Fu Huaixu unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and paced irritably toward the rear courtyard.
Entering the living room, he found the nearly eighty-year-old woman curled up on the sofa, clutching a tablet and laughing heartily as she scrolled through it.
Her silver hair was neatly combed, a small pearl hairpin tucked at her temple, and her energy seemed livelier than that of many young people.
“Well, Grandma, you’re certainly living the good life,” Fu Huaixu said as he sat down opposite her, the intimidating chill around him finally dissipating somewhat, his tone carrying a hint of casual teasing.
Without even lifting her eyelids, the old lady continued swiping rapidly on the screen, a sly glint hidden in her laugh lines:
“You rascal, finally decided to come see this old woman?”
After Old Mr. Fu passed away years ago, Old Mrs. Fu had moved without hesitation to Jing’an Temple to cultivate her spirit. The whole family had assumed she had completely renounced worldly affairs and would never involve herself in mundane matters again.
Who would have thought that a year ago, she had returned to the Fu family in a whirlwind of energy? Since coming back, she hadn’t bothered with the younger generation’s affairs, spending her days gardening, taking leisurely strolls, gossiping, or dancing with other elderly ladies and gentlemen, living more freely and joyfully than anyone else.
Old Mrs. Fu glanced sideways at him while still looking at her tablet, her eyes sharp and clear:
“Were you just tangled up with them again? Look at that sour face of yours, as if someone owes you billions. If it were up to me, I’d have long kicked out all those ungrateful wretches.”
Fu Huaixu leaned back against the sofa, his posture relaxed and lazy, and let out a scoff. “Old lady, aren’t you the least bit heartbroken? Those are all your descendants.”
Old Mrs. Fu glared at Fu Huaixu upon hearing this and slapped the armrest of the sofa. “Heartbroken, my foot! Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. If they’re useless, I wouldn’t care if they swept the streets. All that whining and complaining—it’s downright annoying.”
Old Mrs. Fu had been hot-tempered in her youth, but she had mellowed after marrying Old Mr. Fu. However, six years ago, after Old Mr. Fu’s passing, when the family members fought over the inheritance without regard for brotherhood, she became utterly disillusioned with the Fu family…
She eyed his devastatingly handsome face and said, “You little rascal, when are you going to bring a great-granddaughter-in-law home for me?
You haven’t had a woman by your side for years now. What a waste of that pretty face of yours. I’m starting to think you might prefer men.”
Fu Huaixu scoffed, his fingers tapping idly on the sofa armrest. “Not just any stray cat or dog can catch my eye.”
Old Mrs. Fu: …
She was truly speechless.
When would this little rascal ever change his way of speaking?
With a tongue that sharp, he’d better be careful about ending up a bachelor for life.
Just as she finished her silent complaint, she suddenly remembered something and shot him a glance. “You’re not still hung up on that little girlfriend you had abroad all those years ago, are you? Who would’ve thought our Fu family could produce someone as devoted as you?”
Seven years ago, she had been the first to know about Fu Huaixu having a girlfriend.
Back then, he had called her in a frantic hurry to share the good news, the excitement in his voice impossible to hide. She had told him then that as long as he was happy with her, that was all that mattered.
An image of Shen Zhaoning flashed through Fu Huaixu’s mind, and the corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably, his tone carrying a hint of stubbornness unique to him. “I just like her, and I’m happy with that.”
He lowered his head to look at his phone, where a new message notification popped up in the chat window—the message he had sent to Shen Zhaoning an hour ago had finally received a reply.
Shen Zhaoning: [At home preparing to have dinner]
The corners of Fu Huaixu’s mouth couldn’t stop curling upward, his fingers tapping rapidly on the screen:
Fu Huaixu: [I don’t even have dinner to eat now]
Fu Huaixu: [Got annoyed again today]
Fu Huaixu: [Need Zhaozhao baby’s comfort]
Fu Huaixu: [Baby, when is it convenient to video call?]
…
After sending out several messages, he reluctantly turned off his phone. When he looked up, he met Old Mrs. Fu’s sparkling gaze.
Old Mrs. Fu had already been standing behind him, leaning half her body over, her gossipy smile practically overflowing from her wrinkles.
“Grandma, what are you doing? Don’t you know you can scare someone to death?” Fu Huaixu stuffed his phone into his pocket, the tips of his ears quietly warming up.
“Looking at you all lovesick, have you got a girlfriend?” The old lady patted the arm of the sofa, her face full of certainty that said, “Don’t even think about hiding it from me.”
Fu Huaixu raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of unconcealable pride: “Almost. I’ll try to let you hold your great-grandchild next year.”
“Really? Don’t you lie to this old lady!” Old Mrs. Fu’s eyes instantly lit up. “Bring her home for me to see as soon as you have time. I’ll prepare a meeting gift for my future granddaughter-in-law in advance.”
“When I want to get married, I’ll naturally bring her home.”
Shen Zhaoning finished dinner and did kindergarten crafts with the two little ones. It wasn’t until after her bath that she had time to look at her phone.
As soon as her fingertip touched the screen, that series of red number notifications exploded like cannonballs—dozens of unread messages from Fu Huaixu instantly flooded the screen.
She opened the chat window and scrolled up.
Fu Huaixu: [Baby, if you don’t reply, I’m coming to Kyoto to find you.]
Fu Huaixu: [Zhaozhao, why aren’t you paying attention to me? So sad!]
Fu Huaixu: [What are you doing?]
Fu Huaixu: [The moon is very round tonight, but no matter how round, it’s not as beautiful as you.]
Fu Huaixu: [If you don’t reply, my heart feels empty.]
…
Shen Zhaoning looked at these messages, unable to suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth.
Shen Zhaoning: [Is President Fu so free?]
Right after sending it, her phone suddenly vibrated violently. Fu Huaixu’s video call request popped up directly, filling the entire screen.
Shen Zhaoning’s finger paused for a few seconds, but she still tapped to decline.
Fu Huaixu: [Zhaozhao, I want to see you, wronged JPG]
Fu Huaixu: [Baby, I haven’t seen you for two days, I miss you so much~]
Shen Zhaoning: [I don’t miss you~]
Fu Huaixu: [Baby, how can you be so cruel? Sad JPG]
Shen Zhaoning was utterly amused by his cheesy behavior. For a moment, it felt like she was seeing the extremely clingy Fu Huaixu from five years ago again. She sent him several “get lost” stickers in a row.
Fu Huaixu: [Baby, you sent me so many “get lost”s in a row. Are you inviting me to “get lost” in bed?]
Fu Huaixu: [Baby, come on, I’m already lying down~ waiting for your favor~]
Shen Zhaoning simply placed her phone face down on the table and ignored him. This guy was just a rascal; the more you paid attention to him, the more he’d act up.
Fu Huaixu stared at his phone for ten minutes. Seeing no new messages,
But he was still so happy. Today, Zhaozhao paid attention to him and even sent him so many messages!