Chapter 23.1

◎ A Slap in the Face ◎

After the event, Liao Yazhe drove Fan Qi home.

“Congratulations, the young mistress of the Liu family!” Liao Yazhe joked.

“Are you crazy?” Fan Qi retorted.

Liao Yazhe looked at her sideways. “Are you really upset? I thought you were just…”

“You thought I was putting on an act? You thought I didn’t want Feng Xueming to offer a higher bid, playing hard to get?” Fan Qi stared at him. “Do you think I can’t support myself and am so desperate to be someone’s young mistress?”

“Well, if your husband acknowledges it, I don’t think Liu Xiangnian would give him all his wealth. But whatever slips through his fingers would be enough to fill most people’s bellies,” Liao Yazhe added, “I’m just being honest.”

“I’m divorcing him,” Fan Qi said. “I was going to divorce him anyway, and I’ll use this opportunity to finish it once and for all.”

“No way! You’re divorcing him over something like this?”

“Is this not enough? This is about dignity. Can money justify insulting our ancestors? He’s a member of the Chen family, and he wants to suck up to that scumbag who betrayed his grandmother. If I don’t divorce him, should I just wait for the New Year?”

“Actually, this kind of thing is quite common. They stopped taking concubines only a few decades ago, right? Many wealthy men have multiple wives. If your husband returns, he’s the grandson of the first wife. The second wife’s son died many years ago, so it’s only natural for Feng Xueming to inherit. Even if your husband isn’t trained by Liu Xiangnian himself and doesn’t get all the assets, he’ll still get a fair share,” Liao Yazhe explained rationally.

Fan Qi snorted. “Does this concern me? To me, a hundred million is enough. As long as I don’t pursue an extravagant life, I should have financial freedom, right? Earning that amount is just a matter of time. In Shanghai, we say: ‘It’s better to have your own than rely on your parents.’ I don’t care how he thinks, but I will never enter the Liu family.”

Liao Yazhe looked at her with newfound respect. So many people were desperate to connect with wealthy families, willing to be the second wife. It wasn’t just actresses in the entertainment industry. Just recently, a lawyer friend of his had a son with a wealthy man, but that man was still single.

Soon, the car reached her doorstep. Fan Qi saw Chen Zhiqian waiting by the street, clearly eager to recognize his wealthy grandfather.

Feng Xueming had described Chen Zhiqian to Liao Yazhe. At this age, with this appearance, Liao Yazhe asked, “Is he your husband?”

“Mm.”

Before Fan Qi could open the car door, Chen Zhiqian came over to open it for her. Fan Qi rolled her eyes.

Before closing the door, Chen Zhiqian nodded to Liao Yazhe as a sign of thanks.

Fan Qi still had a bag of clothes in her hand, and Chen Zhiqian casually took it from her. Once Liao Yazhe’s car drove off, he said, “Let’s go upstairs.”

Fan Qi didn’t give him a good look and kept walking ahead. When they entered the elevator, she saw him holding her bag. She reached out, grabbed it, stepped back, and stood in the corner.

There was one other person in the elevator. He glanced at Fan Qi and then at Chen Zhiqian before stepping out when the doors opened.

Chen Zhiqian said, “Fan Qi, not telling you earlier was my fault.”

“If you want to know something, just ask. No need for beating around the bush. Are you wondering if Liu Xiangnian feels indifferent when he sees this necklace, or if he’s excited?” Fan Qi sneered, “Aren’t you afraid that if you go to him with the necklace, he won’t even acknowledge you? Even if he does, he’ll look down on you. After all, your grandmother severed ties with him long ago. Don’t worry, the outcome is good. He probably cares about you as a grandson. Your goal will be achieved—just put on a little show, give both sides an out, and you’ll become the young master of the Liu family, a dutiful grandson.”

As the elevator doors opened, Chen Zhiqian asked from behind her, “Fan Qi, don’t you want to enter a prestigious family?”

Hearing this, Fan Qi quickened her steps, and her hand shook as she fumbled for the key at the door. When Liao Yazhe asked her this kind of question, she could respond calmly. But when Chen Zhiqian asked it, Fan Qi felt like she was about to explode.

That’s right! Chen Zhiqian was the fictional character she liked. How could he be so spineless? Her idealized image of him had shattered.

Chen Zhiqian took out his keys and opened the door, smiling as he said, “Let’s talk inside.”

“Talk about what?” Fan Qi entered the house, unable to suppress her anger. “I thought you didn’t want me to act in that kind of film because you genuinely cared about me. But in reality, it’s just your outdated thinking, and you’re afraid I’ll embarrass you. Even if I were to act in a stripping movie, I’d be stripping off my own clothes. You going to acknowledge Liu Xiangnian is like performing a striptease on your grandmother’s grave. Do you think she’d be proud of you? What a piece of trash!”

Chen Zhiqian closed the door, reached out to grab her, and still wore that smile. “Fan Qi, have you ever met my grandmother?”

Fan Qi looked at him as though he were telling the biggest joke in the world. “Just because I haven’t met her doesn’t mean I can’t speak for her. Doesn’t mean I can’t empathize with her. Let go of my arm.”

“Let me explain.”

At this moment, Fan Qi was boiling with anger, feeling a deep sense of disappointment now that her fondness for him had faded. How dare he still hold her arm? She was smaller in strength and couldn’t break free. In her frustration, she turned and slapped him hard across the face.

The unexpected slap finally made Chen Zhiqian release her. Fan Qi’s palm burned with pain, and she didn’t want to listen to his excuses. “I’m not interested in your so-called reasons. I’m just as good at making up stories as you are. At the auction, I already helped you save face, so I’ve done my part. Once I pass my stockbroker exam, we’ll go back to Shanghai and finalize the divorce. You enter the rich family, I enter the stock market. We’ll be strangers from then on.”

Chen Zhiqian looked at her, like a fire-breathing dragon in a fury. “Fan Qi, do you know about Fanyuan?”

“I’ve heard of it. Don’t tell me you’re recognizing Liu Xiangnian to get Fanyuan back. If your grandmother knew you were calling him ‘Grandfather,’ she’d be crying in her grave,” Fan Qi looked at him coldly. “Please, don’t come here to disgust me.”

She pushed open the door to her room and looked at the small bed. Even when she was with a stranger, sharing a bed with him hadn’t felt awkward. But now, it made her feel disgusted. She had eighty thousand Hong Kong dollars in her account, and with the stock market going up, her future was secure. She could just go to a hotel outside. Stay in a hotel tonight, find a place tomorrow.

As she looked down at the necklace around her neck, she took it off and shoved it into Chen Zhiqian’s hand. “This is from your grandmother, but think about it—do you even deserve to hold it?”

She grabbed a bag and started packing her things. Chen Zhiqian took the necklace from her and said, “The ‘fan’ in Fanyuan means simplicity from complexity. Back then, when mainland China was in chaos, my great-grandfather sent someone to set up a flour mill in Hong Kong and sent my grandmother here. She had studied under a Norwegian designer in Shanghai. During the war, the designer came to Hong Kong, and under their guidance, Fanyuan was my grandmother’s first project. She and Liu Xiangnian got married there.”

Fan Qi stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him. Chen Zhiqian continued, “Fan Qi, I’m proud to be the great-grandson of Chen Jicang and the grandson of Chen Wanyin…”

Chen Zhiqian continued talking about his grandmother’s return to mainland China. It was mostly gossip that Fan Qi had heard from Sister Xiang, but he emphasized that his grandmother had hoped Liu Xiangnian would go to Chongqing because she was pregnant.

“Grandmother hoped he would go, but when he didn’t, she didn’t force him. After all, this was a matter of life and death.”

“And then?” Fan Qi had heard these parts from Sister Xiang, but she wanted to know what happened next.

Chen Zhiqian came forward, took the bag from her hands, and placed the necklace in her hand. “Put it in a box. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the bank and rent a safe to store it.”

Fan Qi watched as Chen Zhiqian took out the clothes from the bag she had packed and started hanging them up again.

Fan Qi grew anxious. She had heard enough of what had already been said; she just wanted to hear the next part. “Damn, why are you stopping halfway?”

Chen Zhiqian finished hanging the clothes, saw her holding the necklace, and said, “Put the necklace away. Didn’t you say you wanted to eat Xian Du Xian? Let me get it for you.”

This jerk really knew how to tease. Fan Qi followed him into the living room. She took a box out of her bag and placed the necklace inside. Then she realized something—why did she believe what he said? She had made up her mind not to trust him, but now, she was listening to him?

She turned around and saw him holding a bowl, placing it on the table. It was a bowl of Xian Du Xian, looking incredibly fresh. Maybe she should try a bite first?

Unable to resist the temptation in her stomach, Fan Qi sat down and took a spoonful of soup. Hmm! It tasted just like she remembered.

Chen Zhiqian continued talking, and Fan Qi listened.

Her grandmother had learned that Liu Xiangnian allowed that woman and child to move into her Fanyuan, and she also learned that during the occupation of Hong Kong, Liu Xiangnian was one of the first to sell his factory to the Japanese. It was then that she decided to divorce him.

However, by then, Liu Xiangnian had been operating his business in Hong Kong for many years. During the Japanese occupation, his early capitulation minimized his losses. After the Japanese withdrew, Hong Kong was in shambles and in dire need of recovery. Liu Xiangnian brought in food supplies, playing a crucial role in reviving the local market. He made a huge profit in the process, and his business had expanded several times over by the time her grandmother left.

Grandmother didn’t want to deal with him further and didn’t want to take advantage of him. She divided the assets clearly and reclaimed Fanyuan, but returning to Fanyuan had become too painful. She decided to sell it off and leave Hong Kong.