Chapter 82: Litchi, Come Back with Me

Ruan Li almost thought she was hallucinating from not seeing Fu Huaizhou for so long otherwise, why would she hear his voice calling her name?

Instinctively, she looked up, following the direction of the voice.

And there he was, the person she hadn’t seen for a while, miraculously appearing right in front of her. He looked thinner, more worn down.

Fu Huaizhou saw the surprise in her eyes. He took a step forward, but Ruan Li quickly tugged at the corner of the shirt beside her, hiding behind Shi Mu.

“Brother…” she whispered.

Shi Mu noticed her movement, lowering his head to ask softly, “Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Shi Xun also sensed something was off. Hearing the footsteps, he looked up and saw who had arrived, blurting out, “Third Brother?”

The situation was spiraling out of control. Shi Mu turned to meet Fu Huaizhou’s gaze from a distance, tension crackling in the air. He placed himself between Ruan Li and the intense stare directed at her.

“Brother?” Fu Huaizhou couldn’t hold back his question. He hadn’t missed the way Ruan Li leaned trustingly on Shi Mu or the way she had called him “brother.”

He had imagined many scenarios before arriving. Maybe Ruan Li would have aborted the child in anger; maybe there would be another man by her side. But this scene—he had not anticipated it.

Shi Xun, sensing the dangerous atmosphere between Fu Huaizhou and Shi Mu, tried to lighten the mood.

“Long time no see, Third Brother,” he said, a bit awkwardly, gesturing toward Ruan Li. “Let me introduce someone important—our long-lost little sister. We just found her not long ago. Isn’t it quite the surprise?”

Unfortunately, his attempt to ease the tension fell flat. No one reacted, and Shi Xun withdrew his hand in embarrassment.

“Sister?” Fu Huaizhou was stunned. He had no idea there was a story like this involving the Shi family. His gaze fell sharply on Shi Mu. He recalled how, when he was investigating Ruan Li’s background, Shi Mu had offered to help, claiming he had connections. Because of their longstanding friendship, he had trusted Shi Mu completely. He’d even handed over a sample to aid in the search.

Turns out the clues were already there, and yet no one had informed him.

Fine.

Fu Huaizhou’s emotions were in turmoil—part shock, part anger at having been kept in the dark, yet also a sense of relief. Relief that she had found her family, that the wish she mentioned that night had finally come true, even if it wasn’t he who had made it happen.

“Congratulations, Litchi,” he said, voice rough, his gaze fixed on the girl behind Shi Mu.

“Litchi, come back with me.”

“There’s a misunderstanding between us. I’ll explain everything,” he urged.

Ruan Li frowned. Even though she now knew that Fu Huaizhou had been out investigating her past, she couldn’t forget how lonely, curious, confused, and doubtful she had felt, carrying a child alone during the period when rumors of his arranged marriage were rampant.

“I don’t want to,” she said, stubbornly, her voice carrying a hint of grievance.

Why did Fu Huaizhou get to decide what was a misunderstanding? Why should she go back with him just because he said so? It wasn’t like they had any substantial relationship.

A flicker of pain crossed Fu Huaizhou’s face. These past few days, he had hardly slept, searching desperately for any trace of Ruan Li. On nights when he hit dead ends, he had even harbored possessive thoughts, imagining he’d keep her tightly by his side once he found her, never letting her run off on her own again.

But now, seeing her in person, he realized he couldn’t do that.

He only wanted to step forward and pull her tightly into his arms, to finally soothe his frantic heart.

Shi Mu remained a barrier between them, his voice calm and cold.

“Fu, you misspoke,” he said. “Little Li is now my sister, part of my family. Her home is with us. If she’s going back, it’s not with you.”

“You’re overestimating your importance,” he added coolly.

Fu Huaizhou’s gaze shifted to Ruan Li’s slightly rounded belly. “Litchi, we still have our child. Don’t be stubborn. Do whatever you want afterward, but don’t leave now.”

Ruan Li placed a protective hand over her stomach. He had no right to talk about their child. Hadn’t he been the one who said he didn’t want a baby?

“We can raise the child ourselves,” Shi Mu cut in, not giving Fu Huaizhou a chance to sway her.

With that, he helped Ruan Li turn away from the lawn and head back towards the hospital building.

Fu Huaizhou took a step forward, blocking their path, his eyes red-rimmed, his whole demeanor tense.

“What if I refuse to let you leave?” he asked in a low, dangerous tone.

Ruan Li was startled by his intensity, her fingers clutching Shi Mu’s clothes instinctively.

Noticing her discomfort, Fu Huaizhou’s fierce expression softened.

Shi Mu’s eyes were cold, his arm protectively around Ruan Li. “You can try,” he challenged.

With Ruan Li pregnant, no one dared make any sudden moves.

As they made their way inside, Shi Xun glanced back at Fu Huaizhou, caught in a dilemma. He liked having Ruan Li around at home, but he also wouldn’t mind a happy family reunion if she chose Fu Huaizhou.

“Good luck, Third Brother,” he said finally, sensing a strange melancholy around Fu Huaizhou almost like that of a grieving widower.

Watching them disappear inside, Fu Huaizhou felt a sinking feeling. The situation was more complicated than he had anticipated. He looked down at Shi Xun, who had remained in a wheelchair despite being in perfect health before.

“What happened to you?” he asked.

Shi Xun smiled nonchalantly. “Nothing serious, just a minor surgery. I’m more interested in seeing how things play out between you and my brother, so don’t worry about me.”

As they vanished into the building, Fu Huaizhou stood alone on the lawn. His assistant, who had been frozen in shock for some time, finally approached.

“What should we do now, Sir?” he asked hesitantly. The revelation that Miss Ruan was the Shi family’s long-lost daughter was a game changer, and it would make winning her back almost impossible. Two protective older brothers were no small hurdle.

“Stay here,” Fu Huaizhou said quietly. “It’s a hospital there’s no reason I can’t stay, too.”

“But Sir Shi seems to have a lot of influence here,” his assistant pointed out, worried.

Fu Huaizhou’s gaze turned icy. “Invest in the hospital. Spare no expense.”

The assistant nodded in stunned agreement. Never before had he heard Fu Huaizhou say “spare no expense.” A business genius like him never made a move without calculating the cost—except when it came to Ruan Li.

She was the unexpected variable in his perfectly planned life.