Chapter 3, Chapter Three, is him.
The two women, who had been called wicked women, fed Jiang Wei oranges with even more enthusiasm, until Jiang Wei couldn't take it anymore and begged for mercy, at which point they finally stopped.
It's her birthday, after all. Don't go too far.
Jiang Wei coughed twice, choked by the fumes. "You only remember it's my birthday now?"
Luo Xincheng laughed, "Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone. Even if we suffer a setback, it's more fun when we're all together."
"..." Jiang Wei was so angry that he was speechless and turned his head away, not wanting to talk to her anymore.
Luo Xincheng, however, seemed to remember something and asked, "Hey, didn't the Fu family find five children? You've only mentioned four, right? What about the last one? What's his background?"
Upon hearing this, the other two simultaneously showed signs of trying hard to recall.
"Him? Hmm, he doesn't go out much. He seems to be the only one who diligently goes to his own company every day, right?"
"Very low-key, seems like the kind of reliable and hardworking person?"
It's clear that this fourth young master of the Fu family has a very low profile, which is why these two people spent so much time thinking about it, and their subjective descriptions of him were all in this ambiguous tone.
"Sigh, it's been so long since I've seen him I've forgotten what he looks like." Jiang Wei gulped down some water. "Forget about the Fu family's mess, I'm the star today, okay? Focus all the attention and spotlight on me, thank you."
Luo Xincheng looked like she hadn't had enough, "As soon as she heard the gossip about the rich and powerful, she forgot all about romance and went all out."
Jiang Wei: "..."
She put down her water glass: "Since things have come to this, let's eat first."
Luo Xincheng nodded in agreement, but before that, she strongly urged Jiang Weixian to open the gift she had given him.
"A very unique gift, I'm sure you'll love it."
Seeing her confident demeanor, Jiang Wei felt a strange sense of crisis arise in his heart.
"...Is it some kind of prank?"
She hesitated on the surface, but her hands moved quickly, opening the gift box in no time. Her tense expression relaxed when she saw that there were only a few pens inside.
But the next second, Luo Xincheng said, "From now on, use these pens to write lab reports, so you can think of me every day."
"..." Jiang Wei forced a very awkward smile at Luo Xincheng, "Thank you."
Luo Xincheng was secretly pleased. "You're welcome. Let's eat."
This meal took a long time.
The three of them kept talking the whole time. Eating was secondary; they mainly chatted about gossip and people they all disliked.
They hadn't seen each other for quite a while. The last time they got together was at the hospital, where one of them lay dejectedly on her hospital bed while the other two came to visit her with fruit baskets and flowers. But given the circumstances at the time, Luo Xincheng had no mood to discuss such trivial matters with them.
After finishing their meal, the three of them had nothing else to do. After a brief farewell, they each went home to their own mothers.
Coincidentally, when Luo Xincheng parked her car in the garage, she bumped into her stepsister Fang Shiyue, who had just returned from get off work.
The other person was clearly surprised to see her in a place like this. "You actually went out today?"
A woman with short, neat hair slowly took off her coat and draped it over her arm. "That's rare."
"Yeah," Luo Xincheng replied casually, "It's a friend's birthday."
She was four years older than Luo Xincheng. Compared to her stepsister, who was fresh out of school and inexperienced in the ways of the world, her face was made up with exquisite makeup, making her look more mature. She exuded a calm and composed demeanor that had been seasoned by her work, and the many days of overtime work made her look slightly tired.
"Oh, I see," she said weakly, rubbing her temples and pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's fine..."
Seeing her like this, Luo Xincheng guessed that she was suffering from low blood sugar, so he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of chocolates.
“Here.” She spread her hands, “It’s a free gift from the restaurant where we just ate.”
Fang Shiyue rolled his eyes upwards, his tone revealing undisguised disdain.
"This kind of leftovers..."
That's what he said, but his hands still honestly took the chocolate, tore open the packaging, put it in his mouth for a while, and then crunched it up.
Luo Xincheng scoffed, "Isn't this food quite delicious?"
Fang Shiyue still had that same pathetic, lifeless look on his face, "You're so long-winded."
The two walked side by side, their steps gradually syncing. Their conversation wasn't particularly lively, but at least they kept their words flowing freely. If an unsuspecting person saw them, they might really think they were sisters.
After entering the villa,
Luo Xincheng breathed a sigh of relief as she took off her ankle boots and put on slippers. Fang Shiyue handed her coat to the maid, then smiled and greeted the long-haired woman who was coming, "Aunt Luo."
Luo Anjiu smiled and nodded, "I asked the kitchen to make your favorite matsutake mushroom and fish maw chicken soup. It's ready to drink now. You've been working overtime every day lately, and you look haggard. Drink more to nourish your body."
"Thank you, Aunt Luo." Fang Shiyue turned to look at Luo Xincheng. "Would you like some?"
?
The latter gave me a strange look and said, "I just came back from dinner."
So you're not going to drink?
"Well……"
Two minutes later,
Luo Xincheng and her stepsister sat facing each other at the dining table, each holding a bowl of chicken soup and slowly drinking it.
Luo Anjiu sat next to Luo Xincheng, smiling as she rested her chin on her hand and looked at her, "How was your day outside?"
"It was just a meal," she said, scooping matsutake mushrooms from the soup. "I can barely walk, what's the point of playing?"
Luo Anjiu felt both pity and amusement. "There's nothing I can do. Who told you to be so unlucky as to get into a car accident?"
When she first learned about her daughter's situation, she was frantic on her way to the hospital, her mind filled with conspiracy theories. One moment she wondered if she had offended someone in business and was being retaliated against, and the next she thought her ex-husband was far more despicable than her, and that she should be the one implicated...
However, after she, her current husband, and her ex-husband mobilized all their connections to investigate the whole incident, she was surprised to find that the truth of the accident was far more cruel than she had imagined. The cause of the accident was that heavy rain caused water to accumulate on the road, which caused a car to skid and crash into another car, ultimately leading to a series of tragic traffic accidents.
In short, Luo Xincheng's car accident was simply bad luck.
Having navigated the ups and downs of the business world for many years, Luo Anjiu has a certain reverence for metaphysics. In her view, people are easy to deal with, but luck is difficult to manage.
Luo Xincheng suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "So that's why you put purple clay teapots and feng shui pillars in my room?"
Luo Anjiu smiled, "Sincerity moves mountains."
...Fine, since we've already set it up.
Luo Xincheng lowered her head and continued drinking her soup. Then she heard her mother say, "It's Ning's youngest daughter's birthday banquet tomorrow night. You and your sister should go together."
Luo Xincheng: "?"
She turned to look at Luo Anjiu in shock, her suddenly wide, bright eyes reminding the latter of a cat gazing at its prey in the night.
"What kind of look is that?" Luo Anjiu found it amusing. "Are you surprised?"
Luo Xincheng exclaimed dramatically, "My God, you've finally decided to let me go on this long trip!"
After the car accident, she was kept under house arrest and not allowed to leave the house. She was only able to have dinner with Jiang Wei and the others today because she had applied to her mother well in advance.
Luo Anjiu sighed helplessly, "When I went to get a beauty treatment with Mrs. Liu today, I saw her child. Do you know what the first thing that child said to me was? Haha, he told me to take it easy and said that I am still young and that I will definitely have an even more outstanding and well-behaved child in the future."
Luo Xincheng was stunned for a few seconds, then reacted with fury, "What do you mean? Everyone outside is saying I'm dead?!"
She hadn't heard Jiang Wei and Xu Peiyi mention it at all!
"It's not that bad." Fang Shiyue, who was sitting across the table, wiped his mouth and said, not wanting to miss the fun, "After all, we didn't hold a banquet at home, so we're more talking about how you were paralyzed and became a vegetable after being hit by a car."
Luo Xincheng: ...
That would be worse than death!
Damn it! Who's spreading rumors about me?!
She immediately sneered, "If you're so capable, don't let me catch you!"
Her mother was amused by her impotent rage and tantrum. "So you have to go to the Ning family's dinner party. Once you go, the rumors will naturally fall apart. Anyway, I've already prepared the gifts for you. You just need to go."
Luo Xincheng said expressionlessly, "Hehe."
She never imagined that one day she would be so looking forward to a dinner party, just to dispel rumors that she hadn't lost her health or life in a car accident. It was so absurd that she wanted to laugh.
*
The next day.
As dusk settled, Luo Xincheng and her stepsister arrived at the banquet venue.
The villas, built along the water, occupy a vast area and are partially hidden in the lush forest. From a distance, the babbling stream shimmers with golden light under the fiery sunset.
She got out of the car, and Fang Shiyue quickly took her arm affectionately.
Why are you suddenly standing so close?
She felt a little out of place.
“How wonderful, it shows how close we are as sisters.” Fang Shiyue smiled and moved even closer to her, followed by a rich fragrance of irises. “It will save some people from always thinking that we don’t get along and that we’re fighting and tearing each other apart.”
“You can’t control what other people say,” Luo Xincheng said with a weathered tone. “If someone wants to criticize you, they can always find something to criticize.”
Fang Shiyue glanced at her with a half-smile, "That's true, but we still have to put on a show."
Amidst laughter and conversation, the waiter led the two into the hall, where they were greeted by a magnificent and opulent scene, filled with elegant attire and graceful figures.
"Luo Xincheng?"
As soon as she entered the room, an uncertain voice struck her directly in the ear.
She looked up at the sound and saw a tall, proud man with an arrogant expression. When their eyes met, he gave her a mischievous smile and said, "Your auntie gave you permission to go out?"
He slowly walked over, and Fang Shiyue, seeing this, tactfully let go of Luo Xincheng's arm, saying that he would convey her birthday wishes to Miss Ning.
Luo Xincheng watched her walk away, then turned to look at Jiang Xu, who was standing beside her, and focused on the glittering brooch on his chest.
"The brooch you're wearing today looks really nice."
The design features two overlapping feathers, employing the brand's signature invisible setting technique, which allows the rubies that make up the feathers to exhibit a natural sense of flow and a dreamlike effect.
Jiang Xu immediately became smug and beamed with pride, "Right? There was another brooch at the auction that was also quite beautiful, but I felt it wasn't elegant and light enough, and didn't suit my style..."
Luo Xincheng: "..."
That familiar narcissistic streak.
She changed the subject expressionlessly, "Do you know that people outside are saying I died in that car accident?"
He suppressed a laugh, "I have indeed heard of it."
"...Did you clarify the rumors for me?"
“Of course.” He shrugged. “But I went on a business trip to the south not long after, so I don’t know how widespread the rumors really were.”
Luo Xincheng gritted her teeth in resentment, "That's why I came here today."
Then he asked, "Do you know who spread this rumor?"
Jiang Xu shook his head, "How would I know? You should ask Wang Jiayan about this."
He then looked around, searching for the person, wondering if he had arrived yet.
Luo Xincheng crossed her arms. "I asked him last night, and he said he didn't know either."
Jiang Xu was taken aback, then pinched the bridge of his nose and said self-deprecatingly, "I've been so busy that I forgot he's your cousin."
Luo Xincheng took her mother's surname from a young age. Her parents divorced early, and in recent years, the person accompanying Ms. Luo in public has always been the head of the Fang family, so Jiang Xu often forgets that she actually has a biological father surnamed Wang.
Jiang Xu then said, "Then think about the people you've offended in the past, and think about who's the most gossipy and loves to spread these kinds of rumors?"
Luo Xincheng's expression was subtle. "That's really too much."
Whether it's someone you've offended or a gossipy jerk.
Jiang Xu had obviously thought of this as well, and his eyes crinkled with laughter. "Sigh, someone's ability to make enemies is truly astounding."
Luo Xincheng chuckled and didn't reply.
After a short while, once he had finally finished laughing, Jiang Xu's lips curled slightly as he looked around again. "The banquet hasn't officially started yet, so there aren't many people here. Let's wait..."
He paused abruptly, realizing what he had seen, and the lighthearted smile in his eyes vanished instantly.
"He actually came too?"
Luo Xincheng followed his gaze with great interest. "Who?"
Jiang Xu sighed, "The fourth young master whom the Fu family recognized two years ago recently snatched the piece of land I had my eye on."
At the same time, a young man wearing glasses appeared at the end of Luo Xincheng's line of sight.
He was extremely tall, standing out among the guests like a crane among chickens. His head was slightly lowered, his eyebrows and eyes were partially obscured by thin-rimmed glasses, and the curve of his lips was very shallow, as if he was smiling, but it was also as if he wasn't. Although he was surrounded by people in the center, he exuded a sense of detachment and melancholy.
As if sensing that she was being watched, the other person turned her head and her gaze met Luo Xincheng's scrutinizing gaze.
Perhaps it was the angle, but the transparent lens in front of the young man's eyes reflected a bluish light under the bright chandelier, giving it a cold and eerie feel.
Luo Xincheng subtly withdrew her gaze, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught the man striding towards them.
He took a step almost the instant their eyes met, without thinking at all, acting purely on instinct.
Jiang Xu clicked his tongue almost inaudibly, "Why did you come over?"
He wasn't familiar with this person. The last time they met, he took the initiative to greet him, but the other person was indifferent and barely responded.
But since the person had already come over, he could only manage a polite and appropriate smile and extend his hand to them.
"President Fu, it's been a long time. I heard that the Fu family and the Lin family are expected to be united by marriage soon. Congratulations!"
The other person reached out and shook his hand. "Thank you. If you can truly win Miss Lin's heart, I would be honored if President Jiang could grace us with his presence and attend the wedding."
"Hehe, definitely, definitely."
After the brief handshake, the young man's gaze naturally shifted to Luo Xincheng.
Jiang Xu didn't think much of it, assuming he was just curious, and politely introduced them to each other.
"This is Ms. Luo Xincheng. She studied in Chicago for several years and only recently returned to China, so Mr. Fu probably hasn't met her before..."
During his introduction, Luo Xincheng blatantly sized up the young man in front of him.
As they got closer, she discovered that he was taller than she had initially imagined. When they were at eye level, she could only see a small part of his chin.
This realization made Luo Xincheng feel subtly uncomfortable, as she had never liked looking up at people.
He was wearing a pure black British-style suit. The clean and crisp cut made his shoulders look straight and broad. The shirt under the suit was buttoned up to the top, making him look quite well covered up at first glance.
But the other person clearly had a long-term habit of exercising; his chest rose and fell with his breathing, bulging in his tight shirt, and the subtle wrinkles of the fabric around his tie clip were sometimes visible and sometimes hidden.
Wow.
Luo Xincheng didn't show it on his face, but he couldn't help but whistle in his heart.
They've been practicing quite well.
After admiring him for a few seconds, she finally looked away and gazed at his face with equal devotion.
Compared to her sexy and curvaceous figure, the other person has delicate features, with refined and elegant eyebrows and eyes behind her glasses, a high nose bridge, and slightly pursed lips of moderate thickness. Her expression is somewhat serious, and no matter how you look at it, she has a very upright and kind appearance that makes people want to entrust her with their trust.
Their probing gazes met in mid-air with the other's lowered eyes.
As their eyes met, the young man subconsciously tugged at the corners of his mouth, giving Luo Xincheng a warm smile.
However, he doesn't seem to smile often; the upturned corners of his mouth look stiff no matter how you look at it, making the smile seem fake and hypocritical.
As Luo Xincheng watched, he inexplicably found it somewhat humorous and comical.
Who was that person again?
"Fu Zhiheng".
Their friend beside them was still dutifully introducing the two of them to each other.
His voice drifted as if it came from a great distance, yet its force was incredibly strong, slamming the name Fu Zhiheng into Luo Xincheng's heart with an undeniable and resolute tone.
Her pupils contracted sharply, and in a daze, she seemed to see the person in front of her completely overlap with the hazy, youthful face in her memory.
At the same time, that vague, inexplicable sense of familiarity in my heart finally became a tangible reality.
Fu Zhiheng...
The smile on her lips gradually froze.
How could it be him?
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