Volume One, Chapter 13: Changing the Name

Fu Yunshen frowned deeply. It started with an engagement, and now it was a direct marriage registration; the tone of the summons clearly indicated that he was merely being notified.

Wang Ruoxi was the first to lose her composure. Upon hearing about the marriage registration, her flushed face turned deathly pale. "Grandfather Fu, I don't like Brother Yunshen. I don't want to marry him... I like—"

Before she could finish, a sharp slap landed on her face. Wang Ruoxi looked in disbelief at the father who had claimed he would cherish her for a lifetime. "Dad, you hit me?"

Wang Dongliang was stunned for a moment. He had acted in a fit of agitation and felt a flicker of regret, though his pride prevented him from showing it. Glancing at Fu Yunshen standing nearby, he forced a smile. "Yunshen, Ruoxi is just talking nonsense. Don't take it to heart."

Old Master Fu frowned, clearly displeased with Wang Ruoxi’s behavior, but the power behind the Wang family could not be underestimated. She was just an incompetent woman; he could simply keep her confined later.

Wang Ruoxi, blinded by rage and forgetting the warnings Fu Yunshen had previously given her, blurted out, "I am not talking nonsense! I don't like Brother Yunshen. I like Brother Yunchen, and if I am to marry, I will only marry him!"

The room fell into a sudden, icy silence. Several gazes shifted toward Fu Yunchen, who had been sitting quietly in the corner.

Fu Yunchen, who had been toying with his prayer beads, paused. A look of astonishment crossed his eyes as he gazed at the young girl standing before him, her eyes brimming with tears. One side of her face was swollen and red, and as their eyes met, he felt a faint, unexpected pang of sympathy.

Fu Yunshen tightened his fists and looked at the Old Master. "Grandfather, I would like to speak with you privately."

Old Master Fu’s eyebrows lifted; this was the first time Fu Yunshen had called him "Grandfather" since that incident. "Very well."

They left the room, leaving only Wang Dongliang, Wang Ruoxi, and Fu Yunchen behind. Wang Dongliang glared at his daughter with frustration. If the holes in the Wang family's finances were not filled soon, they would be exposed, plunging the family into a public scandal. Therefore, the alliance with the Fu family had to proceed.

Wang Ruoxi’s tears had dried, but her eyes remained damp as she looked at Fu Yunchen. Yet, after that brief moment of eye contact, he kept his head lowered, refusing to acknowledge her.

***

She could not decipher Fu Yunchen’s emotions, and a wave of frustration washed over her. She had essentially confessed her feelings, but the recipient had shown no reaction.

Fu Yunshen and the Old Master returned. All eyes turned to the latter. Wang Dongliang was the most anxious of all.

Old Master Fu sat down and spoke slowly. "Since the girl doesn't like Yunshen and prefers Yunchen, perhaps we should change the marriage arrangement to Ruoxi and Yunchen. The Wang and Fu families will still be allied, and business interests can remain mutually supported."

Wang Dongliang’s expression shifted rapidly. Fu Yunchen was a powerless castoff of the Fu family; though he was Fu Yunshen’s twin, their status was worlds apart. Furthermore, only Fu Yunshen could fill the financial gap.

Wang Ruoxi’s face lit up with joy. "Thank you, Grandfather Fu—" Her words were cut off by a sharp, cold voice.

"I disagree."

Fu Yunchen, who had remained silent, stood up. He had been content to sit back and watch the show, but he had not expected the matter to fall upon him. Why should he accept the scraps that Fu Yunshen did not want?

Wang Ruoxi stared at him in disbelief. Her eyes, already damp, flooded with tears once more; the rejection hurt more than the slap she had received earlier. "Grandfather Fu, since Brother Yunchen doesn't like me, let's just cancel the marriage."

With that, she walked out, looking utterly dejected. Seeing the situation, Wang Dongliang frowned. If she wasn't marrying Fu Yunshen, he saw no point in the alliance. "Old Master Fu, as per the young people's wishes, the marriage is cancelled."

Wang Dongliang left. Fu Yunchen also prepared to stand and leave.

"Stay."

The old, oppressive command echoed. The Old Master always used this tone with him—the same one he used for the household staff, so unlike the tenderness he showed Fu Yunshen. But he stopped. As he turned, a slap landed squarely on his face, too fast to dodge.

The crisp sound of the strike rang through the room. Fu Yunshen moved to intervene, but it was already too late.

"You waste! Do you have any idea what an alliance with the Wang family means? You offer no help to Yunshen in the company, and now you won't even help with this? What use are you?"

***

Fu Yunchen touched his swollen cheek. It was painful, though after all these years, he was almost numb to it. After enduring so much, only to receive insults and blows, he no longer wanted to tolerate it. "You old fossil, do you think I even want to live? I’m only alive to see how you and Fu Yunshen meet your end. To tell you the truth, haven't you noticed your health failing lately?"

Hearing such treasonous words, the Old Master was so enraged he nearly suffered a heart attack. "You... you wicked grandson! The Fu family has wasted so many years feeding you."

Fu Yunchen laughed; the angrier the Old Master became, the happier he felt. He remembered every single thing the old man had done to him. Lost in memory, his gaze turned fierce. "Do you remember the most disgusting thing you ever did? Just because of the words of some superstitious fraud, you sent a high school student with a heart condition abroad. And because the name 'Yunshen' was supposedly auspicious, you forced me to swap names with him."

As he spoke, tears shimmered in his eyes, but he wiped them away instantly. He no longer knew how to cry; no one was worth his tears.

"But it doesn't matter. I survived alone abroad with nothing. And I have grown to like the name 'Fu Yunchen'—it reminds me forever of your deeds. Cherish your remaining time; you haven't got much left."

With that, Fu Yunchen walked out without looking back. He did not want to stay in this wretched place a second longer.

Fu Yunshen tried to pursue him, but the Old Master suddenly collapsed, forcing him to stay behind. After the doctor examined him, the Old Master opened his eyes. He had heard everything the doctor said. Fu Yunchen was right; he was deeply poisoned and had little time left.

He looked at Fu Yunshen by his bedside. His dry lips moved. "Yunshen, are you blaming me too?"

Fu Yunshen bowed his head in silence. The answer was self-evident. What Fu Yunchen had said was a needle pressing against his own heart. He knew the Old Master favored him, but that was never what he wanted. He had never wanted to change his name, he had never wanted to be the head of the Fu family, and there were so many other things he had never desired.

The more he thought, the more chaotic his mind became. He didn't want to stay any longer. "Rest well. I'm going home."

Fu Yunshen left. Lying in bed, the Old Master did not feel he was wrong. Survival of the fittest—the strong live, the weak perish. Fu Yunshen had been intelligent and healthy since childhood, while Fu Yunchen had been mediocre and sickly. Anyone would have chosen to support Fu Yunshen, and the growth of the Fu business over the years proved his choice had been correct.