Chapter 21 Visit the Su Family as a Guest

Chapter 21: Chapter 21 Visit the Su Family as a GuestThe scenes shot on wrap-up day weren’t major, so Fu Bing’s parts were relatively easy throughout the day. After a final "Cut!" all filming for the movie had concluded. The crew gave flowers to all the actors. Fu Bing also had Xiaomei prepare a bunch of small gifts in advance. Over the past ten-plus days of information spreading, everyone knew that Fu Bing had various medicine pills on hand. This time, everyone received a tiny brown pill. A group of people surrounded Fu Bing with questions. "Sister Bing, what are these pills for?" "They enhance beauty and replenish qi and blood, the kind that can save you several trips to the beauty salon." "That’s amazing! Every beauty treatment takes hours; it’s such a hassle." "Right. No wonder Sister Bing always looks great the next day, no matter how late she works." They had previously guessed that Fu Bing went for cosmetic treatments. But it turned out to be these medicine pills. Fu Bing reminded, "Don’t put all your hope in these external things; you should exercise more when you have time. A healthy body naturally brings a good complexion." It wasn’t until everyone stopped crowding around Fu Bing that Su Junling approached her. "Do you have plans tomorrow evening? My dad’s back from overseas, and we’d like to invite you over for a simple meal." "You’re too kind. As I’ve said before, the Su Family has been good to me both before and after these three years. I just happened to have a method to cure Madam Su. Thanks to your family’s reputation, many people were willing to trust me and buy my medicine pills, which allowed me to make a tidy sum. If anyone should be treating, it should be me treating you." "Actually, the dinner is a sincere invitation. After dinner, we have a very important favor to ask of you." "What is it?" "We’ll talk about it when you get there." 「The next day.」 The Su Family’s car arrived punctually beneath Fu Bing’s apartment building in the evening. Wu Shi happened to be busy and didn’t come over. Fu Bing still had a good impression of the Su Family, and she didn’t believe there would be any trouble she couldn’t handle at their place. The car threaded through the traffic toward Sully, the Su Family’s private garden estate in Jiangcheng, which was flanked by tall plane trees on either side. They usually lived within this estate. Winding paths led to quiet and secluded areas, without being overly complicated or artificial. It was a depth of character, a heritage cultivated over dozens of generations. The driver parked the car in front of the main entrance of the mansion, where Su Junling was already waiting. Once the car stopped, he came forward to open the door for Fu Bing. "Thank you, Director Su," Fu Bing said with a smile as she got out of the car. "I’ll take you inside." Fu Bing had studied embroidery and delved into many ancient texts and histories, having read almost all the material available on the market. Thus, she was knowledgeable about ancient architecture, gardens, etiquette, and clothing. If she didn’t have a deep understanding of these subjects, her embroidery designs could easily reveal her weaknesses. That would hurt her livelihood. As she walked through Sully, Fu Bing found the Su Family’s depth of heritage to be even more profound than she had imagined. Madam Su, along with Su Junxian and Su Junzhe, were seated in the main hall. Seeing Su Junling bring Fu Bing in, they stood up to welcome her. Madam Su’s complexion was rosy, and she looked relaxed. She waved repeatedly, saying, "Come here, let me have a look at you." "Madam Su, how do you do?" "Thanks to you, I’m fully recovered." "And thanks to your good fortune, I’ve earned a little recently." Madam Su laughed heartily. "I heard your business is doing quite well." "I’m afraid my current situation might seem amusing to you. I’m in a bit of a tight spot right now. If there’s a way to make money, I’ll shamelessly go for it." "Making money honestly is nothing to be ashamed of." Even though Madam Su regretted that Fu Bing wasn’t quite like a Su, she rather liked this young lady. Young and at the height of fame, yet wrongfully imprisoned. After getting out of prison, she didn’t become disheartened and quickly adjusted her mindset to start over. Just this courage alone is worthy of admiration. Su Junling quietly asked Su Junxian, "Where are Dad and Kexin?" "Painting in the study," Su Junxian replied. "Guests have arrived, why are they still painting?" Su Junling questioned. Su Junxian didn’t answer. Madam Su glanced at the time and said, "Junzhe, go upstairs and urge your father. Painting can be done anytime. It’s just extremely rude to do so when a valued guest has arrived." "Alright." Su Junzhe went upstairs to call them. Su Jiang and Su Kexin were still painting in the study; a traditional Chinese painting was only half done. When Su Jiang heard the door open, he didn’t even look up. "Have the guests arrived?" "Mhm, Grandmother asked you to come downstairs." Su Kexin cooed, "Dad just started painting. It’s not too late to go downstairs after he finishes. What’s wrong with making that Fu Ying wait a bit longer?" To fill the void left by their lost daughter, the Su Family had chosen her from an orphanage. They had specifically picked a girl born on the exact same year, month, and day as their own daughter. The entire Su Family doted on Su Kexin, putting more heart and effort into raising her than they did their five sons. This made Su Kexin a bit more spoiled than the legitimate daughters of other wealthy families. Su Jiang chuckled. "Tell them I’ll go down after I finish painting. If she gets bored, have someone take her for a walk in Sully." Su Kexin laughed brightly and smugly. "Second Brother, hurry down and report. Fu Ying is truly fortunate to admire the scenery of Sully. It’s just Sully that has to suffer being admired by such an ill-omened person." "You, still as merciless as ever with your words." Su Junzhe shook his head with a wry smile and went downstairs to convey the message. Madam Su, unhappy with Su Jiang and Su Kexin’s way of treating their guest, couldn’t show it in front of Fu Bing. She said to Su Junling, "Junling, take Fu Bing for a walk in Sully." Su Junling, understanding his father’s and sister’s personalities, knew what was happening and headed straight out. Fu Bing followed behind Su Junling, her expression unreadable. Her face betrayed no joy or anger. She knew that noble families looked down on people like her. The Su Family had invited her as a guest, so she couldn’t refuse. Having just made a quick profit leveraging their influence, she had to give them face. However, the request the Su Family intended to make of her tonight—that, she could not agree to. Su Kexin pestered Su Jiang to paint three pictures before letting him go downstairs. Su Jiang was willing to indulge her in such small matters. The Su Family hosting a private dinner for Fu Bing was already giving her an immense amount of face. If they were overly welcoming, she might go around boasting about her relationship with the Su Family, which would be counterproductive. Fu Bing noticed that everyone in the Su Family was quite attractive, with an air of integrity and unconventional spirit about their features. Even Su Jiang, who had navigated the business world for decades, lacked the slickness of a typical businessman. It was probably due to the Su Family’s principles that they didn’t raise cunning or slippery individuals. At eight o’clock, everyone took their seats. At the dining table, Fu Bing didn’t initiate conversation with the Su Family members. Only when occasionally asked a question did she respond with a sentence or two. seaʀᴄh thё nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The rest of the time, she focused on eating. With such a disparity in status, anything she said could make her seem like she was fawning over them. It really wasn’t necessary. Seeing that Fu Bing was not as socially adept as others in the entertainment industry, Su Jiang deliberately steered the conversation toward her. "Miss Fu, you mentioned giving my mother acupuncture the other day. May I ask who you learned it from?" "I learned it from a cellmate in prison," Fu Bing answered truthfully. After losing her child, she had been so distressed in prison that she felt she was going mad, thinking of suicide every day. Eventually, she had to force herself to find something to distract herself. Learning acupuncture was one of those things. Fu Bing’s words plunged the dinner table into silence.