Chapter 10: Her Heart Softens a Little 10

Old Master Fu sat at the head; Rong Wei's attendant was Old Master Fu's second son's wife. She looked at the opposite seat—last time someone had occupied it, or it had been three years ago, was when Fu Qiwei had sat there.

That time was the 'election of the clan chief,' and he was undoubtedly the clan chief.

Time felt like a dream, like a white horse passing through a gap; unnoticed, it slipped through our fingers. That man has been gone for twenty-nine years; next year will make thirty years.

She lowered her head to look at her fingers; they were still well kept.

But after all, she was a woman in her fifties.

'Second Son, tell us your thoughts.' Old Master Fu looked at his second son, Fu Shi.

Fu Shi sighed and asked, bewildered, 'Why must Qiwei marry a lady from a noble family? As long as Qiwei likes that child, and the child is of pure background, that's fine too.'

He had lived half his life, seeing through the Fu family's scheming and calculating the pros and cons.

'How could that be acceptable? Even if Qiwei wants to marry her, I firmly disagree—I, Rong Wei, cannot afford to lose face over this.' She would never allow her son to marry a woman without power or influence, absolutely not!

The woman opposite Fu Shi let out a light scoff. He gazed at his own wife, whose charm remained, while Old Master Fu didn't even lift his eyes, saying, 'Second son's wife, what do you think?'

'Father, sister-in-law, if Qiwei insists on marrying, we have no choice—we can't force them apart, otherwise if the eldest brother…' Lao Lu. He Lan hadn't even uttered the two words when Rong Wei interrupted: 'As long as we all oppose, how could they be separated?'

Rong Wei, after all, still held a grudge about what happened back then; back then, Fu Qiwei's father eloped with a mistress, and the second son's wife also added fuel to the fire.

'Third Son, what do you say?' The old master already had a plan in mind, but he still wanted to hear their opinions.

Fu Heng said calmly, 'This child Qiwei knows his limits; naturally he has his own plans.'

No one sat opposite him; he had always doted on his nephew Fu Qiwei, and upon learning that Qiwei wanted to marry a powerless young lady, he became even more partial.

'Fourth Son, what do you say?'

Fu Tong smiled faintly, 'I share the same view as Third Brother—from childhood, Qiwei has never caused us worry; he surely has his own plans. As elders, we should just bless him.'

'Fourth son's wife.'

Lin Mai rose, hands folded before her, and said elegantly, 'I don't know what status would match a century-old aristocratic family, but it certainly wouldn't be a girl of unknown origin.'

On this matter, she and Rong Wei were united, for no other reason than that they both came from noble families as young ladies.

'With a generous betrothal gift, a proper match—we take a lady of noble birth, virtuous and decent; not to mention a noble lady, where would a wild girl come from, and yet be worthy of our Fu family?' Before seeing her, her voice was heard from the back door as a woman about forty walked in.

She was Old Master Fu's only daughter, Fu Mingzhu.

Mingzhu, meaning 'the pearl in the palm.'

'Father.' She sat at the bottom; hearing that her eldest nephew was finally going to marry, only to end up with a country girl, she rushed back to the Fu family ancestral home overnight in her anxiety.

He Lan frowned, 'I really didn't expect that these days one still has to consider social equality in marriage; why not look at the birth characters instead?'

Indeed, in such a century-old aristocratic family, marriage is a matter between two families, not between two individuals.

Rong Wei gazed thoughtfully at Old Master Fu and said, 'Indeed, we should check their birth characters and have a physical exam; if her health is poor, or if she clashes with Qiwei, it would be even more inappropriate.'

'Elder sister-in-law, you can't say that,' Fu Heng rose, his voice slightly aged but strong, and continued, 'This marriage is a matter between two people; why should we, as elders, make things difficult for the children? We're all getting on in years; we should enjoy our twilight years.'

Rong Wei gave him a cold glance, 'You say that only because you have no sons; I have only Qiwei as my son, so of course I worry about his affairs.'

Fu Tong tapped the table intermittently, 'But Qiwei has raised that child for over ten years, doing what should and shouldn't be done; to now say we look down on her would be to waste her innocence for nothing, no matter how good a match we find for her.'

Upon hearing that, Rong Wei displeased, 'That's also her seducing Qiwei—shameless, she's already trying to lure men at such a young age.'

'Elder sister-in-law, you can't say that—one clap doesn't make a sound; once is scheming, twice is accident—what were those two years?' He Lan, who couldn't stand their pretensions as noble ladies, said.

Fu Mingzhu stood on Rong Wei's side, 'Who said we should drive her away? Our Fu family can't even afford to keep a mistress.'

Immediately, He Lan refused to back down, 'How can an innocent young lady be expected to become your nameless, status-less mistress?'

'After raising her for so many years, letting her enjoy the life of a rich young lady for a few years still isn't enough, and you're pushing Qiwei to marry her—you shameless little wretch!'

'What kind of behavior is this from Qiwei? Raising a Lolita? A childhood sweetheart? Bullying a girl who has no parents, is that it?'

'Taking her in was meant kindly—how did it become our Qiwei's fault?'

In the Fu family ancestral home, this matter alone caused an uproar that could not be quelled.

Meanwhile, the two people at the center of the discussion were up to no good.

'……' In the darkness, the man's heavy panting and the woman's rapid breathing mingled together.

'I can't… Qiwei, I…' The little woman collapsed into his embrace, coquettishly covering her chest, 'I can't catch my breath…'

The man's fingers stroked her dark, flushed, hot face, his voice low and hoarse, 'Idiot, after all this time, shouldn't you be catching your breath?'

She was about to say something when he pinched her chin, before she could react, he gripped her body and kissed her fiercely.

Not long after, the man frowned in pain as the little woman in his arms moved her mouth.

'……'

She gave a 'hehe' laugh, whispered, 'President Fu, this is fighting fire with fire.'

'Did it hurt when I bit you?'

The little woman blushed; it didn't hurt, it actually felt great—how should she answer?

'I'm lustful, I crave your body, but I won't say it—ah, I'll make you furious.'

【Male lead corruption value 30, current corruption value: +55.】

【Warning! Suspected favorability farming!】

Yi Ruan was dazed.

At night, she had a dream.

She dreamed that she had completed her mission, returned to the real world, and saw her father and mother.

In the dream, there was also a man……

He held a silver-gray modified pistol, pressing it against her temple, 'Ruanruan, are you betraying me?!'

With a 'bang!' the woman fell to the ground, her blood staining her white dress red.

On her hand she still wore a diamond ring, from which a rose bloomed inside the ring.

When she opened her eyes again, it was already the next morning.

'Awake?' the man asked lazily.

She was in the man's embrace, yet she was still thinking about that dream.

Not knowing what she was thinking, she broke free from his embrace, gritted her teeth and said, "Fu Qiwei, you bastard!"

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