C24 Wait a Minute Don't Go over First!

A crystal fragment, missing a corner, glittered on the floor, its damage apparent.

Upon closer inspection, Lo Qing recognized it as a delicately crafted snow house ornament, now sadly shattered.

She dismissed the incident with a wry smile, "Auntie didn't mean to... Oh no!"

Fu Sui pushed her aside forcefully, nearly causing her to lose her balance. Yet, seeing the boy squat down to gather the pieces, she couldn't help but feel a vindictive thrill.

It must have been intended for that mother and daughter.

Not a chance!

Indeed, she had done it deliberately.

Noticing an unzipped backpack revealing a toy, she had seized the opportunity to shake it loose.

Fu Sui had no interest in such gaudy trinkets. It was obvious it was meant for a girl.

The butler, with a pained expression, stepped forward to help pick up the pieces, "Little Young Master, I'll have another one prepared for you."

The child remained silent, his face void of emotion, but the butler could see the hurt and anger in his eyes; he had, after all, raised him from infancy.

"I'll take care of it, Little Young Master."

A maid offered to assist, but the butler silently shook his head.

The tension in the air was palpable, and no one dared to disturb the Little Young Master, fearing a repeat of past incidents.

Holding the broken piece, Fu Sui's gaze seemed lost.

The gift... was ruined.

He had chosen it with such care, and it would have looked lovely in the room, but now...

"Auntie will replace it for you. Sui, who were you giving this to?" Lo Qing asked, feigning ignorance, ready to kneel down and lighten the mood.

But the boy's icy stare cut sharply towards her.

His piercing gaze, reminiscent of Fu Jingchuan's formidable presence, sent a chill through Lo Qing.

"Miss Lo, please leave," the butler said, his voice significantly colder.

The Little Young Master was in a fragile state and couldn't afford any further verbal jabs.

Lo Qing shot the butler a disgruntled look.

He was just an old servant; since when did he have the authority to command her, the future matriarch of the household?

Disregarding the butler, Lo Qing approached the coffee table in the living room. "Sui, why don't you take the cake Auntie brought and give it away? It's Sita's latest exclusive offering," she suggested.

After a brief pause, she added with a hint of irritation, "You're planning to give it to that little girl in the hospital, right? Well, that's perfect. She's never had such an expensive treat before. But Sui, there's really no need to go out of your way to prepare gifts for people like them."

The butler frowned, clearly displeased. Any observant person could see that the Little Young Master was fond of the mother and daughter at the hospital. It wasn't the time for harsh words that might upset the Young Master.

Fu Sui rose to his feet and walked over slowly. Lo Qing's face lit up with pleasure. "See, he's just a child. There's always something that can entice him."

But in the next instant—

"Crash!" The cake, along with everything else on the coffee table, was violently swept to the floor by the boy!

"Fu Sui, you—!" Lo Qing began, her voice sharp with anger, but she abruptly held back her criticism, realizing that the child's condition might have been triggered again.

"Little Young Master!" The butler quickly shielded the boy's hands, fearing he might injure himself in his reckless outburst.

Just then, a servant at the door announced, "The Young Master has returned!"

The butler breathed a sigh of relief. Lo Qing's heart lurched, and she swiftly turned to face the entrance.

"Jingchuan, you've come back at last!" she exclaimed, her voice laden with feigned concern as if she had been through an ordeal, "Little Sui, he... he's had another episode."

"What's wrong with Dear Sui?"

The response came from a voice that was all too familiar and unwelcome to her ears. Soong Ruanruan, cradling her daughter, had been silently standing behind the tall figure of the man. Hearing Lo Qing's words, a surge of worry prompted her to speak out.

Lo Qing's brow furrowed. "Why are you here?"

The situation was indeed peculiar. For the next phase of treatment, Soong Ruanruan had made a request to Fu Jingchuan for closer contact with Fu Sui to better understand his home environment.

Today, she seized the opportunity of being discharged from the hospital to call Zhou Chi, inquiring whether she could visit the Fu family to see Dear Sui. After all, the children had planned to meet, and the location hardly mattered.

To her surprise, she had only been testing the waters, yet they agreed to her request! The ride over was even more awkward with Fu Jingchuan himself in the car. Had her daughter not been there, she would have been at a loss for words the entire trip.

At the moment, however, Soong Ruanruan was too preoccupied to bother with such trivial matters. She stepped forward and peered into the room. The living room was in disarray, with the butler anxiously examining the boy's hand. "Little Young Master, are you injured anywhere?"

Fu Sui looked up, his piercing gaze not yet softened, as it met the little girl's eyes. An An was taken aback by the unusually stern expression on her normally calm and amiable little brother, her eyes widening in astonishment.

Taken aback himself, Fu Sui felt more cold sweat on his clenched fist. He desperately wanted to explain but found himself speechless.

He felt despised.

The thought brought a familiar discomfort, spreading through Fu Sui's limbs as cold sweat trickled down his forehead and his chest heaved with distress. He couldn't bear the thought of his sister and aunt witnessing his distress.

In a sudden move, Fu Sui wrenched free from the butler's hold and dashed upstairs. He burst into his bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

The butler, unprepared for such a reaction, failed to intercept him. As he was about to follow, Soong Ruanruan stopped him, "Wait, let's not go after him just yet." She wanted to soothe her son immediately, but her knowledge of child psychology told her that children have their pride. In this situation, it was better not to force an encounter but to allow Dear Sui some space.

Fu Jingchuan shot the butler a cold look. "What happened?"

"The gift Little Young Master prepared was damaged..." the butler began.

Before he could finish, Lo Qing chimed in, "It's my fault. I accidentally ruined the gift Sui had prepared. I thought to make it up with a cake, but he refused... Jingchuan, is there anything I could do that Sui would accept?"

Lo Qing's eyes were red-rimmed, as though she had been wronged, giving her a pitiful appearance.

The butler remained silent...

It wasn't just about the gift. It was her aggressive tugging and those provocative words that really set things off!

Fu Jingchuan gave the woman a glance, his eyes betraying no emotion. His noncommittal stance left Lo Qing feeling inwardly guilty.

He then turned his attention back to the butler.

With a nod from Fu Jingchuan, the butler detailed the events, causing Soong Ruanruan's expression to grow icier by the second.

Yet, Lo Qing remained composed. Once the butler finished speaking, she lowered her eyes in feigned sorrow, speaking slowly, "Yes, it's all my fault. I never imagined that after such a long time, Sui would still reject my touch. What am I to do in the future? After we become a family, must I remain so distant from him?"

Her voice rising with emotion, she clutched Jingchuan's arm, "Jingchuan, I want to deepen my bond with Sui. If he continues to dislike me, it will break my heart..."

Soong Ruanruan watched Lo Qing with a detached expression, as if observing a performance. The remorse in Lo Qing's eyes seemed genuine.

Had it not been for the incident with the peanut butter, Ruanruan might have been fooled by the woman's display of guilt.

Allergies can be life-threatening. To risk a child's safety over a mere dislike...

How could such a woman truly have Dear Sui's best interests at heart?