HBWMA -Chapter 38 Secret

“Thinking about what?”

Afraid that Fu Sui’er might wait too long, Shen Jiao came out after only half-drying her hair. She didn’t expect to see her daughter staring blankly into the air. Amused, she reached out and ruffled Fu Sui’er’s multicolored bird’s-nest hair.

“Has Aunt Feng left?” she asked as she lifted the blanket and lay down on the bed.

Fu Sui’er stared blankly at Shen Jiao, then quietly shuffled into the blanket and inch by inch moved closer. “Mom, I just heard Aunt Feng say that the little beggar drove her own mother out of Shen Manor?”

Shen Jiao lowered her gaze. “You heard that?”

Fu Sui’er’s eyes suddenly lit up with a strange gleam. “Mom, if everything was fine, why would that little beggar drive her mother out of Shen Manor? Wasn’t she always the most obedient to her mother before?”

Shen Jiao frowned. “Don’t be so rude. Your grandfather has already allowed her into Shen Manor—she is now a child of the Shen family.”

Fu Sui’er didn’t take a single word of it in. “She must have realized her mother isn’t a good person, so she turned against her! But why did she suddenly have this awakening?”

Her eyes sparkled as she murmured to herself, “Maybe… she really can predict the future, so she knew her mother is a bad person!!! Yes! That logic is perfect!”

Seeing that Fu Sui’er was lost in her own world, Shen Jiao tapped her head in dissatisfaction. “What are you muttering about? I’m warning you—stay out of that family’s affairs. And stop associating with that Jiang Huashan in the future.”

Fu Sui’er waved her hand carelessly, as if she already understood everything. Then after a moment, she leaned in mysteriously. “Mom, do you think Uncle Yao will get elected this time?”

Shen Jiao wasn’t interested. She tilted her head while wiping her half-dry hair. “How would I know?”

Fu Sui’er rubbed herself against Shen Jiao like a puppy. “I think it’s very likely. There shouldn’t be any twists, right?”

Shen Jiao finally sensed something off. “Why are you asking about this?”

Fu Sui’er’s eyes flickered. “Nothing, just curious.”

Shen Jiao narrowed her eyes and looked her daughter up and down.

She knew her daughter well—whenever her eyes darted around, she was hiding something. Shen Jiao didn’t dare be careless. She pulled Fu Sui’er out of the blanket and said seriously, “What are you hiding from me?”

Fu Sui’er was most afraid when her mother suddenly turned stern. Under pressure, she almost blurted out Jiang Huashan’s secret—but just as the words reached her lips, she suddenly remembered Jiang Huashan’s final warning.

Shen Jiao grew even more certain. “Are you hiding something?”

Fu Sui’er shook her head quickly. “No, I just saw Third Uncle Yao visit Grandpa a while ago. They seemed to be getting along well, so I thought if Uncle Yao gets elected, it would be good for our Fu family too.”

Shen Jiao’s expression changed. She grabbed Fu Sui’er’s arm. “When did Yao Jun ever come to visit your grandfather?”

Fu Sui’er winced in pain and shrank back a little. “J-just… about three months ago. I saw it when I was playing in the back garden. Uncle Yao even gave Grandpa an antique vase, and Grandpa was really happy. But it doesn’t matter anymore—the vase was already smashed by you.”

Hearing this, Fu Sui’er thought again of Jiang Huashan’s “prediction.” She was genuinely curious—how did that little beggar even know that vase was an early Qing dynasty antique?

Shen Jiao’s expression grew heavier. “Three months ago? Sui’er, you’ve grown up now. You can’t speak carelessly. Three months ago, your Uncle Yao was inspecting inland affairs—how could he possibly be in Jinggang?”

Fu Sui’er widened her eyes. “I’m not lying! It was really Uncle Yao. Even Secretary Wei was with him. I secretly followed them to the study because they were acting suspicious, and later Secretary Wei discovered me.”

Shen Jiao asked, “Then why didn’t you mention it before?”

Fu Sui’er’s voice dropped. “Because Grandpa told me not to tell you.”

Shen Jiao had already guessed that much. Her daughter was careless and loose-lipped—she only kept secrets if someone specifically instructed her to.

Shen Jiao gently touched her face. “Then why are you telling me now?”

Because that little beggar said she would lose her mother, lose her grandfather, lose Aunt Feng… and she didn’t want that!

Fu Sui’er shook her head. “I really can’t say. It’s a secret.”

Shen Jiao didn’t press further and smiled gently. “Alright. Then can Mom ask you one thing? Go to sleep obediently by yourself, okay? Mom has to go see your grandfather right now.”

Fu Sui’er grabbed her hand. “Mom, is it because of Grandpa? Did Grandpa and Uncle Yao do something bad to the Shen family?”

Shen Jiao froze, then shook her head to protect her daughter from worry. “No. Aren’t you going to Xiangying soon? Mom just wants to discuss it with your grandfather.”

Fu Sui’er looked at her for a moment, then obediently let go and lay back down. “Oh. Then go ahead.”

Shen Jiao was slightly surprised. Her daughter was unusually obedient today, but she had no time to think further. She put on a coat, kissed Fu Sui’er’s forehead, and said softly, “Sleep.”

After the door closed again, Fu Sui’er slowly crawled out of the blanket.

Did she mess up again?

Her grandfather had repeatedly warned her to keep that secret, and said she must always put the Fu family first. But today… she broke her promise.

And after hearing that secret, her mother actually left in the middle of the night to find her grandfather. Even she could tell something serious must have happened.

Fu Sui’er looked helplessly at her palm. If she wasn’t mistaken, Jiang Huashan had written the character “Yu” in her hand—but she couldn’t think of any major figure in Country A with the surname Yu.

“Jiang Huashan… if you’re lying to me, you’re dead…”