Fu Tianle was escorted back to the family home.
Elders were already waiting for him.
His position within the Fu family was somewhat special. His father was the youngest son of the family and he himself was also the youngest in his generation.
Two “youngest” titles stacked together, this, aside from his looks and temperament, was another reason he had always been doted upon. It also meant that there were many elders above him in the family.
But the one waiting for him now was no ordinary elder.
It was his paternal grandfather, the current head of the Fu family.
The old man’s expression was uncharacteristically grim, impossible to describe as pleasant. The moment he saw Fu Tianle, he demanded, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“If I hadn’t sent people to stop you, were you planning to barge into the residential complex? To storm straight up to Yuan Mian’s door? Have you lost your mind?”
On the way here, Fu Tianle had already guessed why his family knew of his movements but emotions and reason refused to align. When he opened his mouth, only a cold laugh emerged.
When he laughed, the old man laughed too. Without warning, he picked up a crimson and gold wedding invitation from the table and flung it straight at Fu Tianle.
The invitation burst open upon impact. The names of the two people getting married were displayed clearly inside.
One was Hu Guangtong.
The other was Yuan Mian.
Even though he had already sensed it deep down, the shock still felt like a rupture of the spirit, like stepping into empty air where solid ground had always existed, like something ancient and immutable cracking and collapsing beneath his feet.
It was real.
It was actually real.
Zhang Su’an had not lied to him. He had not misread the photograph. Yuan Mian and Hu Guangtong were truly going to get married.
This was not merely a romantic relationship.
It was the formation of a marriage.
“Do you even know what you’re doing?” the old man said sternly. “Given the situation now, do you think you still have room to make a scene? You want to go knocking on their door to cause trouble? That’s Hu Guangtong!”
The old man’s voice was unusually severe. Fu Tianle should have calmed down but he simply could not.
He could not control his volume. Veins stood out as he shouted back, “So what? Just because it’s Hu Guangtong, he gets to steal someone else’s lover? Yuan Mian is mine!”
“How is he yours?”
“He’s my boyfriend! That makes him mine!”
The old man did not argue with him. Instead, he said coldly, “Even if he were your wife and had already borne you two children, if Hu Guangtong set his sights on him and wanted to marry him, you would still have to roll as far away as possible and make room!”
“Can you compare yourself to Hu Guangtong? If you offend him and get dragged into a fight with him, what good outcome do you think you’ll get? Think before you act! Have you thought about the consequences?”
Fu Tianle knew all this. Children of wealthy families all grew up learning these rules. There was no such thing as fairness, only retreat in the face of circumstances and compared to Hu Guangtong, it was not just the situation where Fu Tianle fell short.
Ability. Tactics. Social connections. Networks.
Even in terms of looks, he did not dare claim he was better than Hu Guangtong.
But that was Yuan Mian.
He had never once imagined what his life would look like without Yuan Mian in it.
“Why the hell should I- ”
Smack!
A harsh slap landed squarely on Fu Tianle’s face, cutting off every word.
The old man took a breath and barked, “Shut your mouth! Calm yourself down!”
Being struck twice in one day, the color of Fu Tianle’s face visibly changed.
The sound of the slap was loud enough to draw startled looks from the household staff. Fu Tianle’s mother, who had been quietly eavesdropping upstairs, hurried down the stairs.
“Oh my, Tianle! Are you alright?!”
“No matter how angry you are, you can’t hit him! He’s already grown up…”
The scene descended into chaos.
Fetching ice packs.
Soothing voices overlapping.
Amid the external turmoil, Fu Tianle finally fell silent.
His mother’s heart ached terribly for him. Her mouth, however, did not stop moving for even a moment. Wearing full emerald bangles and rings, she patted Fu Tianle’s back and comforted him.
“Isn’t he just a pretty little celebrity? There are plenty of those, grab one outside and you’ll find a handful!”
Then, with palpable disdain, she added, “I really underestimated him. Clinging to you wasn’t enough, after being dumped, he managed to latch onto Hu Guangtong. Truly a professional gold digger.”
She spoke of Yuan Mian as though he were nothing more than an object.
In the past, Fu Tianle had not been unaware of such remarks. He had heard similar things from others before, his friends had even said it to his face. That Yuan Mian being able to attach himself to Fu Tianle was already a remarkable skill.
At the time, Fu Tianle had laughed it off without caring.
But now, hearing it from another angle, those words suddenly sounded sharp and deeply unpleasant.
“Mom!” Fu Tianle’s face turned ashen. “Don’t talk nonsense. Yuan Mian and I were in a proper relationship!”
“What proper relationship?” she scoffed. “Without you, could he have debuted as a celebrity? Could he have the fame he has today?”
“Could I give him opportunities to enter the industry but can I sing for him, dance for him, film dramas, act roles for him? If he became popular, it was because he worked day and night without rest. Because he was born beautiful and shone with star quality. What does that have to do with me?!”
Fu Tianle felt his blood surge violently.
His mother acted as if she could not hear him at all, continuing to mutter to herself. “Who knows what tricks he used to even get someone like Hu Guangtong interested.”
“Enough!”
Fu Tianle’s head throbbed painfully when a sharp rebuke cut through the air.
“Watch your mouth!” the old man snapped. “That’s Hu Guangtong’s spouse you’re talking about. Who do you think you are to gossip about them? If someone hears you, can you take responsibility for the consequences? Keep your mouth in check. Don’t think that talking behind someone’s back is airtight, one person’s loose tongue can drag the entire Fu family down with it!”
Fu Tianle’s mother immediately fell silent, smiling awkwardly.
The contrast before and after was stark.
Watching it all, Fu Tianle felt as though his heart were being fried in oil.
With Hu Guangtong, even private gossip was forbidden.
But with him…
Fu Tianle suddenly thought of that banquet from the other day, the laughter and teasing filling the room and Yuan Mian’s face standing silently within the play of light and shadow.
He could not help but wonder:
He had heard it as lively jokes but what had Yuan Mian heard?
As he was thinking, two folders were placed before him. Having finished scolding Fu Tianle’s mother, the old man turned back to him. After all, he still cared deeply for this grandson.
His tone softened considerably.
“These are overseas projects. They’re far from home but the prospects are very good, there’s real potential there. Take a proper look. Make preparations. You’ll be going abroad in a few days. Stay overseas for a while.”
Fu Tianle looked up blankly. “Go abroad?”
“Yes. Leave for now. I only learned about this after receiving the invitation. If I had known earlier, I would have arranged it sooner.”
The old man spoke earnestly. “You saw the invitation just now. Out of the entire Fu family, there was only one sent and it was sent to me. No one else was invited.”
“Hu Guangtong and Yuan Mian have been together for quite some time. Aside from that little incident with your second uncle a few days ago, they haven’t done anything excessive but after thinking it over, your situation is different.”
“Even if Yuan Mian and Hu Guangtong don’t plan to retaliate now, what if one day they feel unhappy on a whim? To be safe, you should go abroad for a few years. Don’t put yourself in front of them.”
For a moment, Fu Tianle was speechless, unsure how to react at all.
He still felt as though the breakup with Yuan Mian was unreal, like a nightmare he had not yet woken from. How had it suddenly leapt, cliff-like, to the point where he had to leave the country alone?
He opened his mouth and murmured softly, “…Yuan Mian wouldn’t.”
He knew Yuan Mian wouldn’t.
But the old man did not take his words into account. Instead, he asked a piercing question.
“Tianle, your grandfather doesn’t want to meddle in your private affairs but ask yourself honestly, were you really that good to Yuan Mian?”
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Why don’t you go and keep him company?Chapter 2 · He opened the door and left without looking backChapter 3 · Why Hu Guangtong of all people?Chapter 4 · Have you broken up with Fu Tianle?Chapter 5 · Hello, I am Yuan Mian’s fiancé.Chapter 6 · You liked Hu Guangtong from the beginningChapter 7 · I want to spend the rest of my life with you.Chapter 8 · Have you seen Yuan Mian recently?Chapter 9 · Yuan Mian has already started talking to someone elseChapter 10 · He wasn’t Yuan Mian’s first love?Chapter 11 · Are you comparable to Hu Guangtong?Chapter 12 · Yuan Mian would certainly love Hu GuangtongChapter 13 · They’re going home together for dinnerChapter 14 · Extra 1Chapter 15 · Extra 2Chapter 16 · Extra 3