During her time back in Hong Kong, Wen Baozhu had little desire to go out.
Zhou You's sneaking out had been discovered by her grandfather, and her confinement was extended by half a month, so she couldn't come to accompany Wen Baozhu at will.
Therefore, during this period, Wen Baozhu neither communicated with the outside world nor tried to step out of the villa.
Fu Lian happened to see a news push about a pregnant woman who suffered from postpartum depression and jumped off a building. Only then did he vaguely sense something was wrong.
Wen Baozhu couldn't go on like this.
So he chose an opportunity that might lift her spirits and asked if she wanted to go out for a walk.
Wen Baozhu didn't refuse immediately. Instead, she asked where Zhang Sumei was.
Fu Lian: "Macau."
Macau.
Wen Baozhu repeated it, not feeling too surprised.
It made sense. If she were in Fucheng, there probably wouldn't be a place where she could lose ten million in a short time.
Only a city of debauchery like Macau had such power.
Wen Baozhu lowered her head, as if deep in thought. After a few seconds, she made up her mind: "Let's meet."
This would be the last time.
After clarifying things with Zhang Sumei, she would never see her again.
The mother - daughter bond between them was over.
She then asked cautiously, "When are you available, Mr. Fu?"
Fu Lian glanced at his watch. "Now."
"Now?"
During her long stay in the villa, Wen Baozhu had never been to the rooftop terrace and didn't know there was a helipad there.
Just like last time, she took Fu Lian's private helicopter across the sea.
She stood shoulder - to - shoulder with Fu Lian on the rooftop and watched the helicopter gradually land. The airflow generated by the spinning propellers lifted a corner of her overcoat.
It wasn't her first time on a helicopter. She was much more proficient than before and didn't need to hold Fu Lian's hand when getting on the plane.
The man's eyes darkened slightly. The next second, the woman had already agilely jumped in.
She seemed more vulnerable than before, but her independence from him was becoming more and more obvious.
However, this feeling only lasted for a moment and was quickly replaced by his habitual superiority.
She was just a bird and couldn't fly out of his palm.
Moreover, she was temporarily injured.
The weather was fine and windless today, and the helicopter smoothly reached the rooftop helipad of Wynn.
When they landed and checked the time, less than half an hour had passed.
Wen Baozhu suffered a bit from acrophobia. When getting off the plane, she still leaned on Fu Lian's palm for support before stepping on the ground again.
Fu Lian stared at her hand and asked casually, "Is this your first time in Macau?"
Wen Baozhu nodded, her face still a little pale from fear. "It is."
Fu Lian: "I can take you around first."
Bringing her to Macau was, on one hand, to completely solve the mess caused by Zhang Sumei; on the other hand, it was to let her relax.
Actually, Wen Baozhu had no intention of sightseeing. She just wanted to meet Zhang Sumei and resolve the matter quickly.
But since Fu Lian had offered, how could she be so ungrateful and spoil the mood?
She took the initiative to hold onto Fu Lian's arm, pushed the wind - blown stray hairs behind her ears, and showed a standard smile. "Thank you in advance for your hospitality, Mr. Fu."
Macau was truly a city of debauchery.
Compared with Hong Kong, this debauchery was seven parts more dreamy and illusory and three parts less real.
She accompanied Fu Lian to have lunch in a restaurant and enjoyed the fountain view from the best angle. Then she visited the Money Tree with him on the first floor.
The Money Tree was only on display at the hour. Because of Fu Lian's arrival, the venue was temporarily cleared, and a special show was put on for the two of them.
She watched as the whole golden tree rose from the ground, gradually unfurled, and finally fully bloomed in front of them.
Everywhere she looked was a dazzling golden color.
Learning that each leaf on the Money Tree was made of gold, Wen Baozhu was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Seeing her dazed look, Fu Lian laughed. "Do you like it?"
Wen Baozhu shook her head. "It's very beautiful, but looking at it for too long might arouse evil thoughts."
Fu Lian laughed. "What kind of evil thoughts?"
Different from the tense atmosphere recently, both of them were very relaxed now. Wen Baozhu answered honestly, "I might want to secretly pick its leaves."
Her expression was vivid, different from the lifeless look of the previous days.
She was answering this question seriously and felt a bit embarrassed about her greed. Her eyebrows and eyes were full of liveliness.
Fu Lian glanced at her and couldn't help but smile. "Our Baozhu is really a little bird, always liking to pick beautiful leaves and take them back to the nest."
"That's gold," Wen Baozhu emphasized.
"Yes, gold," Fu Lian agreed with her. "Isn't a golden leaf a beautiful leaf?"
His tone was a bit doting. "When we get back, I'll ask A Yan to buy some gold leaves and plant a Money Tree for you at home. You can pick the leaves as you like."
Wen Baozhu took this as a casual remark.
She wasn't greedy, didn't expect beautiful dreams, and never thought she could own a Money Tree.
That was the pastime of the rich who squandered money at will, not hers.
After they had walked around enough, a hotel staff member in uniform came up and whispered something to Fu Lian.
Wen Baozhu didn't catch what was said, but she guessed it was something like the person had arrived.
Fu Lian nodded. "Got it."
When the man turned to her, Wen Baozhu's heart skipped a beat.
"Let's go. Zhang Sumei is here," Fu Lian said calmly.
During this period, Zhang Sumei had been using Wen Baozhu's identity as a wealthy socialite to swipe her card without a bottom line in the casino to get cash.
As soon as he got the news, Fu Lian had already informed the casino in advance to transfer all of Zhang Sumei's debts to her own name, so that they would no longer be related to anyone else.
Since her mother was irresponsible, Wen Baozhu, as her daughter, didn't need to bear any of her obligations.
And Wen Baozhu was completely unaware of all this.
She just suddenly understood why Fu Lian had taken her around first. It turned out he was waiting for Zhang Sumei.
She followed Fu Lian into the special elevator and reached the high - stakes area on the fourth floor.
This was the exclusive and private area for high - rollers at Wynn. The long string of zeros on the electronic sign made Wen Baozhu's heart skip a beat and sink even more.
It was hard to imagine that Zhang Sumei would be hanging around here.
For a moment, she hesitated and felt timid. Her steps slowed down a bit until the person beside her noticed.
Fu Lian stopped and looked at her sideways. "Scared?"
Was she scared of seeing her mother's ugliness or scared that she would have to bear the mistakes her mother had made?
She looked up, and her eyes were once again filled with confusion.
This time, she was surprised that he had guessed right.
Fu Lian patted her on the back reassuringly. "Don't be afraid."
As long as he was there, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Fu Lian led Wen Baozhu along the carpet step by step. His imposing aura woke up countless gamblers, and they silently made way for him.
This cold atmosphere gradually spread to the table where they stopped.
On the other side of the table, a familiar hunched back of a woman was excitedly staring at the cards in the dealer's hand, completely unaware of what was going on here.
Looking at Zhang Sumei's red eyes, which were a result of her gambling addiction, Wen Baozhu was momentarily stunned.
It had only been a few months since they last met, but the Zhang Sumei who had repeatedly promised to take good care of her grandmother and told her not to worry now seemed like a stranger she had never known.
She took a deep breath to keep herself from trembling with anger.
In the gradually quiet environment around her, Wen Baozhu softly called out, "Mom."