SWNOVELS Chapter 35
"Shh!"
Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes and grabbed Shi Nuan by the hand. Before she could even react, he turned and dragged her to hide behind a pillar.
The man wrapped a strong arm around Shi Nuan's waist, pulling her into an embrace.
Shi Nuan didn't understand what was going on and wanted to push Fu Chengyan away, but the latter held onto her tightly and placed his index finger on her lips, telling her to remain quiet.
"Didn't you say you'd make sure that grandpa and Shi Nuan will approve of my relationship with Xicheng today? It's still not happening."
Extremely agitated at Shi Nuan, Shi Wei had dragged Jiang Yu to the back garden. "Mom, did you see how arrogant Shi Nuan looked just now? She's deliberately trying to make me suffer. She knows how much Xicheng and I love each other - why is she still trying to make things difficult for us?"
"That's enough. When have I not fulfilled my promises? Don't worry. Mommy has it all planned out." Jiang Yu looked around before continuing, "Go keep Xicheng company, got it? You don't need to worry about anything else."
Jiang Yu and Shi Wei's voices slowly disappeared. Shi Nuan blinked, tears forming in her eyes. She tilted her head to look at Fu Chengyan.
Fu Chengyan gazed upon Shi Nuan with his deep eyes. He noticed she looked shaken for a moment but quickly concealed her feelings.
"You're upset?" Fu Chengyan asked as he let go of Shi Nuan.
Looking slightly dazed, Shi Nuan forced a smile on her face. "What's there to be upset about? I've known about this long ago." She looked down and felt that his warmth and aura were long gone. "Do you think I'm miserable?"
Fu Chengyan frowned, his eyes carrying depth. "Everyone has their own path to walk. But as for what I've suggested before, have you thought about it?" "What?" Shi Nuan looked up in shock. "Are you here today... Are you actually related to Fu Xicheng?"
Fu Chengyan smiled slightly. "Is it that important?" His eyes were like bottomless pools, she could not see what was lurking in the depths of them. Shi Nuan's instincts told her that Fu Chengyan was a dangerous man, but she just couldn't contain her curiosity. Fu Chengyan stretched out a hand to stroke the hair that had fallen into her face and gently patted her on the head. "I always live by this motto: don't mess with me and I won't mess with you. If someone dares try to hurt my loved ones, I won't hold back. My relationship with Fu Xicheng isn't important; what's important is what I'm able to do with my status. I'l be awaiting your good news, dear woman!"
Shi Nuan was lost in her thoughts and gazed at Fu Chengyan's back for a long time as he walked away, only shaking herself out of the daze when someone else came over. "What are you doing here, Ms. Nuan? Master Shi is looking for you."
Her father was looking for her?
Shi Nuan frowned but followed the maid anyway.
Shi Jingzheng was waiting in the study room on the second floor. As Shi Nuan arrived, he waved his hand at her. "Come on over, Nuan. I have something to talk to you about!" He then cast Jiang Yu a glance. The woman then frowned and nodded reluctantly, saying, "Have a good talk with your father, Nuan. I'll take my leave first."
Shi Nuan pursed her lips, watching Jiang Yu leave before turning to look at Shi Jingzheng. "What have you called me over for, father?"
Shi Jingzheng looked up at Shi Nuan then pointed to the chair next to him. "Have a seat. Your mother made you some tea - it's made with fresh tea leaves from this year. It's been a year since you left home and I know how much you've gone through outside. Your sister..."
"Father, if you intend to talk about my sister, then save it. You should know that I've have been in a relationship with Fu Xicheng long ago and even nearly got engaged, but to think that Wei actually..." Shi Nuar smiled bitterly. "Have you ever considered me? If any of you had thought about me even once, then none of that would have happened."
"Nuan," Shi Jingzheng interrupted. "It's not like your sister wanted this, but when it comes to love..."
"That's enough. You're my father and she's my sister, so there's nothing I can do. But that doesn't mean I will forgive her or approve of their marriage." Shi Nuan took a sip of the tea, but it was so bitter that she frowned. "New tea? I guess mother has never thought about giving me anything good! But whenever something involves Shi Wei, mother would never think about how I feel. What about you, father?"
"Nuan..." Shi Jingzheng looked at Shi Nuan awkwardly. A hint of disappointment flashed across his eyes as he shook his head in distress. "I've told you so many times - why are you still being so stubborn? How has your sister treated you since young? Even when you were kidnapped back then, she was the one who rescued you! How could you be so ungrateful that you'd even try to steal her boyfriend!?" "Father... What do you mean?" Shi Nuan suddenly got up, trembling lightly as she stared at Shi Jingzheng with a pale face.
She didn't expect that even her father would think this way. Back then, it was true that Shi Wei had rescued her. However, those people were actually after Shi Wei, not her. All these years, their mother had blamed Shi Nuan for the incident. To think that even her father was blaming her too!
Shi Nuan became misty-eyed. "So even you think I treat Shi Wei horribly? All these years, she would take everything that belonged to me; when would I ever not give in? Don't you think that's more than enough? Is everything I do never enough to repay what I owe her? She took my toys and now she just took my boyfriend, so what's next?"
Shi Nuan watched her father remain silent. The man's gaze was so deep and foreign that it scared her. Unable to contain the tightness in her chest, she continued, "In every family, the older sister would always give in to the younger sister, yet the Shi family is the complete opposite. Whatever Shi Wei wanted, you guys would do anything to make sure she gets it! What if she wants my life taken one day?"
Bang! The door slammed open. A furious Jiang Yu stormed in and viciously slapped Shi Nuan across the face. "What the hell are you saying, you little b*tch!?
"Why are you still trying to talk sense into her? This little brat is always just asking for it! She'll never know her place if we don't punish her!"
Shi Nuan held a hand to her face. The slap she received from Jiang Yu was a solid one. It hurt so much that her tears nearly spilled over, especially after hearing Jiang Yu talk about her that way. "Punish me? Right, that's what you said at the back garden earlier."
"You heard it?" Jiang Yu's expression became even more hideous and she turned to Shi Jingzheng. "What are you standing there for? This little brat has a knack for screwing everything up, but at least she'll be able to do one thing right today!" she said as she cast Shi Jingzheng a glance.
"Your mother has set you up with a man. His name is..."
Before Shi Jingzheng could finish speaking, Shi Nuan felt that something was wrong with her body. She staggered two steps back and fell onto the chair. "What have you done to me?"
"Nuan, your father recently scored a huge deal. The other party promised that as long as you marry into their family, he'd inject two hundred million worth of assets into Huancheng. I'm sure you're aware that your father is expanding the business, so you should know how important this sum is to the company."
Shi Nuan smiled coldly. "So you intend to sell me out? You two..." Shi Nuan got up only to fall back heavily. All the strength had left her body. "Father, I'm your daughter too... Why?"
"What do you mean 'why'? Consider yourself lucky that those people actually value you. You should be thankful that you still have this little amount of worth."
Jiang Yu's voice sounded more and more distant as Shi Nuan's vision started to blur. She gritted her teeth and stood up once more, but eventually collapsed heavily on the ground. Before passing out, she still heard Jiang Yu scoff, "Hurry up and take her to the room next door! We can't let Master Yun wait!"