"Yes." Steward Ji’s lips curled into a faint smile. After instructing a male assistant to take Fu Huaishan to the hospital, she immediately pulled out her phone to send a message. Because she had already coordinated with the man in the surveillance room, the reply came quickly.
Ji Wanyun’s expression turned suddenly solemn. "Old Madam, a segment of the surveillance footage is missing—the exact time the Second Young Mistress was in the kitchen pouring water. Furthermore... only the Second Young Mistress has entered the surveillance room today."
At once, the servants cast disdainful looks at the woman on the sofa, inwardly despising her for trying to smear them with the very misdeeds she had committed herself.
"Old Madam, when I organize Master Fu’s study, I often see... discarded women’s clothing, and it is always the LA brand."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone knew exactly whose belongings they were. LA sold full sets of women’s attire and accessories, all of which were quite expensive and geared toward younger styles. In the entire Fu family, only Li Qianqian wore the brand from head to toe.
"Speaking of which, I also frequently see lipstick marks on the shirts Master Fu changes out of, and those shirts go missing from time to time... meanwhile, the Second Young Mistress’s room is strictly off-limits to the cleaning staff."
Servants stepped forward one after another, their words collectively pointing the finger of suspicion at Li Qianqian.
Old Madam Fu remained unmoved, her expression unchanged as she asked calmly, "Qianqian, do you have anything to say?"
Li Qianqian remained poised. She lifted her head, looking at Old Madam Fu with neither arrogance nor servility, and continued:
"Mom, I occasionally enter the eldest brother’s study to borrow books. My memory isn’t great, so sometimes I forget to take my coat back out with me. As for the shirts going missing, I have been keeping an eye out and investigating it myself. I intended to wait until the truth came to light before telling you..."
Li Qianqian paused, swept a glance around at the surrounding servants, and let out a soft laugh. She spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness. "But clearly, the servants in our house cannot stand to see you idle; they insist on troubling you with every trivial, petty matter."
Old Madam Fu was a shrewd woman. Those last two sentences were enough for her to hear the servants' blatant disrespect toward Li Qianqian. She swept a sharp, piercing gaze over the gathered staff.
"Yunli is already gone. From now on, you will handle all the affairs of this house, both large and small, with full authority. Dismissing a few gossiping servants is nothing."
The servants who had been speaking immediately lowered their heads, their hearts filled with panic.
"Second Young Mistress, we were just concerned, and in our panic, we spoke out of turn..."
Ji Wanyun sensed that Old Madam Fu intended to shield Li Qianqian, and she certainly wouldn’t let this opportunity pass to make the Old Madam completely lose faith in her.
"Second Young Mistress, you still haven’t given a reasonable explanation regarding why no one is allowed in your room. I have been looking into this matter; every other servant’s room has been thoroughly inspected, except for yours..."
"Whether or not I allow people into my room requires an explanation to a steward? The eldest brother’s belongings have gone missing, let alone mine. Until the thief is caught, what is wrong with me being a bit more vigilant?"
Li Qianqian scoffed, her tone remaining soft and gentle, but the mockery in her words was palpable. Even with all the evidence seemingly stacked against her, she remained calm and composed.
"I didn't mean it that way, Old Madam, I was just..." Ji Wanyun felt extremely disgruntled, hearing her alternate between calling her a servant and a steward.
"That’s enough. We will discuss these matters when Huaishan returns." Old Madam Fu’s face showed her displeasure.
Ji Wanyun’s remarks had already made her feel that something was off. She turned to look at this young, beautiful steward, who was said to be highly educated. She was a talent that major companies would fight over, with a promising future, yet she was content to be an obscure steward. Her motives were enough to make one suspicious.
She withdrew her gaze and landed it on the poised Li Qianqian. Even when targeted by everyone, she could still maintain her composure. She was truly the daughter-in-law she had insisted on having her second son marry, despite all opposition. It was just a pity that her second son had such poor fate and could not keep such a lucky wife, passing away in the prime of his life.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. A male servant stood at the threshold.
"What is it?" Old Madam Fu asked coolly.
"Old Madam, Master Fu has a fever of 39 degrees and is already on an IV drip. It will be another hour before he returns. Young Master Qi asked me to inform you, for fear you would worry."
As the male servant finished, Ji Wanyun’s eyes widened in disbelief, her reaction intense. "Just a fever? How is that possible..."
"Listening to you, it seems you were hoping your superior had something more than just a fever?"
Li Qianqian raised an eyebrow, leaning against the wall behind her with a languid posture.
Old Madam Fu looked at Ji Wanyun thoughtfully. "Steward Ji, what other symptoms do you think Huaishan should have?"
Ji Wanyun’s face turned deathly pale. Her fingertips unconsciously clenched into fists, digging into her palms. She knew that if she didn't bring Li Qianqian down today, Old Madam Fu would likely start suspecting her instead.
"Old Madam, I happened to discover something—the Second Young Mistress bought an aphrodisiac from someone! Yes, that cup of water was absolutely tampered with, it can be tested—"
Before Ji Wanyun could finish, she suddenly remembered that the water had been smashed by Li Qianqian and had long since been cleaned up by the servants.
"Steward Ji, the Fu family hired you to perform your duties as a steward, not to boss your employers around." Old Madam Fu spoke coldly, clearly having no interest in listening to her gibberish.
"Old Madam, please believe me, Li Qianqian is absolutely not as virtuous as she seems! That water was definitely problematic! And her room must have issues too!" Ji Wanyun was desperate. She spoke urgently, even reaching out as if to grab Old Madam Fu’s arm.
"That’s enough. I can tolerate your reckless speech this one time. If there is a next time, the Fu family will have no place for you." Old Madam Fu interrupted impatiently, stepping back without a sound.
Ji Wanyun’s heart sank. She realized that Old Madam Fu intended to protect Li Qianqian—or perhaps it was a matter of absolute trust. She knew that saying anything more would only make the Old Madam more resentful, so she could only retract her hand awkwardly. A flash of darkness crossed her eyes; sooner or later, she would make the old woman realize that Li Qianqian had ulterior motives and was not worth this level of protection.
"Yes."
"Qianqian, you have been wronged. I will have Huaishan give you an explanation regarding Steward Ji. Come with me." Old Madam Fu sighed softly, feeling an increasing tenderness for her daughter-in-law who was so isolated at home.
"I’m not wronged, not when I have Mom here to back me up." Li Qianqian followed behind with a bright smile. Although she had narrowly escaped, she realized she needed to deal with Fu Huaishan’s clothes in her room as soon as possible.
"You, you’re just too carefree." Old Madam Fu shook her head with an amused smile.
-
In the study, Old Madam Fu took the initiative to place a stack of contracts on the desk. The Fu family was not short of this money. She had been hesitant because Qianqian had not yet achieved anything, but after today, she firmly believed that Qianqian was a woman of capability.
"Qianqian, I know you have been treated unfairly, being widowed at such a young age. I once said that as long as you could cultivate popular artists and make a name for yourself, Rose Entertainment would be yours."
"I also know this is not easy; it requires connections and resources to manage. However, Huaishan does not allow me to help you publicly. These are all the assets under Yunli’s name, along with two hundred million that I have personally invested in you. I will have it all transferred to your name."
"I am waiting for you to take over Rose Entertainment in your own right."