Standing Next To You-Chapter 515: Echoes of rippled water

Although Fei Chuan’s side had managed to delete the rumors about the scandal involving the three, the ripple effects it caused were far from over—like the lingering echoes of water after a stone is thrown into a pond. The aftershocks were still spreading, subtle yet unavoidable.

Inside the Chuan family’s main garden, an old woman in her seventies—but who looked like she was in her early fifties—was trimming the small bushes. The head butler, Head Butler Cai, approached her and handed her a piece of paper.

"This is the letter that Chuan Xingyu risked sending to us. How should we respond to it?"

Madame Chu picked up the letter with her gloved hand, which quickly became dirtied with mud. She briefly read the letter and tossed it back. "That bastard child got herself into trouble. Now she remembers her family in her time of need. Let her stay there. How could she have associated with the Lins and helped drug someone? She needs to learn her lesson."

"But she mentioned some valuable information in the letter—"

Madame Chu gave Head Butler Cai a sharp glance. "I’ve read the letter. I know what it says." Madame Chu took off her gloves. "What valuable information could she possibly have? Would it help us make that troublesome grandson of mine return here and inherit the title? You know how stubborn he is. He decided he doesn’t need us, so we don’t need him either."

Head Butler Cai sighed as he looked at Madame Chu. Although the old woman acted tough and said these words, he knew deep inside she longed for her grandson. The proof was in the stack of magazines featuring Fei Chuan that had piled up so high in her office.

"But Chuan Xingyu might be right this time. We might be able to get through to him through Ms. Bei Sangyun," the head butler still voiced his opinion.

Madame Chu scoffed. "Do you believe those rumors? They all want drama. None of them are true."

"But look at this. Ms. Bei and the Young Master have been friends since childhood. This is the Chuan villa in the River Village." Head Butler Cai showed her photos posted in the articles explaining Bei Sangyun and Fei Chuan’s friendship. "They are indeed childhood friends."

Madame Chu squinted at the photos. She also recognized the small villa. The Chuan family had many villas around the country, and the one in the River Village had been built because Fei Chuan’s mother—Madame Chu’s daughter—fell in love with the mountain scenery there. So, they bought the land and built a villa. Her daughter had lived there for a year before leaving to explore other places.

Since then, the villa had become abandoned. It was only occupied when her grandson, Fei Chuan, needed a place to stay.

Head Butler Cai continued, "I dug deeper and found something even more interesting. Do you remember the time when the Miss went to the capital and brought a maid with her from that town?"

Madame Chu thought about it. There had indeed been an event where her daughter had brought a young maid her age, claiming the maid was her friend and asking to find her a job.

That young maid worked in the Chuan family for half a year. Since her daughter went overseas to go on an adventure, the young maid was left behind. But a month after her daughter’s departure, the young maid also resigned.

Although it happened a long time ago, Madame Chu still remembered it clearly because her daughter rarely brought anyone to the house. However, the young maid did not stay long, as she chose to leave shortly after her daughter did.

"I did. And so?"

"That young maid is actually Bei Sangyun’s mother."

Madame Chu was stunned. She leaned closer to the photo of the little girl. "This child’s mother?"

"Yes," Head Butler Cai nodded. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

Madame Chu picked up another photo. It was a picture of Bei Sangyun and Fei Chuan together at the Lin banquet. "This girl’s mother?"

"Yes," Head Butler Cai confirmed, understanding her confusion. "The Miss brought Ms. Bei Sangyun’s mother from that village to the capital. Then, when the Miss left the country, that maid also resigned from our household. But before she left, she requested a recommendation letter. A week later, she applied to work under the Lins."

Madame Chu nodded, realization dawning on her. "Then that young maid got involved with the third master of that family and had her."

"Yes. If we look at it this way, it was thanks to us—to Miss—that Ms. Bei was able to be born into that family. If we seek her help, she might be able to assist us."

Madame Chu’s expression suddenly changed.

Head Butler Cai quickly interrupted the complaint that was about to escape her lips. "We won’t ask for help outright. We’ll simply remind her of this connection. Since the two are friends, if they learn they are more deeply connected than they realized, wouldn’t that be a wonderful coincidence? For the sake of old times, and for their mothers, Young Master Fei Chuan might reconsider returning to the family."

Madame Chu’s face remained stoic. She still seemed to dislike the idea.

"How about you leave it to me? I’ll contact Ms. Bei on my own. If this doesn’t work, then we’ll approach Old Pei."

Madame Chu’s expression finally softened slightly. "...Alright."

...

Thousands of miles away from Country C, a gentle-looking woman was browsing the internet. She had recently read everything online regarding Bei Sangyun. The cruel articles attacking Bei Sangyun had mysteriously disappeared.

Fei Chuan’s side had released a statement clearing the rumors.

The gentle-looking woman thought it was over, but when she spotted a certain photo in one of the articles, she froze.

It was a photo of several children, with the Chuan villa in River Village as the backdrop.

The gentle-looking woman zoomed in on the photo—first on the little girl, then the boy, and finally on the house behind them.

"...Fei... Chuan..." the gentle-looking woman murmured his name. Her husband, who was sleeping beside her, woke up. He sleepily opened his eyes and glanced at her, who was still awake and surfing the net.

"...Did you just call another man’s name while your husband is right here beside you?" he teased. He also knew who Fei Chuan was. That young man was old enough to be their child. He hugged the gentle-looking woman. "That lad isn’t even half as handsome as me. He might have superb skills, but I’m no less than him."

The gentle-looking woman put down her phone and hugged him back. "You know him?"

"Yeah. A lot of people know him, thanks to the James family. But I’ll admit, that young man has incredible skills and charm. No wonder the James family treasures him so much," the man explained with a yawn.

"Then... have you heard anything about his maternal family?"

"Maternal... hmm... oh, right. There was some discussion before—that his name comes from the two families he’s connected to. But honestly, I don’t know of any great families from his birth country. Ah, wait." Her husband finally opened his eyes to look at her. "You’re from the same country as him. Do you happen to know anything about the Fei or Chuan families?"

The gentle-looking woman flinched at the mention of the ’Chuan’ family. "...No. I told you, I wasn’t into socializing back then."

"Alright, alright." The man hugged her and drifted back to sleep.

The gentle-looking woman, however, couldn’t fall asleep. She reached for her phone again and searched Fei Chuan’s name. But no articles revealed any details about his family background.

With hesitation, she typed into the search bar:

Chuan Xiangji.

A photo of a beautiful woman appeared. She looked gentle but joyful, with a seemingly bright personality.

The gentle-looking woman’s breath hitched as she stared at the photo. If anyone saw the woman in the photo and compared her to herself, they would likely take a second look—not because they shared the same features, but because they had the same style, demeanor, and aura: gentle, bright, and kind.

She scrolled down further and found the information she was looking for.

Chuan Xiangji, age 28 – deceased.

Husband: Fei Jian.

Children: Fei Chuan.

The gentle-looking woman paused. She stared at the screen for a long time, silently reflecting, a bitter laugh escaping her lips as she thought about how fate seemed to toy with them.

The next morning, the gentle-looking woman informed her husband and children that she wanted to escape the cold weather and booked a flight to Country C.

....

The luxury cruise ship had just docked.

A beautiful young woman with wavy golden blonde hair and deep blue eyes stepped off the ship. Her flowing white dress and the wide-brimmed hat on her head were simple yet breathtakingly elegant. She seemed to glow with an ethereal golden halo, her presence so radiant that it brought smiles to the faces of those who saw her.

Even the celebrities aboard the same cruise ship couldn’t help but glance her way.

"Who is she? Is she a Hollywood star? She’s stunning."

"I haven’t seen her in the entertainment industry. Maybe she’s the hidden precious daughter of some wealthy family?" murmured the passengers, their curiosity piqued.

Despite having shared the ship for ten days—sailing around the world, visiting exotic islands, experiencing diverse cultures, and savoring various cuisines—this woman had remained an enigma. She was rarely seen, and even the VVIPs aboard had little to no interaction with her.

One of the VVIPs couldn’t resist teasing the curious passengers. "That’s Melanie James."

The murmurs ceased abruptly.

"Melanie James?! As in the Melanie James? The only sister of William James?!"

"Yes, that’s her," the VVIP confirmed with a chuckle, amused by their stunned reactions.

Though these passengers included famous celebrities, they were mere mortals compared to the James family—especially the main family line.

The excitement was understandable. Melanie James was shrouded in mystery. The public only knew of her existence because her name appeared in the family registry, and her brother, William James, had briefly mentioned her in an interview. No photos of her had ever been released. The James family fiercely guarded their privacy, especially that of their precious daughters.

Thus, seeing the Melanie James in person felt like hitting the jackpot.

Melanie, hearing the gasps and whispers behind her, paid no attention. She was used to this. Instead, she turned to the maid beside her with a cheerful question.

"Where’s my brother? Is Fei Chuan with him?"

The maid maintained her polite smile. "Your brother is waiting for you in the car, Miss. But Mr. Fei is not with him."

"Oh." Melanie’s expression turned downcast. "Is he busy? Is that why he couldn’t come to fetch me?"

The maid’s smile remained steady. "Mr. Fei has business in Country C, Miss. He’ll return once it’s completed."

"Tsk. Big brother must have given him too much work again," Melanie grumbled, complaining about how her brother overburdened Fei Chuan.

The maid beside her let out a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed the Miss hadn’t seen the news yet. Thankfully, the articles had been deleted before Melanie could discover them.