The Fu family dining room was so quiet the air felt stiff.
Seven or eight pairs of eyes around the table were fixed on Fu Huaizhou.
His uncle even choked on his food, clearly startled by his words.
Fu Xintong patted her husband’s back and asked, “Are you joking?”
Fu Huaizhou shook his head: “Why would I joke about this?”
Fu Xintong: “You said you’re actively trying to steal someone’s partner, and that she just broke up with her boyfriend. Do I have reason to suspect you played a part in their breakup?”
Fu Huaizhou neither confirmed nor denied it, but his family knew him well enough to recognize his silence as admission.
The old master suddenly slammed the table: “You—how could you do such a thing?”
Fu Huaizhou lowered his gaze: “Her fiancé treated her poorly.”
Fu Qingsheng, ever the doting father and worried about the old man’s health, quickly intervened: “Dad, if he treated her badly, it’s not unreasonable for Huaizhou to make a move.”
The old master glared, his beard bristling: “Indulging a child is like killing him.”
Fu Qingsheng: “That’s too harsh. He turned out just fine, not crooked at all.”
In a rare good mood, Fu Huaizhou elaborated: “I didn’t do much. Her fiancé was unfaithful—I just took a photo of him flirting with another woman and showed it to her.”
The old master: “…”
Fu Xintong suddenly laughed: “She must be a celestial beauty to have you so fixated. Which family is she from?”
Fu Huaizhou: “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Fu Xintong: “Hey, keeping secrets from us?”
Though she said this, she didn’t press further.
After the meal, Fu Huaizhou was naturally summoned to the study.
Fu Qingsheng sipped tea and hummed: “Holding a plump baby in my arms…”
Poor old master, nearly ninety and still worrying.
“Which family’s daughter is she? Give me a hint.”
Fu Huaizhou: “The Pei family.”
The old master was shocked: “Pei Ying? You like that type?”
Fu Huaizhou: “…The second young lady.”
The old master paused: “Second young lady? That Jade doll?”
Fu Huaizhou chuckled lightly: “Her childhood name is indeed Yu’er.”
The old master thought for a long time but couldn’t recall Pei Yan’s appearance.
The Fu and Pei families had little interaction to begin with, let alone between him and the younger generation.
The old master: “When did you start liking her? Enough to break off her engagement?”
Fu Huaizhou looked down: “Even without me, they wouldn’t have lasted long.”
The old master sighed: “This isn’t how a gentleman behaves.”
Fu Huaizhou: “I’m no gentleman.”
The old master waved his hand: “Forget it.”
Leaving the study, Fu Huaizhou met Fu Qingsheng at the door.
Father and son walked out in tacit understanding, Fu Qingsheng burning with curiosity about his son’s love interest.
But even as they reached the garage, Fu Huaizhou avoided the topic, chatting about everything else.
Only when the Bentley slowly started did Fu Qingsheng wave: “Drive safely.”
Fu Huaizhou acknowledged and left the old residence.
At nine in the evening, a Bentley parked near the Pei family mansion.
The window was half-down, cigarette smoke curling and drifting.
From outside, nothing inside was visible—he could only see a white wall.
Fu Huaizhou leaned back in his seat smoking, his mind filled with the old master’s question: “When did you start liking her?”
When indeed?
The year he was twenty, Pei Yan was eighteen.
He had just returned from abroad on holiday, stepping off the plane when he bumped into Pei Yan—heartbroken from a rejected confession and preparing to leave the country.
In the bloom of youth, while those around him drifted in and out of relationships, he alone remained solitary.
Fu Huaizhou had lived twenty years without ever liking anyone.
But in his heart, like most people, he held a vague, shadowy outline of what his future partner might look like.
Until that illusory silhouette was filled by the graceful, delicate form of a young girl.
In an instant, the gray shadow gained color, and that color was called Pei Yan.
He remembered Pei Yan wearing a black velvet dress with a peter pan collar, the collar adorned with two rows of pearls.
Pei Yan’s face was even smoother and more delicate than the pearls. She had been on the phone and accidentally bumped into him.
The unique fragrance of a young girl washed over him.
At that moment, he instinctively tightened his grip on his suitcase.
Pei Yan looked up from his embrace, her sparkling eyes reflecting his indifferent expression.
Fu Huaizhou’s breath caught, an inexplicable tension rising within him. In the bustling, noisy airport, it seemed he could only see Pei Yan.
When he came back to his senses, Pei Yan had already apologized and left.
Later, when he traveled to England with Shen Ji, he encountered Pei Yan again at a gathering.
Shen Ji recognized Pei Yan, saying she was the second daughter of the Pei family and also from Sui River.
From then on, Fu Huaizhou became fixated on Pei Yan.
Unfortunately, they were studying in different countries. By the time he finally freed himself from his heavy academic workload, Pei Yan already had a boyfriend.
What’s more, it was her childhood sweetheart. Dark thoughts swirled through Fu Huaizhou’s mind.
In the end, he did nothing.
But then he happened to see Li Yueting intimately embracing a woman he had just met at Moonlight, even sharing a deep kiss during a game.
Fu Huaizhou’s buried, unspoken thoughts resurfaced.
At that time, Pei Yan and Li Yueting had just started dating, and Pei Yan was still abroad.
So Fu Huaizhou condescended to approach Li Yueting.
The two frequently appeared in entertainment news, but it was always Li Yueting who dominated the headlines.
And it was always Li Yueting who was frequently photographed in intimate poses with different women.
What surprised Fu Huaizhou was that the Pei family still arranged an engagement with the Li family.
But so what?
Even if they really got married, given Pei Yan’s personality, their marriage was bound to fall apart sooner or later.
He had merely added fuel to the fire; ultimately, the fault lay with Li Yueting.
If Li Yueting truly loved Pei Yan, even though the Li family wasn’t as powerful as the Fu family, their status in Sui River wasn’t easily shaken.
Even with three heads and six arms, Fu Huaizhou couldn’t destroy their relationship or engagement.
Fu Huaizhou let out soft laughter from his chest, finished a cigarette, stepped on the gas, and drove away.
Pei Yan lay on her bed in the bedroom video chatting with her parents, unaware that Fu Huaizhou had been parked outside her house for a long time.
“Mom, Dad, when are you coming back?”
Pei Jianye said dotingly, “We need to fly to Spring City to bring your grandparents back. They heard you were bullied and are eager to come see their dear granddaughter.”
Pei Yan grew anxious, “You told them?”
Xuan Hong replied, “It really wasn’t your dad. Your grandfather saw it online himself.”
Pei Yan gasped, “I hope it didn’t upset our old man?”
Pei Jianye said, “Don’t worry, Dad helped calm them down. We’re flying back tomorrow night and expect to bring your grandparents home the night after.”
Pei Yan said happily, “Alright then, I’ll wait for you at home.”
Xuan Hong hummed in agreement and said, “Xiao Yan, after we return, we’ll formally announce the dissolution of your engagement with the Li family. Li Yueting’s mother called me; she’s not very willing to cancel the engagement.”
Pei Yan wrinkled her nose, “I know. Anyway, I’ve already broken up with Li Yueting.”
Pei Jianye couldn’t bear to see her unhappy and quickly coaxed her with several comforting words.
Half an hour later, Pei Yan ended the video call.
The very second after disconnecting, a WeChat message popped up. Pei Yan glanced at it and pursed her lips.
It was from Li Yueting’s mother.
The message read: “Xiao Yan, are you tired from work lately? I didn’t call since it’s quite late. I heard you’ve been busy with your studio matters. I happen to be passing by your area tomorrow – would you have time to come out and chat with Auntie?”