He was about to leave, and it wouldn't be right to use Fu Jingfan's money. He felt it would hurt to use his savings to buy a decorative collar button.
The butler noticed Su Huaiming's expression and saw that he was quite pleased with it, yet still unbuttoned his collar. He couldn't help but show a surprised expression.
But he didn't say much. Instead, he gave the saleswoman a wink, signaling her to keep the collar button.
At the housekeeper's urging, Su Huaiming bought Fu Jingfan a tie clip and a tie.
The saleswoman had been diligently accompanying Su Huaiming throughout, and only before payment could she contain her excitement as she whispered, "Mr. Su, I'm a loyal fan of yours. It's a pleasure to serve you today. You have excellent taste; President Fu will be very happy wearing the collar button you gave him!"
The other saleswomen also tactfully replied:
"Yes, you two have such a great relationship. We were so touched by how sweet it was when we watched the live stream."
Wishing you a long and happy marriage, lasting for many years.
Su Huaiming couldn't refute them, so he could only smile and nod repeatedly, accepting their kindness.
After leaving the store, Fu Xiaoxiao, who had been well-behaved, immediately became restless, shaking Su Huaiming's little finger and looking at him with bright eyes, "Can we go get ice cream now?"
Su Huaiming couldn't help but chuckle, then tapped Fu Xiaoxiao's forehead helplessly and asked, "Do you have an ice cream cone head?"
Fu Xiaoxiao didn't understand; her innocent little face was filled with confusion.
Su Huaiming didn't explain, keeping his promise, and took Fu Xiaoxiao to buy ice cream.
Fu Xiaoxiao chose a scoop of chocolate ice cream, while Su Huaiming, using the excuse that adults eat more, picked out three at once. The two, one big and one small, sat by the window, just about to enjoy their ice cream, when they felt the glass next to them being knocked twice.
Su Huaiming turned his head and saw two middle-aged women standing outside, glaring at him with fierce eyes, as if he had done something heinous.
Su Huaiming paused for a few seconds, unable to recall the identities of the two middle-aged women.
In just a short while, two middle-aged women had already circled into the store. After giving him a disdainful look, they approached Fu Xiaoxiao with excessive enthusiasm and, without saying a word, touched Fu Xiaoxiao's head.
"My Xiao Xiao, how did you grow up so fast? Your auntie misses you so much!"
Su Huaiming was about to call security, but stopped in his tracks when he heard the last address.
With ice cream in her mouth, Fu Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the two middle-aged women who were being too close. Her chubby body couldn't help but lean back, and she cast a pleading look at Su Huaiming.
As soon as Su Huaiming stood up, the middle-aged woman next to him shoved him aside and Su Huaiming his way.
The middle-aged woman, who identified herself as Xiao Xiao's aunt, looked heartbroken and said, "Xiao Xiao, don't you recognize me? I even took you to set off fireworks during the New Year and bought you a little rabbit lantern."
Hearing this, Fu Xiaoxiao blinked and recognized the middle-aged woman in front of her. "Hello, Auntie."
The middle-aged woman immediately beamed with joy, and another middle-aged woman also approached Fu Xiaoxiao. Fu Xiaoxiao recognized her. "Hello, Second Aunt."
Hearing Fu Xiaoxiao's words, Su Huaiming finally realized that the two middle-aged women were Fu Xiaoxiao's relatives.
The two aunts treated Fu Xiaoxiao very affectionately, as if Xiao Xiao were their precious darling. They constantly asked her how she was doing, pinching Fu Xiaoxiao cheeks and saying with concern that Fu Xiaoxiao had lost weight.
Fu Xiaoxiao didn't reject them, but he was very unfamiliar with them. Compared to his two aunts, the ice cream in front of him was more attractive to him.
The second aunt's gaze fell on the ice cream. She turned her head, glared fiercely at Su Huaiming, and said through gritted teeth, "Children's stomachs are very delicate. How could you give him such cheap ice cream!"
My second aunt gave me a disgusted look. "Do you know how many additives and rotten fruit are in this? The sweetness comes from industrial saccharin, which is very harmful to children's health!"
Although my second aunt tried to lower her voice, it was still clearly audible in the store, and the shop assistant standing behind the counter had a stiff smile on her face.
He was professionally trained and knew he couldn't afford to offend these guests, so he pretended not to hear and simply pushed the frontmost billboard forward a little.
The second aunt felt she was right and, standing on her moral high ground, ruthlessly criticized Su Huaiming.
Su Huaiming raised an eyebrow and said casually, "The top-tier brands have all been carefully selected by the Fu Group. Fu Jingfan was also aware that we were eating ice cream here. Are you implying that Fu Jingfan, the biological father, is abusing his son and deliberately feeding him ice cream that is harmful to his health?"
The second aunt thought Su Huaiming was an outsider and wouldn't dare to interrupt in this situation. Unexpectedly, Su Huaiming, who seemed easy to manipulate, had a sharp tongue and left her speechless.
"When did I say Jing Fan abused his son?" Second Aunt rolled her eyes. "Don't make false accusations!"
The eldest aunt snorted coldly, too lazy to waste time with Su Huaiming, and moved closer to Fu Xiaoxiao, grinning exaggeratedly, her chubby face puffed up, "How about coming back to the old house with your aunt? I'll make you ice cream myself, with the best ingredients, it'll definitely taste better than this."
Fu Xiaoxiao blinked, somewhat tempted, but ultimately shook her head and said, "No, I've already finished my ice cream for today. Can I go get some another day?"
Upon hearing this, the two aunts' smiles froze.
Second Aunt didn't give up and continued, "Xiao Xiao, you haven't been back to see Grandpa for a long time. Grandpa misses you and keeps talking about you. Besides, didn't you promise to play with Big Yellow? I know you're a good child who keeps your Xiao Xiao and will never break your promise."
After bringing up "Grandpa" and "Big Yellow," Fu Xiaoxiao's mind clearly shifted. He hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously looked up at Su Huaiming, asking for his opinion.
The two aunts never expected that their combined importance in Fu Xiaoxiao's heart was less than that of a stepfather. Their hearts sank, and they immediately turned to glare at Su Huaiming, almost pointing their fingers at him and cursing, "You vicious stepfather, you tricked my child away!"
The scene became tense for a moment. Just as Su Huaiming was about to speak, the butler, covered in sweat, hurried over.
The butler looked at the two middle-aged women with wary eyes. If it weren't for his good manners, he probably would have already picked up a broom and chased them away.
"Mr. Su came here today to pick out a collar for President Fu to take his young master out for some fun. What a coincidence that we ran into you two! Shall we go and pay together?"
The implication is that Fu Jingfan and Su Huaiming have a good relationship, and knowing that the father and son are shopping, they suggest that the two of them not court disaster and get lost!
The two aunts, clearly lacking in intelligence and emotional intelligence, completely failed to grasp the warning and tried to pull Fu Xiaoxiao away, saying, "Xiao Xiao, come back to the old house with your aunts today. Grandpa has been missing you so much that he's gotten sick. He's been so good to you, don't you want to go back and see him?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiaoxiao immediately hesitated.
Su Huaiming hadn't expected these two elders to use such tactics to manipulate a child, but this was a family matter for the Fu family, and as an outsider, he shouldn't interfere.
Furthermore, it's unknown whether Xiao Xiao's grandfather is truly ill. If he is, preventing Fu Xiaoxiao from visiting her grandfather would seem incredibly heartless and could have a negative impact on the child.
Su Huaiming hesitated for a few seconds, then gently stroked Fu Xiaoxiao's hair, leaving the decision to him, "Xiao Xiao, do you want to see Grandpa?"
Fu Xiaoxiao twisted his fingers. He was still young and didn't understand social etiquette, but he keenly sensed the tense atmosphere, and his mood became uncontrollably flustered.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he said softly, "Grandpa is sick, and I want to go see him."
Hearing this, Su Huaiming thought Fu Xiaoxiao was a filial and good child, so he nodded, "Okay, I'll go with Xiao Xiao."
Fu Xiaoxiao regarded Su Huaiming as her pillar of support. When she heard that Su Huaiming would accompany her, she was immediately happy and held his hand tightly.
When Su Huaiming looked up again, he saw his two aunts looking at him arrogantly, as if he had lost.
Su Huaiming didn't argue with the two of them. He took Fu Xiaoxiao's hand and walked out, with the butler following closely behind, looking worried and as if the sky was about to fall.
The two aunts stayed close by, afraid that Su Huaiming would abduct their precious baby. Only after hearing that one car was not enough to fit everyone did they reluctantly get into the car behind them.
After getting into the car, Su Huaiming felt awkward talking about his two elders in front of Fu Xiaoxiao, so he thought of sending a message to the housekeeper.
No sooner had he picked up his phone than the housekeeper sent him a long message.
Su Huaiming's expression was initially calm, but the more he looked, the more astonished he became, raising an eyebrow with amusement.
That's way too extravagant! The entertainment industry is quite chaotic!
For a family like this to produce someone like Fu Jingfan, their ancestors must have burned incense at their graves!
The secrets of the wealthy family that Su Huaiming suddenly learned were like a badger in a melon patch—he was so full he could hardly eat anymore.
The Fu family was very large, with many members. Su Huaiming went through the gossip with each member, and he almost managed to find out everyone's weaknesses.
As they got off the car, Su Huaiming's gaze towards his two aunts changed, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
The two aunts felt their scalps tingle from being stared at, and suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.
They rubbed their arms, forcibly suppressing the feeling, then pushed Su Huaiming aside and led Fu Xiaoxiao, one on each side, using all their charm to win her over.
Reaching the door, Su Huaiming looked at the villa before him, somewhat surprised.
He and Fu Jingfan broadened his horizons; the villa in front of them was quite nice, but compared to where he lived, it looked particularly shabby.
After the door was pushed open, a large group of people poured out and enthusiastically surrounded Fu Xiaoxiao.
A thin, elderly man limped over with a cane, his face full of wrinkles as he smiled. His hands trembled slightly as he touched Fu Xiaoxiao's face, his eyes welling up with tears. "My dear baby, Grandpa has finally seen you."
Legend has it that the grandfather, who was sick, missed his grandson so much that he was actually in good health and was able to come out to greet him personally.
The group of people who came out were of different ages, all dressed in gold and silver, exuding the air of nouveau riche. They were extremely enthusiastic and even obsequious towards Fu Xiaoxiao, but there was little genuine affection in them; it was as if they were putting on an act for others.
It's very strange to treat children like this.
Su Huaiming learned a lot from the butler, but he always felt that there were some important things hidden under this pretense, things he was unaware of.
Fu Xiaoxiao was still young, and even if he was very outgoing, he couldn't handle all of this. Surrounded by them, he stood on tiptoe and waved to Su Huaiming, looking utterly helpless.
Su Huaiming felt sorry for them and struggled to push through the crowd, finally managing to squeeze into the middle.
Fu Xiaoxiao immediately hugged Su Huaiming's leg, her attitude very affectionate, a stark contrast to her earlier behavior.
Fu Xiaoxiao's grandfather limped with a cane, but was in good spirits. The flesh on both sides of his face drooped down, and when he didn't smile, he looked very stern, like a patriarch from feudal times.
He tapped the ground with his cane, and everyone immediately fell silent.
Fu Xiaoxiao's grandfather scrutinized Su Huaiming with a gaze full of harshness and disdain, making Su Huaiming very uncomfortable.
"You're Jing Fan's partner?"
Su Huaiming nodded, looking at Fu Xiaoxiao's grandfather with neither arrogance nor servility.
Fu Xiaoxiao's grandfather seemed to find him filthy even by a glance, saying nothing, yet it was as if he had said everything.
When he looked at Fu Xiaoxiao again, Grandpa's expression immediately changed. He smiled, reached out his hand, and said kindly, "Xiao Xiao, Grandpa will take you to play with Big Yellow, okay?"
In this family, Fu Xiaoxiao was closest to her grandfather, and upon hearing about the Big Yellow, she immediately fell in love.
But he didn't agree immediately. Instead, he looked up at Su Huaiming, his big, watery eyes filled with longing.
Without looking up, Su Huaiming felt countless gazes falling on him, like needles pricking him, filled with malice.
Su Huaiming didn't care and said to Fu Xiaoxiao with a smile, "Let Uncle Butler accompany you."
Fu Xiaoxiao immediately took the butler's hand.
Grandpa slammed his cane on the ground again and snorted to express his dissatisfaction, but unfortunately, Su Huaiming didn't take him seriously.
Grandpa didn't want to leave a bad impression on Fu Xiaoxiao, so he wore a kind smile and could only tolerate the butler, who was an eyesore.
The housekeeper knew that following Fu Xiaoxiao was the right thing to do, but he was still worried about Su Huaiming, so he would turn back to look at him every few steps.
Su Huaiming, with his thin shoulders, stood alone among the Fu family's relatives, like a sheep caught in a pack of wolves, weak and helpless, awaiting his wanton humiliation.
The butler's heart clenched immediately. He wanted to help, but Su Huaiming waved him off, telling him to stay with Fu Xiaoxiao.
The housekeeper hesitated for a few seconds, then sighed deeply, sent a message to Fu Jingfan on his phone, before reluctantly following Fu Xiaoxiao away.
After the group of people disappeared, the Fu family relatives immediately reverted to their ugly faces, crossing their arms and looking at Su Huaiming with arrogance, as if Su Huaiming were a new, impartial servant.
"Let's go, don't just stand there." A middle-aged woman in a red dress, extremely large, with her flesh bulging out in strips, walked up to Su Huaiming and mocked, "If you stand here at the door, people will think we're bullying someone."
Su Huaiming was looking for a place to sit down, so he followed them into the inner room. To the Fu family, this behavior was seen as an indication that he was easy to bully.
This was indeed a feudal family. The chairs were arranged according to seniority, and people sat down in order. Su Huaiming could only sit in the chair in the far corner. The Fu family were eyeing him menacingly, as if they were about to conduct a joint trial.