Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Fu Xunian was slightly taken aback, then smiled faintly. "What could be wrong? Don’t worry about it."

"Fu Xunian, just tell me the truth and save me the trouble."

He still insisted nothing was wrong, but Jiang Yiwei didn’t believe him.

They had been together for years, and Jiang Yiwei knew Fu Xunian’s personality all too well.

"Really, there’s nothing," Fu Xunian kept a straight face, still insisting he was fine.

"Fu Xunian, the last few times we met, I could see you had something on your mind. Today is no different—I can see it clearly."

"Your eyes give you away."

She could see his unease, yet he stubbornly refused to tell her.

Fu Xunian pursed his lips, meeting Jiang Yiwei’s gaze. For a moment, he wanted to avoid the subject.

But Jiang Yiwei held his face, forcing him to look directly at her. Her eyes made it unmistakably clear—today, he wouldn’t escape.

Fu Xunian let out a deep breath.

He took her hands from his face and held them in his own.

"Yiwei, I want to leave the Third Automobile Manufacturing Plant."

This time, Fu Xunian’s words left Yiwei speechless.

"You want to leave the Third Auto Plant? Is it because of the plant manager? Is he still targeting you?"

A year ago, the factory got a new manager. Fu Xunian had mentioned before that this new manager had history with him.

Back then, Jiang Yiwei had guessed that Fu Xunian’s days at the Third Auto Plant wouldn’t be easy.

Even before that, Liu Minhua had warned her about the new manager’s poor character and pettiness—anyone who crossed him would have a hard time at the factory.

Moreover, due to his supposed reforms, things had gotten worse for the workers, and the plant had even lost business to other factories.

Instead of reflecting on his failures, the manager blamed his subordinates.

"It’s not outright targeting, but he clearly dislikes me."

The new manager had indeed been sidelining Fu Xunian—making up reasons to cut his pay, rejecting his proposals, and excluding him from major projects, pushing him out.

Fu Xunian had originally been invited to join the Third Auto Plant.

Now that they no longer needed him, Fu Xunian didn’t see why he should stay.

"Fu Xunian, if you want to leave, I support your decision."

If Fu Xunian wanted to quit the Third Auto Plant, Jiang Yiwei had his back.

She couldn’t bear to see him suffer there anymore.

"Just go ahead and quit. I’ve got your back."

With her by his side, Fu Xunian felt confident leaving the Third Automobile Manufacturing Plant—she was his backup plan.

His heart warmed. He actually knew that when he made this decision, Yi Wei would support him. Hearing what she said moved him deeply.

"Yes! With you here."

Fu Xunian gripped Yi Wei’s hand even tighter!

Meeting her was the luckiest thing that ever happened to him.

"If you need money, remember to tell me. I’ll do whatever I can to help you."

If Fu Xunian left the Third Automobile Manufacturing Plant, he certainly wouldn’t let himself go.

Yi Wei knew the kind of person he was—if he needed money, he would never bring it up himself. She hoped he would take the initiative to ask her.

"No need, I have money saved up."

Actually, Fu Xunian had more money than Yi Wei.

He didn’t need to worry about finances at all.

"Oh right!"

Yi Wei had almost forgotten that after Fu Xunian’s grandparents were politically cleared, their family home and belongings were returned to them.

Fu Xunian was indeed wealthier than her.

"Yi Wei, tell me—what can I do? After leaving the Third Automobile Manufacturing Plant, what can I do?"

Fu Xunian posed the question, but Yi Wei let out a big laugh.

"You've probably already thought this through. Why are you asking me instead?"

What could he do? Fu Xunian surely had a plan already. Turning the question back to her was just putting her on the spot.

"I do have an idea, but I couldn't decide. I got a little lost for a moment and wanted to hear your thoughts."

Yes, Fu Xunian had an idea. Ever since the thought of leaving the Third Automobile Manufacturing Plant crossed his mind, this plan had lingered in his heart.

He just wasn’t sure whether to act on it.

In a moment of confusion, he found himself blurting the question out.

"What do you want to do?"

Yi Wei looked at Fu Xunian with bright eyes.

Since he already had something in mind, what was his plan?

"I want to start an auto parts company."

"That's a great idea!"

Yi Wei wholeheartedly approved of Fu Xunian’s choice.

It was 1982—a time when Chinese industries were still in their infancy, full of untapped potential. Few people were venturing into auto parts businesses. If Fu Xunian seized the opportunity, he could even become a business magnate in the future.

"Looks like you really like my plan to start an auto parts company."

Fu Xunian expected Jiang Yiwei might try to talk him out of it, but she straight-up said "sounds good" and was super supportive.

"Of course. Starting an auto parts company is your decision, your idea—I’ve got your back."

Truthfully, whatever Fu Xunian decided, Jiang Yiwei would support him.

So naturally, she had no reason not to agree with or support Fu Xunian.

"My shop back then was all thanks to you. If you want to start a company, don’t hold back—use me however you want."

When the place was under construction and the shop was getting set up, Fu Xunian had helped her oversee everything. Now that he was starting a company, Jiang Yiwei wanted to help too—she didn’t want him facing it all alone.

She wanted to tackle everything side by side with him.

"Alright." His gentle voice had a calming effect.

Jiang Yiwei contentedly leaned her head on Fu Xunian’s shoulder.

Suddenly, she remembered something she had brought up with him recently—but he’d turned her down.

She poked his chest. "I asked before if I could take you home to meet my parents, but you refused. Was it ’cause you were about to quit the factory, so you didn’t want to come over and meet Jiang Sanjie and Zhang Cuifen?"

Jiang Yiwei had thought he’d have jumped at the chance to go home with her and meet them—he should’ve been happy about it. But Fu Xunian had brushed it off with "Later."

Now thinking about it, maybe it was because he worried without a job, they might not be cool with them dating, so he wanted to put it off for now.

"Not exactly."

It wasn’t just about leaving the Third Automobile Manufacturing Plant.

"Then why?"

Jiang Yiwei frowned, baffled. She couldn’t think of any other reason strong enough to make him delay something he’d been dying to do.

"I really want to meet your parents and make things official with your folks."

"But your shop just opened, right? You’re swamped as it is. I wanted you to take it easy—that’s why I suggested we wait before meeting your parents."

Ever since graduating, she’d been all about the shop.

From opening day to serving customers and hiring staff—she was juggling everything herself.

Even lately, they barely saw each other. Every time they did, Fu Xunian saw how worn-out she looked—she’d even lost weight.

He didn’t want to pile more on her plate with this.

And if he left the factory, he’d be jobless. He remembered Jiang Yiwei once telling him some guy had tried to get with her, but Jiang Sanjie wrote him off for being unemployed.

He didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot with her parents.

Or give them a reason to disapprove of them being together.

"Ohhh, so that’s why! I was partly to blame."

Jiang Yiwei finally got it—part of the reason really was because of her.

She *had* been slammed with the shop launch, but she’d always planned to come clean about them after graduation—to tell Jiang Sanjie and everyone.

But back then, Fu Xunian had said they should wait before meeting them.

Back then, Jiang Yiwei was still confused.

Now she finally got why Fu Xunian had refused to meet her parents with her back then.

"Honestly, you don’t need to worry. My parents wouldn’t stop us from being together just because you don’t have a job."

Jiang Sanjie and Zhang Cuifen weren’t the kind to be unreasonable.

If we explained things, they’d surely understand your situation.

Fu Xunian frowned a little and asked Jiang Yiwei, "Didn’t your parents reject Fang Guohua and Xu Lei because they didn’t have real jobs?"

After what happened with Fang Guohua and Xu Lei, Fu Xunian didn’t dare act rashly.

He worried Jiang Sanjie and the others might actually hold it against him.

"Not having a steady job was just part of it—what mattered more was their character."

"Fang Guohua and Xu Lei were unreliable and had bad character. They were clearly bad news. If my parents had let us get with them, it would’ve hurt us—that’s why they said no."

In truth, what Jiang Sanjie and Zhang Cuifen valued most were a person's character and ability.

Fang Guohua and Xu Lei were obviously not reliable or promising. Letting Jiang Yiwei and Jiang Yuexin marry them would’ve been a mistake.

So to everyone else, they just said it was because they didn’t have real jobs.

"But with you, even without a job now, you clearly look smart and dependable. Anyone who meets you can tell you’re just going through a rough patch and will rise again someday."

Fu Xunian came across as reliable in both character and ability.

Even if he didn’t have a job right now, he had this vibe like he was going places.

Fu Xunian’s lips curled slightly. "So, your parents really would like me and approve of me as their daughter’s husband?"

He was over the moon.

Of course, he was happy that his partner’s family had a good impression of him.

"Duh! Especially since I picked you."

Fu Xunian was the one she had chosen and loved.

"So, are you gonna come meet my parents or what?"

Jiang Yiwei could tell Fu Xunian was psyched inside, but she wasn’t sure if he was willing to meet her parents with her.

She got why he was worried, but like she said, Jiang Sanjie wouldn’t mind.

Fu Xunian stared at Jiang Yiwei for a while before finally saying, "Yiwei, I’d rather wait till my company’s up and running before meeting your parents."

He wanted to make the best impression on Jiang Sanjie and Zhang Cuifen.

Even if they didn’t care about his current employment status, he didn’t want to meet them like this.

Jiang Yiwei gave him a long look before finally giving in. "Alright, fine. If that’s what you want."

If Fu Xunian was dead set on not meeting Jiang Sanjie and Zhang Cuifen now and wanted to wait until his company was established, she would respect his decision.

But as good as these plans sounded, fate had other ideas.

The two sat close together, chatting without noticing that behind them, two men in train station uniforms were craning their necks to get a better look.

"Dawei, is that girl Yiwei?"

Because of the distance, Jiang Sanjie couldn’t be sure if the girl was Jiang Yiwei.

"She sure looks like your third daughter."

Huang Dawei peered, tilting his head side to side, studying her side profile. She really did resemble Jiang Sanjie’s third daughter.

"If we could just see her face, we’d know for sure if it’s your third daughter."

If they could just see the girl’s face, they could determine whether it was Jiang Yiwei.

He shot Jiang Sanjie an annoyed look.

Jiang had insisted on holding him back, saying they shouldn’t spook them and needed to be certain it was Jiang Yiwei first.

At this distance, without seeing her face clearly, there was no way to confirm.

"Old Jiang, let's just go. The way we're acting, people are giving us weird looks."

Huang Dawei thought about the passersby who'd eyed them suspiciously as they stretched their necks to peer at the couple with their backs turned.

When Jiang Sanjie didn’t respond, Huang Dawei turned to him.

He had no clue what he was thinking.

He elbowed Jiang Sanjie. "Old Jiang, what are you thinking? Let's just go. It's probably her."

Though they couldn't see her face, Huang Dawei was fairly certain it was Jiang Yiwei.

"I’m torn."

After what happened with Fang Guohua, Jiang Sanjie was afraid the man might turn out to be another guy like Fang Guohua.

"Wait for what now?" Huang Dawei didn’t understand the hesitation.

If it were his own daughter, he wouldn’t just stand there like Jiang Sanjie—he’d go straight over to check.

"I’m just worried he might be another guy like Fang Guohua."

Huang Dawei gave him a look. "Yiwei’s a college student, and you’re always bragging about how smart she is. She’s not like your second daughter."

Huang Dawei had known Jiang Sanjie for years.

He’d even visited his home often.

He knew all of Jiang Sanjie’s kids and pretty much their whole business.

Back then, Jiang Sanjie had vented to Huang Dawei about Jiang Yuexin seeing some guy named Fang Guohua, saying he seemed unreliable—no job and shady to boot.

Jiang Sanjie couldn’t stand Fang Guohua, and he and Zhang Cuifen had tried to persuade Jiang Yuexin to break up with him, but she refused.

Huang Dawei had often heard Jiang Sanjie grumbling about it.

Who would’ve thought Fang Guohua would make Jiang Sanjie so jumpy?

But Yiwei’s Yiwei, and Yuexin’s Yuexin.

Jiang Yiwei was way smarter than Jiang Yuexin, and she could earn her own money and run a shop. How many girls could pull off what Jiang Yiwei has?

Huang Dawei figured Jiang Yiwei had better taste than that.

And having worked as a train attendant for years, he’d seen countless people come and go. From afar, the man standing next to Jiang Yiwei looked pretty impressive.

No way he’s another Fang Guohua.

Who knows? Jiang Sanjie might even score a great son-in-law.

“Relax, Lao Jiang! You might just luck out with a good son-in-law.”

Convinced by Huang Dawei’s words, Jiang Sanjie started to buy into Huang Dawei’s take—Jiang Yiwei would never go for someone like Fang Guohua. No chance it’d be another Fang Guohua.

“Lao Huang, let’s go check it out.”

Jiang Sanjie decided to bring Huang Dawei over to get a closer look.

To see if that was really Jiang Yiwei, and find out what exactly was going on.

Just as they were about to approach, Jiang Yiwei and Fu Xunian happened to stand up, turning around and locking eyes with Jiang Sanjie and Huang Dawei.

Jiang Yiwei’s jaw dropped a little.

Fu Xunian’s eyes widened in shock—he recognized Jiang Sanjie.

Though Fu Xunian and Jiang Sanjie had never formally met, he remembered almost running into Jiang Sanjie once when dropping Jiang Yiwei off. Back then, Jiang Yiwei had yanked him into a corner to hide, so he’d recognize Jiang Sanjie anywhere.

The same damn thought hit them both at the same time…

Why is Jiang Sanjie here…?

Jiang Sanjie gazed at the two with mixed emotions, while Huang Dawei broke into a grin.

When nobody broke the silence, Huang Dawei took the lead.

“Yiwei, you’re here! Your dad and I were running some errands and passed by. We thought that might be you, so we came over.”

Huang Dawei turned his gaze toward Fu Xunian. “Yiwei, this your guy?”

Jiang Yiwei instinctively glanced at Jiang Sanjie, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her. She bit her lip before forcing a smile.

“Yes, this is my boyfriend, Fu Xunian.”

Well, the cat was out of the bag now—and they must’ve seen how she and Fu Xunian acted. No use playing dumb.

She just prayed they hadn’t seen too much.

“Hello, sirs! My name is Fu Xunian. I’m Yiwei’s boyfriend.”

Fu Xunian greeted Jiang Sanjie politely.

Jiang Sanjie scrutinized Fu Xunian. The air was so thick you could cut it—Jiang Yiwei’s heart hammered.

She tracked Jiang Sanjie’s every move, anxiety creeping up her spine.

Fu Xunian didn’t even blink, staying completely calm under Jiang Sanjie’s stare.

After what felt like forever, Jiang Sanjie finally spoke. “You’re seeing someone—and your mother and I had to find out like this?”

They all had partners, but never mentioned it. If I hadn’t happened to go out on business today and spotted Jiang Yiwei with Fu Xunian on my way back, Jiang Sanjie wouldn’t have known she was already in a relationship.

Jiang Yiwei hurried to explain, "Dad, no—I was waiting for the right time to bring Xu Nian to meet you."

"You could’ve at least told your mom and me that you were dating Xu Nian."

She didn’t have to introduce him right away, but she could’ve said something about having a boyfriend.

Jiang Yiwei could see her father was annoyed.

Maybe Fu Xunian sensed Jiang Sanjie’s irritation, because he stepped up to take the blame.

"Uncle, don’t blame Yi Wei. It was my idea—I asked her not to tell you about us."

"If anyone's to blame, it's me."

If anyone was to blame, it would be Fu Xunian.

Jiang Yiwei had wanted to introduce him earlier, but Fu Xunian had hesitated at the time. So if there was fault, it should fall on him.

Huang Dawei nudged Jiang Sanjie and muttered, "Yi Wei’s guy’s not bad—owning up like that."

Then, feeling Jiang Sanjie was being too stern, Huang Dawei added, "Lighten up—you’re scaring them."

At Huang Dawei’s words, Jiang Sanjie saw how uneasy Fu Xunian and Yi Wei seemed, so his stern expression softened slightly.

"I’m not mad," he said. "It’s just that if you have a boyfriend, you should’ve told your mom and me sooner. Your mom’s been trying to matchmake you forever."

At this, Fu Xunian’s gaze shifted.

Jiang Sanjie wasn’t actually upset with Yi Wei.

He just thought she should’ve introduced her boyfriend earlier.

After sizing Fu Xunian up, Jiang Sanjie didn’t show the same hostility he once showed Fang Guohua and Xu Lei. Instead, his demeanor was somewhat gentle.

Jiang Sanjie brushed past them and took a seat on the bench they’d been sitting on. Huang Dawei followed and sat beside him, while Jiang Yiwei and Fu Xunian stood facing them.

"So, how long have you two known each other?" Jiang Sanjie suddenly asked.

Jiang Yiwei paused, thinking for a moment before answering, "We’ve known each other for years."

"So you know each other well, then."

If they had known each other for years, they must really understand one another.

"We get each other," Fu Xunian replied.

Sometimes, just a glance or a word was enough for them to know what the other was thinking or planning.

Jiang Sanjie could also see the deep bond between Jiang Yiwei and Fu Xunian.

It was clear they truly cared for each other—unlike Jiang Yuexin and Fang Guohua back then. Jiang Yuexin had loved Fang Guohua, but Jiang Sanjie could never tell how much Fang Guohua truly cared for her.

"Xu Nian, what do you do for work?"

Though Jiang Sanjie knew Jiang Yiwei and Fu Xunian had known each other for a long time and understood each other well, as a father, he still needed to ask these questions. He didn’t want anything down the road to hurt Yi Wei’s future.