Jiang Zhu had never imagined she would see this man again in her lifetime.
Compared to six years ago, the man had matured considerably, and the aura he carried was completely different from before.
Had it not been for how distinctive his face was, she would have thought she had mistaken him for someone else.
She held her daughter’s hand tightly, standing before Fu Shiwen, feeling utterly ashamed of herself.
Compared to Fu Shiwen, who was impeccably dressed and exuded an air of elegance and nobility, their shabby mother-and-daughter outfits were truly unfit to be seen.
“L-long time, no see.” She stammered out the words, her voice dry and awkward.
Fu Shiwen’s presence was icy cold, his face devoid of any expression. His gaze fell upon Jiang Zhu and the little girl beside her, but he did not speak right away.
Feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny, Jiang Zhu quietly took a step back with her daughter.
She wanted to leave, to escape his gaze, and she dared not let Fu Shiwen look at her daughter for too long.
She tucked her daughter behind her, signaling her to stay hidden, but children are curious about adults. The little girl poked half her head out from behind her mother and looked up at the unfamiliar uncle before her.
Fu Shiwen swept his gaze across the child’s face, then returned his attention to Jiang Zhu, asking in a low, cold voice, “His child?”
Jiang Zhu’s palm was sweating where she held her daughter’s hand, but she did not dare let go. She swallowed hard and let out a soft “Mm,” barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
She lowered her head, guilt weighing on her, not daring to meet Fu Shiwen’s eyes.
Upon hearing her affirmative answer, the chill around Fu Shiwen intensified, and even his look at the little girl grew colder.
He asked again, “Have you been well all these years?”
Jiang Zhu tugged at the hem of her clothes with her other hand, lowering her head even further, and mumbled, “Very well.”
But anyone with eyes could tell that she had not been well at all.
Her clothes had been washed until the color had faded to white, the soles of her shoes had worn down to a thin layer, and she carried a large bamboo basket on her back filled with supplies she had purchased on this trip down the mountain.
She was also very thin. Six years had passed, and not only had she not gained any weight, she had grown even skinnier.
And the little girl behind her was also small and frail, clearly malnourished.
Her clothes were obviously too short, and it was unclear how long it had been since she had last bought new ones.
She was lying.
Fu Shiwen was certain of it.
Drawing a deep breath, he furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “Has he been treating you badly?”
Thinking of that man from back then, Fu Shiwen’s breathing became uneven. Seeing Jiang Zhu’s current circumstances, his fists clenched involuntarily.
Jiang Zhu shook her head slightly and said, “He treats me v-very well.”
Fu Shiwen did not believe those words for a second. His voice cold, he said, “Divorce him. I’ll take you to the capital.”
Jiang Zhu clutched her clothes tightly and shook her head again. “I won’t get a d-divorce. I-I should get going.”
She pulled her daughter along and turned to leave, her steps hurried, afraid that if she lingered even a moment longer, Fu Shiwen would stop her.
The moment she turned around, her nose suddenly stung with emotion, and tears welled up in her eyes. She held them back with all her might, refusing to let them fall.
Fu Shiwen clenched his fists tightly, staring at her retreating figure, seized by an inexplicable restlessness.
He did want to stop her, but then again, what reason did he have to stop her?
She was already a wife, and her child was already this old. What could he possibly do?
Besides, this was her choice. She had chosen that man—not him.
Six years had passed. Fu Shiwen thought he had long forgotten the ache of heartbreak, yet the moment he saw her again, that familiar pain surged back through his chest.
He desperately wanted to throw all caution to the wind and take her back to the capital, but he knew all too well that it wasn’t possible.
All he could do was watch as that figure grew more distant, turning at a crossroads until she vanished completely from sight.
Two lines that had never intersected six years ago were now, once again, going their separate ways.
Fu Shiwen clenched his molars, reining in every emotion. He turned and got back into the car, instructing the driver to drive.
The driver was adept at reading the room. He didn’t ask where they were going, simply driving the car aimlessly through the streets, crawling along at a snail’s pace.
Fu Shiwen gazed at the streets outside, trying to connect them with the small market from six years ago, but as he looked the whole way, he found not a single place that resembled what it had been back then.
Times had changed, and everything was no longer what it used to be.
After driving around for over an hour, he suddenly spotted a familiar man by the roadside—it was Jiang Zhu’s current “husband”!
But beside him were also a woman and two children—a family of four, hap-py and com-plete!
“Stop the car!” he said coldly.
The driver had barely brought the car to a halt and glanced at the rearview mirror when the man in the back seat had already opened the door and gotten out.
Fu Shiwen stared at that man, fury blazing in his eyes. He strode quickly up to him and landed a vicious punch on his face!
Li Shan lost his balance and fell to the ground, staring at him in bewilderment. “Why did you hit me?”
That wasn’t enough. Fu Shiwen’s fists kept coming, pounding into him again and again!
Li Shan’s wife finally snapped out of her shock and rushed over to pull at Fu Shiwen, crying out in panic, “What are you doing?! Why are you hitting my husband?! Everyone, please help! There’s a madman here!”
The two children stood frozen in fright nearby. Seeing what was happening, passersby rushed over to help pull Fu Shiwen away.
Outnumbered, Fu Shiwen was quickly restrained by several men and separated from Li Shan.
His eyes tinged with red, Fu Shiwen demanded coldly, “How can you face her?!”
Li Shan was helped to his feet. Looking at Fu Shiwen’s face, he found it vaguely familiar. After a few seconds of thought, he finally remembered who he was.
In an instant, anger flooded his face too. He charged forward, slapped Fu Shiwen across the face, and shouted, “You have the nerve to accuse me? The one who wronged her is you! You scumbag!”
Fu Shiwen: “When did I ever wrong her? You’re the one cheating, and you think you’re in the right?”
“Cheating my ass! Jiang Zhu and I never got married! We’re just good friends!”
Fu Shiwen stared at the man in utter shock. He took a few deep breaths, and his emotions gradually settled. “What’s going on? Explain clearly!”
Seeing that Fu Shiwen had calmed down, Li Shan touched the spot on his face where he’d been hit and winced. “This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s find somewhere, and I’ll tell you everything.”
Seeing that the two men were willing to talk things out, the men restraining Fu Shiwen released him. Li Shan smiled and thanked the men and the onlookers, explaining that it was all a misunderstanding, and the crowd dispersed.
He looked at Fu Shiwen, the smile gone from his face. “Let’s find a place and talk this through properly.”
Looking around, he saw a café right next door. Li Shan said to his wife, “Take the kids to buy some clothes. I need to have a talk with him.”
His wife looked at him with some concern, then glanced at Fu Shiwen, and said, “But…”
“It’s fine, we know each other. I’ll come find you in a moment.” With that, Li Shan led Fu Shiwen into the coffee shop.
Fu Shiwen’s emotions calmed down, but his heart had been stirred into waves by Li Shan’s words just now.