The room fell into silence, and Madam Fu tightened her grip on the jade bracelet on her wrist. Fu Yucheng and Zheng Ying stared at Leng Sa with expressions as if they were looking at a lunatic. This girl… had she really gone mad? "Since you don't want to marry my elder brother, why did you agree so readily in the first place?" Fu Yucheng suddenly spoke, his gaze still arrogantly fixed on Leng Sa.
But with his current appearance, he couldn't be considered handsome, and his expression didn't make him any more appealing.
Leng Sa, who had a strong dislike for Fu Yucheng to begin with, calmly averted her eyes.
The Fox Den was full of beauties, and beauties only liked beautiful things.
"Oh, I agreed to marry the First Young Master, but not to clean up the mess for you. Are we clear? Our agreement only involves annulling the engagement and marrying the eldest son. Please don't make excessive demands," Leng Sa replied.
Zheng Ying looked at her with a hint of sadness, "Miss Leng, do you have to do this? Can't we all get along harmoniously?"
"We can get along harmoniously if you keep… your… distance… from… me," Leng Sa retorted impatiently. Did this girl not understand human language?
"Miss Leng!" Madam Zheng couldn't bear to see her daughter being mocked like this.
"Miss Leng is young and spirited, but you should know when to stop. Even if it's not for your sake, please think about your family and your parents and siblings."
Leng Sa lowered her gaze, "Madam Zheng, what you mean is that if I don't help your daughter smooth things over, you'll take action against my family, right?"
Madam Zheng wanted to refute, but her lips twitched slightly, and she eventually acquiesced.
Leng Sa nodded, "Very well. Then… from now on, if anything happens to my parents and siblings, whether or not your Zheng family is involved, I will hold the Zheng family accountable."
"You!" Madam Zheng took a deep breath and sneered. "What can you do?"
Leng Sa tilted her head and assessed her, "I should be the one asking, Madam Zheng, what do you want to do?"
"I'd like to know as well — what does Madam Zheng want to do." The door was pushed open from the outside, and Xu Shaoming entered, pushing Fu Fengcheng with a somewhat peculiar expression on his face, indicating that they had been there for a while.
The people in the room had their expressions changed, and Fu Yucheng and Zheng's mother and daughter couldn't help but stand up.
Madam Zheng's expression changed rapidly. She could face Leng Sa with confidence but wasn't necessarily so sure about facing Fu Fengcheng. After all, he had once been their future son-in-law, even if he had no warm relationship with them and still required their respect.
In this regard, Madam Zheng was more satisfied with Fu Yucheng.
Both were the legitimate sons of Warlord. When Fu Fengcheng was engaged to their daughter, the whole Zheng family had to tread carefully when dealing with him. He rarely visited the Zheng family, as if they had no connection at all.
Fu Yucheng, on the other hand, was very attentive, respectful to her and her husband, and considerate to their daughter. Such a son-in-law was what every parent wished for their daughter.
Even though Madam Zheng knew that Fu Fengcheng was now practically a cripple, her heart couldn't help but skip a beat when she met his eyes.
"Fengcheng, why are you here?" Madam Fu asked.
Xu Shaoming pushed Fu Fengcheng to the sofa next to where Leng Sa was seated and respectfully retreated aside. Fu Fengcheng looked up at his mother, "Mother wanted to talk to Miss Leng. Can't I come?"
Madam Fu frowned her brow, "Why? Are you worried that Mother will mistreat her? Did you hear from outside what she just said?"
Fu Fengcheng glanced at Leng Sa, "She spoke the truth."
Madam Fu's face darkened, "Enough! Your Fourth Brother has been beaten several times over this matter, and he hasn't recovered yet. How long are you going to make a fuss? Did you make her say those things?"
It's not surprising that Madam Fu had her suspicions. The reputation of the Third Young Lady Leng in Yong City had always been understated, often associated with qualities like gentleness and grace. If she had kicked Fu Yucheng at the department store before, it could be attributed to a momentary fit of anger. But now, after a few days, if her temper was still this angry and bold, it could only mean that someone had emboldened her.
Madam Fu recalled the private conversation between Fu Fengcheng and Leng Sa a few days ago.
Leng Sa tilted her head and watched curiously as the mother and son looked at each other. She noticed something peculiar.
Fu Fengcheng always addressed Madam Fu as 'Mother', while Fu Yucheng called her 'Mom'.
Despite being born of the same mother, why were their terms of address so vastly different? If someone didn't know any better, they might think Fu Fengcheng was an illegitimate child.
As for Fu Fengcheng taking the blame for her, Leng Sa remained unfazed.
If someone wanted to shoulder the blame, why not let him?
Fu Fengcheng didn't respond, simply looking calmly at Madam Fu.
On the other hand, Fu Yucheng couldn't sit still and jumped up, "Big Brother, what do you mean?! If you have any issues with me, just say it directly. What's the point of all this? Ahying is about to become my wife. Whatever you do, it won't change."
He continued, glancing at Leng Sa, "I understand that you're upset, but Ahying and I… it's fate. Don't let yourself be manipulated."
He knew it. In the past few years, Leng Mingyue had been gentle and docile until she made people feel bored. How did she suddenly transform into this fiery and unreasonable person?!
"…"
Leng Sa couldn't help but chuckle softly at this point.
Sensing the glance from Fu Fengcheng, Leng Sa couldn't help but tap her temple and ask quietly, "Young Master, your brother… is there a problem here?"
"…," Fu Fengcheng looked at Fu Yucheng, who was standing arrogantly opposite him, and for the first time, uncertainty flickered in his cold expression.
"Yucheng, sit down!" Madam Fu said sternly.
Fu Yucheng reluctantly sat down, and Madam Fu turned to the two of them. "This matter needs to be resolved. Why don't you tell me how you want to handle it? If I can't resolve it, do you want to wait for your father to handle it personally? The whole Six South Provinces have been in turmoil these days. If you're still upset, should I have your father beat the Fourth Brother to death?"
Fu Fengcheng chuckled, but those around him did not detect any trace of humor in his laughter.
"Mother, as you said, things have come to this point. What's the point of pulling such a useless cover-up?" Fu Fengcheng said. "Do you believe that if Miss Leng publicly forgives Miss Zheng and Fourth Brother, others will believe it? Do you believe that the newspapers will dare to write tomorrow — the Fu family is threatening the Leng family, and Miss Leng is forced to smile and submit. The Fu family may have had great influence in the Six Southern Provinces, but… don't forget that Prince An is still alive, the Xiao family is still around. How many scholars in An Xia support the Xiao family in secret? How many people are secretly unhappy with the Fu family?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Fu Fengcheng said coldly, "If we can resolve this, we'll resolve it. If we can't, then so be it. There's nothing perfect in this world, and this matter is far from perfect. What you're doing, Mother, is simply… self-deception." With Fu Yucheng and Zheng Ying's names tied together, his reputation would never improve.
Choosing to act this way but not wanting to bear the consequences. How could there be such a perfect thing in this world?
'Clang!'
The teacup in Madam Fu's hand shattered on the ground with a crisp sound.
She stared at Fu Fengcheng coldly. "If you hadn't spread the news, how could this matter have escalated like this?"
Originally, they could have minimized the impact of this matter, but the news spread before they had any preparation. Besides her eldest son, Madam Fu couldn't think of anyone else who would have done this.
Madam Fu stared at Leng Sa. "Originally, you didn't have to marry into the Fu family. Do you now know who's responsible for your predicament?"
Leng Sa smiled, "That's right. Originally my reputation might have been ruined, and forget about marrying into the Fu family; I couldn't get a man to marry me for the rest of my life." Did Madam Fu think she was naive?
"Speaking of which, I have to thank the First Young Master."
"You're welcome," Fu Fengcheng said calmly.
"…"