Wen Yang’s thoughts were scattered — today she had been shaken by what Li Man said. When Fu Xingzhou suddenly spoke, she was slightly stunned. She looked up at him. Fu Xingzhou gently brushed her hair and said, “You can think about it. There’s no need to rush to give me an answer.”
Wen Yang looked at his handsome face.
Strictly speaking, they had been together for less than five months. But it was undeniable — in these few months, her life had been stable in all aspects.
There was also warmth. Sweetness.
He was a very charming man — in appearance, actions, and mind. Just like the reason she agreed to date him in the beginning — he gave her a sense of security. During their time together, that hadn’t changed. Even when he was in Hong Kong, no matter how late it was, he would always contact her — calls, voice messages, video chats. Mostly video chats.
He ordered a lot of clothes and accessories for her, never saying anything directly, just having them delivered to her dressing room. This made her feel no pressure, and their relationship remained simple and pure.
Most importantly, during all this time, no other woman had appeared in his life. When she casually looked through his phone, aside from Jiang Yue, his other assistants were all men. The company in Hong Kong had a female executive, whom Wen Yang had seen during a video meeting, but there was no trace of her on either of Fu Xingzhou’s phones.
Later, she heard that Jiang Yue was the one in contact with everyone else, because Fu Xingzhou didn’t like dealing with these things himself — he found them troublesome.
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Ww Dkdtgbsw dseele. “Xq nswapl. Nkjl R pyke, vblal’p ds awpb.”
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Eld Zydt zssjle wr yde xlv bkp tygl.
Yes, that was true.
They had both approached this relationship seriously from the very beginning.
Fu Xingzhou leaned down and kissed her forehead. The warmth of his lips made her close her eyes — it felt so intimate. He said softly, “Come with me somewhere tomorrow.”
Wen Yang nodded in his arms.
—
The next morning.
The sun was shining. When Wen Yang woke up, Fu Xingzhou was already outside, on the phone, handling work. After washing up, Aunt Zhong knocked on her door — a rare occurrence. She smiled and pointed to the dress that had arrived yesterday. “Yangyang, this one suits you very well.”
Wen Yang poked her head out to look. She took it down — a French-style cinched-waist dress. It looked formal.
When she put it on, it made her skin appear fairer, but also gave her a more mature look.
Aunt Zhong nodded with a smile. “It really looks beautiful.”
Wen Yang smiled. “Thank you for the compliment, Aunt Zhong.”
She picked up a pair of matching heels and walked out with them. Fu Xingzhou was still on the phone. When he turned around and saw her dressed like this, he was genuinely taken aback by how stunning she looked.
He had eaten breakfast earlier — he got up earlier to handle work.
Wen Yang sat down for breakfast. Aunt Zhong had prepared oat milk for her — the oats were crispy and fragrant. After she finished eating, Fu Xingzhou had already ended his call and was waiting for her, holding his jacket.
Wen Yang got up to put on her shoes.
She rarely wore high heels, so these were low-heeled ones. Once she put them on, they made her legs look long and straight. Fu Xingzhou offered his arm to steady her. Wen Yang stabilized herself and could walk comfortably.
She glanced at him and said, “I don’t wear them often, but I still can. I used to.”
Fu Xingzhou opened the door and asked softly, “When did you wear them?”
“In college. I had to participate in a dance competition. I danced in heels and practiced for ages. I spent a whole summer running around in them.”
Fu Xingzhou listened quietly.
He could imagine her seriously learning to wear heels.
He said, “You look great in heels. Very beautiful.”
Wen Yang’s ears turned slightly red.
Jiang Yue had already brought the car around and was waiting downstairs. Wen Yang and Fu Xingzhou got in. The black sedan started up. Wen Yang looked out the window, a little curious about where they were going, but decided to let the surprise be.
The road they took became broader and broader, with fields on both sides. Soon, the car stopped at the entrance of a cemetery. Wen Yang’s heart skipped a beat when she saw it.
She turned to look at Fu Xingzhou.
He pinched her nose gently and said, “Today’s my dad’s death anniversary.”
Wen Yang was startled.
“You should’ve told me earlier. I didn’t prepare anything.”
“You coming with me is the best preparation.”
Wen Yang paused, then got out of the car with him. Jiang Yue retrieved cigars, flowers, and wine from the trunk. Wen Yang held the bouquet — a bunch of Mermaid Rose. She looked at Fu Xingzhou.
Fu Xingzhou said, “Give him your favorite flowers. He’ll be happy.”
Wen Yang pursed her lips and held onto his arm. She suddenly realized why Aunt Zhong had wanted her to wear this dress today — she knew where they were going and wanted Wen Yang to look presentable.
As they climbed the steps, Fu Xingzhou said softly, “My dad was from Nancheng. My mom’s from Hong Kong.”
“Qingzhou was originally the Qiu family’s. Our Fu family has its own industries. When my parents got married, the Qiu family was a mess. My dad had no choice but to take over and run it, because it was my grandparents’ life’s work.”
Wen Yang listened to him as they climbed the long stairs. She looked up at him.
His tone was calm, without any strong emotion. He led her up one more step, and they arrived at the highest point, in front of a gravestone. The man in the picture had handsome features and a faint smile. He looked very much like Fu Xingzhou.
His name was engraved on the stone.
—Fu Li’an.
Jiang Yue placed down a whole box of cigars, and Fu Xingzhou put down the wine in his hand. Wen Yang bent down and gently placed the flowers next to the wine. The pinkish-blue Mermaid Princess roses were bright and beautiful, and they even somewhat complemented the man in the photo.
Fu Xingzhou looked at the man on the tombstone and said to Wen Yang, “It was very difficult to take over Qingzhou. My dad endured for many years to pull it up, but during the 1998 financial crisis, it almost cost him his life.”
Wen Yang listened, her heart trembling. She looked at the man by her side.
Fu Xingzhou continued, “That year, the financial crisis hit—Hong Kong fell into a major recession. Qingzhou should have gone bankrupt then. My father held on bitterly, selling all his shares in the Fu family’s industries, and barely made it until the national bailout.”
As Wen Yang listened, her eyes reddened. She turned to look at the man on the tombstone.
Fu Xingzhou spoke in a calm tone, “After that, my father’s health began to decline. By 2008, it reached its peak. Though Qingzhou began to recover that year, his body couldn’t hold on anymore. A few years later, he passed away from illness.”
“He didn’t get to see Qingzhou at its most glorious. The years he left behind were all difficult ones.”
Wen Yang’s eyes were completely red.
Fu Xingzhou gently wiped her tears with his fingertips, saying, “That’s also why my mother refuses to return to Hong Kong. She believes the Qiu family—and Hong Kong—took her husband from her.”
“She feels the pain stems from being part of the Qiu family.”
Wen Yang listened, feeling heartache and also like this was the closest she had ever been to him. He had never spoken about the cause of his father’s death before. But now that he did, the pain and struggle involved clearly couldn’t be summed up in just a few sentences.
Fu Xingzhou used a tissue to wipe her tears. “That’s why from the moment I took over Qingzhou, I had one goal: to make sure it never falls.”
Wen Yang spoke softly, “You’ve done so well.”
Now, Qingzhou was renowned in both Hong Kong and Nancheng. It had become a true giant.
When the tissues ran out, Fu Xingzhou used his fingertip to wipe her tears again. He said, “I just happened to be born at the right time.”
“That’s because you’re capable,” Wen Yang replied gently, offering genuine praise without hesitation.
Fu Xingzhou looked at her, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Thank you.”
Wen Yang, still holding his arm, looked at the man on the tombstone and asked, “Did Uncle love you a lot?”
Fu Xingzhou followed her gaze and said, “I suppose so. No matter how busy he was, he always remembered the things I liked.”
Wen Yang said, “Then he must’ve loved you deeply. People often forget their closest ones when they’re busy. My dad used to be like that—once he got into a project, he’d forget even my birthday.”
“Later, my mom would call and scold him, and he’d rush home, tail between his legs. To make it up to me, he’d buy me two gifts.”
“You see, Uncle was even better than my dad,” Wen Yang added, looking up at him.
Fu Xingzhou looked at her eyes and listened to her words, and a faint smile appeared in his own.
“Mm.”
He opened the bottle of wine, crouched down slightly, and poured it into a cup.
Then he lit a cigar and rested it on the wine glass. Still half-crouching, he gazed at the photograph of his father.
Wen Yang stood beside him, accompanying him.
He said nothing. He just waited for the cigar to burn out, then lit another.
When all the cigars had burned away and the sun had risen high in the sky, Jiang Yue brought over a hat. Fu Xingzhou took it and placed it on Wen Yang’s head. Coincidentally, it was the one he’d bought for her in the old town—it matched many of her outfits.
Wen Yang took his arm, and the two of them walked down the steps.
Thinking back on his behavior just now, Wen Yang suddenly recalled something Lu Zhan had once said. She looked up at him.
Fu Xingzhou noticed her gaze and turned his head. “Hm?”
Wen Yang smiled and said, “I remembered that Mr. Lu once said you…”
“Said what?”
“That you didn’t know how to love.”
Fu Xingzhou raised an eyebrow. “He says that often. What do you think?”
As the woman currently in a relationship with him, madly in love with him even, Wen Yang knew best—how could he not know how to love? He absolutely did. His love was just more restrained. Maybe he didn’t say it out loud, but in his heart, he understood, respected, and even deeply loved.
Just like his attitude toward his father—few words, seemingly indifferent. But he understood his father’s pain, understood his mother’s sorrow, and he knew what his father had wanted, what he had been striving for.
And he was fulfilling those things in his father’s place.
How could a man like that not know how to love?
Of course he could.
Wen Yang looked up at him and said, “I think Mr. Lu’s view is a bit one-sided.”
Fu Xingzhou looked at her for a few seconds, then gently asked, “So, are you afraid to marry me?”
Wen Yang met his eyes. On this long stone staircase, with Jiang Yue behind them holding a parasol that shaded half the sunlight, she was quiet for a few seconds, then softly shook her head and gave him the answer he was testing for:
“No. I’m not afraid.”
Fu Xingzhou heard her, and his eyes darkened with emotion.
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Oh my god this is so sad and cute at the same time.
This episode is full of emotion.
I like the fact that the relationship is serious from the start. They were heading somewhere not just dating for the purpose of dating. They’re going to be okay.