"I'm hitting you!"
Shen Qingqing had finally had enough of her. She glanced at the love letter in her hand with disgust, slammed it back onto the table, calmly put the book back in its place, and turned towards the door.
Her footsteps were heavy and steady, yet they also carried a hint of resolute determination.
Lu Wanying clutched her face, furious. "How dare you hit me? My parents have never even hit me! You, you bitch, you're shameless! You're trying to seduce someone else's boyfriend, you have no shame!"
Shen Qingqing stopped, turning to look at her with a cold gaze. "Whose boyfriend did I seduce?"
"You seduced Jing Shu. You know I..."
Lu Wanying was about to launch into a tirade, but Shen Qingqing's clear voice cut her off. Her voice was cool and clear, lacking Lu Wanying's soft gentleness, but it carried an undeniable authority.
"Don't forget, he's the one who proposed to me, he's the one who shamelessly wanted to marry me. I wasn't the one chasing him."
"You!" Lu Wanying couldn't stand Shen Qingqing calling Fu Jingshu shameless, nor could she tolerate the implied boasting in her words. "That's because you have his child! Otherwise, he wouldn't even spare you a glance!"
"If you have the ability, have one too," Shen Qingqing retorted sarcastically.
"You, don't get too smug!"
Lu Wanying trembled all over, her face pale with anger.
Old Madam Fu entered at that moment and saw the two of them at each other's throats. She quickly stepped between them. "What's going on again? Why are you two arguing?"
As she asked, she looked at Lu Wanying, as if silently chiding her.
Lu Wanying felt wronged. "Grandma, she bullied me! Look at my face, she hit me, it hurts so much..."
Old Madam Fu glanced at her. Lu Wanying was fair-skinned, and the red mark on her cheek looked alarming. She coughed softly and looked at Shen Qingqing, lowering her voice.
"You hit her?"
Shen Qingqing admitted it directly. "Yes."
Old Madam Fu cleared her throat and looked at Lu Wanying. "Her hitting you is wrong... but Qing girl has always been sensible. She surely wouldn't have hit you intentionally. There must be a reason why she did this. You must have provoked her."
Hearing the first part, Lu Wanying had thought Old Madam Fu had seen reason and was going to defend her. Before she could feel any joy, she heard her change tack and unconditionally side with Shen Qingqing.
Her mood felt like a roller coaster, almost killing her with frustration.
"Grandma, how can you be so biased?" she bit her lip, tears streaming down her face. "Is it just because she gave your family two children?"
"Of course not..."
Before Old Madam Fu could finish her sentence, Lu Wanying dropped a bombshell. "I also had a child for your Fu family!"
Shen Qingqing looked up in shock, as if struck by lightning.
"You, you had a child?" Old Madam Fu stammered, which was rare for her. "How, how could you have a child?"
"It's true," Lu Wanying wiped her tears, her voice choked. "When I left Jing Shu back then, I discovered I was pregnant. But I didn't want him to see me when I was ill, so I didn't tell him."
In her narrative, she was a suffering mother raising a child alone, a tragic figure.
Old Madam Fu felt this was serious. She instinctively looked at Shen Qingqing, saw her shocked expression, and pulled her to her side with concern. She then sent someone to call Fu Jingshu and tell him to return immediately.
Fu Jingshu didn't know why his grandmother was so angry and had to put aside his company matters to return.
As soon as he arrived home, he heard this story. He was also taken aback but quickly calmed down, stating with certainty, "Impossible."
Hearing this, Old Madam Fu felt a sense of relief. Her grandson wouldn't speak without reason. "Why are you so sure?"
"It's impossible, no matter what." In front of Shen Qingqing, he didn't want to go into too much detail about that period of his life. "Grandma, Qingqing, please believe me."
Lu Wanying looked heartbroken. "Jing Shu, you, you actually..."
Fu Jingshu frowned and looked at her. "Who told you to come here? Didn't I tell you not to come to my house again?"
"You're with her because she looks like me, because she has a child. But I have one too! Why can't I come?" Lu Wanying cried, tears streaming down her face, and questioned him. "Did you forget what you told me back then? How can you be so heartless to me now?"
She paused, seeming unable to continue. After a few sobs, she managed to speak.
"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have saved you back then."
Bringing up the life-saving grace again, Fu Jingshu was filled with irritation. "That's right, you really shouldn't have."
Lu Wanying was startled. She looked up and saw his tired, indifferent expression. Only then did she realize that binding him with a debt of gratitude had ultimately made him weary. She instinctively walked towards him, her pale knuckles tightly gripping the hem of his clothes.
"I'm not blackmailing you. Don't say that. I'm just, I'm just scared, just sad... I'm afraid you won't care about me, afraid you'll abandon me..."
Shen Qingqing didn't want to listen to these declarations of affection. She interrupted, "Are you two going to clarify the matter of the child? I don't want to be a stepmother."
Fu Jingshu was somewhat angry. "What child? Don't believe her."
Old Madam Fu felt something was amiss. "Then tell me, why are you so sure? Have you seen her these past few years?"
"No!"
Fu Jingshu subconsciously looked at Shen Qingqing. Seeing her indifferent expression and his own averted gaze, he couldn't meet her eyes. He gave a bitter smile, pulled his hem out of her grasp, and took a step back, creating distance before saying:
"I can be sure that she is absolutely not pregnant."
However, this answer clearly did not satisfy Old Madam Fu and Shen Qingqing. Coupled with Lu Wanying's tearful pleas for him to take responsibility.
From any angle, it didn't seem fake!
After all, using a child as an excuse could easily be exposed. Lu Wanying wouldn't have time to find a child even if she tried to now.
Seeing himself in a difficult position, Fu Jingshu reluctantly gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll tell the truth, it's because I never..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Wanying yanked him fiercely. Her strength was not enough to move him, but she successfully cut off his words.
He said coldly, "It's useless for you to stop me. I won't let your lies succeed."
Lu Wanying tightly grabbed his wrist, stood on tiptoe, and whispered three words in his ear. Fu Jingshu froze, his gaze fixed on her face.
"Jing Shu, do you want to talk privately?"
Fu Jingshu fell silent.
When Lu Wanying took him upstairs, he did not refuse. Old Madam Fu thumped the table in anger. "What are you doing, you brat?"
"Grandma, wait for me."
Fu Jingshu hastily left a word and went upstairs.
Old Madam Fu was angry and helpless. She turned to Shen Qingqing and tried to explain for her grandson. "Qing girl, don't misunderstand. He must have something on his mind..."
"Grandma, you don't need to say anything."
Her expression was almost indifferent. All of Old Madam Fu's words were suddenly stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered.
Upstairs, Fu Jingshu looked steadily at Lu Wanying. "Explain clearly."
"I do have a child," Lu Wanying slowly wiped the tears from her face. Having come this far, she was done pretending to be pitiful. "The father of the child is Zhou Shifeng."
He was Fu Jingshu's deceased close friend, his very good brother.