Miss Si's feigned innocence went too far, and the aloof Mr. Bo was easily swayed.

After a long silence, Si Yuan's biological mother spoke first.

"Ah Yuan... Happy Birthday..."

The tone of her voice was different when she spoke to Si Yingying; when she spoke to Si Yuan, it was more of an awkwardness and helplessness.

Si Yuan took a deep breath. "Thank you..."

She actually wanted to say more, but she didn't know what to say.

"hehe……"

The other person clearly hadn't expected her to bring this up, and gave a dry laugh, "Um... um..."

Si Yuan knew they hadn't prepared a birthday gift for her.

Or rather, they only had Si Yingying as their daughter and never thought of her at all.

She wasn't upset; she just felt the phone call was unnecessary and meaningless.

Seeing that they were all missing the point, Si Yingying took the phone and said with a smile, "I know you miss Sister A Yuan a lot. How about we let Sister A Yuan come and visit you in a while?"

Si Qingwan glanced at Si Yingying, her face showing dissatisfaction.

Si Yingying's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately changed her tone, "Or, you could come to Kyoto to visit your sister."

Fearing that Si Qingwan would think she was malicious, Si Yingying explained to Si Qingwan, "Mom, my sister and her biological parents have been separated for so long, they must miss each other. It's only natural for them to see each other."

Si Qingwan looked at Si Yuan, "A Yuan, what do you think?"

Whenever Si Yuan was asked to express her opinion, she would only say one thing: "It's entirely up to Mother to decide."

Regardless of who Si Qingwan ultimately hands over the Si family to, she is, after all, the head of the Si family now.

Si Yuan still has to make the decisions on all matters, big and small.

Sure enough, Si Qingwan's expression softened considerably after hearing this. "We'll talk about it later."

Si Yingying clenched her fists. Sure enough, her mother cared more about A Yuan than about her.

No one enjoyed the meal.

After the meal, Si Aofu left first, feeling that she no longer had a place to belong in this house.

Even a second of waiting made her feel physically and mentally uncomfortable.

Si Aofu didn't want to go home either; her home with Fu Qidong felt like a cage, making it hard for her to breathe.

She wandered aimlessly down the street, having previously used shopping to numb herself.

I've lost interest in even shopping these days.

She felt like a lonely ghost, unloved and neglected, when suddenly a terrifying thought crossed her mind.

I wish this world would end.

Suddenly, someone accidentally bumped into her.

"Excuse me……"

Si Aofu didn't look at the man's face; she just wanted to keep going.

Until the man exclaimed in surprise, "Aofu..."

Si Aofu then looked at the man, and her previously listless and bewildered black eyes suddenly brightened.

Amidst the chaos and bustle of the world, she suddenly felt that her dark world had finally been illuminated.

"Hold...hold the boat..."

Xie Zhizhou smiled and said, "Long time no see. I didn't expect to see you here."

Xie Zhizhou's smile was as beautiful as ever.

Si Aofu stared blankly, a long-lost palpitation rising in her chest.

Suddenly realizing something, she straightened her hair.

Damn it, I should have known she wore a pretty dress when she went out today.

I don't even know if she's wearing makeup.

Doesn't she look terrible and haggard?

Upon encountering her long-lost first love, Si Aofu felt completely lost and bewildered, her heart pounding wildly.

Seeing Xie Zhizhou staring at her, she tried hard to control her emotions, "It's...it's been so long...I never expected to run into you..."

After the two were forced to break up, Si Aofu married Fu Qidong, and Xie Zhizhou disappeared from Si Aofu's world.

Now that they have suddenly reunited, Si Aofu's nose is sore and tears are about to fall.

She had a lot to ask Xie Zhizhou, but she didn't know where to begin.

"you……"

"you……"

The two spoke in unison, paused for two seconds, and then looked at each other and laughed.

"Are you alone? Would you like to find a place to have a cup of tea?"

Xie Zhizhou suggested they go for a chat, and Si Aofu had no chance of refusing.

"good……"

That afternoon was the happiest and most joyful afternoon Si Aofu had had in the past few years.

She still loved Xie Zhizhou. When she learned that Xie Zhizhou was not married, she felt a secret joy, but this was followed by endless guilt and self-blame.

Xie Zhizhou was as eloquent and knowledgeable as ever.

When Si Aofu learned that he had become a painter, she was very happy for him.

After all, Xie Zhizhou's biggest dream used to be to become a painter.

As the two chatted until night fell, Si Aofu's phone suddenly rang.

Upon seeing that it was Fu Qidong calling, Si Aofu's expression changed drastically, and she immediately went to the bathroom to answer the call.

Upon learning that Fu Qidong was coming to pick her up, she didn't even bother to say goodbye to Xie Zhizhou and left through the back door.

In the car.

Fu Qidong was flipping through the documents in his hand. Seeing that Si Aofu hadn't spoken, he glanced at her indifferently and asked, "Are you in a good mood today?"

Si Aofu's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly composed herself. "Today is A Yuan and Yingying's birthday, of course I'm happy."

Upon hearing Si Yuan's name, Fu Qidong put down the documents in his hand. "I heard that many people are pursuing A Yuan lately."

Si Aofu's mind was filled with Xie Zhizhou, and she didn't pay any attention to Fu Qidong's attention to Si Yuan.

"I think so."

"You're A-Yuan's best older sister. Didn't she tell you these private, girlish things?"

It was only then that Si Aofu realized something was wrong.

"Ah Yuan has had many suitors since she was a child, there's no need to tell me about them all."

Fu Qidong nodded. "That's true. Her looks and demeanor are indeed very likable."

Suddenly, Fu Qidong pulled Si Aofu into his arms.

For ordinary couples, this gesture is affectionate, shows liking, and is heartwarming.

Si Aofu, however, was on high alert, her body stiffening considerably.

"Wife...don't you think Ah Yuan is pitiful?"

Si Aofu swallowed nervously. "What?"

"She was just dumped by Xiang Mingche, she must be heartbroken and unable to trust men anymore. As her sister and brother-in-law, shouldn't we do something for her?"

At this moment, even the slow-witted Si Aofu understood Fu Qidong's intentions.

This person actually set his sights on Si Yuan.

Fear of Fu Qidong made Si Aofu's voice tremble, "What...what are you doing?"

"Of course I should comfort her. Speaking of which, besides Xiang Mingche, I'm the only other man in the Si family. As her brother-in-law, it's only natural that I should comfort her wounded heart and... body..."

Si Aofu clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

"I know you actually hate Si Yuan a lot because she broke you up with your first love..."

Fu Qidong leaned close to Si Aofu's ear, his voice like a ghost's, "You've been married to me for so many years and haven't made any contribution to the Fu family. Now your chance to make a contribution has come."

Si Aofu looked at Fu Qidong in disbelief, "You mean...?"

"Send Si Yuan to my bed so that I, as her brother-in-law, can teach her how to judge men, so that she won't misjudge people and suffer heartbreak again."

Si Aofu felt so disgusted she almost vomited. What a high-sounding reason! All he wanted was to sleep with Si Yuan, didn't he?

"No—" Si Aofu refused.

Seeing Fu Qidong's face suddenly turn cold, she hurriedly explained, "Si Yuan and Bo Yusen are together. She is Bo Yusen's woman now. Unless we don't want to live anymore, we'd better not touch her."

Fu Qidong grabbed Si Aofu's chin with such force that Si Aofu felt her chin was about to dislocate.

The pain caused her back to be instantly covered in cold sweat.

"Do you know what the consequences will be for lying to me?"

Si Aofu gripped Fu Qidong's hand tightly. "I wouldn't dare lie to you. Everyone in the Si family knows about this. You can ask them if you don't believe me."

"Hmph—I doubt you'd dare lie to me."

Fu Qidong cursed under his breath, "I underestimated Si Yuan. She actually managed to get close to Bo Yusen so quickly."

Si Aofu breathed a slight sigh of relief. No matter what Fu Qidong did, he wouldn't dare to touch Bo Yusen's woman.

Unless, for a moment of pleasure, he is willing to sacrifice the Fu Group and his own life.

Fu Qidong felt a pang of regret. Had he known this would happen, he should have made his move on Si Yuan much earlier.

Now it's even worse; we can only look but not touch.

After all, Bo Yusen could crush him with the slightest movement of his finger.

The bird that was almost in his mouth flew away, and Fu Qidong was extremely annoyed. He grabbed Si Aofu's hair and said, "Why didn't you tell me about something so important?"

Her scalp stung from being pulled, and Si Aofu frowned deeply. "I only found out recently, and you've been so busy lately, I thought you didn't care..."

"I don't care about the Si family's affairs, but Si Yuan is an exception... understand?"

Si Aofu nodded hurriedly, "Understood."

As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Qidong tore open Si Aofu's clothes and pinned her down.

The driver had already lowered the screen.

Normally, Si Aofu would definitely go along with Fu Qidong, because only after Fu Qidong had vented his anger would he let her go.

But today she met Xie Zhizhou. Looking at Fu Qidong's ferocious face, all she could think about was Xie Zhizhou's gentle and considerate nature.

"don't want--"

Si Aofu screamed and shoved Fu Qidong away.

Fu Qidong's face was slapped, and he smirked wickedly, "Haven't been hit in days, getting itchy?"

Upon hearing the word "hit," Si Aofu's body trembled reflexively.

"I...I'm not feeling well today..."

As soon as Si Aofu finished speaking, a news article popped up on Fu Qidong's phone.

According to sources, the Bo and Gu families are about to get married, and the two families will form a powerful alliance.

The Bo family currently only has one unmarried man, Bo Yusen, while the Gu family has two daughters, but everyone knows that Gu Mingyue is Bo Yusen's childhood sweetheart.

So, is this referring to Bo Yusen and Gu Mingyue?

Si Aofu also saw the news, and her expression was even worse than before.

"Oh--"

Fu Qidong gave a cold laugh, looking at Si Aofu with a sinister gaze, "How dare you! You actually dared to lie to me—"

The car stopped in front of the Fu family villa. Fu Qidong got out of the car, grabbed Si Aofu by the hair, and walked into the living room. He then took out his belt.

Fu Qidong was furious because this was the first time Si Aofu had lied to him.

The belt lashed her skin, causing Si Aofu excruciating pain. She cried as she explained, "I didn't lie to you, A-Yuan really is with Bo Yusen. I don't know anything about this news..."

In her panic, Si Aofu thought of Si Yingying, who said that Si Yuan was doomed and must have done something wrong.

"I think you don't want me to get Si Yuan."

A full hour later, Si Aofu was covered in wounds and on the verge of death, with not a single unscathed spot on her body.

Fu Qidong grabbed her hair and lifted her head up. "I'll give you a chance. Send Si Yuan to my bed. Otherwise, don't even think about leaving this room."