“Zhixia, that’s Doctor Ji’s private business. There’s no need for us to pry into it.”
Nan Xin interrupted Shen Zhixia.
To Nan Xin, Ji Zhouye was the person who had saved her life. Since his personal affairs were none of her business, she didn’t want to pry too deeply into them.
Thinking about Ji Zhouye’s identity, Shen Zhixia secretly clicked her tongue.
If it were any other man, Shen Zhixia would have insisted that Nan Xin give it some serious thought. A man as exceptional as him was definitely someone she shouldn’t let slip away.
But Ji Zhouye was different. With a background like his, he wasn’t someone an ordinary person could easily approach. Getting too close to him might only bring trouble.
With that in mind, Shen Zhixia let the matter drop.
Yunding Villa was located in the suburbs, surrounded by a lake and beautiful mountains and rivers. It was dozens of kilometers from Xinghuan Shopping Center in the city center, and it took them more than an hour to get there by car.
It was peak dining time when they arrived, but Nan Xin had already reserved a table on her phone while they were on the way—a famous yet expensive French restaurant.
Shen Zhixia had helped her a great deal recently, so Nan Xin felt she should treat her to a good meal.
Shen Zhixia linked her arm through Nan Xin’s and sighed.
“If you hadn’t gotten married, you wouldn’t have given up your career as a perfumer to become a full-time housewife earning only 3,000 yuan a month. In the end, you lost both your career and your marriage.”
Nan Xin was surprisingly calm.
She had chosen this path herself. If she had made the wrong choice, that was her own fault. She had no one else to blame.
Just then, she caught sight of two adults and a child out of the corner of her eye.
Nan Xin pressed her lips together, and half of her good mood instantly disappeared.
Shen Zhixia noticed the change in her expression. She followed her gaze and froze as well.
“What terrible luck.” Shen Zhixia lowered her voice. “Why don’t we go somewhere else?”
Nan Xin shook her head, her expression already calm again.
“We’ve already made a reservation. There’s no need to waste it. They can do whatever they want, and we’ll just enjoy our meal.”
She didn’t want them to ruin her plans to have dinner with her best friend.
Still, when Nan Xin walked into the restaurant, she unconsciously straightened her back.
Nan Xin had reserved a table in advance, only to discover upon arrival that the private table by the window had been double-booked due to a system error. They had no choice but to move to a table near the corridor.
Since they were already there, it would be inconvenient to leave and find another place.
Soft French chanson music filled the restaurant. Warm golden light spilled from the crystal chandeliers, while the silverware reflected a quiet glow against the white tablecloths.
As Nan Xin sat down, she could faintly hear Fu Nuannuan’s clear laughter coming from the private room at the end of the corridor.
She picked up her water glass, her fingertips slightly cold.
Nan Xin didn’t want this to affect her mood, so she acted as though she had never seen them and naturally continued chatting and eating with Shen Zhixia.
Just then, a small figure slipped out through the half-open door of the private room at the end of the corridor.
Fu Nuannuan was wearing a snow-white puffy dress. She looked delicate and thin, and her little body shivered from the cold.
Nan Xin’s seat happened to be diagonally across from the private room. The moment Fu Nuannuan looked over, she spotted Nan Xin intently cutting into her foie gras.
The little girl immediately stopped.
“Bad woman!”
Fu Nuannuan widened her eyes and pointed at Nan Xin with her little finger.
“Did you follow us here?”
Nan Xin’s hand holding the fork paused slightly.
Shen Zhixia followed her gaze and immediately recognized the child.
She put down her knife and fork with a sharp clack. Her voice wasn’t loud, but the anger she was suppressing was unmistakable.
“She really is like a ghost that won’t go away.”
“Zhixia.”
Nan Xin gently stopped her.
“Just eat.”
Seeing that Nan Xin was ignoring her, Fu Nuannuan angrily stomped her foot.
“I’m talking to you! Don’t think you can steal Daddy away just because you’re doing this! Daddy belongs to Mommy!”
Her words immediately drew the attention of the nearby customers, and the looks directed at Nan Xin became strange.
Shen Zhixia’s expression darkened and she was about to speak, but Nan Xin spoke first.
“Fu Nuannuan, didn’t your mother ever tell you that I’m your aunt?”
“What’s an aunt?”
Nan Yu had apparently never mentioned this relationship to her. In the child’s eyes, Nan Xin was simply the bad woman who wanted to steal her daddy away.
Children were innocent. Besides, Fu Nuannuan was only four years old. No matter how much Nan Xin hated Nan Yu and Fu Beichen, she could never take her anger out on a four-year-old child.
Nan Xin reached out and gently brushed a soft strand of hair away from Fu Nuannuan’s forehead.
The child blinked her big eyes at her. Her features looked remarkably similar to those in photos of Nan Yu when she was young, yet there wasn’t a single feature that resembled Fu Beichen.
Perhaps she was still too young and hadn’t grown into her features yet?
Nan Xin suppressed the thought as quickly as it appeared.
“Your aunt is your mother’s biological younger sister. So your aunt would never try to take your daddy away from your mommy.”
As she spoke, Nan Xin picked up a pudding and gently placed it in front of the child.
“Would you like some?”
Fu Nuannuan tilted her head.
Although Mommy had told her that this woman was the worst person in the world, her aunt was actually so gentle~
Fu Nuannuan was still only a child. Faced with kindness, she quickly let down her guard. Happily, she picked up the small spoon and awkwardly cracked open the caramelized sugar topping.
Shen Zhixia pursed her lips.
“Xinxin, you really are too kind. But Nan Yu has some nerve. She lets a four-year-old child run around outside wearing so little. Isn’t she afraid the child will freeze or get hurt?”
Nan Xin also noticed that Fu Nuannuan was shivering from the cold. She shook her head without saying anything.
Fu Nuannuan was Nan Yu’s child. How she chose to raise her was her own business.
Perhaps Fu Nuannuan had been outside for too long, because the door to the private room suddenly opened.
Nan Yu hurried out. When she saw Fu Nuannuan standing beside Nan Xin’s table, her expression changed.
“Nuannuan!”
Nan Yu quickly walked over and pulled Fu Nuannuan behind her. The force made the child’s shoulders shrink.
Her eyes first swept over Nan Xin’s ordinary maternity dress before meeting Nan Xin’s gaze. A fake smile appeared on her face.
“Little sister, what a coincidence.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was just enough for Fu Beichen, who was approaching, to hear.
“Nuannuan is young and doesn’t know any better. She didn’t disturb your meal, did she?”
“It’s just a pudding. I wouldn’t call that a disturbance.”
Nan Xin’s tone was indifferent, as though she no longer cared that her husband was with her sister.
Fu Beichen picked Fu Nuannuan up into his arms. His gaze swept across Nan Xin’s calm face before landing on the half-eaten pudding in Fu Nuannuan’s hand.
His brows furrowed deeply.
“Nan Xin, what did you give Nuannuan this time?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Nan Xin frowned.
The way Fu Beichen said it made it sound as though she had given Fu Nuannuan all kinds of harmful things in the past.
In reality, this was the first time she had even met Fu Nuannuan since Nan Yu brought her back to the country.
“Beichen, don’t talk to Xinxin like that.”
Nan Yu tugged lightly on Fu Beichen’s arm. She looked at Nan Xin with a gentle expression.
“Xinxin, if you’re having any difficulties, don’t hesitate to ask your sister. I’m currently in charge of perfume development at the Fu Group. I can still pull some strings and arrange a position for you in logistics.”
Shen Zhixia couldn’t listen any longer.
“Miss Nan, you certainly have quite the nerve. Logistics? Do you even know that Xinxin is—”
“Zhixia.”
Nan Xin gently interrupted her and lightly pressed Shen Zhixia’s hand beneath the table.
She raised her eyes to Nan Yu, her expression calm and emotionless, as though the person being discussed wasn’t even herself.
“Thank you for the offer, but I don’t need it.”
Fu Beichen’s cold gaze swept over Nan Xin’s composed face. The corner of his mouth curled into an undisguised sneer.
“Who are you putting on this pretentious, self-righteous act for? Without the Fu family, you might not even be capable of earning enough to afford the dignity of sitting here.”