I Want a Lifetime with You
Chapter 263

"Yan, aren't you being overly cautious?" It wasn't just Su Shaoqing. Shi Nuan, too, felt that Fu Chengyan was going a little overboard.

Just then, Fu Chengyan's phone started ringing. He picked up his phone, saw the name on the display, and waved it in front of Su Shaoqing and Shi Nuan. "Speak of the devil."

Fu Chengyuan answered the call. "Hello?"

"Yan, it's me, your uncle!"

"I know," Fu Chengyan smirked. "What can I do for you, uncle?"

"Are you free tomorrow? Let's meet up. We haven't seen each other in a while." Song Huaiyan's dignified and authoritative tone travelled clearly through the phone.

Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to signal Su Shaoqing and Shi Nuan to keep silent. He then shifted his seating position and used his other hand to hold Shi Nuan's, gently squeezing her hand and playing with her fingers absentmindedly.

"Uncle, you're in Jiang City?" Fu Chengyan sounded indifferent, causing Song Huaiyan to frown slightly. "Yes. Jingyu had left home for many months now, and she refuses to go back to the capital. I miss her s much that I decided to come here myself."

"That's great. Jingyu and my mother have been staying at the Fu family house for a while now. Since you're here, be sure to stay for a few more days, then you can arrange for mother and Jingyu to travel back with you."

"This..." Song Huaiyan wouldn't have guessed that the normally dignified Fu Chengyan would forget his manners and be so frank with him.

Song Huaiyan was at a loss for words, but Fu Chengyan chuckled lightly. "I'll rearrange my schedule tomorrow so I can meet up with you, uncle. Come to think about it, I haven't seen you since that incident happened three years ago."

His words hid a deeper meaning, but it was clear that Fu Chengyan didn't think much of his uncle Song Huaiyan. Despite how agitated he felt, Song Huaiyan couldn't say anything. "That's good then. How about tomorrow morning? I'll be..."

"You're the guest, so I'll sort out the location and let you know tomorrow. It's getting late, so I think I should go. Please excuse my discourtesy."

Fu Chengyan hung up the call first, a crafty and mocking smile burgeoning on his face. Su Shaoqing clucked his tongue at Fu Chengyan. "Fu Chengyan, you're getting ahead of yourself. No matter where you stand today, Song Huaiyan is still your uncle and your elder. Aren't you afraid of angering him?"

Fu Chengyan sniggered, his eyes filling with contempt. "Do you think he'll go against me when he's trying his best to orchestrate this wedding between me and Song Jingyu?" Fu Chengyan tapped his fingers. "Alright, you've enjoyed the show. You can scram now."

"Fu Chengyan, you're getting really good at using people and kicking them aside when you're done!" Su Shaoqing whine indignantly, but was still self-aware enough to let himself out.

After Su Shaoqing left, Shi Nuan turned to look at Fu Chengyan. "Are you sure it's alright to openly go against your uncle?" Shi Nuan was still worried.

Even though Shi Nuan had never met Song Huaiyan, she had seen what Song Zhenyan and Song Jingyu were capable of. Those two were a pain to deal with. Many a time Fu Chengyan made his intentions crystal clear through his actions and words, so clear that it made her, an outsider, feel awkward. And yet Song Zhenyan and Song Jingyu still feigned ignorance.

Fu Chengyan smiled, pulled Shi Nuan into his embrace, and caressed her. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. If I weren't certain, I wouldn't be doing it."

"Alright," nodded Shi Nuan. "So you're really going to see your uncle tomorrow? Why do you think he came over?"

"To get to the bottom of things," Fu Chengyan sniggered. "My uncle does things meticulously and always thinks things through. He doesn't trust others; he has to be the one to do it so he can be sure." "So you're going to meet him tomorrow to placate him?" Shi Nuan raised an eyebrow, but burst into laughter when she saw Fu Chengyan's surprised expression. “I guessed correctly?"

"This is why I always say that our May is a very smart and teachable." Fu Chengyan tapped Shi Nuan's nose affectionately. "He's not planning to take action this time round. As much as he spoils Song Jingyu, he wouldn't ruin his plans just for her."

"So you're saying that Song Jingyu is part of a bigger plan?" Shi Nuan couldn't fully understand what Fu Chengyan was getting at, but she could tell that Song Huaiyan had many tricks up his sleeve.

"That's very likely. I don't know what his end goal is, but I know he is very ambitious. Before the relationship between Fu Clan and the Song family became tense, he stayed under the radar, biding his time, but it seems like he's getting impatient now," Fu Chengyan smiled. "This is something that needs to be taken care of eventually."

"By the way, you mentioned 'three years ago' earlier. What happened three years ago?" Shi Nuan remembered that Fu Chengyan had spoken through gritted teeth, and his displeasure towards Song Huaiyan was obvious.

Fu Chengyan's eyes flickered as he frowned slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He then looked at Shi Nuan for a second before answering, "It's nothing. There was a conflict between the Fu family and the Song family. It's a long story and it's getting late now. I'll tell you about it next time."

"Okay," nodded Shi Nuan. Her intuition told her that there was a lot more to the story, but since Fu Chengyan wasn't ready to share, she wasn't going to push him. "Then let's go to bed. You need to be well- rested to go see your uncle tomorrow."

...

For the meeting location, Fu Chengyan reserved the largest private room in Yun Shui Jian, the restaurant that he frequented.

Fu Chengyan had sent Zhou Zheng to pick Song Huaiyan up, and the two arrived at nearly the same time.

Zhou Zheng knocked before opening the door to the private room. He ushered Song Huaiyan in as he announced his arrival, "Mr. Fu, Mr. Song has arrived."

"Uncle, please come in." Fu Chengyan turned to Zhou Zheng, "Have someone prepare some tea." He then levelled a gaze at Song Huaiyan, "It's been three years since I've seen you, so I'm not sure if your preference has changed."

"It's fine." Song Huaiyan took off his coat and studied Fu Chengyan intently.

It had been three years since they last met. The somewhat boyish-looking young man from his memory had grown up considerably. Not much had changed in terms of his appearance, but his whole aura and the way he held himself was completely different.

The Fu Chengyan from three years ago still had traces of an immature youngster, but the Fu Chengyan today had morphed into someone who exuded confidence, and even danger. This wasn't something the average person could accomplish.

Those Song Huaiyan's shrewd eyes settled on Fu Chengyan and he smiled, "You've really matured over the years."

"Thank you, uncle. Please sit."

Fu Chengyan poured a cup of tea for Song Huaiyan and said, "I've already ordered. I made sure to select dishes that you used to enjoy."

"Good, good!" Song Huaiyan nodded. "You're a good boy."

Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes, and his gaze sharpened when he heard Song Huaiyan calling him "a good boy." "I'm sure you didn't want to meet today just to catch up," said Fu Chengyan. "When did you come to Jiang City?"

"Yan sure is all-knowing. You've got a line on every little thing that happens in Jiang City, don't you?"

"You're exaggerating, uncle. Jiang City is so large, it'd be impossible for me to know everything, much less trivial, incidental things," Fu Chengyan replied, but quickly changed the topic before Song Huaiyan could make a scene. "Oh, you haven't met up with my mother and Song Jingyu, have you?"

Song Huaiyan froze. He was already feeling agitated, and his unease was only made worse by Fu Chengyan's brazen taunts. However, Fu Chengyan changed the topic before he had a chance to lash out at him, and so he could only swallow his anger. "Yes, I arrived last night, so I haven't seen your mother nor Jingyu."

"Then it seems like you favor me the most," remarked Fu Chengyan pointedly. "Mother and Song Jingyu have been staying at the Fu house for a while now. Once you're done with your business, you can bring them home with you. Both mother and Song Jingyu grew up in the capital and aren't used to living in Jiang City. They've complained multiple times to my mother and my other uncle."

"Really?" Song Huaiyan looked a little surprised. "Your mother has never mentioned it to me, though." He continued, "Not use to it? Your mother married into the Fu family, so she's a member of the Fu family now. Regardless of whether she's used to living here or not, she will always be a member of the Fu family, and she'll just have to get used to it. As for Jingyu, she and you..."

"Song Jingyu is my sister, so I'll naturally look after her. But I can't do it forever. Isn't it the same with you, uncle? Even though she's your daughter, she's going to marry someone someday, and you naturally won't be with her forever. Don't you agree?"

"You... Yan, there's only the two of us here today, so let's not beat around the bush. What are your intentions towards Jingyu? You know she's not my biological child, so there is nothing immoral or unethical about the two of you getting together. Jingyu's feelings for you are very real and very sincere. And let's not forget, three years ago, the two of you..."

"Uncle, since you're being straightforward, then so shall I. I've made my intentions very clear to you since three years ago. Song Jingyu is like a sister to me, and that's all she'll be for the rest of my life, unless you remove her from the Song family registry. But you should also understand that if you do so, she'll have no relation with the Song family and even less so with me. In my eyes, she's always been and always will be an outsider."

"You... Yan, are you sure this is how you want to treat Jingyu? She gave herself to you three years ago. I don't want to force you, but the things you did three years ago..."

"I think you are still unclear about some things. I'm sure you've looked into Shi Wei. From today onwards, if you even so much as harm a hair on her head, I'll make sure to return the favor twofold."

"Yes, that's right, I've looked into her, and I know that she's married. What about her is better than Jingyu?"

"Don't you see? I'd rather be with a married woman than with a crazy person. Do you still not understand?"