The last dish was served, a dessert.
The pudding was just right, neither too bitter nor too sweet. But Fang Yuan couldn't taste it. It seemed utterly flavorless to her.
Fu Lian's expression was calm. "Smart women talk about cooperation. Only stupid women talk about love. You don't need me to spell it out for you."
Fang Yuan bit her lip. "I understand, A Lian. Don't worry. I'll be a good wife and won't let you down."
It was as if an employee was swearing loyalty to their boss.
Before she knew it, the power dynamic between them had shifted.
Fang Yuan even forgot that it was she who had invited Fu Lian. She had originally planned to confront him about the news leaked by the paparazzi.
But somehow, it had turned into a test of obedience by Fu Lian. She had to prove her loyalty to show that she was fit for the role.
The initiative had quietly fallen into Fu Lian's hands.
The dinner was almost over. In fact, Fu Lian had barely eaten anything. He picked up his handkerchief and gracefully wiped the corner of his mouth. Glancing at the time, he said, "That's all for today."
Seeing that he was about to stand up, Fang Yuan suddenly blurted out, "A Lian, there's one more thing I need to confirm."
Although Fu Lian's patience was wearing thin and his eyebrows furrowed involuntarily, he still managed to keep a straight face. "Go ahead."
Fang Yuan gritted her teeth. "So, do you only keep people around who are useful to you?"
"Of course."
Fang Yuan: "Is Wen Baozhu also useful to you?"
The man adjusted his cuffs slowly and methodically. Her question didn't seem to affect him at all. He didn't even pause in his actions.
After fastening his cuffs, he looked up at Fang Yuan across the table.
Although he didn't show it on his face, at that moment, Fu Lian felt a deep sense of disgust.
Fang Yuan was a stupid woman.
So stupid that she wanted to control him, so stupid that she was jealous, so stupid that she got jealous of other women around him, so stupid that she wanted to possess him all to herself.
This kind of stupidity was completely different from Wen Baozhu's.
Although Wen Baozhu wasn't very smart, at least she knew her place and would never overstep the boundaries.
She didn't even have the desire to possess him.
But Fang Yuan was different.
She was utterly stupid.
He was already in the posture of leaving and didn't even want to answer this question.
"A Lian, you told me today that you only need valuable people. I remember that!"
Fang Yuan stood up too. "Whether the child Wen Baozhu is carrying is yours or not, I hope she will leave the Fu family immediately after giving birth."
"A Lian, this is my only wish. I hope you can grant it."
Fu Lian let out a soft laugh and turned around to look Fang Yuan in the eye.
Fang Yuan continued to emphasize, "A Lian, this is my only request."
Fu Lian kept walking. Hearing the woman chasing after him, he started to get impatient.
He stopped in his tracks and suddenly turned around, staring at Fang Yuan with cold and deep eyes.
"The premise of making a request is to be able to bring me corresponding benefits," he said coldly. "And you've been making demands from the very beginning."
There was no emotion in Fu Lian's tone. "If you really need an answer, I can tell you clearly: I won't keep her."
Just this one sentence completely relieved Fang Yuan.
He had said that he would drive Wen Baozhu away.
She gradually straightened her back. "A Lian, please keep your promise."
---
When Fu Lian returned to the villa, Aunt Jiang was forcing Wen Baozhu to drink the tonic soup.
The strange mixture of various medicinal herbs and ingredients stewed together gave off a weird smell that made people want to vomit.
It was several times more unpalatable than the Chinese medicine she had drunk before.
Especially when it was placed on the table in front of Wen Baozhu, the nausea reached its peak.
The smell of fishy and protein mixed together was simply unbearable.
Wen Baozhu shook her head, but Aunt Jiang forced her. "You're pregnant now. Your body doesn't belong to you alone anymore."
"You may not like it, but the baby in your belly likes it. You should drink some at least."
Wen Baozhu lifted the spoon with difficulty and tried to put it into her mouth.
Her physical instinct revolted. After just a few sips, she couldn't hold it back and ran to the bathroom.
"Oh no! The food is going to be wasted!" Aunt Jiang stamped her foot in frustration. "This is the high - tonic food specially sent by the madam. How can you vomit it all out?"
After being scolded for an afternoon and having barely eaten anything for dinner, now she had vomited almost everything.
She stood up weakly. Looking back at the soup that Aunt Jiang had refilled on the table, the nausea in her stomach welled up again.
She tried to protest. "Aunt Jiang, I'll vomit it out even if I drink it."
"You should drink it even if you vomit," Aunt Jiang frowned and urged. "You vomit a little and drink a little. Some of it will surely go into your stomach."
Wen Baozhu gritted her teeth and frowned as she sat back at the table.
Her hand holding the spoon was trembling. She couldn't even bring herself to drink. Aunt Jiang's face darkened.
"Do I have to feed you? Don't think you're superior just because you're carrying the Fu family's baby. Drink it up quickly!"
So what if she was pregnant? She was still just a country girl with no one to love or care for her.
Aunt Jiang looked at her with disdain, thinking she was being overly delicate.
Just then, the door opened. Fu Lian had just returned.
"Mr. Fu, you're back," Aunt Jiang quickly walked over. "I'm just making Miss Wen drink the tonic soup. It's good for the baby."
Wen Baozhu's stomach was hurting. She had vomited so much that her face had turned pale.
Fu Lian noticed that something was wrong with her and walked over to ask, "What's wrong?"
Wen Baozhu glanced at the soup on the table and couldn't find the words for a moment.
How could she say it?
This so - called high - tonic soup made her stomach churn just by smelling it, let alone drinking it.
Aunt Jiang said, "This is the food sent by the madam. She told me to make soup for Miss Wen. It can nourish the body and help the baby grow fast."
Fu Lian lowered his eyes, glanced at the bowl of soup, and then at Wen Baozhu's pale face. He roughly understood.
"If you don't want to drink it, don't," Fu Lian made the decision for Wen Baozhu. "Her feelings are more important. Pour it away."
Aunt Jiang immediately objected. "This won't do. The madam said I must watch her finish it. It's all for protecting the fetus."
Fu Lian's face darkened. "Does the madam make the decisions, or do I?"
Aunt Jiang fell silent instantly.
She was arranged by Li Wenshu, so of course she listened more to Li Wenshu. But in front of Fu Lian, she would never dare to say this.
Fu Lian narrowed his eyes. "Pour the soup away. Pour out the soup in the pot as well and clean it up. I don't want to smell this in the room anymore."
His tone was cold. "Aunt Jiang, your responsibility is to take good care of Wen Baozhu. If you can't do it well, I don't mind finding a replacement for her."
Aunt Jiang still wanted to argue. "But the madam said..."
Fu Lian had already lost all his patience with Fang Yuan today, and his tolerance had dropped to zero. "Since you like listening to the madam so much, you can go back to her place from today on."
He pointed at the table and said sharply, "Before you leave, please clean up the room."
"Go back and tell the madam that there's no need to arrange anyone here anymore. I'll take care of her myself."