Time passed quickly. Wen Yang strolled slowly with him, lightly holding his arm. Jiang Yue had finished paying the bill, and a black sedan followed them at a steady pace from behind.
A year ago—
Jiang Yue was also driving behind like this.
Back then, Wen Yang was the only one walking on this road, stepping in rhythm on her way home.
Now, President Fu was by her side.
This made Jiang Yue recall how Miss Wen had once braved everything alone and made that phone call, meeting with both him and President Fu by herself. At the bus stop, the blooming wisteria served as a backdrop to Miss Wen’s fragile state.
Wen Yang pursed her lips lightly and looked back at Fu Xingzhou.
“Was I a mess back then?”
Fu Xingzhou lowered his eyes to look at her and gently shook his head.
“No, you weren’t.”
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Mbl osxyd, zkjl oyvla, osal y zsdt ulzzso ealpp. Eblvbla kv oyp cu vbl asyepkel sa yv vbl JJC rzynl, pbl bye yzoyup clld y pvakjkdt ralpldnl, eayokdt yvvldvksd. Eld Zydt rswvle pzktbvzu — pbl eked’v clzklhl kv.
Fbl jdlo lmynvzu obyv pvyvl pbl oyp kd yv vbl vkxl.
Ww Dkdtgbsw’p hsknl oyp psqv.
“R’x vlzzkdt vbl vawvb.”
Eld Zydt xlv bkp tygl qsa y qlo plnsdep, bla lyap pzktbvzu qzwpble. Mbl yznsbsz bye alzymle bla xsse. Fbl alrzkle psqvzu,
“Qsv kv. Valpkeldv Ww eslpd’v zkl.”
Ww Dkdtgbsw’p lulp tzlyxle okvb y pxkzl.
Gp vblu yrrasynble vbl tyvl sq Zytl Usxxwdkvu, vbl asye nshlale okvb rlvyzp bye nsxl vs yd lde. Kkydt Zwl eashl vbl nya shla, yde Eld Zydt, pzktbvzu vkrpu, cldv esod yde tsv kdvs vbl nya.
Fbl oyp qllzkdt y ckv ekggu.
Ww Dkdtgbsw tsv kd yp olzz. Mbl rakhynu pnalld aspl, yde bl rwzzle bla kdvs bkp yaxp.
“Gal usw pwal kv oyp sdzu y qlo csvvzlp?”
Wen Yang leaned against his chest and looked up.
“Just a few. I don’t have a high alcohol tolerance.”
Fu Xingzhou responded with a hum.
The lighting in the car was dim. His features were sharp and handsome. Wen Yang looked at him and didn’t avert her gaze.
She asked, “What about you? Are you good with alcohol?”
They had been together for a while now. Occasionally, he came home with a trace of alcohol on him, but it was rare. Most of the time, even after social gatherings, he came home looking perfectly fresh.
Fu Xingzhou pinched her nose.
“Better than you.”
Wen Yang blinked.
“Don’t you drink at business dinners?”
Fu Xingzhou replied,
“If I don’t want to drink, I usually don’t.”
“Oh, I see.”
So basically, he was the one in control.
Wen Yang understood.
Leaning on his shoulder, she smelled a faint sandalwood scent from him. She said,
“We promoted Tao Li to be our designer. Yu Qing and I are planning to participate in Nancheng’s flower house competition. Tonight’s dinner was Tao Li’s treat.”
Fu Xingzhou looked down at her.
“Flower house competition? The one at Fengyuan Mountain?”
Wen Yang nodded.
“You know about it?”
Fu Xingzhou wrapped his arm around her waist and let out a quiet “Mm.”
“Nancheng started that project to build a landmark structure. But that’s just the beginning. If you’re well-prepared and make it to the top three, the resources that follow will be substantial. Naturally, you’ll also need to be ready for expansion.”
Wen Yang straightened up to look at him.
“Expansion?”
Fu Xingzhou looked into her slightly misty eyes and said,
“Once you’re famous, a lot of uninvited resources will come your way — whether it’s collaboration or investment, they’ll keep knocking at your door.”
Wen Yang blinked.
“There’s all that too?”
“But Yu Qing and I didn’t think that far ahead. We just wanted to enter the competition to boost our studio’s reputation.”
She leaned lazily into his neck, tipsy and dazed.
Fu Xingzhou tightened his grip around her waist and said in a low voice,
“You can also just participate for the sake of it. What I said is just for reference.”
He liked that she simply did what she loved.
Rapid expansion and entering the capital market could bring a lot of stress.
Taking it one step at a time might suit her better.
Wen Yang nodded in his arms.
“Then I’ll just join the competition for now.”
“But there’s one thing I want to tell you.”
Fu Xingzhou looked at her.
“Mm?”
Wen Yang’s voice was soft and sultry.
“If I stay up late drawing designs, don’t be mad, okay?”
Fu Xingzhou let out a hum in response.
“All that stuff you said, but this was the real point, right?” he asked.
Wen Yang smiled and pursed her lips.
“You figured it out?”
Fu Xingzhou kissed her lips.
Her lips were soft and parted easily. Fu Xingzhou’s tongue slipped in, tasting the sweet trace of alcohol in her mouth. Neon lights streamed past the car windows.
They were in a deep kiss.
The alcohol lingered. Wen Yang’s breath grew erratic as she clung tightly to his neck.
When the car arrived at the club’s garage, Fu Xingzhou finally pulled away from her lips slightly. Wen Yang opened her eyes, her gaze even more clouded than before. After a few seconds of eye contact, he kissed her again and whispered,
“Can you walk?”
Wen Yang nodded.
Fu Xingzhou got out, picked up her laptop, and helped her out of the car.
Wen Yang held onto his arm and walked toward the elevator.
Jiang Yue remained in the driver’s seat. The raised privacy screen in the back meant the couple needed their private space. That being the case, he didn’t need to get out and open the car door — no need to risk seeing something he shouldn’t.
The elevator doors opened.
Once they got home, Fu Xingzhou placed the laptop on the coffee table in the small living room. Wen Yang let out a small yawn. Fu Xingzhou looked down at her.
“Sleepy?”
Wen Yang looked up and nodded slightly.
Fu Xingzhou ruffled her hair and said, “Sleep a little later. Aunt Zhong heated up some milk for you. You only had barbecue for dinner?”
Wen Yang replied, “I had some cold noodles just now.”
Fu Xingzhou didn’t know exactly what kind of cold noodles she meant, but it clearly wasn’t a full meal. He rolled up his sleeves and walked toward the dining room. Wen Yang leaned back on the armrest to ease her dizziness. After kissing in the car, her lips were still slightly numb, and so was her tongue. Maybe the kiss had intensified the effect of the alcohol. She lay against the back of the chair, watching in the direction of the dining room.
The milk had been heated in an electric pot. Fu Xingzhou turned off the power, poured the milk into a cup, and brought it to her.
Wen Yang was soft and gentle at this moment. She took the cup and sipped it slowly—the temperature was just right. After she finished, Fu Xingzhou took the empty cup and put it in the dishwasher in the kitchen.
Wen Yang returned to the master bedroom. She originally intended to go to the bathroom, but when she saw the bed, she couldn’t take another step. She collapsed on it and didn’t move. Fu Xingzhou turned off the lights in the living room and walked in through the door.
There she was, lying on the bed.
He walked over and sat beside her, gently brushing her hair aside. “Not going to shower?”
Wen Yang said softly, “Let me lie down for a bit.”
Fu Xingzhou’s lips curved into a smile. He leaned down and kissed her. Wen Yang turned over to continue the kiss. After a while, she was cradled in his arms, the sweet taste of milk from her tongue passed to his.
The warmth from the car carried over.
Some of their clothes were removed. Fu Xingzhou’s kisses slowly moved downward. Wen Yang’s long hair fell down her back. Her eyes were misty, and her waist trembled slightly under his firm grip.
Later—
The bathtub overflowed.
Water on the floor trickled away.
Wen Yang buried her face in his neck, her fragmented voice was muffled by his kisses. Her long hair was wet, clinging to her waist, her skin pale as snow.
–
A bright red car pulled into the garage. Li Man got out and entered the elevator. She’d had too much coffee and was still energetic. She fiddled with her phone absentmindedly and unlocked the door with her fingerprint.
The lights in the house were all on. When she changed her shoes, she immediately noticed two bunches of fresh flowers on the kitchen island. They were unwrapped, and it seemed like even the thorns on the rose stems hadn’t been removed.
They looked like they had been bought directly from a flower market. The wrapping paper was still stained with bits of soil.
She paused in her steps and tossed her car keys into the box.
She walked to the island, picked up the two bunches of roses, and casually tossed them next to a small low stool near the trash can. Cheng Yanyu was working in the living room and turned his head at the noise, just in time to see the stems of the roses nearly falling into the trash.
Li Man tucked her hair behind her ear. Her voice was still smooth and pleasant as she said, “I don’t keep flowers. I don’t have the energy to care for them. Don’t bring them into the house again.”
Cheng Yanyu stared at the two bunches of roses for a few seconds, then looked up at her. “Do you know what variety these roses are?”
Li Man glanced at him. “I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.”
Cheng Yanyu closed his laptop and stood up, locking eyes with her. “My mom came to Nancheng. She knows about these things. She asked me to bring them to you—to see if you’d like them.”
Li Man looked at him.
In her mind echoed Qin Mu’s words and the dirt-stained paper wrapping on the roses. She wiped her hands and said, “Really, there’s no need. I’m not interested in flowers.”
Cheng Yanyu stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, “Is it that you’re not interested in flowers—or not interested in people?”
That hit a nerve.
Li Man raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, little brother?”
Little brother.
Cheng Yanyu didn’t reply. What he saw in his mind was Zheng Guili selecting roses at the windowsill. The specially cultivated roses weren’t cheap and looked even more beautiful once they bloomed.
Zheng Guili had carefully chosen them and mentioned that they shouldn’t be wrapped, as packaging would hinder blooming. They were best placed in a vase, and within two or three days, they’d open up.
The vase he ordered hadn’t arrived yet—it was still on the way.
Li Man poured a glass of water and said, “Nike hasn’t been home lately. If she were here, those roses wouldn’t last anyway.”
Cheng Yanyu bent down and tossed the roses into the trash. He looked up and said, “Is that so?”
Li Man nodded.
Cheng Yanyu took the opportunity to ask, “My mom wants to have a meal with you. Are you free, Director Li?”
Li Man sipped her warm water.
They stood across from each other at the kitchen island, and perhaps both of them were reminded of their first meeting—or perhaps something else entirely. Li Man didn’t answer right away. She said, “That’s very thoughtful of her. When are they heading back to Nan’an?”
Cheng Yanyu looked at her and replied, “In three days.”
Li Man said, “Alright.”
After answering, a trace of regret crept into her heart. She drank her water, feeling a bit annoyed. Cheng Yanyu sat down again. The roses now sat quietly in the trash. His phone buzzed with a message.
It was from Zheng Guili.
Zheng Guili: Did you put the roses in a vase?
Cheng Yanyu typed: I did.
Zheng Guili: That’s good. Does she like them?
Cheng Yanyu: They’re okay.
After sending it, his fingers felt numb.
–
The next morning.
Wen Yang got up from the bed. After washing up, she went looking for Fu Xingzhou. He was talking with Jiang Yue in the entertainment room, discussing business while playing chess. Wen Yang greeted Aunt Zhong, then pushed open the entertainment room door.
She walked in and approached the chessboard, watching his moves. She reached out to interfere.
Fu Xingzhou released the king piece and let her take a turn.
Wen Yang studied the board and moved the black king forward. She looked up at him for confirmation—he nodded in approval.
She made several more moves in a row, breaking his setup.
And she actually did break it.
Wen Yang’s eyes curved into a smile as she looked up at him.
Fu Xingzhou’s eyes twinkled with amusement. He mouthed silently, “Nicely done.”
After hanging up the phone,
Fu Xingzhou asked gently, “Are you free today?”
Wen Yang asked, “What’s up?”
Fu Xingzhou’s voice was clear: “I want to take you somewhere.”
Sansukini: Cheng Yanyu lost more than his wife when he chose lust, he also lost the sincerity of a person who loved him and his family. Li Man wasn’t even trying to fake or hide her disdain for his family.
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