"Hahaha!" On the other side of the garden, Xiao Yiran was laughing so hard that he could hardly stand up straight. He wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye and said, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. Shaoming, please continue… continue" Xu Shaoming held the binoculars in his hand and said helplessly, "Young Master Xiao, there's no one… They're all gone."
He didn't learn lip reading to spy on others in the first place.
Xiao Yiran didn't believe him, "Nonsense, I'm sure Little Sister-in-law must have said something when she was close to Fu the Fourth earlier."
Xu Shaoming shook his head. "The angle was wrong. I couldn't see it."
Xiao Yiran didn't buy it, "Don't lie to me. You're telling me you can't see from this angle? I can understand not seeing Fu the Fourth, but you're saying you can't see your First Young Madam?"
Xu Shaoming insisted, "I can't see it. Fourth Young Master blocked it."
Xiao Yiran was a bit puzzled, "Is Fu the Fourth that tall?" He's probably only half a head taller than Miss Leng, right? And their positions earlier weren't completely in front of each other to block.
Xu Shaoming refused to cooperate. Meanwhile, Fu Fengcheng who was beside him, spoke up, "Xiao Haoran is here."
Xiao Yiran frowned in annoyance. "He's been in contact with Fu the Fourth for the past few days. What does he want?"
Fu Fengcheng wasn't interested in what Xiao Haoran wanted, "As soon as he arrived, he go to find Wei Changxiu. What do you think he wants to do?"
"I'll go take a look." Xiao Yiran took a deep breath, waved at Fu Fengcheng, and left.
After taking two steps, he turned back and said, "You know, Sister-in-law is quite interesting. You'll regret missing out."
"Get lost."
So be it.
And so, Young Master Xiao left.
"What did she say?" After Xiao Yiran walked away, Fu Fengcheng asked calmly.
Xu Shaoming cast a peculiar look at his Young Master, his expression becoming even stiffer. "Challenge me? Fool!" At this moment, Xu Shaoming was like an emotionless parrot repeating words.
"…"
"Yue'er, are you okay?" The Second Master Leng and Second Madan hurriedly approached. Second Madam Leng grabbed onto Leng Sa's arm with a worried expression.
Leng Sa patted her mother's hand. "I'm fine. Father, Mother, weren't you talking to Boss Yu? Why are you here?"
Second Master Leng looked at her. "Are you alright? We just heard that…" They were indeed discussing something with an acquaintance, but when they heard that something had happened, how could they sit still?
Leng Sa shook her head, "I'm really fine. I'm going to talk to Madam Fu."
"Mother will go with you," the Second Madam suggested.
"No need, Mother. It's just a small matter. I can handle it." Leng Sa understood her mother well after three years of being together. Her mother had a gentle personality and didn't like to engage in disputes. Madam Fu didn't seem to have friendly intentions when she looked at her future daughter-in-law just now. If Leng Sa's mother went along, she would only end up feeling frustrated. What for?
"But…"
"Second Master Leng, Second Madam, Miss Leng." Xu Shaoming approached and greeted them respectfully.
"Mr. Xu?"
Xu Shaoming smiled at the three of them, though his smile was somewhat stiff. "First Young Master is with Madam over there. Don't worry. Why don't I accompany you both to take a break over there for a while? The Warlord is also on his way, and he would like to meet with both of you later."
Second Master Leng looked somewhat uncertain and glanced at Leng Sa. Leng Sa nodded, "Father, Mother, you can go with Deputy Xu. I'm going in; I shouldn't keep Madam Fu waiting."
The Second Madam sighed. "Go. Be careful."
"Yes, I will"
Leng Sa was led to the door of a room on the second floor. Fu Annie stood at the doorway, hesitant to enter, watching Leng Sa with concern.
"Sister Mingyue…"
Leng Sa smiled and patted her arm, "It's your birthday today, so celebrate it happily. Where's your brother?"
Fu Annie furrowed her brow, clearly indicating that Fu Yangcheng had disappeared again.
"Don't think too much. Go and enjoy yourself. Don't forget that you have to entertain your friends."
"Okay."
Leng Sa pushed open the door and entered the room. Inside, there were Madam Fu, Fu Yucheng, Zheng Ying, and a middle-aged woman. She was dressed in a striking manner sitting beside Zheng Ying and judging by their resemblance, appeared to be Madam Zheng. Zheng Ying had red eyes and was leaning on her mother's arms, while Fu Yucheng sat next to her, consoling her softly.
As soon as Leng Sa entered, he immediately glared at her fiercely.
"Madam Fu." Since Madam Fu was calmly sipping her tea without acknowledging her presence, Leng Sa took the initiative to speak.
Only then did Madam Fu look at her and put down her teacup. "Mingyue, come and sit down. Let's talk."
Leng Sa sat on the sofa to the left of Madam Fu, directly facing Fu Yucheng and Zheng Ying.
"Do you have something to say, Madam Fu?" Leng Sa inquired.
Madam Fu scrutinized Leng Sa for a while before calmly speaking, "I know you feel aggrieved, but… since you agreed to the engagement with Fengcheng and the Fu family has provided compensation, shouldn't you let bygones be bygones? In the future, you will all be part of the Fu family, and I don't want anyone tarnishing the reputation of the Fu family. Do you understand?"
Leng Sa replied calmly, "Madam Fu, the agreement between the Leng family and me only involves breaking off the engagement and marrying the First Young Master. It does not include getting along with Miss Zheng or pretending to have a close sisterly relationship with her."
Madam Zheng, sitting across from her, frowned and said, "Forgiveness is a virtue, Miss Leng. As Ahying's future sister-in-law, isn't it good for the family if you all get along harmoniously? Why make things difficult for them and yourself?"
Leng Sa raised an eyebrow, "I don't associate with shameless individuals who knowingly engage in illicit relationships with people who are already betrothed."
"You!" Madam Zheng could not help but stand up. "Miss Leng, don't be too unreasonable!"
Leng Sa chuckled lightly, "So Madam Zheng knows that I'm the reasonable one. The Zheng family didn't teach their daughter well. Their daughter, well aware of others' engagements, hooked on an illicit relationship and got pregnant out of wedlock. Yet, Madam Zheng doesn't offer an apology to me, the victim, but instead dares to lecture me. Perhaps you should focus on teaching your daughter if you have the time."
"You… you're indeed the daughter of the Emperor teacher's family. You're sharp-tongued."
Leng Sa calmly replied, "This isn't sharp-tongued; it's called standing up for what's right. Madam Zheng, if you disagree, how about we discuss this in front of all the guests?"
"Enough." Madam Fu frowned and interrupted Fu Yucheng, who was about to speak.
"Mingyue, if you're going to marry Fengcheng, you'll be the eldest sister-in-law of Yu'er and Ahying. They may not be sensible, and it's your responsibility to guide them, but… I don't want you to joke about the Fu family's reputation. In the future, I don't want what happened today to repeat, especially in public. Do you understand?"
Leng Sa tilted her head, examining the indifferent expression of Madam Fu before her. This Madam must have been exceptionally beautiful in her youth, but to Leng Sa, she seemed like an emotionless dummy. At least when faced with her and the mention of Fu Fengcheng, there didn't seem to be any genuine emotion.
Indeed, if Madam Fu truly cherished her eldest son, why would she allow what happened between Fu Yucheng and Zheng Ying to go unchecked? She probably had no qualms about driving Zheng Ying to her wits' end.
Mrs. Fu was skilled at appearing as though she was reprimanding Fu Yucheng and Zheng Ying, but in reality, she was exerting pressure on Leng Sa.
Unfortunately, Leng Sa had never intended to be a compliant daughter-in-law.
"If they keep their distance from me," Leng Sa glanced at the three people across from her, "Madam Fu, I have OCD. I get disgusted when I see dirty things, so I'm afraid I might disappoint you. I probably won't be able to form a close sisterly bond with Miss Zheng."
"You're the Fu family's future daughter-in-law," Madam Fu said.
"I can also choose not to be."
"The Leng family…" Mrs. Fu furrowed her brow, not expecting this Leng Mingyue to be so unruly.
Leng Sa's lips curled up slightly, "My grandfather made the promise. Why don't you marry him back to Fu's family?"