Chapter 29 The Truth The elevator numbers kept jumping. …
The elevator number kept jumping. Fu Yannian's vicious words echoed wildly in her mind.
“…He did it for you!”
"...He can only protect you if he returns to the Fu family and draws a clear line between himself and you!"
"...Who was responsible for your five years of being helpless? Shen Shutong, it was you! You were the one who dragged him down!"
It turned out that the betrayal she had been resentful of for five years was actually a sacrifice she had never imagined.
Her heart felt like it was being cut into pieces by a thousand knives. Her eyes were hot and swollen, and she fought hard to hold back the tears.
With a "ding" sound, the elevator reached the top floor.
Shen Shutong lowered his head, ignored the secretary's surprised question, and walked quickly into Fu Jingchuan's office.
Fu Jingchuan was standing by the French window, talking on the phone. He turned around when he heard the noise. He was a little surprised to see her coming. He then said briefly to the person on the other end of the phone, "That's it. Email me the follow-up." Then he hung up.
He was just about to ask her why she came over suddenly, but after seeing her appearance clearly, his expression changed immediately.
Shen Shutong stood at the door, his eyes red and filled with tears, and his whole body was trembling slightly.
"Shutong?" Fu Jingchuan's heart sank suddenly, and he walked towards her quickly. "What's wrong? What happened?" His voice was panicked, and he gently hugged her in his arms.
The moment Fu Jingchuan embraced her, the tears she'd been holding back finally burst forth. She threw herself into his arms, her hands tightly clutching the shirt around his waist, her face buried in his chest. Like a lost child finally finding support, she burst into tears. Her broken sobs were especially clear in the quiet office, filled with endless grievances, heartache, and belated regret.
Fu Jingchuan was completely panicked. He had never seen Shen Shutong cry so uncontrollably before. He held her tightly in his arms, one hand clumsily patting her back, the other stroking her hair, and repeatedly soothing her, "It's okay, it's okay, I'm here... Don't be afraid, Shutong, tell me, what happened? Who bullied you?"
Shen Shutong cried and trembled in his arms, and the emotions that had accumulated for five years burst out. She cried so hard that she couldn't speak, but just shook her head desperately, and her tears quickly soaked the fabric of his chest.
Fu Jingchuan stopped asking questions and just hugged her tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head, and coaxed her in a low voice over and over again: "Cry, it will be okay if you cry... I'm here, it's okay..."
After an unknown amount of time, Shen Shutong's crying gradually subsided, turning into low sobs, her shoulders still heaving. Fu Jingchuan felt the movement in his arms slow down, and then he let go of her slightly. He lowered his head and carefully wiped the tears from her face with his fingertips, the worry in his eyes almost overflowing.
"Are you feeling better?" His voice was extremely soft. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Chen Shutong looked at him with red eyes, his voice still thick with tears, and asked with a choked voice: "Fu Jingchuan...you left me back then...was it...was it Fu Yannian who forced you to leave? He threatened you with me...with my future, didn't he?"
Fu Jingchuan's hand wiping her tears suddenly stopped, his face instantly gloomy, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes. "Fu Yannian came to see you? Did he tell you this?!"
It was indeed true. Shen Shutong's tears welled up again, and his voice trembled: "Why didn't you tell me? Fu Jingchuan! Why didn't you tell me the truth! You made me... made me hate you for five years! I resented you for five years! I even..."
They even mocked him for "returning to his roots" and spoke ill of him for insisting on keeping the child!
Thinking of this, she was almost overwhelmed by the immense guilt and heartache.
Fu Jingchuan looked at her painful and self-blaming expression, and his heart seemed to be tugged at. He sighed, gently took her into his arms again, and gently stroked her back with his palm.
He paused, his tone tinged with deep remorse. "Back then... I was too young and didn't handle it well. I just wanted to cut the Gordian knot, thinking that leaving completely and breaking off completely would be the best way to protect you. I didn't consider your feelings and used the most hurtful method... I'm sorry, Shutong. I was such a jerk when we broke up back then. I shouldn't have treated you like that."
Shen Shutong shook her head violently in his arms: "No... It's not your fault... It's me... I'm too stupid... I didn't even notice it at all... I still treated you like that..."
"Don't say that." Fu Jingchuan held her face and forced her to look at him, his eyes serious and gentle. "Shutong, you have never dragged me down. That was my own choice. Besides, Fu Yannian was right. My status as an illegitimate child was indeed a potential risk to you at the time. He was not entirely unreasonable to make a fuss about this. I left because I wanted to protect you, but also because... I didn't know how to face you. I feel like I have become a burden and a stain on you."
His thumb gently stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears that kept rolling down: "So, don't feel guilty, and don't feel like you owe me anything. Seeing how good and strong you are now, everything I have done is worth it."
His explanation and comfort only made Shen Shutong even more heartbroken. She recalled how he had faced Fu Yannian's threats alone five years ago, making such a difficult decision, and then silently bearing all her hatred and misunderstandings...
Five years ago, in the office of the president of Shen Corporation.
Fu Jingchuan had just finished a long technical meeting and rubbed his brows tiredly. Shen Shutong had gone on an out-of-town inspection, so he was the only one in the office.
At this time, the internal phone rang and the secretary said that a Mr. Fu insisted on seeing him.
Fu Jingchuan frowned, a bad feeling flashing through his mind. He asked his secretary to invite someone in.
The door was pushed open, and Fu Yannian walked in arrogantly, squinting his eyes as he looked around the office with scrutiny and contempt.
"Are you Fu Jingchuan?" Fu Yannian said condescendingly, "I am Fu Yannian, your biological father."
Fu Jingchuan's body suddenly stiffened, and his tone was cold: "I don't have a father, and I don't know you. If you don't have business, please leave."
"Don't know me?" Fu Yannian sneered and sat down on the sofa. "Your mother never mentioned me to you? After all, I gave her a lot of money."
Fu Jingchuan clenched his hands under the table and tried his best to remain calm: "Is there something wrong?"
"You can go back to the Fu family and recognize your ancestors." Fu Yannian said as a matter of course, "You are very lucky. You will get everything you deserve."
Fu Jingchuan was almost speechless with laughter at his condescending attitude. "I have no interest in the Fu family. Please leave immediately."
The smile on Fu Yannian's face disappeared, as if he didn't expect to be rejected: "You are so ungrateful! Do you think I am asking for your opinion? Fu Jingchuan, look at you, a bastard who has never seen the light of day, now relying on women to get a mediocre position in the Shen family, do you think you can get rid of this background?"
He stood up, walked to the desk, put his hands on the table, and stared at Fu Jingchuan: "I have checked you. You have an unusual relationship with the girl from the Shen family, right? You say, if at this time, it is revealed that the right-hand man of the future heir of the Shen Group is actually the illegitimate child abandoned by the Fu family many years ago, and may even use this relationship to secretly benefit the Fu family... What will those who are staring at the Shen Group and Shen Shutong think? Will the shareholders of the Shen Group still trust her? Can she still sit firmly in her position? "
Fu Jingchuan's pupils shrank suddenly: "You——!"
"What about me?" Fu Yannian stood up, adjusted his cuffs, and said proudly, "I can spread this news throughout Jiangcheng immediately. Fu Jingchuan, guess, will Shen Shutong protect you when the time comes, or will she sacrifice the car to save the king? Even if she wants to protect you, can she do it? If you stay with her, you're a time bomb!"
Fu Jingchuan felt his blood run cold. He had never hated his origin so much before, and it turned out to be a weapon to attack Shu Tong.
He looked at Fu Yannian's determined face, and the huge feeling of powerlessness and anger almost swallowed him up.
Fu Yannian looked at his wavering expression and slowed down his tone, speaking with a condescending tone: "Come back to the Fu family with me. As long as you are obedient, not only can I keep this secret, but if you are capable, you might even be able to help Shu Tong. Why not?"
Fu Jingchuan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, there was only death and coldness in his eyes.
"...Okay." He heard his voice was extremely dry. "I can go back to the Fu family. But there is one condition. From now on, Shen Shutong and I will have nothing to do with each other. You are not allowed to threaten her with this matter again, and you are not allowed to use the power of the Fu family to target her or the Shen family."
Fu Yannian smiled with satisfaction: "Deal."
That night, Fu Jingchuan returned to his and Shen Shutong's apartment. Looking at her slightly relaxed smile because her father's condition had improved, those decisive words were like the sharpest knife, cutting his heart and making it bloody.
He broke up with her almost hastily and cruelly. He didn't dare to look into her eyes or give her any chance to ask questions, for fear that if he stayed for another second, he would collapse and ruin her seemingly stable future that he had exchanged for their future.
He packed up his simplest luggage and fled the place filled with memories of the two of them. The next day, he submitted his resignation to the Shen family, cut off all personal contact, and followed Fu Yannian into the cage called "home" that he hated so much.
Fu Jingchuan pulled himself away from the heavy memories and looked at Shen Shutong who was still sobbing in his arms, his heart still aching.
He lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, his voice extremely gentle: "It's all in the past, Shutong. That's all in the past... We are doing well now, and the child is growing up healthily. That's enough."
Shen Shutong raised her tearful face, looked at him, nodded, and stretched out her arms to hug him tightly.
Barriers and misunderstandings melted away in tears. Although the truth was heavy, it also opened up a ray of light for their future.
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The author has something to say: Happy National Day, babies
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