It was the end of the year, and the company was very busy. As the chairman, Mo Shenbai was naturally very busy as well. There were many meetings and social events.
Xu Youyou did not have much to do at Moon Pavilion so she went to the Xu family house to accompany her parents.
Xu Jianshu was similarly busy with work and was not at home so Cheng Ying and Xu Youyou went out to shop, eat, and buy things for the lunar new year.
Last year, due to Old Madam Xu, Xu Youyou returned to the Xu family house during the lunar new year. However, with Old Madam Xu’s absence, it was hard to say where she would be celebrating the lunar new year this year.
Xu Youyou knew nothing of Mo Shenbai’s arrangements so she did not say anything to Cheng Ying yet, afraid of disappointing Cheng Ying.
While they were out, she spoke to her mother about going abroad. She really wanted to go abroad, but she was worried Mo Shenbai would disagree. Hence, she shared her little worries with her mother.
Cheng Ying was moved and happy to see that Xu Youyou was willing to share her worries. With her experience, she advised Xu Youyou. “The most important thing between husband and wife is honesty. You can’t hide this from him. If he disagrees, you can slowly persuade him. It’s better than telling him after you agree to go abroad.”
Xu Youyou felt that her mother’s words were reasonable so she nodded. “I’ll talk to him tonight then…”
Cheng Ying nodded in relief.
The duo then found some other things to chat about. When they grew tired of shopping, they simply found a restaurant to eat in. After the meal, Cheng Ying said she wanted to go home and rest.
Xu Youyou want to go back to Moon Pavilion to speak to Mo Shenbai about going abroad so she did not go back with Cheng Ying. After sending Cheng Ying off, she was about to call Cang Ming when an old man with white hair dressed in a suit walked over.
He said expressionlessly, “Miss Xu, my madam wants to meet you.”
Xu Youyou thought the old man looked vaguely familiar, but she could not remember where she had seen him. She asked, “Who’s your madam?”
The old man did not answer the question. Instead, he made an inviting gesture and said, “My madam is over there. You’ll know when you get there.”
Xu Youyou looked in the direction where the old man was gesturing. It was a cafe. She hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”
The old man led Xu Youyou into the cafe.
Apart from the staff, there were no other customers in the cafe. Only a woman dressed in a pearl-white qipao could be seen sitting by the window. Her hair was slightly curled, and she wore jade jewelry.
When Xu Youyou drew closer to the woman, she saw the woman’s exquisite facial features. Although there were fine lines at the corners of the woman’s eyes, they did not detract from her beauty at all. One could only imagine what a great beauty the woman was when she was young.
When the woman heard the footsteps, she tilted her head slightly. She did not look at Xu Youyou as she said in a neutral tone, “Sit down.”
The old man pulled the chair out, and Xu Youyou sat down. Only then did the woman look at her.
The woman frowned slightly as she sized Xu Youyou up. Her voice carried a hint of contempt as she said, “You’re Xu Youyou.”
Xu Youyou nodded. “Aunty, do we know each other?”
The woman picked her cup up and took a sip before she replied, “You don’t know me, but I know you. You’re…”
The woman did not finish speaking, but it was clear that whatever she did not say would be unpleasant to the ears. It was all reflected in the disdainful smile on her face.
Xu Youyou did not ask how the woman knew her. She only asked, “Then, why are you looking for me?”
Clearly, the other party did not like her. Since that was the case, it was better to just get to the point so she could end the conversation as soon as possible.
“I called you here today to give you a reminder,” the woman said as she set the cup down on the table. There was a smile on her face, but her gaze was cold as she continued to say, “Don’t think you can have your cake and eat it too.”
Xu Youyou was not angered by the woman’s arrogance and contempt. She said lightly, “I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Please speak more clearly.”
A hint of impatience flashed in the woman’s eyes as she said, “Okay, let me introduce myself. I’m Bai Ying. I’m Fu Jianchen’s mother. I hope you won’t pester my A Chen anymore.”
Xu Youyou: “?”
‘So she’s Fu Jianchen’s mother? No wonder she looked a little familiar…’
“Aunty, I think you’ve misunderstood something. Fu Jianchen and I are just ordinary friends. I’m already married,” Xu Youyou explained even though she did not know why Bai Ying had this misunderstanding.
“I know you’re married!” Bai Ying said. Her hostility and dissatisfaction became even more obvious when Xu Youyou said she was married.
“Then, why did you look for me today?” Xu Youyou was even more puzzled. She could not figure out what was going on at all. Even if Fu Jianchen had thoughts about her, Bai Ying should have spoken to Fu Jianchen, not her. Why was it that when something happened, a woman’s first move would be to make things difficult for another woman, not the man?
“I want to see what kind of person you are,” Bai Ying said calmly. She clearly did not think there was anything wrong with her actions.
“Oh. What kind of person I am depends on the other party’s attitude. Since you clearly don’t have a good attitude toward me, I don’t plan to stay any longer,” Xu Youyou said very calmly.
Just as Xu Youyou rose to her feet to leave, Bai Ying said icily, “Stop! Did I say you can leave? Sure enough, the upbringing of a girl raised in the countryside is bad.”
Xu Youyou turned to look at Bai Ying. Her voice was soft, but her words were powerful as she said, “So what if I grew up in the countryside? It’s not like you raised me. Taking advantage of your seniority to bully a junior, how’s your upbringing any better?”
1
“You! Impudent! What nonsense…” Bai Ying slammed her hand on the table angrily. She was so furious that her face turned red.
Xu Youyou remained calm. She did not want to waste energy being angry at such a person. It was a waste of time and energy. Since the other party was not polite, she also spoke very bluntly. She said, “I finally understand now why there are some ordinary men with an overinflated ego. It must be due to mothers like you who spoil their son unreasonably.”
“If there’s a problem, instead of looking for your own child, you come to look for trouble with another person’s child. With a mother like you, no wonder Fu Jianchen is rebellious and has a bad temper. He’s arrogant and conceited. As it turns out, it’s because he has a mother like you!”
“Shut up!” Bai Ying rose to her feet. Her hand was raised, poised to slap Xu Youyou.
Xu Youyou stood still and raised her head, staring at Bai Ying defiantly. She said, “Do you dare to touch me? No matter who you are, my brother will definitely look for you and make a big fuss. He won’t stop until he digs up your ancestors’ graves! My husband also definitely won’t let you off!”
1
Perhaps, if it were in the past, she would have been afraid and dodged. However, she was no longer afraid now. She stood straight fearlessly. This was because she knew she had the support of her family and Mo Shenbai. Those who loved her deeply gave her the courage to face all the negative things in the world.
The atmosphere was getting tense when a man’s gloomy voice rang from the entrance.
“Mom!”
Seeing Bai Ying’s hand that was poised to slap Xu Youyou, the man rushed forward like a gust of wind and shielded Xu Youyou behind him. He frowned, and his eyes were stormy as he asked unhappily, “Mom, why did you look for her? What do you want to do to her? Who told you about her?”
It was the end of the year, and the company was very busy. As the chairman, Mo Shenbai was naturally very busy as well. There were many meetings and social events.
Xu Youyou did not have much to do at Moon Pavilion so she went to the Xu family house to accompany her parents.
Xu Jianshu was similarly busy with work and was not at home so Cheng Ying and Xu Youyou went out to shop, eat, and buy things for the lunar new year.
Last year, due to Old Madam Xu, Xu Youyou returned to the Xu family house during the lunar new year. However, with Old Madam Xu’s absence, it was hard to say where she would be celebrating the lunar new year this year.
Xu Youyou knew nothing of Mo Shenbai’s arrangements so she did not say anything to Cheng Ying yet, afraid of disappointing Cheng Ying.
While they were out, she spoke to her mother about going abroad. She really wanted to go abroad, but she was worried Mo Shenbai would disagree. Hence, she shared her little worries with her mother.
Cheng Ying was moved and happy to see that Xu Youyou was willing to share her worries. With her experience, she advised Xu Youyou. “The most important thing between husband and wife is honesty. You can’t hide this from him. If he disagrees, you can slowly persuade him. It’s better than telling him after you agree to go abroad.”
Xu Youyou felt that her mother’s words were reasonable so she nodded. “I’ll talk to him tonight then…”
Cheng Ying nodded in relief.
The duo then found some other things to chat about. When they grew tired of shopping, they simply found a restaurant to eat in. After the meal, Cheng Ying said she wanted to go home and rest.
Xu Youyou want to go back to Moon Pavilion to speak to Mo Shenbai about going abroad so she did not go back with Cheng Ying. After sending Cheng Ying off, she was about to call Cang Ming when an old man with white hair dressed in a suit walked over.
He said expressionlessly, “Miss Xu, my madam wants to meet you.”
Xu Youyou thought the old man looked vaguely familiar, but she could not remember where she had seen him. She asked, “Who’s your madam?”
The old man did not answer the question. Instead, he made an inviting gesture and said, “My madam is over there. You’ll know when you get there.”
Xu Youyou looked in the direction where the old man was gesturing. It was a cafe. She hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”
The old man led Xu Youyou into the cafe.
Apart from the staff, there were no other customers in the cafe. Only a woman dressed in a pearl-white qipao could be seen sitting by the window. Her hair was slightly curled, and she wore jade jewelry.
When Xu Youyou drew closer to the woman, she saw the woman’s exquisite facial features. Although there were fine lines at the corners of the woman’s eyes, they did not detract from her beauty at all. One could only imagine what a great beauty the woman was when she was young.
When the woman heard the footsteps, she tilted her head slightly. She did not look at Xu Youyou as she said in a neutral tone, “Sit down.”
The old man pulled the chair out, and Xu Youyou sat down. Only then did the woman look at her.
The woman frowned slightly as she sized Xu Youyou up. Her voice carried a hint of contempt as she said, “You’re Xu Youyou.”
Xu Youyou nodded. “Aunty, do we know each other?”
The woman picked her cup up and took a sip before she replied, “You don’t know me, but I know you. You’re…”
The woman did not finish speaking, but it was clear that whatever she did not say would be unpleasant to the ears. It was all reflected in the disdainful smile on her face.
Xu Youyou did not ask how the woman knew her. She only asked, “Then, why are you looking for me?”
Clearly, the other party did not like her. Since that was the case, it was better to just get to the point so she could end the conversation as soon as possible.
“I called you here today to give you a reminder,” the woman said as she set the cup down on the table. There was a smile on her face, but her gaze was cold as she continued to say, “Don’t think you can have your cake and eat it too.”
Xu Youyou was not angered by the woman’s arrogance and contempt. She said lightly, “I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Please speak more clearly.”
A hint of impatience flashed in the woman’s eyes as she said, “Okay, let me introduce myself. I’m Bai Ying. I’m Fu Jianchen’s mother. I hope you won’t pester my A Chen anymore.”
Xu Youyou: “?”
‘So she’s Fu Jianchen’s mother? No wonder she looked a little familiar…’
“Aunty, I think you’ve misunderstood something. Fu Jianchen and I are just ordinary friends. I’m already married,” Xu Youyou explained even though she did not know why Bai Ying had this misunderstanding.
“I know you’re married!” Bai Ying said. Her hostility and dissatisfaction became even more obvious when Xu Youyou said she was married.
“Then, why did you look for me today?” Xu Youyou was even more puzzled. She could not figure out what was going on at all. Even if Fu Jianchen had thoughts about her, Bai Ying should have spoken to Fu Jianchen, not her. Why was it that when something happened, a woman’s first move would be to make things difficult for another woman, not the man?
“I want to see what kind of person you are,” Bai Ying said calmly. She clearly did not think there was anything wrong with her actions.
“Oh. What kind of person I am depends on the other party’s attitude. Since you clearly don’t have a good attitude toward me, I don’t plan to stay any longer,” Xu Youyou said very calmly.
Just as Xu Youyou rose to her feet to leave, Bai Ying said icily, “Stop! Did I say you can leave? Sure enough, the upbringing of a girl raised in the countryside is bad.”
Xu Youyou turned to look at Bai Ying. Her voice was soft, but her words were powerful as she said, “So what if I grew up in the countryside? It’s not like you raised me. Taking advantage of your seniority to bully a junior, how’s your upbringing any better?”
1
“You! Impudent! What nonsense…” Bai Ying slammed her hand on the table angrily. She was so furious that her face turned red.
Xu Youyou remained calm. She did not want to waste energy being angry at such a person. It was a waste of time and energy. Since the other party was not polite, she also spoke very bluntly. She said, “I finally understand now why there are some ordinary men with an overinflated ego. It must be due to mothers like you who spoil their son unreasonably.”
“If there’s a problem, instead of looking for your own child, you come to look for trouble with another person’s child. With a mother like you, no wonder Fu Jianchen is rebellious and has a bad temper. He’s arrogant and conceited. As it turns out, it’s because he has a mother like you!”
“Shut up!” Bai Ying rose to her feet. Her hand was raised, poised to slap Xu Youyou.
Xu Youyou stood still and raised her head, staring at Bai Ying defiantly. She said, “Do you dare to touch me? No matter who you are, my brother will definitely look for you and make a big fuss. He won’t stop until he digs up your ancestors’ graves! My husband also definitely won’t let you off!”
1
Perhaps, if it were in the past, she would have been afraid and dodged. However, she was no longer afraid now. She stood straight fearlessly. This was because she knew she had the support of her family and Mo Shenbai. Those who loved her deeply gave her the courage to face all the negative things in the world.
The atmosphere was getting tense when a man’s gloomy voice rang from the entrance.
“Mom!”
Seeing Bai Ying’s hand that was poised to slap Xu Youyou, the man rushed forward like a gust of wind and shielded Xu Youyou behind him. He frowned, and his eyes were stormy as he asked unhappily, “Mom, why did you look for her? What do you want to do to her? Who told you about her?”
