Chapter 11 : Storm

On the weekend, Jiang Yunshu accompanied Xu Shuping to an auction.

As soon as they sat down, Xu Shuping handed Jiang Yunshu the auction catalog. “Xiao Shu, take a look and see if there’s anything you like.”

“I don’t need anything,” Jiang Yunshu replied. “You see if there’s something you like, and I can help you bid on it.”

Xu Shuping smiled broadly. “Ever since you became pregnant, I haven’t had the chance to give you a gift. This time, I’m picking one out just for you.”

Not only could Xu Shuping afford anything in the auction, but Jiang Yunshu also didn’t want to refuse her kindness. She took the catalog and flipped through it. “You’re spoiling me again.”

Xu Shuping sighed. “Xiao Shu, I really appreciate you. Chengze is so stubborn, and he always sticks to his word. When he said he didn’t want children, he was just being stubborn, blaming me for making him fight for the position of heir to the Fu family against his older brother. Plus, he’s never been fond of children. Not long ago, I thought the Fu family would be without heirs. How could I not be anxious?”

Jiang Yunshu nodded silently.

“Xiao Shu, don’t be angry with me for putting pressure on you. If I had pressured Chengze directly, he would have probably stopped caring about the company and just gone off to fly planes.”

Jiang Yunshu spoke gently. “Mom, don’t worry. Chengze will never do that. When Grandpa passed, he entrusted him with the responsibility of leading the group, and he won’t let Grandpa down.”

Xu Shuping smiled, a hint of pride in her tone. “That’s true. Since Chengze took over, the company has really entered a new phase and is doing quite well.”

She then switched topics, still frustrated. “I just don’t get it. Chengze is just as capable, if not more so, than his older brother. But the Fu family made it clear they wanted his older brother to inherit everything. As for Chengze, I never let him cheat or steal, I just wanted him to fairly fight for it, yet in the end, I became the villain.”

Jiang Yunshu listened as Xu Shuping vented, occasionally agreeing or offering a mild contradiction when she disagreed.

Luckily, the auction soon began, and Jiang Yunshu finally had some peace and quiet.

At this auction, most of the items had a high starting bid, but there wasn’t anything that particularly caught Jiang Yunshu’s eye, though she did notice a jade and diamond brooch that piqued her interest, a pleasant surprise.

After the auction, Mrs. Lu, who was sitting in the back, came over to greet Xu Shuping.

“Mrs. Fu, what a coincidence.”

“Oh, I thought I recognized you, but I didn’t see you earlier,” Xu Shuping responded with a smile. “Did you come to the auction too?”

“We came a bit late, and our seats were further back,” Mrs. Lu explained.

Yan Siyao, following Mrs. Lu, noticed Jiang Yunshu and kept a polite smile, though inwardly, she sneered.

“Hello, Mrs. Fu,” she said, addressing only Xu Shuping.

Jiang Yunshu ignored Yan Siyao and greeted Mrs. Lu.

Mrs. Lu smiled back. “Yunshu, you must come over to our house sometime. Grandma Lu really likes you. After she saw you on that judging show, she came back and praised you.”

Jiang Yunshu smiled. “I will, definitely. I’ll pay a visit when I have the chance.”

Seeing that Xu Shuping looked in good spirits, Mrs. Lu, noticing her joy, leaned closer and asked, “Yunshu, are you still taking the herbal medicine?”

Xu Shuping lowered her voice a little. “It’s funny, I just got the prescription from you, and Xiao Shu is pregnant now.”

“Really? Congratulations, Mrs. Fu!” Mrs. Lu exclaimed. “Such big news, why didn’t you mention it before?”

Xu Shuping beamed. “I didn’t want to announce it in the first three months.”

Mrs. Lu nodded eagerly. “Once you’re past this stage, you have to treat us to a nice meal.”

“Definitely, definitely,” Xu Shuping said.

Yan Siyao glanced at Jiang Yunshu’s belly, her jealousy flaring. She felt extremely displeased.

After accompanying Mrs. Lu back home, Yan Siyao immediately called up a few friends to go out drinking.

At the bar, Yan Siyao maliciously vented, then opened her phone and saw the local trending topics. With a sneer, she thought, “This little bit of attention isn’t enough. Time to fan the flames.”

—

Jiang Yunshu, after dinner with Xu Shuping, received a message from Li Ran Yi on the way back to the Fu family estate.

Her phone pinged several times. Jiang Yunshu took out her phone to take a look.

【Yunshu, check the trending topics!】

【Your husband’s scandal!!!】

【Is there really no one left in the entertainment industry? Your husband’s single-handedly taken down the whole industry! It’s blowing up!】

【What the hell! Someone’s even leaked your pregnancy?】

【What?! Cheating during pregnancy?!】

【Yunshu, stay calm. Your health is the most important. Don’t get too upset while you’re pregnant!】

Before Jiang Yunshu could click the link, she saw that Li Ran Yi had retracted the message.

Li Ran Yi didn’t want her to see it.

Jiang Yunshu calmly opened the app. The top trending topic was: “Fu Chengze, CEO of Fu Corporation, meets a woman late at night at the airport.”

She clicked on the entry, and it showed a somewhat blurry photo.

She could easily identify Fu Chengze’s figure, though the woman beside him was wearing a hat and mask, so her face was unclear. They seemed to be maintaining a safe distance.

Scrolling down, another headline caught her eye: “Fu Chengze caught cheating during wife’s pregnancy.”

The popular entry linked to video clips of her previous public appearances, accompanied by captions praising her beauty and charm, while lamenting that she had “bad luck with men.”

Before the car had even reached the Fu family estate, Xu Shuping had already received a call from the media asking for confirmation about Jiang Yunshu’s pregnancy.

“We will make an official announcement when the time is right. Thank you for your concern,” Xu Shuping replied, hanging up and grumbling, “The media these days are becoming like paparazzi. How did they get my contact information? I could sue them for invasion of privacy.”

Before she could finish, another call came in, this time asking her if Fu Chengze had cheated during his wife’s pregnancy.

Xu Shuping lost her patience and yelled a few insults before hanging up.

“What’s wrong with them? I’ll contact my lawyer and sue for defamation!”

When she turned to Jiang Yunshu, who was looking at her phone, she quickly reassured her.

“Xiao Shu, don’t worry. These people are just causing trouble. Chengze won’t hurt you.”

Jiang Yunshu put away her phone. “Mom, I’m fine. I trust Chengze.”

Xu Shuping, still uneasy about Jiang Yunshu, worried she might get upset and harm the baby.

“Don’t rush. I’ll call Chengze and let him explain it to you himself.”

Jiang Yunshu stopped her. “Mom, let’s not trouble Chengze. He will handle it. I know you’re worried, but do I look like someone who would be upset by this?”

Xu Shuping looked at her daughter, calm and composed, and sighed in relief. “Alright.”

When they arrived at the Fu family estate, Jiang Yunshu replied to Li Ran Yi’s message.

【I’m fine, don’t worry about me.】

【We’ll talk more once this is all sorted.】

Li Ran Yi, who had been surfing through the trending topics, read Jiang Yunshu’s message and after some hesitation, replied with a simple “Good.”

She wasn’t worried about Jiang Yunshu. She had a calm temperament, and rumors like these, especially without evidence, wouldn’t bother her.

But now, she was worried about Gu Jingyan. He would definitely rush to defend his friend. Back in high school, he had once beat up a boy who had deceived her and even got in trouble for it.

She figured that after hanging up the phone earlier, he was probably on his way to the Fu Corporation building.

The situation was already messy. It was best not to tell Yunshu about it just yet.