Chapter 1: The Third Master of the Fu Family—He Believed in Buddhism, but He Was Like a Demon
3
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The autumn rain fell on the leaves, and the cool breeze whistled.
Inside the Song family mansion in Yuncheng…
The girl in the mirror looked like she was around 17 or 18 years old. She had thick eyebrows, and her eyes were sparkling. Her beautiful phoenix eyes were slender, charming, and full of affection.
“Miss, Master wants you to go downstairs quickly.” A maid knocked on the door and hurried her down.
“Mm,” she answered lightly and opened the door. The maid looked at the young girl’s slightly obstinate back and couldn’t help shaking her head. The maid then proceeded to enter the room to help her tidy it up.
Every part of the light pink room was exquisite. Even the decorative paintings hanging on the walls were worth millions of yuan, not to mention the various expensive jewelry in her jewelry box, which showed how much she was favored at home.
The maid pushed open the door of the bathroom at the side of the room. A rancid odor gushed out. The floor was a mess and littered with vomit-stained clothes.
“Goodness, this smell…” Another maid quickly entered the room while holding some cleaning supplies. “Where did Miss go last night to be this drunk?”
“With something like this happening at home, she probably drank to drown her sorrows.”
“Yeah. She used to be pampered as the only daughter of the family. But all of a sudden, she now has an elder stepsister. Ah, the most pitiful thing is that even her fiancé was s.n.a.t.c.hed away.”
“Master brought that child back right after Madam left in a fit of anger. It seems like he wants to filiate her while Madam isn’t around.” The maid grabbed the dirty clothes on the floor, arranged them according to their color, and placed them in the clothes basket.
“After all, that woman managed to coax Master into favoring her. I heard Master answering a call just now. It seems like Young Master Fu will be coming over.”
“Are they trying to force Miss to accept the annulment of her engagement?”
“If they really break off the engagement and let those two get together, won’t our Miss become the joke of all of Yuncheng?”
…
The two of them cleaned in the washroom while whispering softly. They didn’t know that the young girl who had just left had turned around and returned. Her eyes were slightly red and watery, but she forcefully held back her tears.
But when she turned around to head downstairs again, there was a slight smile on her face.
***
In the Song family living room…
A beautiful girl was sitting on the sofa. She wore a simple white s.h.i.+rt and a pair of jeans, and the corners of her black canvas shoes were slightly white due to repeated was.h.i.+ng. She pursed her lips, appearing careful and cautious.
This was her first time at the Song family home.
There were various ancient trees and plants in the outer courtyard that she couldn’t recognize. There was also a diverse display of orchids under the porch. Although she didn’t know much about flowers and plants, she knew about the existence of top-grade orchids that were worth tens of millions. As for the Song family’s orchids, she had never seen such precious items before. They were even specially nurtured by professionals.
Her life in the past was worse than that of the Song family’s flowers.
“Miss Jiang, your…” A servant had just served tea when a middle-aged man sitting at the side coughed twice.
“Eldest Miss, please have some tea.” Although the servant changed his way of addressing her, under his smile, there was a hint of mockery and disdain.
Although the sudden appearance of illegitimate daughters was common in wealthy families, not many actually dared to enter the household.
She appeared to be rather dignified and beautiful, obedient and docile. But if she didn’t have any tricks up her sleeves, how could she have entered the doors of the Song family house?
“Thank you.” Jiang Fengya accepted the tea and thanked him. She lowered her head and looked at the porcelain teacup. It was exquisite and small. With just one look, she could instantly tell that it was extremely valuable.
“Fengya, have some snacks.”
The man who spoke was in his fifties. He was wearing a black suit and had a cold expression on his face. He had been in the business world for a long time, which made him look formidable. But he deliberately softened his tone when he spoke to her.
This person was her biological father, Song Jingren.
“Mm.” Jiang Fengya looked beautiful, obedient, and weak. She appeared delicate and frail, as if she would break with just a slight touch. Furthermore, when people talked to her, they would speak softly for fear of startling her.
She was about to lower her head to drink her tea when she saw the person walking down the stairs…
Her fingers instantly stiffened and tightened.
Song Fengwan slowly descended.
She looked arrogant, n.o.ble, and unreachable.
“Dad!” Her voice was sweet and soft.
“You’re here, Fengwan. Come and sit.” Song Jingren called her over.
Song Fengwan directly sat across from Jiang Fengya and sized her up. Her gaze was simple and direct, yet it seemed as if it could see through anyone in an instant.
“Fengwan, let me introduce you. This is…” Song Jingren hesitated for a moment. Facing his daughter’s innocent and questioning gaze, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Actually, everyone was already well aware of the situation. They had just tactfully chosen to avoid revealing it to her until now.
“Miss, here’s your favorite white tea.” The servant handed Song Fengwan her tea, interrupting Song Jingren’s introduction.
“Thank you.” Song Fengwan accepted the tea. The teacup had an exquisite green shade, complimenting her fingers to look just like jade carvings.
She opened the lid of the teacup. The steam rose and blurred her facial features, causing her phoenix eyes to give off a mysterious feeling. She narrowed her eyes and lazily took a sip.
Jiang Fengya bit her lip.
Just by looking at their teacups, you could easily tell that Song Fengwan was the young lady of the house and that Jiang Fengya…
… was just a guest.
This was Jiang Fengya’s first meeting with Song Fengwan. Song Fengwan, who was 17 years old, was only a year younger than Jiang Fengya.
The people of Yuncheng were full of praises for Song Fengwan. They complimented her enchanting appearance that could mesmerize cities.
Jiang Fenya had thought that it was all just flattery at first. But now that she finally saw Song Fengwan, she realized that those comments were not enough to fully express Song Fengwan’s beauty. There was an air of purity about her, which was almost charming. Her eyes were pure and innocent, and her movements were graceful and unpretentious.
Through the mist of the tea, she seemed ethereal.
Even her slender fingers were white and flawless. Jiang Fengya put down her cup and subconsciously tucked her fingers into her sleeves.
“Fengya, how was the military training? Was it particularly tough?” Song Jingren broke the silence.
“It was alright.” Jiang Fengya laughed dryly. She had only undergone two days of military training, and despite having applied sunscreen beforehand, she still became tanned. But the person across her was like a white jade doll, clean and tidy.
If no one compared them, she would still look fine.
But when the two of them sat across from each other, even the servants could tell that they were incomparable. Is Young Master Fu blind?He didn’t want a ‘pearl’ but treated a ‘fish eye’ like treasure instead?
Although Song Jingren wanted to liven up the atmosphere in the living room, it was still slightly awkward. It remained so until a servant ran in and said softly, “Young Master Fu is here.”
Jiang Fengya slightly released her grip on her teacup and revealed a shy expression that only girls would show.
Song Fengwan caressed her teacup with her fingers. He sure arrived quickly.
She inexplicably thought of the many TV dramas she had watched in the past. In a cla.s.sic Cinderella story, there would always be an obsessive and bothersome princess everyone hated.
And at that moment, she was just like that evil female supporting character who wanted to ruin their relations.h.i.+p.
***
Song Fengwan had only taken two sips of tea before a man in his early twenties leisurely entered the living room.
He wore a simple white s.h.i.+rt paired with ironed black pants, which accentuated his straight and slender legs. He had thin eyebrows and looked elegant, refined, and very clean.
He had a cold aura and an impressive temperament. He was very popular at school.
“Senior.” Jiang Fengya stood up while smiling brightly.
“Hey.” Fu Yuxiu grinned at her and turned to Song Jingren. “h.e.l.lo, Uncle Song.”
When he turned to look at Song Fengwan though, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat awkward.
“Big Brother Fu sure is quick at finding girlfriends. You just broke up with me the day before yesterday, and now your new love interest is already in your arms.” Song Fengwan sneered.
The two people who just held hands before her had rather poor expressions.
“Fengwan.” Song Jingren furrowed his eyebrows, looking sullen.
“What? Am I wrong?” Song Fengwan raised her eyebrows and looked at the two people across her.
Although she wasn’t that old, they had been engaged for more than a year. But since she was still young, their interactions were more like that of a pair of siblings than an engaged couple. Fu Yuxiu was three years older than her and would always take care of her in all aspects.
She was in her senior year of high school. She had been on summer break for a month and had returned to school in early August. The summer tutoring program had required her to maintain minimal contact with the outside world, and her mother hadn’t told her what was happening at home.
On the day of the holiday, Fu Yuxiu had come to pick her up. She a.s.sumed that he was here to pick her up for dinner. But before they even reached the restaurant, he told her that he wanted to cancel their engagement.
She thought it was just a casual remark, but she didn’t expect him to be serious. Song Fengwan was proud and agreed immediately, thinking that he might turn back.
That night, she heard from someone that he had gotten together with a freshman in university.
She had known him for many years, so how could he break off the engagement with her for a girl that he had only known for a few days?
After asking around, she found out that the two of them got to know each other in a group of new and old students. The girl had even worked in Yuncheng for two months during her summer break, and her job was at a restaurant owned by the Fu family.
Fu Yuxiu had been helping her both openly and covertly. It was just like a plot from a TV drama.
“Fengwan, actually, I…” Fu Yuxiu tried to explain to her.
“I know what you want to say.” Song Fengwan had read and watched many novels and TV dramas, and she had seen many of the feuds in the wealthy families around her.
“Are you trying to say that you two are truly in love? You didn’t mean to hurt me?” Her tone was full of contempt. “You wish to receive my blessings?”
“Sister, actually, Senior and I are not what you think. We…” Jiang Fengya bit her lip, looking inexplicably pitiful.
“Who’s your sister?!” This form of address directly pierced her nerves, and she immediately threw her cup onto the coffee table.
“I only know that the two of you were already in an ambiguous relations.h.i.+p when we were still engaged! And yet you feel wronged being a mistress?
“Then since I’ve been cheated on, won’t I cry?!”
The tea splashed everywhere, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
“Fengwan!” Song Jingren sighed.
Song Fengwan stood up and looked at Jiang Fengya from the corner of her eye in disdain. “He’s just a man I leftover anyways. You can take him if you like!”
The faces of the two people opposite her instantly changed.
Leftover?
This was a tricky word to use.
“Song Fengwan, you…” Song Jingren’s face paled in anger.
Song Fengwan slammed her cup on the floor and got up to leave.
“Where are you going? It’s raining outside!” Song Jingren knew that this matter had made Song Fengwan feel wronged, but relations.h.i.+ps couldn’t be forced.
Song Fengwan grabbed a colorful umbrella from the porch and left.
***
The air outside was hot, humid, and mixed with rainwater, making people feel uncomfortable. A black sedan cruised over the rainwater, splas.h.i.+ng mud and broken leaves all over the ground as it stopped steadily in front of the large mansion.
Song Fengwan narrowed her eyes and sized up the black car parked at the entrance. It didn’t seem to be a local license plate.
The car door opened, and a cold wind blew. A man in black walked out of the front pa.s.senger seat and stood beside the car with a black umbrella.
The person in the car didn’t come out. The car window lowered, and from Song Fengwan’s angle, she could only barely see half of his side profile.
The man was dressed in a black Chinese s.h.i.+rt. His lips were thin, and the shape of his lips was slightly upturned, looking very s.e.xy. His eyebrows were low, and his eyes were downcast. He reached out and motioned for the man beside the car to lean over. He opened his mouth and said two sentences.
In his hand hung a string of polished and smooth Buddhist prayer beads with a thin brown ta.s.sel.
Perhaps because he noticed Song Fengwan, this person turned his head slightly. Through the rain, his facial features couldn’t be seen clearly. But there was a dispirited and amorous feeling about him. He rotated the prayer beads and looked like an otherworldly expert.
He tilted his head slightly, and the rain made his facial features unclear. Two sentences surfaced in Song Fengwan’s mind. Seventy percent immortal bones. Thirty percent demonic essence.
But his eyes were extremely cold.
Song Fengwan hurriedly retracted her gaze and missed the faint smile on this person’s lips. Isn’t this the little girl who threatened to sleep with me at the bar last night?
***
At this moment, the security guard at the entrance of the Song family mansion ran over while stepping on the water and shouted, “Master, Third Master Fu is here!”
Song Fengwan was taken aback. This is the third master of the Fu family? The third uncle that Fu Yuxiu fears the most?
He believes in Buddhism? He must be a kind person.
It was only later that she found out that this person’s actions were perverse, and he still had desires in him.
He believed in Buddhism, but he was like a demon.