Chapter 12: Falling Ill

"Fu Tingxi gave Fu Boxuan a warning look not to speak out of turn. Just then, Mengning walked out of the restroom and was briefly startled to see someone new in the private room. She glanced at Fu Tingxi.

Mengmu stepped in to explain, 'This is Xiao Fu's distant relative, um...'

Not knowing the name, Fu Boxuan added, 'Fu Boxuan.'

Seeing Mengning, Fu Boxuan was again puzzled. Wasn't his elder brother supposed to be on a date with the older woman in front of him, not with this younger one?

Upon hearing the surname 'Fu', Mengning didn't suspect anything further and sat down.

Mengmu continued, 'Xiao Fu, your parents passed away early, and with no siblings, you've had a tough life here in the capital. I can tell you're a responsible and ambitious young man. I trust you with Mengning. You two must live well from now on.'

This statement overwhelmed Fu Boxuan with information. His parents passed away? No siblings? Fu Boxuan widened his eyes in disbelief. His parents were perfectly fine at home, and he, their actual younger brother, was sitting right here. When did his elder brother become so pitiable?

Fu Boxuan looked at Fu Tingxi in confusion, 'Big Brother, you...'

Before Fu Boxuan could finish his sentence, Fu Tingxi discreetly stepped on his foot under the table as a signal not to speak rashly.

The kick was not light, and Fu Boxuan yelped in pain.

Concerned, Mengmu asked, 'Distant younger brother, what's wrong?'

Mengning also glanced at Fu Boxuan, finding him quite odd.

Under the warning from his elder brother, Fu Boxuan could only endure the pain and muttered, 'It's... nothing.'

Fu Tingxi remained composed, 'He's probably having a flare-up of metatarsalgia.'

Mengning was curious, 'I've only heard of shoulder bursitis. Is there such a thing as metatarsalgia?'

Fu Boxuan looked helplessly at Fu Tingxi, who calmly sipped his tea and remarked, 'There are thousands of illnesses in the world. Nothing surprising.'

Forced to play along, Fu Boxuan forced a smile, 'Right, metatarsalgia, an old ailment.'

To get some inside information, he could endure even hemorrhoids.

Eating with a beautiful woman, and judging by the scene, his elder brother seemed to have a change of heart.

Mengning believed it all too. After they finished eating, Fu Tingxi went to pay the bill and asked Mengning to wait in the car with Mengmu.

Hopping on one leg, Fu Boxuan hurried to catch up with Fu Tingxi, 'Big Brother, Big Brother, what's going on with that woman? Are you dating?'

If he could get the first-hand scoop on Fu Tingxi's girlfriend, wouldn't his status in the Fu family rise too? With insider information, he could also get a bit more pocket money.

Fu Tingxi was settling the bill while saying, 'Your sister-in-law.'

Those three words froze Fu Boxuan in place."

He didn't hear wrong?

After Fu Tingxi finished paying the bill, he said again, "Watch your mouth. Your sister-in-law doesn't know who I am yet."

"Sister-in-law, parents passed away early, civil registration, buying a second-hand house..."

Putting these key words together, Fu Boxuan suddenly realized, shocked, and exclaimed, "Big Brother, Big Brother, you really got married?"

"Yeah," Fu Tingxi replied casually with a simple "yes."

This time, Fu Boxuan was truly excited. He had thought he was getting first-hand information about his big brother's girlfriend, but it turned out she was already his sister-in-law.

After digesting this earth-shattering news for a moment, Fu Boxuan continued, "Big Brother, if Mom and Dad knew you were married, they would be so happy they'd jump up right there. As long as you could get married, they wouldn't mind being 'early deceased' at all."

It was evident how concerned the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Fu were about Fu Tingxi's lifelong affairs.

Fu Tingxi gave him a sidelong glance and said, "It's a misunderstanding..."

He roughly recounted the incident where Mengning mistook him for a blind date at the coffee shop. Fu Boxuan asked, "Big Brother, are you planning to keep this from your sister-in-law?"

"Observing for now," Fu Tingxi said. "The Fu family doesn't need to solidify social status through marriage, but neither do we marry someone with ulterior motives."

Fu Boxuan understood. Mengning mistaking Fu Tingxi for a blind date might have been a setup as well, given Fu Tingxi's background. It was wise to be cautious.

Meanwhile, Mengning and Mengmu were still waiting in the car. Fu Tingxi instructed Fu Boxuan to go do whatever he needed to do, while he returned to the car.

Mengning casually asked, "Where's your distant relative?"