Fu Xiaochuan’s eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.
"Mom, why are you still making a scene?" he said. "Auntie Yusu is so much more considerate; she would never act like this."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yusu beamed. She walked over to Fu Xiaochuan, affectionately looped her arm through his, and patted her chest. "Why would your mother know how to play with a boy's toy? Only Auntie Yusu loves these things. Your mother and girls like her are only interested in drawing their eyebrows and putting on makeup every day—she definitely wouldn't know how! It's alright, give the toy to me, Auntie Yusu will put it together for you."
As she spoke, she cast a provocative glance at Lin Anqiao.
Fu Xiaochuan felt a bit unhappy, but he had no choice but to follow Qiao Yusu's lead and hand the toy over to her. In his heart, however, he had wanted his mother to build it for him.
When Qiao Yusu took the toy, she assumed it was something simple, like a child’s plaything, and that it would be easy to assemble. But upon closer inspection, she realized she couldn’t even decipher the structure, let alone figure out how to put it together. She could only fumble blindly, and soon, the toy looked bizarre and misshapen.
Fu Xiaochuan looked at her, puzzled. "Auntie Yusu, you don't know how to build it?"
Qiao Yusu let out an awkward laugh. Not wanting to lose face, she said, "Menial tasks like this—we can just have the nanny do it."
Fu Xiaochuan felt disappointed, but he couldn't help but blame Lin Anqiao. It was all his mother's fault for throwing a tantrum and refusing to build the toy for him.
Lin Anqiao found the scene pathetic. She said coldly, "I only came here for the divorce papers, not to watch the 'mother and son' bonding."
Fu Xiaochuan’s eyes widened again. "Mom, aren't you here to reconcile?"
Just then, Fu Jingzhou walked out of the study. Seeing Lin Anqiao, his expression darkened. "Dragging your feet just to pick up divorce papers? You must be doing this on purpose. If you wanted to reconcile, you should have just said so; there’s no need to play such elaborate games."
Fu Xiaochuan chimed in, "Exactly. Coming here to reconcile without showing any sincerity, not even willing to help me with my toy."
A flicker of coldness crossed Fu Jingzhou’s eyes as he frowned. "Lin Anqiao, you really have become increasingly heartless."
Lin Anqiao felt like laughing at the sheer shamelessness of this father-son duo. Qiao Yusu had usurped her place, and these two were accusing her without any regard for right or wrong. They were truly cut from the same cloth; not a single one of them had a shred of decency. It was a pity that it had taken her until the verge of death to see the cold-blooded nature of these two men.
Lin Anqiao’s lashes fluttered, her tone perfectly flat. "I am simply here to pick up the divorce papers. President Fu, if you have signed them, please just hand them to me."
Fu Jingzhou frowned and tossed the divorce agreement onto the coffee table. "Not done with this charade? Once you sign these papers, it won’t be so easy to step foot into the Fu family ever again."
The agreement slid off the table and onto the floor.
"Lin Anqiao, if you beg me now, I might consider giving you another chance." Fu Jingzhou’s expression was icy as he looked down at her from his height.
Lin Anqiao was trembling with rage. Her stomach churned violently, and she knit her brows. "President Fu, I think we can skip the 'chance'."
A man’s voice, accompanied by a smile, came from behind her, followed by steady, approaching footsteps. Before Lin Anqiao could turn, she was enveloped in a warm embrace.
A familiar scent filled the air. It was Song Hanjiang.
His handsome, almond-shaped eyes were tilted upward, and his lips curled into a playful smile. He swept a cold, chilling gaze toward Fu Jingzhou. "I was wondering why my sister hadn't returned for so long. It turns out President Fu wouldn't let her go."
Fu Jingzhou’s face turned stony. His gaze landed on Song Hanjiang’s hand resting on her shoulder, as if he wanted to burn a hole through it. He pressed his tongue against his cheek, studying the man’s smug smile, which felt vaguely familiar. The man possessed an air of refined nobility; every gesture exuded an elegance not found in commoners.
Fu Jingzhou’s brow knit tighter.
"President Fu, the divorce hasn't even been finalized yet. Why are you being so rude to your own wife? Is this the upbringing the Fu family provides?" Song Hanjiang said with a smile.
Fu Jingzhou looked at him coldly. "What business is that of yours?" His frigid gaze swept over Lin Anqiao and then him. "You’re her brother, aren't you?"
A surge of anger welled up within him, and a flicker of disgust crossed Fu Jingzhou’s eyes. Lin Anqiao was going to such lengths to stage this drama solely to make him love her more. But she didn't know that this would only make him loathe her even more!
Song Hanjiang shielded Lin Anqiao, his voice icy. "I am the person closest to Qiaoqiao in this world. Her affairs are my affairs."
Even though he knew they were acting, for some reason, every word felt like a heavy hammer striking at Fu Jingzhou’s heart. An intense, dry heat simmered inside him, threatening to consume him.
Without waiting for Fu Jingzhou to retort, Song Hanjiang looked at Fu Xiaochuan, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Little boy, disrespecting your elders is not a good habit. Your mother endured ten months of pregnancy to bring you into this world, not so you could treat her like this."
Fu Xiaochuan flushed red. "I don't want her as my mother! I want Auntie Yusu to be my mother."
Song Hanjiang’s eyes turned cold as he laughed. "And do you think she wants to be your mother?"
Qiao Yusu attempted to step forward to explain, cooing, "Sir, we are just good friends..."
Song Hanjiang didn't even give her a glance. Instead, he looked at Lin Anqiao tenderly. "Qiaoqiao, let's go home."
Qiao Yusu’s expression darkened, and she nearly ground her teeth to dust. How could a mere housewife like Lin Anqiao be protected by a man like this?! She had no choice but to try to assert her presence in front of Fu Jingzhou.
She lifted her face and patted Fu Jingzhou on the shoulder, acting like a close buddy. "Fu-ge and I are just good friends, it’s nothing. Isn't that right, Fu-ge?"
Unfortunately, things didn't go as she hoped. Fu Jingzhou ignored her completely. His face looking grim, he stared at the pair of "lovers" and spoke slowly: "Lin Anqiao, you’ve taken this performance too far."
Did she think it was interesting to hire an actor to provoke him? She could have just begged him, and he wouldn't have actually gone through with the divorce.
"Oh?" Song Hanjiang ruffled Lin Anqiao’s hair familiarly and laughed. "Qiaoqiao, how did your taste get so poor over these past seven years?"
Seven years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Lin Anqiao felt a wave of dizziness at the thought. Her gaze went cold again, and she said, "I was blind back then, but I've recovered since."
"I wish them a lifetime together, locked in this cage. I don't want the big one or the small one anymore."
"That's good. Qiaoqiao, let's go home."
Song Hanjiang cast a provocative look at Fu Jingzhou and took Lin Anqiao’s hand to lead her out. His fingertips were slightly cool, and Lin Anqiao instinctively wanted to pull away, but he held her hand even tighter, giving it a firm squeeze.
The cool sensation wrapped around her hand, and Lin Anqiao’s heart raced. The palm was just as large as it had been when they were children—warm, thick, and secure. But there was also a hint of something different than before.
Fu Jingzhou watched their retreating figures, an inexplicable fire igniting in his chest. His hands were balled into tight fists, his knuckles white from the pressure. He gritted his teeth, his face deathly pale. He wanted to say something, his lips parted, but no words came out.