Spoiled Sparrow

Exhausted, the two fell asleep in each other's arms. In her half-awake state, Ruan Qing seemed to see Fu Chen gently covering her with a blanket.

When I opened my eyes again, the seat next to me was empty.

It must be a dream.

Ruan Qing twisted her neck as she returned to her room and took out the phone she had hidden the night before.

A message appeared on the screen:

【Hello, madam, would you be interested in participating in the program recording?】

Ruan Qing stared at the message for a long time, pondered it over and over, and then turned off the screen.

Oh well, I'm leaving anyway.

I was woken up by the vibrating phone when I opened my eyes again; I had unknowingly gone back to sleep.

Still half asleep, I answered the phone groggily, my voice still a little grumpy: "Hello, who is it?"

"Your man."

Ruan Qing reacted in just 0.01 seconds, pouting, "What?"

"There's a meeting tonight. Chen Yan will pick you up at six. Get ready."

Besides Fu Chen's voice, there were also several other people chatting on the phone, but the rustling sounds were hard to make out.

Since being abandoned by her adoptive parents, Ruan Qing has refused to attend gatherings of wealthy people. Firstly, she doesn't want to be reminded of her past, and secondly, her ambiguous relationship with Fu Chen inevitably attracts strange looks.

She didn't reply for a while, so Fu Chen said again, "It's a private gathering, don't worry."

For some reason, his words suddenly made her lower her guard.

"it is good."

After receiving the reply, Fu Chen returned to the family dinner, where the old man, Fu Gaohong, was chatting happily with Zhao Xiyao, the daughter of the Zhao family.

Fu Gaohong was very satisfied with his old comrade's granddaughter, and the more he looked at her, the more she resembled his granddaughter-in-law.

He smiled and said, "Old Zhao, I think Xi Yao and Fu Chen are a good match. Our two families have helped each other since we started out, and we have gone through many hardships to get to where we are today. What do you think about making our families even closer through marriage?"

Grandpa Zhao had the same idea. The Fu family was a perfect match for the Zhao family in every way, and their grandchildren were all of marriageable age.

"I have no objection, but it depends on what the two children think."

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table turned their attention to Fu Chen and Zhao Xiyao.

Fu Chen remained silent, while Zhao Xiyao was cheerful and outgoing: "Fu Chen and I have known each other since we were little, so we're more like siblings."

Fu Gaohong: "No rush, no rush, feelings can be cultivated..."

Throughout the dinner, although the Zhao family outwardly claimed to be looking after the child, the marriage between Fu Chen and Zhao Xiyao was essentially settled.

Fu Chen, mindful of his grandfather's warning, sent her back to the company.

Inside the car, the two looked at each other in silence.

As they approached, Zhao Xiyao cut to the chase and asked him, "I heard you're keeping a woman on the side?"

"Yes," Fu Chen answered without hesitation, "Even if we get married, I will not leave her."

I advise you not to marry me.

Zhao Xiyao laughed, her face completely unconcerned: "Fu Chen, we're the same kind of people. Do you think I can make that decision?"

She opened the car door. "I think we're a good match for marriage. Since we're going to have a business marriage sooner or later, I'd prefer it to be you."

After saying that, he picked up his bag and walked confidently into the company building.

Fu Chen sat in the car, repeatedly pondering her words, before driving away.

----

"The house won't be available for at least another two weeks. The seller is a foreigner, and even if I offer more money, he doesn't want to be rushed."

On the other end of the video call, Lin Yun'en was outside the house ranting and raving about the homeowner.

"Let me tell you, that landlord looks like a rich second-generation heir who's not easy to mess with. I'm really afraid that if I piss him off, he won't sell to me."

You didn't see how arrogant he was, like I owed him money.

In this freezing weather, he actually made me stand outside waiting for him for over an hour, and finally had his assistant come down and tell me:

Ms. Lin, I'm sorry, Mr. Qin is currently unavailable. Please add this WeChat account, and we will contact you later...

Lin Yun'en had been busy with her affairs for three months, and Ruan Qing felt bad about it, so she quickly comforted her for a long time.

After leaving Fu Chen, I needed to find a place to go. The housing issue remained unresolved, and my heart was still hanging in suspense.

When Chen Yan picked her up, he saw that she looked worried. "Sister-in-law, is there anything I can do for you?"

sister in law?

Ruan Qing was surprised. Chen Yan was not only Fu Chen's private secretary, but also a friend of many years, and privately he called Fu Chen "Brother Chen".

Chen Yan had never called her "sister-in-law" in the past few years, so the change in address was somewhat sudden.

"Nothing much, what do you need me to do today?"

Fu Chen hung up the phone in a hurry, before he could ask any questions.

He knew she wouldn't invite her to most gatherings, so he wouldn't usually.

Could it be...?

The idea flashed through her mind for only a moment before she completely nipped it in the bud.

His family would only choose a woman who is of equal social standing to him, not her.

Chen Yan explained, "It was a scheme set up by President Fu, involving several big names in the design industry. There's no need to worry too much."

"Um."

Pushing open the door to the private room, Ruan Qing followed Chen Yan's directions and took her seat. Fu Chen hadn't arrived yet, making the situation somewhat awkward.

A young woman with short silver hair spoke first: "This must be Mr. Fu's girlfriend. My name is Yu Jing, and I'm the director of the show."

Girlfriend... Ruan Qing nodded hesitantly.

As soon as she began, several middle-aged men sitting upright around her introduced themselves to her one after another.

They were all celebrities in the design world. She knew one of the foreigners with blue eyes; he was the youngest genius designer to win an international design award.

Ruan Qing was slightly socially awkward. After greeting everyone in turn, she finally waited for Fu Chen to come in.

He was accompanied by Chiang Cheng-lang and Chiang Wen-li.

Fu Chen sat down next to her, unbuttoned the second button of his suit jacket, and whispered in her ear, "Sorry I'm late."

Feeling uncomfortable with his serious demeanor, Ruan Qing replied, "It's nothing."

Thirty minutes later, Ruan Qing realized that the people present were the director, guests, and investors of the "Queen's New Clothes" program.

At the end of the conversation, Fu Chen said to everyone, "My girlfriend, Ruan Qing, is also a very professional and talented designer. I hope you will all take good care of her in the future."

As soon as the sponsor spoke, everyone echoed his sentiments.

"That's natural."

"Ms. Ruan is welcome to visit our design institute and offer your suggestions."

......

She found these gatherings, where everyone had their own agenda and were a mix of personal relationships and business dealings, disgusting.

She made an excuse to go to the restroom, and as she walked to the door, a woman's voice came from inside.

"I hate people who get ahead through connections, especially women who climb the social ladder by sleeping their way into positions of power."

From Fu Chen's tone, it seems he wants her to participate in our program. Although he didn't say it explicitly, he's already made his intentions clear, so who would dare to make things difficult for her...?

Jiang Wenli's words were piercing, and no one knew what the person on the other end of the phone said, but she quickly hung up and went outside.

I ran into Ruan Qing.

The two women locked eyes, and Jiang Wenli glanced at her before walking past her.

In other people's eyes, she was always a woman who couldn't be presented in public.

She was merely Fu Chen's mistress, whom he could summon and dismiss at will.

Ruan Qing stood outside in the corridor, enjoying the breeze, when the ringing of her phone pulled her back to reality from her melancholy.

The voice on the other end of the phone was both incredibly familiar and incredibly unfamiliar.

"Qingqing, how have you been lately? Come home tomorrow."

Ruan Qing thought it was all over, but when she heard her voice, her hands trembled so much that she couldn't hold the phone.

Even knowing who the person was, she still asked, trembling, "Who...are you?"

"I'm your mom. Your dad, your sister, and I all miss you..."

She couldn't hear what was being said on the other end of the phone; a massive wave of grief surged through her, making it hard to breathe, and her hands and feet went numb.

Everything was pitch black before her eyes, and the harsh echo of her foster mother's voice filled her ears: "Go away, our bond as mother and daughter has come to an end..."