*Pfft—* Bursts of laughter erupted in the private room.
Jiang Sheng, Xu Zhou, and even their female companions covered their mouths, amused.
“Hey, first of all, I didn’t provoke any of you.” Mocked by his brothers, Yan Hang threw down his cards in annoyance, stood up to straighten his shirt, and declared: “Just wait—I’ll win her over sooner or later.”
Fu Jingshen’s long fingers folded away the handkerchief, his thin lips pressed together, offering no comment.
For Yan Hang, what he couldn’t have was always the most desirable. Ji Ying was like an illusion, a distant moon in the water—her freshness only heightened his obsession. Too much discouragement would only fuel his defiance.
Fu Jingshen tapped his knuckles lightly against the table, casually shifting the subject. “The land in Huizhou—I’m planning to build a resort there.”
“Are you interested?”
At once, the laughter died. Business left no room for brotherhood. That plot of land had been eyed by several families for a long time, but the Fu Corporation had won the bid.
Now that Fu Jingshen himself offered to share a piece of the pie, how could they refuse? The earlier topic was instantly forgotten—even Yan Hang focused in.
Late at night, the gathering dispersed. Fu Jingshen stepped into the car under the cover of darkness. The driver started the engine, waiting for instructions.
Fu Jingshen leaned back against the seat, his voice calm. “Back to Yuquan Bay.”
“Yes, sir.” The driver didn’t question it. This was Fu Jingshen’s luxury residence near the Fu Corporation, his most frequent retreat.
The car drove smoothly.
Fu Jingshen closed his eyes, resting. His thoughts began to empty, but almost as soon as his eyes shut, an image surfaced—beautiful eyes, deep as autumn waters, piercing to the soul. He opened his eyes abruptly, his Adam’s apple shifting, his gaze darkening.
That frail, sickly little girl from years ago—when had she grown into this? Yet he had recognized her at once. Softly, he murmured her name. *Ji Ying.* The syllables lingered on his lips, even warming his chest. His fingertips unconsciously touched the handkerchief he had kept all day. In the dim light of the car, he looked at the embroidered cherry blossom. Lost in thought again, he suddenly snapped back.
Fu Jingshen furrowed his brows, unsettled by his unusual reactions throughout the day. He rubbed his temples, forcing his mind blank, and gave a wry laugh. To think a single young woman could haunt him so.
Last night she hadn’t slept well. After lunch at home, Ji Ying rubbed her slightly sore eyes and went upstairs to rest. This nap seemed unusually long. Her head felt heavy and dizzy, and in the half-dream, half-waking state, her delicate brows furrowed unconsciously.
Ji Ying dreamed. She dreamed of when she was five years old, the first time she attended a banquet with her parents and her second brother, traveling across half of the capital to the Fu residence in the south.
That day was Old Master Fu’s sixtieth birthday banquet. The Fu family, a century-old aristocratic house, hosted a celebration so grand that nearly every notable figure in Beijing gathered there.
Ji Tianze and Yu Wanqing were busy socializing, while Ji Chen was absent. On the way, they repeatedly instructed eight-year-old Ji Huai to take good care of Ji Ying.
Ji Huai patted his chest, answering carelessly: “Don’t worry, can’t I look after my little sister?”
Children loved to run about. Ji Ying, dressed in the white tulle dress Yu Wanqing had prepared, was tiny, holding Ji Huai’s hand as she trotted after him. Passing the tea pavilion in the back garden, Old Master Fu called out to them. He seemed especially fond of her. While sipping tea with Ji Ying’s grandfather, he smiled warmly at her. “Our little cherry blossom is truly beautiful.”
Ji Ying’s cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head.
Then Old Master Fu pointed to the boy beside him, whose expression was calm, and introduced: “This is your brother Jingshen.”
Ji Ying looked up quickly, then lowered her head again. He was tall—taller than her second brother, almost as tall as her eldest.
Old Master Fu glanced at his grandson. “This is your sister Ying,” he said, with a teasing emphasis. “The sister I’ve told you about many times.”
Fu Jingshen remained expressionless. “Hello.”
Ji Ying: “Hello.”
The two grandfathers exchanged a look and laughed together.
Ji Ying didn’t understand what they were laughing at. Her wide eyes turned toward Fu Jingshen, only to see him frown slightly, looking impatient.
Just then, several boys ran over, calling toward Fu Jingshen: “Third Brother! There you are.”
It was Ji Ying’s first time seeing so many people. She instinctively hid behind Ji Huai, peeking out with only her eyes visible.
The boys had come to play with Fu Jingshen. As they were about to leave, Ji Huai grew restless, tugging Ji Ying along. “Brother will take you to play, how about it?”
Ji Ying didn’t really want to go. But seeing the sparkle in her second brother’s eyes, she nodded.
Through the vast back garden, the group of half-grown boys passed the elegantly dressed adults and arrived at the pond, where a finely crafted rockery stood, spring water gurgling down.
Fu Jingshen briefly introduced two companions—one named Jiang Sheng, the other Xu Zhou.
“This is Ji Huai.” He turned his head. “And this is his sister, Ji Ying.”
In truth, Ji Huai wasn’t familiar with Fu Jingshen and his friends. The Ji family lived in the north, the Fu family in the south, each with their own circles. But since they met, they played together.
Ji Huai, three or four years younger, hadn’t tried skateboarding before. So when he saw Xu Zhou riding a flashy board down the slope beside the rockery, his eyes widened, sparkling with eagerness.
Meanwhile, Ji Ying quietly held her skirt and stepped back. She turned and saw Fu Jingshen on a longboard, gliding down the slope, even spinning midair with a graceful trick. Paired with his cold expression, he looked impossibly cool.
Ji Ying held her breath watching, while Ji Huai clapped excitedly and tugged her forward. “Cool! I want to try too!”
“You’ve never played, you can’t.” Jiang Sheng leaned on Fu Jingshen’s shoulder. “You need Third Master to teach you—he’s the best at it.”
Ji Huai looked straight at Fu Jingshen without hesitation. “Third Brother!”
Fu Jingshen set down his skateboard, glanced at Jiang Sheng, and replied curtly: “Whoever says it, teaches.”
“Fine.” Jiang Sheng shrugged, slinging an arm around Ji Huai’s shoulder. “I’ll do it then.” Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the delicate little girl beside Ji Huai. “But if you’re busy playing, who’s going to look after your little sister?”
So Ji Ying watched as her second brother, who had just been holding her hand, frowned in thought, then pointed toward the pond by the rockery. He gave her a coaxing smile. “Yingying, sit there and watch me skateboard, alright?”
“…Okay.” The long morning passed with Ji Ying propping her chin in her hands, sitting by the pond, counting how many red carp swam inside—and how many times her brother fell.
In the end, Ji Huai still wasn’t satisfied.
Fu Jingshen, meanwhile, had grown bored, lazily skating before stopping steadily at the pond’s edge.
At that moment, Ji Ying was focused on two carp blowing bubbles in the water. She didn’t notice— Ji Huai came speeding down the slope, eager to show off a newly learned trick. He failed to brake, rushing straight toward Ji Ying.
Ji Huai’s face changed, shouting in alarm: “Yingying! Move!”
Ji Ying: “Huh?” She turned, staring wide-eyed as Ji Huai hurtled toward her. Frozen in place. The wind roared in her ears. Just before Ji Huai could crash into her, someone swept her sideways, flipping her back into the pond. The carp scattered in panic. Icy water engulfed her instantly—face, nose, even ears.
Like clutching the last lifeline, Ji Ying clung tightly to the boy’s arm, coughing desperately. Until he held her, breaking the surface, his palm patting her back. “It’s alright now.”
Ji Ying gasped for breath, vision blurred. Hearing his steady voice, her fear eased. She clung to Fu Jingshen, trembling, whispering softly: “Third Brother…”
“Mm.” Fu Jingshen carried her out of the pond. “I’m here.”
Both were drenched. Ji Huai, thrown by the force at the pond’s edge, had crashed heavily to the ground. If Fu Jingshen hadn’t pulled Ji Ying into the water, the outcome would have been disastrous.
Ignoring his scraped knees and elbows, Ji Huai scrambled up, panicked at the sight of his sister in Fu Jingshen’s arms. “Yingying!” He reached out to take her, but Fu Jingshen avoided him. His expression was cold. “I’ll take your sister to find your parents.”
Ji Huai rubbed his nose, knowing he was doomed, and followed silently behind.
Ji Ying had been frail since birth, plagued with illnesses even at five. The family cherished her like a jewel, only now daring to bring her out.
After this accident, Ji Ying fell ill for half a month. The baby fat she had just gained melted away. For years afterward, she never attended another banquet. Ji Huai was nearly beaten to death by Ji Tianze and Ji Chen.
Ji Ying hadn’t been sick for quite some time—until the familiar heaviness struck again, her head pounding as though filled with lead.
“Darling.” A soft female voice sounded in her ear, followed by the cool touch of a hand on her forehead. Her mother’s slender fingers rested there. “So hot—why are you burning up?”
Yu Wanqing’s voice rose, sharp with worry. She drew in a breath. “I’ll call Chen Yu.”
Chen Yu was Ji Ying’s private physician, caring for her since childhood.
Ji Ying opened her drowsy eyes. At some point, the room had gone completely dark—it must already be night.
“Mom, I’m fine.” But when she spoke, her voice was hoarse.
Yu Wanqing pinched her daughter’s cheek lightly. “Fine? With a fever like this? Do you want to drive me mad with worry?”
Soon, Chen Yu arrived, examined Ji Ying, prescribed several medicines, and set up an IV drip.
“No serious problem—just a low fever.” Standing outside the room, Chen Yu spoke quietly to Yu Wanqing and Ji Tianze, who had rushed home. “Miss Ji caught a chill in the rain and hasn’t rested well. Her body gave out. She needs proper care for a while.”
At this, both parents sighed in relief.
After the IV, Chen Yu packed up and left. Ji Ying sat on the bed, staring at the fever medicine on the nightstand, gazing hopelessly at the ceiling.
Yu Wanqing folded her arms, watching her daughter drink the medicine without blinking, nagging all the while.
Ji Tianze, who had hurried home upon hearing the news, stood at the doorway. He saw the look of grievance on his daughter’s face. Normally soft-hearted, the stern chairman said nothing. Outside, he was decisive and commanding, but here he could only shake his head helplessly.
Ji Ying lowered her lashes, frowning, and swallowed the bitter medicine in one gulp like facing an enemy. Though she had drunk countless medicines before, she still couldn’t bear the taste.
Only after seeing her daughter finish did Yu Wanqing relax. But her anger turned toward *Yulinling*, the teahouse, wishing she could shut it down immediately.
Ji Ying sighed inwardly. It seemed her planned trip to Huizhou was ruined.
At last, unable to bear his daughter’s pitiful expression, Ji Tianze spoke from the doorway, trying to calm his wife’s endless scolding. “Enough. Nannan needs rest. Say less.”
T/n: Nannan is Ji Ying’s nickname.
But Yu Wanqing’s beautiful eyes flicked toward him, silencing him instantly. Fortunately, she said no more, only tucked Ji Ying’s quilt. “Rest well. I’ll ask for three days’ leave from school for you.”
Ji Ying: “Alright.” She cast her father a grateful glance. Ji Tianze soothed her silently, then turned to lead Yu Wanqing away.
Outside, unseen by Ji Ying, Yu Wanqing gave a cold hum and walked ahead, leaving her husband behind.
Ji Tianze rubbed his nose, trailing after her. Before he could catch up, she avoided him, glaring. “Why don’t you just go back to your work and socializing? At home, it’s only me watching over her. Our daughter’s sick and you didn’t even know.”
Ji Tianze followed step by step, earnestly admitting fault. Only after soothing her did he explain the situation clearly. “Tonight’s dinner with Old Master Fu—I’m just a junior, I can’t possibly refuse his invitation.”
At the mention of the Fu family, Yu Wanqing’s steps faltered. “Old Master Fu?” Her sensitivity was understandable. Regarding the family her precious daughter had been betrothed to since childhood, Yu Wanqing wished she could keep watch in all directions.
Ji Tianze: “Yes.”
Yu Wanqing asked thoughtfully: “And what did the old man say?”
Recalling the implication behind Old Master Fu’s words that evening, Ji Tianze’s expression grew grim. “He asked if our Nannan’s twentieth birthday banquet was coming soon.”
Yu Wanqing’s brows twitched. “So?”
Thinking of his beloved daughter, barely twenty, already under the Fu family’s eager gaze, Ji Tianze clenched his jaw. “So the Fu family wants to discuss marriage.”