Chapter 13: “Quite Ordinary”

Lu Beichen left the restaurant without eating breakfast and walked out directly.

Seeing this, Xia Wanwan hurriedly followed, calling out, “Beichen! Beichen! Wait for me!”

Lu Beichen halted immediately, stopping in his tracks.

Xia Wanwan, feeling very aggrieved, said, “I haven’t eaten yet. Why did you leave so abruptly?”

Lu Beichen’s face remained dark and silent.

Most of the time, in their relationship, Xia Wanwan was the one soothing Lu Beichen.

After all, Lu Beichen was the president and the eldest son of the Lu family. If Xia Wanwan didn’t support him, many other women would be willing to do so.

Xia Wanwan felt quite hurt: “Are you still unable to forget Mu Ruo? Are you jealous seeing Mu Ruo with her husband?”

Lu Beichen snorted coldly, “No.”

“Then what do you mean?” Xia Wanwan’s eyes reddened instantly. “I know I’m just a stand-in for Mu Ruo. If you still like Mu Ruo, go back to her.”

Seeing Xia Wanwan’s pitiful appearance, Lu Beichen’s heart ached instantly.

—What’s so great about Mu Ruo, who is fickle and capricious?

The Xia Wanwan before him was the one deserving his sympathy.

Besides, Xia Wanwan wasn’t much worse than Mu Ruo and was actually better in many ways.

Feeling empty inside, Lu Beichen quickly embraced Xia Wanwan. “Alright, don’t be upset. Let’s go have something to eat.”

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Mu Ruo watched Lu Beichen’s disappearing figure, pretending to look forlorn.

No matter what, in front of Fu Jianzhi, even if it was just pretending, she had to act as if she liked Lu Beichen.

Fu Jianzhi, with a hint of a smile, asked, “Is he the man you like?”

Mu Ruo nodded. “We’ve known each other for many years.”

“Quite ordinary,” Fu Jianzhi commented bluntly. “You’re very beautiful, but your taste in men is quite poor.”

Mu Ruo: “…”

Mu Ruo felt disheartened.

When other men commented on Lu Beichen, they could say something like “a frog critiquing humans, a loser critiquing a handsome guy.”

But when Fu Jianzhi said Lu Beichen was ordinary, it seemed quite justified.

After all, Fu Jianzhi was far superior to Lu Beichen in both appearance and status.

However, Fu Jianzhi discussing this with her in a smiling manner showed that he truly had no interest in her.

No wonder, in the original text, Fu Jianzhi, despite being Mu Ruo’s husband, could still face Lu Beichen and Xia Wanwan without changing his expression, even promoting Lu Beichen to work for him.

After finishing breakfast, Fu Jianzhi stood up. “Let’s go.”

Mu Ruo followed him to his black Bentley.

Fu Jianzhi drove all the way, not speaking to her.

Mu Ruo could tell that he presented himself as elegant and polite to women, but there were moments that revealed his cold nature.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the Fu family residence.

Mu Ruo had unknowingly fallen asleep in the car. The air conditioning was too strong, making her uncomfortable. She groggily opened her eyes.

Fu Jianzhi parked the car and opened the door. “Get out.”

Mu Ruo followed him out.

At this moment, Mu Ruo realized how extraordinary the Fu family residence was.

The Fu family villa, nestled beside mountains and waters, resembled a scene from a traditional Chinese ink painting, exuding a rich cultural heritage and unique charm. The exterior walls of the villa were constructed from natural stone and raw wood, with deep colors and clear textures, reflecting a sense of time-worn elegance and solemnity.

As Mu Ruo followed Fu Jianzhi through the gate, the first thing she saw was a screen wall with Ming and Qing dynasty features. The courtyard had winding paths, changing views, with artificial mountains, flowing water, and lush bamboo and pine trees, creating a “man-made yet seemingly natural” Jiangnan garden landscape. Seasonal flowers surrounded a clear fish pond, where koi swam gracefully, harmonizing movement and stillness.

Wearing a qipao, Mu Ruo was quite well-matched with the surrounding environment.

“Mr. Fu, I—”

“Call me by my name in public.”

Fu Jianzhi interrupted her.

Mu Ruo quickly corrected herself, “Fu Jianzhi, I’m not very familiar with the people in the Fu family.”

Fu Jianzhi smirked slightly. “Is your memory so poor? We were here just last month. The people this time are the same as last time.”

Mu Ruo: “Oh, right, we did come last month.”

The original text didn’t cover such trivial details.

Mu Ruo genuinely didn’t know the specifics of what happened last month.

Seeing her uneasy expression, Fu Jianzhi’s eyes darkened.

The last time they were here was during their wedding.

Mu Ruo indeed didn’t know many people in the Fu family.

But teasing her was quite amusing, like playing with a stray cat by the roadside.

The Fu family’s servants approached, all dressed in uniform black attire, looking very formal. They greeted Fu Jianzhi politely as “Young Master.”

Mu Ruo wondered if they might refer to her as “Young Mistress” like in TV dramas.

Fortunately, it wasn’t that awkward. They addressed her simply as “Madam,” just like Butler Li did.

Mu Ruo followed Fu Jianzhi inside.

The interior was adorned with traditional Chinese elements like carved window screens and wooden columns.

The high ceiling of the living room was hung with an ornate palace lantern. The golden silk shade cast a warm and tranquil light over the redwood furniture, each piece showcasing exquisite craftsmanship and deep historical heritage.

The walls were decorated with scrolls of famous calligraphy, their ink fragrance exuding the refined elegance of a scholarly family.

A woman in her forties, dressed in a black qipao, sat in a chair holding a cup of tea. Beside her stood a young woman in a white dress.

Mu Ruo guessed that the older woman must be Fu Jianzhi’s mother.

“Jianzhi, you’re back.” Zhou Yanhui smiled warmly at Fu Jianzhi and then glanced at Mu Ruo. “Oh, you’re here too.”

Mu Ruo could tell from her tone that the woman didn’t like her.

Indeed, mother-in-law relationships are always the most difficult to handle.

Fu Jianzhi coldly nodded. “Where is Grandpa? I heard he hasn’t been well recently.”

“He went fishing early this morning and won’t be back until noon,” Zhou Yanhui replied with a smile. “Your room has been kept tidy. You should go rest for now. Mu Ruo, since you’re married to Jianzhi, you should take good care of him and give him a son soon, understood?”

Mu Ruo thought to herself, what a feudal big family. But with the money Fu Jianzhi gave her, she had to nod in agreement.

Fu Jianzhi’s tone remained indifferent. “Ruo Ruo is still young. There’s no rush for children. Grandma, we’ll go rest in our room now.”

Mu Ruo was shocked.

She thought this woman was too young to be Fu Jianzhi’s mother.

She was surprised to learn that this was actually Fu Jianzhi’s grandmother.

Is the maintenance in wealthy families this impressive?

Before she could react, Fu Jianzhi took her hand.