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

She screamed at the top of her lungs, completely disregarding the fact that she was standing on the main road.

But it was late at night, and everyone was quiet.

Occasionally, passersby would walk by, but they would only glance at her. She remained expressionless, devoid of any emotion.

Her words, "Just because she likes a man doesn't mean I like him too," hit Fu Jingting hard in the ears.

The vibrations made my eardrums ache.

Fu Jingting tightened his jaw muscles, his whole face exuding coldness, barely managing to suppress his temper so as not to explode on the spot.

But his sudden coldness made Karl want to abandon his phone and run away, and Duan Heng wanted to slip away silently.

The two men lowered their heads and listened attentively, while the woman's angry voice drifted through the phone receiver.

Fu Jingting walked back to the conference room, slammed the door shut to block out all sound, and listened to her finish speaking while suppressing his temper.

"What's wrong? Did your fragile heart shatter into pieces after you got beaten up?!"

The deep, mocking voice struck Xu Qingcheng directly on the head.

It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head; her angry flames, steaming and bubbling, were mostly extinguished.

I was briefly puzzled as to how he knew.

On second thought, since Fu Sichen is here, it wouldn't be surprising to tell him.

Xu Qingcheng felt a little embarrassed and inexplicably bitter.

Even if her fragile heart doesn't shatter into pieces, it's still cracked.

With bruises on her arm from the woman's beating, Xu Qingcheng was jolted back to her senses by his words and couldn't help but wonder, when did her face become so important to her?

She closed her eyes and retorted, "Even if it shatters into pieces, it has nothing to do with you."

He remained defiant, but his voice clearly calmed down.

Then, without waiting for Fu Jingting to speak again, she hung up the phone.

A beeping sound came from the phone's receiver.

Fu Jingting: Damn it!

He rested his hands on the table, his eyes deep and his mind filled with images of her being beaten and her tearful face.

Fu Jingting knew in his heart that no matter how wronged she was, she would still yell and shout like she did just now; tears were out of the question.

But for some reason, all I could think of was her tearful, pitiful face.

His face was tense as he thought about what she had said.

Fu Jingting snorted coldly. He wouldn't kill her, but that would be close enough.

Not rare?!

Depend on!

……

As soon as Fu Sichen got home, he rushed to Zhong Wanxiu's side, wailing, "Mom..."

"Sit still!" Zhong Wanxiu scolded her, then, seeing her daughter's low spirits, asked, "What's wrong?"

Fu Sichen glanced at her and knew that when Uncle Feng said that his wife had come to pick him up, his mother probably thought he was out having fun.

She hesitated whether to tell the truth, fearing that her mother would have a problem with the fairy sister, since her impression of her wasn't very good to begin with.

Fu Sichen simply shoved the gift box into Zhong Wanxiu's hands, saying, "Mom, this is your New Year's gift."

"Oh, you've become sensible."

"Oh dear, you have to be sensible then. Hurry up and open it to see if you like it." Fu Sichen urged Zhong Wanxiu to open it, "But I used my secret stash of money."

Zhong Wanxiu smiled as she unpacked the package, patted her head, and said, "Hmm, you have good taste."

She put it on her wrist and examined it closely from both sides. As a mother, it's not really about having the best things; it's enough that the child has the thought and care.

"Mom, do you like it?"

"like."

Fu Sichen subtly cleared his throat, "I asked Sister Yao... Qingcheng to help me choose it. You have good taste, right?"

As the little girl spoke, her eyes darted around, carefully observing her mother's expression.

Zhong Wanxiu paused slightly, her expression changing barely, before turning to look at her, "Why would you trouble them?"

"I just ran into her." Fu Sichen didn't understand what was going on and slumped onto the sofa. "I even pestered her to treat me to dinner, and I kept pestering her to help me choose jewelry. She even gave me a bracelet. Um, this..."

Fu Sichen shook his wrist. "The meaning is wonderful. It's a lucky four-leaf clover, and each leaf carries a blessing. I said I wanted to give him a return gift, but my second brother only transferred 250 yuan to me so I could buy a bag of candy... Mom, how can he be so stingy? Is the Fu family going bankrupt?"

"You jinx!" Zhong Wanxiu slapped her. "How dare you say such things? Your grandfather would beat you to death if he heard you say that."

Fu Sichen snorted. "That's not the point. The point is... Mom, Sister Qingcheng has blocked Second Brother. I heard it from Duan Heng. Did Grandma just throw some money at him and tell him to get lost, to stay far away from my Second Brother that day?"

Zhong Wanxiu smacked her on the head, "Are you acting like you're in a TV drama? Don't make wild guesses if you don't know."

"Tch. What don't I know? I know you don't like Ye Wenhan," Fu Sichen muttered.

Zhong Wanxiu's eyes widened, and she pinched her finger. "What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever say I didn't like it?"

"I heard you. You told Dad that Uncle wanted to arrange a marriage, so why didn't you let Second Cousin marry Ye Wenhan..." Zhong Wanxiu shoved a piece of fruit directly into Fu Sichen's mouth. "Who puts up with your sneaky habits!"

Fu Sichen's mouth was completely stuffed with a piece of cantaloupe. After finishing it, he asked, "Mom, do you particularly dislike Sister Qingcheng? Do you think she's especially scheming?"

Zhong Wanxiu's temples throbbed from her endless stream of "whys," and she glared at her, "Your second brother hasn't said anything yet, why are you worrying about this?"

"I wasn't worried about him," Fu Sichen said, his voice a little downcast. "Mom, I have something to tell you, but you can't jump to conclusions. For a moment, I thought the worst of him. Sister Qingcheng glanced at me but didn't say anything, but I think she must be very sad."

Fu Sichen recounted what had happened.

Zhong Wanxiu smoothed her hair. "Sichen, everyone's life is different, and it's hard to judge things by right or wrong. You can't just look at one side of the story. I don't know Miss Xu well, so I won't make a judgment. If you feel you're wrong, you should sincerely apologize."

Fu Sichen sat up abruptly and put his arm around Zhong Wanxiu. "Ms. Zhong, I suddenly realized that you're getting more and more beautiful. You're so elegant and pretty. No wonder my father would rather have a beauty than the throne."

That little sycophant.

Zhong Wanxiu chuckled, but before she could scold her, the other woman had already skipped back to her room.

Zhong Wanxiu thought for a moment and then called Uncle Feng in.

"Who was the lady you had a conflict with tonight, the one you were with?"

"Madam, she is the wife of President Yang of the Bank of China," Uncle Feng answered truthfully, adding, "Young Master Jingting also asked me about it just now."

Zhong Wanxiu was slightly taken aback, then lowered her eyes and smiled, "I understand, you may leave."

……

Xu Qingcheng went to the hospital. She was in high spirits, hiding all the bad things, and the moment she entered the ward, she was full of confidence and ease.

Seeing that she looked energetic and in good spirits, Zhao Lan felt relieved.

She sat by Xu Shengchang's hospital bed and massaged his legs. He couldn't move, which caused his muscles to atrophy, and he was visibly losing weight.

The plumpness he gained from frequent social drinking gradually disappeared, and he looked much older. But after this period of recuperation, he can at least sit up by supporting himself on the edge of the bed.

"Dad, the New Year is almost here. I hope you can stand up again this time next year. You have to keep going." Xu Qingcheng smiled, her eyes crinkling.

Xu Shengchang held her hand tightly, nodded vigorously, and tried to speak, but his words were unclear.

Zhao Lan smiled and patted him, "Don't be in such a hurry, you can't rush things."

Xu Qingcheng looked at them, feeling very satisfied. You see, although there are still many problems waiting for her to solve, things are developing in a good direction, aren't they?

She paused, then suddenly said, "Mom, Uncle Liang and Aunt Liang have invited me to visit them several times, but I haven't had the time until now. I'd like to go and stay for a few days during the New Year's holiday, so I won't be able to spend the holiday with you. Is that okay?"