Ruаn Siхiаn stооd uр and walkеd tоwаrd Fu Мingуu.
She was tall аnd lоng-legged, сovering thе twо оr thrее mеters in just a fеw strides, yet she moved with dеlibеratе slownеss.
Тhе рeорlе bеhind hеr assumеd she was shy, wаtсhing her rеtreating figure with аmused interеst.
Only Fu Мingуu, sеаtеd оn thе sofa, сlеarlу sаw thе loоk in Ruan Siхiаn’s eyеs.
Shе starеd straight at him, her аdorned eуеlids rеveаling fine, scattеrеd sеquins under thе dim light—flесks оf gоld thаt shimmerеd аlongsidе the fаint gleam in hеr puрils.
It lооked bеаutiful, but nоt еxactlу gentle.
As she drew nеar and leаned in, their еyеs mеt, clаshing in that instant.
Ruan Sixian’s gaze seemed to say, “If you dare entertain any devious ideas today, you’ll find yourself on a straw boat tomorrow.”
A moment later, Fu Mingyu raised his arm, chips spread across his palm.
“Go ahead.”
Ruan Sixian smiled, snatched the chips from his hand, and said, “Thank you, President Fu. I’d feel bad taking them for free—if I lose, deduct it from my bonus.”
Fu Mingyu glanced at her and chuckled softly.
After all those twists and turns, he was still the one footing the bill.
Ruan Sixian turned away with the chips. “Let’s continue. It’s still early—who wins or loses remains to be seen.”
“…”
Everyone suddenly felt a hint of schadenfreude, their eyes darting back and forth toward Fu Mingyu.
They had assumed this “friend” Fu Mingyu brought was practically just a prefix away from being something more, but it seemed now that the gap was still wide.
After taking her seat, Ruan Sixian had just touched her cards when she suddenly called for a pause.
“Wait a moment, I need to use the restroom.”
She stood up and pointed at Fu Mingyu. “Don’t touch my cards. I’ll handle them myself.”
The private room had its own restroom. After Ruan Sixian closed the door, Zhu Dong and Ji Yan exchanged smug glances at Fu Mingyu.
See?
She’s not buying into your act.
Only Yan An let out a genuine laugh—though it was a cold one.
He straightened his cards and turned to ask Fu Mingyu, “President Fu, isn’t this the benefit of having money?”
Fu Mingyu ignored him, stood up, placed the remaining chips from the tray onto Ruan Sixian’s table, and returned to the sofa.
Sometimes, interruptions during a game are considered bad luck.
For instance, after Ruan Sixian went to the restroom, everyone suspected she had returned with a new pair of hands.
Over the next hour, she orchestrated a clear-cut “comeback” performance.
Like an emotionless money-harvesting machine, she won hand after hand, decisive and merciless.
Every time they saw her eyes gleam with sharp delight as she collected her winnings, Zhu Dong and Ji Yan even faintly suspected she was taking revenge.
When the game ended, Ruan Sixian tallied her earnings and declared triumphantly, “I won it all back.”
Fu Mingyu raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “Impressive.”
After his words, the room fell into a subtle silence.
Things had unfolded in a way Zhu Dong, Ji Yan, and the others hadn’t expected, and Zhu Dong’s girlfriend even began to sense that her attempt to help earlier might have backfired.
Everyone stood up and headed toward the dining area together.
Zhu Dong asked Zheng You’an if she wanted to join them, and she didn’t refuse.
She only grew more and more confused.
On the way to the restaurant, she turned and whispered to Yan An, “What exactly is their relationship?”
Yan An tilted his head, looking at his phone. “Just what you see.”
“What do I see?”
Yan An glanced up at Fu Mingyu ahead and said coldly, “When have you ever seen Fu Mingyu bring a woman out to play cards and let her lose as she pleases?”This sentence shattered all the confusion of the night, making everything crystal clear to Zheng You'an.
She stared in disbelief at the two people walking side by side ahead.
Weren't men supposed to be all unreliable? Yet here was someone enjoying the feast more than anyone else???
How could such a person exist?
Was this some new modern tactic to fend off romantic rivals?
Yan An glanced sideways at her, noticing her expression had completely cracked, her steps even slowing down.
Considering her history with Fu Mingyu and how she had insisted on tagging along to sit with them today, Yan An instantly understood her mental state at this moment.
"Not happy?"
Zheng You'an forced a smile. "Why would I be unhappy?"
It was just a feeling of betrayal, that's all.
Yan An narrowed his eyes. "But I'm not happy. Damn it."
After playing cards all afternoon, it wasn't physically exhausting, but it was mentally draining. The atmosphere at the dinner table was much more relaxed.
Once everyone realized Fu Mingyu's situation was different from what they had imagined, they stopped teasing the two of them.
Listening to their casual work-related chatter, Ruan Sixian stayed out of the conversation, focusing entirely on her meal.
But she could still feel Zheng You'an's death glares directed at her from time to time.
Ruan Sixian genuinely felt a bit guilty under her gaze, so she pretended not to notice.
However, just as she was about to pick up a piece of braised pig's trotter, that icy stare from across the table completely killed her appetite.
As soon as she put down her chopsticks, Zheng You'an propped her chin on her hand and looked at her. "What's wrong? The pig's trotter not to your taste? I saw you enjoying it earlier."
Ruan Sixian shot her a heavy look. "It's fine. I'm full."
Fu Mingyu beside her turned to look. "Not eating more?"
Ruan Sixian forced a smile. "No need, thank you."
Seeing this, Ji Yan asked the server to bring Ruan Sixian some dessert.
Being the oldest among them, he had always played the role of an older brother, looking out for everyone. Noticing Ruan Sixian had finished eating and remembering Yan An had been quiet all day, drinking alone during dinner, he asked, "By the way, Yan An, how's it going with that female pilot from World Airlines? Did you win her over?"
Ruan Sixian choked on a mouthful of expensive coconut bird's nest soup.
Fu Mingyu glanced at Ji Yan without changing his expression, while the latter remained completely unaware of anything amiss.
He hadn't attended Zhu Dong's girlfriend's birthday party last time, so he didn't know the situation and was genuinely concerned about his friend's romantic life.
"What's going on?" Zheng You'an asked casually. "You pursued a female pilot from World Airlines?"
Hearing the question, Zhu Dong didn't mind. There was nothing to hide about such matters, but he felt sorry for reopening Yan An's old wounds, so he answered on his behalf: "That's all in the past. Let's not bring it up."
Yan An, suddenly put on the spot, felt helpless. He took a big gulp of wine, pretending to be too drunk to hear.
But reality reminded Ruan Sixian that money wasn't so easily earned.
As soon as Zhu Dong finished speaking, his girlfriend asked, "By the way, Miss Ruan, where do you work?"
Ruan Sixian: "..."
For the first time in her life, she felt ashamed to mention her profession.
"Oh... I work at World Airlines."
"What do you do there?"
Zheng You'an suddenly blinked and answered for her: "She's the female pilot from World Airlines."
"..."
The atmosphere at the table instantly froze because of Zheng You'an's words.
Several pairs of eyes immediately shot toward Ruan Sixian and Fu Mingyu.She covered her mouth, letting out an "ah" that directly pierced the awkwardness hanging in the air.
Ruan Sixian smiled stiffly while her hand under the table fiercely pinched Fu Mingyu's thigh.
Fu Mingyu held her hand, his expression calm and composed as he looked at Zheng You'an.
"Yes, she's the female pilot I worked hard to recruit. Is there a problem?"
The implication was clear, the subtext firm, leaving Zheng You'an momentarily at a loss for words.
Finally, the topic came to an abrupt halt when Yan An, his face flushed and neck red from drinking, slumped onto the table with a "thud."
The meal ended early, with everyone forcing smiles.
As Ruan Sixian stepped out of the hall, a cold breeze swept over her, and she finally felt like she had come back to life.
At the same time, Bian Xuan and Si Xiaozhen messaged her in the group chat, asking how her day had been. She replied with one sentence:
"Money isn't easy to earn. Let's all be more frugal from now on."
After getting into the car, Ruan Sixian and Fu Mingyu sat on opposite sides, as if a dividing line had been drawn between them.
She stared gloomily out the window, not saying a word.
She shouldn’t have let herself be swayed into agreeing to attend this dinner with Fu Mingyu. What couldn’t she have done with this time instead of experiencing a living hell?
Fu Mingyu saw Ruan Sixian's expression reflected in the car window and asked, "Tired?"
"Ten times over."
"What?"
Ruan Sixian suddenly turned to glare at him. "Ten times the quarterly bonus!"
"That expensive?"
Expensive?
Ruan Sixian wanted to punch him right then and there.
She hadn’t actually been asking for money—she just wanted to express how unbearable the treatment she’d endured today had been, using the quarterly bonus as a measure. And he actually thought it was too much?!
Ruan Sixian seriously suspected he’d amassed his fortune by being stingy.
Too lazy to deal with this miserly man, she turned back to gaze at the streetlights outside.
Half a minute later, Ruan Sixian’s phone chimed.
She took it out and saw a WeChat transfer from Fu Mingyu.
It was exactly ten times her quarterly bonus.
[Fu Mingyu]: You worked hard today, Miss Ruan.
After refunding the entire amount, Ruan Sixian typed a reply.
[Ruan Sixian]: Well, since you were fairly prompt, I’ll give you a 0% discount.
[Fu Mingyu]: Then can Miss Ruan turn around and talk to me now?
Ruan Sixian glanced up and saw her reflection overlapping with Fu Mingyu’s in the window, but she could also see him smiling.
For some reason, her heart fluttered nervously, as if turning around would plunge her into some abyss.
[Ruan Sixian]: I’m going to sleep for a bit.
After sending those words, she leaned her head against the window and immediately closed her eyes.
Since Warner Manor was located on a mountain in the western suburbs, the winding road and the driver’s slow pace had a hypnotic effect.
About ten minutes later, Ruan Sixian was truly drowsy, her head swaying left and right with the curves of the road.
Suddenly, a warm presence drew near.
In her half-conscious state, she instinctively leaned toward the warmth, tilting her head until it rested on the shoulder of the person beside her.
Fu Mingyu’s hand slowly slipped through the gap between her back and the seat, holding her securely in his arms so she wouldn’t sway with the motion of the car.
The car slowly descended the mountain, entering the bustling city with its neon lights.
Fu Mingyu lowered his head and found her face close to his. The multicolored neon lights filtering through the window danced like tiny sequins across Ruan Sixian’s face.
He caught the scent of oranges from her, and a few strands of her hair brushed against his neck, tickling him.It was as if some primal instinct had taken over; by the time he regained his senses, he had already planted a kiss on her forehead.
Though it was merely a fleeting touch, it still evoked a sense of having stolen a forbidden moment.
At this thought, Fu Mingyu smiled self-deprecatingly.
He lifted his head, trying to shift his focus and dispel the self-mockery in his heart, turning to look out the window.
He did not notice the frantic heartbeat of the person in his arms.
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