Chapter 14: Discovering the Dinner at the Top Club in Jiangcheng "Yunding"...

The dinner at Jiangcheng's top club "Genting" has always been a silent arena for power and capital in the circle, and tonight is no exception.

Chen Shutong held a champagne glass, stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the glittering city night scene below.

Fu Jingchuan was just a step away from her, surrounded by several bankers. He stood tall and straight, like a pine tree, his glass in hand barely moving. He listened to a director nearby, his head slightly tilted, occasionally nodding or offering a brief response, appearing perfectly at ease.

But Shen Shutong could feel that he was not in good shape.

From the moment he entered the banquet hall, he'd been feeling a constant tension, forcibly suppressed beneath a calm exterior. Others couldn't see it, but they felt that Mr. Fu was unusually taciturn tonight, his aura even more intimidating than usual.

She knew he'd been exhausted lately. Jingjing Capital's increasingly intense attacks on the Fu family were taking a huge toll on him. And Fu Yannian wouldn't let it go. He'd stirred up this mess himself, but Shen Shutong felt a strange sense of unease watching him. He'd only just recovered, and the intensity of his work was truly worrying.

At the same time, she was also confused. Why did Fu Jingchuan have such a quarrel with the Fu family? In her opinion, Fu Jingchuan would be the heir of the Fu family in the future, and it would be disadvantageous for him to destroy the Fu family. However, Fu Jingchuan seemed to be very resistant to the topic of the Fu family. Several times, she wanted to ask, but when she saw Fu Jingchuan's tired face, she swallowed it back.

"Mr. Shen, long time no see." A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

Shen Shutong turned around, a perfect smile instantly plastered on his face: "Mr. Wang, nice to meet you." It was Wang Hai, chairman of Hongda Group, one of Shen's important partners.

After a few pleasantries, the topic inevitably turned to the recent "grand event" of the Shen and Fu families' marriage and the turbulent times in the business world. Wang Hai smiled meaningfully, "Boss Shen is quite courageous. With this alliance with Boss Fu, the world of Jiangcheng is about to change completely."

Shen Shutong kept smiling: "Mr. Wang, you're joking. It's just a business cooperation. We each get what we need." She avoided the main point and didn't want to talk more about this issue.

Wang Hai tactfully changed the subject, but his eyes kept glancing at Fu Jingchuan, who was not far away. Everyone in the industry knew that Fu Jingchuan's move against the Fu family this time was swift, accurate, ruthless, and merciless. It was completely unlike the attitude of a newly recognized "heir" with an unstable foundation. This seemed more like a long-planned reckoning.

Fu Jingchuan seemed to sense Shen Shutong's gaze, and glanced at her across the crowd.

At this time, two more people gathered around Fu Jingchuan, and it seemed that they had something important to discuss.

"Excuse me." After talking for a while, Fu Jingchuan whispered a few words to the person next to him, put down the wine glass that he had hardly touched, and walked towards the bathroom.

Shen Shutong withdrew her gaze and continued to deal with Wang Hai, but her mind was wandering. How long had he been gone? Ten minutes? Fifteen minutes? Was he too tired recently and feeling unwell again? The shadow of her last miscarriage flashed through her mind, bringing a slight palpitation.

"Mr. Shen? Mr. Shen?" Wang Hai's voice became louder.

Shen Shutong suddenly came back to his senses and smiled apologetically: "Sorry, Mr. Wang, I just thought of something. You just said..."

After dealing with it for a few more minutes, Shen Shutong finally found an excuse to get away. She put down her wine glass and said to Wang Hai, "Excuse me for a moment." Then she turned and walked in the direction Fu Jingchuan had left.

Just as I turned the corner, before I even looked at the restroom sign, a roaring voice hit my ears:

"Fu Jingchuan! You're so arrogant! You've cut off three of the Fu family's lifelines! Are you going to dismantle the Fu family and sell the parts next?!"

It’s Fu Yannian!

Shen Shutong's heart suddenly sank. She subconsciously took a half step back, hiding herself in the shadow cast by the green plants in the corner. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

Fu Yannian had his back to her, his tall figure blocking Fu Jingchuan's way. Fu Jingchuan leaned against the opposite wall, his hands in his trouser pockets, his posture even casual, but his face expressionless.

"It's just business competition, Mr. Fu." Fu Jingchuan replied calmly, as if he was watching a clown. "Jingjing's strategic adjustments do not need to be reported to the Fu Group."

"Strategic adjustment?" Fu Yannian took a step forward as if he had heard a huge joke. "Is that an adjustment? You're stabbing me in the back! You're stabbing the Fu family who gave birth to you and raised you! Fu Jingchuan, why the hell did I give birth to such a bastard like you!"

Shen Shutong in the shadows gasped.

Fu Jingchuan sneered: "Give birth to me and raise me?! Have you ever raised me? Fu Yannian, you really have the nerve to say that before your precious son Fu Jingming died, did you ever think of me? You probably don't even know where I died on that day."

Fu Yannian's face froze, and then he was filled with even more rage: "You..."

"Stop talking about these useless things." Fu Jingchuan interrupted him. "I was a playboy when I was young. After I got pregnant, I found that I couldn't have an abortion, so I had to give birth to the child. Then what? I gave that woman a sum of money and asked her to take me, a "shameful" burden, and get out? For more than 20 years, I don't know who my father or mother is. If the Fu family hadn't lost a son and needed a male heir to support the family, how could Mr. Fu have thought of having an illegitimate child outside? "

With every word he spoke, Fu Yannian's face became uglier.

"Now, you're telling me about the grace of giving birth to me?" Fu Jingchuan's voice was filled with resentment and hatred that had been pent up for more than twenty years. "Fu Yannian, I wish you had never given birth to me! Do you think I care about recognizing you as my father? Do you think I care about this shabby hat of your Fu family?!"

"Bastard!" Fu Yannian was so angry that he was shaking all over and raised his hand to hit him.

Fu Jingchuan suddenly raised his hand and grasped his wrist with such force that Fu Yannian groaned in pain. Fu Jingchuan's eyes were cold and frightening, and he slammed Fu Yannian's face with every word: "You forced me to be the Fu family's puppet for the past five years, helping you stabilize the Fu family's situation. Now, I want some "reward", is it too much? The Fu family's business is the interest I earned from being controlled by you for the past five years. This is just the beginning."

He suddenly shook off Fu Yannian's hand, as if he was getting rid of something dirty, and the hostility in his eyes almost overflowed.

Fu Yannian was so angry at his words that his face turned blue. He pointed at him, his lips trembling, but he couldn't speak for a while.

Fu Jingchuan stopped looking at him and turned away. He walked quickly towards the other end of the corridor, towards the terrace. He needed fresh air, needed to calm down, and needed to suppress the nausea and violence that was surging.

The terrace was deserted, the night breeze bringing a chill. He leaned against the cold railing and instinctively reached for the cigarette case in his suit pocket. His fingertips touched the hard surface, and a familiar longing surged over him, almost instinctual, to numb his nerves, to temporarily escape from everything.

But the next second, he stopped moving.

Don't smoke when preparing for pregnancy.

He sighed, but ultimately didn't take it out. He took a few deep breaths of the cool night air, trying to calm his rapid heartbeat and boiling emotions.

After standing alone for a few minutes, the surging anger in his chest was barely suppressed back to the depths, but the fatigue became even deeper, almost drowning him. He only wanted to see Shen Shutong now, and this thought was so strong, like a drowning man wanting to grab the only driftwood.

He composed his expression before turning around and walking back.

As he turned toward the terrace, Shen Shutong quickly stepped back and slipped into the adjacent women's restroom. She leaned against the door, her fingers still trembling slightly. Every word Fu Jingchuan spoke was like a barbed hook, piercing her heart. It turned out that behind his so-called "glory" of returning to his roots was this bloody humiliation and transaction.

After a long while, she heard footsteps outside again, gradually moving farther away. After a while, she guessed that Fu Jingchuan should have returned from the terrace. She took a deep breath, adjusted her expression in front of the mirror, and made sure that there was nothing unusual before pushing the door and walking out.

As soon as I walked into the corridor, I saw Fu Jingchuan walking towards me. The coldness and fatigue in his eyes had not completely faded away, but his surface had returned to calm.

"Why did you come out?" he asked.

Shen Shutong suppressed the lump in her throat: "I saw that you didn't come back for a long time, so I thought you were feeling unwell because you drank too much." Her eyes fell on his face, "Why do you look so bad? Are you too tired?"

Fu Jingchuan looked into her eyes, and his shadow was reflected in her clear eyes. The nausea brought by the malicious confrontation just now seemed to be dispelled by the worry in her eyes. The strong urge in his heart to get closer to her surged up again.

His voice was low, with a hint of fatigue and dependence: "Well, a little tired."

Shen Shutong's heart instantly softened. She looked at his pale face and asked softly, "Then... do you want to go home together?"

go home.

This word instantly struck Fu Jingchuan's tense nerves. The last bit of coldness in his eyes was covered by desire. He almost didn't think and answered immediately:

"Okay. Go home."