Fu Shuyi pursed her lips slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. She said regretfully, "I'd really like to have a meal with you young people, but I have an event later."
"Is it still related to the welfare home?" Fang Yuan seemed to know quite well and complimented enthusiastically, "Grandpa Fu has a discerning eye. He knew that you, Auntie, are both beautiful and kind - hearted, so he specifically entrusted you with the charity part. He must know that you're the one he can trust the most."
When this topic was mentioned, Fu Shuyi's smile faded a little.
The Fu family's business empire covered several sectors, including medical, real estate, banking, and charity.
Among them, the charity sector was the most labor - intensive and least rewarding, yet it received the most public attention and supervision.
Compared with the other purely commercial sectors, it was the least popular.
However, it was a golden name card for the Fu Group and the part that required the most effort and energy to manage.
If there was the slightest carelessness, or if it was just for show, it would cause an uproar in public opinion for the Fu Group. In a more serious situation, it might even affect the stock price and market of the entire Fu Group.
If negative impacts really occurred, Fu Shuyi would be the first to bear the brunt.
But Fang Yuan didn't understand this. She still thought it was a lucrative opportunity.
Although Fang Yuan didn't realize this, her eagerness to get closer to the Fu family was overwhelming. "Can I go with Auntie? I like kids very much and I can play with them."
Fu Shuyi didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked at Baozhu and said with a smile, "What about Baozhu? Do you want to go with us?"
Only then did Fang Yuan realize that Wen Baozhu was still beside her.
She felt annoyed at this realization.
It was such a rare opportunity to improve her relationship with Fu Shuyi, but she had brought along this extra burden.
She regretted calling Wen Baozhu at the temple gate earlier.
Wen Baozhu was sensitive and had already seen Fang Yuan's intention. Coupled with the unpleasant experience with Fu Shuyi before, she actually didn't really want to go.
But just as the words of refusal reached her lips, "I'm afraid I'm not available this afternoon. I..."
She originally wanted to use Fu Nian as an excuse, but with Fu Shuyi right in front of her, she couldn't lie without blushing.
Before she could think of another excuse, Fu Shuyi quickly took over the conversation and nodded slightly. "Fu Nian is not in the country. You'll be bored staying at home alone. You might as well go with us to kill some time."
It was clear that she wasn't going to give Wen Baozhu any room to refuse.
---
On the way to the welfare home, Fang Yuan asked Fu Shuyi if they should find a place to have lunch first.
Fu Shuyi said that she had informed the dean in advance and the welfare home had already prepared meals for them. They could have lunch in the welfare home's canteen.
Fang Yuan said in surprise, "It's my first time having a meal in a welfare home."
Fu Shuyi laughed. "There's nothing special about it. It depends on what the chef cooks for the kids that day. The adults in the welfare home just eat the same thing."
Wen Baozhu sat quietly beside them, listening to their conversation without saying a word.
When the car arrived at the welfare home, the dean was already waiting at the gate to greet them.
After a few polite remarks, they all walked to the canteen and sat down to have lunch.
Just as Fu Shuyi had said, it was a nutritious meal with a good balance of meat and vegetables. However, the kids used trays, while their dishes were served on plates.
Sitting around the same table, Wen Baozhu listened to their conversation and ate silently, not participating in their topics.
She only picked the dishes closest to her and didn't plan to reach for the ones further away.
Just then, a pair of chopsticks suddenly appeared in her bowl.
It was Fu Shuyi, who had picked a piece of meat for her.
Wen Baozhu was extremely surprised. She looked up and saw the other woman smiling gently. "Eat more. You're pregnant now. Your health is the most important thing."
Wen Baozhu was flattered. "Thank you, Auntie."
Seeing that she didn't resist, Fu Shuyi picked some other dishes further away into her bowl. "The dishes in the welfare home are freshly purchased every day. You can eat them with confidence. They're good for the baby."
As she said this, Fu Shuyi's eyes were full of concern for Wen Baozhu.
Fang Yuan was a pampered young lady. Usually, she was always the priority. How could she tolerate being ignored?
She sensitively felt the neglect. A flash of jealousy passed through her eyes as she looked at Wen Baozhu, but it was only for a moment.
Fang Yuan thought she had hidden it well, but in fact, Fu Shuyi had seen it clearly.
She called the dean over and whispered a few words to him. The dean immediately understood and quickly asked someone to bring a warm patch and hot water for Wen Baozhu.
This kind of meticulous care made Wen Baozhu feel at a loss, but looking into Fu Shuyi's kind eyes, she could only reluctantly accept it and say thank you.
Fang Yuan had never felt such a great sense of disparity.
Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore. Her voice was full of complaint. "Auntie..."
She called out softly, and everyone could hear the meaning in her words.
"Yuan Yuan, be a good girl. Don't compete with Baozhu."
Fu Shuyi knew what was on her mind, but she deliberately added fuel to the fire. "In the future, when you two marry into the Fu family, you'll be sisters. You should get along well."
"Baozhu is not from Hong Kong. Her background and family status can't compare with yours. As an elder, I should take more care of her. Right?"
Between the lines, she was warning Fang Yuan not to be jealous of a country girl.
"… I'm not competing with her!"
Fang Yuan quickly defended herself and then quickly put on a coquettish attitude. "I just want Auntie to pick some dishes for me too. I can't reach the ones further away."
Fu Shuyi smiled. She knew that the fire had been stoked enough.
She had to be fair. So, she also leaned over to pick some dishes for Fang Yuan and looked at the two of them with a smile.
Although the atmosphere seemed kind and friendly, in fact, each of them had their own thoughts.
Wen Baozhu vaguely sensed Fu Shuyi's intention. She thought that she couldn't stay any longer, or else she would only arouse more hostility from Fang Yuan.
She quickly finished her meal and voluntarily proposed to go and see the kids first.
Before Fu Shuyi could refuse, Wen Baozhu added, "I once did volunteer work in an orphanage in Fucheng for a while. I'll be fine."
Hearing this, Fu Shuyi nodded with a smile. "In that case, you can go first. I'll stay with Yuan Yuan for a while longer."
---
Fang Yuan already regretted agreeing to come to the welfare home.
Because she realized that she didn't know how to communicate with kids at all, and she had no experience as a volunteer.
Moreover, she was too embarrassed to say that the food didn't suit her taste at all.
But in order to please Fu Shuyi, she had to endure it.
In order to marry into the Fu family and become Mrs. Fu, she had to endure it.
Fu Shuyi let out a long sigh, half - sighing and half - feeling sorry. "Fu Nian went abroad right after getting engaged. He hasn't come back for so long. Baozhu is all alone during her pregnancy. It's really pitiful."
Fang Yuan didn't say a word.
Wasn't it Wen Baozhu's own fault that she had the scandal of being pregnant out of wedlock?
No wonder the Hong Kong tabloids reported every now and then that Fu Nian wasn't really abroad for medical treatment, but was deliberately hiding abroad to enjoy himself. Maybe he didn't want to recognize the child in Wen Baozhu's belly at all, nor did he want to accept this marriage.
Thinking of this, she felt a little happier.
Wen Baozhu couldn't compare with her in any way.
"However, it's not all bad," Fu Shuyi smiled, her words carrying a hidden meaning. "Although Fu Nian is playful, fortunately, he has a good elder brother."
Finally, the topic came to Fu Lian.
Fang Yuan thought that Fu Shuyi was going to praise her for marrying the right person. She was just about to blush shyly when the next sentence came, "Since Baozhu came to Hong Kong, it's been A Lian taking care of her."
Fang Yuan's smile froze on her lips.
"… You mean, it's A Lian taking care of her?"
Fu Shuyi smiled, as if she didn't see Fang Yuan's changing expression. She continued calmly, "Don't you know? It was A Lian who arranged their engagement."
"And the big house where Baozhu is living now, the driver and the nanny she has, and all her daily necessities... In short, it was all arranged by A Lian."
"To be honest, even I, as an elder, can't be so considerate."
As she spoke, Fu Shuyi completely ignored Fang Yuan's increasingly ugly face. She still continued to joke with a smile, "If I didn't know the truth, I'd even wonder if the child in Baozhu's belly... is A Lian's?"