Fu Jingzhou raised his gaze toward the doorway, watching Qiao Yusu slowly approach.
His expression was icy, his thin lips pressed into a tight line. "He wants to eat the food Lin Anqiao makes, but Lin Anqiao is unwilling to come back."
Qiao Yusu's face stiffened.
Although Fu Jingzhou had not explicitly said her cooking wasn't good, Fu Xiaochuan was still just a child with no filter, and he had hinted at it long ago.
The food she cooked was not delicious.
At the thought of this, she practically ground her teeth in frustration.
Wasn't it just cooking?
She was following a recipe, so how different could it be?
"Don't take it to heart, I didn't mean anything else." Fu Jingzhou seemed to sense her displeasure and offered a tentative remark. "Xiaochuan has eaten the food she makes for so many years and is used to it. Changing his palate all of a sudden is indeed difficult."
"I didn't mind. You know, I'm not like other women whose lives at home revolve around nothing but waiting on children, doing laundry, and cooking. I have my own career, so it's normal that I'm not good at cooking." Qiao Yusu forced a smile. "Besides, don't we have a housekeeper at home?"
"Some flavors are just better when you're used to them," Fu Jingzhou said in a flat tone. "The food you make, he still..."
Doesn't like to eat it.
In the end, he didn't say those four words out loud.
Qiao Yusu abruptly clenched her back teeth, naturally catching the meaning behind his words.
"It's getting late. Go get some rest early!"
Noticing the change in her expression, Fu Jingzhou spoke up to break the deadlock.
Qiao Yusu looked as though she had made up her mind about something. "Since Xiaochuan loves the food Lin Anqiao cooks, I'll go and invite her back tomorrow. It's no big deal if I suffer a little grievance, as long as the child doesn't have to."
Fu Jingzhou frowned, a wave of irritation rising in his chest.
He refused to believe that this household could not function without Lin Anqiao.
"No need," Fu Jingzhou said coldly. "She's had enough of a lesson; she'll come back on her own. I'm the one who spoiled her."
"Rest assured, no matter what, I won't go in your name to ask her." Qiao Yusu placed her hand on his shoulder and patted it lightly. "I'm doing all this for the sake of the child..."
Fu Jingzhou's expression darkened slightly, but in the end, he said nothing more.
It was only natural that Fu Xiaochuan liked eating the food his mother made.
After all, Qiao Yusu's cooking truly couldn't compare to hers.
This once, for the sake of the child, he would endure it.
Fu Jingzhou's expression darkened slightly. "Then go ahead and ask her."
"Alright." Qiao Yusu's eyes flickered.
Fu Jingzhou quickly stood up and walked toward the front door.
Watching the man's retreating figure, Qiao Yusu clenched her hands tightly in a surge of anger.
...
The next morning.
Song Hanjiang had left the house early. By the time Lin Anqiao woke up, he was already gone.
Song Yuc had also been taken to school by the housekeeper, leaving the entire house cold and desolate.
She planned to continue looking at art studios today, spending the entire morning wandering around the neighborhood. At noon, she suddenly felt unwell and decided to head back home for a bit.
Just as she reached the doorstep and before she even had time to unlock the door, a bright laugh rang out from behind her. "Lin Anqiao, anyone who didn't know better would think you'd hooked up with a rich benefactor."
Hearing the voice, Lin Anqiao turned around and immediately spotted the woman standing behind her.
Qiao Yusu was wearing white sneakers and walked toward her with a casual demeanor.
A chill gripped her heart. Lin Anqiao frowned, her tone indifferent. "What are you doing here?"
Qiao Yusu chuckled and patted her familiarly. "You kept ignoring my calls, so I had no choice but to find you this way."
At these words, the chill deep within Lin Anqiao's eyes grew sharper.
When she was looking at art studios in the morning, she had indeed missed a few calls.
Though the number wasn't saved in her phone, she recognized it at a glance—it belonged to Qiao Yusu.
She was familiar with it because she had seen this exact number on Fu Jingzhou's personal phone a few times.
"My temple is small and can't accommodate big deities," Lin Anqiao said with a detached, cold smile, her tone calm. "Miss Qiao, what brings you here?"
"As a mother, you don't even care when your child falls ill. An outsider like me cares more than you do," Qiao Yusu said with a lofty, condescending air. "I ask you to think of the child and come back with me today to cook."
"What makes you think I'd go back with you?" Lin Anqiao demanded coldly.
This attitude infuriated Qiao Yusu. "What is wrong with you? I came with good intentions to beg you for Xiaochuan's sake, and this is the attitude I get?"
"You haven't even married into the family yet, and you're already eager to play stepmother?" Lin Anqiao sneered.
"Lin Anqiao, I came to invite you nicely, so don't push your luck!" Qiao Yusu gritted her teeth. "Are you coming back or not?"
Lin Anqiao's voice dropped low. "I am never going back. Furthermore, from now on, everything concerning the Fu Family has nothing to do with me. Please don't ever come to disturb me again."
The next second, Lin Anqiao turned to leave, but Qiao Yusu abruptly shoved her from behind.
It was precisely this push that made her already aching stomach feel even more unbearable.
A sharp, intense pain pierced through her like a thousand needles stabbing her heart, forcing her to quickly clutch her abdomen.
Cold sweat soon beaded across her forehead, and her body involuntarily tipped backward.
Fortunately, the front door was right behind her, and she hurriedly reached out to grab the doorknob, preventing herself from falling.
"Lin Anqiao, what are you putting on an act for?"
Qiao Yusu stepped forward, intending to take advantage of the moment to push her again.
However, the next second, a well-defined hand clamped down tightly around her wrist.
Qiao Yusu widened her eyes, trying to pull her hand back, but she couldn't budge.
"Touch her again and see what happens."
Song Hanjiang's voice was icy, his usually gentle eyes brimming with hostility.
His grip caused a sharp pain in Qiao Yusu's wrist, and she grimaced, struggling desperately to shake his hand off. "Let go of me! What do you think you're doing?"
Upon seeing Song Hanjiang, Lin Anqiao instinctively released her grip on her stomach.
The pain in her stomach persisted, so she could only bite down hard on her lower lip and straighten her back.
Despite her best efforts to put up a front, the cold sweat on her forehead caused by the pain did not escape the man's deeply concerned gaze.
Song Hanjiang extended a well-defined hand and instinctively pulled her to him from the side, steadying her body.
Qiao Yusu instinctively tried to clear herself of any blame. "I wasn't going to do anything to her! She just suddenly collapsed for no reason and looks all sickly—it's creepy..."
"I'll give you one minute to get away from my doorstep right now."
Song Hanjiang's gaze was ferocious as he stared fixedly at Qiao Yusu standing before him.
Frightened by the man's terrifying aura, Qiao Yusu did not dare to linger for a single second longer and quickly turned and left.
Song Hanjiang fixed his gaze on Lin Anqiao and asked with a worried expression, "Qiaoqiao, are you alright?"
Though the cramping in her stomach continued, Lin Anqiao forced herself to endure the pain and replied, "I'm fine..."
Song Hanjiang asked tentatively, "Qiaoqiao, where exactly are you hurting?"