Chapter 15: “Excuse Me”

After Zhou Niannian left, Mu Ruo looked at Fu Jianzhi with a touch of mischief: “Mr. Fu, since you just touched me again, should you go wash your hands? Oh, and it seems like you also kissed my ear—so—”

Fu Jianzhi’s tone was indifferent: “So you’re quite the talker.”

Mu Ruo raised her eyebrows proudly: “Mm-hmm.”

“If you say one more thing—”

Mu Ruo knew his next line would be “twenty million,” so she quickly pretended to zip her mouth, making a show of zipping it closed.

Fu Jianzhi watched her theatrics with a cold smirk.

Mu Ruo asked, “The person who came in without knocking was—”

“Zhou Yanhui’s niece, Zhou Niannian,” Fu Jianzhi informed her. “Be careful of her.”

Their marriage was merely a transaction. Fu Jianzhi didn’t marry Mu Ruo because he liked her.

So Fu Jianzhi was only responsible for providing the money.

If Mu Ruo was bullied or faced any issues, she had to handle them herself.

Fu Jianzhi had no intention of getting involved.

This reminder was his way of being considerate.

Mu Ruo understood: “Don’t worry, Mr. Fu, I will fulfill my responsibilities.”

By noon, Fu Jianzhi’s grandfather returned.

Old Master Fu had silver hair and a stern expression, looking to be in his seventies. He stood beside Zhou Yanhui, and they didn’t seem like a married couple at all; they appeared more like father and daughter.

Zhou Yanhui, though looking to be in her early forties, was actually in her fifties.

Old Master Fu was nearing eighty, and they had indeed been a significant age gap couple, which was quite noticeable.

Fu Jianzhi had two younger uncles, both born to Zhou Yanhui: one was twenty-three, and the other twenty-seven. Both were younger than Fu Jianzhi.

Although these two were of higher generation, Fu Jianzhi was in charge of the family business, making the final decisions.

After learning about the tangled relationships within the Fu family, Mu Ruo couldn’t help but feel some astonishment.

Indeed, it was a wealthy family—ordinary people couldn’t develop such a complicated web of relationships.

Mu Ruo sent a twenty-thousand yuan red envelope to the maid cleaning the courtyard.

The maid was very grateful.

She hadn’t expected that just by sharing some information about the Fu family with the young master’s wife, she would be met with such generosity.

Compared to the sharp-tongued old lady and the delicate young miss from the Zhou family, this young master’s wife seemed much easier to get along with.

Even though she was working for a wealthy family, everyone, even servants, hoped to be treated with respect.

Mu Ruo lowered her voice: “By the way, can I ask about Fu Jianzhi’s parents?”

It was strange that Fu Jianzhi was so young yet his parents were not alive.

Mu Ruo knew she shouldn’t pry into Fu Jianzhi’s private matters.

However, she was concerned that if others brought it up and she knew nothing, it would be awkward.

The maid was startled, her expression changed.

Mu Ruo frowned: “Is it inappropriate to ask about this?”

The maid looked around and said to Mu Ruo, “Madam, the young master’s parents passed away many years ago, when he was very young. No one in the Fu family dares to mention it, so it’s best not to bring it up.”

Mu Ruo was taken aback.

No one in the Fu family dared to mention it?

Well then.

Since it was a private matter concerning Fu Jianzhi, Mu Ruo decided not to press further.

Mu Ruo nodded: “Okay.”

After saying these words, Mu Ruo planned to return to her room. Halfway there, she encountered Zhou Niannian.

To be honest, Zhou Niannian was a beauty.

If Xia Wanwan were standing in front of Zhou Niannian, she would probably not even be worthy to hold such a beauty’s shoes.

Zhou Niannian was wearing a white dress, with her long black hair cascading down her shoulders. Her face was quite charming, but unfortunately, her almond eyes were red and swollen, and her gaze towards Mu Ruo was not very friendly.

Mu Ruo was already mentally prepared.

After all, twenty million… such a sky-high price was not easy to come by.

“I’ve been thinking these days,” Zhou Niannian walked up to Mu Ruo, deliberately lowering her voice, her almond eyes filled with hostility as she looked at Mu Ruo, “Could it be that Jianzhi is blind to be attracted to a woman of your background?”

Mu Ruo turned her head to look at Zhou Niannian.

If her information was correct, the Zhou family wasn’t as prominent as it was now at the beginning, was it?

The Zhou family initially wasn’t even as well-off as the Mu family. The young and beautiful Zhou Yanhui married the old Mr. Fu. Mr. Fu supported Zhou Yanhui’s brothers in various ways, and with such a powerful backing, the Zhou family gradually rose, and Zhou Niannian became a respected young lady.

Zhou Niannian had grown accustomed to being the spoiled young lady of the Zhou family and habitually viewed herself as such.

She looked at Mu Ruo with a contemptuous gaze and said, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re the so-called ‘green tea bitch,’ right? Using your schemes to hold onto Jianzhi and not willing to let go, pretending to be pitiful while actually being full of scheming.”

Mu Ruo: “…”

As a newcomer, Mu Ruo’s first day involved a conflict with Zhou Niannian, which would definitely annoy the elders in the family.

If Mu Ruo guessed correctly, Zhou Niannian deliberately came to provoke her now, probably to stir things up in front of Mr. Fu.

At this moment, Mu Ruo’s peripheral vision caught the elegant figure not far away.

—Alright.

Since Zhou Niannian called her green tea, she would give her a taste of green tea.

Mu Ruo touched her forehead: “Miss Zhou, I feel a bit dizzy.”

Zhou Niannian sneered: “You want to play the pity card in front of me? That trick won’t work on me.”

Mu Ruo supported her forehead, looking indeed pitiable, with a kind of delicate beauty.

Mu Ruo walked towards Fu Jianzhi, and in front of Zhou Niannian, she staggered a couple of steps and suddenly fell into Fu Jianzhi’s embrace.

Her eyes instantly turned red: “Sorry, Jianzhi, after talking to Miss Zhou, I suddenly felt a headache.”

Zhou Niannian was stunned.

She had just called Mu Ruo a green tea bitch in a fit of anger, intending to provoke her and attract the attention of the Fu family’s elders.

—She didn’t expect Mu Ruo to actually be a green tea bitch!

Fu Jianzhi wrapped his arm around Mu Ruo’s shoulders, his handsome face showing just the right amount of indulgence: “You’re so delicate, let’s go back to the room and rest.”

Zhou Niannian was left speechless.

She didn’t know what she had done wrong but was forced to eat a mouthful of dog food.

Zhou Niannian looked at Fu Jianzhi with some grievance.

She had known Fu Jianzhi for so many years, and since she could remember, she had liked him.

Yet she had never seen Fu Jianzhi treat her with such an attitude.

Every time Zhou Niannian spoke to him, she was met with his cold, frosty demeanor.

Zhou Niannian couldn’t help but block the way between Fu Jianzhi and Mu Ruo.

Fu Jianzhi’s attitude towards her instantly turned cold: “Excuse me.”