After Fu Qiyuan left, both of them breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the bench by the pool.
"Your brother is keeping too close an eye on me. Am I that untrustworthy?"
"Hmm?" Su Ran narrowed her eyes dangerously.
Fu Qixiu rolled his eyes irritably, "If it weren’t for your usual wild behavior, my brother wouldn’t have to keep you on such a tight leash. Otherwise, you’d be out of control."
Su Ran frowned, "When have I ever been that wild?"
"Yes, you’re not wild, not at all."
Su Ran raised an eyebrow, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, and changed the subject.
"Is everything okay with the Chu family’s business? You didn’t look too good earlier."
"How bad can it be? It’s the same as always!"
Su Ran raised her eyebrow slightly, "They say the Fu family and the Chu family have been friends for generations. It’s normal for the two families to have business dealings. But judging by your tone, it sounds like that’s not really the case."
Fu Qixiu snorted, "Hmph! The Fu family and the Chu family are indeed old friends, but it depends on which Chu family you’re talking about."
Su Ran raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"You must have heard about the balance system. The situation in the Fu family is such that my brother, as the head of the family, was destined to take over the Fu Consortium from the beginning. But other members of the Fu family are not to be underestimated either. The Fu family is large and complicated, and to maintain balance, my grandfather entrusted significant responsibilities to other family members as well."
"Of course, the same applies to the Chu family. The current head of the Chu family has been abroad for years, and the domestic business naturally falls under the control of the second branch. And because the head of the Chu family has no children, the next head of the family is very likely to be Chu Xiyao."
Su Ran tapped her fingers on the small stone table and looked up at Fu Qixiu.
"I remember Chu Ling was raised as the child of the Chu family head, wasn’t she? By that logic, the Chu family head does have an heir, right?"
Fu Qixiu shook his head, "Chu Ling is the daughter of the Chu family head’s deceased sister and brother-in-law. She didn’t originally bear the Chu name. For a large family’s inheritance, just based on this fact, she’s destined to have no right to compete for the position of the Chu family heir."
Su Ran nodded, no wonder that even with the backing of the Chu family and the Chu family head as her uncle, Chu Ling still chose to enter the entertainment industry and forge her own path early on.
Because she understood that the future of the Chu family had nothing to do with her, and she could only rely on her own efforts.
"So what does this have to do with the business between the two families?"
"The second branch of the Chu family has been acting more and more recklessly lately. Earlier, a cooperation brought significant losses to Fu’s due to their mistakes. Yet, the Chu family didn’t take it seriously. To teach them a lesson, my brother cut off several collaborations with the Chu family. And now, you see the situation as it is. It’s really frustrating!"
Su Ran nodded. Both the Fu family and the Chu family were prominent families in Yong City with businesses spanning domestically and internationally. Trying to completely sever ties was nearly impossible.
However, although the Fu family couldn’t completely cut off cooperation with the Chu family, it didn’t mean they couldn’t cut off cooperation with the domestic branch of the Chu family.
As long as they had a legitimate reason!
After talking so much, Fu Qixiu felt a bit thirsty. He looked at Su Ran and said:
"Sister-in-law, are you thirsty? Would you like something to drink?"
Su Ran nodded, "Anything is fine."
Hearing this, Fu Qixiu stood up from the bench, planning to go to the banquet hall to fetch two drinks.
But looking at the person sitting on the bench, he silently sat back down.
Su Ran looked at him in confusion, "What’s wrong? Weren’t you going to get drinks?"
Fu Qixiu gave her an aggrieved look, "Never mind. My brother told me to stick by you. If I leave for even a moment, who knows how wild you might get!"
Su Ran’s face turned dark, and she finally couldn’t resist kicking him.
"Wild my ass! It takes only a few minutes to walk to and from the banquet hall. And besides, I’m the only one here. Who am I supposed to get wild with?"
Fu Qixiu glanced around and agreed that she made a valid point. He stood up from the bench again.
"Then I’ll go get the drinks. You... better not cause any trouble!"
Su Ran couldn’t help but roll her eyes, her face showing a bit of impatience, "I won’t."
Getting a definite answer, Fu Qixiu finally left with peace of mind.
Su Ran felt speechless, thinking that the brothers were being too over-the-top.
Was she really that untrustworthy?
What could possibly happen in just a few minutes?
Su Ran stood up from the bench and took a couple of steps forward when she suddenly heard footsteps approaching.
She thought it was Fu Qixiu coming back, but when she looked up, she saw Yang Yuxin standing at a distance, looking at her with a cold sneer.
Yang Yuxin crossed her arms, her face full of obvious malice, and walked forward slowly, scrutinizing her from head to toe with a disdainful gaze.
Su Ran subtly raised an eyebrow but didn’t take the initiative to speak.
Sure enough, the next second, Yang Yuxin spoke first, and as soon as she opened her mouth, it made Su Ran want to punch her.
"I heard you hooked up with the Eldest Young Master of the Fu family? Hah! Someone as lowly as you is worthy of entering the Fu family’s doors?!"
Su Ran’s starry eyes narrowed slightly. Coming on so strong right from the start?
Not even a precursor.
Something unusual is definitely happening!
Yang Yuxin continued scrutinizing her, her words becoming harsher by the second.
"Didn’t think you were so good at seducing people. Even managed to climb into bed with the Eldest Young Master of the Fu family. Well, someone like you who appears dignified but is actually wanton, your methods certainly surpass others. My cousin didn’t even stand a chance against you!
But so what? Those born lowly are destined to remain so. No matter how well you disguise yourself, you can’t change your disgraceful nature."
The cold light flashed in Su Ran’s lowered eyes as she licked the corner of her lips lightly.
Tonight’s banquet indeed caused Yang Yuxin a lot of embarrassment. She originally thought this woman was here to settle scores with her.
Now, it seemed like she was here to get herself beaten up!
Su Ran’s starry eyes narrowed slightly as she cast a glance at her, a flash of an unreadable emotion passing through her eyes.
Maybe she really was here to get beaten up!
"What are you looking at? Am I wrong? I heard you used to have a fiancé? Ha! Who knows how many people you’ve slept with, yet you shamelessly cling to the Eldest Young Master of the Fu family. Do you really think the Fu family would let someone of your lowly status through their doors?"
Su Ran, hands at her sides, slightly clenched her fists. If she punched this woman now, no one would probably object, right?
After all, the reasons were ready-made!
Looking at Yang Yuxin’s provocative and grating expression, Su Ran’s eyelashes fluttered. She suddenly loosened her clenched fists as if she had thought of something.
Yang Yuxin sneered at Su Ran and stepped forward, now just two steps away from Su Ran, with the large swimming pool behind her.
Noticing this position, Su Ran’s eyes flickered with caution.
Yang Yuxin gave her a once-over again, her expression becoming even more provocational and malicious.