Chapter 10

 Conflict

At the Fu residence.

After the workers from the renovation company arrived, Aunt Liu worried they might accidentally bump into the flowers on the table. She quickly carried the roses outside.

She treasured those roses dearly. Somehow, they felt almost alive to her, and the more she looked at them, the more she liked them.

Qingqing, who was playing nearby, suddenly noticed this and looked confused.

Those are the flowers from my room!

The way Aunt Liu was holding them looked just like someone carrying a child.

Thinking of something, the little girl trotted over and said sweetly,

“Auntie looks younger!”

Aunt Liu looked at her in surprise.

“What did Miss just say?”

“Auntie is holding flowers and looks younger!”

Aunt Liu was overjoyed. She immediately went to the bathroom mirror and took a look. Sure enough, she really did seem a few years younger.

Several maids who were close to her gathered around, and every one of them commented on how energetic and refreshed she looked.

While they were chatting, the phone in her pocket suddenly rang. It was one of the security guards at the villa entrance.

“Aunt Liu, Madam Bai from the Bai family says she has something to deliver to Mr. Fu. Should we let her in?”

Aunt Liu’s position was practically that of a housekeeper. Small matters like visitors were usually left to her judgment.

The Bai family had business dealings with Mr. Fu’s company. Hearing that Madam Bai had come to deliver something, Aunt Liu worried about delaying important matters and quickly told the guard to let her in.

Setting down the roses, she hurried off to receive the guest.

…

At that moment, Qingqing was sitting in the small garden, holding her jasmine plant.

The morning breeze blew gently around her. Beside her was the jasmine she had brought back to life.

She narrowed her eyes happily.

I’m so happy~

Upstairs.

Fu Xueji gently pulled back a corner of the curtain.

As expected, he saw the little girl from yesterday again.

His gaze shifted to the jasmine plant beside her and froze.

It was a flower he had personally raised. How could he possibly forget it?

Even so, he stared at it for a long time before finally daring to believe what he was seeing.

Yesterday morning, he had already confirmed that it had no chance of coming back to life. That was why he had instructed a servant to throw it away.

Yet now, in the little girl’s arms, it had regained its vitality.

In just a single day, it had come back to life.

Leaning against the window, Fu Xueji stood there in a daze.

Just as Qingqing was about to notice him, he quickly drew the curtain shut.

Qingqing felt as though someone had been watching her. She stood up and looked around, but saw no one.

The little girl continued talking to her flower.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

“So you’re the child Fu Sihuai adopted from the orphanage?”

Qingqing turned around and saw an elegantly dressed woman standing behind her.

The woman wore an expensive watch on her wrist, along with a bracelet of the same color. Her neck and ears were adorned with jewelry as well.

Although Qingqing knew nothing about luxury brands, television had given her a stereotypical image of wealthy people. Instinctively, she felt that this auntie was no ordinary person.

She carefully placed the flowerpot on the chair and stood up politely.

“Hello, Auntie.”

She was obedient and adorable.

But Xu Xiu didn’t think so at all.

She waved her hand dismissively. As if she had smelled something dirty, she lifted a well-manicured finger to cover her nose.

“An orphan shouldn’t call me Auntie.”

The moment those words left her mouth, Qingqing’s face instantly turned red.

She lowered her head and nervously picked at her dress, her cheeks burning as though they might bleed.

She knew what an orphan was.

An orphan was a child nobody wanted.

Xu Xiu glanced down at the little girl’s clean, soft hair, disgust flashing through her eyes.

She didn’t dislike children.

She disliked people who got in her way.

Looking down coldly, a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

“Children from orphanages really don’t belong in high society. I have no idea what was going through Fu Sihuai’s head when he adopted you. My granddaughter is better than you in every way.”

Contempt dripped from her eyes and brows.

Qingqing’s face turned deathly pale.

If Aunt Liu had seen her like this, her heart would have broken.

As if summoned by that thought, Aunt Liu’s voice suddenly cut into the scene with overwhelming force.

“Madam Bai, you’ve arrived.”

She hadn’t found Xu Xiu in the living room and immediately felt that something was wrong. After asking around, she learned that both of them had gone to the garden.

Xu Xiu had always wanted to match her daughter with Fu Sihuai. So when she heard that the Fu family had adopted a little girl from an orphanage, she became furious.

Her daughter was divorced, twenty-five years old, and had a four-year-old daughter from her previous marriage.

A few days ago, her daughter had brought that granddaughter to visit the Fu family. Fu Sihuai had been cold and indifferent, frightening the child into tears.

Xu Xiu had already been unhappy about that.

Then Fu Sihuai turned around and adopted Qingqing from an orphanage.

That made her even angrier.

Today’s visit, under the excuse of delivering documents, was really just an opportunity to see Qingqing for herself.

After walking over, Aunt Liu subtly took Qingqing’s hand and pulled her behind her, like a mother hen protecting her chick.

Xu Xiu noticed the gesture out of the corner of her eye. Her expression darkened, but she said nothing.

Aunt Liu was an old member of the Fu household, personally brought over by Fu Sihuai from the capital. No matter how irritated Xu Xiu was, she wouldn’t vent her anger on her.

Thus, she lazily examined her manicured nails and returned to her usual composed demeanor.

“Madam, didn’t you say you came to deliver something? Why not come into the living room? I’ll make you some tea.”

Xu Xiu’s expression remained cold.

“I forgot to bring it. I won’t be going inside.”

The excuse was clearly perfunctory.

After speaking, she glanced at Aunt Liu and felt a shock of surprise.

When she had visited a few days ago, Aunt Liu had looked exhausted, no different from the worn-out housewives in her own household.

Yet today she seemed like a completely different person.

And if one paid close attention, there was a faint fragrance of roses surrounding her.

Suppressing her surprise, Xu Xiu asked casually,

“Aunt Liu, did you go for some beauty treatments recently? And are you wearing perfume?”

The reason she mentioned perfume was simple.

She had been captivated by the scent.

Never before had she smelled such a pure and enchanting rose fragrance.

Aunt Liu’s smile stiffened for a moment.

Her mind raced.

After a brief pause, she laughed awkwardly.

“Madam Xu, you’re teasing me. I’m just a servant. Why would I spend money on beauty treatments? As for the perfume, it’s just a cheap fragrance that us servants bought privately. It smells nice at first, but it becomes tiresome after a while.”

Hearing that it was inexpensive perfume, disdain flashed across Xu Xiu’s eyes.

She had originally considered buying a bottle for herself.

But if it was something servants used, forget it.

How could the dignified Madam Bai use the same perfume as servants?

Wouldn’t that lower her status?

Thinking this, she smiled behind her hand and spoke in a falsely considerate tone.

“Don’t say that. People like you should treat yourselves once in a while. Aunt Liu, you’ve been with the Fu family for years. Your monthly salary should be enough for at least one beauty treatment.”

“Oh, and if you do go, remember to tell me which salon it is.”

“So I can avoid it.”

Aunt Liu smiled as though she couldn’t hear the mockery hidden in those words.

Xu Xiu felt as though she had punched a pillow.

But she had already achieved her goal today. She had come to see what kind of child this orphan was.

Now that she had, she found the girl entirely ordinary.

With her purpose fulfilled, she didn’t stay any longer.

After Xu Xiu left, the smile on Aunt Liu’s face vanished instantly.

Squatting down, she picked up the teary-eyed little girl, her heart aching with sympathy.

“Miss, don’t cry, don’t cry…”

She pulled out a tissue and gently wiped Qingqing’s tears while comforting her.

“That woman doesn’t know how to speak properly. We won’t take her words to heart, alright?”