“It’s over here!” Shi Wei had already ordered someone to bring the gift over. It wasn’t as extravagant as Fu Chengyan’s gift, but it was still quite exceptional. “Grandpa, this is your gift from Xicheng and me. May you live a long and abundant life.”
Everyone knew how much of a sweet-talker Shi Wei was, especially since she was a celebrity. She had a dignified and elegant reputation.
Seeing the gift Shi Wei had brought over, the audience exclaimed, “T-This… How lucky Old Man Shi is to have such a filial granddaughter!”
Shi Wei had given the old man a painting by the famous Zhang Daqian. Knowing how much Shi Yunsheng enjoyed Zhang Daqian’s artwork, Shi Wei had naturally spent a long time searching for this gift. She then turned to Shi Nuan and asked smugly, “What did you get grandpa, Nuan?”
The crowd turned to Shi Nuan. Since Shi Nuan was also Shi Yunsheng’s granddaughter, everyone would naturally compare the two girls. Thinking about how radiant and dazzling Shi Wei looked, Shi Nuan was much dimmer in comparison. She also looked like she had a dull personality. All this while, she had never even said a word.
Shi Nuan frowned slightly as she heard Shi Wei talk to her.
She certainly knew what Shi Wei had up her sleeve; she just never really bothered. It was always better to avoid trouble whenever possible, but clearly, that was not how Shi Wei thought. Ever since she stole Fu Xicheng from Shi Nian, all of Shi Wei’s thoughts now showed on her face.
“That’s right, Nuan. Your grandpa loves you the most. What did you get him?” Jiang Yu came up just in time, acting like she was on Shi Nuan’s side. “Did you know that your grandpa has been worried that you aren’t doing well? He looked forward to your return every day, and you’re finally back.”
Jiang Yu clung to Shi Nuan’s arm, as though she was afraid the latter would run off after being humiliated. “Mommy knows you’re not happy, Nuan, but we’re a family. It’s your grandpa’s birthday and you’re such a filial child. There’s no way you’d make him sad, right?”
Jiang Yu continued as she leaned over and lowered her head, “Nuan, your grandpa is old now. He can’t take too much stress. Besides, your sister’s marriage to Xicheng has long been confirmed – why would you want to separate them?”
Jiang Yu tried to pacify Shi Nuan, thinking she sounded very reasonable, but it was clear that she didn’t care about how Shi Nuan felt at all.
Shi Nuan only felt her blood boiling. She didn’t think that Jiang Yu had the nerve to talk like this in front of everyone. She smiled loathingly, saying, “So you’re taking advantage of grandpa’s birthday celebration to force me into submitting, right, mother? There’s no need for you to do this. I’ve told you long ago that there’s no longer anything going on between Fu Xicheng and I.” She just couldn’t understand why they had to go such lengths.
“That’s what you think, but your grandpa thinks we’re bullying you. Listen to us and go pacify your grandpa. I promise I’ll find you a better man. I have lots of young candidates in mind.”
“There’s no need.”
With that, Shi Nuan broke free of Jiang Yu’s grasp and walked in front of Shi Yunsheng with a smile. “Of course I’ve prepared a gift for grandpa. Would you like to see it now, grandpa?”
Shi Yunsheng initially wanted to say there was no need, but seeing the strange expression on Shi Nuan’s face and the gazes of everyone around, he nodded. “Sure, sure! What did you get for me? I’m sure I’ll love anything you got me.”
Then he turned to the housekeeper. “Yang?”
“The second young lady’s gift is with me, sir. Look, this is what she brought you.”
Mr. Yang opened up the box, revealing a calligraphy brush. Everyone was stunned. There was so much anticipation for her gift, but it turned out to be just a brush. Disappointment hung the air.
Shi Wei smiled triumphantly, but she still wore a surprised expression on her face. “Is that a brush? That’s so thoughtful of you, Nuan. Seems like we both remembered that grandpa loves calligraphy, but thankfully our gifts aren’t the same.”
Shi Wei’s statement created another wave to discussion. The audience agreed that both gifts were related to calligraphy, but judging by appearance, it was clear that one was much better than the other. Their perception of Shi Nuan changed yet again. “I’m a bit cliché. Your brother-in-law and I thought grandpa would surely like a calligraphy painting, but we didn’t think about giving him a brush.”
Seeing Shi Wei put on a show like that, Shi Nuan felt an unexplainable feeling. But she just didn’t know how to respond with everyone looking.
Then, Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes and glanced at Zhou Zheng.
Zhou Zheng couldn’t help but ashamed. How could he have not realized how nosy his boss was?
That was how he felt inside, but in reality, Zhou Zheng dared not slack off. He immediately coughed and faked a surprised expression. “Huh? Isn’t that the brush from the antique shop a few days ago!?” He looked at Shi Nuan suspiciously before turning to his own boss and saying calmly, “Turns out it was Ms. Shi who made the purchase! What a coincidence! Mr. Fu wanted had wanted this brush and sent me over to get it, but someone had already bought it before I could! It was you after all, Ms. Shi!”
The audience immediately came to a realization. “So it’s an antique! On top of that, Mr. Fu was interested in it! It must be valuable then.”
Hearing that, Shi Yunsheng picked up the brush and said in surprise, “You rascal! How much did you spend on this? You… I told you I didn’t need anything! Why did you splurge so much?” That was what Shi Yunsheng said, but he just couldn’t put the brush down.
Suddenly, someone among the crowd said, “It’s from the Ming dynasty. I’ve had the privilege to see it once. I heard it once belonged to Emperor Yongle…”
Shi Nuan looked at Fu Chengyan in shock, but the latter merely gazed at her meaningfully with amusement in his eyes.
Shi Nuan didn’t know how to describe her feelings right then. She just felt rather complicated for not being able to understand Fu Chengyan at all. She had even more trouble understanding his intentions.
He had clearly said the brush wasn’t expensive, so… Did she owe him now?
This small episode blew over and no one paid attention to it anymore. After all, it was another family’s matter, and everyone was just here to watch the fun.
Shi Nuan circled the area with Shi Yunsheng before finally heading to the back garden to relax. In truth, she was well aware what they wanted to do to her, but she still came anyway. She secretly hoped that her parents would be partial to her, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment.
“What are you doing here?”
Shi Nuan turned in shock as a tall shadow appeared from behind her, only to see the man who had been surrounded by the crowd earlier. Thinking about what just happened, Shi Nuan’s lips curled into a smile. “What about you? What are you doing here?” She wanted to know why he had come today.
Fu Chengyan walked over with a smile and stopped in front of Shi Nuan.
Slightly caught off guard, Shi Nuan took two steps back and looked up at Fu Chengyan. He was tall. She wasn’t short, but despite wearing heels, she was still a head shorter than him. So she looked up with some difficulty. “You…”
