Starsea Residence
The elevator ascended slowly, its mirrored walls reflecting Fu Huaixu’s current state—his shirt slightly wrinkled, collar loose, eyes bloodshot, like a lone wolf that had just returned from the wilderness, carrying an air of ferocity and scars.
With a soft ding, the elevator doors opened.
Mu Yufeng came to answer the door and, seeing Fu Huaixu’s face so dark it seemed to drip with gloom, instinctively shrank back.
“Brother, you… come in first.”
Mu Yufeng stepped aside to make way.
Without wasting words, Fu Huaixu strode inside. “What exactly happened after I was in a coma for five years following the car accident?”
His gaze toward Mu Yufeng was sharp enough to cut through a person: “What is the truth?”
Mu Yufeng stared at Fu Huaixu in horror, his lips trembling. “Brother… what… what are you talking about?”
Fu Huaixu let out a cold laugh, his voice low and dangerous. “Don’t play dumb with me. I’ve already found Shen Zhaoning.”
Mu Yufeng’s face instantly turned deathly pale, his lips quivering. “You… you found her?”
“She said it was because I sent her a breakup text that she left without saying goodbye.”
Fu Huaixu stared intently into his eyes. “So, what exactly happened?”
The air in the living room seemed to freeze.
Mu Yufeng swallowed hard, stammering as he spoke:
“Brother, don’t just listen to her side of the story… Back then, you were in a coma for over two months after the accident. Auntie was only thinking of your best interests…”
“Cut the excuses!” Fu Huaixu roared. “What exactly did you all hide from me? Think carefully before you answer.”
Seeing the bloodshot eyes of Fu Huaixu, Mu Yufeng felt another wave of guilt, but thinking of his aunt’s warnings and Fu Huaixu’s future, he hardened his heart:
“Brother, some things are better left in the past. You’re now the CEO of the Fu Group. With your current status, Shen Zhaoning… she’s no longer a match for you. Back then, Uncle was grooming that illegitimate son, and Auntie wanted to secure your position as the heir to the Fu Group, so she…”
“So you helped my mother put on an act?” Fu Huaixu’s voice suddenly rose. “Tell me, was that breakup text sent by my mother?”
Mu Yufeng fell silent.
This silence was more disappointing to Fu Huaixu than any answer.
“Yes,” Mu Yufeng finally spoke, his voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum.
“After your accident, I notified Auntie immediately. When she arrived and found out you had participated in an illegal race to win that rare pink diamond to propose to Shen Zhaoning, she was so furious she nearly fainted.”
“And at the time, Uncle was saying he would name that illegitimate son as his heir. To protect your position, Auntie wanted you to marry into the Chu family. She… she took it upon herself to use your phone to send Shen Zhaoning the breakup message, saying you were going back to get engaged. Auntie made me promise to keep it a secret, and I also thought… I also thought you should marry someone who could help you…”
Fu Huaixu’s eyes turned red, like a wounded beast. “What right did you have to make decisions for me?”
Thud!
Mu Yufeng was struck, his head snapping to the side. Half his face instantly swelled red, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Fu Huaixu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, though his voice carried a barely noticeable tremor:
“Do you know how much I loved her? Do you know how I’ve lived these past five years?”
You knew the truth yet chose to remain silent, watching me suffer and her endure grievances!
Do you know that without her, what meaning does it have for me to possess the entire Fu Group?”
“Brother, I just thought…”
“You just thought social status matters, thought family interests matter, thought I should listen to my mother!”
Fu Huaixu interrupted him, his voice hoarse: “Even you would betray me, even you would deceive me!”
Fu Huaixu cast a cold gaze at Mu Yufeng:
“This is the last time. If I ever discover you hiding anything from me again, don’t blame me for disregarding family ties.”
After speaking, he turned and strode out of Mu Yufeng’s home.
Mu Yufeng slumped to the floor, staring at the empty hallway by the door.
He knew that from this moment on, he had not only lost Fu Huaixu’s trust but also completely lost this cousin who had once protected him.
Back in the car
“Return to Yushui Bay.”
Fu Huaixu’s voice was low and steady, betraying little emotional fluctuation.
“Yes, President.” Lin Jing promptly started the car.
The Cullinan smoothly merged into the traffic flow. The scenery outside the window began to recede, and Fu Huaixu’s gaze fell on the rapidly passing streetscape;
Those bizarre and shifting lights and shadows swirled in his deep eyes, as if stirring some long-buried memories deep within his heart.
“Go and investigate her information again. I need it by tomorrow noon.”
Fu Huaixu’s voice sounded once more, even lower than before, as if muffled from within his chest.
Lin Jing’s hands on the steering wheel paused slightly before returning to normal.
He naturally knew who the “her” in Fu Huaixu’s words referred to.
Over the years, at regular intervals, Fu Huaixu would ask him to investigate a person—someone who seemed to have vanished into thin air, with no trace of information no matter how hard he searched.
“Understood, President.” Lin Jing responded solemnly, though his heart had long grown accustomed to the turbulence.
He knew that each search was like finding a needle in a haystack, but he had to carry out his boss’s orders!
A worker’s soul is for work; only through work can one rise above others.
Fu Huaixu said nothing more. He slowly closed his eyes, leaning back, yet his thoughts had already drifted far away.