Chapter 8: Don’t Want Your Legs Anymore?

Qu Wanwan let out a cold snort. “Don’t you dare corrupt my boyfriend, you playboy.”

Gu Yichen retorted, “Who are you calling a playboy?”

“I’m talking about you, obviously! Playboy! Listen up—I won’t let you lead my boyfriend astray!” Qu Wanwan stood with her hands on her hips and her chin tilted up in defiance.

Gu Yichen looked utterly baffled. “Boyfriend? Ciyu?”

Qu Wanwan tilted her small face up again. “What? He can’t be?”

Gu Yichen glanced at the silent man nearby, only to see the corners of his lips lifting ever so slightly.

“You little liar—”

“That’s enough. Check her leg.”

Fu Ciyu’s cool voice cut through their exchange, silencing the banter.

How long had it been since he’d seen her this lively?

Gu Yichen motioned for Fu Ciyu to carry Qu Wanwan into the examination room.

“Where is she hurt?”

Fu Ciyu pointed to Qu Wanwan’s leg.

Just as Gu Yichen was about to lift her skirt, Qu Wanwan cried out, “Gu the Playboy! What are you doing?!”

Gu Yichen rolled his eyes. “Ancestor, how am I supposed to check if I don’t lift it?”

Qu Wanwan turned her head with a pout, and Fu Ciyu squatted down helplessly, gently lifting a small portion of the hem of her skirt.

“Check it,” he said. His cool voice rang clearly through the room.

Gu Yichen muttered, exasperated, “Qu Wanwan, you’ve really got some nerve.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know! You don’t—” Qu Wanwan waved him off dismissively.

“Ah—!”

Gu Yichen had pressed a bit too hard, making Qu Wanwan cry out in pain.

A flicker of displeasure crossed Fu Ciyu’s expression. “Be gentle.”

“How did you not knock yourself silly—” Gu Yichen glared at her.

Qu Wanwan looked at Fu Ciyu with an aggrieved expression. “He’s cursing me—”

“All right, take this medicine with you. Apply it twice a day,” Gu Yichen said as he pulled a small bottle from the cabinet and handed it to her.

“Oh—”

“I’ll take you back,” Fu Ciyu said softly.

Qu Wanwan nodded. She still had to go to the Fu Residence tonight, so she’d wait for her dad there first.

Just as she was about to walk on her own, someone suddenly scooped her up around the waist.

“I can walk by myself—”

“Don’t want your legs anymore?” Fu Ciyu frowned deeply.

Fine. She shut her mouth.

Half an hour later
Qu Residence

“Ciyu, we’ve really troubled you,” Jiang Jingzhi said, giving Qu Wanwan a sharp glare before turning to Fu Ciyu.

“It’s nothing. It was my fault for not waiting for her.” If he hadn’t left without her, none of this would’ve happened.

“Don’t speak up for her. Even Manman said she went looking for that person again. In any case, our Qu family has wronged you.”

As soon as Jiang Jingzhi finished speaking, Qu Wanwan’s face darkened. “Manman said! Manman said! So you just believe whatever anyone else says? Is your own daughter always in the wrong no matter what she does?”

Jiang Jingzhi looked at the suddenly furious Qu Wanwan, momentarily at a loss for words.

Then she scolded, “Did I say anything wrong? Didn’t you go out today to meet that person?”

“Madam Jiang, first of all, don’t throw baseless accusations at me without evidence! And second, I only went out for a little shopping and some food today—I didn’t meet whoever it is you’re talking about.

If you want to talk about seeing someone, then this is the person I went to see.”

Qu Wanwan’s small face was flushed with anger as she pointed to the man beside her.

Fu Ciyu could tell the little woman in front of him was truly upset. He explained to Jiang Jingzhi, “She was with me today.”

“I—”

“Aunt Jiang, in the future—”

“Stop always listening to what others say. Just because someone says something doesn’t make it true,” Fu Ciyu’s voice deepened slightly.

“Well, well—Ciyu, what a rare guest!”

Qu Muqing had just gotten off work at the law firm and returned home, only to see the man who had just been at odds with his younger sister now standing in their house.

Fu Ciyu shot him a glance and gave him a meaningful look.

Qu Muqing glanced at Jiang Jingzhi, then at Qu Wanwan.

“Another fight?”

“Hmph! She falsely accused me!” Qu Wanwan turned her face away indignantly.

Qu Muqing chuckled lightly. “Come on, tell Gege—what happened?”

Qu Wanwan pointed at Jiang Jingzhi and said, “She heard from Shen Man that I went to see some other man, and she believed it. But I clearly didn’t!”

Hearing this, Qu Muqing’s expression shifted slightly. “Mom, you’re always listening to others and wrongly accusing your daughter. Have you ever considered that it hurts her, too?”

“I—”

“And from now on, keep your distance from that Shen Man.”

“Isn’t she Wanwan’s good friend?” Jiang Jingzhi retorted.

“Good friend? She’s practically your daughter now!” Qu Wanwan couldn’t hold back and snapped.

“Wanwan!” Jiang Jingzhi scolded sharply.

“That’s enough. I’m tired. I don’t want to argue with you,” Qu Wanwan said, turning her head to Fu Ciyu.

“I was supposed to go to the Fu Residence tonight, but now that I’m like this, I don’t think I can make it. How about tomorrow?” She turned to Fu Ciyu as she spoke.

“To the Fu Residence? For what?” Fu Ciyu asked, puzzled.

“To apologize to Uncle Fu and Auntie, of course,” Qu Wanwan replied earnestly.

“Apologize?” Fu Ciyu looked a little surprised.

“Mhm. Ah—never mind that! You should head back first,” Qu Wanwan said, then leaned over and kissed his left cheek.

Fu Ciyu’s gaze darkened slightly. This woman—

“Heh, am I invisible over here or what?” Qu Muqing teased.

“Be careful on the road. I’m heading upstairs,” Qu Wanwan said. Only when she saw Fu Ciyu nod did she go upstairs with ease.

“Gege, help see him out, will you?”

“Got it,” Qu Muqing replied.

After her figure disappeared up the stairs, Fu Ciyu politely said to Jiang Jingzhi, “Aunt Jiang, I’ll be going now.”

“Oh—yes, take care,” she responded hurriedly.

Once they stepped outside, Qu Muqing glanced up toward the second floor and asked quietly, “What do you think?”

“You noticed too?” Fu Ciyu knew that someone as sharp as Qu Muqing had surely picked up on something.

“Yeah. She’s been acting strangely since last night.” No matter how he looked at it, she was just… different from before.

“Anything in particular that stands out?” Fu Ciyu asked in a low voice.

“The only thing that really stands out is—she suddenly wants to marry you,” Qu Muqing said after thinking for a moment, raising an eyebrow.

Fu Ciyu gave a faint “mm” in response, then said, “She said the same thing yesterday when she woke up.”

“Think she might’ve been triggered by something? I mean, it’s definitely her, no doubt about that.”

“Let’s observe her for a while before jumping to conclusions.”

“Or maybe that little girl suddenly confessed to you, and now your frozen heart’s started to warm up again?” Qu Muqing nudged him playfully with his elbow.

Fu Ciyu couldn’t be bothered to respond. He turned and walked away.

Watching his retreating figure, Qu Muqing smiled lightly. “I swear, how did you end up falling into her hands?”

Back in the car, Fu Ciyu spoke in a low voice, “Find some trouble for the Lu family.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“And have Qingjiu return,” Fu Ciyu said, his lips pressing into a thin line.

Qingye paused for a second. “Young Master? Then… what about Qingyun?”

Fu Ciyu’s gaze turned cold, his voice low and sharp. “Send her back to Shadow Division for retraining.”

“Retrain?” Qingye looked shocked.

“I don’t need anyone at my side who doesn’t understand the rules,” Fu Ciyu said coldly.

“Master, I—” Qingyun tried to say something, but was cut off.

“Qingyun, you overstepped your bounds!” Fu Ciyu’s voice was as cold as ice.

Qingyun’s whole body tensed. He—he knew?

“Master, why? I wasn’t wrong!” A trace of ruthless defiance flashed in Qingyun’s eyes.

“Qingyun! Shut your mouth!” Qingye quickly interjected. Was she insane? How dare she speak to Master like that?

“Not wrong?” Fu Ciyu’s gaze swept over her with icy sharpness.

Qingyun instantly felt the weight of his killing intent.

“I—”

“Remember this: no matter what she does wrong, no one is allowed to lay a finger on her. Your mistake was letting your heart stray.”

Fu Ciyu’s words made Qingyun lower her head in an instant. That’s right—she had no right to stand before him. Not even when that woman had hurt him so deeply.

“Leave!”

“Yes, Master,” Qingyun replied cautiously.

“When you return, hand over Qingyan to the Shadow Division,” Fu Ciyu said coldly.

“Yes,” Qingye nodded in acknowledgment.