After leaving the restaurant, Qin Deng went to get the car while Nan Yin waited at the entrance.
Just then, someone hurried over from behind. Nan Yin didn’t pay much attention until the footsteps seemed to be heading straight toward her. Instinctively, she turned around.
As soon as she turned, she was met with the smiling, round face of the young master Sheng Shihao.
Nan Yin was startled.
She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak, Sheng Shihao beat her to it. With a fawning and sly grin, he made Nan Yin wonder if she should call the police—was he some kind of creep?
“Hey, beauty, do you know my brother Fu? Are you his girlfriend?”
Huh?
Could this rich kid with the round face actually know Fu Shi?
Nan Yin immediately suppressed the urge to call him a creep and replied politely with a smile, “Yes, we know each other. We were high school classmates.”
Before Sheng Shihao could ask anything else, Nan Yin added, “And in a few days, I might just be his girlfriend.”
What??
Nan Yin’s straightforwardness left even the seasoned playboy Sheng Shihao stunned.
“So you two are in that ambiguous stage?”
This beauty sure was confident.
No wonder Fu Shi’s ears had turned red earlier when she bit his finger.
Who could resist such a charming, radiant, and poised beauty?
He certainly couldn’t.
Nan Yin curled her lips slightly, not wanting to say more.
Sheng Shihao was about to dig deeper—like, how far along were they in this ambiguous stage?—when two beeps sounded from behind them. It was the horn of a Mercedes.
Sheng Shihao turned to look and recognized Fu Shi’s car.
He couldn’t see who was inside, but assuming Fu Shi was there, he eagerly rushed to open the car door for Nan Yin. “Sister-in-law, please get in.”
Nan Yin thanked him politely, “Thank you.”
As she got in, Sheng Shihao craned his neck, hoping to ask if Fu Shi was in the car.
After all, he hadn’t seen him in a while.
He even had a project he wanted to ask Fu Shi about.
But before he could, Nan Yin closed the car door with a thud.
Sheng Shihao didn’t get a chance to see inside. He hopped on his feet, wanting to say something, but Qin Deng drove off.
Sheng Shihao had no choice but to let it go.
Inside the car.
Qin Deng focused on driving Nan Yin to the Oriental Gate. As they neared the destination, Nan Yin noticed a faintly familiar light-purple wind chime hanging in the car. Curious, she asked, “Assistant Qin, is this wind chime something your President Fu owns?”
Qin Deng glanced at it and said, “Yes, it is.”
“President Fu has other cars, but this wind chime has been hanging here ever since I started driving this one for him. I’m not sure who gave it to him, though.”
“It looks quite cute.” After all, wind chimes like this weren’t typically something men would prefer.
Qin Deng thought it might have been a gift from one of the female relatives in the Fu family.
He’d never seen any unfamiliar woman give it to him.
“I’d guess it was probably given by one of the younger girls in the Fu family. President Fu has a cousin who likes buying these little trinkets,” Qin Deng added.
Nan Yin furrowed her brows as she looked at the familiar wind chime. Was it really a gift from Fu Shi’s cousin?
She remembered having one just like it.
It was a gift from her mother on her seventeenth birthday. She used to hang it on her backpack, and it would jingle pleasantly as she walked.
But somehow, she’d lost it later on.
Since the wind chime wasn’t valuable, she hadn’t bothered looking for it after it went missing.
Still, seeing this familiar wind chime, Nan Yin couldn’t help but wonder—had Fu Shi found it? But Assistant Qin said it was a gift from his cousin?
She might just be overthinking things.
After all, wind chime pendants were quite trendy back then—she couldn’t stop others from buying them, could she?
Hmm, forget it. He probably wouldn’t take her things, right?
He probably didn’t like her back then.
Nan Yin withdrew her gaze and stopped overthinking. She got out of the car first. “Thank you, Assistant Qin, for today.”
Qin Deng was just following orders and immediately smiled. “You’re welcome, Miss Nan.”
“It was Mr. Fu’s request.”
Nan Yin smiled. “I know. I’ll thank him tomorrow.”
Qin Deng nodded, rolled up the car window, and drove off.
Elsewhere, tree shadows shrouded an old mansion with classical garden-style architecture.
Fu Shi parked his car by the roadside in the garden area and got out.
The butler at the mansion’s main gate was already waiting. Seeing him, he hurriedly said, “Young Master, you’re finally back.”
“Grandmother is making quite a scene.”
“Even Old Master can’t persuade her.” Fortunately, Fu Shi’s parents weren’t in Suzhou—one remained in Nanjing as an official and could only return during the New Year, while the other was in Shanghai running a business. Otherwise, both of them would have been pestered by Grandmother to pressure Fu Shi into marriage.
Fu Shi sighed and nodded at the butler to show he understood.
“I’ll go see her.”
The butler had been waiting for these words. After all, in this household, Grandmother doted on Fu Shi quite a bit.
Soon, the two arrived at the living room one after the other. Old Master, still dignified and stern, looked on with a headache as Grandmother wept into a silk handkerchief, utterly helpless.
He was at a loss too—unable to persuade his wife, he could only let her indulge in her whims.
“Fu Shi, come here.” Old Master stood up, no longer willing to coax his wife. “You comfort your grandmother. I can’t persuade her.”
“This matter of marriage—can it be settled in a day or two?”
Old Master was more open-minded and didn’t pressure Fu Shi. After all, he wasn’t even thirty yet—at most twenty-six this year. What was there to rush about at this age?
When he turned thirty, it wouldn’t be too late to start urging him.
After saying this, Old Master patted his grandson’s shoulder and retreated to his study for some peace and quiet.
Fu Shi looked at Grandmother, who was still weeping over there, and steeled himself to walk over and console her. “Grandmother, don’t pressure me about marriage.”
“I’ve said it—when I find someone suitable, I’ll bring her home. What’s the rush?”
Grandmother was furious—how could she not rush?
Her best friend’s grandson’s wife had just given birth to twins today and posted photos of them in their group chat. Seeing them made her both envious and sour, and she couldn’t hold back her distress when she returned home.
Right now, she couldn’t even hold a great-grandchild.
Her grandson wasn’t even looking for a woman?
She was afraid he might be into men instead.
“If I don’t pressure you, will anything happen? Do you know Sun Xingfeng’s family just had twins? And what about you? What are you doing? Sun Xingfeng is about your age, isn’t he? How obedient he is—listening to his family, marrying a university teacher, settling down steadily, and having children. Now his whole family is happy and harmonious. And you?” Grandmother sniffled, crying angrily. “You have nothing!”
“Not even a baby, not even a girlfriend. I’m starting to suspect you might be into men!”
“Or just admit it to me—if you like men, I can give up sooner and stop pressuring you about marriage.” As she said this, Grandmother seemed convinced Fu Shi was gay.
She cried even more sorrowfully.
Fu Shi was speechless: …
He rubbed his temples and said, “I don’t like men. I like women.”
“You don’t need to worry about me not continuing the family line.”
“But not now.”
Hearing her grandson promise he wasn’t gay, Grandmother finally calmed down a bit. She took a deep breath and asked, “You’re really not gay?”
Fu Shi was truly amused by Grandmother’s persistence. “Do you think that’s even possible?”
He had grown up toughened in military camps since childhood.
His personality was anything but effeminate.
Nor would he ever be attracted to overly groomed men.
He was very clear about his sexual orientation—it was the little vixen type like Nan Yin.
“Alright, even if you’re not, then go date someone!” Grandmother thumped his shoulder. “Why don’t you bring a woman home for me to see?”
“I’m telling you, if you don’t bring one home this week, I’ll make you go on a blind date.”
Grandmother issued him an ultimatum: “I’ve already arranged it with the Qiao family.”
“The Qiao family’s daughter just returned from studying in England. She’s very beautiful, has a good personality, and is perfect for you.”
Qiao Shulan?
“Qiao Shulan?”
Hearing that he actually remembered, Grandmother immediately nodded excitedly. “You remember? The little girl who used to love following you around calling you ‘big brother’ when you were kids.”
“She met with me a few days ago and mentioned you. She really likes you.” Grandmother didn’t hide anything from him, revealing the details: “How about I arrange something for you two this weekend?”
“Meet up?”
Fu Shi wasn’t interested. She was too proper and conventional; he didn’t want to waste her time.
“No need. Didn’t you say you want me to bring a woman home? What if I bring one back?” Fu Shi already had an idea in mind. In any case, he wasn’t going on that blind date.