Page 10

Words could deceive, but eyes could not.

The first sign of respecting someone was listening quietly when she spoke, with your eyes on her.

So she was genuinely astonished when she noticed this.

Fu Huaiyan and Fu Yichu had been watching Su Wanqiao intently, looking for any new content appearing above her head.

Then, all of a sudden, they saw it.

[Fu Huaiyan and Fu Yichu have finally learned to look people in the eye. I always thought their eyes grew on top of their heads.]

"..."

Fu Huaiyan fell silent. Had he treated Su Wanqiao so harshly before? He really had little recollection. Could it be that, in her eyes, he had always been someone who looked down his nose at everyone?

No matter how he looked at it, he had been an utter failure as a husband.

Fu Yichu knew perfectly well how he had treated his eldest sister-in-law before. Even a dog would have wanted nothing to do with him.

So his eldest sister-in-law was not wrong to think that about him. But he would never treat her that way again. He also knew it was wrong, because it was far too disrespectful a way to treat family.

They made the rest of the journey in silence.

Fu Huaiyan and Fu Yichu returned to the company to handle business. Both were busy with the bidding for Yannan District. Besides, now that they knew the Fu family might face a crisis because of the Jiang family in the future, they certainly could not leave that hidden danger in place. They already knew the female lead's identity, so naturally, they needed to identify the male lead through Jiang Ruoning, then nip everything in the bud before those two gained any real power.

Su Wanqiao returned to the mansion, enjoyed a lovely skincare spa treatment and a massage from the servants, and tried out a skin-whitening device. Afterward, she tried on her newly purchased gowns and jewelry. Once everything was ready,

she had intended to take an afternoon nap.

But a servant from downstairs suddenly approached her, looking a little nervous. "Madam, the senior madam is on the phone. She says she needs to speak to you."

An image quickly surfaced in Su Wanqiao's mind: a graceful, richly dressed middle-aged lady with sharp eyes. This was Chen Muyu, her wealthy mother-in-law with a difficult temperament and a stern manner.

Her mother-in-law, Chen Muyu, had disliked the original owner even before she married into the Fu family. She felt the girl lacked the manners of a well-bred young lady from high society and instead seemed petty and provincial because of her poor upbringing, so she disliked her intensely. She had even reprimanded her repeatedly over the suicide threats that stemmed from the original owner's temperament, leaving their relationship as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law even more precarious.

Naturally, this phone call gave her the feeling that the caller came with ill intentions.

Su Wanqiao picked up the receiver and answered, imitating the original owner's tone. "Mom... it's Wanqiao."

The middle-aged woman on the other end snapped irritably, "So you're not dead yet."

"..."

"Yes, Mom, I'm not dead. I'm still alive and kicking."

How could Su Wanqiao have expected to hear such a curse the moment she answered the phone? There was no way she could be in a good mood, so naturally, she shot back.

Still, everyone knew that the original owner had repeatedly threatened suicide. In the novel, these incidents had become fodder for high society's idle gossip. Madam Fu found it deeply embarrassing and thoroughly disliked this daughter-in-law.

She could not stand the way the original owner threatened suicide at the drop of a hat, as though she were trying to hold someone hostage. Thus, the more the original owner made a scene, the more strained their relationship became. In the end, the original owner was driven out of the Fu family only after things had reached a point of no return.

Chen Muyu's expression shifted slightly. "So you've learned to talk back now?" she demanded sternly.

"I wouldn't dare."

Su Wanqiao replied blandly, utterly bored. Her slender, pale fingertips straightened her clothes one moment and touched up her makeup the next. Clearly, she was not taking the voice on the phone to heart.

In any case, she only needed to make a casual effort at staying in character, follow the plot when required, make a scene when required, collect her breakup money when required, and get divorced when required. Her days afterward could hardly be more carefree.

So there was no point in getting angry with the Fu family.

Chen Muyu suppressed her anger and said, "A few society ladies I'm close to are having afternoon tea at my place. Come over and keep us company."

Su Wanqiao thought back. This was part of the book's plot too, though it was not particularly important. However, this afternoon tea would make the Fu family despise her even more, which could actually speed up her divorce storyline.

The original owner had never been welcome in the Fu family to begin with. Several wealthy ladies from high society had heard that the Fu family's eldest daughter-in-law had recently threatened suicide again, so they had come over to enjoy the spectacle.

Originally, Chen Muyu had not wanted Su Wanqiao to appear, but she could not withstand the other ladies' comments. In the end, unable to swallow her anger, she had arranged this afternoon tea. It had ultimately ended with the original owner feeling utterly ashamed beside the other wealthy young ladies and becoming an object of ridicule.

In short, this gathering had been a complete disaster.

After recalling the plot, Su Wanqiao sprang to her feet, utterly fearless in the face of this sort of scene.

Whether she followed the plot did not matter. What she really cared about was how much money she would get in the divorce.

She changed into one of the understated outfits Fu Huaiyan had bought her that day, made a few simple adjustments to her hair, and touched up her makeup.

Then she arranged for the driver to take her to the mansion where Fu Huaiyan's mother lived. Her villa was equally magnificent. The vast estate contained countless expensive flowers, plants, and trees, and its eye-catching angel fountain looked exceptionally lavish.

Fu Huaiyan's mother, Chen Muyu, was a wealthy middle-aged lady in her fifties or sixties.

Because she took excellent care of herself, her face had no fine lines, and she looked very energetic. Her phoenix eyes appeared stern, her cheeks were slightly thin, and her features were delicate and small. She was the sort of wealthy lady who seemed very unapproachable.

When Su Wanqiao arrived, a servant led her into the back garden. No one paid any attention to her arrival, as though they had all tacitly agreed to ignore her.

Chen Muyu disliked this troublesome daughter-in-law and naturally could not be bothered to acknowledge her either. If the other ladies had not asked, she would not even have bothered to summon Su Wanqiao.

Beside Chen Muyu sat a young woman of twenty-six or twenty-seven, with a slender figure, dignified bearing, and a quiet beauty.

From the original owner's memories, Su Wanqiao knew her as well. This was Fu Siyao, the Fu family's eldest daughter.