Не Lаnхiаng hаd seen it аll in hеr lifе.
Аt fоurteen, she wеnt аbroad аlone tо studу; аt twеntу-fivе, she marriеd and had children. Through thiсk аnd thin, she stоod bу hеr husbаnd, wеathеring hаrdshiрs tоgеther tо build the prosреrity thеy enjoуed todаy.
Yet shе hаd nеvеr fеlt аnу situation mоrе difficult thаn thе рresеnt.
It was аs if thе wheel саlled "fаte" had spеd over her аt brеаkneсk speed, withоut еvеn taррing thе brаkеs.
Аfter сrushing hеr, it spеd off intо the distanсe, nоt fоrgеtting to lеаvе hеr choking on its еxhaust fumes.
The hаze blurred her visiоn, making evеn the diаmоnd neсklace around Ruan Sixian’s neck seem to lose its sparkle.
"So this is also your daughter," He Lanxiang said, as if seeing a lock firmly clamped between her and Dong Xian, impossible to break free from. "No wonder she’s so beautiful."
From certain angles, she looked exactly like Dong Xian.
Then she turned to Fu Mingyu, her eyes misty. "You really have excellent taste."
Fu Mingyu smiled in acknowledgment of the compliment.
The banquet hall was brilliantly lit, with music and the clinking of glasses blending into a scene of opulence.
No one understood He Lanxiang’s pain. No one.
In contrast to He Lanxiang, Dong Xian was genuinely happy. It had been a long time since she had seen Ruan Sixian smile at her.
Though she knew Ruan Sixian was only smiling politely in public.
"I didn’t expect you to come today," Dong Xian stepped forward, extending a hand. "You haven’t met Uncle Zheng yet, have you? He’s here today. Would you like to go over and say hello?"
He Lanxiang, who had been lost in self-pity nearby, froze at these words.
She looked up at Ruan Sixian.
But before Ruan Sixian could speak, Fu Mingyu shifted slightly, blocking half of her face. "Auntie, we should go greet Uncle Yan first. We’ll accompany her over in a little while, alright?"
Dong Xian slowly withdrew her hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, and nodded hesitantly. "Alright."
Fu Mingyu’s every move gave her the feeling that he was asserting ownership, isolating her.
This feeling was naturally sensed by Dong Jing as well.
She glanced discreetly at Fu Mingyu before adding, "That’s fine. We’ll go ahead then."
Only then did Ruan Sixian smile. "Mm, we’ll be over in a bit."
Dong Jing nodded and left with Dong Xian, both smiling.
Watching the two sisters walk away, He Lanxiang’s gaze toward Ruan Sixian grew more inquisitive.
Why did it seem that Ruan Sixian’s attitude toward her "mother" was too polite—so polite it felt distant?
He Lanxiang brushed her hair back and looked again at Dong Xian’s retreating figure.
How many years had she known Dong Xian? She had heard Dong Xian had a biological daughter from her previous marriage, but she had never seen her.
It was one thing for an outsider like her not to have met the daughter, but even Dong Xian’s current husband had never met her? That seemed a bit odd.
Just moments ago, she had also caught a glimpse of Ruan Sixian’s face half-hidden behind Fu Mingyu’s shoulder, her lips curling almost imperceptibly.
After Fu Mingyu and Ruan Sixian left, He Lanxiang nudged her husband’s elbow.
"Don’t you think it’s a bit strange? It seems Mrs. Zheng’s relationship with her daughter is rather distant."
Fu Boyan replied calmly, "You only noticed now?"
Dong Xian’s past was something everyone present had heard a little about. This daughter from her previous marriage had never appeared with her in public, so the nature of their relationship could be guessed.
But He Lanxiang thought one step further than Fu Boyan.She was naturally sentimental and adept at creating drama for herself and those around her. From the brief exchange between Ruan Sixian and Dong Xian just now, it was clear that the former was unilaterally resistant to the latter.
He Lanxiang suddenly gave herself a shot of courage.
I! Am! Not! Alone!
By the time Fu Mingyu brought Ruan Sixian over, Yan An was no longer in that spot.
After the two exchanged brief greetings with Yan An's father, the birthday boy made a few polite remarks, discreetly glanced at Ruan Sixian a couple of times, and was then called away by his wife to another area.
Fu Mingyu then took Ruan Sixian to get something to eat.
At this moment, some people appeared poised and elegant on the surface, but inside, they were a complete mess.
At the long dining table, Fu Mingyu picked up a piece of cake and was about to hand it to Ruan Sixian when she gave him a sharp pinch.
Ruan Sixian truly had considerable strength. Fu Mingyu frowned slightly. "What's wrong now?"
"I think your mother doesn't seem to like me very much," Ruan Sixian said, turning her head subtly to glance at He Lanxiang, finally voicing the thought she'd been holding back. "Didn't you notice?"
"It's not that she dislikes you. She just doesn't get along well with your mother usually," Fu Mingyu said leisurely, lifting his gaze. "Their relationship isn't actually that bad."
After saying this, he fed a piece of cake to Ruan Sixian's lips.
Ruan Sixian wasn't in the mood. She turned her face away, frowning. "I understand. You're just saying indirectly that your mother doesn't like my mom, right?"
Fu Mingyu lowered his eyes, tacitly acknowledging it.
Ruan Sixian sighed. "Then what should we do?"
"What do you mean, what should we do?" Fu Mingyu looked at her and chuckled softly. "Are you my girlfriend or my mother's girlfriend?"
At the same time, he offered the piece of cake again. Pleased by his words, Ruan Sixian took a small bite.
Fu Mingyu raised his hand and used his thumb to wipe away the bit of cheese cream at the corner of her mouth. Without reaching for a napkin, he brought his thumb to his lips and lightly licked it off.
Watching his unhurried action, Ruan Sixian felt her face grow warm involuntarily.
"There are so many people here. Can't you act a bit more decently?"
After saying this, she glanced around somewhat guiltily and unexpectedly met the gaze of Zheng You'an from afar.
Zheng You'an, who had been quietly observing the situation from a distance, immediately turned her back and walked in the opposite direction, putting on an "I saw nothing" expression.
In reality, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and even felt a sense of satisfaction akin to that of a shipper.
Please, go ahead and show off your affection freely, as much as you want. As long as I see you two doing well, I'm relieved.
"This isn't decent? You have a rather high estimation of my moral baseline."
"..."
Being able to openly say such things in public made Ruan Sixian feel that her estimation of his baseline was indeed a bit too high.
Fu Mingyu, however, remained completely unaware that there was anything wrong with what he said. He picked up another piece of cake and brought it to Ruan Sixian's lips.
"Have a bit more."
Ruan Sixian stared straight at him.
Fine, then let's both forget about being decent.
She opened her mouth and took a sideways bite at Fu Mingyu's fingertip. "I'm going to the restroom to reapply my lipstick."
Then she turned and walked away.
Fu Mingyu looked at his fingertip, where a faint tooth mark remained.
She really didn't hold back.
Yan An's father happened to pass by and witnessed this scene, offering Fu Mingyu a knowing smile.At the same time, he saw Yan An, who had changed clothes upstairs, come down holding a glass of wine and drinking slowly. He wasn’t paying much attention to anyone either, his face clearly written with the words “in a bad mood.” So he leisurely strolled over.
Father and son stood side by side, the father also holding a glass of wine, speaking as if casually chatting: “Just now, Fu Mingyu brought his girlfriend over to say hello. I heard from Zhu Dong that you used to pursue her?”
Yan An swallowed a large gulp of wine, his voice somewhat low.
“He sure has a big mouth.”
“Never mind that for now. Let me warn you about one thing.”
His father moved toward a less crowded area, signaling Yan An to follow. “I mentioned the Zheng family matter to you yesterday. Once it’s decided, you have to rein in your temper no matter what and not embarrass them. As for Fu Mingyu’s side, since she’s already his girlfriend, you absolutely cannot think about trying to steal her away.”
He paused, then added: “I know your bad habits. If you really can’t control yourself, then we should reconsider the Zheng family matter. Don’t make things too ugly, alright? What do you think?”
The matter with the Zheng family had already been settled yesterday, and Yan An had mentally prepared himself for it. But now, his father wasn’t treating him like a person—this was just too much.
However, before he could speak, a voice sounded from the side.
“Uncle, you’ve got the wrong person.”
Fu Mingyu walked over from behind, the glass in his hand almost empty. “What Yan An thinks doesn’t matter. What matters is that Ruan Sixian is mine.”
Fu Mingyu swirled his glass, glancing at Yan An. “No matter how much others think about it, it’s useless.”
Yan An: “…”
Damn it.
I didn’t say anything—
Meanwhile, Ruan Sixian was heading toward the restroom following the signs.
The main banquet hall didn’t have restrooms; to get there, one had to pass through a quiet, long corridor.
The soft carpet on the floor swallowed all footsteps.
But some whispers were amplified by the corridor’s design.
Ruan Sixian slowed her steps because she seemed to hear someone talking about her.
To the left front of the corridor, there was an extended area for guests to smoke. From afar, the smell of cigarettes was already noticeable.
“What’s her background? I’ve never heard of her before.”
“Isn’t she that female pilot from World Airlines’ official blog a while back? I heard she used to be a flight attendant?”
“Really? Another flight attendant?”
“Why would I lie? Ask anyone from World Airlines—they all know.”
“Really, another flight attendant? His older brother was engaged to a flight attendant before. Do both brothers have a taste for that?”
“Her figure is good, and her skin is so fair. Who wouldn’t like that?”
“What’s the use of being pretty? She won’t get past the family’s standards.”
The earlier conversation was between two men, but suddenly a woman’s voice chimed in.
“I heard that when the eldest son was engaged, his mother absolutely refused to agree. Apparently, she looked down on that background and was even more determined than Chairman Fu. In the end, the engagement fell through, and the son was so angry he stayed abroad for over half a year without coming home. She’d rather not see her son than give in—that’s how determined she was.”"Exactly, who is Mrs. Fu? Back when Chairman Fu was in a car accident, hanging by a thread and lying in the hospital for months, with both children still in school, she held down the fort and tore apart several restless shareholders of World Airlines. It's just that in recent years she's withdrawn from worldly affairs to pursue art—that doesn't mean she doesn't care about family matters anymore."
"But did you see the necklace she was wearing? A few days ago, Lester gave it to Mrs. Fu, and she loved it so much. Now it's on her—maybe it's Mrs. Fu's intention."
Ruan Sixian reached out and flicked the pendant of the necklace on her chest.
Did Fu Mingyu snatch it from his mother?
That does sound like something he'd do.
"Pfft—you're so naive. That necklace is one of a kind in the whole world, but knockoffs are everywhere. Which jewelry store doesn't have an identical version now? Walk down the street and nine out of ten women are wearing the same thing."
"Mrs. Fu is probably sneering inside, thinking, 'What kind of trash is this? Where did this little bitch come from, daring to flaunt a fake in front of me?'"
"So, getting past Mrs. Fu is harder than climbing to heaven."
"It's not completely impossible, though."
"Oh?"
"Get pregnant as soon as possible. Mrs. Fu is getting older and has reached the age of enjoying grandchildren. Maybe she'll nod in approval then."
The group burst into laughter.
Ruan Sixian narrowed her eyes, feeling the smoke was a bit irritating.
She lowered her head to straighten her dress, ruffled her hair a couple of times, then slowly raised her gaze, coldly staring in that direction.
Just as she was about to step forward, someone tapped her on the shoulder.
Ruan Sixian turned around to find He Lanxiang standing behind her, though she hadn't noticed when she arrived.
It was cold outside, and He Lanxiang had wrapped herself in a fringed shawl when she came out.
She lifted the shawl slightly, raised her chin, and strode toward the smoking area, the fringe on her shawl shaking with the imposing aura of a commander leading an army to conquer hell.
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