Chapter 36 – His True Face: Cold and Ugly

When Fu Zhiqing saw Fu Yanci suddenly appear, the gloom in her eyes vanished instantly.

Her eyes turned red as she looked at Fu Yanci with a face full of grievance. Her sharp tone from earlier in the hospital room was gone, replaced by a pitiful softness:
“Brother! I ended up like this all because of Ruan Liuzheng!”

“When you get back, you must stand up for me and teach her a lesson.”

Fu Yanci frowned as he looked at her swollen face, his dark eyes filled with disbelief.
“Ruan Liuzheng?!”

“Zhiqing, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

Ruan Liuzheng loved him deeply. Even though she had been a bit rebellious recently, Fu Yanci didn’t believe she could fall out of love so quickly.
It was just some petty jealousy, nothing serious.

He pursed his lips slightly, his brows furrowed.

Besides, Ruan Liuzheng would never lay a hand on Zhiqing.

She knew his boundaries well. Even if she wanted his attention, she’d always maintain a sense of proportion. She would never go too far.

Otherwise…

The corners of Fu Yanci’s mouth curled up slightly as he looked at Zhiqing with confidence.

There was no “otherwise” — Ruan Liuzheng would never dare anger him.

He turned to Zhiqing and said,
“Don’t joke, Zhiqing. Tell me the truth. Who really bullied you? I’ll take care of it for you.”

His voice was gentle, coaxing her as if speaking to a misbehaving child.

In truth, he hadn’t believed a single word Zhiqing just said.

Zhiqing stomped her foot angrily, frowning.
“I’m not joking! It was Ruan Liuzheng! Brother, don’t you believe me?”

Fu Yanci sighed, his expression helpless.
“Zhiqing, stop it. Between you and Ruan Liuzheng, haven’t you always been the one bullying her?”

“Brother… so you knew?” Zhiqing looked at him in shock.

Her once arrogant demeanor in front of Ruan Liuzheng immediately vanished. She mumbled softly, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.

Ruan Liuzheng was his legally married wife. Zhiqing had always picked on her behind the scenes, afraid that her brother would find out.

Because when Fu Yanci got angry, he was actually quite scary.

Besides, embarrassing Ruan Liuzheng in front of her brother would be equivalent to disgracing him in public — something Zhiqing was always careful not to do.

But now… her brother had known all along?

Zhiqing bit her lip, not daring to think further.

“What do you mean ‘why’? Zhiqing, you’re my biological sister. As long as you’re not being bullied, that’s all I care about. What happens to others isn’t my concern.”

Fu Yanci gently rubbed her head. A faint gleam flashed through his pitch-black eyes.

His true face was cold and ugly.

If Ruan Liuzheng had witnessed this scene, she might’ve slapped Fu Yanci too.

One slap for each sibling — neither of them any better than the other.

But unfortunately, Ruan Liuzheng wasn’t present and knew nothing about their conversation.

Zhiqing, reassured by Fu Yanci’s words, felt more confident again.

Sniffling, she said,
“Brother, I’m serious. It was really Ruan Liuzheng who hit me. And not just that — she’s even keeping a secret lover behind your back!”

“After hitting me, she let that man throw me out of the department store — in front of so many people! Brother, you have to get revenge for me. I’ve never been so humiliated!”

Hearing this repeated accusation, Fu Yanci thought back to Ruan Liuzheng’s recent behavior. The certainty in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by deep concern.

“Zhiqing…”

Just as he began to speak, the door to the hospital room suddenly opened from inside.

Bai Wanqing stood at the doorway in her blue-and-white striped hospital gown, her complexion pale.

When she saw Fu Yanci, her eyes naturally curved into a smile.
“Yanci, you’ve finished fetching the hot water — why didn’t you come in? I…”

“Wanqing-jie!” Zhiqing interrupted her, eyes lighting up with joy as she ran toward her — only to be stopped by Fu Yanci.

Wanqing showed no displeasure at being interrupted. She looked at Zhiqing with gentle eyes.
“It’s been a while, Zhiqing.”

Then her gaze fell on Zhiqing’s face, gradually showing concern.
“So it really was you in that video! Are you alright? Did you see a doctor?”

Zhiqing was initially touched by Wanqing’s concern.

But then her attention — and Fu Yanci’s — shifted to what Wanqing had said: video?

Fu Yanci looked at her with puzzled gentleness.
“Wanqing, what video are you talking about?”

Wanqing glanced at Zhiqing with concern, then pulled out her phone.
“This one. You guys didn’t see it?”

“Yanci-ge, you better handle this quickly — the longer it drags, the worse Zhiqing’s reputation will get.”

She handed the phone to Fu Yanci, voice filled with worry.

Fu Yanci lowered his head and silently watched the video. His hand tightened around the phone until his knuckles turned white.

Zhiqing was so anxious she began to cry.

“Brother, what do we do? If Grandpa finds out about this, he’ll never forgive me!”

Old Master Fu cared more about the Fu family’s reputation than anything else. In his eyes, nothing — and no one — came before the family name.

What happened at the department store was scandalous enough. If Grandpa found out… he might even invoke the family rules to punish her.

Zhiqing panicked even more at the thought.

After watching the video in silence, Fu Yanci’s expression turned dark.

He hadn’t expected it to really be Ruan Liuzheng who slapped her — and those two men beside her…

His eyes turned cold.

He took a deep breath and returned the phone to Wanqing. Then he turned to Zhiqing.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. This won’t reach Grandpa’s ears.”

“Stay here and keep Wanqing company. I have to go back to the office.”

After giving these instructions, he walked over to Wanqing, gently kissed her forehead, and said warmly,
“Wait for me.”

Wanqing nodded. “Okay.”

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Yuelan Huafu (Luxury Residence)

After returning home, Ruan Liuzheng set up an easel by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. She quietly sketched the high-rise buildings before her and the sun sinking into the horizon.

This was her habit.

Whenever she faced something difficult or confusing, she liked to sit in front of her easel and sketch the view. It calmed her heart and pushed away worldly distractions.

A few minutes later, she finished the last stroke and smiled softly as she admired her work.

A bit of paint had gotten on her face, but it didn’t take away from her beauty.

Her long hair cascaded down her back. Her lips curved into a faint smile. Her cool features were lit by the golden-orange glow of sunset.

As she lowered her gaze, her lashes fluttered like butterflies dancing.

Beautiful and unaware of it.

Suddenly, the quiet was broken by a ringing phone. She got up, walked to the coffee table, and answered the call.

“Liuzheng! You need to check the trending searches right now!”

It was Ye Shutong, her voice full of excitement.

Ruan Liuzheng frowned slightly. “What about them?”

Shutong chuckled, a bit proud.
“Did you really slap that arrogant Miss Fu Zhiqing today?”

“Yeah.”

Ruan Liuzheng nodded and walked back to the window, looking down at the tiny scenery below.

In today’s digital age, any small incident can end up online — let alone something that happened in a busy department store.

She had expected it. It didn’t surprise her.

Shutong, still chattering, said,
“Finally! You’re starting to act like the Ruan Liuzheng I know. Watching you slap Zhiqing was so satisfying. But… who were those two men with you?”

Suddenly, her tone shifted.

Ruan Liuzheng paused, then said calmly,
“They’re just friends — for now. Did you call just to gossip?”

They were not the type to gossip, even though Shutong worked in the entertainment industry.

Sure enough, Shutong fell quiet for a moment.
“Not exactly. I got a ticket to a painting exhibition from a sponsor just now. Interested?”

“You really think I need to attend those boring exhibitions?” Ruan Liuzheng replied coolly.

She’d rather stay home and paint than waste time at ordinary art shows.

There was a touch of arrogance in her tone — but it was grounded in reality. Most shows simply didn’t interest her.

Even the sponsors Shutong dealt with were businessmen focused on profit. Their events held value, but nothing exceptional.

Shutong chuckled lightly and wasn’t offended.

They’d known each other for years — she knew Liuzheng was just stating facts.

“…What if I told you it’s Wen Jiming’s exhibition?”

Ruan Liuzheng froze.

Wen Jiming was a legendary figure in the art world — and one of the few people Ruan Liuzheng admired. He was her idol.

Tickets to his shows were almost impossible to get. If she could attend, she might even meet him in person.

She fell silent.

Her hand trembled slightly with excitement as she held the phone. After a long pause, she asked,
“Are you serious?”