Shu Yan initially thought it was Fang Zeyu, but it turned out to be Hu Ruiyang. She glanced back at Hu Ruixue and saw that she also looked bewildered, clearly unaware that Hu Ruiyang had come.
"Did I cause you any trouble?" Hu Ruiyang said with a smile. "If I hadn't overheard Xiaoxue on the phone, I wouldn't have known you were moving today. I'm really sorry for showing up uninvited."
"No, please come in." Shu Yan paused for a moment, then stepped aside to let him in. He was a guest from afar, and on this joyous occasion, there was no reason to turn him away.
Just as Hu Ruiyang sat down, the doorbell rang again. This time it was Fang Zeyu. Both Hu Ruiyang and Lin Hui, who knew him, looked surprised when they saw him. Hu Ruiyang knew that Shu Yan knew Fang Zeyu and that Fang Zeyu had saved her, so he immediately came to his senses. Lin Hui, however, remained stunned for a long time.
Logically speaking, someone like Shu Yan, who picks up and drops off her child every day and goes to work, shouldn't possibly know Fang Zeyu.
"You've all gotten to know each other now, but you don't know these two new friends yet. Let me introduce you. This is Ruixue's brother, Hu Ruiyang, and this is Fang Zeyu. We owe him a lot for helping me and the children last time; calling him our savior wouldn't be an exaggeration." Shu Yan emphasized Fang Zeyu's introduction.
Fang Zeyu glanced at Shu Yan. He had only protected her for a short period of time, so how could he have saved her?
Shu Yan didn't look at Fang Zeyu. She returned to her seat, picked up her wine glass, and said solemnly, "I believe you all know what's going on, but you're all very kind and never ask me embarrassing questions. It's actually very simple. Men get rich and become arrogant, then they set their sights on women who are prettier and more educated. Since she doesn't like me, there's no point in continuing this marriage, so we got a divorce. The two children will stay with me, and the savings we have will also be mine. I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but my family is very patriarchal. If they knew I had money, they would have definitely ripped off my brothers. I had no other choice, so I brought my two children to Nancheng. As a woman with two children in this unfamiliar city, I wouldn't have gotten this far without your help. I won't say anything more; I'll just toast you all."
"You're too kind. Let's help each other out," Old Hu said with a smile, raising his glass.
The others exchanged polite words and drank their drinks; those who couldn't drink opted for beverages instead.
Shu Yan poured another glass and toasted Wu Xiuyue and Lin Hui, saying, "They say a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. Even my own brothers and sisters aren't as close as you two. These past few days, I've been so grateful for your help. Otherwise, with the business and the children, I would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago. I don't know how to thank you enough." She downed the glass in one gulp. Then she toasted the innkeeper, saying, "I was really having a tough time back then. They took away my house without warning. The inn was having a promotion, and I had to pick up and drop off my two kids. I'm so grateful that you were able to rent me a place at that time. I... thank you so much."
After going around the circle, Shu Yan came to Fang Zeyu and said, "Thank you so much for that time. Otherwise, my child and I might have been in real danger. I haven't had a chance to thank you properly until now. Let me toast you today."
“It was you…” Fang Zeyu was about to say that it was you who saved Dou Dou first. But before he could finish speaking, Shu Yan clinked glasses with him and drank it all in one gulp.
Old Hu clapped his hands, "Boss Shu is generous."
Shu Yan toasted Fang Zeyu one last time, and Lin Hui finally understood why she had invited him—it was because he had saved her and her child.
The dishes on the table were all the specialties of the women, and everyone ate them with great relish.
After eating and drinking quite a bit, everyone was slightly tipsy. Old Hu put his hand on Fang Zeyu's shoulder and said, "Buddy, I've heard about what happened to you. You were truly wronged. I didn't expect you to save someone after something like this. You're a true hero." Old Hu gave him a thumbs up.
Hu Ruiyang, Hu Ruixue, and the Zhang couple didn't know Fang Zeyu, but Zhang Huafeng, Wu Xiuyue, and the hotel owner had all heard of him. This was their first meeting. Initially, when Shu Yan invited him as a guest, they were full of doubts, but after hearing that he had saved Shu Yan and her two children, they understood. Now, hearing what Old Hu said, they were filled with doubts again.
“You wouldn’t believe it, back then… it was Brother Fang who saved that girl, but she was afraid of retaliation, so she turned around and accused Brother Fang of trying to molest her. Her classmates fought with Brother Fang to help her, and the one who got hit by the car was actually pushed out by his own family, but Brother Fang is the one who got blamed.” Old Hu sighed. “After Brother Fang’s accident, that girl’s family moved away, and nothing’s clear anymore.”
“There’s such a thing? That’s not…” Wu Xiuyue originally wanted to say that she heard it from a friend’s neighbor, who said it was Fang Zeyu’s own mother who told her, but now that Fang Zeyu was sitting here, she couldn’t say it.
"That's how it is. Back then, many people knew that Brother Fang was wronged, and so many years have passed, who still remembers? Even if they do know, it's only people from our village and neighboring villages. But now the whole western district knows about it. Why?" Old Hu deliberately didn't say.
"Why?" As expected, Wu Xiuyue and the others asked curiously.
"If there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather. The stepmother is afraid that Brother Fang will go back and fight for the house, so she deliberately ruins his reputation outside." Old Hu curled his lip, clearly looking down on Fang Zeyu's parents.
"To have such a father and stepmother..." Ye Shuqin looked at Fang Zeyu with sympathy.
If the mother isn't his biological son, then the father must be, right? How can he let his stepmother treat his son like this?
"There are many selfless parents in the world, but there are also quite a few selfish ones, and even more who are biased." Shu Yan took a sip of soup to suppress the smell of alcohol, and said with a bitter smile, "My ex-husband had another woman while I was pregnant. My whole family knew, but they kept it from me. When I found out and wanted to confront him, the first people to stop me were my own parents. Just because my ex-husband was rich and I could give them money for holidays. Believe me, if I hadn't come to Nancheng this time, my parents would have sold me off to someone else for money, and they would have taken all the money I had."
Listening to their conversation, Chen Fei unknowingly drank two more glasses, poured another glass, and insisted on clinking glasses with Fang Zeyu. "We're in the same boat. My old man brought a woman back not long after my mother left. At least your dad still takes care of you, but he won't even take care of me. If it weren't for my grandparents, I would have starved to death long ago."
"Every family has its own troubles, Brother Fang, and Brother Chen, I'd like to offer you a toast." Old Hu picked up his wine and gulped it down.
"I'll also toast you." Zhang Huafeng picked up his glass and burped. "A clear conscience fears no accusation; the truth will come out sooner or later."
Several people at the table were actually a little drunk, otherwise they wouldn't have been talking like that. But who was Fang Zeyu? He was the kind of person who drank alcohol like water. He just hadn't said anything until now. He clinked glasses with a few men, downed his drink in one gulp, glanced at Shu Yan, and smiled slightly. "I will."
After dinner, Old Zhang and his wife had a lot of work at their factory, so they left first. The hotel couple also left early because they had to open their doors. Zhang Huafeng and Chen Fei were both drunk, so Wu Xiuyue and Zhang Huaxiu each took one of them back. Old Hu was also drunk, so Fang Zeyu was responsible for taking him back. Hu Ruiyang received a phone call halfway and left early, leaving only Hu Ruixue and Lin Hui to stay and help her.
Faced with the mess in the room, Shu Yan said, "You all go ahead and do your work. I'll clean up this mess slowly."
"What are you talking about? How long are you going to clean up by yourself?" Lin Hui rolled up her sleeves and began to collect the dishes.
Hu Ruixue doesn't like washing dishes, but she helps tidy up the stools, sweep, and mop the floor.
The two children were well-behaved and helped with whatever they could. Shu Yan glanced at them and shooed them back inside, saying, "You haven't done your summer homework yet, hurry back to your room."
With two children gone, the three adults moved even more nimbly. As Lin Hui tidied up, she couldn't help but ask, "Did Fang Zeyu really save you?"
"How could it be fake? Otherwise, why would I dare to invite him to my home for dinner?"
"Actually, I also heard a rumor that those people went to his parents in the middle of the night back then and asked them to ruin his reputation outside, so that Fang Zeyu could be convicted of hooliganism and manslaughter."
Shu Yan slowed down her washing of the dishes, "It's all for the sake of that house."
"No, it's Fang Zeyu's grandparents' arrangement. The old couple wanted to leave it to their eldest grandson, but his stepmother wasn't happy about it. I heard that after Fang Zeyu came back, he transferred his household registration out. Some people say it's registered under the old lady's name, while others say he set up his own household. Anyway, there are all sorts of rumors. But Fang Zeyu is actually quite shrewd. He got his grandfather to transfer the house to his name as soon as he turned eighteen. His father and stepmother didn't know until after he transferred his household registration. His stepmother had people banging on the door, and he called the police. Isn't that ruthless?" Lin Hui said excitedly.
"I would call the police too." Why repay evil with kindness? It's not like I'm sick.
It took almost two hours to clean the house before it was clean and tidy again. Hu Ruixue had a lot of things to do at the company, so she washed her hands and left first. Lin Hui and Shu Yan still had to move her own things back.
After dropping Lao Hu off at home, Fang Zeyu turned to leave. In fact, he was never disheartened. The main reason he hadn't left was because the old lady needed someone to take care of her. He had promised his comrade that he would help him see the old lady off in her final days.
After making a few turns, a car was parked in a relatively secluded spot, and Fang Zeyu got into the passenger seat.
"Boss, have you been drinking?"
"Let's go, little by little, back to the company."
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