Chapter 70: Two Lines

The two previously aggressive individuals were suddenly shocked when they heard Fu Huaizhou’s words. However, Ruan Sheng quickly composed himself, raising his head to look at the tall man standing in front of him.

“What do you mean by that, President Fu? My daughter got drunk at a Fu family party and found out she was pregnant later. Now that she’s had a miscarriage, why is there a need for a paternity test? Are you looking down on the Ruan family?”

Fu Huaizhou’s expression remained unchanged, his demeanor calm as ever. “The test is already underway. If President Ruan has any concerns, we can discuss them later.”

The once noisy hospital corridor fell silent. Leaning against Fu Huaizhou, Ruan Li lifted her eyes slightly to glance at Ruan Sheng and Zhou Min. Their faces had turned pale they seemed to realize the results wouldn’t go in their favor.

It was astonishing they dared to pull such a stunt.

Fu Xingchuan buried his face in his hands. Seeing the composed look on Fu Huaizhou’s face, it was clear to everyone what the outcome would be.

Earlier, when the doctor had arrived, Fu Huaizhou had ordered someone to expedite the test results. By the time night fell, someone finally returned with the news.

Sitting next to Ruan Li, Fu Huaizhou pulled her closer. The doctor handed him the results directly.

“President Fu, here is what you requested.”

Fu Huaizhou flipped to the last page and skimmed the results. As expected, they confirmed his suspicions. He raised his gaze to look at Ruan Sheng.

“Now, it’s your turn to give me an explanation.” His voice was cold and commanding, allowing no dissent.

Ruan Sheng still tried to argue, grabbing the report. “There must be something wrong with this result. It has to be! Your family must be trying to back out of the engagement and causing trouble on purpose.”

Ruan Li frowned at his words. It was clear Ruan Sheng understood he had offended the Fu family, and a good outcome was unlikely. He had nothing to lose by tearing off the facade.

Ruan Sheng’s gaze landed on Ruan Li. “And her! It’s her fault Ruan Shu is in that hospital bed. She owes us compensation! No one’s getting away with this!”

“She fell on her own.” Ruan Li’s frown deepened. “I can easily prove with evidence from the Fu household that she tried to frame me. Do you have any proof I pushed her?”

Ruan Sheng was at a loss for words.

Fu Huaizhou spoke up just in time. “I don’t care whose child it was. The results are clear now, and there’s no reason for us to offer compensation. As for Ruan Li, she’s with me. You won’t lay a finger on her.”

After saying this, he helped Ruan Li to her feet and began to leave, with Fu Xingchuan trailing behind in a daze.

The three of them left the hospital. Fu Huaizhou opened the car door and let Ruan Li in first, but Fu Xingchuan stopped him before he could follow.

“Uncle…”

Fu Huaizhou turned to look at him. “What are you planning now?”

“Did the family already know that Ruan Shu set everything up from the beginning?” Fu Xingchuan had only just started to piece things together. Why else would the family have been so indifferent, even cold, towards Ruan Shu?

Fu Huaizhou nodded slightly. “You only learn by facing setbacks. Unless you hit a wall, you’ll never gain clarity and turn back.”

He paused. “Now, you should go abroad.”

Fu Xingchuan looked surprised. “What do you mean, Uncle?”

“I have a small company in the UK that’s been unmonitored since I returned. Take some funds and go manage it. If you lose money, there’s no need to come back.”

Fu Huaizhou’s gaze was steady. Only in a foreign land, pressured by challenges, could Fu Xingchuan truly grow.

“If you stay in Beijing, you’ll never mature.”

Fu Xingchuan hesitated. He used to travel the world frequently, but this was different—there wouldn’t be unlimited funds, no servants to cater to his needs, and he would have targets to hit.

After some thought, he nodded. “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

“I’ll arrange someone to take you home,” Fu Huaizhou said, getting into the car. Ruan Li, already in the passenger seat, was fast asleep likely exhausted by the day’s events.

---

When Ruan Li woke up the next day, the bed beside her was empty. She picked up her phone to check the time; it was nearly noon, and Fu Huaizhou had probably left for work.

She flipped through recent news on her phone, catching a headline mentioning the return of “Ming Family’s Heiress to Beijing.” She only skimmed it before swiping it away.

Just then, Chen Jing’s call came in.

“I’ve got a few scripts and two variety show offers. Should I send them over for you to look at?”

Ruan Li rubbed her eyes lazily. “Sure, send them over. I’ll pick something. I’ve been feeling so sleepy lately, like I need to hibernate.”

Chen Jing teased, “It’s only autumn! You’re just getting lazy. Watch your figure, ancestor it’s easy to gain autumn weight!”

“I won’t get fat!”

After hanging up, Ruan Li got up to wash up and went to the walk-in closet. She noticed the scale and decided to weigh herself. To her shock, she was nearing her all time heaviest weight.

Panicking, she paced around the room like a frantic ant, finally opening a drawer to look for some weight-loss snacks she had bought previously. The moment she opened it, she caught a strong fishy smell like cat food.

It turned out the bags had gotten mixed up when tidying. Normally, the smell wouldn’t bother her, but now it felt overwhelmingly pungent, making her gag. She leaned on the drawer, retching for a while until the nausea subsided.

Sitting on the carpet, she thought back to Ruan Shu’s incident. A thought struck her, and she remembered that cake advertisement she had never reacted to sweets like this before.

Her heart pounded, and she fumbled through the medicine cabinet. The housekeeper had always kept it well-stocked, and she remembered seeing a pregnancy test last time.

She had joked with the housekeeper, saying, “When will this ever be useful?”

How naïve she’d been.

Pulling out the test, Ruan Li sat on the toilet, reading the instructions carefully with trembling hands.

Minutes later, she sat frozen, unable to stand. Staring at the two red lines, she was stunned.

“How…?” She frowned, placing a hand on her stomach. They had always taken precautions.

Suddenly, she recalled that one night in the hotel bathroom things had gotten intense, and while they were careful on the bed and the sofa, she couldn’t remember if they had been in the bathroom.

At the time, she had laughed it off surely one mistake wouldn’t lead to anything.

Ruan Li sat in the bathroom for a long time. She wasn’t ready to be a mother. There were still so many unresolved matters between her and Fu Huaizhou. It didn’t seem like the right time.

Knowing pregnancy tests could be inaccurate, and for the sake of her health, she needed to go to the hospital for confirmation. She called Fu Huaizhou.

The phone rang for a long time. He usually answered right away, so he must have been in a meeting.

After a while, the call finally connected, and Ruan Li tried to keep her voice steady.

“Fu Huaizhou, are you busy right now? Can you come pick me up from the Yuyuan residence?”

There was noise on the other end, and his voice sounded hurried.

“Lizhi, I’m tied up at the moment. Can I have the driver take you instead?”