Chapter 46: First Meeting

When she entered, this book was still being serialized.

Wen Nian had a habit—she usually only read completed novels.

For ongoing serials, if she liked the story, she would just put them on her bookshelf, waiting until she had collected enough or until the story finished to binge-read them all at once.

So she had only skimmed a few chapters of this novel.

It was mainly because the female supporting character shared the same name as her that she glanced a little more.

Such a high-quality man definitely wasn’t some unknown extra.

Could he be the second male lead?

The author was truly a caring “mom.”

One Lu Hanzheng wasn’t enough; she also gave the female lead this outstanding second male lead.

“Cousin, aren’t you in Shanghai? When did you come back?”

Ding Xinyi saw someone familiar and stopped quarreling with Wen Nian.

She walked forward with a look of delight.

Fu Yansheng didn’t reply.

He stared with interest at the girl closest to him.

A flash of amazement crossed his eyes.

She wore a long white dress; her long hair was braided with a pale green ribbon and loosely draped over one shoulder.

A delicate oval face, eyes sparkling like rippling water, long curled lashes.

Her eyes shimmered like autumn waters, and when she looked over, it seemed to tell endless emotions.

Her skin was fair and delicate, her figure graceful.

The white dress made her look pure and charming.

They say beauty comes from the bone, not just the skin.

This girl was not only pretty on the surface, but her bone structure was superior.

Wen Nian was shocked when she heard the word “cousin.”

No matter how you looked at it, Ding Xinyi—such a clueless girl—and the man in front of her didn’t seem like family at all.

The car door opened, and first to get out was a pair of long legs clad in a military uniform.

The man was tall, comparable to Lu Hanzheng.

No shoulder insignia was worn, so Wen Nian couldn’t tell his rank.

But just standing there, he exuded an inexplicable sense of pressure.

Wen Nian clicked her tongue—are all soldiers in this era this imposing?

The man’s narrow, fox-like eyes were half-closed, with the outer corners slightly raised.

He spoke to Ding Xinyi,

“Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

Ding Xinyi immediately grabbed Wen Xue,

Pushed her in front of Fu Yansheng.

“Cousin, this is Wen Xue. She’s currently working as a housekeeper at Aunt’s place. Xue’er, this is my cousin, Fu Yansheng.”

Wen Xue smiled, seeming a bit excited.

Nervously, she extended her right hand.

“Hello, Chief of Staff Fu!”

Fu Yansheng furrowed his brows, lightly touched her fingertips, then withdrew immediately.

He had just arrived in the capital city yesterday.

The official transfer order from Shanghai to the capital hadn’t been issued yet.

How did she know about that?

He quickly realized she worked as a housekeeper in the Fu family, so it was possible she knew.

Wen Nian watched the two finish shaking hands; Wen Xue’s face had turned bright red.

She was suspicious.

Was Wen Xue already interested in Fu Yansheng?

Switching affections so fast?

Fine.

As long as she didn’t try anything with her boyfriend, everything else was negotiable.

Ding Xinyi kept pulling Wen Xue to introduce her, deliberately ignoring Wen Nian standing aside.

Fu Yansheng glanced back and forth between Ding Xinyi and Wen Nian.

He quickly understood.

His cousin valued appearance above all.

Her heart was as small as a needle tip.

She was angry she couldn’t even outshine the other girl’s dress.

Fu Yansheng shook his head helplessly, then stepped toward Wen Nian and extended his hand first.

“Hello, I’m Fu Yansheng. What’s your name, comrade?”

Before Wen Nian could answer,

Wen Xue quickly stepped forward,

Pushed her aside without a trace,

And linked arms with Fu Yansheng affectionately,

Answering for Wen Nian.

“Chief of Staff Fu, this is my sister Wen Nian. She’s currently living at the Lu family’s.”

Wen Nian coolly shook off Wen Xue’s arm.

She didn’t like too much physical contact with strangers.

But Wen Xue, every time she saw her, always pretended to be close sisters.

She kept telling everyone she lived with the Lu family, implying Wen Nian was clinging to them out of obligation!

Didn’t she realize?

Lu family?

Fu Yansheng paused for a moment.

Then narrowed his handsome fox-like eyes.

So she was the daughter of the man who had once saved the Lu family.

Fu Yansheng had heard about this matter before—back then, Lu Binghuai had even asked his in-laws to help search for the girl.

He hadn’t expected that after all these years, she would actually be found—and to be this stunning on top of it.
It was truly a surprise.

Wen Nian glanced at Wen Xue, who looked visibly nervous, and pressed her lips together.

Afraid she might steal the man from her, huh?

The man in front of her was indeed handsome—but unfortunately, not her type.

She still preferred someone like Lu Hanzheng—cold, restrained, and ascetic.

Wen Nian gave a polite smile and confidently extended her hand to shake the man’s.

“Hello, Comrade Fu, I’m Wen Nian.”

So he was from the Fu family.

Perfect. He’d just come back from Hushi—she could find a chance to ask him about the situation over there.

Fu Yansheng rubbed his fingertips together. That brief handshake just now… the silky-smooth touch still lingered.

This girl’s skin was almost unreal.

And during the handshake, he’d seemed to catch a faint fragrance—
Like white jasmine, subtle yet lingering.

He glanced at the stack of exam papers she was holding and keenly spotted the words on them.

“Comrade Wen, are you still in high school?”

Ding Xinyi sneered as she noticed the practice books in Wen Nian’s arms.

“High school? Her? She’s just some village bumpkin—a complete illiterate. Never been to school in her life! Who’s she trying to fool?”

Fu Yansheng cast a disapproving glance at Ding Xinyi, his long fox-like eyes narrowing slightly.

A country girl?
She didn’t have that kind of air about her.

Wen Xue quickly jumped in, trying to stay relevant.

“My sister used to live in the countryside and didn’t go to school much. She only came to the capital a few months ago and has been living with the Lu family since.”

She turned to look at Wen Nian, eyes filled with disdain.

“Sis, if you want to go to high school, you need a junior high diploma first.”

Wen Nian replied calmly, “I have one.”

Wen Xue froze.

“How’s that possible? You went to school?”

That half-blind old woman actually let her study?
And she even graduated from junior high?

Could her memory be wrong?

Didn’t Zheng Jiahe say she was illiterate?
Always complaining that Wen Nian was uneducated, saying the two of them had nothing to talk about?

Could it be… she was already reborn by then?

Trying to change her fate through studying?

But that didn’t add up. If she had been reborn early on, she should have known the Lu family had been looking for her—she would’ve come to the capital long ago.

Wen Xue figured she probably came back only a few months earlier than herself.

In her eyes, Wen Nian was nothing but a pretty shell—a good-for-nothing beauty.

Wen Nian gave her a sideways glance.

Who did she think she was looking down on?

“Yeah, I even went to high school for a while—just never got the diploma, that’s all.”

The original Wen Nian had indeed attended high school for a time.

But later, her grandmother’s health worsened, and she became bedridden.

Wen Nian had to drop out to take care of her.

She shot Wen Xue a mocking look.

“Aren’t you my sister? And you didn’t even know that?”

There wasn’t a shred of blood relation between them.
Yet here she was, pretending to be all close and sisterly.

Wen Xue’s lips twitched awkwardly as she forced a smile.

“Sorry, sis. You never mentioned anything about Shanghe Village, so we really didn’t know.”

Her expression looked sincere, but inside, she was furious.

Wen Nian had just made her lose face in front of Fu Yansheng.

Fu Yansheng had already sensed that these so-called “sisters” weren’t on good terms.

He raised an eyebrow and continued the earlier conversation.

“Comrade Wen, are you planning to take the college entrance exam?”

Wen Nian nodded.

“That’s the plan.”

No sooner had she spoken than Ding Xinyi let out a loud snort.

“You want to take the college entrance exam? What do you think this is—playing house? You think reading a few high school books and buying some review materials is enough to get in? Don’t kid yourself.”

Wen Xue didn’t say anything, but a flicker of contempt passed through her eyes.

She didn’t mean to look down on Wen Nian—
But with that dim-witted aptitude of hers, just getting a junior high diploma must’ve been pure luck.

In a backwater place like Shanghe Village, there probably weren’t even proper high school teachers.

Not to mention, she lived with a half-blind old woman and barely had enough to eat.

Even if she could go to high school, how many days could she possibly last?

If someone could get into college just by self-studying—
Then everyone would be a university student by now.