King watched the scene before him, the smile on his face slowly disappearing.
Fu Jingshu wrapped an arm around the slender waist of the person beside him. Sensing her lack of struggle, the gloom in his eyes gradually softened. "It'll be dark after we eat. I don't trust you to go back alone, I'll accompany you."
Shen Qingqing blinked. "Actually..."
She wouldn't be in danger.
But before she could finish, the hand on her waist tightened. She looked up inexplicably, unsure why he was being difficult. Was it because he was eating with King?
But she had already explained, they were friends.
King on the other side chuckled, "She's just out for a meal, and you have to follow? What, you don't have freedom until you're married?"
Fu Jingshu's gaze slowly fell upon him, filled with appraisal and scrutiny. "In what capacity are you questioning me?"
I am her teacher.
The words hadn't even left his lips. Seeing their intimate posture, he felt the statement lacked conviction. Unbidden anger flared. The angrier he became, the more unrestrained his smile grew.
"A suitor. Is that enough of a capacity?"
Fu Jingshu's expression turned somber.
Shen Qingqing also looked at him in astonishment, only to find no trace of jest in King's usually roguish eyes.
He was serious.
But why?
Shen Qingqing had never considered that King might like her. He was nonchalant, as if he stood above mortals, detached from the world despite being in it.
To her, he was both mentor and friend, but she had never imagined he would...
Fu Jingshu said each word distinctly: "Delusional."
King sneered, "You too."
Their eyes clashed, sparks seemingly flying. The atmosphere tensed, on the verge of explosion. The onlookers held their breath, afraid to even exhale.
To be fought over by two such exceptional men, for them, it would have been worth dying for.
Most of the girls present thought so.
Shen Qingqing, the protagonist, felt no honor, only extreme awkwardness. She said softly, "Alright, let's go back."
Fu Jingshu ignored her, his gaze fixed on King. "She is mine."
King let out a scoff. "Hilarious. What makes you say she's yours? Is it your ex-girlfriend you can't even explain, or her parents who despise her?"
Fu Jingshu's thin lips were pressed tight, his brow furrowed in a dark cloud.
"You can't give her happiness. I've always thought so," King pressed, "Because you have too much trouble around you, you can't protect her at all."
"I can."
Fu Jingshu said without hesitation.
King sneered. "Can you? Be honest. After she started being with you, how much hardship and heartbreak has she endured? Have you ever counted?"
His eyes were filled with mockery and disdain.
He simply didn't believe Fu Jingshu could be the right man to bring her happiness.
Every word struck like a dagger to the heart. Shen Qingqing frowned slightly and turned to see Fu Jingshu's expression had become extremely grim.
She said softly, "Jingshu, he..."
Suddenly, her hand was grasped. She looked up to see him slowly smiling. "How many years have you known each other?"
"What business is it of yours?"
King's devilishly handsome face tensed.
Fu Jingshu's anger suddenly vanished. The tense standoff now seemed to lose its edge. His gaze towards King held a hint of understanding and pity.
Pity?
King almost thought he was mistaken. What was he pitying?
"It seems you're not a difficult opponent either," Fu Jingshu said, knowing exactly how to deliver a fatal blow. He then put an arm around Shen Qingqing and walked away.
Leaving King with a darkened face.
Nothing was more infuriating than the mockery and pity from an opponent.
On the way back, the car was silent. Shen Qingqing hadn't fully recovered from the shock of King liking her. But then she dismissed it; he had never shown any signs of affection.
But what he had said...
"Are you thinking about him?" Fu Jingshu's voice suddenly sounded beside her.
She jolted back to reality. "No, I was just wondering how it was such a coincidence that you were also at the restaurant."
"Meeting a client."
"Then you just left?" Abandoning a client, isn't that not good?
Fu Jingshu gripped the steering wheel, his tone indifferent. "Because I have something more important than them."
Shen Qingqing's heart skipped a beat. She leaned in slightly, teasing. "So, this more important thing, refers to me?"
As it happened, they were at a red light. Fu Jingshu stopped the car and slowly turned to look at her. Her cunning face was reflected in his dark pupils. He seemed a bit helpless. "Asking the obvious."
Having received a satisfactory answer, Shen Qingqing finally felt content and sat back obediently.
Though they didn't speak further, the atmosphere was unusually harmonious for them lately. But this harmony only lasted until they reached the living room.
As soon as they entered, they heard Fang Ruo's stern reprimand, "You've gone too far!"
There seemed to be only two people in the house who could elicit such scolding from her.
Shen Qingqing's heart tightened. She immediately walked in. As she had suspected, Fang Ruo was sitting on the sofa, her expression severe. Chenchen stood before her, head bowed, silent.
Fang Ruo was still chattering, "How could you hit her? I told you, she's your sister! You have no upbringing, and you're too cruel. Is this how your mother taught you?"
Shen Jinxi stood with her hands on her hips, blocking her brother. "You're spouting nonsense! My brother wouldn't do something like that!"
"He didn't, so why isn't he explaining?" Fang Ruo pressed aggressively.
Shen Jinxi instinctively looked at Chenchen, feeling anxious. Her brother had this habit; he might say a few words to her and their mom, but he wouldn't say a single word to people he disliked.
Whether it was a misunderstanding or false accusation, he didn't care, deeming it beneath him to explain.
But she cared!
Just as she was getting worried, someone blocked her. The familiar clothes and the faint, familiar scent... Without a word, he threw himself into his mother's arms.
He was still holding his brother's hand.
Xi Xi, who had been like a little porcupine moments ago, now put on a wronged expression upon seeing her mother and began to complain.
"Mommy, Nuonuo has a fever. She said brother pushed her into the fountain, but brother didn't. Brother doesn't talk much, I'll explain for him."
In a few words, she clarified the situation.
Old Mrs. Fu, who had been holding a stern face nearby, slowly relaxed her stiffened back.
With Qingqing back, the children wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
Fang Ruo hadn't expected them to return so soon. She asked instinctively, "Jingshu, weren't you supposed to be discussing business?"
Fu Jingshu said coldly, "So you took advantage of my absence to slander Chenchen?"
"I didn't! It was Nuonuo who said it. The child has a very high fever, she couldn't possibly be lying."
Shen Qingqing looked down at Chenchen. "Chenchen, tell Mommy, did you not do this?"
Chenchen, who had remained silent, finally looked up. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he said in a very small voice, "No."
Fang Ruo beside them gritted her teeth, her eyes red.
After she had pressed him so hard, the child had remained silent.
Footsteps echoed from upstairs. It was Lu Wanying walking down. Her eyes were red and swollen, her voice slightly hoarse, as if she had been crying. "My child is so young, how can she endure this? She's still having nightmares in her sleep, saying she's scared. I really, really regret... not bringing the child here."
Fang Ruo's heart ached upon hearing this. She immediately made a decision. "Chenchen, go apologize to Nuonuo, right now!"