Around one in the afternoon, Wang Shuqin returned, her face a thundercloud. Fu Jinglin, engrossed in a video game, glanced up and asked casually, "Mom, who got you so worked up?" Wang Shuqin slammed her purse onto the sofa and dropped into the cushions with a huff. "It was that damned Rong Shu!" "Who?" Fu Jinglin immediately put down his controller and leaned in closer. "Mom, you went to see her?" "Why the hell would I go see her? Am I looking for trouble? This is all because of that time at the Luxury Brand Plaza, when she and those two lovers of hers ganged up on me. I don't know what they did, but when I went shopping with my friends today, the security guards wouldn't even let me in! Said I was on some kind of blacklist!" Wang Shuqin was so furious she was practically grinding her teeth. "There were five or six of us, all wealthy wives, and every single one of them walked right in, but not me! It was just me they stopped! I was mortified! You should have seen the way the other ladies looked at me, like I was some kind of riffraff. I hate that little bitch Rong Shu! I hate her!" Her voice must have carried, because Fu Jingting and Gu Manyin descended the stairs together. "What's wrong?" Fu Jingting was fastening the cuff of his slate-blue shirt, which made him look particularly sharp. Gu Manyin, too, appeared to have dressed with care, a vision of gentle grace in a simple white dress. Wang Shuqin quickly recounted the incident for him. Fu Jingting’s brow furrowed slightly. "We're divorced. You should leave her alone." Rong Shu was not as simple as people thought, and he knew his mother's personality all too well. This was a warning, meant to keep her out of future trouble. But Wang Shuqin felt a surge of indignation. "She started it, you know," she muttered, her lip jutting out. Then, noticing they were dressed to go out, her expression shifted as she turned to Gu Manyin with a smile. "Oh, Gu Manyin, where are you two off to?" Gu Manyin offered a faint smile. "We heard the Old Mrs. Fu is ill, so we're going to pay her a visit." Wang Shuqin rolled her eyes. "So she's sick, so what? Why bother visiting her? I'm telling you…" "Mom." Fu Jingting cut her off, his gaze darkening with clear displeasure. "She is my grandmother." Wang Shuqin knew her son hated it when she spoke ill of the old matriarch, so she didn't dare continue. She forced a dry laugh. "Well, come back soon. I've had the maids make your favorite lotus seed soup, Gu Manyin. It’s very nourishing." Gu Manyin thanked her and left with Fu Jingting. After all, Rong Shu had taken care of the old woman for years, and a deep affection had naturally grown between them. Gu Manyin might be the apple of her grandson's eye, but she couldn't replace Shu'er in the matriarch's heart. So, it was immediately obvious to Fu Jingting that his grandmother was giving Gu Manyin the cold shoulder. He knew exactly why, but he had brought her anyway. He needed Gu Manyin to get familiar with the old woman; after all, she was to be his future wife. "Grandmother, I've brought you some special nutritional supplements. Please accept them." Gu Manyin played the part of a well-bred, cultured lady, her every move calculated to be faultless. The old woman, reclining on a chaise lounge, regarded her with a cool detachment. "It's a bit premature to be calling me Grandmother. You can save that for after the wedding. Besides, these old bones can't be too careful about what strangers offer. You should take it back." A flush of humiliation crept up Gu Manyin’s neck. Biting her lip, she shot a helpless, pleading look at the man beside her. Fu Jingting came to her rescue. "Grandmother, it's a token of Gu Manyin’s goodwill." The old matriarch, who had seen it all, cast a sideways glance at Gu Manyin. "Oh, yes. Quite a lot of 'goodwill.' The kind that chased my real granddaughter-in-law away."