It wаs аlrеаdу hаlf past tеn аt night whеn thеу returned to Нuguаng Mansiоn.
This hour соuldn’t bе соnsidеred latе into the night, but the surroundings had alrеаdy fаllen quiеt. Тhе сar рullеd uр smооthly аt the entranсе. Fu Mingуu looked uр and saw оnly the lights оn thе first flооr wеrе оn, with ocсаsionаl shаdоws moving bеneаth thеm.
The mаin dоor wаs tightly shut, and as Fu Мingyu stepреd оnto thе first stair, scratсhing sоunds сamе frоm insidе.
Аs Аuntiе Luo орenеd the dоor, the gоlden rеtriеvеr rushed оut, сirсling аround Fu Mingyu’s lеgs.
Fu Mingyu wasn’t in a hurry tо go inside. Hе bent down аnd plауed with Dоudou for a while.
He Lanxiang walked out wrapped in a shawl, leaning against the doorframe and watching for a moment. “Alright, Auntie Luo needs to take Doudou to apply eye drops. Come inside, all of you.”
Hearing this, Fu Mingyu tilted Doudou’s head and examined it. “Is he sick?”
“His eyes are inflamed.” He Lanxiang shot him a sidelong glance. “You don’t even care about your own dog. You didn’t even know he was sick.”
With that, she walked inside. Fu Mingyu turned back and asked Auntie Luo, “Is she in a bad mood today?”
Auntie Luo glanced meaningfully at He Lanxiang’s retreating figure and nodded discreetly.
Once inside, Auntie Luo fetched the eye drops and called Doudou over to apply them.
“I’ll do it.” Fu Mingyu took the bottle from her and walked toward the sofa. Doudou wagged his tail and followed him.
He Lanxiang sat on the sofa flipping through a book, silent.
The room was very quiet, with only Doudou occasionally whimpering.
After all, he was a dog. No matter how well-behaved he usually was, he still fidgeted when it came time for medication.
Fu Mingyu failed to apply the drops several times. Impatiently, he set the bottle aside and said to Auntie Luo, “You’d better do it.”
Doudou was already five years old. He had been sent to the Fu family when he was just two months old.
At first, He Lanxiang wasn’t sure whether to keep him. She didn’t like cats or dogs, but she also felt lonely at home alone. Her eldest son, Fu Shengyu, was stationed overseas in the company’s international division year-round, and they rarely saw each other. Her younger son was in the country, but it was almost as if he weren’t—even when he was right in front of her, he hardly spoke.
Back then, He Lanxiang was hesitant, but it was Fu Mingyu who said they could keep him.
Now, Doudou was five years old. He was usually close to Fu Mingyu, and Fu Mingyu was extremely patient with him, occasionally even bathing him himself.
But this was the first time he had shown such impatience.
He Lanxiang glanced at him sideways. “Did something unpleasant happen at work today?”
“No.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
He Lanxiang flipped the pages of her book forcefully, giving him a cold look. “The older you get, the more tight-lipped you become.”
Fu Mingyu didn’t respond further. He stood up and prepared to go upstairs.
A housekeeping auntie passed by him carrying some miscellaneous items. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed she was holding an open box containing a neatly folded silk scarf embroidered with the character “Xian.”
He paused for just a second. The auntie keenly noticed his gaze and stopped to ask, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
Fu Mingyu asked, “What is this?”
Based on his understanding of He Lanxiang, she generally didn’t own silk scarves embroidered with characters.
Even if she did, they would only be items custom-made by brands, embroidered with the character “Xiang.”
Sure enough, He Lanxiang, who was nearby, said, “A gift from someone.”
Then, she flipped through the book in her hands and muttered quietly, “I don’t know what they’re showing off. Who would wear a silk scarf embroidered with someone else’s name? If the pattern weren’t so beautiful, I’d have used it to wipe the table.”Hearing the urge to complain in He Lanxiang's tone, Fu Mingyu quickly headed upstairs.
Unfortunately, heaven had other plans. Halfway up, he was still called back.
"Oh, I almost forgot since you didn't mention it." He Lanxiang put down her book and looked up at Fu Mingyu. "Mr. Zheng and his wife are celebrating their wedding anniversary next month and have invited us. But your brother and your father are both abroad recently, and while I could skip others, it wouldn’t be appropriate for just me to show up for Mr. Zheng’s invitation. Remember to come along."
The Mr. Zheng He Lanxiang mentioned had started his business in hotels and was naturally a partner of the airline. This didn’t really need He Lanxiang’s reminder—Fu Mingyu would naturally attend.
"And that natural pearl necklace of yours..."
He Lanxiang suddenly changed her expression, teasingly looking at Fu Mingyu. "It’s been sitting at home for days. Are you still planning to give it away?"
That day, she had asked Fu Mingyu about it, guessing he had bought it as a gift.
A necklace, naturally, was meant for a girl, and since natural pearls were expensive, it was clear the girl’s status was anything but ordinary.
But who would have thought that days had passed, and the pearls hadn’t moved an inch at home.
He Lanxiang had only turned on a warm yellow floor lamp, and Fu Mingyu was already on the stairs. From this distance, his expression was unclear, but his words were audible: "Give it to Mrs. Zheng."
He Lanxiang snorted lightly, slightly displeased, muttering, "Who knows if she’d even appreciate such vulgar things."
Mrs. Zheng was the one who had given He Lanxiang the silk scarf, named Dong Xian.
She was a painter, an artist, unlike He Lanxiang, who ran an art gallery purely for profit.
But He Lanxiang didn’t exactly dislike her—after all, people like them always had to maintain surface harmony.
It was just that He Lanxiang usually couldn’t stand her false pretentiousness.
For example, the silk scarf she gave this time seemed like a casual, inexpensive gift to friends, emphasizing sentiment, with patterns she had painted herself.
But everyone knew the brand that designed and produced the scarf for her was notoriously difficult to work with—even He Lanxiang didn’t have a custom scarf from them.
Thinking of this, He Lanxiang mused again: What’s there to celebrate about a second marriage? I don’t even want my son to go—how inauspicious.
Fortunately, Fu Mingyu left quickly, or he would have had to listen to He Lanxiang’s nagging, which would only have added fuel to his already foul mood.
When he reached the second floor and saw the pearl necklace neatly arranged by Auntie Luo, his irritation only grew.
This necklace was indeed bought for Ruan Sixian, and it was indeed expensive.
During that trip to Lincheng, he had learned about Ruan Sixian’s past while boarding. Later, he went directly to Paris for work, and upon returning, he thought of talking to Ruan Sixian.
Or rather, apologizing to her.
But in Fu Mingyu’s life, he had little experience with "apologizing."
So he thought of choosing an expensive gift to externalize his apology, lest that ancestor think he lacked sincerity due to his reticence.
But now, Fu Mingyu’s mind echoed with that song while also recalling everything that had happened recently.
Suddenly, it felt unnecessary, completely unnecessary.
An apology?
It wasn’t entirely his fault to begin with. Tolerating her again and again was already his greatest concession.
Besides, Ruan Sixian’s actions had long exceeded his limits of endurance—Meanwhile, the flight that had been delayed for several hours due to weather conditions finally took off.
Earlier, while waiting, the passengers had been restless, and the cabin crew couldn’t calm them down. It wasn’t until the captain personally stepped in that the passengers settled.
Once the plane reached cruising altitude, Captain Fan ordered a cup of tea, took a leisurely sip, and asked Co-pilot Yu, “When did you say you’re getting married again?”
“Next year,” Co-pilot Yu replied with a smile. “Why, do you have some wisdom to share?”
Captain Fan waved his hands dismissively. “No, no, women are all the same after marriage. Just resign yourself to being the obedient one.”
Then he turned to Ruan Sixian and asked, “Xiao Ruan, do you have a boyfriend?”
Before Ruan Sixian could answer, Co-pilot Yu chimed in, “Here we go again, Captain Fan. You’re only in your early fifties—how have you already taken up matchmaking? Don’t tell me you’ve been skipping home after flights to go square dancing instead?”
“Get out of here!” Captain Fan pretended to swat at him, then chuckled. “I’m just asking. Xiao Ruan is so outstanding—she must have a boyfriend, right?”
Ruan Sixian said she didn’t, and Captain Fan nodded, dropping the subject.
But a few minutes later, he couldn’t resist turning back to ask, “Well… my son is twenty-four this year, a year younger than you. He’s about to graduate with a master’s degree and has already signed a job offer at a research institute.”
“Here, let me finish for you,” Co-pilot Yu interjected. “Xiao Ruan, would you like to meet my son?”
Captain Fan didn’t deny it, just smiled at Ruan Sixian.
Having just dealt with Yan An yesterday, Ruan Sixian wasn’t in the mood to meet anyone new, but she didn’t want to say so directly.
“I’m… not really considering that kind of thing right now.”
“Huh?” Co-pilot Yu asked in surprise. “Not considering it yet?”
Captain Fan shot him a glare and said, “No problem, no problem. Career comes first. Then why don’t you tell me what kind of person you like? I’ll keep an eye out for you. I know plenty of single captains, researchers—all promising young men.”
Though he claimed to be keeping an eye out for Ruan Sixian, he was really trying to hear her preferences to see if his son fit the bill.
Under their curious gazes, Ruan Sixian lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. Strangely, a face popped into her mind.
“I like someone humble.”
“Someone with self-awareness.”
Captain Fan asked, “That’s it? That’s too abstract. Anything more specific? Like profession, height, looks?”
He noticed Ruan Sixian’s expression turn odd, as if she’d thought of something.
“Profession… something decent is fine. Doesn’t need to make too much money. Height doesn’t need to be too tall—I don’t like overly tall people. As for looks…”
She paused.
“Average is fine.”
Otherwise, they might get too full of themselves.
Co-pilot Yu said, “Your requirements aren’t high at all. Seems like you’re someone who values feelings.”
Ruan Sixian didn’t say anything more.
Who doesn’t value feelings when it comes to relationships? Unfortunately, feelings are the hardest thing to pin down.
Two hours later, the plane landed in Jiangcheng.
Due to the delay, Ruan Sixian didn’t get home until 2 a.m. She took a shower and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, sleeping dreamlessly through the night.
Soon, June arrived, marking the start of the peak season for aviation, with flights increasing day by day.
Ruan Sixian’s life became a routine between the airport and home, with occasional visits to Bian Xuan’s shop. In the blink of an eye, over half a month had passed.That morning, Ruan Sixian went out for a run. While waiting for the elevator, she noticed the number displayed on the panel was stuck on the 18th floor.
It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t seen Fu Mingyu at Mingchen for nearly half a month.
Was he on a business trip?
Probably not—she had caught a glimpse of him in the company just a couple of days ago.
Lost in thought, the elevator doors suddenly slid open, and Ruan Sixian almost wondered if she was hallucinating.
No way, speak of the devil?
Inside the elevator, Fu Mingyu naturally noticed Ruan Sixian as well.
Their gazes met briefly before he averted his eyes, showing no further reaction.
He had worked until three in the morning the previous night and had an early meeting today, so he had stayed here overnight.
Actually, this had been his routine all along.
Ruan Sixian stepped inside, standing on the opposite side of the elevator. For a moment, neither of them spoke, as if they were complete strangers.
In the confined, narrow space, the atmosphere was undeniably awkward.
The elevator descended smoothly and came to a stop on the eighth floor.
A sudden sense of foreboding washed over Ruan Sixian.
Ever since that Labrador had entered from the eighth floor last time, she had remembered this floor. Every time the elevator stopped here, she would tense up.
The elevator doors slowly opened.
Ruan Sixian: "..."
Today really seemed to be a day where her thoughts came true.
And today, this Labrador seemed even more energetic.
As soon as it entered, it began bouncing around the elevator and even scratched Ruan Sixian’s pants with its paw.
Ruan Sixian was so startled she nearly screamed, retreating to the corner and pressing herself against the wall.
This time, the person walking the dog was a young girl who couldn’t control it, so she could only look apologetically at Ruan Sixian.
Meanwhile, Fu Mingyu, standing nearby, remained expressionless as he looked at his phone, seemingly oblivious to the scene.
No, this was suffocating.
Ruan Sixian wanted to reach out and press the elevator button—she wanted to get out immediately and wait for the next one. Unfortunately, she was stuck in the corner, too afraid to move, and her hand couldn’t reach the buttons.
Just then, Fu Mingyu, who had been silent all along, suddenly moved.
—He reached out and pressed the button for the fifth floor.
The elevator had just reached the sixth floor, and only a few seconds after Fu Mingyu pressed the button, it stopped on the fifth floor.
As the doors slowly opened, Fu Mingyu tilted his head slightly, glanced at Ruan Sixian, lowered his gaze, and gave a faint nod toward the exit.
The meaning was clear: You may leave now.
Ruan Sixian didn’t even notice the subtlety of his expression—she took two or three quick steps and hurried out.
As her nerves settled slightly, she let out a sigh of relief and wanted to thank Fu Mingyu.
But as she turned around, she saw the elevator doors closing.
And Fu Mingyu was still looking down at his phone, his expression as blank as ever.
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