Sensing Yan Xi's confused gaze, Lin Qian paid it no mind. She looked up at Yan Xi and said indifferently, "Miss Yan, as the saying goes, true friendship is tested in adversity. You told me earlier that Fu Yan Ting truly loved you. Now, let's see if he's willing to spend money for you. If he's willing to pay this sum, then I'll believe he truly loves you. But if he's not even willing to fork out this little bit of money, then don't tell me again that Fu Yan Ting loves you."
Yan Xi held her breath. For Fu Yan Ting, ten percent of the Fu Group's shares was indeed a small amount of money. But to anyone else, it was a astronomical figure. Yan Xi couldn't understand why Lin Qian, Fu Yan Ting's own mother, would be so cruel to him.
Fu Yan Ting stood aside without a word, his expression extremely grim. Lin Qian, however, remained unfazed. She turned her gaze back to Fu Yan Ting, staring at him, a slight smile curving her lips. She said, word by word, "Fu Yan Ting, if you don't sign, neither you nor Yan Xi will be leaving through this door today." The threat in her words was palpable.
Fu Yan Ting pursed his lips, remaining silent. Yan Xi, ever understanding, looked at Fu Yan Ting and said softly, "Husband, it's okay, I won't blame you even if you don't sign." Fu Yan Ting looked at Yan Xi, his gaze unconsciously softening. He responded gently, "Okay."
Fu Yan Ting was a businessman. He could see that Lin Qian was deliberately making things difficult for him. The agreement was almost entirely beneficial to the Lin family, but it was a great disadvantage to Fu Yan Ting. Yet, Fu Yan Ting still signed his name on it.
Lin Qian was incredulous. She thought Fu Yan Ting had truly gone mad, signing an unequal agreement for a woman. However, this was precisely what Lin Qian had always wanted. Lin Qian, however, didn't care about Fu Yan Ting's feelings at all.
Fu Yan Ting closed the agreement and handed it to Lin Qian. Lin Qian hesitated to take it, worried it might be a trap. It was an agreement she had a lawyer draft, and Fu Yan Ting had only signed his name. But now that he had signed so readily, Lin Qian felt something was amiss.
Lin Qian maintained her composure and handed the agreement to the lawyer. The lawyer, understanding her intent, took the document from Lin Qian, perused it, and then closed it. He said to Lin Qian, "Young Madam, it is Mr. Fu's handwriting, and his name is indeed written. There are no issues."
"Good." Hearing the lawyer's confirmation, Lin Qian felt a little more at ease.
Fu Yan Ting shot Lin Qian a cold glance, a look of confidence on his face, and asked, "Now, can we leave?" Lin Qian had already made her position clear to Fu Yan Ting. If she didn't let Fu Yan Ting and Yan Xi leave now, she would gain a reputation for breaking her word. Moreover, Fu Yan Ting was now desperate, capable of anything for Yan Xi. The Lin family's reputation in the business world had also declined in recent years, and Lin Qian dared not take any risks. After some deliberation, Lin Qian let Fu Yan Ting and Yan Xi leave.
Outside the Lin residence, a cold wind whipped by. Fu Yan Ting held Yan Xi's hand, sensing the chill from her palm. He asked softly, "Are you cold?"
"Husband, thank you for doing all this for me. I know that if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had to..."
"She is not my mother. She doesn't deserve it." Fu Yan Ting interrupted Yan Xi coldly before she could finish.
In all the time Yan Xi had been with Fu Yan Ting, this was the first time she had seen him so angry so quickly. Yan Xi blinked, surprised by Fu Yan Ting's intense reaction. Fu Yan Ting realized his attitude had been inappropriate and quickly explained, "Xi Xi, I'm sorry. I got a bit emotional just now. I didn't mean to get angry with you, I just..."
Before Fu Yan Ting could finish, Yan Xi stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips firmly against his. It was Yan Xi's first time actively kissing Fu Yan Ting. Her kiss was innocent and clumsy; she didn't even know how to please him. Yet, this simple kiss suddenly brought Fu Yan Ting back to his senses. He wrapped his arms tightly around Yan Xi's neck, taking the initiative, deepening the kiss. Yan Xi hadn't expected Fu Yan Ting to be so forward; wasn't he in a bad mood? Seeing Fu Yan Ting take the lead, Yan Xi became a little shy and wanted to push him away, but Fu Yan Ting gave her no opportunity. His voice was low and hoarse as he said, "Don't move. Let me hold you for a while."
Hearing Fu Yan Ting's words, Yan Xi obediently stood still, not moving at all. After an unknown period, Fu Yan Ting reluctantly released Yan Xi, gazed at her, and asked softly, "Are you curious about my relationship with Lin Qian?"
Yan Xi knew that Fu Yan Ting and Lin Qian had a very strained relationship, but she genuinely wanted to know. She wasn't being nosy; she wanted to understand Fu Yan Ting more deeply, so that if anyone tried to bully him in the future, she could step in to help him. Yan Xi nodded gently.
"Do you remember when Shi Wen Wen was alive, she told you about me buying that piece of land near your family's property?" Yan Xi blinked. She remembered Shi Wen Wen's smug expression at the time, which had even led Yan Xi to suspect an unusual relationship between Fu Yan Ting and Shi Wen Wen. However, Yan Xi couldn't understand why Fu Yan Ting was bringing this up now. What did that piece of land have to do with Lin Qian?
Fu Yan Ting saw the confusion in Yan Xi's eyes and explained, "Actually, my relationship with Lin Qian is as you see it. She is my mother. But when I was five years old, I was kidnapped. That same year, she left Yan Cheng with my younger brother, Lin Nan. The kidnapping incident in Yan Cheng back then was a huge scandal. A little girl saved me. To save me, her arm was cut by a fruit knife, leaving a scar. Over the years, I've been searching for that girl, but I haven't found her."
Yan Xi, upon hearing Fu Yan Ting's words, became extremely agitated. Her hands trembled as she grasped Fu Yan Ting's, too overcome with emotion to speak. Fu Yan Ting had never seen Yan Xi display such strong emotions before.