Vоlumе 1 Сhаpter 12: Thе Unfаithful and Impurе Man
Аftеr Fu Jinghао finishеd his high-sоunding spеесh, he sаw the twо of them асting pаrticulаrlу intimаte, аnd а sudden surgе оf inехрliсаble аnger rоsе in his heart.
Who eхaсtly wаs hеr bоуfriend!
Fu Jinghaо sat baсk in his sеаt, rеmaining silеnt without а word.
Finallу, whеn hе finishеd sрeаking, Jiang Xining haррilу рiсked up foоd fоr Fu Jinghаo, “Dоu Dou, trу this, it’s reallу dеliсiоus!”
Seeing him nоt mоving, Jiang Xining hurriеdly urged, “Нurrу uр аnd eаt, it’ll gеt cold soon. If you want аnything еlsе, I’ll рiсk it uр for уou.”
Fu Jinghao suddеnly fеlt it was sоmewhаt laughable. She couldn’t even take care of herself properly, yet she was thinking of taking care of others.
“Mmm, it’s delicious.”
Despite thinking this, Fu Jinghao didn’t want to embarrass her. He put on a doting smile and also picked up food for her.
“Jiao Jiao, you eat too.”
Old Master Fu watched with a gratified smile, “This kid, at home he says he’s a germaphobe, complaining about this and that—just being weird. But now he’s perfectly fine.”
Jiang Lin looked at the intimate gestures between the two children, feeling pleased in his heart.
They weren’t often in the country, so only someone as outstanding and considerate as this was worthy of their Jiaojiao.
“Time really flies. In just two more months, it’ll be New Year. The arrangements for Jinghao and Jiaojiao’s engagement are almost done, just a few minor details left that need confirmation from the in-laws…”
Old Master Fu took this marriage extremely seriously, handling every detail personally and even creating a detailed engagement plan.
Jiang Lin took the document and carefully reviewed it together with Qin Wan.
The Jiang family lacked neither money nor influence; they didn’t need a marriage alliance to boost their business. Their daughter could live quite well even without marrying.
But since they were going to have an engagement, they certainly wanted everything to be perfect.
Men who were fickle, unfaithful, and impure were completely outside the Jiang family’s criteria for a son-in-law.
This document was extremely detailed, covering everything from venue selection and custom gowns to guest arrangements, all meticulously planned.
Old Master Jiang was quite satisfied, his smile broadening, “Old Fu, you haven’t handled these matters for many years. I’m afraid you weren’t even this meticulous when Changfeng got married, were you?”
Fu Changfeng was Old Master Fu’s eldest son and also Fu Jinghao’s father.
Old Master Fu sighed with emotion, “Of course not. Jiaojiao has been doted on since she was little, and her sweet mouth—how could an old man like me not spoil her? There’s no way we’d let her marry into our family and suffer, right?”
The group chatted happily. Jiang Xining was still focused on eating, head down, chewing away, while Fu Jinghao, the male lead, was unusually quiet in contrast.
In two months and fifteen days, he would be engaged to Jiaojiao…
Then what about A Xun?
She had finally returned to the country, yet he was about to get engaged to another woman… Fu Jinghao glanced at Jiang Xining, who was happily eating, and downed a glass of wine in one gulp.
Fu Huaixu spoke up to remind him, “Too much alcohol harms the body.”
Fu Jinghao felt as if he were walking on a tightrope, where turning back or moving forward were both wrong.
He couldn’t let go of A Xun, yet he also felt he was wronging Jiao Jiao.
The alcohol gradually blurred Fu Jinghao’s vision. Clutching his wine glass, he suddenly asked, “Uncle, why have you never gotten married?”
Counting it up, Fu Huaixu was three years older than Fu Jinghao, already 28 this year, yet there had never been any news of a romantic interest by his side.
All these years, he had been alone. Even his own father didn’t seem concerned, so no one else paid much attention.
Fu Huaixu raised an eyebrow slightly, “Are you getting curious about my private life now?””I’m curious too!” Jiang Xining, who had been silent all this time, suddenly looked up, her eyes bright.
“Xingxing, why aren’t you married?”
Fu Huaixu’s eyes darkened slightly, and for some reason, he suddenly smiled, his clear voice tinged with amusement.
“That’s a little secret. I’ll tell Jiaojiao next time.”
“Alright, then I’ll ask you again next time.” Jiang Xining loved secrets the most, and using this excuse to brush her off worked every time.
Fu Jinghao scoffed lightly and continued drinking by himself.
While the atmosphere here was delicate, the two old masters were already reminiscing about the past, sighing over the old days.
While Jiang Zongyao was in the restroom, the driver waiting outside suddenly hurried over to Old Master Fu and respectfully handed him an envelope.
“Master, someone had a child deliver this, insisting it must be handed directly to you.”
“Give it here.”
Old Master Fu took it without much thought, but as soon as he pulled out just a small corner, his expression changed drastically. He clenched the envelope tightly in his hand, the wrinkles on his face tensing up.
Fu Huaixu’s lips curved slightly.
Jiang Lin asked with concern, “Is the old master feeling unwell?”
“A little…” Old Master Fu pressed a hand to his forehead, forcing a smile. “I’m happy today, maybe I drank a bit too much.”
“Come on, you’ve been bragging for years about how you can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Giving up today?” Old Master Jiang, who had just come out of the restroom, looked spirited, as if he hadn’t been drinking at all.
His precious granddaughter was about to be taken away by this old man’s grandson, and he was already feeling uneasy about it. There was no way he’d let him off easily now.
“Come on, let’s drink more! You’re not leaving until you’re drunk today.”
Old Master Fu hid the envelope behind his back, pressing it down firmly, and replied, “Alright, alright, let’s drink…”
…
Late at night, in the Fu family study.
Only Fu Jinghao and Old Master Fu were present.
Unlike the relaxed and cheerful atmosphere at the banquet earlier, the mood here was now heavy and tense.
“Grandfather, I really don’t know what happened?”
Fu Jinghao had just returned when he was kicked without explanation, sobering him up from the alcohol.
He was confused and aggrieved, but he didn’t dare show the slightest defiance, kneeling respectfully before Old Master Fu.
“You don’t know!” Old Master Fu was the one truly baffled. How could he be so foolish, not even cleaning up his own mess properly?
He threw the photos at Fu Jinghao, furious. “The photos were delivered to me, and you don’t know?”
The photos scattered across the floor. Fu Jinghao’s gaze fell on them, and his expression changed dramatically.
“Grandfather, no! A Xun is innocent…”
Old Master Fu looked at the grandson he had poured so much effort into nurturing. The eldest was useless, the second and third were girls, and the fourth was always fooling around.
Only this grandson had been his hope, raised by his side since childhood, with the expectation that he would lead the Fu family to greater heights.
“You know how many people are eyeing that piece of land in the east of the city. If these photos were sent to the Jiang family, would Jiang Group still support you? Are you absolutely certain you can win the bid?”
Fu Jinghao clenched his fists tightly, his voice strained. “…No.”
“Ahao, I told you last time, those who achieve great things don’t get bogged down in trivial matters. This time it’s the east city project, but what about next time?”
Old Master Fu spoke earnestly, his expression serious. “No matter who you want to marry or who you care about in your heart, the future granddaughter-in-law of the Fu family must be Jiang Xining, and only Jiang Xining.”His tone grew heavy, his gaze sharp as he stared at Fu Jinghao. “Do you understand?”
Fu Jinghao trembled slightly, gritting his teeth as he forced out the words, “Your grandson… understands.”
“This time, someone must have set their sights on you.”
Old Master Fu paced back and forth in the study, deep in thought. “Tomorrow, go and confess to Jiang Xining. It’s far better to come clean yourself than to leave a landmine buried.”
Fu Jinghao was taken aback. “But… Grandfather, what if Jiao Jiao gets angry and others find out…”
Especially Jiang Xinjuan.
There was no need for that—he had no desire to confront her directly.
“A little girl like her, just coax her with a few words and make a promise or two. Where would her anger come from then?”
Old Master Fu’s expression was cold, no longer carrying the benevolent demeanor he had shown at the dinner table. “Don’t tell me you can’t even handle a fool.”
Fu Jinghao straightened up, his spirits sharpened. “Rest assured, Grandfather. I promise I can handle it.”
Old Master Fu sat back in his chair, rotating his sandalwood beads as he lifted his heavily wrinkled eyelids. “As for the one outside, you handle it yourself.”
“If you like her, keep her around as a plaything. Just don’t tarnish the Fu family’s reputation, or else…”
The unspoken words didn’t need to be said—Fu Jinghao understood perfectly. He replied respectfully, “Yes, Grandfather.”