“Alright, I’m not worried about you being home alone with nothing to do,” Lin Xitang said. “You have no idea—recently, it seems like your non-biological father might be coming back. But I only heard rumors. If he comes looking for you, just tell him to get lost, okay?”
Lin Xitang was giving her a heads-up.
Xu Zhizhi softly replied, “Okay.” Honestly, she didn’t have much affection for her non-biological parents. Mainly because it had been so long that she couldn’t even remember what they looked like.
“Why would he even think of me?” Xu Zhizhi said. “They have their own children.”
Lin Xitang rolled her eyes dramatically. “When you left back then, that old woman said they’d remove you from the Xu Family household register. Zhou Che also helped you get a new one, so you have no ties to the Xu Family anymore. If they come to you with any talk of making amends or verbally attack you, don’t hold back. Tell me, and if I can’t curse them out remotely, I’ll hire you a top-tier professional scolder.”
Lin Xitang particularly despised the Xu Family. Back then, they should have questioned their own son. Was it really Xu Zhizhi’s fault, who didn’t understand anything at the time?
She couldn’t even walk or talk yet. Did she beg Xu Qing to bring her back to the Xu Family herself?
Ridiculous. Absolutely insane.
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Xu Qing and Sun Feifei were both terrible people.
They brought her back when they needed a child for appearances, then neglected her completely. When they didn’t need her anymore, they just walked away without a care—who was supposed to clean up their mess?
After the incident was exposed, it caused quite a stir in Jiangcheng. Back then, many people lined up to come to their class just to gawk at Xu Zhizhi, asking where she came from and who her real parents were.
Lin Xitang was speechless. Why did they care where she came from? If they were so curious, they should go abroad and ask Xu Qing themselves.
Who her parents were had nothing to do with them. They should first figure out if they were their parents’ biological children or how many of their siblings could even be acknowledged publicly.
Especially those illegitimate children—unable to show their faces in decent company yet always stirring up trouble. Lin Xitang almost called them out by name.
Her words successfully made several people flush with anger.
Even now, thinking about it made Lin Xitang furious.
Xu Zhizhi smiled brightly and said, “Okay.”
After that, she put the matter out of her mind. If it wasn’t important, she didn’t dwell on it.
Fu Chengyan pondered for a few seconds. The Xu Family—weren’t they just a grasshopper that couldn’t even jump high?
The Xu Family and the Sun Family hadn’t been doing well in recent years. When he looked into the girl earlier, he also glanced at the Xu Family company’s stocks—they kept plummeting.
The Sun Family wasn’t faring much better either.
After chatting briefly, they soon hung up. Xu Zhizhi turned to look at him, puzzled as to why he hadn’t left yet.
Could it be because she hadn’t escorted him to the elevator like before?
The more she thought about it, the more she believed that was the case. She slipped on her slippers and walked over, her eyes sparkling. “I’ll help you swipe the elevator card.”
Fu Chengyan smiled faintly. “Alright.”
Once he left the residential complex, he instructed Assistant Lin to thoroughly investigate the Xu Family, especially Xu Zhizhi—where exactly had Xu Qing taken her from back then?
It had been twenty years since that incident, so investigating it wouldn’t be easy. But Fu Chengyan wasn’t in a hurry.
He drove back to continue working, planning to make beef noodles for the girl in the afternoon.
For two consecutive weeks—half a month—Fu Chengyan hadn’t had time to return to the old mansion. His two nieces and nephews, who had just started their kindergarten winter break, missed him terribly. They cried and made a fuss, calling him on the phone.
Fu Chengyan frowned. “Where are your parents?”
Fu’s mother’s high-pitched voice came through the phone, “Their father is off in some remote mountain hollow planting beans.”
“What about sister-in-law?”
“Your sister-in-law is a producer—for the TV series your brother is filming right now. Both of them are stuck in the mountains.” Fu’s mother said, “When was the last time we even spoke on the phone?”
“…” Fu Chengyan fell silent for a moment. “I’ve been busy lately. I’ll come back in a couple of days.”
The dietary therapy prescription from the Chinese doctor hadn’t even been taken for a few days, and the little girl had already gotten clever—spitting it into the trash when he wasn’t looking.
Fu’s mother scolded him for being obsessed with money. “You reek of copper. Just stay out there.”
“Mom.” Fu Chengyan chuckled helplessly. “If no one in our family made money, where would you get all those bags, jade, and gems? Pick them up off the street?”
Fu’s mother laughed awkwardly. “Well, hasn’t your father earned enough already?”
She said shamelessly, “Son, just put in a little effort when needed. Why not enjoy the empire your father built for you?”
“An empire needs to be managed and guarded well, or Dad would be so angry he’d end up in the hospital.” He said with a half-smile. “SVIP annual subscription?”
Back when Fu Chengli was still in college, he must have suddenly lost his mind—an economics major insisting on switching careers to become an actor. It infuriated their dear old father so much he ended up hospitalized.
Fu Chengyan had no choice but to step up reluctantly, abandoning his beloved physics to switch from researcher to businessman.
Only later did he learn that Fu Chengli had done it all to chase after his wife.
During the pursuit, he genuinely fell in love with acting, and it spiraled from there.
Knowing he had essentially abandoned his family responsibilities and let Fu Chengyan down, Fu Chengli never publicly admitted that his “Fu” was the same “Fu” as in the Fu Shi Group.
He got to where he is today purely through his own acting skills and perseverance.
Almost a year after the incident, Fu Chengyan happened to return home and overheard his parents talking. That was when he learned that either brother could inherit the company—if the older one was “useless,” the younger one had to step up.
At the time, Fu Chengyan still held high hopes for physics and naturally had no desire to join the company.
That was why Fu Linjun kept getting “angered” into the hospital. (Eight times in half a year.)
Fu’s mother felt guilty. “Well, then… you manage it well. I’m hanging up now, my dear son. Don’t work too hard.”
Fu Xuanlang and Fu Xuanyue watched their grandmother hang up the phone, their lips trembling as tears streamed down their faces.
Fu’s mother gritted her teeth. “I’m sending you two over tomorrow.”
Anyone who didn’t know better would think Fu Chengyan was the one who gave birth to these two little rascals.
How could they be so attached to him?
Upon hearing this, the two three-year-olds immediately stopped crying, grinned, and said in unison, “Grandma is the best.”
Fu’s mother: “…”
After a busy afternoon, Fu Chengyan drove toward Jiaxing North Garden. Wen Li sat in the passenger seat, fidgeting uncomfortably. “Master, why not let me drive?”
Fu Chengyan said dryly, “I wouldn’t dare let someone who flies planes drive my car.”
Five years ago, this guy drove like he was piloting a plane, flooring the gas pedal until it practically smoked.
Wen Li chuckled awkwardly and didn’t insist.
“Master, why not just move to Jiaxing North Garden? It’s closer and more convenient. You wouldn’t have to commute back and forth at night.”
“It won’t fit.”
Wen Li was puzzled. What wouldn’t fit?
Such a large villa, and you alone can’t fit?
Then he remembered the staff at Lushan Manor. Oh, right—it really wouldn’t fit.
When could he ever be as wealthy as the family head? He wondered how much pocket money his wife would give him then.
He let his mind wander for a few seconds before hearing Fu Chengyan say, “Besides, I don’t find it troublesome.”
“…”
“Not troublesome at all. I actually like it this way,” Fu Chengyan said.
“…”
At that moment, Wen Li confirmed one thing: their family head was a hopeless romantic.