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

"Why are you running?" Fu Jingting's face darkened.

Her attitude towards him now is to avoid him at all costs.

"I didn't run away. The car I booked is about to arrive. I don't need you to take me." Xu Qingcheng struggled to break free of his grip on her wrist, but to no avail.

Feeling Zhong Wanxiu sitting in the car looking this way, Xu Qingcheng's face flushed uncomfortably. Not wanting to argue with him, she suppressed her temper and spoke to him in a low voice, "Let go quickly, this looks terrible."

"You know it looks bad, so hurry up and get in the car." Fu Jingting didn't give her a chance to refuse and pulled her to the car. It was too late, and it seemed like she had been drinking. Should she take a taxi home alone?

Especially since she had been drinking, it was even less likely that she would be allowed to leave alone.

Unless he's lost his mind.

Xu Qingcheng pulled back, refusing to go over. "No."

She refused; the atmosphere was too awkward.

Even setting aside their ex-husband and ex-wife relationship, if there were no inappropriate actions between them, or if they had an ambiguous relationship before his engagement, Xu Qingcheng would still dare to get into his car.

Because I have a clear conscience, I have nothing to fear.

But not now. Her heart was pounding. Zhong Wanxiu was able to introduce her to Pang Shenghua and speak to her in a kind and gentle manner, which made Xu Qingcheng grateful from the bottom of her heart.

However, Xu Qingcheng didn't dare to imagine how Zhong Wanxiu would view her if she found out that she had interfered between Fu Jingting and Wen Fei.

The two of them stood on the roadside, pulling and tugging at each other, attracting everyone's attention.

Zhong Wanxiu didn't care and just sat calmly in the car.

"You take Aunt Zhong home. I don't need you to take me; I can go home by myself." Xu Qingcheng said coldly, her voice barely audible. "Aunt Zhong is looking this way."

"If you don't want her to wait, then get in the car quickly." Fu Jingting looked down at her, noticing that she seemed very concerned about Zhong Wanxiu's gaze. He frowned slightly. "How did you two end up together? What did you need her help with?"

He could hear the gratitude in Xu Qingcheng's voice.

This was really strange; she preferred to bypass him and go find Ms. Zhong instead.

Fu Jingting's voice was light and indifferent, sounding to Xu Qingcheng like a question.

If she had any other means, she wouldn't have come to Zhong Wanxiu. Given their current situation, Xu Qingcheng wanted Xu Yuan to be discovered more than anyone else.

She came to keep the appointment today, and her heart has been pounding ever since; she's in a lot of turmoil.

They were afraid that their wishes would be discovered, and that everyone's lives would become chaotic.

Xu Qingcheng didn't want to waste any more words with him. "That's our business, it has nothing to do with you."

The man nodded, then suddenly released his grip. Xu Qingcheng hadn't expected him to let go so suddenly, and she couldn't pull back the force that had pulled her back, causing her to fall backward toward the roadside.

Zhong Wanxiu, sitting in the car, was startled. What was going on?

A white car sped past Xu Qingcheng, and Fu Jingting was so frightened that his scalp tingled. He grabbed her wrist with one hand and pulled her forcefully towards himself, while his other arm tightly wrapped around the woman's slender waist, holding her tightly in his arms.

The woman's waist was wrapped around his arm, and she used the strength of his arm to stand up, her forehead hitting his shoulder blade with a thud.

Xu Qingcheng was so frightened that her scalp tingled. The car had just sped past behind her, and the wind it created felt as if it had brushed against her back...

Fu Jingting's face was also ashen; for a moment, he was so frightened that his heart almost stopped.

This brief accident silenced all the tension, and for a moment, only the pounding of hearts could be heard; no one spoke.

Fu Jingting only tightened his grip on her arm. "Now I'm giving you two choices: either you walk over and get in the car yourself, or I'll carry you to the car."

As he spoke, he made a gesture as if to pick her up.

Xu Qingcheng put one hand on his arm and quickly made a choice, "I'll walk there myself."

The man looked at her, but did not let go.

Xu Qingcheng patted his arm anxiously, "Let go!"

Fu Jingting then released his grip.

The two walked towards the car one after the other. Xu Qingcheng felt uneasy and embarrassed, while trying to mentally prepare herself, hoping to appear calm even if she had to pretend.

Zhong Wanxiu sat in the back seat. Xu Qingcheng was hesitating whether to sit in the back or the front passenger seat when a hand came up to her lower back and pushed her to the front passenger side.

He opened the passenger door, and Xu Qingcheng got in without waiting for him to say a word.

Zhong Wanxiu watched coldly as he gave her a cold, indifferent look, though his actions were gentle.

"Auntie, thank you for your help."

"No trouble at all." Zhong Wanxiu smiled, then looked at Fu Jingting, "Shall we send Qingcheng first?"

"I'll send it to you first."

Zhong Wanxiu nodded. "Alright."

Xu Qingcheng had no other objections; it was only proper etiquette to present the gifts to the elders first.

The carriage suddenly fell silent, and Xu Qingcheng felt her breathing slow down, a strange tension creeping in.

Fu Jingting glanced at her; her eyes were half-closed, her two fingers twisted together, and he didn't know what she was thinking. Seeing that she didn't move, he simply leaned over.

"you……"

The man's sudden closeness startled Xu Qingcheng. She stared at him, seemingly unable to believe that he could be so abrupt in front of an elderly person. His face was close to hers, almost completely pressed against hers.

Their breaths seemed to be mingling.

"What do you mean, 'you'? Seatbelt."

Fu Jingting pulled over the seatbelt and helped her fasten it, giving her a deep look in his eyes.

As he sat up straight, Xu Qingcheng's face flushed red and then turned pale, but fortunately it was dark, so it was hard to tell.

Zhong Wanxiu didn't know if there was any awkwardness between them, but she didn't feel it at all. She just kept chatting with Xu Qingcheng, completely ignoring the man sitting in the driver's seat.

"Have you eaten well tonight?"

"I'm satisfied with the meal. The food was excellent." Xu Qingcheng turned her head to look behind her. "This is the first time I've had cheese lobster. The way it's prepared is quite novel, and it's pretty delicious."

Zhong Wanxiu smiled, "Mm. It's good that you've eaten well. You've been busy for us all night, and I don't think you've eaten much."

"I'm full. I don't eat much tonight anyway."

"You young people sometimes go too far in trying to maintain your figure. You need to eat a balanced diet; being too thin isn't good. Have you lost weight? You seem a bit thinner than when I saw you at the jewelry exhibition last time."

"No. It's always been like this." Xu Qingcheng smiled with her eyes lowered, and Zhong Wanxiu was probably just being polite.

She was indeed in a bad mood because of him, so she didn't eat much. When she got home yesterday, her mother said she had lost weight.

When she loses weight, it first affects her face, which is quite noticeable.

Fu Jingting couldn't help but turn his head to look. Her face was already small, but now it looked even smaller.

Noticing his gaze, Xu Qingcheng glared at him, but Fu Jingting didn't say anything and looked away.

Xu Qingcheng's phone rang; it was the nanny calling. She hesitated for a moment, then hung up.

She wanted to send a message, but before she could finish editing it, the phone rang again, and Xu Qingcheng hung up.

The phone rang again.

Zhong Wanxiu spoke up, "Answer it. Is it urgent? Don't be so reserved."

"No need to be so formal... no need."

After Xu Qingcheng hung up, her phone kept ringing. Auntie wouldn't call like this unless there were special circumstances.

Xu Qingcheng bit her lip but still answered the call.

"Ms. Xu, when are you coming back?" The nanny asked anxiously as the phone connected. "The little one is looking for you; she's throwing a tantrum. And she has a slight fever."

I heard a sobbing voice coming through the receiver.

"I'll be there soon, very soon. What's the fever level?"

"Thirty-seven degrees eight."

The temperature was below 38 degrees Celsius. Xu Qingcheng breathed a sigh of relief. "There are her medications in the first-aid kit. I'll send you the names of the medications via WeChat in a bit. You can coax her to take them first."

Xu Qingcheng instructed, "Prepare a piece of rock sugar for her; she's a bit difficult to feed medicine to. You try it first, and if it doesn't work, wait for me to come back."

"Okay. The child wants to talk to you."

"I don't want to sleep with her..." Xu Qingcheng was about to refuse when Xu Yuan had already grabbed the phone and, with a tearful, childish voice, said, "Mommy, I want Mommy to sleep with me."

"I'll be back soon. Can you let Auntie stay with you for a bit and wait for me?" Xu Qingcheng coaxed her in a low voice.

But apart from her speaking, no one else in the carriage could be heard speaking, no matter how low they tried to keep their voices down.

Fu Jingting glanced at her, his attention diverted. He seemed to have never heard her voice so gentle and patient before, and he felt a mix of... annoyance, or perhaps jealousy?

But that was clearly just to appease a child; he seemed to hear a child's voice on the other end of the phone.

As long as she wasn't flirting with other men... Fu Jingting's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his temples tensed, and out of nowhere, he suddenly remembered how she looked when she was drunk and dazed, her voice tender and juicy, a world apart from how she spoke just now.

How many faces does a person actually have?

Xu Qingcheng hung up the phone; her palms were slightly sweaty.

The carriage was quiet for a moment, no one spoke.

Zhong Wanxiu suddenly asked her, "Does the child live with you?"

"Ah... they're coming here for treatment, so it'll be more convenient for them to stay for a while," Xu Qingcheng said nervously, trying to come up with a reason.

Is the child sick?

"Hmm. I have a bit of a cold." Xu Qingcheng didn't want to continue the topic, so she tried to find a new one, "Auntie, are you still living in the same place?"

"Yes, we haven't moved. We're used to living here."

Xu Qingcheng nodded.

She changed the subject abruptly, clearly not wanting to talk more, so Zhong Wanxiu didn't ask any more questions.

Even her relatives' children would seek her help when they caught a cold.

Zhong Wanxiu pressed her finger to her temple. She was a mother who had given birth to three children. Even though they were all grown up now, the memories of her children when they were young were still vivid in her mind. The saddest thing was when her children were sick, and even the help of a nanny could not replace the anxiety.

Whether to take medicine or go to the hospital, whether to get an injection or an IV drip, you have to make the decision yourself.

When I was the eldest, I didn't understand anything and was terrified by the slightest sound.

One night, Fu Pingxiu had a high fever that almost reached 40 degrees Celsius. Terrified, she picked him up and asked the driver to rush to the hospital. The doctor calmly gave her an injection of fever reducer and said to observe her. Holding her child, she called Fu Pinghui, who was abroad, and cried uncontrollably, insisting that he come back immediately.

Xu Qingcheng's voice had just stabilized; she knew what medicine she was taking and was sending a message to the nanny. It was just a relative's child.

Even if Xu Qingcheng is very concerned, there's no problem.

Where are the child's parents? It's so late, aren't the child's parents with him/her? Why ask a stranger what to do when a child has a cold and is sick?

It might not be his own child, but it could be the child of someone he loves?

If it's inconvenient to tell her directly, just say it's a relative's child?

But Xu Qingcheng also said that she didn't have a boyfriend.

Zhong Wanxiu's gaze fell on the two people in front of her, and she inexplicably felt a headache coming on.

The conversation between the two revolved around children. Fu Jingting frowned and looked at her, "What children?"

"It's a relative's child," Xu Qingcheng replied, then glared at him with a hint of resentment, as if to say, "What's it to you?"

Fu Jingting didn't ask any more questions and stopped his car at the traffic light.

Xu Qingcheng suddenly tugged at his sleeve. Fu Jingting turned his head to look at her. Xu Qingcheng handed him her phone, which displayed a navigation map.

"There's road construction and traffic congestion here. You should take another route."

The navigation shows a section of road that is one or two kilometers long in yellow.

Fu Jingting glanced at her. "Turn right at the next intersection."

Xu Qingcheng said "oh" and put her phone away.

Fu Jingting saw that she was hanging her head and not saying anything. Her fingers would flick the hair on one side of her ear every now and then, and he would flick it so often that he wanted to pull her ear.

Fu Jingting thought that way and actually did it.

When the man's fingers pinched her ear, Xu Qingcheng was so startled she almost jumped up. She slapped his arm with her hand, "What are you doing?"

The attack was too fast, the sound was sharp, it was almost an instinctive reaction, but Xu Qingcheng regretted it in an instant.

I felt a chill run down my spine, regretting it, especially since there was someone else sitting behind me.

Fu Jingting was oblivious. He didn't even think that pinching her ear was going too far, since he had done even more outrageous things before.

Seeing her fur standing on end, as if she wanted to bite him, but then suddenly giving up, he felt a little uneasy.

The man withdrew his hand, letting out a soft hum, "What's the rush? I'll give it to you first."

People sometimes have unconscious little movements that they are unaware of, and she would do this when she was anxious.

"If you're in a hurry, let's take you home first," Zhong Wanxiu added.

"No need." Xu Qingcheng quickly turned to Zhong Wanxiu and explained, "No, I'm not in a hurry, I just think the road ahead might be a bit congested."

"It's really worrying and anxious when a child catches a cold at home."

"No, I'm really not in a hurry." Xu Qingcheng really hated Fu Jingting. What was wrong with him, talking so much nonsense?!

Seeing the fierce glare she gave him, the man finally spoke up for her, saying, "What's the rush? If you're sick, go see a doctor. She's not a doctor."

The conversation finally stopped revolving around the child. Xu Qingcheng turned his head to look out the car window. He naturally didn't know why she was in such a hurry, but his indifferent tone still made her uncomfortable.

It's really worrying when kids have a cold. They don't take their medicine properly, and even normally well-behaved kids become very fussy and difficult to soothe when they're feeling unwell.

Zhong Wanxiu looked at him, some words stuck in her throat, she held back a lot of breath, and decided not to say anything.

Xu Qingcheng clearly rejected him vehemently and wished she could get as far away from him as possible.

Zhong Wanxiu could tell at a glance that she had been tense ever since she got on the bus, her breathing was so careful, as if she had put a little white rabbit into a forest surrounded by wild beasts. She was trembling with fear, and it seemed that she had to carefully consider every word she said.

This feeling made Zhong Wanxiu feel inexplicably sorry for him. She just wanted to observe Fu Jingting's attitude. He didn't want to date and was even more opposed to blind dates. The older the child gets, the less likely he is to open up to his parents.

Especially now, Zhong Wanxiu is completely guessing what he's thinking.

She genuinely didn't intend to embarrass or embarrass Xu Qingcheng, but she forgot that they were no longer family. During the two years they had lost contact, neither of them knew what they had experienced.

Xu Qingcheng's aversion to Fu Jingting was truly a cause for sighs in Zhong Wanxiu's eyes.

Her son isn't too bad, after all.

How could this be...?

Upon arrival, Zhong Wanxiu got out of the car. She glanced at Fu Jingting and said, "Get the person here safely."

He then told Xu Qingcheng, "Call me when you get home."

With her earnest admonitions, as if afraid he might do something shameful, Fu Jingting's face turned ashen.

Zhong Wanxiu ignored him, finished saying what she wanted to say, and suddenly stared at his face, "What happened to your face? Did someone hit you? Who hit you?"

Fu Jingting's face had mostly recovered from the swelling, though there was still a slight bluish tinge, which was barely noticeable in the darkness. However, the lights at the front door illuminated his face clearly.

Xu Qingcheng couldn't help but glance over, just as the man turned to look at her. His meaningful look made Xu Qingcheng's heart leap into her throat.

"I'm asking you, why are you looking at Qingcheng?" Zhong Wanxiu didn't understand the unspoken meaning between the two men for a moment, but after she spoke, she realized something was wrong.

Unfortunately, Fu Jingting didn't give her a chance to ask any more questions and drove away.

I asked her, "Where are you going back to?"