Hearing Fu Xingzhou’s firm response, Qiu Pei said with emotion, “Son, there was a time I really thought you’d grow old alone.”
It wasn’t the first time Fu Xingzhou had heard Qiu Pei say this, and his expression remained indifferent.
Qiu Pei looked at him and said, “Back when all the kids in our circle were becoming party animals, you had no interest at all. Your grandma was so anxious—not that she wanted you to become a playboy, but at least show a little interest in this stuff. But you just wouldn’t.”
“That’s why I thought Li Man was the best choice back then. She had the ambition, the tactics—everything. Even if it was just a relationship on paper, I thought she might at least open up a little corner of your heart. Looking back now, I was wrong too.”
“Sincerity has to be exchanged with sincerity. All those scheming tactics can’t compare to a sincere heart.”
Qiu Pei glanced at the phone on the bedside table.
Recently, Wen Yuexian had sent her quite a few messages and even planned to come to Paris to see her.
Hearing this, Fu Xingzhou handed her the insulated cup from the side and told her to drink some water. “As long as you understand,” he said.
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—
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Just as she approached the room—
Qiu Pei saw her and immediately smiled, calling out, “Hello, Wen Yang, nice to meet you.”
Wen Yang smiled slightly and asked, “Auntie, you’re awake. Are you feeling okay now?”
“No, I’m much better. Come closer, let me have a look at you.”
Wen Yang looked at Fu Xingzhou.
He set down the cup, looking more relaxed than before, with a hint of a smile in his eyes, signaling her to come over.
Feeling reassured, Wen Yang walked to the hospital bed and stood on the side opposite Fu Xingzhou, as if the two of them were guarding Qiu Pei from either side.
Just from this small gesture, Qiu Pei could tell she was a poised and gracious girl—not one to rush straight to her boyfriend’s side, but rather to face her first. Qiu Pei reached out, took Wen Yang’s hand, and asked softly, “Are you from Nancheng?”
Wen Yang smiled and shook her head. “Rongcheng, Nan’an.”
Qiu Pei asked, “That’s in the same area as Zhoushi, right?”
Wen Yang nodded.
Qiu Pei smiled. “His cousin’s wife is from Zhoushi too. A beautiful, capable woman. I’ll introduce you two sometime.”
Wen Yang nodded with a smile. “I’d like that.”
When she smiled, her eyes curved gently—there was an innate warmth to her. And being a beauty as well, she was indeed pleasant to look at. Most importantly, her eyes were clear and her demeanor was sweet and obedient.
She made people want to spoil her.
Qiu Pei hadn’t felt this way in a long time. No wonder her son liked her so much.
It reminded her of the first time she met Li Man. They had barely sat down and chatted for a bit before Li Man took her hand and said with a smile, “Sis, this bracelet of yours—is it maple red jade? That’s hard to come by. I heard someone had to open a ton of jade in Myanmar to find even a small piece.”
Right then, Qiu Pei had realized that Li Man had seen a bit of the world. So, she naturally chatted with her. For a while, Qiu Pei had truly admired girls like Li Man.
Ambitious, sharp, socially adept.
But looking back now, being too socially adept can start to feel like performance. For example, she could already predict what Li Man would bring if she came to visit now.
It would definitely be top-quality shark fin soup. And when telling her to drink it, she’d go on about how hard it was to get.
Clearly fishing for praise.
Thinking of it now, Qiu Pei found it all rather funny.
She didn’t let go of Wen Yang’s hand and asked, “Did you arrive last night?”
Wen Yang nodded.
Qiu Pei: “So you were in the room the whole night?”
Wen Yang replied softly, “I rested. It’s Fu Xingzhou who didn’t.”
Qiu Pei looked over at her son upon hearing that.
Fu Xingzhou calmly asked, “What would you like for breakfast? You could have some porridge.”
Qiu Pei asked, “What kind of porridge?”
Fu Xingzhou replied, “Whatever you want.”
Qiu Pei responded, “Can the porridge from this hospital even be considered drinkable? It’s as plain as water. And Lao Zhong’s gone back to China again.”
“Auntie, what kind of porridge do you want?” Wen Yang asked gently.
Qiu Pei, holding her hand, said, “I want all kinds of porridge, but it’s got to be Nancheng style.”
Wen Yang smiled. “That’s easy.”
Qiu Pei blinked. “What do you mean? Don’t tell me you can make it?”
Wen Yang replied, “I’ll give it a try. You can see if it suits your taste.”
Qiu Pei pulled Wen Yang’s hand over, wanting to give her a kiss. Fu Xingzhou narrowed his eyes and said, “Qiu Pei.”
Qiu Pei turned to glance at her son. “Alright, alright, can’t you call me ‘Mom’?”
Fu Xingzhou was silent for a few seconds. “Let go of her. I’ll go get your breakfast first. Eat something.”
Qiu Pei said, “Go on then, Wen Yang can stay and keep me company.”
But Fu Xingzhou walked around the hospital bed and gently pulled Wen Yang away. Wen Yang let out a soft “hey” and struggled slightly. “Let me stay with Auntie for a bit.”
“She doesn’t need company.”
Wen Yang made two soft protest sounds.
When she looked back, Qiu Pei was smiling while reclining against the bed, waving at her. Wen Yang paused—seemed like she really didn’t need someone to keep her company. She looked very energetic.
The hospital had a dining service, but not only was the food not convenient, it was also quite expensive. However, Fu Xingzhou had arranged in advance for the restaurant to prepare millet porridge for Qiu Pei. For now, she could only eat liquid food. Wen Yang and Fu Xingzhou carried the millet porridge upstairs. When they returned to the hospital room, Qiu Pei’s two assistants, Chen Shang and Li Luo, had arrived and brought food as well.
They laid the food out on the bedside table.
Seeing Fu Xingzhou, they smiled and greeted, “Morning, Little President Fu. Miss Wen.”
Wen Yang returned a slight smile. “Good morning.”
Fu Xingzhou placed the porridge on the bedside table and put a spoon into the bowl.
Qiu Pei took the spoon, pulled the small table in front of her, and began trying the different offerings. After one bite, she frowned. “Li Luo, your cooking really hasn’t changed a bit in ten years.”
Li Luo said helplessly, “Director Qiu, please make do.”
Qiu Pei pushed his bowl aside and tried Chen Shang’s. “Terrible.”
Then she tried the restaurant porridge. After two sips, she said, “Still terrible. Tastes like plain water.”
Chen Shang said nothing—he had expected this reaction.
Fu Xingzhou tapped his fingers lightly on the table and reminded her, “You should still eat some. It’s a long time until lunch.”
Qiu Pei looked up at her son.
His expression was calm as he gave this reminder. So, Qiu Pei picked up her spoon again and continued eating quietly. She said, “You all drinking coffee and eating buns, don’t do it here. It’ll make me crave them.”
Chen Shang laughed, “We wouldn’t dare. Once you’re better, we’ll all go eat buns and drink coffee together.”
Qiu Pei didn’t reply.
Though she complained about the food and drink, when she actually ate, she did so gracefully and quietly finished. When she was done, she reached out for Wen Yang’s hand again, but Fu Xingzhou had already wrapped an arm around Wen Yang’s waist and pulled her over, so Qiu Pei grabbed empty air. She looked up.
Fu Xingzhou said flatly, “I’m taking her to get something to eat. Uncle Chen and Uncle Li will keep you company.”
Qiu Pei paused, then gave a casual “Oh,” and said, “Alright, you two go eat.”
—
Fu Xingzhou led Wen Yang out of the hospital room. She looked up at him and said, “Let’s stop by a supermarket, okay?”
Fu Xingzhou knew exactly what she wanted to do.
He looked down at her. “Let’s eat something first.”
Wen Yang nodded.
They went to a nearby Chinese restaurant for breakfast. They had noodles, but the taste was quite average—nothing particularly good. Coming from Nancheng, a city known for its food, many things abroad didn’t quite suit her taste.
After paying the bill—
Fu Xingzhou held her hand and took her to the car. But instead of heading to the supermarket, he drove home first. Wen Yang noticed the car pulling into a residential area and parking in a space. Fu Xingzhou turned to her and said, “Let’s get cleaned up and take a nap first. We’ll go to the supermarket later. Uncle Chen and Uncle Li are staying with my mom.”
Wen Yang nodded. “Okay.”
Come to think of it, she hadn’t showered in nearly thirty hours.
She got out of the car with Fu Xingzhou, who retrieved her suitcase and brought her inside. The house was a three-story villa, with a total of four floors including the basement.
As soon as they walked into the first floor, they were greeted by walls and cabinets full of designer bags and luxury items. In the middle stood a workstation with numerous design sketches laid out.
The entire house was designed simply, but the sheer amount of stuff gave it a cluttered appearance. Fu Xingzhou led her upstairs and said, “My mom invests in luxury goods.”
Wen Yang nodded. “That explains it.”
Compared to the cluttered first floor, packed with jewelry and accessories, the second and third floors felt more like a home—especially the third floor, which was clean and cozy. The master bedroom clearly hadn’t been used in a while.
Fu Xingzhou had placed his luggage there.
Wen Yang opened her suitcase. She hadn’t felt anything before, but now that she said it, her neck did feel a little itchy. She definitely needed a good shower. She grabbed a comfortable dress and some toiletries and went into the master bedroom’s bathroom.
Her neck had gotten red from wearing a scarf for too long. She rinsed with clean water and used a bar of soap with a freesia scent to gently wash.
After showering and changing into the dress, she felt much more comfortable. She also washed her hair and walked out with a towel, dabbing away the water. Her slightly wavy hair was still a bit tousled, and she emerged from the bathroom trailing a light mist of warmth and steam.
As soon as she walked out of the room—
Fu Xingzhou had also just finished showering and was sitting on the sofa replying to messages. The moment Wen Yang stepped out, his eyes lifted to her. Wen Yang was toweling her hair as she asked, “I didn’t see the hairdryer.”
Fu Xingzhou set down his phone and said, “I’ll get it for you in a bit. Come here.”
Wen Yang walked over to him.
Fu Xingzhou stood up and took the towel from her, helping her dry her hair. They had returned in a rush, and the curtains in the living room hadn’t been opened, so the lighting was dim. Wen Yang caught the faint scent of sandalwood on him.
And he caught the light scent of freesia from her. Wen Yang slightly lifted her eyes, meeting his gaze. Beneath the moving towel, their eyes locked for a long moment.
Then Fu Xingzhou lowered his head and kissed her lips.
Wen Yang’s fingertips clutched at the collar of his shirt as she tilted her head back to receive his kiss.
The feeling of longing seeped out slowly from deep within her bones. Eventually, Fu Xingzhou lifted her onto his lap on the sofa. Her soft dress became disheveled, and his large hand held her by the nape as he kissed her deeply.
Time passed.
Wen Yang braced herself against the back of the sofa. Her soft murmurs were swallowed by his kisses. Her eyes were misty, and her body trembled lightly. Fu Xingzhou kissed her gently, lingering, unwilling to part.
Silent and deep.
Deep and silent.
Wen Yang still remembered they had to go to the supermarket later, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and reminded him.
Fu Xingzhou kissed her and murmured in a low voice, “Mm, I remember.”
Wen Yang collapsed against him, resting her head at the crook of his neck.
Fu Xingzhou turned his head and captured her lips again, swallowing every sound she made, watching her melt into his embrace like water.
Sansukini: So sorry for the late post, I’ve been so busy.
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