Fu Jingshu emerged from the bathroom to receive a phone call.
"Fu Jingshu, how can you treat Nuo Nuo and Wan Ying like this? They went to apologize, not to be bullied and humiliated by you!"
"And that child, completely spoiled, hitting people with a slingshot, throwing dog feces at them, what kind of behavior is that? Utterly lacking in upbringing!"
Fang Ruo's angry voice came through the phone, loud enough for Shen Qingqing to hear.
This was not the end; she continued to scold.
"If you still consider us your parents, hurry back and stop associating with that woman!"
Fu Jingshu said calmly, "No."
A single word was enough to enrage Fang Ruo. She stood up from the sofa, her voice rising by more than an octave, sharp and grating, "Fu Jingshu! Say that again!"
"I said, no."
He actually repeated it!
Anger surged in Fang Ruo's heart, making her tremble, "You, you are truly an unfilial son, to defy me like this."
Fu Jingshu's voice was light, with a hint of coolness, "Why should I listen to you?"
"Because I am your mother!"
"Am I?"
His calm question made Fang Ruo freeze.
Fu Tingyi, seeing this, asked, "What's wrong?"
Fang Ruo still didn't answer. Fu Tingyi took the phone and said sternly, "Jingshu, she's not suitable for you."
Fu Jingshu let out a low, ambiguous chuckle.
What did that mean?
Fu Tingyi frowned, his tone laced with dissatisfaction, "I am your father, I wouldn't harm you. Shen Qingqing is a very scheming woman, using her two children to sow discord between you and us. Haven't you thought about why?"
Fu Jingshu's expression suddenly relaxed, surprising Shen Qingqing greatly.
The next second, her waist was clasped, and they sat down on the sofa. She could clearly hear the voices on the phone, so she didn't resist.
As if afraid she couldn't hear, he moved the phone closer to her.
"That's because only when we leave you can she manipulate you and get your assets. She doesn't truly want to be with you! Otherwise, why wouldn't she care about your relationship with us? If she truly loved you, she would do everything to make our family harmonious, not create this mess."
"She has ulterior motives, can't you see?"
"And those two children, they should have been the young masters of the Fu family. Look at them now, what has she turned them into? Disrespectful, malicious, scheming, and deeply calculating. If you don't take the two children away from her soon, you will regret it!"
He rambled on, saying a lot of earnest words, which made Shen Qingqing's expression grow colder.
She didn't care what others said about her, but she wouldn't tolerate them speaking ill of her children.
"You've gone too far."
She suddenly spoke, and Fu Tingyi was taken aback. Caught red-handed badmouthing someone was embarrassing, but he quickly retorted righteously, "Did I say anything wrong? You are exactly the kind of scheming woman you are, not a good person at all!"
Fang Ruo grumbled next to him, "Vixen!"
Her good son was so bewitched. He wouldn't come home, abandon his parents and children, it was madness!
Shen Qingqing looked at Fu Jingshu and blinked, "Am I a vixen?"
"Of course not."
He answered without hesitation, making her smile with satisfaction. Her already stunning face became even more captivating, her eyes and brows filled with allure, stirring his desire. Ignoring the person on the phone, he cupped her head and leaned in to kiss her.
He ended up kissing her fingers.
His eyes deepened, "Good girl, let go."
Shen Qingqing curled her lips, smiling wildly and unrestrainedly, her voice tinged with allure, "Someone is waiting for your reply over there."
He sighed lowly, suddenly finding the person on the phone incredibly annoying.
The person on the other end was about to explode.
Even though they couldn't see, they weren't deaf. The ambiguous whispers clearly indicated what was happening on the other side, and Fu Tingyi's face turned dark with anger.
"Fu Jingshu, this is unacceptable!"
Fu Jingshu knew he wouldn't be able to get close to her today if he didn't resolve the trouble on the phone. His tone was somewhat impatient, "What business is it of yours if I'm intimate with my own wife?"
"When did she become your wife?" the voice on the other end sputtered in exasperation.
"Very soon." Fu Jingshu casually dropped a bomb, "In a few days, we will hold our wedding. Then she will be the rightful—Mrs. Fu."
Shen Qingqing gave him a half-smile, her eyes appraising him.
She hadn't agreed yet.
The hand that had been cupping the back of her head slowly moved down, caressing her waist, sending ripples of numbness through her. She couldn't help but arch her back and poke his chest with her finger.
"Call properly," she chided.
"I am calling properly." He said earnestly, but holding her in his arms, his back against hers, his chin resting on her shoulder, his breath filled with her clean fragrance. He closed his eyes contentedly, "I've decided to get married. No one can change my mind. Don't waste your effort."
With the beauty in his arms, he was in a good mood and spoke more than usual.
Fu Tingyi gritted his teeth, "If you marry her, I will sever our father-son relationship!"
Fang Ruo was not to be outdone, "I will sever our mother-son relationship too!"
"We already haven't, why bother severing?"
His thin lips parted, and he uttered a cold sentence. Without waiting for a reaction, he hung up the phone, completely unfazed by the bomb he had just dropped on the Fu Tingyi couple, leaving them stunned.
Shen Qingqing, however, was thoughtful. What did his words mean? Were they not Fu Jingshu's parents?
His voice sounded in her ear, "Aren't you going to ask me?"
She adjusted her position, leaning comfortably into his embrace, "Ask about what?"
He chuckled softly.
"You said you would tell me." Everyone had their own secrets and privacy. As long as it wasn't about their relationship, she wouldn't pry.
Fu Jingshu sighed, "Qingqing, I didn't intend to tell you here, but..."
She felt his hands grasp her waist, and then she was turned and placed on the sofa. He leaned down, his gaze burning into hers.
"But I can't wait any longer."
Can't wait for what?
As soon as this question flashed through Shen Qingqing's mind, she saw him take a palm-sized box from his pocket. Inside the small box, a diamond ring lay quietly.
He knelt on one knee, gazing at her, "Qingqing, will you marry me?"
Shen Qingqing was somewhat stunned.
His proposal surprised her, but also made her hesitate. There were still too many issues and secrets between them. Lu Wan Ying's identity remained a mystery.
And Nuo Nuo...
Even though his current attitude towards the child was distant, as if he wasn't treating him as his own, but still...
He seemed to know all her concerns, his voice low and solemn, "One day, I will tell you everything. But please believe me, you are the only one in my heart. Before you, I didn't know I could care about someone so much, but after you appeared, everything changed."
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing. He was unaccustomed to analyzing himself, and in the end, all his words condensed into one sentence.
"Marry me."