Chapter 343: Mom, Is He My Brother?

Johor is one of Malaysia's thirteen states and the second-largest concentration of Hua people in Malaysia, facing Li Jiapo across the sea with superior geography.

In Johor's core urban area, Johor Bahru, Hua people make up 41. % of the population, just slightly below the Malays' 44%.

Fu Guiru lives in a standalone villa in Johor Bahru's affluent district; though not as luxurious as suburban estates, it boasts excellent security and a strong Hua cultural atmosphere.

At 5: 0 p. ., Fu Guiru returned home from work at Fu Corporation and found Fu Zhiman, who should have been back from school, absent—only her elder daughter, Fu Yiruo, was home.

As she changed her shoes, Fu Guiru asked her daughter: "Yiruo, where's your brother? Playing video games upstairs again? Didn't I tell you to control his gaming time?"

While helping the maid set the table, Fu Yiruo said: "Today, Auntie came back and took Didi to stay with her for a few days. Also, Mom, don't make me manage him anymore—I can't anymore."

"Can't manage him? Hmph~ You're just too weak."

Fu Guiru sat down at the table and smiled: "As long as you're firm enough, no sister can't manage her younger brother."

"But—"

Fu Yiruo hesitated, then picked up her chopsticks and ate silently.

Fu Guiru's expression darkened; she waved her hand and dismissed the maid.

"What's wrong, Yiruo? Did you hear some gossip?"

Fu Yiruo pouted and nodded, looking slightly wounded.

Fu Guiru chuckled softly and asked: "Did your aunt tell you? Or was it Driver Lao Xu?"

Fu Yiruo poked at her rice with her chopsticks and whispered: "Auntie saw the bruises on Didi 's face and said some harsh things—I think she meant them for you."

"Ignore her," Fu Guiru said coolly. "As an elder, she can speak her mind, but don't take it seriously. If she gets too heated, let her come talk to me directly—why should a child be the messenger?"

"I'm not a child anymore."

Fu Yiruo protested sharply, then lowered her voice: "Mom, you can't treat Didi so casually anymore—he holds grudges."

"Grudges?" Fu Guiru laughed. "He dares hold a grudge against me? He'll turn the world upside down?"

But Fu Yiruo looked straight at her mother: "Mom, when we went to Li Jiapo, Didi insisted on coming—and never left your side. Doesn't that seem strange?"

Fu Guiru froze, lost in thought for a moment, then murmured: "He used to… be very attached to me."

"But I think something's off," Fu Yiruo shook her head. "Ever since Grandpa passed away, don't you think Zhiman's acting strange?"

"Before, he never cared about our business—but now he's secretive, always calling Auntie on the phone."

Fu Guiru put down her chopsticks and fell into silent thought.

A few days ago, she watched a college debate competition broadcast at home, then set off for Li Jiapo the next day.

She hadn't planned to bring Fu Zhiman along—but the next morning, he complained of stomach pain, spent hours at the hospital, then clung to her insistently to come along.

Seeing her mother lost in thought, Fu Yiruo left the dining room and returned shortly with several newspapers.

"Yesterday, I found Didi in his room comparing these newspapers with your photos—he never used to read newspapers."

Fu Guiru took the papers and saw they all covered the debate competition, each featuring Li Ye's portrait.

Fu Guiru froze, still processing, when her daughter leaned close and whispered: "Mom… is Li Ye… related to me?"

Seeing her mother silent, Fu Yiruo pulled out her own half-length photo and placed it beside the newspapers.

"Mom, it's not just Didi who's suspicious anymore!"

Fu Guiru: "."

In daily life, people often suddenly say, "Hey, you look just like someone," yet the person themselves never notice.

Because they don't stare at mirrors constantly and lack precise awareness of their own facial features.

But when two photos are placed side by side, the similarities in eyes, brows, and features become unmistakable.

Even with the newspaper's low resolution, Li Ye's image bore a six- to seven-tenths resemblance to Fu Yiruo's photo.

Especially the eyes and nose—they looked like they were carved from the same mold.

"Mom, is he my brother?"

Looking into her daughter's bright eyes, Fu Guiru sighed helplessly.

"Does it matter if he's your brother? He'll return to Hua mainland soon—he may never set foot in Nanyang again."

Fu Yiruo's mouth opened wide; she stared, stunned, for a long time.

Though her mother didn't directly confirm it, she now understood fully: she and Li Ye shared an unbreakable bond.

But then she asked curiously: "Mom, if he can't come back, we can go to Hua mainland! Malaysia and Hua mainland established diplomatic relations seventy-four years ago!"

"It's not that simple. Conditions in Hua mainland are complicated—you wouldn't understand…"

Fu Guiru's face grew sorrowful. "Yiruo, you and I have lived comfortably in Malaysia all these years, never suffered hardship—but life in the mainland is different.

You can't imagine how utterly despairing it was—Li Ye and others endured over a decade of suffering before barely scraping by."

Seeing tears well up in Fu Guiru's eyes, Fu Yiruo suddenly understood: "No wonder you gave him that watch."

Fu Guiru wiped her tears. "A watch means nothing. If we could, we should have given them far more compensation."

"Mom, you can say this to me—but never let Didi know. When you went to see… that Li Ye, you were too reckless."

Fu Yiruo glanced at the door, feeling as guilty as a thief.

"Same name, similar looks, matching age, from Dongshan—if I hadn't gone… what if I missed it? I wrote so many letters…"

Fu Guiru suddenly smiled. "But what's reckless about that? Your mother is honest and knows gratitude—we never take what isn't ours.

Though my shares are small, if we grow Fu Corporation big enough, we'll be wealthy for three generations—so why care what others think?"

Fu Yiruo looked at her confident mother and blurted: "Mom, you're honest, but others aren't—and that watch—"

"What about the watch?"

"I'm not sure… but Mom, you should prepare yourself."

"Are you dodging me?"

Facing Fu Guiru's sharp question, Fu Yiruo chose silence and kept eating, leaving her mother no recourse.

But the next morning, Fu Guiru found out why.

"Diiiiiiii~"

As dawn broke, a golden sports car impatiently honked outside Fu Guiru's gate, waking neighbors who opened their windows.

The driver showed no remorse; when the maid opened the gate slightly late, she berated her harshly.

After the car entered, a woman in a tight dress stepped out, radiating extreme arrogance.

If Li Ye were here, he'd have called her: "Heavy foundation, big curls, thirty-something girl."

But this woman was even more haughty than those fairy-like girls—she didn't care if the host was still asleep; she stomped upstairs in stilettos, "click-click-click," and the servants dared not stop her.

By the time she reached the second floor, Fu Guiru was already waiting in her study.

"Guiyin, you look furious. Let me warn you—don't take it out on me.

I've been stressed lately over my failed partnership with the Lin family."

The big curls paused; her earlier arrogance instantly deflated.

But her face remained cold. "Cousin, today I saw Zhiman's palm print on his face—why?"

Fu Guiru lifted her eyelids, glancing at Fu Guiyin. "Do I need a reason to hit my son?"

"Son?" Fu Guiyin sneered. "Cousin, you've acted this role for so long—have you even convinced yourself? Zhiman isn't your son."

"Oh?"

Fu Guiru looked at her cousin in surprise and whispered: "Sister, are you done pretending? Shall I arrange a public announcement tomorrow so you can reunite with your son?"

Fu Guiyin's big curls trembled slightly—whether from anger or trembling, it was unclear.

After a long silence, she said: "Cousin, are you using Zhiman as a weapon—to control the emperor and command the lords?"

"Ha~"

Fu Guiru couldn't help laughing.

"Guiyin, this arrangement was made by Second Uncle—he never dared claim his son while alive.

Now that he's dead, you want to reclaim him to compete with Zheng's daughter for her husband?"

Fu Guiyin swallowed hard, sneering: "I don't want to compete for a man. I don't care about any man anymore."

"Zheng's daughter doesn't believe you," Fu Guiru said coldly. "When Xu Ziliang already married Zheng's daughter, you got pregnant with his child. Now you say you don't care—do you think she'll believe you?"

"I—"

Fu Guiyin opened her mouth to argue, but Fu Guiru cut her off: "Guiyin, twelve years ago we couldn't challenge the Zheng family—neither can we now.

If you want to reclaim your son, help me grow Fu Corporation bigger than the Zheng family—then you can fight however you want. But now—you mustn't bring disaster upon the Fu family."

"I bring disaster? You say I bring disaster—then what did you bring?"

Fu Guiyin was enraged by her cousin's sharp rebuke.

She pointed at Fu Guiru, furious: "Tell me—whose watch did you give away?"

Fu Guiru narrowed her eyes; a flicker of anger rose on her face.

"That watch was given to me by Second Uncle—it's not yours. I give it to whomever I please—you have no right to ask."

"I have no right to ask?" Fu Guiyin bit her teeth. "That watch was my mother's. My father gave it to you to serve the Fu family—not to betray us."

"You say I betrayed you?"

Fu Guiru suddenly laughed. "Fine. Tomorrow I'll sell my shares and flee with Yiruo—how's that? Satisfied?"

Fu Guiyin: "."

"Look at yourself now—who in the Fu family still treats you as the eldest daughter?

Your uncle's family wishes you dead—otherwise, why would Second Uncle have arranged the shares this way before he died?"

"My father is dead—he's dead. He listened to your poison when alive,

now that he's gone, you still use a dead man to crush me? I'm done—I'm done with you, Fu Guiru."

Fu Guiyin's eyes bulged as she finally exploded at Fu Guiru: "Fu Corporation is mine, not yours—you give me only two hundred thousand a month, making me live like I'm not even a rich girl—"

Back then, it was you and my father who were to blame for Xu Ziliang leaving me.

Now you're so generous, giving away watches worth hundreds of thousands like they're nothing—I'm taking back everything that belongs to me. Just wait, just wait!

"Deng-deng-deng-deng~"

Fu Guiyin tossed her big curls, stomped off in her high heels, seething with rage.

After she left, Fu Yiruo slipped quietly into the study and shut the door behind her.

"Mom, why was Auntie so angry just now?"

"Because she thinks her allowance is too small!"

Fu Guiru pressed her temples, her face worn out—nothing like the haughty woman she had been moments ago.

Fu Yiruo immediately went behind her mother and gently massaged Fu Guiru's head to ease her fatigue and headache.

"Mom, Auntie's a major shareholder—you can't keep controlling her money like this."

"What kind of person is your aunt?" Fu Guiru said helplessly. "I give her two hundred thousand a month, and still have to bail her out and clean up her messes. If I gave her a million a month, Fu Corporation would be on the brink of bankruptcy."

"Then—"

"Ding-ding-ding~"

Fu Yiruo was about to speak when the house phone rang.

Fu Guiru picked it up, listened, and gasped: "What? She dared?"