Volume One, Chapter Nine: Hearing Aunt Wan Burned Mom’s Hand

Su Tingwan stopped abruptly in her tracks. She turned around, her eyes cold as she looked at Fu Xicheng, who was holding Cheng Ruotang. She curled her lips into a frigid arc. "Fu Xicheng, you haven't spent a single day caring for Xixi since she was born. How do you have the face to stand there and accuse me?"

Fu Xicheng was left speechless.

"Tingwan, how can you say that to Xicheng? He is not like you, idling at home with nothing to do. His work is so demanding that some neglect toward Xixi is unavoidable. You should be understanding of him, not blaming him."

"Besides, Xicheng loves children so much; why would he neglect Xixi? Why don't you reflect on yourself?"

Cheng Muyan’s words were full of feigned empathy. It was not just an attempt to curry favor with Fu Xicheng; it was also a subtle insinuation that it was Su Tingwan’s bad influence that caused Xixi to be disliked by Fu Xicheng.

Su Tingwan turned her gaze, sharp as a blade, toward Cheng Muyan and warned her coldly, "Cheng Muyan, it is not your place to interrupt."

Cheng Muyan’s eyes reddened instantly. She leaned into Fu Xicheng and looked at Su Tingwan with a wronged expression. "Tingwan, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just feel bad for Xicheng; I can't bear to watch you misunderstand and frame him like this!"

"Cheng Muyan, what brand of trash bag are you? Why are you so good at holding so much filth?" Su Tingwan felt nothing but disgust.

"Su Tingwan!" Hearing the insult, Fu Xicheng’s handsome and arrogant face frosted over. He glared at her with icy, sharp eyes.

"Xicheng, it’s okay. Don’t get angry at Tingwan on my account." Cheng Muyan tugged at his sleeve, playing the part of the long-suffering victim.

Today was very important to Su Tingwan. She didn't want to waste any more time entangled with them, so she turned and walked inside. As long as Fu Xicheng didn't bring up her daughter, she had no interest in talking to them at all.

***

In the pantry, with fifteen minutes left before the competition, Su Tingwan, having slept only a few hours, decided to brew a cup of coffee to wake herself up. As she walked in, Cheng Muyan, seeing no one else around, followed her inside and greeted her with a calm expression: "Tingwan."

Su Tingwan couldn't be bothered to respond. She walked straight to the cabinet to retrieve a cup. Cheng Muyan watched Su Tingwan’s hand as she pulled the cabinet door—slender and elegant. It was those same hands that could effortlessly create breathtaking works of art. A dark glint flashed in Cheng Muyan’s eyes. She stepped forward and picked up a cup of her own.

Su Tingwan continued to ignore her, walking over to the coffee machine to brew an Americano. Just as she reached out to retrieve her cup, Cheng Muyan suddenly pressed the hot water button.

Boiling water poured down. If it had hit her, Su Tingwan’s right hand would have been incapacitated for the day—or worse, if the burns were severe enough, she might never be able to hold a brush again. Cheng Muyan couldn't help but curl her lips in anticipation.

But the next second, the smile on her face froze. She never expected Su Tingwan’s reflexes to be so fast. Before the boiling water could touch her, she pulled her hand back instantly. Her movement was so swift that only a few droplets splashed onto the back of her hand.

Cheng Muyan instinctively reached out to grab Su Tingwan’s arm to stop her from dodging, but she grasped at thin air. Su Tingwan stepped aside, knocking into Cheng Muyan’s shoulder in the process. Off balance, Cheng Muyan reached out to steady herself, and in her panic, her hand pressed directly under the steaming flow of water, knocking the coffee cup over. The boiling water poured directly onto her right hand, causing a piercing, bone-deep agony.

"Ah!" Cheng Muyan let out a shrill scream, trembling for several seconds before she managed to turn off the water.

"Mommy!" Cheng Ruotang, who had appeared out of nowhere, saw her mother’s scalded hand. After crying out, she turned and ran toward Fu Xicheng, who was nearby. As if finding her anchor, she sobbed, "Daddy... Daddy..."

Fu Xicheng, who was on a call, hung up immediately, crouched down, and scooped up the sobbing child. "Tangtang, what’s wrong?"

"Wuwu, Daddy, Auntie Tingwan scalded Mommy’s hand with hot water."

Fu Xicheng’s expression shifted instantly. He carried Cheng Ruotang and strode toward the pantry. The onlookers who had gathered to watch the drama were frozen in place by his piercing glare, none daring to step forward. Fu Xicheng entered the pantry with the child and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Xicheng..." Cheng Muyan’s eyes were red, her voice trembling as she fought to endure the pain. That single call of his name was laden with grievance.

Fu Xicheng shot a frigid look at Su Tingwan. He hurried to Cheng Muyan’s side, held her arm, and placed her red, swollen hand under the cold tap.

"Sss..." Cheng Muyan couldn't help but gasp, her tightly pressed lips trembling, looking utterly pitiful.

"Endure it," Fu Xicheng said, his voice softening with concern. The more he comforted her, the redder Cheng Muyan’s eyes became, tears welling up.

Su Tingwan had no desire to watch this performance by the "green tea" mother and daughter. She turned to leave. She felt nothing for Cheng Muyan’s injury. She was no saint; if she hadn't dodged in time, it would have been her hand that was scalded, not Cheng Muyan’s.

"Su Tingwan, stop!" Fu Xicheng barked coldly. That she could be so indifferent after burning Muyan filled him with rage.

Su Tingwan ignored him and continued walking. Fu Xicheng let go of Cheng Muyan, strode over to Su Tingwan, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her back. "Su Tingwan, how can you be so vicious! You scalded Muyan’s hand. Don't you know how important her hands are to her?!"

Su Tingwan looked at Fu Xicheng, who had condemned her without a second thought. In the past, being falsely accused by him would have broken her heart. She used to fear his misunderstanding and his hatred, so she would always exhaust herself trying to defend her innocence. But to a man whose heart was biased from the start, even if the truth were laid bare before him, he would remain blind and deaf. The woman she used to be, always trying to prove herself to him, was truly foolish.

Su Tingwan looked up at the aggressive Fu Xicheng and sneered, "You say I scalded Cheng Muyan? Where is the proof?"

The burden of proof lies with the accuser. There were no surveillance cameras in this pantry. It was precisely because there were no cameras that Cheng Muyan had dared to be so reckless, turning on the hot water to try and ruin her hand.

Seeing that Su Tingwan refused to admit it, Cheng Ruotang hugged Fu Xicheng’s leg, crying, "Daddy, I clearly saw Auntie Tingwan use the hot water to burn Mommy."

"Wuwu... Mommy taught me that when children make mistakes, they should admit them. Why won’t Auntie Tingwan admit it?"

"Don't cry, Daddy believes you," Fu Xicheng comforted her. He looked up, his face as cold as frost, his tone icy. "Tangtang’s word is proof! She is only five years old, still a child—how could she possibly lie?!"