Chapter 206: Chapter 204 Courting Favor with a Prospective Mother-in-law
"Fu Shengyuan, if you pursue me, Si Yuhuan will stop at nothing to bring you down," Jian Xi reminded him.
He nodded, one hand in his pocket, standing before the window. His tall figure almost merged with the night. Jian Xi remembered Si Yuhuan standing like that too, but he had been more domineering, less melancholic, and far more aggressive.
Damn it! She was thinking of that bastard again!
Fu Shengyuan turned back, his thin lips curving into a smile. "But after weighing the pros and cons, I still want to win you over. I told you, I fell for you at first sight."
"Does that include using me?" Jian Xi raised an eyebrow. "If it weren’t for my experience with scumbags, I might have almost succumbed to your charm."
The light in Fu Shengyuan’s eyes dimmed. "You don’t trust my sincerity. You’re still doubting me."
He took out his phone to call his assistant.
"Send me the information I had you prepare earlier."
Jian Xi saw the "evidence" Fu Shengyuan then showed her.
Fu Wenxiong had been placed under house arrest abroad by him long ago. After Fu Luosheng was ruined, the entire Fu Family fell into disarray. Fu Shengyuan had spent a great deal of time and effort quelling the internal strife. It was during that period that Fu Wenxiong sneakily returned. He originally planned to incite his confidants to rebel, but he encountered Jian Xi instead. Blinded by hatred, he lost everything.
Now, for Jian Xi’s sake, Fu Shengyuan disregarded the opposition from the Fu Family elders and sent his own third uncle to prison as punishment.
For this, Luo You had presented new technology materials as a pledge; the first batch was delivered to Yaowang for their use, free of charge.
"If I wasn’t afraid you’d misunderstand, I wouldn’t have brought these out," he said, looking troubled, and stole a glance at Jian Xi. "Sigh! Pursuing a girl nowadays is really tough."
Jian Xi almost laughed.
Having been reborn and shed her foolish notions of love, Fu Shengyuan’s display of deep affection simply left her speechless.
Just as she was about to say something, the door lock suddenly emitted a BEEP.
Jian’s Mother pushed the door open and came in.
Seeing the unfamiliar face opposite her, her pupils gradually brightened.
"Mom!" Jian Xi’s face flushed and her heart raced; she felt the nervousness of being caught in an awkward situation.
Fu Shengyuan, on the other hand, was composed and gracious. He greeted Jian’s Mother and extended a long, well-defined hand. "Hello, Auntie. I’m Fu Shengyuan."
Jian’s Mother was instantly overjoyed, her happiness blooming.
"The Fu Shengyuan from Tianyao Group?"
His name was indeed renowned throughout Beijing.
Fu Shengyuan smiled, his refined demeanor tinged with a subtle, understated arrogance. "Barring any mix-up, that would be me."
"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!"
Jian’s Mother was ecstatic, gripping Fu Shengyuan’s hand tightly and not letting go.
Jian Xi massaged her temples in frustration. Mom’s even more of a sucker for a handsome face than I am; her eyes just light up!
She quickly went over, gently pried her mother’s hand away, and pulled her aside. "Mom! Can you please try to manage your expressions a little?"
Jian’s Mother immediately scowled. "Manage what? When there’s such a perfect catch for a son-in-law right here, are you out of your mind for not wanting him?"
*I’m* out of my mind?
Jian Xi was rendered speechless by the reprimand.
Jian’s Mother winked shrewdly at her. "He’s every bit as good as Si Yuhuan, and a man like him is the perfect weapon against that heartbreaker! Just remember, use him to completely take down Si Yuhuan. Let’s see if he still dares to play around."
"You told me last time to be more polite to Si Yuhuan."
Jian Xi hadn’t forgotten her mother’s warning when she came home and saw Si Yuhuan with her elder brother.
Jian’s Mother was nothing if not adaptable. "That was then, this is now. With your brother in charge, Jian Group is flourishing, and even the last of our troubles have been resolved. Our family has nothing to fear anymore. There’s no need to indulge his philandering habits; we must teach him a lesson."
On careful consideration, her daughter certainly had excellent luck with men.
Among them, Fu Shengyuan was her absolute favorite, if only because he was Si Yuhuan’s rival.
"I don’t need any man to teach him a lesson," Jian Xi retorted.
Jian’s Mother shot her a sidelong glance. "What do you know?"
Then she went over to greet Fu Shengyuan warmly. "You should visit us at Fuyuan Official Residence often in the future. Xixi’s place here is the Louwang unit; there are plenty of guest rooms to choose from."
Jian Xi was utterly speechless.
She had tried so hard to refuse him, and now, with just a few words, her mother was practically signing him up as a son-in-law.
Fu Shengyuan, looking quite pleased, readily agreed, "Okay!"
Jian’s Mother was overly enthusiastic, insisting that Fu Shengyuan stay for dinner and claiming she had bought a lot of groceries.
Jian Xi pointed to the empty space by the door. "The groceries? Where are they?"
"Haha, um, well, Xiaowang will be delivering them shortly," Jian’s Mother said hastily. She then quickly called her driver, Xiaowang, instructing him to rapidly buy ingredients for some home-style dishes, as she intended to cook personally.
In the living room, Jian Xi felt rather helpless. Folding her arms, she apologized to Fu Shengyuan, "My mom is just very friendly and outgoing. If you’re busy with work, please feel free to leave first."
"Not at all. I’m quite free today."
Then, Fu Shengyuan went into the kitchen and rolled up his sleeves to help Jian’s Mother, though it was clear he was clueless about cooking.
Jian Xi had no choice but to go over and help.
She was deft and quick, her knife skills impressive.
Fu Shengyuan kept asking for advice; he was eager to learn, intelligent, and quickly picked up whatever Jian Xi taught him.
"Xiaofu is really talented!" Jian’s Mother praised him repeatedly. The more she watched the two of them, the more pleased she became.
In any case, whichever man her daughter chose, she would support the decision wholeheartedly.
"You flatter me, Auntie. I still need to learn a lot from Xixi."
Huh? Jian Xi glanced at him. In just this short while, I’ve gone from Miss Jian to Xixi?
Jian’s Mother was already grinning from ear to ear.
Once the meal was ready, Fu Shengyuan first complimented Jian’s Mother on her cooking skills, then praised Jian Xi for her excellent vegetable chopping. In short, he was full of charm and knew how to make them feel appreciated.
Jian’s Mother was absolutely thrilled. She kept piling food onto his plate and said he could come to their old family home for meals anytime, as she and her husband were retired and had plenty of free time.
As Jian’s Mother was leaving, she made a point of telling Jian Xi, "Take good care of Xiaofu. He’s such a good person."
When the front door closed, Jian Xi felt the world suddenly become much quieter.
Fu Shengyuan was on a call. She couldn’t hear what was being said, but his expression seemed somewhat grave.
Seeing him hang up, Jian Xi asked, "Do you have to get busy now?"
"There’s something at the company I need to deal with. Would you like to come along? You didn’t finish your tour last time; I’ll accompany you this time!"
"No, no, that’s alright."
Jian Xi didn’t have the heart to tell him she wasn’t interested, as she felt it was all just for show.
Fu Shengyuan rubbed his nose. "Alright then, I’ll head off first. I’ll bring you something nice another day."
Before Jian Xi could refuse, he hurried away.
Jian’s Mother hadn’t expected Fu Shengyuan to catch up to her when she had only gone about two streets away.
"Auntie! I left in such a rush earlier that I forgot to give you a small gift."
With that, he produced a luxurious gift box and handed it to her.
Jian’s Mother opened it to find a rare, wild health tonic, the kind that was virtually priceless. Even for someone of her family’s standing, she couldn’t help but say, "This is far too valuable. I can’t accept it."
She couldn’t help but wonder if his eagerness to please was a bit too intense, making it feel somewhat unreal.
As if he could read her mind, Fu Shengyuan immediately explained, "If you don’t accept it now, Auntie, I’ll certainly have to deliver it to your home another day. Truthfully, I prepared these things some time ago, hoping Jian Xi would bring me to visit you so I could present them then. Now that this opportunity has arisen, I couldn’t be happier."
Subtle flattery was often the most potent.
Jian’s Mother was so pleased by his words that she said, "Well then, I’ll accept it."