Actually, it's hard to say whether it's like or dislike.
There's always a subtle atmosphere between people. One can actually sense whether the other person truly likes them or not.
Even without others' reminders, Wen Baozhu could sense Fang Yuan's attitude towards her.
She wasn't the kind of person who would harbor ill - will towards others without reason, but she could tell that Fang Yuan had ill intentions.
After so many attempts at probing, she wasn't stupid enough not to understand.
Just like now, she knew that Meng Peiyu didn't mean any harm. Meng's question was just to confirm something.
For questions she didn't want to answer, Wen Baozhu chose to remain silent.
Meng Peiyu saw her hesitation and suddenly curled her lips. "Do you know why I don't like Fang Yuan?"
Wen Baozhu shook her head.
Meng Peiyu stared into her face and deliberately said, "Because I was supposed to marry Fu Sheng. She stole my chance, so I'm not happy."
As Meng Peiyu had expected, Wen Baozhu's complexion changed slightly, but only for a moment.
Wen Baozhu didn't know what kind of expression she should show.
She could only force out a couple of dry laughs to ease the awkwardness.
"Alright, I'm just kidding." Meng Peiyu burst into laughter, her smile bright and charming. "It was me who didn't want to marry Fu Sheng. She just took advantage of the situation."
"Not only did she take advantage, but she also kept saying everywhere that the Fang family was superior to the Meng family, which was why she got to marry Fu Sheng."
Realization dawned on Wen Baozhu's face.
So that's what happened.
"But now I know one of your secrets." Meng Peiyu's eyes curved like she had discovered a new continent.
Wen Baozhu couldn't help but ask, "What?"
Meng Peiyu deliberately didn't say, "I won't tell you."
As evening was approaching, the tea - party was almost over. People said their goodbyes and made appointments for the next meeting.
Meng Peiyu took the elevator with Wen Baozhu. She casually brought up a topic, "Oh right, there's Fu Sheng's engagement banquet next week. You'll be attending, right?"
Who?
Whose engagement banquet?
Wen Baozhu turned around blankly.
This time it was Meng Peiyu's turn to be surprised. "Next Wednesday, Fu Sheng—" Maybe she saw the confusion in Wen Baozhu's eyes. "It's Fu Lian. Fu Lian and Fang Yuan's engagement banquet is set for next Wednesday. Don't you know?"
She didn't know.
After so many days and nights with Fu Lian, having breakfast and dinner together, sleeping in each other's arms, spending so much time together, he had never mentioned it to her.
Occasionally when he came back late at night, she just thought he was busy with work.
She never thought that in fact, he was preparing for his engagement to Fang Yuan.
Meng Peiyu also noticed that Wen Baozhu's mood was off and realized that maybe she shouldn't have brought it up.
But the words were already out, and there was no taking them back.
When they reached the roadside, Wen Baozhu waved goodbye to Meng Peiyu, but her heart felt as heavy as a stone.
Actually, she should have expected it.
Fu Lian wasn't the kind of person who would easily change his plans. Since he had an engagement with Fang Yuan, he would surely fulfill it.
Otherwise, how could he maintain his gentle, elegant, and gentlemanly persona?
Moreover, there was no need for Fu Lian to cancel the engagement for her.
She had even briefly panicked, wondering if after she gave birth to the baby, Fu Lian would be reluctant to let her go.
Now it seemed that her concerns were unnecessary.
Those so - called sweet words only served as a comfort in the dead of night and had no real meaning.
The city of Hong Kong in the evening was even more charming than during the day.
All kinds of neon lights were flashing non - stop. As the car drove on the road, the lights shone through the car window, leaving patterns of light inside.
The colorful lights were dazzling, but the prosperous night view didn't lift her mood. Instead, she felt even more depressed.
When Wen Baozhu got home, she found that Fu Lian was unexpectedly back early today.
As usual, he was sitting on the sofa, flipping through today's financial news. Seeing her come in, he casually asked, "Did you have a good time today?"
Wen Baozhu replied, "Yes, I made some new friends."
Fu Lian turned a page of the newspaper. His tone was gentle. "That's good. In the future, when I don't have time to accompany you, you can go shopping with your new friends."
He didn't even seem to care who she had made friends with.
Was it because it didn't matter, so he didn't care?
Wen Baozhu took a deep breath, suppressing the feeling of disappointment in her heart, and silently sat down across from the sofa.
According to the usual habit, she should have actively snuggled into Fu Lian's arms. But not today.
Fu Lian noticed that she was different from usual. He shifted his gaze from the newspaper and stared at her for a while.
He surely noticed that her mood was off, but he didn't ask.
It wasn't until the chef finished cooking and served the food on the table. Then they moved to the table and started eating.
They still didn't say a word the whole time.
After dinner, the chef left the villa as usual.
Without the clinking sound of tableware in the kitchen, the whole villa seemed even quieter.
She was actually waiting.
Waiting for Fu Lian to bring up the topic of the engagement banquet on his own. Even if it was just an invitation for her to attend, or a chat about the engagement process, he should at least mention it to her.
However, he didn't.
From beginning to end, it seemed that Fu Lian had no intention of letting her know.
Especially tonight, the atmosphere between the two of them was so strange that it could even be described as eerie.
When it was time to rest, Wen Baozhu silently got up from the sofa and was about to go to her room to sleep.
After being silent all night, Fu Lian finally spoke.
"I have to go back to the company to work overtime tonight."
Wen Baozhu's heart sank suddenly.
Fu Lian had worked overtime before, but most of the time he would choose to do it in the study. He would only go into her bedroom after he finished his work late at night.
But today he said he was going to the company to work overtime. Wen Baozhu knew this was just an excuse for him not to sleep in the same bed with her.
Why?
Was it because of her cold attitude tonight that made him unhappy?
There were so many depressing emotions in her heart, but when it came to her lips, it turned into just one sentence: "Okay, Mr. Fu. Drive safely on the way."
Hearing this, Fu Lian gave a faint reply, then got up and walked to the entrance to put on his clothes and shoes.
Wen Baozhu watched the man walk out of the door. She waited until the sound of the engine started outside the window, gradually fading away until it disappeared completely.
Only then did she finally confirm that Fu Lian really wasn't going to stay here tonight.
—
In the following days, Fu Lian never came again.
Just like the time when Wen Baozhu made a mistake, he didn't show up. She didn't even see any news about him in the media.
Occasionally, some gossip tabloids said that he was busy preparing for his engagement and that the happy event was approaching.
As the Chinese New Year was approaching, the festive atmosphere was getting stronger. All the employees of the Fu Group had already entered their holiday.
Now, there was even no chance to bump into Fu Lian at the company.
During the days waiting for the New Year, Wen Baozhu stayed at home all day. She would get up, read books, study, eat, and sleep.
The chef came to cook three meals for her as usual, and the doctor came to do prenatal check - ups for her regularly. Life went on as normal.
This regular life was no different from when she first came to Hong Kong.
The only difference was that at that time, she was always on tenterhooks, worried that Fu Lian would appear in the villa at night. But just a few months later, her worries had completely changed.
She was worried that he would never appear again.
Wen Baozhu hadn't slept well these days. She was used to falling asleep in someone's arms. Now with the empty space behind her, the feeling of emptiness made it hard for her to sleep.
She had thought about calling Fu Lian on her own initiative, but she didn't know what to say.
Apologize?
But she hadn't done anything wrong.
Fu Lian never showed up again.
He didn't even make a single phone call.
Because she didn't sleep well at night and due to her pregnancy, Wen Baozhu started to feel sleepy all the time.
She took longer naps, which made it even harder for her to fall asleep at night. Thus, it became a vicious cycle. She slept more during the day and less at night.
The day of Fu Lian and Fang Yuan's engagement banquet, which Meng Peiyu had mentioned would be next Wednesday, was approaching.
One afternoon during her nap, Wen Baozhu was awakened by a phone call.
"Baozhu, I'm back!"
Zhou You's clear and loud voice instantly woke Wen Baozhu up from her drowsy state.
Since this winter was much colder than usual, the snow - season was naturally delayed.
So the originally planned one - week skiing trip was postponed by Zhou You for a whole month.
Plus, Gu Xiujing had a business project cooperation in the north. The two of them had just landed in Hong Kong this morning.
As soon as she came back, Zhou You couldn't wait to meet Wen Baozhu.
"How about tomorrow? Uncle Fu is having an engagement banquet. Let's meet there."
Wen Baozhu suddenly remembered that tomorrow was Fu Lian's engagement banquet.
Unconsciously, she pressed the speakerphone and exited the call interface with Zhou You. She took a look at the call log and text messages.
There was still no news from Fu Lian.
It seemed that he didn't even plan to invite her to the engagement banquet.