The words startled everyone, making them turn to look.
Fu Linyuan stood there, unnoticed until now. The air around him was oppressively heavy, his deep eyes churning with a fierce, menacing aura.
His expression was terrifyingly dark.
Wen Zhiyun’s heart fluttered with panic under his gaze.
Yet she still forced herself to appear calm. “Brother, I didn’t want to believe it either, but look at her vomiting like this—it’s clearly a sign of pregnancy.”
“Clearly?”
Fu Linyuan’s gaze was as cold as a blade.
“Wen Zhiyun, I wasn’t aware you’d obtained a medical license.”
The sarcasm in his words was blatant.
Wen Zhiyun’s eyes reddened, looking utterly aggrieved.
“Brother…”
“Don’t call me brother,” Fu Linyuan said coldly and sharply. “Whether she’s pregnant or ate that undercooked mutton you deliberately had Auntie serve her—you know the truth best.”
Wen Zhiyun never imagined her carefully concealed actions would be exposed so easily.
Instantly, her face turned deathly pale.
Meeting her parents’ stern gazes, she hurriedly defended herself.
“I didn’t do it!”
Wen Yifeng would never turn a blind eye to his daughter’s foolish actions. His expression was grave.
“Then dare you finish the rest of the mutton?”
Hearing this, Wen Zhiyun looked incredulous, tears welling in her eyes.
“Dad…”
“Eat it!”
Meanwhile, Fu Linyuan stood at the bathroom door. Seeing the woman by the sink, her face as pale as paper and lips devoid of color, his heart tightened sharply. “Are you alright?”
Of course, she wasn’t alright.
But at that moment, Cen Zhen lacked the strength to speak.
She merely waved a hand, urgently wanting him to leave.
However, the man misunderstood her gesture, thinking she was too weak to stand. With considerate haste, he stepped forward to support her.
Feeling his approach, Cen Zhen covered her chest with one hand and rolled her eyes helplessly—
Bro, don’t come in.
I’m really making a pathetic, miserable mess here.
“You… please go out first. I need a moment to recover on my own.”
Fu Linyuan worried, “Can you manage by yourself?”
“Mm…”
Once he left, Cen Zhen immediately closed and locked the door. She turned on the faucet, splashed a handful of water on her face to clear her head.
Even through the door, she could faintly hear Wen Zhiyun’s tearful excuses outside.
Clearly, the wailing was loud enough to be heard.
It seemed she was quite unwilling to accept it.
Only when the greasy, gamey taste finally subsided from her stomach and throat did Cen Zhen straighten up.
“Buzz—”
Her phone vibrated several times in her pocket.
Cen Zhen pulled it out to see messages from Aunt Wu.
【Zhenzhen, have you eaten?】
【Your grandmother fainted at home this afternoon due to low blood sugar】
【I took her to the clinic. Here’s the payment receipt】
【[Image]】
Learning that her grandmother had fainted, Cen Zhen’s face paled, her fingers trembling slightly as she typed. 【Aunt Wu, is Grandma okay now?】
The other party sent a voice message.
“She’s fine, she’s fine. She took some medicine and is resting now. She didn’t want me to tell you, but you told me before—if your grandmother ever feels unwell, I must let you know.”
Cen Zhen also replied with a voice message.
“Aunt Wu, thank you so much. I’ll transfer the money to you right away. Please keep an eye on my grandmother for the next few days.”
Medication at the clinic wasn’t cheap—the total came to 257.51.
Cen Zhen winced inwardly for a second.
Then she sent over her entire savings.
In the dining room, Wen Yifeng watched his daughter weeping and sniffling, stubbornly refusing to admit her mistake. His anger made his neck flush red.
“Wen Zhiyun, when did you become like this?”
He wouldn’t claim she was perfectly cultured and reasonable.
But after years of careful upbringing, Wen Yifeng dared say his daughter was at least well-mannered and sensible.
Yet what she had done today truly disappointed him.
Earlier, the chef had come to explain that Wen Zhiyun had entered the kitchen once during his cooking.
Although he didn’t specify what she had done, she had never lifted a finger to do any housework since childhood.
For no reason at all, why would she suddenly go to the kitchen?
Clearly, there was something behind this.
Wen Zhiyun was still wiping her tears. “I didn’t want it to be like this either, but I was only doing it for my brother’s sake. If Cen Zhen had a clean background and genuinely liked my brother, I would be more than willing to have her as my sister-in-law. But she isn’t like that—not only is her private life messy, but her intentions aren’t pure either. Tell me, if she’s even capable of plagiarism, how could she possibly be sincere toward my bro—”
As she spoke this string of words, hesitation appeared on the faces of Wen Yifeng and his wife. What exactly was going on?
The air instantly grew tense, and Fu Linyuan’s expression darkened abruptly.
“Enough!”
His gaze was chillingly cold. “Without a shred of evidence, you spread rumors right here. Wen Zhiyun, didn’t I remind you the other day that right and wrong aren’t something you can twist just by running your mouth?”
“I—”
Wen Zhiyun still wanted to argue further.
Just as she was about to speak, she saw Cen Zhen walking over from the direction of the bathroom. There was no extra emotion on her face; she merely lifted her eyes faintly, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable force.
“I don’t mind how you see me, but you can’t wrong me.”
“If I did something, I’ll admit it. But if it’s all just rumors you’re spouting off, you must apologize to me!”
Wen Zhiyun’s hands, hanging at her sides, curled into fists, her nails nearly digging into her palms. Intense resentment churned in her eyes.
“I will absolutely never apologize to you!”
Cen Zhen simply raised her gaze lightly, her face entirely composed with indifference. “I’ll give you a week to investigate and clarify things.”
At these words, Wen Zhiyun abruptly rose from her chair.
She rolled her eyes.
“Can’t you understand human speech?”
“I said, I—will—absolutely—never—apologize—to—you! Absolutely never!!”
She enunciated each word slowly, as if afraid Cen Zhen wouldn’t hear clearly.
Despite her intense emotions, Cen Zhen merely smiled, her tone casual.
“Then you’re quite foolish.”
Wen Zhiyun stared in disbelief. “What did you say?!”
“I said you’re quite foolish,” Cen Zhen repeated.
“Before this, you and I had no interaction. Presumably, all your hostility and disgust toward me come from a few baseless rumors spread by others.”
“Without even investigating or clarifying many things yourself, you rush to pass judgment on others, lacking even a bit of your own opinion or judgment. If that’s not foolish, what is?”
Cen Zhen’s words were blunt, leaving no room for courtesy.
As her last syllable fell, the entire dining room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
Liang Wanxiang, Wen Zhiyun, Wen Yifeng and his wife, including Fu Linyuan, all stood frozen in place.
Clearly, none had expected her, who seemed obedient and easygoing, to have such a sharp temperament.
Wen Zhiyun’s face flushed bright red. Though filled with anger, she couldn’t utter a single word of rebuttal.
Cen Zhen didn’t spare her another glance.
She simply bowed apologetically to the three elders, then took her leave with perfect courtesy.
That evening’s dinner—Wen Yifeng and his wife knew full well their daughter was at fault, and feeling guilty, they insisted on personally escorting Cen Zhen to the door.
Along the way, Fang Qing kept saying kind words, explaining that Wen Zhiyun wasn’t usually so impulsive or unreasonable.
Cen Zhen didn’t take it to heart, merely offering a faint smile.
Once seated in the car, Fu Linyuan turned his head to look at Cen Zhen’s fair cheek, his voice tinged with apology.
“Sorry for putting you through that today.”
Cen Zhen had originally intended to say it was fine—after all, theirs was just an agreement, and covering for each other was perfectly normal.
Besides, compared to what she had endured in the Zhao family, this slight was nothing.
Yet, the words took a turn as they reached her lips. Meeting his deep, dark eyes, her own curved slightly.
“Actually, compared to verbal apologies, I prefer something more practical.”