Murong Cheng arrived, and Fang Yuan stood up, nervously adjusting her dress before walking over. "Mr. Murong, hello..."
"What Mr. Murong? Just call me A Cheng. Come visit more often in the future, so I can have A Cheng come home more too, and you two can deepen your feelings."
Song Yu smiled brilliantly.
To an outsider, one might think Fang Yuan was Murong Cheng's wife.
Jiang Shiyu felt a complex mix of emotions.
"A Cheng, hello." Fang Yuan seemed a little shy as she stood before Murong Cheng and extended her delicate hand.
Jiang Shiyu didn't look at the man's expression.
She expected him to shake her hand, but instead, Murong Cheng raised his arm and pulled Jiang Shiyu into his embrace. His gaze swept past Fang Yuan as if she were mere air.
"Allow me to introduce, this is my wife, and also the young madam of the Murong family, Jiang Shiyu."
Fang Yuan's hand remained stiffly in mid-air.
The surrounding servants gasped in surprise.
All eyes instantly focused on Jiang Shiyu.
Jiang Shiyu was still wearing a professional suit skirt, her low side-parted ponytail resting quietly on her shoulder. Two stray strands of hair by her temples added a touch of gentleness. Her skin was fair and luminous, like porcelain, and she possessed a slender figure.
In terms of appearance alone, she was by no means inferior to Fang Yuan.
Song Yu hadn't expected Murong Cheng to be so protective of Jiang Shiyu. Her smile faltered for a moment.
She then smiled and tried to ease the situation for Fang Yuan.
"We met in a hurry last time, I didn't know which esteemed family Miss Jiang was from?"
Song Yu clearly knew her background.
By asking this, she was deliberately feigning ignorance to humiliate Jiang Shiyu.
Before Jiang Shiyu could speak, Murong Cheng replied in a cold tone, "She is not Miss Jiang, she is Madam Rong."
His words stunned everyone present.
For many years, Murong Cheng had never brought a woman home willingly, let alone shown such blatant favoritism.
He was even openly displaying affection in front of so many people without any reservation.
Jiang Shiyu was taken aback. Not only the Murong family, but even she herself was surprised.
Why did this man seem to dote on her so much from the very beginning?
Fang Yuan bit her lower lip and awkwardly retracted her hand, which had been frozen in mid-air. "Mr. Murong..."
"Let's go, wife, it's time to eat."
Murong Cheng took Jiang Shiyu's hand and walked towards the dining room.
"Let's go, let's eat." Song Yu's smile was a little strained as she led Fang Yuan towards the dining room.
While it was a meal with the Murong family, in reality, it was only Song Yu, Rong Xue, and Fang Yuan. The patriarch hadn't returned home yet, and Murong Cheng's biological father was in a coma in the hospital...
Jiang Shiyu took the rice Murong Cheng handed her and was about to eat when a boisterous voice suddenly rang out.
"Where are my toys?! Where did you throw them?!"
The boy entered the room, threw his schoolbag down, and yelled loudly.
It was likely Murong Cheng's half-brother, and Rong Xue's full brother.
"Haohao." Song Yu heard this and quickly got up from the table, walking over to Rong Hao. "What's wrong?"
"This ugly monster lost my toy! I want to punish her!"
Haohao grabbed a feather duster and clenched it in his hand. Although he was only seven or eight years old, he was sturdier than most children his age. He whipped the feather duster at an elderly servant in his forties or fifties. The duster made a sharp cracking sound. The servant cried out in pain but clearly wasn't experiencing this for the first time. He endured it without making a sound or dodging.
Jiang Shiyu slammed her palm on the table and stood up.
Murong Cheng didn't stop her.
Jiang Shiyu walked towards the direction of the commotion. Just as Haohao was about to strike again, she grabbed the feather duster.
"Who! Who dares to stop me!" The seven-year-old boy acted like a savage little tyrant.
"Crack!"
Before Song Yu could even see who it was, a feather duster struck Haohao on the back.
"Ah!"
Haohao screamed in pain.
"Does it hurt? It should hurt. She's a person too. You lost your own toy and are taking your anger out on someone else. Do you think you're great just because you're rich, that you can do whatever you want and treat people like they're not human? You little brat, if your parents won't teach you, I will!"
Jiang Shiyu, holding the feather duster, struck Haohao twice more.
Song Yu was greatly alarmed and quickly spread her arms to shield Haohao. "Are you crazy?!"
"Mom! Who is this person?! Is she a new maid in our house? She dared to hit me! Mom, fire her!"
Haohao hid behind Song Yu, shouting.
Jiang Shiyu cast a cold glance at Haohao.
The little fellow flinched in fear, hid his face, and dared not make a sound.
"Jiang Shiyu, what are you doing?!"
Song Yu looked at Jiang Shiyu as if she were insane.
Jiang Shiyu was only visiting the Murong family for the first time. This was supposed to be a private family matter, so why was she interfering?
She even dared to hit her precious son, she must be tired of living!
"Can't you see what I'm doing? It seems your son is indeed just like you. As a mother, not only are you not a good role model, but you're also abetting his bad behavior. Do you think you can disregard people just because you have money?"
The surrounding servants looked at Jiang Shiyu with admiration.
Such incidents were all too common before.
None of the guests who visited the Murong family had ever spoken up.
Jiang Shiyu was the first.
Fang Yuan gasped.
If it were an ordinary family, it might be understandable, but this was the Murong family. For Jiang Shiyu to dare to do something like this was simply audacious.
"Shiyu and I both work at Lingsheng... She's as bold as ever. You could say it's her genuine nature, or you could say she's ignorant of the rules..." Fang Yuan said in a low voice, audible only to the two of them.
Murong Cheng acted as if he hadn't heard, not even acknowledging Fang Yuan. His gaze was fixed intently on the small woman's back.
She was still the same as before, completely unchanged.
Even though time had passed and things had changed, she was still the little girl in his memory, the little girl who stood before him and protected him without hesitation.
"Shiyu is a bit ignorant of the rules. I apologize on her behalf. Please don't blame her..."
Seeing that he didn't respond, Fang Yuan continued.
Murong Cheng frowned and cast a cold glance at Fang Yuan beside him. "She's my wife. You, an outsider, don't need to speak to me."
Fang Yuan was choked into silence, feeling as if something was stuck in her throat, her face pale.
"This is a Murong family matter. You, an outsider, don't need to discipline her..."
Before Song Yu could finish speaking, Murong Cheng stood beside Jiang Shiyu. His tall and imposing figure made him appear even more upright next to the petite and delicate Jiang Shiyu. Just a glance at him inspired awe.
"Since she married me, she is naturally a member of the Murong family."
His simple statement silenced Song Yu.
A Murong family member?
Murong Cheng, that illegitimate son, that little bastard, actually thought he was a member of the Murong family? How laughable!
If it weren't for Haohao being only seven years old, when would this little bastard ever get to manage Murong family affairs?
When Haohao grew up in ten years, this illegitimate son would no longer have the chance to point fingers and cause trouble in the Murong family.