Chapter 86: The True Warrior

Fu Jianzhi’s voice was gentle as he spoke, “Regarding today’s incident, I apologize to all the elders and brothers on behalf of my grandfather.”

Currently, the Fu Group was under Fu Jianzhi’s control, and his authority was absolute. No one dared to contradict him.

The crowd had dared to demand an explanation from Old Master Fu partly because he had already stepped down, with Fu Jianzhi now holding the reins of power. Since Fu Jianzhi was not that close with the family, they felt more emboldened.

As soon as Fu Jianzhi spoke, the atmosphere softened immediately. “Jianzhi, this has nothing to do with you; there’s no need for you to apologize.”

“Yes, you’re a victim too.”

“Ah, among the younger generation in this family, only Jianzhi has the courage to take responsibility. No matter what happens, he’s always the one cleaning up the mess.”

“It’s nothing serious; the doctors said we’re fine, so don’t worry.”

“…”

Fu Jianzhi continued, “The Fu family has always maintained strict discipline. This incident occurred because the household staff failed to supervise the food and drink properly. I will fire all the servants and replace them with a more responsible group.”

At this, both Old Master Fu and Fu Quan’s expressions changed.

It wasn’t enough that Fu Jianzhi had replaced all the senior executives in the company with his own people; now he wanted to replace all the household staff with those he selected.

This meant that every move within the household would be under his watchful eye. If anything stirred in the future, he would be the first to know.

Over the years, Fu Jianzhi hadn’t spent much time at the Fu family home. Due to Zhou Niannian’s harassment and Zhou Yanhui’s matchmaking efforts, his emotional ties to the family were weak.

Zhou Yanhui controlled everyone in the Fu family’s old mansion, from the butler to the maids—they all followed her orders. Zhou Niannian was treated like a young lady of the house, as if it were her own home.

If a new batch of staff came in, they would certainly treat Fu Jianzhi as the employer, not being as obedient to the Zhou family.

Fu Jianzhi turned to Old Master Fu, “Grandfather, you are the head of this family. What do you think?”

With so many relatives and friends present, Old Master Fu felt as if a heavy stone weighed on his heart.

Fu Jianzhi had provided a solution. If they didn’t follow his plan, everyone would be dissatisfied, thinking that the Fu family was neglecting their guests. But if they did follow his plan, the entire Fu family estate would effectively become Fu Jianzhi’s alone.

Old Master Fu closed his eyes and said, “You’re right. The servants were indeed negligent, which led to this situation. Proceed as you suggested.”

Fu Quan and Fu Zheng, the two brothers, looked extremely displeased.

Fu Jianzhi then glanced at Zhou Niannian. “Miss Zhou, after what you’ve done, you are no longer welcome at the Fu family estate. I don’t know how your father raised you, but since they failed to teach you properly, they share the blame. The Fu family no longer needs such business partners.”

Zhou Niannian turned pale. “I—”

Fu Jianzhi’s solution was far better than Fu Quan and Old Master Fu’s excuses of “she’s just a child, she doesn’t understand.”

The crowd, having vented their frustrations, felt much better.

Fu Jianzhi, always popular in social settings, had the family doctors prepare nourishing herbs and checked on the elders. Seeing that Fu Jianzhi, despite his current status, was still so respectful towards his elders, the crowd not only calmed down but also turned to comfort him.

As for Fu Quan and Fu Zheng, no one was willing to give them a kind look.

The two of them didn’t care what happened to Zhou Niannian’s family.

After all, their surname was Fu, not Zhou.

Since childhood, Fu Jianzhi had always been the center of attention, overshadowing them completely. Today’s events were no different.

Zhou Niannian, in a panic, tried to grab Fu Quan. “Cousin, please ask Jianzhi for mercy! If the Fu family stops working with us, our family will be finished!”

Fu Quan pushed Zhou Niannian away in disgust. “There are so many people here today! I didn’t dare to offend them! How did you dare to do such a thing?”

Zhou Niannian was sobbing uncontrollably.

Since her arrival at the Fu household, everyone had indulged and pampered her, even Old Master Fu treated her better than Fu Jianzhi. She had thought that none of these guests could compare to the Fu family in status, so they would surely not dare to say anything. Plus, being a frail and sickly girl, she assumed that these men wouldn’t scold her.

She never imagined that things would end up like this…

Fu Quan was furious, feeling utterly humiliated. The effects of the drug in his system hadn’t worn off yet, which only fueled his anger further. “Do you know what people will say about me after this?”

The relationship between Old Master Fu and Zhou Yanhuii—a much younger woman—had already been the subject of gossip for years. Especially Zhou Yanhui, who had been the nurse at Fu Grandma’s bedside when she was ill. Not long after Fu Grandma passed away, Old Master Fu married Zhou Yanhui. Many people whispered that Zhou Yanhui was a seductress, claiming she had an affair with Old Master Fu while his wife was on her deathbed and that she might have even caused Fu Grandma’s death out of spite.

Now, with Zhou Yanhui’s niece caught drugging men, the rumors about Zhou Yanhui would become even more vicious.

The idea that “the rotten upper beam leads to a crooked lower beam” would bring shame to Fu Quan and Fu Zheng, as their mother’s reputation was dragged through the mud.

In his anger, Fu Quan kicked Zhou Niannian away. “Get lost! Fu Jianzhi didn’t have any leverage against us, but you all just handed him the opportunity!”

Zhou Niannian, too scared to face Zhou Yanhui, ran back to her own home in tears.

Mu Ruo returned just in time to see Zhou Niannian running out of the house, crying. Puzzled, she pulled a servant aside to ask what had happened. The servant, disheartened by the fact that all the household staff were about to be dismissed because of Zhou Niannian, spilled the details of what she had done.

Mu Ruo: “…”

What defines a true warrior? This is a true warrior.

Others might go solo against one tough enemy; she was taking on multiple challenges at once.

Realizing the chaotic state of the Fu family, Mu Ruo knew that any misstep could lead to disaster. She decided to go to Fu Jianzhi’s room and wait there alone.

A few moments later, Fu Jianzhi walked in.

Mu Ruo lifted her gaze slightly.

Today, he was dressed sharply in a suit, but now he had loosened his tie, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, giving him a somewhat disheveled, rebellious look.

Mu Ruo sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Reflecting on it, Zhou Niannian’s actions had inadvertently provided Fu Jianzhi with the moral high ground, giving him the perfect opportunity to overhaul the Fu family’s old estate.

Fu Jianzhi was the type to act decisively. Once he saw an opportunity, he would seize it, conquering everything in his path and bringing it all under his control.

However, the effects of the drug were still lingering in Fu Jianzhi’s system.

The fact that such incidents kept happening to him made him find the situation almost laughable.

He had won a significant battle.

But Fu Jianzhi did not feel any joy from it.

He was someone whose threshold for excitement was always set very high.

It wasn’t until he saw Mu Ruo that he finally felt a slight spark of interest.