A black Cullinan slowly pulled into the parking lot of Yunqiaoxuan.
In the back seat, Lin Zhihua didn’t forget to remind Fu Shengyan, “Talk less later. Listen and observe more. Remember?”
Fu Shengyan nodded, pinched his index finger with his right hand, and drew it across his lips.
“President Lin, we’re here.” The driver, Yu Yao, smoothly backed the car into the parking space.
Before Yu Yao could eagerly open the door for them, Fu Shengyan got out first.
“Zhizhi, watch your step.”
Yu Yao awkwardly withdrew his hand.
Fine. He might as well be an invisible third wheel.
“Go eat in the private room next door. Put it on my tab.”
“Thank you, President Lin.” Yu Yao happily twisted his agile body and got out of the car.
Under the guidance of the receptionist, the two arrived at the door of the reserved private room. The moment they pushed the door open, Lin Zhihua keenly sensed that the atmosphere inside was unusual.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Lawyer Fu.” The refined man wearing glasses stood up from his seat with a smile and extended his right hand as he spoke. “I’m Wanning’s manager, Lu Yunsheng.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you too, Mr. Lu.” Fu Shengyan shook his hand, while Ruan Wanning hurriedly wiped away her tears and stood up.
Lu Yunsheng noticed Lin Zhihua standing behind Fu Shengyan. “And this is?”
Fu Shengyan naturally began, “This is my wi—” Before he could finish, Lin Zhihua fiercely pinched the flesh at his waist.
“My name is Lin Zhihua. I’m Lawyer Fu’s assistant,” Lin Zhihua said with a smile.
She rarely appeared in public and never attended high-society banquets, so not many people in the industry knew that she was the president of Zhixing Technology.
Lu Yunsheng had no doubts. After exchanging pleasantries, everyone took their seats.
“This morning, Ruan Xingyun sent me a threatening message. He demanded three million from me, or else he would expose me online…” With reddened eyes, Ruan Wanning slowly explained what had happened.
When Ruan Wanning entered the entertainment industry, her company had given her the persona of a wealthy heiress bravely venturing into show business. Paired with her delicate and beautiful face, she followed the image of an aloof beauty untouched by worldly concerns.
After receiving the first threatening message from the Ruan family, Ruan Wanning contacted Fu Shengyan.
Fu Shengyan told her that since Ruan Xingyun and his wife were, after all, her biological parents, Ruan Wanning still had a legal obligation to support them unless she could prove that Ruan Xingyun and Li Suhui had seriously abused her in the past.
Too much time had passed, making evidence extremely difficult to collect, but Ruan Wanning’s determination was firm.
Taking advantage of a gap in her schedule, Ruan Wanning requested time off and returned, after five years, to the small county town where she had lived for eighteen years.
In secret, she sought out her former teachers, nearby neighbors, and the shops where she had once worked part-time for long periods, hoping to collect more witness testimony and physical evidence.
Fortunately, everyone remembered the pitiful girl quite well, so everything went smoothly. The final and most difficult step was for Ruan Wanning to return to that “home” and collect more evidence of the abuse.
When they saw Ruan Wanning return, Father Ruan and Mother Ruan were extremely excited. They specially prepared a table full of good food, their greed and ingratiation impossible to hide.
“Ningning, hurry and eat. Mom made all your favorites.” Li Suhui somewhat unnaturally placed food into Ruan Wanning’s bowl.
Ruan Wanning sneered. How were these her favorites? They were clearly all dishes Ruan Juncai liked. Ever since she was young, the only food she ever got to eat was whatever leftovers Ruan Juncai couldn’t finish.
Ruan Juncai was extremely hostile toward this older sister. Ever since Ruan Xingyun called him back from school, he hadn’t shown her a single pleasant expression.
She was nothing more than their family’s nanny, yet Mom and Dad actually wanted him to say nice things and coax her. Who gave her the right to act so important?
“Ningning, we’re all family. Blood is thicker than water.” Ruan Xingyun forced a smile onto his face, his eyes darting around. “As the old saying goes, siblings are as close as hands and feet. Juncai is your own younger brother. Now that you’ve become successful, you should help your brother even more.”
“Society is all about connections nowadays. Since you’re in the entertainment industry, you need someone to help you out too, right? Family is always more trustworthy than outsiders.” At this point, Ruan Xingyun finally revealed his true intentions. “Find an opportunity and introduce your brother to some big-name director or something.”
Ruan Juncai glanced sideways at her, his triangular eyes filled with disdain. He snorted. “I’m not like some people. If I had an opportunity like that, I would’ve become Best Actor ages ago. I’d have so many trophies I’d be tired of holding them.”
“Of course!” Li Suhui’s face blossomed into a smile, unable to conceal her pride as she doted fiercely on her precious son. “The fortune-teller said my darling was born with a life of wealth and honor. If this were ancient times, he’d at least be a prince!”
Ruan Wanning looked at Ruan Juncai, who was half a head shorter than her, then at his enormous weight of at least 160, and couldn’t help laughing aloud.
Realizing that Ruan Wanning was laughing at him, Ruan Juncai was so angry that the fat on his face trembled. He immediately turned to complain, “Mom, Dad—”
This time, however, Ruan Xingyun and Li Suhui had no attention to spare for him. Both were impatiently testing Ruan Wanning’s attitude. Having been ignored like this for the first time, Ruan Juncai glared at Ruan Wanning resentfully.
Ruan Wanning had no interest in continuing to act along with this family. She had collected almost all the evidence she needed and was preparing to leave.
“Ningning, aren’t you staying the night at home?” Li Suhui warmly called out to her.
Ruan Wanning sneered and asked, “Are you planning to clear out a room for me? Or are you going to make me sleep on the balcony again?”
Li Suhui had nothing to say.
Ruan Wanning laughed self-mockingly and left the “home” where she had lived for more than ten years.
She would never come back again.
After that, Ruan Wanning removed her SIM card, blocked them all on WeChat, then submitted the evidence she had collected together with the complaint to the court.
Only after Ruan Xingyun received the court summons did he realize that he had been tricked. After finally managing to contact Ruan Wanning again, he viciously threatened her: either withdraw the lawsuit and pay them money, or they would drag each other down together. They had nothing to lose, while Ruan Wanning was a public figure. They would see who could outlast whom!
Ruan Wanning gently bit her lower lip. “Brother Lu, I’ll pay the penalty for breach of contract according to the agreement.”
Lu Yunsheng rubbed her head. “I’ll take care of the penalty. Ningning, you haven’t done anything wrong in this matter.”
Ruan Wanning was deeply moved.
Lin Zhihua coughed lightly, drawing their attention toward herself. “Miss Ruan, did you transfer the three million to Ruan Xingyun?”
“No.” Ruan Wanning shook her head. If she gave him three million today, Ruan Xingyun would be able to demand thirty million from her tomorrow.
Lin Zhihua blinked at her. “Miss Ruan, would you like to catch a bigger fish?”
“Of course I would,” Ruan Wanning said without hesitation.
She wasn’t stupid. For Ruan Xingyun to repeatedly obtain not only her number but even Lu Yunsheng’s, someone had to be causing trouble behind the scenes.
“Then we’ll give him the three million.”
“Huh?”
“So what Lawyer Lin means is that we’ll pin an extortion charge on Ruan Xingyun?” Lu Yunsheng quickly understood, but then frowned. “But he is Ningning’s biological father, after all. Would it still count as extortion under these circumstances?”
Fu Shengyan secretly looked at her as well.
The corners of Lin Zhihua’s lips curled upward as she said with a half-smile, “Why wouldn’t it? That’s three million.”
If not for his status as Ruan Wanning’s father, that amount alone would be enough to have him spend ten years sewing in prison.
“I trust Lawyer Lin’s judgment. I’ll transfer the money to him right now.” Ruan Wanning gritted her teeth and immediately took out her phone.
“Wait. Tell him this first…” Lin Zhihua guided her from the side, telling her to pretend that she was only paying because she was afraid of being exposed. “After this, if he dares to extort you again, we can close the net early.”
After saying goodbye to Lu Yunsheng and Ruan Wanning, Fu Shengyan let out a soft breath and twisted his neck, which had grown stiff from holding himself upright.
“You performed pretty well this afternoon.” Lin Zhihua praised him at just the right moment.
The corners of Fu Shengyan’s lips lifted, only to immediately droop again when he heard Lin Zhihua’s next sentence.
“I’ll extend your memorization deadline by one day. I’ll test you tomorrow instead.”
He angrily walked ahead, deciding to unilaterally give Lin Zhihua the silent treatment for one minute to vent his dissatisfaction.
“Wrong way. The car is parked on the right.” Lin Zhihua couldn’t help laughing at him.
Fu Shengyan’s steps paused. Stubbornly, he made a huge detour around the front.
This time, Lin Zhihua laughed even more openly. “Do you have to be that childish?”
By the time Yu Yao hurried into the parking lot after receiving Lin Zhihua’s message, he saw Fu Shengyan standing with a dark expression and his back turned toward Lin Zhihua.
Yu Yao scratched his head.
Had President Lin teased him too hard?
“Baby, don’t be angry. Hurry and get in the car.” Seeing that Yu Yao had arrived, Lin Zhihua suppressed her laughter and softly coaxed him.
Fu Shengyan’s ears twitched. He widened his eyes and stared at Lin Zhihua. “W-what did you just call me?”
“Baby.” Lin Zhihua rubbed the top of his fluffy head and secretly sighed at how nice it felt.
Fu Shengyan stopped moving. Wearing a silly smile, he obediently let her lead him away by the hand.
Yu Yao’s teeth ached from watching them.
It wasn’t as if he didn’t have a wife. Tonight, he would go home and kiss, hug, and lift his wife up too.
He stepped on the accelerator, and the black Cullinan shot out of the underground parking garage.
The scenery outside the window changed rapidly. Fu Shengyan squeezed her fingers. After calming down, he only felt that he had acted stupidly just now, and his tone inevitably carried a hint of complaint.
“Lin Zhizhi, can you be a little more sincere when you coax me?”
“How was I not sincere? Didn’t it work really well?” Lin Zhihua proudly raised their clasped hands. “You don’t like me calling you that? Then I won’t call you that anymore.”
“…I didn’t say that.” Fu Shengyan turned his face away, his voice almost inaudible. “I’ve just never heard you call me that before.”
Lin Zhihua thought back for a moment and had to admit that it was true. When they were young, other than calling him by his full name, the “pet name” she used most often was Little Fu Puppy.
It wasn’t her fault. The main reason was that Fu Shengyan had always had a sharp tongue when he was little. He insisted on saying that “Zhizhi” sounded like the squeaking of a mouse, making Lin Zhihua so angry that she called him Little Puppy every day.
One evening, Ms. Yun sent Lin Zhihua downstairs to buy soy sauce. By coincidence, she saw Fu Shengyan being pinned to the ground by a group of older children.
He looked somewhat disheveled. A bloody scratch marked his cheek, and he gritted his teeth tightly while glaring fiercely at the people around him.
“Well, look at you, Little Fu Puppy. You still want to bite us? We were just asking about your dad, and you dared to hit us!”
“Your dad definitely doesn’t want you anymore.”
“My mom said his mother sells herself outside, so it’s not that he doesn’t have a dad. He just doesn’t know who his dad is.”
The burly boy leading the group said this, and everyone else burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! You’re just a little stray dog nobody wants… Ah!”
Lin Zhihua grabbed the bottle of soy sauce and smashed it against the boy’s head, making him cry immediately.
“Let him go!” Lin Zhihua held the soy sauce in one hand and a tree branch she had casually picked up from the ground in the other, glaring fiercely at the group of older children. “You dare bully my little brother? Believe it or not, I’ll tell your parents!”
“Why is it her? Hurry, let’s go.” The children’s expressions changed when they saw her, and they quickly shoved one another as they left.
Father Lin and Mother Lin were university professors, and everyone in the residential compound wanted to curry favor with them. They repeatedly warned their children never to bully Professor Lin’s daughter. Lin Zhihua had practically become the child king of the neighborhood.
“Are you stupid? If you couldn’t beat them, didn’t you know how to run?” She was furious. Tossing aside the small branch in her hand, she reached out to help him.
But Fu Shengyan climbed up by himself. With his head lowered, he whispered, “I’m the older brother. I’m not the little brother.”
Lin Zhihua flicked him on the forehead and said irritably, “What kind of older brother needs his younger sister to protect him? Come on. Follow me home for dinner.”
By the time they got home, the wound on Fu Shengyan’s face was still bleeding. Lin Zhihua embellished the story as she told it, and that very night, Father Lin took the two children from door to door.
After that day, Lin Zhihua never called him Little Puppy again. She only started placing certain rather impolite words before his surname instead.
The car slowly stopped in front of a beautiful three-story detached building in the city center.
The appointment Ye Qianxi had made for her was at a private clinic in City A. It had been opened by a leading expert in the field of neurology. The fees were extremely high, but correspondingly, his medical skills were also exceptional. He had treated many patients who had successfully recovered their memories.
Originally, the appointment queue had already reached three months ahead. Lin Zhihua had only managed to get an appointment for that afternoon by using a little financial power.
Yu Yao spoke with the young nurse and finished registering their information. “President Lin, Dr. Li is already in the consultation room.”
Fu Shengyan looked at Composition No. 8 hanging on the wall and somehow felt that it looked familiar.
Lin Zhihua didn’t notice anything unusual about Fu Shengyan and pulled him toward the consultation room.
Inside the spacious and bright room, Li Yingyan skillfully handled the tea set at the tea table. Scalding hot water poured down, and a light, refreshing tea fragrance instantly filled the entire consultation room.
“Long time no see, Mr. Fu. Have you remembered anything this time?” He invited the two to sit opposite him, then smiled brightly at Lin Zhihua. “This must be Mrs. Fu?”
Lin Zhihua gave a slight nod. Her gaze shifted between the two men. “Dr. Li, do you know my husband?”
“This is freshly released Longjing. Have a taste.” Li Yingyan pushed a cup of fragrant tea, steam curling gently from it, toward Lin Zhihua. “Mr. Fu is already one of my VIP clients.”
“I see.” Lin Zhihua took a small sip of tea and narrowed her eyes slightly.
Li Yingyan was very good at reading people. Seeing that Fu Shengyan had no reaction, he directly told her everything. “Mr. Fu previously suffered an injury and lost his memory. He has always wanted to recover his memories of his childhood sweetheart, who is now his wife. He came to see me several times, but there was very little progress.”
Lin Zhihua lowered her eyes.
Their relationship had always been good over the years. Although they weren’t as sweet and clingy as a young couple passionately in love, theirs had gained the warmth and deep affection of a love that flowed steadily over time.
Fu Shengyan had never mentioned wanting to recover his memories in front of her. She hadn’t expected him to have been secretly seeing a doctor behind her back all along.
“I already remember Zhizhi from when we were little!” Fu Shengyan puffed out his chest, unable to hide the pride in his voice.
Li Yingyan looked somewhat surprised, his eyes immediately becoming eager. “What triggered the memories to return?”
Fu Shengyan rubbed his nose, somewhat embarrassed as he answered, “I remembered after waking up from the car accident. The doctor said I hit my head, but I forgot everything that happened over the next seven years.”
“This…” Li Yingyan opened his mouth.
He put down his teacup, stood up, and paced around the room several times before walking over to the desk and taking a sheet of paper from the cabinet.
“Then fill out a questionnaire first, and we’ll do a brain CT scan afterward.”