Fu Wanzhi was led into the car by Fu Sili, who then turned and walked away himself.
When he returned, he was holding an ice pack and some ointment.
“Why didn’t you dodge earlier?” Ignoring her outstretched hand, Fu Sili took the ice pack and pressed it against her face himself.
Fu Wanzhi looked at his face, so close to hers, then averted her gaze. “I didn’t have time.”
“The collaboration with the Cheng family fell through. Are you happy now?” Fu Sili’s hand was red from the cold of the ice pack, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
“Whether it falls through or not is your decision, Brother. What does it have to do with me?” Fu Wanzhi’s tone was as calm as ever.
She didn’t like Cheng Qingyue, so she didn’t want anyone around her to have anything to do with her either.
Fu Sili lowered his eyes to look at her, as if seeing through all her thoughts, and raised an eyebrow slightly. “She targeted you because you threw away something of hers. What was it?”
“A love letter,” Fu Wanzhi said, staring into his eyes, enunciating each word clearly.
“A love letter she wrote to you. She asked me to pass it to you, and I threw it away right in front of her,” she added.
Hearing this, Fu Sili let out a low chuckle from his chest, his voice lazy. “That sounds like something you’d do.”
Seeing his indifferent attitude, Fu Wanzhi knocked his hand away and tried to take the ice pack herself. “Aren’t you leaving yet?”
But he caught her hand instead, his palm icy cold. “Don’t move. We’ll leave after applying the medicine.”
He released her after just a moment, but the cold sensation lingered on the back of her hand. Fu Wanzhi felt slightly dazed.
“Next time, if you don’t like something, just say it outright. There’s no need to go this far,” Fu Sili said as he applied ointment to her swollen cheek with a cotton swab.
“Alright then. I don’t like Zhen Lianyun. What are you going to do about it, Brother?” Fu Wanzhi said bluntly.
Fu Sili didn’t stop applying the ointment, but his other hand gripped her chin, forcing her to face him and stay still. His thumb gently stroked her skin as he looked down at her and uttered two words: “Endure it.”
She knew it. Fu Wanzhi scoffed. “So, don’t say things lightly if you can’t follow through.”
Endure it?
But the one thing she was worst at was enduring.
Fu Sili didn’t respond. As he packed up the items, he asked, “What name did you choose for the studio?”
“Indulge,” Fu Wanzhi replied, sitting up straight again and avoiding his gaze.
“Indulge…” Fu Sili repeated in his clear, pleasant voice, not asking about the origin of the name.
It was better for Fu Wanzhi that he didn’t ask, because from the very beginning, she had already been indulging in her own obsession, sinking deeper and deeper, unwilling to move forward.
“What was the argument about?” Grandfather Fu’s voice cut in at an inopportune moment as he walked over, leaning on his cane.
Fu Sili and Fu Wanzhi hurriedly stepped forward to support him.
“It was nothing,” Fu Sili said.
“If it was nothing, why did someone get hit?” Grandfather Fu glanced at the red mark on Fu Wanzhi’s face and the ice pack in her hand.
Fu Wanzhi reverted to her usual obedient demeanor. “I said something wrong and upset Sister Qingyue.”
“That’s not your fault, but in front of the Cheng family, you still let Zhizhi hit back.” Grandfather Fu’s voice lowered slightly, making it hard to tell whether he was pleased or displeased, but the atmosphere clearly grew tense.
“Have you forgotten that the Fu and Cheng families still have a collaboration?”
Fu Sili met his gaze without flinching, replying matter-of-factly, “She hit Zhizhi right in front of me too.”
“Just a minor squabble, Sili. When the Fu family is handed over to you, such trivial matters are hardly worth mentioning.” Grandfather Fu tightened his grip on his cane, his gaze carrying a weight of authority as he looked at Fu Sili.
Fu Wanzhi’s eyes were filled with scorn. In his eyes, power and profit outweighed everything else, so naturally, this was nothing more than an insignificant trifle.
The corner of Fu Sili’s eye twitched slightly as he reached out to open the car door, offering no reply.
“This time, you were also at fault, Zhizhi. Find her another day and apologize, and let this matter be settled.” Grandfather Fu was in no hurry to go inside. Instead, he turned to Fu Wanzhi.
An apology…
Her apologies were never a good thing. Fu Wanzhi nodded. “Understood, Grandfather.”
“Let’s go.”
The car arrived first at the Fu family mansion. Grandfather Fu stepped out and spoke calmly, “Sili, come down with me for a moment.”
Fu Wanzhi remained still, gazing out the window. If they wanted to talk, so be it.
Grandfather Fu’s cane struck the ground with a dull thud, the darkness nearly swallowing their figures.
“The reason I brought Zhizhi back is that her status has changed now. She can be of help to you in your career. If you continue as before… don’t blame me for sending her away again.”
He patted Fu Sili’s shoulder, a reminder and a warning.
“Understood, Grandfather.” Fu Sili’s eyes were dark, nearly black, as he nodded in agreement, though a cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Returning to Champs-Élysées Villa, her bedroom was just next to Fu Sili’s, just as it had been when she was a child.
Back then, she would often run over to sleep in Fu Sili’s room, using every excuse imaginable.
The first floor held guest rooms and a basement level, though it was already locked.
Fu Wanzhi glanced at the electronic lock on the basement door, then looked toward Fu Sili, who had entered the second-floor study on business. She couldn’t help but ask, “Why is the basement locked?”
“It was arranged by the young master,” Uncle Li replied.
“Is there something down there?” Fu Wanzhi wasn’t particularly concerned and asked casually.
Uncle Li shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s probably all the young master’s belongings.”
Fu Wanzhi acknowledged this and picked up a pastry from the table to eat. What she had at the Cheng family wasn’t a meal—it was all about social niceties, networking, and currying favor.
All her belongings had been moved from Central Mansion by Fu Sili’s orders, except for a few paintings she had brought herself.
“Miss, your paintings and materials have been placed in the art studio. The young master didn’t allow us to touch them. You can go take a look.” Uncle Li pointed to the art studio on the second floor, which Fu Sili had specially commissioned.
“Leave them for now.” Fu Wanzhi had no inspiration at all at the moment and couldn’t bring herself to pick up a brush while staying here.
She turned on the TV, intending to play a random video to fill the emptiness of the space. However, the next moment, the phone in the living room suddenly rang.
They all had private phones, but sometimes, when they didn’t want to give out their personal contact information, they would provide the villa’s phone number as a workaround.
Fu Wanzhi was close to the phone and answered it first. “Who is this?”
Hearing a woman’s voice on the other end, there was a brief pause. “Is Sili there? It’s Zhen Lianyun.”
Zhen Lianyun…
Fu Wanzhi lightly tapped her fingers on the armrest of the sofa, glancing casually toward the second floor. “Brother is busy. Is there something you need?”
Hearing the word “brother,” Fu Wanzhi could clearly sense the other side’s relief.
“It’s Zhizhi. Since Sili is busy, I’ll contact him later.” Zhen Lianyun laughed.
“Alright, goodbye.”
She hung up the phone. Zhen Lianyun was still a bit taken aback. Last time, she had kept calling her “sister-in-law,” so why hadn’t she used that term this time? And she seemed a bit cold…
“Doesn’t she have Fu Sili’s number?” Fu Wanzhi placed the phone back where it belonged.
“She does. Perhaps the young master is too busy to reply promptly,” Uncle Chen answered.
After speaking, Uncle Chen looked at her and asked, “Should I inform the young master after he finishes his work, or should I go tell him now?”
“Didn’t she say she would contact him later?” Fu Wanzhi didn’t spell it out, but the implication was clear—there was no need to inform him.
Uncle Li had been with the Fu family for so long that he understood the underlying meaning. He nodded and said, “Alright, Miss. I’ll go attend to my duties now.”
Fu Wanzhi nodded and turned her attention back to the television.
Since things had come to this point, no one should expect to have it easy.