Shengjing Noble

In early spring in Shanghai, the Su Mansion in the French Concession is brightly lit.

All kinds of cars were parked outside the black carved iron gate. Rickshaw drivers squatted in the corner, staring at the light coming from the western-style building.

Tonight, the Su family held a banquet, and all the prominent figures in Shanghai received invitations - the Su family's biological daughter who was mistakenly taken away seventeen years ago has been found.

"I heard that the girl was brought back from the countryside and she can't even speak foreign language."

"Ms. Su Wanying is both talented and beautiful. Now that a biological daughter has suddenly appeared, the Su family is in for a good show."

The guests were whispering to each other, and the sound of clinking glasses was mixed with deliberately suppressed discussions.

Under the crystal chandelier, Su Wanying was wearing a light pink Western-style dress with her chestnut curly hair carefully tied up. She was smiling and showing the ladies the new piano piece she had learned.

His fingertips danced on the black and white piano keys, winning waves of admiration.

In the small room at the end of the corridor on the second floor, Su Lanyin stared at herself in the mirror.

The dark red cheongsam that the servant had just put on her was too old-fashioned, with the buttons tied all the way up to her neck, making it hard for her to breathe.

Her hair was pulled into a fashionable bun, revealing her pale face.

"Miss, the master and mistress asked you to go down."

Outside the door, the servant urged impatiently.

Su Lanyin took a deep breath, her fingers unconsciously stroking the rough seams of her cuffs.

Three months ago, she was an assistant teacher in a church school in Hangzhou. Suddenly one day, a man who claimed to be her biological father appeared and said that the hospital had taken the wrong child.

She was brought to Shanghai without knowing it and entered a home that seemed like a different world to her.

At the corner of the stairs, she heard the loud voice of Su's father: "...Thank you all for coming. I want to announce to you tonight that our Su family's biological daughter, Su Lanyin, has finally returned home!"

There was sparse applause.

Su Lanyin took the last step and stood in front of everyone.

The light is too bright.

She squinted her eyes and saw the well-dressed men and women in the room looking at her with scrutiny.

Su Wanying stood next to Su's mother, and the two of them were arm in arm intimately.

Su's mother glanced at her and frowned slightly.

"Come here." Su's father ordered.

Su Lanyin walked forward and was tripped by something, knocking over the teacup on the coffee table as she stumbled.

The sound of shattering porcelain was particularly harsh in the suddenly quiet living room.

"How clumsy!" Su's mother lowered her voice and scolded, "Can't you even walk?"

Su Lanyin squatted down to pick up the fragments, not even noticing that her fingers were cut.

She bit her lip and forced back her tears.

When I looked up, I was met with a pair of eyes as black as ink.

A man was sitting on the sofa in the corner.

He was wearing a well-tailored black suit and did not participate in the pleasantries around him. He just watched everything coldly.

When Su Lanyin's eyes met his, there was a flash of emotion in her eyes that she couldn't understand.

"That's Fu Mingchuan," the servant behind him whispered, "the head of Fu's Trading Company, a man no one in Shanghai dares to offend."

The banquet was like a long torture.

Su Lanyin was asked to stand next to the Su family and accept the guests' curious or contemptuous gazes.

Su Wanying came over from time to time, holding her arm affectionately, but pinching her flesh with her nails at an angle where no one else could see.

"Don't be nervous, sister," Su Wanying said in a sweet voice, "Although you don't know anything, I will teach you slowly."

Late at night, when the last guest left, Su's mother immediately shook off Su Lanyin's hand.

"Go back to your room and don't embarrass yourself here."

The servant led her through the main building to a secluded courtyard in the backyard.

The room was bigger than her residence in Hangzhou, but it was terribly deserted.

There were several books she brought on the table, but they were all soaked in ink and the words could not be seen clearly.

Su Lanyin picked up the books and tears finally burst out.

She quietly slipped out of the room and hid in a corner of the garden, crying silently.

"Books are more honest than people. Once they are ruined, they are ruined. Unlike human hearts, they may appear intact on the surface but may be rotten inside."

A deep male voice sounded behind her, and Su Lanyin was so startled that she almost screamed.

In the moonlight, Fu Mingchuan stood in front of her, holding a dark handkerchief in his hand.

"Wipe it off, Miss Su," he said. "Tears don't suit you."

Su Lanyin did not take the handkerchief, but took a step back cautiously: "Why hasn't Mr. Fu left yet?"

"Your father and I have some business to discuss." Fu Mingchuan took back the handkerchief and looked at the torn book in her arms. "Do you like reading?"

"I used to like it." Su Lanyin hugged the book tighter.

Fu Mingchuan suddenly smiled, and that smile made his stern face lively: "Su Lanyin, you are much more interesting than I thought."

He turned and left, his black coat fluttering in the night wind like a sword drawn from its sheath.

Su Lanyin looked at his back, and for some reason, her heart was beating like thunder.

……

Su Lanyin counted the patterns on the floor tiles. It was the seventh day since she was brought back to the Su family.

The early morning sunlight shone into the dining room through the gauze curtains. She carefully stirred the porridge in the bowl with a silver spoon, not daring to make any sound.

Su's mother was discussing next week's tea party with Su Wanying. The two exchanged glances intimately, as if she didn't exist at all.

"Lan Yin," Father Su suddenly said, scaring her so much that she almost dropped the spoon, "Mr. Fu is coming to discuss business this afternoon, so go back to your room and don't come out and embarrass yourself."

The silver spoon hit the edge of the bowl, making a crisp "ding" sound.

Su's mother frowned immediately.

"I'm sorry, I..." Su Lanyin's voice became smaller and smaller.

"You can't even eat. I don't know what the church school taught you." Mother Su took out a handkerchief embroidered with orchids and wiped the corners of her mouth. "Wanying, you should dress up well this afternoon. It's rare for Mr. Fu to come home."

Su Wanying responded sweetly, but her eyes glanced at Su Lanyin with the show-off of a winner.

The porridge became hard to swallow.

Su Lanyin put down her bowl and chopsticks and said softly, "I'm done eating."

No one responded.

She stood up and left the restaurant. Behind her, she heard Su's mother's low voice: "Look at the way she walks. She looks like a country girl..."

There was a floor-to-ceiling mirror at the end of the corridor. Su Lanyin stopped and saw the girl in the mirror wearing an old dress that Su Wanying had discarded. She had two obvious dark circles under her eyes on her pale face.

She tried to straighten her back and imitate Su Wanying's proud posture, but she just found it ridiculous.

"Don't be like her, just be yourself."

A gentle male voice came from behind. Su Lanyin turned around and saw her second brother Su Yichen leaning on the stairs, turning a pen in his hand.

He was the only person in the Su family who had ever smiled at her.

"Good morning, second brother." She lowered her head, not wanting him to see her red eyes.

"Don't take your father's words to heart." Su Yichen approached, with a faint scent of ink on him, "Fu Mingchuan came to discuss the textile factory. The Su family is now..." He suddenly stopped talking and asked, "Can you use a knife and fork?"

Su Lanyin shook her head.

Church schools only teach the most basic etiquette.

"Three o'clock in the afternoon, in the pavilion in the back garden, I'll teach you." Su Yichen blinked, "Don't let Wanying know."

After he left, Su Lanyin slowly loosened her clenched fists, leaving four deep crescent marks on her palms.

---

In the study of Fu Mansion, Fu Mingchuan was flipping through a stack of documents.

"The situation of the Su family is worse than we thought." Assistant Cheng Yu handed over a cup of black coffee. "The textile factory suffered heavy losses last year. Mr. Su secretly mortgaged his house to borrow money from a Japanese bank. If he can't pay it back when it's due, the entire Su family will be ruined."

Fu Mingchuan took a sip of coffee without frowning: "Where are the two daughters of the Su family?"

"Adopted daughter Su Wanying, graduated from St. Mary's Girls' School, good at piano and dancing, a darling of Shanghai's socialite circle." Cheng Yu pulled out another piece of paper, "Biological daughter Su Lanyin, grew up in a church school in Hangzhou, can play the organ a little, and her personality...seems to be very introverted."

There was a blurry photo on the document. Su Lanyin was standing at the door of the Su family, her thin figure almost swallowed by the shadows.

Fu Mingchuan's finger stayed on the photo for a moment.

"Go check all her records at the church school."

"Boss, are you interested in Miss Su?" Cheng Yu couldn't help but ask.

Fu Mingchuan raised his eyes, and Cheng Yu immediately lowered his head: "I'll do it right away."

It was drizzling outside the window. Fu Mingchuan walked to the French window. The raindrops left streaks on the glass.

He thought of the girl who broke a teacup at the party. When she squatted down to pick up the pieces, a small butterfly-shaped birthmark appeared on the back of her neck.

It was exactly as described in his mother's diary.

---

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Su Lanyin arrived at the back garden on time.

The rain has stopped, but there are still water droplets on the stone bench in the pavilion.

Su Yichen spread a handkerchief for her to sit down, and began to demonstrate how to use various tableware correctly.

"Salad fork, fish knife, main fork..." He patiently instructed one by one, "It's actually very simple, just remember to use it from the outside to the inside."

Su Lanyin studied very hard, but the silver fork was always disobedient in her hands.

A piece of steak flew out when she cut it, and landed right next to the visitor's shiny leather shoes.

“It seems I disturbed the meal.”

Fu Mingchuan bent down, picked up the steak, wrapped it in a handkerchief and placed it on the table.

Su Lanyin's face instantly burned up. She stood up in a hurry, but her knee hit the table leg, and she gasped in pain.

"Why is Mr. Fu in the backyard?"

Su Yichen stood in front of Su Lanyin, his tone alert.

"Lost." Fu Mingchuan's eyes passed Su Yichen and fell on Su Lanyin's red knees. "Miss Su seems to be injured often."

His eyes reminded Su Lanyin of the wolf she met in the forest, focused and dangerous.

She subconsciously grabbed Su Yichen's sleeve, and this action made Fu Mingchuan narrow his eyes.

"Father is waiting for you in the front hall." Su Yichen said.

Fu Mingchuan nodded, but before leaving, he suddenly turned to Su Lanyin and said, "I hope to see Miss Su at the Rong family tea party next week."

Without waiting for her to answer, he strode away, his black windbreaker fluttering in the wind, forming sharp lines.

"What does he mean?" Su Lanyin asked anxiously.

Su Yichen's expression was a little complicated: "Rong's Tea Party is the most important social event for Shanghai socialites. Fu Mingchuan never attends such occasions."

---

On the day of the tea party, Su Wanying started preparing early in the morning.

She chose the latest Parisian dress and had her hair permed like a Hollywood star, looking radiant.

"Lanyin, are you really going?" Seeing Su Lanyin coming downstairs in a plain cheongsam, Su Wanying sighed exaggeratedly, "You don't have the right clothes, so you'd better stay at home."

"Mr. Fu invited Lan Yin." Su Yichen looked up from behind the newspaper, "Father has agreed."

Su's mother snorted: "Just don't embarrass us."

The Rong Mansion is even more luxurious than the Su family’s.

Under the crystal chandelier, dozens of elegantly dressed socialites were drinking tea and chatting.

Su Lanyin followed behind Su Wanying and felt like a Cinderella who had strayed into a fairyland.

"Is this the young lady that the Su family just found?" A girl in a purple dress covered her mouth with a fan. "I heard that she grew up in the countryside?"

Su Wanying held Su Lanyin's arm affectionately: "My sister is very smart and learns things very quickly."

"That's perfect. We were just talking about the latest afternoon tea etiquette in Paris." The purple-dressed girl said with a smile, "Miss Su, can you demonstrate how to use the three-tier dessert stand correctly?"

Everyone's eyes were focused.

Su Lanyin's palms began to sweat. She had no idea what a three-layer dessert stand was.

"Start taking the salty snacks from the bottom..." Su Wanying reminded her "kindly", but she pinched her hard under the table.

Su Lanyin shuddered in pain and knocked over the teacup.

Brown tea stains quickly spread across the snow-white tablecloth, and a few chuckles were heard around.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"It's popular in London to eat scones first." A deep voice suddenly interrupted, "But why should Shanghai people care about British rules?"

Fu Mingchuan appeared behind her at some point. He was wearing a dark grey suit today, which made his figure look more upright.

The whole place fell silent instantly.

"Mr. Fu is here?" The girl in purple opened her mouth in surprise.

Fu Mingchuan ignored the others and walked straight to Su Lanyin, picked up a scone and handed it to her: "Try it, the chef of Rong Mansion is British."

His fingers were long and clean, his nails meticulously trimmed.

Su Lanyin took it carefully, and her fingertips accidentally touched his palm. The electric-like touch almost made her drop the snack on the ground.

“Thank you…thank you.”

"You're welcome." Fu Mingchuan's voice was only audible to her. "Next time someone gives you trouble, just call me by my name."

His breath brushed against her earlobe, and Su Lanyin's heart beat so fast that it almost jumped out of her chest.

The rest of the tea party was like a dream.

Fu Mingchuan was sitting opposite her. Although he no longer spoke to her, his presence made everyone polite to Su Lanyin.

Even Su Wanying didn't dare to do it again.

On the way home in the carriage, Su Wanying finally took off her disguise: "When did you hook up with Fu Mingchuan?"

"I don't...…"

"Stop pretending!" Su Wanying screamed, "Do you know that my father wants me to marry him? The Fu family's assets are worth ten Su families!"

Su Lanyin looked at Su Yichen in shock, and the latter nodded slightly to confirm the news.

An inexplicable sourness spread in her chest. She turned her head to look out the window, not wanting anyone to see her expression.

That night, Su Lanyin tossed and turned in bed.

She stood up and walked to the window, only to see Fu Mingchuan's car parked in front of the Su family's door.

He leaned against the car and smoked, the moonlight outlining his sharp profile.

As if sensing her gaze, Fu Mingchuan suddenly raised his head and looked towards her window accurately.

Su Lanyin hurriedly closed the curtains, but heard Su's father's excited voice coming from downstairs:

"Mr. Fu is willing to invest in the textile factory? That's great! As for the marriage, there will be absolutely no problem with Wanying..."

"I'm talking about the daughter of the Su family." Fu Mingchuan's voice was as cold as ice, "but I didn't specify who it was."

Su Lanyin covered her mouth, unable to believe what she heard.

Through the gap in the curtains, she saw Fu Mingchuan take one last look at her window before he turned around and got into the car and left.

In the night, the car's taillights are like two red eyes, gradually disappearing at the end of the street.