Chapter 28 Incongruous

The carved door slowly closed, and Fu Jingchen placed his briefcase on the entryway cabinet.

The interior features a magnificent and intricate multi-tiered crystal chandelier that reflects dazzling light, while an extravagant giant aquarium houses golden arowanas, creating a striking contrast with the replicas of the bronze animal heads from the Old Summer Palace displayed in the corner.

The living room's decor exudes wealth, but the villa owner's taste is somewhat questionable.

Zhou Wan leaned back on the luxurious sofa, her modified rose-red silk cheongsam with its neckline wide open, the gold thread embroidery on the skirt swaying so brightly with her movements that it made one dizzy.

"How rare! Your humble servant is back."

The woman speaking had a high-pitched voice, and her bright red lips almost overflowed her lip line as she stirred the flower tea in the porcelain cup with a silver spoon.

"Our whole family misses you very much."

It wasn't hard to hear the ambiguity in the woman's words; in her opinion, Fu Jingchen wasn't part of the family.

"Thank you for your trouble." Fu Jingchen loosened his tie slightly, his expression indifferent.

If his father hadn't repeatedly urged him to come back, he certainly wouldn't be here.

"Xiao Wang, come down, your brother is here."

Zhou Wan looked up and called out to the second floor, her tone full of doting affection as she called her son's name, a stark contrast to her previous tone.

What comes into view is a man with fluffy blond hair that gleams white in the backlight, leaning against the gilded stair railing.

The unusual stud on his ear cartilage was particularly eye-catching, and with each casual nod and step, the obsidian necklace around his neck swayed gently in front of his chest.

The loose shirt was half-open, revealing the wide neckline underneath, and a dark tattoo was faintly visible on the collarbone.

He glanced down at Fu Jingchen's upright figure, his eyes narrowing sharply at the corners, the curve of his lips seeming to be a smile, yet carrying an undisguised arrogance and provocation.

"Welcome home, bro."

Fu Jingchen stopped, his gaze sweeping over the striking blond hair and the winding black tattoo lines on his collarbone.

"Hmm." Behind the glasses, only cold disdain remained.

"Something that's neither fish nor fowl"—that was the highest praise he could give Fu Wang.

Fu Wang saw the contempt in the other person's eyes, his brows furrowed, and a fierce line appeared on his forehead.

"Brother, how come you have time to come back? Didn't you take good care of that old woman from the Ruan family?"

The words were full of sharp malice, but they did not arouse any anger in him. Fu Jingchen's eyes behind his glasses remained as deep as a still pool, without a ripple.

This kind of person simply cannot arouse his emotions.

Fu Jingchen looked at him, the corners of his lips still holding a just-right curve, his voice steady and calm, "The Fu family and the Ruan family are cooperating, and President Ruan and I are just colleagues."

Seeing that Fu Jingchen seemed completely unaffected, Fu Wang's anger intensified, and he clenched his fists at his sides.

He wanted to say something more, but he heard someone shout angrily before he could.

"You bastard! You'd better just be colleagues, don't let it escalate into a sexual relationship!"

Fu Jingchen's lips slowly curled into a cold, hard arc, his tone sarcastic.

“Father, not everyone is like you, taking their secretary and employees to bed. This is the second person to cause trouble at the company this month.”

Grandpa Fu's wrinkled face turned a deep liver color, and his mouth twitched violently.

"What nonsense are you spouting! You've gone too far!"

As Zhou Wan listened to the conversation between the father and son, the corners of her mouth began to distort uncontrollably, her delicate features became twisted, her fingertips dug into her palms, and her bright red nails almost pierced her skin.

She knew that this old geezer had a new woman again, and she had lost count of how many he had already been with.

"My contact with Mr. Ruan was limited to advancing the cooperation process. Those rumors were also my father's doing."

What was originally intended as a marriage rumor beneficial to both parties has instead turned into such a vulgar and shameless rumor.

Fu Jingchen's words were devoid of warmth and emotion, and his face was completely expressionless, as if any unnecessary movement of his muscles would be a waste.

"You have the blood of the Fu family, so you must sacrifice for the family!"

Every word is laced with the venom of moral blackmail, packaging shamelessness as the dignified authority of the head of the household.

Fu Wang felt a surge of satisfaction as he watched Fu Jingchen suffer a setback, and a mocking sneer escaped his throat.

"Father, I'm leaving now."

Fu Jingchen parted his thin lips slightly, his tone carrying a formulaic detachment, his eyes cold and devoid of any affection.

This was not his home, but a tightly sealed, human-shaped iron coffin filled with steel needles, a painful instrument of torture designed to drain every drop of his blood.

Even though I was standing in the sunlight, I only felt cold.

Suddenly, I felt a bit of discomfort from the notebook in the inside pocket of my suit; it was Ruan Yi's little notebook.

My fingertips unconsciously caressed the smooth texture of the cover, recalling the girl's warm softness.

The intense heat she possessed was enough to burn through the bone-chilling ice that had clung to him for years.

"The future and her home will not be like this."

After Fu Jingchen left, Old Master Fu, with nowhere to vent his anger, yelled at Zhou Wan to vent his frustration.

Evil thoughts in one's mind fester like maggots in rotting flesh.

He planned that after his collaboration with Nguyen ended, he would sell his eldest son to a wealthy old woman with wicked tastes to teach him a lesson.

Let's see if he dares to be so arrogant again.

Fu Wang chuckled as he watched Fu Jingchen's departing figure.

Fu Jingchen is outstanding, but so what? All his hard work over half a lifetime is nothing more than a stepping stone for him.

The Fu family will only belong to Fu Wang.

Ruan Yi sneezed, and her ears burned terribly.

Who exactly is thinking about her?

Ruan Yi looked at Lin Han, who was chugging down bottles of alcohol, with a resentful gaze.

Lin Han is probably like an NPC in a novel who randomly appears in places of revelry and debauchery.

She's much happier than the villainous female supporting character.

"How to get Shen Xun to agree to annul the engagement is a good question!"

Ruan Yi looked embarrassed. She had discussed this matter with her mother many times, but as long as Shen Xun didn't budge, there was no way to resolve the issue.

So she eagerly went to find her best friend, whose thought process was extremely peculiar.

"How about you pretend you've met your true love? Find someone to play along? You absolutely have to marry him, what do you say?"

"However, doing this while you have a fiancé might have some impact on your reputation."

Ruan Yi didn't really care about her reputation anymore.

After all, she dares not hope for marriage now. As a villainous supporting character, she doesn't even know if she will survive to the end, so she cannot make a marriage commitment.

The precedent set by the mother and father was not pleasant either.

True feelings can change in an instant; she didn't want to gamble, nor did she dare to.

"That's one way... but Mom won't allow me to ruin my reputation."

Moreover, where can she find a man she can pretend to love? The men around her are either her younger brother, a gay old pervert, or a crazy fiancé whose sexual orientation is a mystery and who lacks a penis.

Why does she have to be the villainous supporting character? She might as well be a background character!

Ruan Yi's eyes reddened, and she hurriedly wiped them away. She couldn't explain the truth behind her bad mood. She was afraid that Lin Han would think she was being dramatic if she cried in this situation.

The girl next to him froze, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Ruan Yi, come have a drink. You need to release your emotions. There's always a way to solve things. Let's relax, okay?"

Ruan Yi bit her lower lip and looked at Lin Han with teary eyes.

"Wow!" The girl burst into tears and ran into her best friend's arms.