Today, someone from the Fu family brought a child to visit the old lady again. The purpose was not for Fu Grandma, but for Fu Shizhao, who had been reclaimed.

In fact, Fu Shizhao had been waiting for them for a while, eager to see who would be the first to lose their composure.

After all, their intentions were not as simple as Uncle Fu An’s—just wanting to meet the only child left by their deceased brother. They wanted to see if this child, who had been found and raised by the old lady, would become a new obstacle for them. The visitor was the oldest among the illegitimate children of Old Master Fu, named Fu Zhong.

It was within Fu Shizhao’s expectations.

He was several years older than Fu Shizhao’s biological father, conceived before Old Master Fu married Granny Fu. He was the most favored by Old Master Fu, had a good influence within the Fu family, and could secure his position as long as he had the support of the old lady.

Fu Zhong also had a son around the same age as Fu Shizhao, named Fu Ruoyang.

As soon as he entered, Fu Ruoyang greeted Old Lady Fu in a foreign language, striding forward like a peacock with a screen in hand, indicating that the family had indeed invested some effort in cultivating him.

Fu Shizhao seemed very “familiar” with him.

In his previous life, after being reclaimed by the Fu family, the one he targeted most aggressively was Fu Ruoyang.

Fu Shizhao naturally disguised himself well, taking out all the toys that the old lady had instructed the housekeepers to buy for him during this period. He shared them with Fu Ruoyang, showing great enthusiasm and acting very convincingly.

After all… he didn’t like playing with these things.

Fu Ruoyang’s bad tendencies had been present since childhood, and it was unclear whether it was something taught by the family. Occasionally, when no one was paying attention, he would bully Fu Shizhao.

Why was it that his great-grandmother, whom he had been close to for so long, treated him indifferently while being so good to this child whom he had only recently met? The sight of Fu Shizhao sticking close to his great-grandmother, acting cute, and being coaxed with laughter made him feel quite uncomfortable.

So, upon discovering Fu Shizhao’s aversion to mangoes, he forced him to eat a lot of them.

His dad had suggested to test whether this little brother was easy to bully. He knew how to measure, just asking him to eat a fruit he disliked. He was just “kindly sharing.”

The mango allergy at the birthday party was just a prelude, and Fu Shizhao had long calculated this move.

He didn’t want to keep hurting himself, but he was only a four-year-old child. The things he could use were too limited, but the effects he could achieve were quite good.

Unexpectedly, one of the people he disliked the most in his previous life happened to be on the receiving end. Quite a coincidence.

—-

The smell of disinfectant in the hospital was strong.

Facing Fu Shizhao’s pitiful light brown eyes, Tang Mian quickly rushed over, looking at him with a worried expression, carefully examining him.

His entire face was red and swollen, with red dots even on his neck, scarier up close than from a distance.

His clothes had already been changed, and the clothes he took off had some residual mango stains around the collar, indicating that someone had deliberately forced him to eat mangoes.

“Does it feel uncomfortable?” Tang Mian knew he was asking a leading question.

Fu Shizhao lightly nodded, making a gesture to scratch, “It’s so itchy.”

Tang Mian quickly grabbed his little hand, his face stern, “You can’t scratch.”

Fu Shizhao obediently nodded, his eyes curved, allowing Tang Mian to hold his hand and prevent him from scratching.

On the other side, Shen Sīwǎn and Tang Mínghuái also inquired about the situation with the maid Fu Shizhao. Just as they were about to ask Fu Shizhao more questions, Tang Mian eavesdropped.

The allergic areas had already been treated, and now there was nothing serious. The old lady’s suggestion was for Fu Shizhao to stay in the hospital until he fully recovered. After all, this allergic reaction was too severe, and it was better to observe and not rush his discharge.

As for who did it… the maid mentioned that it was an internal matter of the Fu family, and it was not convenient for her to say more. However, Tang Mian was assured that the old lady would not let Fu Shizhao suffer injustice and would not easily forgive those who bullied him.

But Tang Mian was still very angry.

If the person who bullied Fu Shizhao was in front of him now, he would surely pounce and give them a good bite. Tang Mian looked at Fu Shizhao’s pitiful face with a heavy expression. The Fu family was indeed too “dangerous”… there were too many bad people.

Fortunately, it was Old Lady Fu who raised Fu Shizhao. If it were someone else, he probably wouldn’t be protected, and he could only endure the injustice. Fu Shizhao had to grow up quickly, become excellent and strong like in his previous life, enough to protect himself.

It was said that Old Lady Fu was preparing to hire many teachers and provide Fu Shizhao with a lot of study materials. It seemed like she wanted to start cultivating him from now on. Tang Mian believed that Fu Shizhao would definitely do well.

Although Fu Shizhao felt uncomfortable with the allergy, his mood unexpectedly was quite good.

Being able to use the mango incident to get Old Lady Fu to suppress Fu Zhong and Fu Ruoyang, and compared to the hardships he endured in his previous life, it was nothing at all.

Moreover… he could take this opportunity to act a bit spoiled towards Tang Mian.

It’s quite worth it.

On the other side, Fu Zhong sat in the study at home, dialing a call to Old Master Fu with a solemn expression. Fu Ruoyang stood on the side like a timid quail, completely different from his arrogant demeanor during the day when facing Fu Shizhao. After a few rings, the call was finally answered.

Fu Zhong: “Father…”

The cold voice on the other end interrupted him, “Old Lady is very angry, I haven’t seen her this angry in a long time.”

Fu Zhong’s heart completely sank, but he still attempted to salvage the situation, “Ruoyang is just too young and mischievous…”

“Do you really think Old Lady is getting senile? She sees everything clearer than anyone else. She raised that child because she felt sorry for him losing his parents and having no background. It’s pure and simple, just wanting to enjoy the joy of having a grandson around. Fu An took one look and didn’t interact with that child again. Why can’t you be as smart as him?”

Fu Zhong gritted his teeth but didn’t dare to retort. Fu An was indeed the most capable among them, with the sharpest mind. Unfortunately, he was frail and the question of how long he could live was uncertain, posing no real threat.

Fu Zhong lived a reclusive life before his biological brother’s death. It was only after his brother’s death that he began to reveal his sharp edges. He disliked being compared to the frail Fu An.

However, the mango incident had indeed angered the Old Lady. Since she couldn’t take action against Fu Ruoyang, she could only take action against him. He became a vivid example, a living warning to other ambitious members of the Fu family.

Many of his projects were affected, and the loss of money was a minor concern compared to the fear that he might not be able to recover. Some forces that were once attached to him started to waver, leaning towards other directions.

Why did it turn out like this?

“Take care of yourself.” Old Master Fu’s voice remained as cold-blooded as he remembered, just like the man himself.

During the days when Fu Shizhao was hospitalized, Tang Mian insisted on staying with him, accompanying him until his discharge.

Since Fu Shizhao couldn’t go to kindergarten during this time, going to school alone didn’t seem interesting. It was better to openly skip classes.

The Old Lady had arranged a private room for Fu Shizhao, and the environment was excellent. Adding another child wouldn’t make it feel crowded at all.

After learning that Tang Mian wanted to stay and accompany Shizhao, the Old Lady had the hospital staff bring in an additional small bed, placed close to Shizhao’s bed. If it weren’t for Shizhao’s allergies, sleeping together wouldn’t have been so troublesome.

Some of the kids from kindergarten, who had a good relationship with them, found out about this and secretly organized a visit. They brought flowers and snacks to see Fu Shizhao.

Unfortunately, Mu Zichen was away filming, so he could only meet the other kids through video calls that day.

It was said that he played the role of the female lead’s son in the drama he was filming. He had a lot of scenes, and the seniors in the crew praised him for his excellent performance, anticipating that he might become famous with this role.

They even mentioned that when he returned, he would sign autographs for each of them, and in the future, those autographs could be sold for a high price.

The boy from the nouveau riche family, all excited, asked him to sign a hundred and eighty for him, saying he could use them to exchange for a house in the future. Although getting a house might not be practical, it was indeed possible to sell them for a good price in the future.

Tang Mian also happily agreed, suggesting that when he became famous, he should sell the autographs to buy lots and lots of cat food for Cotton Candy.

The young actor, Mu Zichen, confidently patted his chest, assuring them that it was no problem at all.

After a short video call, Mu Zichen had to leave for filming and hurriedly ended the call.

With careful daily examinations and dressing changes by the doctors, Fu Shizhao recovered well. He smoothly left the hospital, and there were no traces of the allergies on his skin. His little face, even more radiant, had regained its fair and tender complexion. During his time in the hospital, he had also put on some weight due to eating well. Tang Mian found it even more enjoyable to pinch his cheeks now.

A heavy burden in Tang Mian’s heart finally lifted. He knew what Fu Shizhao would look like when he grew up, and it would be a shame if there were any marks on that handsome face.

After leaving the hospital, Tang Mian gradually noticed that Fu Shizhao’s free time became less and less. Several times when he tried to call Fu Shizhao, he found out that he was attending classes.

These were the classes taught by the teachers that the Old Lady had invited to their home.

Listening for a while on the phone, Tang Mian guessed that Old Lady  intended to cultivate Fu Shizhao well because of this. After all, The Old Lady was indeed getting old and couldn’t protect Fu Shizhao for his entire life.

She could only let him grow up on his own. Tang Mian didn’t want to disturb him and waited for him to call after finishing the class. During this time, he occupied himself with drawing or spending time with family.

Recently, his mother also started to experiment with videos. His father bought her a camera, and every day, she and the household maids would go to the garden to shoot various flowers and plants. When encountering content that was confusing in the books, she even revisited her university days, consulting the professors on some professional questions.

The theme, content, copywriting, expression, shooting, post-production, editing… every aspect was crucial. His Mom worked very hard.

Although it was tiring, hard work pays off, and the results were quite good.

The fan base of her educational account kept growing, and his Mom has become a somewhat famous science communicator in the field of plants.

The comments section was always filled with requests for her to start live broadcasts, with viewers eager to see her small garden and the little ones.

Old Madam Fu even made a splash in his Mom’s live stream, showing up on time every time she goes live.

She had also collaborated with friends from other fields to publish some educational books on plants, and she mentioned to Tang Mian that when he grows up to become a great artist, she wanted him to create illustrations for her books.

Tang Mian gently swayed his little feet, happily agreeing.

Time always slips away quickly when people are happy. In the blink of an eye, it was graduation day from kindergarten, and after one more summer vacation, they would be starting elementary school.

On the night before taking graduation photos, Fu Shizhao stayed overnight at Tang Mian’s house. Shen Siwan prepared two sets of matching new clothes and little hats for them.

Staring at Fu Shizhao, who was now taller than himself by a margin, Tang Mian stubbornly tiptoed, puffing up his cheeks, then turned around and angrily punched all the stuffed dog dolls on the bed.

—