I Want a Lifetime with You
Chapter 358

The higher-ups of the company all gathered at the conference room to attend the daily morning meeting. Every single one of them was sitting stiffly and nervously with their eyes trained on Fu Zhengyun and Shen Qianan.

Having ants in their pants, they found it easier to stand than to remain seated. They were extremely restless; it was mainly due to the presence of the chairman of the company. Fu Zhengyun had not been involved in the internal affairs of the company for years. Although some of his trusted aides from back then were still in employment, the chairman was no longer a force to be reckoned with after being idle for such a long time.

In fact, his absence had always been a calming factor because it was a sign that everything was going well for the company. Now that the man had suddenly made an appearance, everyone couldn't help but associate it with the recent calamity that had befallen the magnificent Li Group. Within a month's time, the Li clan's company that had lasted for a century ended up going bust because of Li Heng. No one understood why Li Heng would decide to bring the family business to ruination when he was only one step away from becoming the patriarch of his family.

The Fu clan, like the Li clan, was a prestigious family that had been enjoying its fame for more than a century. That made it hard for people not to wonder whether the same thing would happen to them too. At the same time, everyone was dying to know who the woman dressed in full white and standing behind Fu Zhengyun was. Not only did she look similar to Shi Nuan, but she also exuded a distinguished aura that led them to think that she came from a powerful family.

Just as the higher-ups were busy gossiping among themselves, the door of the conference room suddenly opened from the outside. Mai Qi and Zhou Zheng shifted themselves to the two sides of the door, making way for the man who had just arrived. It was Fu Chengyan. One of his hands was holding his suit jacket draped over his back, while the other was cozily tucked in his trouser pocket. Despite looking laid-back and relaxed, no one could gauge what was on his mind from the look of his brooding eyes.

He gave those higher-ups, who were sitting with their backs ramrod straight, a fleeting glance before moving his eyes to his grandfather. Throughout the entire process, he did not even spare a glance at Shen Qianan.

As for Shen Qianan, she had been fixing her gaze on him from the very moment Fu Chengyan walked through the door. All she could think about was how the man had failed to move on from her over the past three years. He actually missed her so much that he even married a girl who looked the same as her to be her replacement.

Fu Chengyan had no clue what she had been thinking about. Nonchalantly, he averted his eyes away before tossing his suit jacket on the chair where he sat down.

Unlike the domineering and businesslike posture he usually adopted, he sat by resting one hand on the table and another on the knee of his lifted leg. With a smirk, he announced, "Let's begin. Why're you guys looking so uptight? The chairman is only here to feel the hustle and bustle of working life after staying at home for too long a time!" Then, he looked at Zhou Zheng and shouted an instruction at him, "Mr. Zhou, please show any unauthorized personnel in this room to the door."

Although he didn't refer to Shen Qianan directly, what he said was clear enough for everyone to infer it that way. At least, it was very obvious to all the higher-ups of the company, who were made up of elitists. Fu Zhengyun was not an unauthorized personnel as he was at the top of the company hierarchy. Therefore, the only possible person Fu Chengyan could be referring to was Shen Qianan, who had an unknown identity and background.

However, Shen Qianan was there together with Fu Zhengyun. Although everyone was skeptical about her presence, none of them had the guts to drive her out.

All of them immediately looked in the direction of Shen Qianan when Fu Chengyan gave such an instruction to Mr. Zhou.

With her face flushed with embarrassment, Shen Qianan stared at Fu Chengyan with her eyes brimming with imploration. In what sounded like an aggrieved tone, she ventured, "Yan, I...”

Fu Chengyan furrowed his brows in response to her voice. Behaving as though he just noticed her presence, he met her eyes and wondered, "Ms. Shen, do you see yourself as a close friend of mine?"

"..."

"Since you aren't an employee, am I wrong to ask you to leave?"

Fu Chengyan's voice sounded so icy that it made it difficult for anyone to defy his order. Shen Qianan's face turned as pale as a sheet in response to his question. She threw a miserable stare at Fu Zhengyun and pleaded, "Grandpa!"

Everyone was left aghast when they heard the way she addressed the chairman.

Furiously, Fu Zhengyun smacked the table hard and thundered, "It was I who allowed her to be here. As my granddaughter-in-law, does she even need permission before she starts to work here?"

There was no doubt - his remark was enough to cause a great stir. To everyone's utter surprise, the woman turned out to be Fu Chengyan's wife.

Fu Chengyan's face fell considerably upon hearing his grandfather. Tapping the table gently with his slender fingers, he chuckled, "Your granddaughter-in-law? Grandpa, is Ms. Shen here married to one of you illegitimate grandsons out there that I do not know?"

Both Fu Zhengyun and Shen Qianan were rendered speechless.

At the same time, everyone gasped in shock.

They couldn't believe they were lucky enough to be allowed a sneak peek into the family drama of the Fu clan.

"Y-You're hopeless..."

"Did I say anything wrong?" Looking at his grandfather's pale face, Fu Chengyan could tell that his anger had hit the ceiling. Fu Chengyan rose to his feet and rested one hand on the table. "Was it a wrong guess? Or, did she marry the son of one of our relatives?"

Clenching his walking stick tightly, Fu Zhengyun growled, "You bastard, Qianan is your..."

"Who's she to me?" Fu Chengyan raised his voice slightly as he cast an oblique glance at Shen Qianan. "Ms. Shen, care to enlighten me?"

Shen Qianan thought the situation humiliating. She plucked up every ounce of courage she had in herself to be here only because she thought Fu Chengyan still harbored feelings for her, but he was just not manly enough to admit it. It was to her utter dismay that he clearly did not care about her - not even a little.

Feeling embarrassed, Shen Qianan placed a hand on Fu Zhengyun's shoulder to hold him still. "Grandpa, forget about it. Since Yan doesn't think it's a good idea for me to work here, I'm not going to force him. After all, I don't really have any talents that will be helpful to him. I don't mind staying at home. I can keep you company that way."

Everyone immediately jumped to the conclusion that Shen Qianan was Fu Chengyan's wife as soon as she said that.

Meanwhile, though Fu Chengyan was looking extremely grim, he was still able to keep his cool. Staring intently at Shen Qianan, it was only after a long while did Fu Chengyan ask with a smirk, "Grandpa, does it mean you're going to let her stay in any event?"

It was obvious that Fu Zhengyun was ready to go all out to defend Shen Qianan. "Yes, Qianan has to stay by your side at Shengyuan!"

Fu Chengyan got his message well. Fixing Shen Qianan an evil stare, he moved his eyes away and countered, "Grandpa, do you think this is enough to make me do things as your wish? Or, do you think her presence is enough to make me cave in?"

"You..."

Fu Chengyan snorted icily. "Since no one was able to threaten me three years ago, do you think this girl here will be able to do the magic now?"

He then looked back at Shen Qianan in a way so nonchalant that it was as though she was a stranger to him. "You'd better watch out."

He marched out of the conference room right after saying that, leaving no chance for Fu Zhengyun to retort in any manner.

Zhou Zheng and Mai Qi exchanged an uncertain glance. After announcing their departure, they, too, walked out of the room.

Zhou Zheng immediately dashed over to keep up with Fu Chengyan. "Mr. Fu, what should Mrs. Fu do now that Ms. Shen is back and has shown her presence here at the company?"

Fu Chengyan paused in his tracks. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Where is May now?"

"Oh, Mrs. Fu's gone to meet Mr. George with Mr. Lin this morning. Also, our collaboration project with Prosperous Group is about to begin. This morning, Mr. Lin already handed the final schematic diagram of the project for your approval. As Mr. Li is now in C Country, Li Xufan will be the person in charge of this project."

Fu Chengyan nodded. "Is Liang Lin still there?"

"Yes, Liang Lin is currently there to assist Li Xufan."

"I'll let you take charge of the communication with them then." Fu Chengyan's pace came to a halt as he turned around to examine Mai Qi, who was standing rooted to the spot. Zhou Zheng frowned at her. "Mai Qi, why are you looking like your soul has wandered elsewhere?"

"Huh?" Only then did Mai Qi break out of her trance. "Oh, nothing." She quickly caught up with them, but her mind was still preoccupied with their conversation just now.

So, is Mr. Fu really married? Is his wife Ms. Shi from the project management department instead of that Ms. Shen in the conference room just now?

No wonder Mai Qi felt that Fu Chengyan cared about Shi Nuan a lot more than other people. As it turned out, that was not just a mere misconception - it was the truth.

But then again, Shen Qianan and Shi Nuan literally look the same. Mr. Fu doesn't seem too interested in Shen Qianan, but the chairman treats her very nicely.

"What have you been thinking about?" Looking at the distracted expression on Mai Qi with a frown, Zhou Zheng snapped, "As someone who's working for Mr. Fu, I can't believe you even dare to be this absent- minded!"

"Uhm, I..." Looking slightly awkward, Mai Qi hesitated before asking, "Mr. Zhou, is it true that Mr. Fu is married? Is his wife Ms. Shi from the project management department?"

Shhh! Zhou Zheng waved his hands at her frantically to stop her from talking. "This has to stay between the three of us. No one else is supposed to know about this for the time being." Mai Qi quickly nodded. "I've got it."

Zhou Zheng gave her a solemn nod back. "Well, you may head back to work now."

Shaking his head, it was only after he made sure Mai Qi had walked far enough away did he make his way to Fu Chengyan's office and knock on the door. "Mr. Fu!"

"Come in!"

As soon as he pushed the door open, he was greeted by the sight of Fu Chengyan standing in front of the desk. Both his hands were tucked in his trouser pockets, and there was an impassive expression on his face. "Send some of our men to keep an eye on Shen Qianan."

"Mr. Fu, I don't quite understand this." Zhou Zheng felt the entire matter confusing. "Was Ms. Shen... sent here by the chairman?"

Fu Chengyan smirked. "Do you think my Grandpa is capable of making that happen all by himself?"

Looking grim, Zhou Zheng asked, "Mr. Fu, do you think there's something fishy with Ms. Shen's return this time?" After some contemplation, he elaborated on his analysis. "Ever since Ms. Shen was sent away from the country by you three years ago, she's been trying very hard to come back. However, she isn't supposed to be back without your permission. So, it must have been the chairman who got her back through some means."

Yet, Fu Chengyan simply shook his head. "Just get someone to keep an eye on her. I want to know everything about her - who she keeps in touch with and what she does in her free time.”

"Yes." Zhou Zheng nodded in acknowledgment. "What about..."

Sensing his hesitation, Fu Chengyan cast a glimpse at him and urged, "Just tell me."

"What about Mrs. Fu..." Zhou Zheng couldn't help but be slightly worried because Shi Nuan looked exactly the same as Shen Qianan.

Back then, even Zhou Zheng had harbored the assumption that Mr. Fu only married Shi Nuan as a replacement for Shen Qianan. Thus, he thought it was only natural for Shen Qianan to think of it in the same way, too.

Now that Shen Qianan had returned and secured a job at Shengyuan, it was only a matter of time before the two women bumped into each other. Even if they did not meet in person, they could easily learn about each other's presence through their colleagues.

Will Shi Nuan get the wrong idea when she replaces out about the existence of a girl who used to be her husband's fiancée who strikingly resembles her?

What Zhou Zheng received in response was a baleful glance from Fu Chengyan, who looked sullen with his lips pursed.

Feeling a chill creeping down his spine, Zhou Zheng immediately regretted bringing Shi Nuan up. "Uhm... Mr. Fu, I'll go and carry out your instruction right now. I...”

Seeing how swiftly he took to his heels, Fu Chengyan's eyes softened a little. He kept his eyes downcast, though, still looking glum.

Everyone seems to think that I've been taking May as that woman's replacement all along.

What a huge misunderstanding that is...

Fu Chengyan felt slightly troubled as he knitted his brows together - something that rarely happened to him. He made his way to the French window, where he glanced down at the street view. It was only until a special ringtone started blaring out from his phone was his mind pulled back to reality. At the sight of the caller ID, his eyes softened considerably as he picked up the call. "Hello!"