CHAPTER 568: CHAPTER 563: AT A LOSS

In regards to the loan from the bank where Liu Fengsheng’s father worked, Fang Pingying had only let Chairman Liu handle the matter by the book, to borrow as much as they could, without considering her relationship with Liu Fengsheng.

Ultimately, the loan from Liu Fengsheng’s father’s bank was twenty thousand yuan more than from other banks. For the rest, Fang Pingying and juzi figured out a way themselves.

Fang Pingying borrowed some from Li Aihua, and juzi also pooled some money from her family. They finally managed to gather the sum needed.

As for Liu Fengsheng, Fang Pingying still greeted him as before when they met, and Tingting would still come over to play after school, and when working at the supermarket, they would still discuss matters together.

It was just that Fang Pingying no longer volunteered to seek his help when encountering problems, nor would she talk to him about family matters without reservation like she used to.

To some extent, this actually put a distance between the two of them.

For Fang Pingying, there might have been no difference between how things were before and after. In fact, she is not someone who particularly likes to ask others for help. If Liu Fengsheng had told her that the person they were looking for was his father from the beginning, she would have preferred to handle it as a formal matter.

But Fang Pingying’s reaction that day, to Liu Fengsheng, made him feel really bad inside. He had been wanting to find an opportunity to explain to Fang Pingying, but lately, she had been very busy with fundraising, purchasing land, and coming home late every day...

They just happened to run into each other at the breakfast shop. Luo Honglan and the others all knew Liu Fengsheng and greeted him with a smile before sitting down at another table.

Fang Pingying was the last to enter. She smiled at Liu Fengsheng and made some polite small talk, ready to leave, but Liu Fengsheng called out, "Pingying."

Liu Fengsheng’s call not only stopped Fang Pingying but also startled Luo Zhiyong, who was walking ahead holding Yaoyao. Luo Zhiyong paused his steps but didn’t turn around, continuing on to the table.

Fang Pingying, however, stopped. She knew Liu Fengsheng must have something to say to her. She called out to Luo Honglan, "Hong Lan, just order some food for me, you guys go ahead and eat."

After speaking to Luo Honglan, Fang Pingying sat down opposite Liu Fengsheng and asked with a smile, "You’re off to work so early?"

"Hmm."

Fang Pingying started to laugh, "Your work starts at nine, don’t get there so early, I won’t pay you overtime."

Liu Fengsheng also gave a faint smile, then glanced over at Luo Honglan’s table, "Your family going out is for...?"

Fang Pingying responded with a smile, "Didn’t Tingting tell you? Today Hong Lan is getting engaged. We’re going there to check in as family from her side."

"Family from her side?" Liu Fengsheng asked with a complex expression, "You’re going in the capacity of an elder sister-in-law?"

Fang Pingying hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. She felt she didn’t need to explain her personal matters to Liu Fengsheng in detail.

Upon hearing this, a flicker of emotion crossed Liu Fengsheng’s eyes, and he suddenly started explaining about the incident that day, "Pingying, actually, I never clarified my identity to you. It wasn’t that I wanted to hide it intentionally, it’s just that you guys never really asked about my family, and I also felt awkward telling you about my family situation."

Fang Pingying nodded for him to continue, indicating she was listening.

Liu Fengsheng went on, "In truth, my family and I don’t really have a relationship. That’s my parents’ home, and in the past, I just lived there. This place now is really my home."

"As for my father’s identity, after all, he’s my father, not me. In my eyes, he’s just a father. His status isn’t something that I find necessary to explain in particular," he added.

Actually, after so much time, regardless of Liu Fengsheng’s intentions in hiding the truth, Fang Pingying had already let it go. She didn’t want to delve into it and saw no need to.

After listening to Liu Fengsheng, she nodded with a smile and even apologized for her reaction that day, "Fengsheng, I’m sorry, I might have overreacted that day. Your family wasn’t what I had expected, so my thoughts were a bit extreme then."

After a pause, Fang Pingying continued, "It’s just that he should have told me earlier that the person you wanted to bring me to was your father, so I would have been mentally prepared."

Indeed, that day, having suddenly gone to Liu Fengsheng’s house, and then being misunderstood by his family, had also embarrassed her.

Theoretically, they could have directly found a day to go to the bank or asked Liu Fengsheng’s father to discuss the matter.

That day, Liu Fengsheng also had his own calculations, and upon hearing Fang Pingying, the smile on his face suddenly turned serious.

He looked at Fang Pingying, hesitated for a moment, his eyes filled with an exceptionally tender expression, "I was worried that if you knew that the person I needed to take you to was my father, that you’d be going to my house, you might not be willing."

Fang Pingying also noticed the sudden change in Liu Fengsheng’s tone and gaze, and inexplicably, she had a bad feeling.

Yet on the surface, she still smiled, "How could that be? Now that I know Chairman Liu is your father, I still need your help."

Actually, this was all in the past now. Fang Pingying didn’t want to bring it up again, or perhaps it was that the atmosphere of this conversation made Fang Pingying feel that something wasn’t quite right, so she decided to end the topic there, "Anyway, Fengsheng, thank you, for both personal and business matters, you’ve helped me a lot."

Upon hearing this, Liu Fengsheng didn’t speak, but his eyes remained intently fixed on Fang Pingying, and then he suddenly said, "Pingying, I’ve never needed your gratitude, I just hope that you’re not angry and that you don’t ignore me."

After finishing, Liu Fengsheng’s eyes looked warmly at Fang Pingying, clearly containing something more than usual, and his words seemed to carry something more thought-provoking.

"..." Fang Pingying stared into Liu Fengsheng’s eyes, taken aback.

She was not obtuse and had experienced relationships; she could understand what was in Liu Fengsheng’s eyes.

Indeed, Li Aihua had mentioned it to her multiple times, but she never took it seriously; she didn’t think Liu Fengsheng would like her, nor did she think she would ever like Liu Fengsheng.

However, this sudden realization somewhat took Fang Pingying by surprise.

Just as she was pondering how to respond, Luo Zhiyong came over holding Yaoyao.

Luo Zhiyong’s expression wasn’t very good. His lips were pressed tightly together, unlike usual when holding his daughter, there would always be a faint smile on his face.

But any man in his place wouldn’t feel good seeing another man confess or exchange meaningful glances with their woman.

Although Luo Zhiyong hadn’t heard what they were saying, as a man, he understood Liu Fengsheng’s looks, and Fang Pingying’s slightly disconcerted expression didn’t escape his notice.

Moreover, he vaguely understood why Liu Fengsheng was so eager today to make his feelings known to Fang Pingying.