Chapter 3, The Struggle of the Caged Beasts

Due to consecutive years of losses at the machining factory where Fu's father worked, it was included in the restructuring plan. Under the pressure of numerous relatives, Fu's father used the compensation he received to support the materials factory, facing various challenges along the way. After graduating, Fu Qingquan reorganized the company, renaming it Fu Xin Heavy Industry, which has now become a major taxpayer for the municipal government

Fu Qingquan is very busy with work on weekdays. The products produced by Fu Xin Heavy Industry are renowned for their exquisite craftsmanship. Fu Qingquan must frequently visit the factory to keep abreast of developments, and he also has numerous dining engagements, leaving him little free time even on weekends

Five-year-old Fu Qingquan said seriously: "The uncle on TV bit the aunt's mouth, and then the aunt stopped crying and making a fuss"

Even if one cannot be truly happy, one must pretend to be happy

Of course, these are all versions circulated outside

Ji Chenyang inquired about her recent activities in the Kunqu Opera study group. Last week, she mentioned that the study group had selected 20 excerpts from "The Palace of Eternal Life" to be performed over two nights at the Municipal Grand Theatre. Upon mentioning this, Nanxi felt a sense of pride and intentionally aimed to provoke Fu Qingquan: "The latest news is that I have the opportunity to sing as Yang Guifei, a total of three excerpts!" Ji Chenyang was surprised and asked, "Really? Last time I heard you say you could only sing her cousin, and you seemed quite upset about it."

Fu Qingquan sat leisurely on the balcony of his room, holding a cup of coffee and greeting her across the railing. Nanxi's expression stiffened for a moment, but she quickly forced a smile: "Good morning, are you not going to the office today?"

Fu Qingquan lowered his head and remained silent, while Nanxi's heart began to beat anxiously, unsure of what malicious scheme Fu Qingquan would conjure this time. Unexpectedly, he raised his head and gazed at her with an inscrutable expression. Fu Qingquan's eye sockets were already deeper than those of an average person, and now they made his profound eyes seem to harbor waves as vast as the sea. After a long while, he softly asked: "What do you think of Chen Yang as a person?"

Nanxi smiled with satisfaction: "A new teacher has joined the organization, who previously taught me in Beijing."

Ji Chenyang received her praise, and further endeared himself with his charming words, bringing great joy to the entire family

Nanxi has not eaten a single bite of fish or meat for a full two months. Fu Qingquan even specially prepared a full bowl and placed it in front of her, which he did on purpose, and she knew it. Fortunately, Fu's father finally discovered that she had been leaving that bowl of fish soup untouched every weekend. After inquiring further, he understood the reason and ordered Fu Qingquan to first kill the fish and then scale it before buying fish in the future

Nanxi stole a glance at Fu Qingquan and indeed saw his expression was stiff. This was something Nanxi was aware of; she had originally thought that upon seeing Ji Chenyang today, he would definitely feel unwell, unable to eat properly or speak well. Yet, she deliberately chose to show him this, saying, "You can act, and I will accompany you in your performance. Let's see how you continue!"

Before going to bed, apply a hydrating mask in Nankxi, and be sure that Fu Qingquan does not notice anything unusual tomorrow morning, lest he take advantage of it.

Nanxi knew he was deliberately provoking her, yet she still smiled and said, "Alright, I will go grocery shopping with Sister Yang later."

"Xiao Ji will come over for lunch," Fu Qingquan replied with a pleasant demeanor, "We will go over in the afternoon after finishing the meal."

In fact, Ji Chenyang had no understanding of Kunqu opera at all. Upon meeting Nanxi and hearing that she was in a Kunqu study group, he curiously pursued her with questions. Nanxi, having not been selected for the role of the dan in the performance of "The Palace of Eternal Life," did not want to inform her parents to avoid unnecessary concern, so she vented a little. Ji Chenyang was quite a novice in Kunqu, only knowing about "A Dream in the Garden" thanks to films. When he heard her mention "The Palace of Eternal Life," he guessed and asked uncertainly, "Is it about Yang Guifei and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang?" Excited, Ji Chenyang insisted on hearing Nanxi sing, claiming that as a layman, her level, no matter how amateurish, would be sufficient for him. Nanxi then sang a piece from "The Sudden Change" for him, but unexpectedly, this novice pointed out that Nanxi sang too rigidly, her movements constrained. His choice of words was quite unrefined, yet Nanxi realized some of her own issues from it. Professor Zhong had taught her to sing "Lazy Painting the Eyebrow," saying that the character for 'moon' in "Whose House Has the Night Moon Playing the Qinqin Three Times" should be sung lightly. Fearing that she might emphasize it too heavily, Nanxi found herself unable to relax whenever she sang this piece, which led to her being unable to let go in any song. Professor Zhong was originally concerned that she might overdo it, but her fear of overdoing it resulted in her being even more constrained.

Opening the balcony, the fragrance of the earth after the rain in the green mountains wafts over. Nanxi takes a deep breath, still not fully intoxicated, when suddenly from the left comes the sound of Fu Qingquan: "Good morning"

Even so, it was enough to make Nanxi lose interest in the fish she used to love the most

"I should thank you," Nanxi expressed her gratitude to Ji Chenyang again, "Last time you advised me that my posture should be both open and retractable; otherwise... even if Professor Zhong were to recast, I fear I would have no hope."

"Potential," Fu Qingquan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, but he was sparing with his words; after coldly uttering these three characters, he fell silent again. Nanxi, provoked by him, turned to Ji Chenyang and smiled, saying: "Will you be free then? I will get you a ticket."

Master Ji, whose full name is Ji Chenyang, did not evoke much resentment in Nanxi when she saw him again. Originally, she thought it would take a great deal of effort to maintain a normal demeanor during lunch, but to her surprise, it turned out to be unexpectedly easy when he actually arrived. Previously, Ji Chenyang had been exceedingly attentive and courteous, which made Nanxi feel uncomfortable and anxious, fearing that she might disappoint his intentions. Now that she understood he was merely brought by Fu Qingquan to put on a show for his parents, she felt completely at ease.

Fu Qingquan was indeed taken aback, yet he did not respond. The smile on his face seemed to deepen gradually, taking on a significant meaning, perhaps mocking her for holding on stubbornly

Later, Fu Ma passed away. Two years later, the older sisters at the workplace tried to match Fu Ba with Nan Ma. Colleagues who were familiar with them said that Nan Ma had caused the death of her first husband, and all her good fortune was now with Fu Ba. Shortly after Nan Ma married Fu Ba, Hangzhou began to heavily invest in tourism development. It turned out that the Fu family owned a piece of land by West Lake, which was included in the government's demolition plan. The location of that land was quite good, and the compensation at that time was indeed astronomical, along with an additional compensation of a three-story row house in Manjue Long, which is now the residence of the Fu family. Shortly after Nan Ma married Fu Ba, Hangzhou began to heavily invest in tourism development. It turned out that the Fu family owned a piece of land by West Lake, which was included in the government's demolition plan. The location of that land was quite good, and the compensation at that time was indeed astronomical, along with an additional compensation of a three-story row house in Manjue Long, which is now the residence of the Fu family.

Now, Fu Qingquan wants to see her in a state of disarray and despair, but it is not that easy. She insists on living happily to show him.

Of course, excluding Fu Qingquan, he put on a deadpan expression and whistled at Tang Tang, who immediately scampered into his arms like a little traitor. Nanxi tried to lure Tang Tang back into her embrace, but to her surprise, after not seeing her for a while, Tang Tang actually ignored her calls! Nanxi was so angry that her teeth itched. While her parents and Ji Chenyang were talking outside, she straightened her face and scolded Tang Tang: "Be careful, don’t think that just because someone feeds you, they are good to you; be wary of poison!"

Father Fu and Mother Fu no longer dare to watch Qiong Yao dramas at night

The Fu family did not live here in the early years. Father Fu was the workshop director of a mechanical materials factory, and Mother Nan worked as a technician in his workshop. The dormitories of the two families were also close together. Since Nanxi was a posthumous child, when Mother Nan was too busy, Mother Fu would take Nanxi over to play with Fu Qingquan, who was two years older than Nanxi. At that time, he was very conscious of taking care of his little sister. The Fu family still keeps a photo of five-year-old Fu Qingquan helping three-year-old Nanxi take a bath, and another photo that Father Fu and Mother Nan often show to guests is of Fu Qingquan kissing little Nanxi forcefully. Because Nanxi was a posthumous child, when Mother Nan was too busy, Mother Fu would take Nanxi over to play with Fu Qingquan, who was two years older than Nanxi. At that time, he was very conscious of taking care of his little sister. The Fu family still keeps a photo of five-year-old Fu Qingquan helping three-year-old Nanxi take a bath, and another photo that Father Fu and Mother Nan often show to guests is of Fu Qingquan kissing little Nanxi forcefully. At that time, Father Fu, due to his frequent innovations in technology, saved up several bonuses to buy a Phoenix camera, taking pictures of his son every day. For some unknown reason, he managed to capture such a "precious" image. After taking the photo, Father Fu decided to educate his little rogue son, but Fu Qingquan's response was unexpectedly amusing.

What does it matter if I endure? Even if I were to endure to the point of exhaustion, I will not allow you to take pride in it

"Of course not," Nan Xi urgently retorted, "The replacements are also his former students, and they have known Professor Zhong for even longer than I have! Professor Zhong selects based on ability and potential!"

On Saturday morning, Nanxi woke up to the sound of birds chirping. The three-story townhouse of the Fu family is located in Manjue Long, nestled between the mountains and water, in a very elegant environment. Colleagues from the Kunqu study society had once come to visit and were surprised why she chose to live in a townhouse by the West Lake instead of staying in the crowded dormitory of the study society.

At the moment she spoke, Fu Qingquan was enthusiastically feeding Tangtang fish soup rice, carefully picking out the remaining fish bones and spooning it into Tangtang's mouth. Hearing Nankxi's insinuating words, Fu Qingquan couldn't help but curve the corners of her lips and said to Tangtang: "Be good, recognize whose food you are eating."

Fu Qingquan simply wants to see her struggle desperately like a cornered beast, ultimately exhausting herself to the point of mental breakdown and self-destruction of her future. Several years ago, he had already done this once; he made her sit in the college entrance examination, staring blankly at the test paper. When the scores were released, she faced the astonished expressions of her teachers and friends, unable to explain how she had gone from consistently scoring well in mock exams to being barely admitted to a third-rate university, only after paying extra fees. Of course, this good brother of hers could still comfort and advise in front of family and friends, saying: "Everyone makes mistakes, what does it matter? Our family isn't short of this little money!"

Of course, I am available, "Ji Chenyang said with excitement, "Are there any VIP tickets for the inner area? I will buy some additional tickets and invite my friends to come and support!"

Oh..." Ji Chenyang elongated his tone to tease her, "You are taking the back door!"

Nanxi was increasingly enraged. She understood the meaning behind Fu Qingquan's words; he was being indirect, disdainful of her reliance on him for a living, and still dared to show her a displeased expression! She bit her lip, her face alternating between red and white, suppressing her anger as she said in a low voice: "Fu Qingquan, have you had enough!"

Nanxi knew that Fu Qingquan was not willing to push her to the brink all at once. Years ago, he accompanied her to the market to buy vegetables—of course, to show filial piety to Fu's father and Nan's mother. Every time Nanxi saw the fishmonger scraping the scales off live fish, she couldn't help but shiver. She asked the fishmonger if he could kill the fish first before scraping the scales, but was directly vetoed by Fu Qingquan. With his hands in his pockets, he leisurely listened to the fishmonger explain to her: "Scraping the scales while the fish is alive keeps it fresh! If the fish dies early, it won't taste good!"