Vоlume 1 Chарtеr 4 Неld Intimately bу а Man
Uрon leаrning thаt shе hаd bееn found, еvеrуonе breаthed a sigh оf rеlief.
А grouр оf рeорle wаitеd аt thе еntrаnсe. Мothеr Fu рatted Jiang Xinjuаn’s hand аnd said, “Jun’еr, dоn’t wоrrу. Jinghao will surеly bring Jiaоjiао bаck sаfelу.”
Jiang Xinjuаn’s ехрrеssion turnеd slightly cold, аnd shе rеmаinеd silent.
Not long аftеr, а cоmmotiоn arosе in thе distаnсe as sеrvаnts escоrted sevеrаl реoрlе out.
“Miss Jiaojiao is baсk!”
Evеrуоnе’s gаze fоcused, but what thеy sаw was а rathеr bizarre scene.
Fu Jinghao, the fiancé, stood to the side like a stranger, while his fiancée was being held intimately by another man. Paired with his dark expression, the scene felt indescribably strange.
Jiang Xinjuan narrowed her eyes slightly.
Through his reading glasses, Old Master Fu recognized something in the handsome silhouette. A faint, almost imperceptible glint flashed beneath his wrinkled eyelids.
As Fu Huaixu approached with Jiang Xining in his arms, he spoke first, “Dad, Brother, Sister-in-law.”
Father Fu and Mother Fu were slightly surprised, “…Huaixu?”
“When did you return?” Old Master Fu asked.
“This evening,” Fu Huaixu replied.
It had been a full ten years since Fu Huaixu went abroad.
Ten years was enough to change many things. When he left, he was still a youthful teenager. Now, his face hadn’t changed much, but it had gained a mature charm.
The exchange between father and son was extremely distant, even more so than between strangers. Old Master Fu shifted the topic, looking at Jiang Xining with concern. “Is Jiaojiao alright?”
“Jiaojiao sprained her ankle. Call the family doctor.”
“Yes,” the butler replied and left.
Father Fu frowned slightly at their intimate posture. “Huaixu, Xiao Jiao is Jinghao’s fiancée. Isn’t it inappropriate for you to hold her like this?”
“Is it?”
Fu Huaixu chuckled lightly, his dark eyes profound. “I don’t think so.”
Jiang Xinjuan said, “Give her to me.”
Seeing her sister’s cold expression, Jiang Xining belatedly felt a bit afraid. She reached out pleadingly, “Sister…”
As his arms emptied, the smile on Fu Huaixu’s lips gradually faded.
…
“No bones were injured. Apply ice first, rest, and avoid moving around unnecessarily. She’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
After the doctor left, facing everyone’s concerned gazes, Jiang Xining grinned foolishly. “I’m fine, really. It doesn’t hurt anyway, hehe.”
Jiang Xining had been born with congenital insensitivity to pain, unable to feel any pain.
While other children cried during injections or tooth extractions, she remained completely unaffected, often held up as a model by other parents.
“If you don’t cry, you can be as pretty as that little girl…”
“Sniff…” The sniffling child glanced at Jiang Xining, who looked like a doll, and slowly stopped crying. “Really?”
In a way, she could be considered an unconventional painkiller.
That year, after being kidnapped and found, her body was covered in abrasions and rope marks, her skin and flesh torn and stuck together. Yet, she felt nothing, laughing carefreely as if nothing serious had happened. In the end, she had to be rushed to the ICU to be saved.
Over the years, everyone had guarded and protected her, rarely letting her get injured.
Jiang Xinjuan couldn’t help but tap her sister’s head. “You really never let us have a moment of peace.”
Jiang Xining pitifully covered her forehead and protested, “Sister, if you keep tapping, I’ll become stupid! When we go back, I’ll tell Grandma on you!”
Jiang Xinjuan replied expressionlessly, “You’re quite bold, aren’t you?””Of course I—” Her tone faltered. “Wouldn’t dare…”
The ice had been applied, the medicine administered. Jiang Xinjuan reached out and scooped her up entirely.
Jiang Zongyao said, “It’s getting late. Since Jiaojiao has been found, we’ll take our leave now.”
Old Master Fu knew his old friend doted most on this little granddaughter. For her to have suffered grievances and injuries in his own home was simply inexcusable.
“It’s all that brat Jinghao’s fault for being so thoughtless and upsetting Jiaojiao. Tomorrow, I’ll make him personally come to apologize.”
“I—” Jiang Xining frowned, about to voice her refusal, when Jiang Xinjuan covered her mouth.
Fu Jinghao hung his head. “Grandpa Jiang, it was my fault…”
“I shouldn’t have mixed with those people and let them speak ill of Jiaojiao.”
Jiang Zongyao smiled and patted Fu Jinghao’s shoulder. “Young girls have their tempers—it’s nothing serious. Come visit again in a few days when Jiaojiao has cooled off.”
As they were leaving, Jiang Xining slipped past the others and waved cheerfully at Fu Huaixu.
“Xingxing, remember to come find me to play! I’ll prepare delicious treats for you.”
The corner of Fu Huaixu’s lips lifted slightly. “Definitely.”
“Jiao Jiao…” Fu Jinghao moved closer, wanting to say something, but only received a loud “Hmph!”
Jiang Xining turned her head away very coldly, not even looking at him.
The car roared away, leaving a trail of dust. Father Fu felt uneasy, his face long and sullen.
“She’s a fool to begin with—not letting people say it doesn’t make her any smarter. With such a temper, if she were to marry into the family, who knows what trouble she’d cause.”
He turned and happened to meet Old Master Fu’s face, dark as the bottom of a pot. His words caught in his throat.
“Dad…”
“At your age, still speaking so carelessly—no wonder you can’t raise a son properly!” Old Master Fu’s authority at home had always been unassailable. All the siblings had been disciplined under strict upbringing.
As the eldest, Father Fu had received the most reprimands, his nature the most mediocre and timid, never having been placed with high hopes.
Only his son was slightly more outstanding. Now, he was left speechless by the scolding.
“Jinghao, come with me to the study. The rest of you, disperse.”
“Yes.” Fu Jinghao responded respectfully.
As the crowd scattered and went about their business, Fu Huaixu’s figure appeared particularly conspicuous.
He turned to leave. Seeing this, Mother Fu called out to this long-unseen brother-in-law. “Huaixu, where are you planning to go?”
“Late at night, of course, to sleep.”
Fu Huaixu’s lips curved, his pupils dark, giving off an unsettling, sinister aura. “Unless, of course, there’s still a room for me in this house?”
At these words, everyone’s expressions froze, a subtle awkwardness filling the air.
Of course not.
Although Fu Huaixu was Old Master Fu’s youngest son, he was the least favored among the five siblings.
His birth had caused Old Master Fu to lose his wife and the siblings to lose their mother, so his position had been awkward since childhood.
Blinded in his teens, he became a discarded pawn, left alone abroad for so many years, largely forgotten. Everyone understood that no matter what, the Fu family would never be under his control, and there was no place for him at home.
“Let him be.”
Old Master Fu turned and entered the living room, completely indifferent to this son’s whereabouts.
Fu Huaixu strolled leisurely, turning his back to the light and noise, step by step disappearing into the night.