'll be right there."

"Qingcheng, Auntie has something to attend to."

"Auntie, her name is Xu Yuan, she's almost two years old, and she's very cute. Please help her." Xu Qingcheng couldn't hold back her tears any longer as she said this.

"Why are you crying, child?" Zhong Wanxiu really couldn't stand seeing people cry. When Xu Qingcheng started crying, she couldn't hold back her own tears. "Alright, I'll ask for you. Whether it's okay or not isn't up to Auntie. It depends on what Dr. Pang thinks."

"Okay. Thank you, Auntie."

"What are you thanking me for? It's not even close to happening yet. You can thank me after Dr. Pang agrees." Zhong Wanxiu was soft-hearted after all, and her toughness couldn't last more than two seconds before she succumbed to her tears. She couldn't help but ask again, "His name is Xu Yuan? Is he a relative's child?"

Xu Qingcheng hummed in agreement, wiping away her tears with one hand. Just a moment ago, she almost blurted out that her name was Xu Yuan, that she was almost two years old, and that she was your granddaughter.

"You're quite attentive," Zhong Wanxiu sighed, then thought that if she had been this attentive to her son, all those other things wouldn't have happened.

But you can't entirely blame her; Jingting also made mistakes.

"Alright, it's nothing serious. Medical technology is good enough these days, so don't worry," Zhong Wanxiu comforted her. "I've already asked, is this your phone number?"

"Yes."

The original phone number was cancelled when I went abroad, and this domestic number was used later.

"Then I'll save it later."

"Mom, my sister-in-law is tired and wants to leave first. Who was she on the phone with for so long?"

A man's voice suddenly came from the other end, low and deep, striking right at Xu Qingcheng's heart. She almost instinctively hung up the phone.

Zhong Wanxiu glanced at her phone and saw that the call had ended, but didn't say anything more.

That evening, Zhong Wanxiu called Pang Shenghua to explain the situation.

The person on the other end laughed and said, "If we can't make an exception for anyone else, we'll make an exception for you."

"I'm a little embarrassed; I've gone to so much trouble for you."

"I was actually hoping you'd ask me for a favor, so I could repay the favor I owed you before," Pang Shenghua said with a smile. "Whose child is it?"

"To be honest, I don't know either. It's Jingting's ex-wife's child," Zhong Wanxiu sighed.

On the other end of the phone, Pang Shenghua raised an eyebrow. "You're quite generous."

When Fu Jingting had his accident, Pang Shenghua stayed with him throughout the surgery. She heard about some of the ins and outs of the story. In any case, wealthy families aren't as glamorous as they seem.

Especially in front of doctors, after seeing so much, no matter what position you are in, once you lie on this operating table, you are a patient.

Doctors are fighting against death to save lives; sometimes, whether they can be saved or not is a matter of fate.

"That child just started crying on the phone, and I couldn't bear it. I'm just too soft-hearted," Zhong Wanxiu said without hesitation. Her best friend for life, there's nothing she can't say. "When she mentioned the child's name, Xu Yuan, she said she's not even two years old, a very cute little girl. Immediately, I pictured the child in my mind—a pretty little girl with two little braids. I just can't pretend to be that hard-hearted."

"Then I'll be hard-hearted this once and not go for it. Hearing loss isn't a fatal condition, and there are so many doctors in the hospital who can treat it. Just turn them down," Pang Shenghua said deliberately.

"Please don't."

When Zhong Wanxiu tried to stop her, Pang Shenghua laughed out loud, "I knew you couldn't bear to part with it. You're still so soft-hearted. Your former daughter-in-law probably only chose you because you're soft-hearted, otherwise how would she have come to you?"

"That's not quite right. That girl has a strong sense of pride; she probably only came to me because she was desperate and had no other choice. Otherwise, would you or I be willing to lower your head to your former mother-in-law?"

"Okay. But I won't be able to go back to China for about seven or eight days. Tell her in advance that you can send me the medical records later."

After hanging up the phone, Zhong Wanxiu didn't even wait until the next day. She immediately called Xu Qingcheng and asked her to send Xu Yuan's medical records to Pang Shenghua's email address.

She also said that she would ask Xu Qingcheng to meet up with her again after Pang Shenghua returned.

Xu Qingcheng was overjoyed and blurted out almost without thinking, "Mom, thank you."

The moment the words were spoken, both ends of the phone paused in surprise.

Xu Qingcheng really wanted to bite off her own tongue. "Auntie, I'm a little excited..."

"What does it matter? We were once mother and daughter." Zhong Wanxiu's eyes reddened at her unconscious calling her "Mom." Her heart was filled with tenderness and bitterness. She, as Xu Qingcheng's mother-in-law, hadn't spent a very long time with her, but they got along quite well.

Speaking of which, because of Jingting's injury, Zhong Wanxiu and Wen Fei have become closer, but there's just a distance between them. Although they talk quite intimately, it feels like they can't truly connect.

"Alright, that's enough. The fact that you came to me for help shows that you don't consider me an outsider. I won't say much about your relationship with Jingting. I saw you getting along well with your boyfriend the other day. You have your own path, and he will have his. Those things will all pass eventually. It's better for each other not to bother each other."

Xu Qingcheng gritted her teeth and gave a shallow "hmm." She didn't know if she was overthinking it, but she always felt that Zhong Wanxiu's words had a hidden meaning.

They will not disturb each other.

When people have something on their mind, they tend to steer every word they say in that direction. Xu Qingcheng felt terrible whenever she thought about what happened at Xinghe Bay that day.

It feels like being naked and being pointed at and talked about; the thought of it makes me feel incredibly embarrassed.

Xu Yuan was still crawling around on the playmat without any worries, playing with her building blocks.

Xu Qingcheng picked her up and buried her face in her soft little chest. "Yuanyuan, once your ear is healed, Mommy will take you away, okay?"

The child didn't understand the adult's heartbreak; she just thought her mother was playing a prank on her and laughed heartily.

……

After leaving my parents' place, I inexplicably drove to Xinghewan.

Fu Jingting sat in the car for a long time before finally getting in.

Since we're already here, we're not leaving.

Anyway, he's already paid for the house.

He opened the wardrobe and was surprised to see two black men's trench coats hanging inside.

The designer came to do the interior design, but didn't touch anything in the wardrobe or closet. Logically, there shouldn't be anything there, so that's what she left behind.

Men's? Trench coat?

My head suddenly started to throb.

Which man's clothes were left with her?

Fu Jingting took the clothes out and threw them on the ground, but then found them an eyesore and picked them up to throw them in the trash can.

His hand suddenly stopped.

The brand was one he used to wear.

The size is also his size.

One of the pieces had an embroidered patch on the cuff, in deep red thread and a plum blossom pattern, which didn't look out of place on the black trench coat.

He picked it up and put it on directly.

Just right.

He has maintained a good physique over the past two years, and his weight has remained the same. The only difference is that he has become a little thinner because he has increased the intensity of his muscle training.

He took off his clothes and turned the embroidered sleeves inside out. The stitches inside were dense and neat, indicating that he had repaired the torn sleeves and covered up the ripped parts.

My heart suddenly pounded.

Fu Jingting immediately dialed the number on his phone.

Xu Qingcheng's face turned pale when she saw the caller ID, and she immediately hung up.

Before she could do anything else, a message came through: "Answer the phone. Don't try to block me. It's too easy for me to find you."