Fu Zhinian walked through the door, followed by a man with a buzz cut. The man instinctively took the windbreaker off Fu Zhinian’s shoulders, gave it a shake, and draped it over his arm.
When the group saw Fu Zhinian, they lowered their heads subconsciously.
Fu Dexin, whose arrogance had been quite formidable a moment ago, immediately withered. He walked forward with a fawning smile, "Zhinian, it's raining outside. Why have you come?"
Fu Zhinian did not look at him; his gaze fell upon Ruan Jiaojiao, who was being held with her hands restrained behind her back.
She seemed to be in some pain, her brow tightly furrowed. When she saw Fu Zhinian looking her way, her eyes clouded over and her cherry lips parted slightly, "Second Uncle..."
Fu Zhinian’s gaze flickered. He slowly shifted his eyes to the coat in Fu Dexin’s hand.
Following his gaze, Fu Dexin looked down at the coat and hurriedly explained, "Zhinian, this is your coat, isn't it? I saw Ruan Jiaojiao holding it and figured she must have stolen it from you. We were just teaching her a lesson and getting ready to kick her out of the Fu family."
"Did you not hear what I said just now?" Fu Zhinian’s tone was devoid of emotion, his expression impassive. "I gave her this coat."
Fu Dexin had actually heard him earlier, but he had assumed he was hallucinating. Now that Fu Zhinian was standing right in front of him, he had heard it clearly.
Still, he could not bring himself to believe it.
"Zhinian, why would you give her a coat? She is nothing but an insignificant person. How could she possibly be worthy of wearing your clothes?"
Fu Zhinian cast a cold glance at him, his tone turning even frostier than before, "Do I need to explain myself to you?"
A chill ran down Fu Dexin’s spine. He lowered his eyes, not daring to meet Fu Zhinian’s gaze, and laughed sheepishly, "No need, no need. Whatever you decide is fine, Zhinian."
"Let go of my Jiaojiao!" Ruan Qianlian shouted angrily.
Fu Dexin glanced at Fu Zhinian and waved his hand, "Release her."
The servant had no choice but to let go. Ruan Jiaojiao had been leaning forward, and with the sudden loss of support, she stumbled and nearly fell.
Suddenly, a hand appeared to catch her by the waist, and she crashed into a person's chest.
She looked up to see her Second Uncle looking down at her with a cold, detached expression.
"Second Uncle, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Ruan Jiaojiao said, startled, as she attempted to stand up.
But her hands were somewhat numb, the blood having not yet fully circulated, and she couldn't muster the strength in her arms and shoulders.
The crowd gasped in shock at the sight.
Fu Jiaru wore a look of gloating satisfaction: *Ruan Jiaojiao, you’re finished.*
Second Uncle detested being touched by others more than anything, to say nothing of someone throwing themselves into his arms!
*Ruan Jiaojiao, just wait until Second Uncle orders your hands to be severed and you to be thrown out of the Fu family!*
Just as Fu Jiaru was feeling triumphant, Fu Zhinian spoke slowly.
"It is fine."
Boom!
It was as if an invisible bolt of lightning had struck from above, leaving Fu Jiaru stunned and speechless.
*H-how is this possible! Second Uncle isn't angry!*
Beside her, Fu Dexin and the servants were also dumbfounded. Everyone said that Second Master Fu was cold, ascetic, devoid of carnal desires, and had a volatile temper...
*What is going on now! Is this even the Second Master Fu they know!?*
Seeing that her Second Uncle did not seem angry, Ruan Jiaojiao secretly let out a sigh of relief. She stood up straight and pulled away from his embrace, carrying with her a faint scent of medicinal herbs from him.
"Thank you, Second Uncle."
Fu Zhinian slowly retracted his hand and tucked it into his pocket.
"Jiaojiao, are you okay?" Ruan Qianlian ran over, looking Ruan Jiaojiao over with concern, her eyes filled with tears.
Ruan Jiaojiao couldn't bear to see her mother worried. Even though her shoulder hurt and she wasn't sure if it had been dislocated, she managed to pull off a smile, "Mom, I’m fine. Don't worry."
Ruan Qianlian couldn't hold back her tears.
"My poor Jiaojiao. Her own father misunderstands her without rhyme or reason and wants to kick her out. How can there be such a heartless father in this world?"
"Fu Dexin, Jiaojiao is my daughter, and she is your daughter too. Fine, you can play favorites, but why not even give us a small chance to survive? Do you only feel satisfied if we are left out on the streets?"
Fu Dexin frowned. It was a great humiliation for the family's dirty laundry to be aired in front of outsiders.
Not many people in the Fu family knew that Ruan Jiaojiao and her mother had returned, and even Fu Zhinian had only bumped into them by chance.
If he let Ruan Qianlian keep talking, his indiscretions from years ago would surely reach Fu Zhinian’s ears.
"Enough, enough! Today was just a misunderstanding. Why didn't she explain herself clearly? I was only worried that Zhinian’s belongings had been stolen."
"Now that everything is clear, let's just let it go," Fu Dexin said with a wave of his hand, acting like a benevolent Buddha.
Hearing Fu Dexin soften his tone, Ruan Qianlian decided not to press the issue further. She took Ruan Jiaojiao’s hand and patted it gently.
Ruan Jiaojiao understood her mother’s meaning: endure what you must.
However, her expression remained somber and she did not say a word.
When she tried to explain earlier, Fu Dexin wouldn't listen, but now he was turning the tables, acting as if the whole incident had been her fault.
It was clearly Fu Jiaru who had been stirring up trouble and fanning the flames, yet she had come out of it completely unscathed.
But what good would it do to be angry? What good would it do to feel wronged?
Ever since she was a child, had she not endured every single time she was falsely accused or misunderstood?
This time, she would endure it too.
Ruan Jiaojiao secretly let go, a sigh of resignation in her heart. Just as she was about to do what she always did—put on a fake, hypocritical smile and say, "It's all right, it was just a misunderstanding, I understand"—a cold voice rang out from beside her.
"Since it was a misunderstanding, shouldn't you apologize?"
Ruan Jiaojiao was startled by the sound. She slowly lifted her head to look at her Second Uncle, who was standing right in front of her.
His face was cold and stern, and the majesty he radiated made people want to submit to him inexplicably.
Ruan Jiaojiao felt as if there was a pool of water in her heart, calm as a mirror, when suddenly a small pebble fell from somewhere unknown. With a soft "ding," it hit the surface, sending ripples spreading... and spreading...
When Fu Jiaru heard that she had to apologize to Ruan Jiaojiao, she stomped her foot and shouted, "Second Uncle! Why should I apologize to her! I didn't do anything wrong!"
A true heiress like her apologizing to an illegitimate daughter? Impossible! If people found out, she would be the laughingstock of the city!
Fu Zhinian looked down at her with cold eyes. He didn't speak, but the chill in his gaze seemed to deepen.
Fu Dexin hurriedly grabbed his daughter’s hand and said sternly, "Jiaru, don't talk nonsense and make your Second Uncle angry."
"Quick, apologize to her."
Fu Jiaru frowned, "I won't!"
"Jiaru! Apologize." Seeing that Fu Zhinian’s patience was wearing thin, Fu Dexin pulled on Fu Jiaru, warning her with his eyes.
Reluctantly and unwillingly, Fu Jiaru puffed out her cheeks, glared at Ruan Jiaojiao, and finally spat out three words through gritted teeth, "I'm sorry."
Fu Dexin looked at Fu Zhinian, then at Ruan Jiaojiao, and smiled, "Jiaojiao, this was my lack of consideration. We’ve all apologized to you, so let’s just put this behind us."
Ruan Jiaojiao felt an indescribable sensation in her heart, something she had never felt before. It wasn't happiness, nor was it the relief of having a misunderstanding cleared up. It was left hanging in the middle—neither here nor there.
Above, there was the scenery; below, there was an abyss.
She secretly took a deep breath, smiled at Fu Dexin and his daughter, and said, "Since it was a misunderstanding, it's fine now."
Hearing her response, Fu Dexin looked at Fu Zhinian, "Zhinian, you see..."
Fu Zhinian’s gaze rested on Ruan Jiaojiao’s face, taking in her complex expression. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of his lips.
He did not reply. He turned and walked toward the door. The man who had arrived with him followed, draped the windbreaker over his shoulders, and they departed together.