Тоnight, thе mоst trоublеd persоn wаs Zhеng Yоu'аn.
Lying on the hоtеl bed, she kеpt oреning WеСhаt—first Ruаn Sixian's сhat window, then Fu Mingyu's—but hesitаtеd to tаke thе nехt stеp.
Тhоsе twо wеre а couplе, sо it seеmed like no mаtter which оne she соnfеssеd tо, thе оutcomе wоuld be thе sаmе.
Zheng Yоu'an hаd nеver beеn in suсh a рredicamеnt before, аnd shе nоw deеply understооd thе meаning оf "trоublе соmes frоm thе mouth."
Shе had оnly wantеd to brush оff hеr fаther аnd stор him frоm forcing her аnd Fu Mingyu together. Вut she hadn’t eхpeсted Ruаn Siхian tо end up with Fu Mingyu, nor had she anticipated that Dong Xian’s biological daughter would be Ruan Sixian, let alone that Dong Xian would just tell Ruan Sixian about it.
The jokes of fate are always intricately linked.
Although Zheng You'an didn’t think much of Fu Mingyu as a person, breaking up a couple was a sin, no matter how unpopular that couple might be.
Besides, the male lead of this couple was not someone to be trifled with.
Zheng You'an rolled back and forth on the bed a few times, then lay face down, pounding her pillow frantically.
Suddenly, she sat up, her hair disheveled, and sat cross-legged. After thinking it over, she sent a message to Yan An.
[Zheng You'an]: Brother Yan An, wanna chat for a bit?
It was already eleven at night, and the bar was filled with booming music and swirling smoke.
Yan An thought he’d had too much to drink. He glanced at his wristwatch to make sure he hadn’t misread the time.
[Yan An]: At this hour, you want to chat with me?
[Zheng You'an]: I want to ask a question. Suppose you have a girlfriend, and you two have a great relationship. Then someone slanders you in front of her, saying you’re a player and unfaithful. What would you do?
Yan An thought about it and felt the question was tricky to answer.
Because that wasn’t slander—it was the damn truth.
[Yan An]: It’s fine, just clear up the misunderstanding. 【Smirk】
[Zheng You'an]: No, I mean, what would you do to the person who slandered you?
[Yan An]: Depends if it’s a man or a woman. If it’s a woman, I’d let it slide. If it’s a man, I’d kill him.
[Zheng You'an]: What about Fu Mingyu? What would he do?
[Yan An]: Him? He’s petty. Doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman—he’d kill them all.
Zheng You'an collapsed onto the bed with a whimper.
[Yan An]: Why are you asking about him again? Still can’t let go?
[Zheng You'an]: Don’t joke around.
Right now, it’s more likely that he won’t let me off the hook.
The next day, on the return trip, it started raining. By the time they reached Jiangcheng, the clouds were low, and the plane circled for nearly half an hour before landing.
Fu Mingyu’s monitoring information was very punctual. As soon as Ruan Sixian got off the plane, she received his message.
Ruan Sixian dragged her flight case, walking quickly.
Fu Mingyu : Come wait for me in the office?
Ruan Sixian looked up toward the building and could faintly make out a familiar figure standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.
Ruan Sixian : No, I’ll go home first. Come over for dinner.
Fu Mingyu received the message, glanced downstairs, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Fu Mingyu : You’re cooking today?
Back at his desk, Zhu Dong called.
Zhu Dong: “Free tonight? Let’s grab dinner together?”
Fu Mingyu was in a good mood and shook his head. “Can’t make it. Got plans.”
As soon as he hung up, Ji Yan called.
“I’m going abroad on a long business trip. Come have dinner tonight to see me off.”
“Not coming,” Fu Mingyu said. “Having dinner with my girlfriend tonight.”"Join us," Ji Yan said. "It's lively with more people today; just the two of you would be lonely."
Fu Mingyu smiled without a word. After a moment of silence, Ji Yan sighed, "Alright then, go enjoy your alone time."
Feeling in high spirits, Fu Mingyu doubled his efficiency in everything he did.
Ruan Sixian moved quickly too, heading straight to the supermarket to buy ingredients without even changing her clothes. She spent considerable time carefully selecting the ingredients and seasonings, only emerging from the supermarket an hour later.
Back home, she changed into more comfortable clothes and took the groceries into the kitchen. With a swift and emotionless motion, she brought the knife down, cleanly separating the chicken head from its body, which then rolled onto the floor.
She didn’t cook often, usually just making noodles or frozen dumplings for herself. On the rare occasions she attempted more complex dishes, she would follow recipes step by step.
But today, everything went surprisingly smoothly. Each cut of the knife produced evenly sliced meat, uniform in thickness and pleasing to the eye.
Perhaps this was what it meant to cook with love.
At seven in the evening, the doorbell rang.
Ruan Sixian appeared at the door wearing a fitted brown sweater, simple jeans, an apron draped around her neck, and her hair tied back.
Fu Mingyu thought she looked especially gentle today.
"You just got back today. Aren’t you tired? Why cook by yourself?"
He asked.
"Not tired," Ruan Sixian raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Isn’t this my way of giving you a big gift?"
This was her big gift?
Fu Mingyu felt a twinge of disappointment.
He had expected something else.
She pulled Fu Mingyu inside and had him sit on the sofa.
"Wait a bit, it’ll be ready soon."
Seeing Ruan Sixian like this, Fu Mingyu felt a little unaccustomed.
"Do you need any help?"
"No."
Ruan Sixian returned to the kitchen, moving swiftly and skillfully. Soon, she brought out three dishes.
Zaozhuang Spicy Chicken, Chopped Chili Fish Head, and Boiled Sliced Pork.
Looking at the finished dishes, Ruan Sixian was even a little impressed with herself.
Indeed, you never know how capable you are until you push yourself.
But when Fu Mingyu sat down at the table, he was somewhat puzzled by the sea of vibrant red before him.
Ruan Sixian sat across from him and handed him the first pair of chopsticks.
"Try it, I just learned these dishes."
Fu Mingyu held the chopsticks, hesitated for a moment, then took a bite of the Boiled Sliced Pork but said nothing.
"Is it not good?"
Ruan Sixian asked.
"No," Fu Mingyu said. "It’s good."
Ruan Sixian hummed and pointed to the Chopped Chili Fish Head. "Try this one too."
Although Fu Mingyu didn’t particularly enjoy spicy food, he was very conscious of showing respect to his girlfriend. He took a bite and nodded. "Good."
Ruan Sixian then pointed to the Zaozhuang Spicy Chicken. "What about this one?"
Just looking at this dish made it seem a bit hard to swallow.
At that moment, Ruan Sixian stood up to pour a glass of water. Fu Mingyu thought it was for him and reached out to take it, but she held the cup and turned slightly away. "What are you doing? You haven’t tried this dish yet."
It was just a dish, and his girlfriend had personally cooked it. There was no reason not to eat it.
Fu Mingyu very graciously took a bite.
"How is it?" Ruan Sixian asked again.
"Fine," Fu Mingyu said calmly, but then put down his chopsticks.
"Then keep eating."
Ruan Sixian said this with an air of "if you don’t finish it today, it means you don’t love me."
If that were the case, then her big gift was indeed a bit heavy—on the palate.Fu Mingyu now finally sensed that something was off with Ruan Sixian. He lifted his eyes slightly but didn’t ask further, graciously tasting her cooking out of respect.
One bite after another, his throat felt as if on fire, and his back began to sweat faintly.
Yet his expression remained unchanged. He ate elegantly, yet not slowly, and soon a third of the dishes on the plate had disappeared.
His demeanor made even Ruan Sixian believe that these dishes were genuinely good.
Did I invite you here to savor delicious food?
Ruan Sixian felt as if she had punched cotton, frustrated. She angrily picked up her chopsticks and took a bite.
She ate quickly, and before she could taste any other flavors, a wave of spiciness rushed from her mouth to her brain, instantly bringing tears to her eyes.
Fu Mingyu handed her a glass of water, which she immediately took, drinking two mouthfuls to dilute the taste in her mouth, still half-opening her mouth and gasping for air.
Fu Mingyu watched her leisurely, his eyebrows slightly raised, looking almost mocking.
"Next time, use less chili. Clearly, you can’t handle spicy food either."
Ruan Sixian slammed the cup onto the table with great force. "Didn’t you like spicy food?"
Fu Mingyu looked up at her. "Who told you I like spicy food?"
Glancing at the dishes on the table, he added, "My eating habits lean toward lighter flavors. Isn’t this the first time we’ve eaten together? Didn’t you know?"
Ruan Sixian sneered, "Well, I saw you seemed quite fond of that spicy girl yesterday."
That "pretty" comment had nearly infuriated her.
Fu Mingyu narrowed his eyes, trying hard to recall.
He had spent almost the entire day in his office yesterday, with even his meals delivered by the restaurant staff. The people he had seen were either Bai Yang or a few middle managers, all at the age of needing hair transplants or wearing wigs. Where would a spicy girl come from?
"Did I see one?"
Ruan Sixian narrowed her eyes, her gaze dangerous.
Pretending, still pretending.
If you’re so good at pretending, why not change your species to a plastic bag?
In the silence, Fu Mingyu recalled something. "Are you talking about that photo from yesterday?"
He leisurely took out his phone and found the picture. This time, his attention wasn’t on Ruan Sixian’s feet. Looking at the top right corner, he indeed saw four or five bikini-clad women posing seductively.
Ruan Sixian stared at him with a "let’s see how you explain this" expression.
Fu Mingyu lowered his eyes, looking at his phone, and said unhurriedly, "They are quite pretty."
Ruan Sixian took a deep breath. "You—"
"But I was talking about your feet."
Ruan Sixian took out her own phone and looked. Sure enough, her feet were in the frame.
"No, who told you to look at my feet?" Ruan Sixian asked. "Are you a foot fetishist?"
Fu Mingyu put down his phone, picked up some food with his chopsticks, and said calmly, "A foot fetishist? Not exactly. But if it’s you, I might be more than just a foot fetishist."
"..."
How did he manage to say such things so casually, as if he were merely commenting on the weather?
Ruan Sixian exhaled, feeling her cheeks grow warm, unsure whether it was from the spiciness of the food or the flirtatiousness of his words.
Either way, she couldn’t have a normal conversation with him now.
Ruan Sixian took a sip of water and said very seriously, "Did you sleep well last night?"
Fu Mingyu put down his chopsticks, poured himself a glass of water, took a sip, and sat down beside Ruan Sixian. "Just say what you want to say."
Ruan Sixian thought for a moment, then decided to speak directly."I was really annoyed yesterday," she said, looking at Fu Mingyu. "Because I heard some rumors about you."
"Hmm?" Fu Mingyu replied indifferently. "What rumors?"
"Just that you're quite the playboy. Once you're abroad, all restraints disappear—you get lost in the charms of hot girls, and maybe even take them away for a night of passion or something."
Hearing this, Fu Mingyu didn’t seem particularly affected. He lifted his chin slightly. "Go on."
Ruan Sixian wondered why he wasn’t reacting at all. "Don’t you have anything to say?"
Fu Mingyu: "I’d like to hear you finish first."
"I don’t know the specifics," Ruan Sixian said. "Then yesterday, I kept wondering if it was true. After all, the person who told me isn’t the type to make baseless accusations."
After speaking, Ruan Sixian paused, waiting for Fu Mingyu’s response.
She stared at him without blinking, her heart feeling as if it were suspended in midair.
She had thought she could ask this question calmly and rationally, but that wasn’t the case.
Ruan Sixian realized she was quite nervous—at the very least, she cared about this person more than she had imagined.
As for Fu Mingyu, he had no idea who he had offended recently to have such rumors spread about him.
Thinking about who Ruan Sixian might have encountered yesterday, the answer didn’t seem difficult to guess.
He picked up his phone and began scrolling through his contacts.
"What are you doing?" Ruan Sixian asked.
"Was it Zheng You’an who said this?" Fu Mingyu replied. "I’ll call her to confirm. I’d like to ask her when she supposedly saw this."
Seeing that he had already found Zheng You’an’s number and dialed, Ruan Sixian reached out to snatch his phone. "Hey! Don’t!"
But Fu Mingyu raised his hand high, switching the call to speakerphone as Zheng You’an’s ringtone began to play.
"Don’t call, really, don’t!" Ruan Sixian threw herself against him, grabbing his arm to take the phone. "Hang up now!"
Fu Mingyu’s other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.
Ruan Sixian looked up, meeting his gaze as his low voice sounded by her ear.
"Do you really not trust me that much?"
Their breaths suddenly mingled, and Ruan Sixian abruptly stopped struggling. Her hands slowly dropped, resting on his shoulders.
"It’s not that I don’t trust you," she turned her face away, murmuring softly. "For someone as… skilled at kissing as you, it’s only natural to suspect you might be a bit of a flirt."
"Hmm?" Fu Mingyu raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"
Ruan Sixian didn’t know whether he genuinely hadn’t heard or was pretending not to. Seizing the moment he was distracted, she suddenly reached out to end the call.
"Any woman would be upset hearing such things," Ruan Sixian said, clutching his shirt. "But I just want to hear your explanation."
Fu Mingyu slowly put down his phone, his other arm still holding her as he spoke word by word. "There’s no such thing. I’ve never done any of that."
Ruan Sixian lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and nodded.
Alright, as long as it’s not true.
But Fu Mingyu wanted to press further. "Was she talking about that trip to Spain?"
Ruan Sixian felt there was no point hiding this from Fu Mingyu, so she didn’t pretend otherwise.
"Yes."
Fu Mingyu pinched her cheek and said softly, "Back then, my mind was completely filled with you. How could I have noticed any other woman?"
At first glance, those words sounded quite sweet.
But—
Ruan Sixian punched his shoulder. "Stop with the smooth talk. What were we back then for you to have me on your mind?"After speaking, she noticed Fu Mingyu staring intently at her, as if he had understood something.
"Really?"
Fu Mingyu hooked her waist, pulling her closer.
"Really."
Ruan Sixian's chest slowly felt a bit swollen. "You've been... since that time..."
"No," Fu Mingyu said. "Earlier than that."
"Huh? When then?"
"The first time I saw you."
As his words fell, the air suddenly grew quiet.
Two pairs of eyes looked at each other, with a hint of awkwardness.
"No," Fu Mingyu added. "I mean, the first time we met this year."
"..."
"You might not have seen me, but I saw you at the terminal."
"..."
In truth, Fu Mingyu himself hadn't thought about this question before.
It was only when Ruan Sixian asked that he instinctively gave this answer—an unthinking, direct response from his heart.
But if it hadn't been like that, perhaps with his temper, Ruan Sixian would have died eight hundred times over by now.
So that's how it was.
Ruan Sixian curled the corner of her lips. "So you've had designs on me since that early on. You're quite patient."
"You only just realized I'm patient?" Fu Mingyu said. "Aren't I still being patient now?"
There was a hint of mischief in his tone. Ruan Sixian, as if waking from a dream, looked down and realized she had been sitting on his lap the whole time, with his arm around her waist.
She turned her face away, wanting to stand up, but he held her firmly.
"What about you?"
Ruan Sixian stared at him without speaking.
Fu Mingyu: "Hmm?"
Ruan Sixian knew what he was asking.
—When did you start liking me?
But Ruan Sixian truly didn't know.
The only emotional milestone she could pinpoint was the day she agreed to be his girlfriend.
She had never had much desire for a relationship. When Yan An came along, she thought he might be okay, but after getting to know him, she realized it wasn't quite right, and her interest faded even more.
Moreover, ever since her parents divorced, she felt that even a couple who had been together for over a decade, with children already grown, could just walk away, rendering all those years meaningless.
And relationships without the support of a marriage certificate felt too insubstantial—not as real as the flight hours steadily accumulating in her logbook.
But Fu Mingyu was strange. That time in the parking lot when he asked if she was just speaking in anger, a strong impulse suddenly arose in her mind—a desire to give things a try with him.
For some reason, Fu Mingyu had a strange attraction for her.
At first, he annoyed her to no end every day, like two magnets with the same polarity.
But at some point, he quietly shifted direction, drawing her toward him without any external force.
Fu Mingyu was still waiting for her answer, staring intently at her.
Ruan Sixian slowly curled her fingers, her fingertips feeling warm.
She lowered her head, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "I don't know."
She paused, then added, "But I really like you now."
After saying this, she felt a bit guilty toward her boyfriend. How could she not even answer such a question?
So, almost as if to comfort him, she kissed his earlobe.
The man's shoulder twitched, accompanied by a sharp intake of breath.
Ruan Sixian discovered that his earlobe was soft—much softer than she had imagined—making her want to bite it.
And so, she acted on the thought.She really gave a gentle bite, but the hand resting on her waist suddenly tightened, pressing the two of them closely together.
“Are your ears that sensitive?” Ruan Sixian raised her hand, tracing circles with her fingertips over his Adam’s apple. “What about here?”
Fu Mingyu suddenly grabbed her hand, frowning as he looked at her, his gaze dark and intense, his voice carrying a hint of warning. “Ruan Sixian, if you want to have a proper meal today, don’t touch me.”
“…”
I, Ruan Sixian, have always hated being threatened the most in my life!
She broke free from Fu Mingyu’s grip and leaned in to kiss his Adam’s apple.
As if uncontrollably, he tilted his head back slightly, his slender neck tensing, a fine, warm sensation spreading throughout his body.
“Hiss—”
He suddenly cupped the back of her head, forcing her to look up, and kissed her.
Ruan Sixian closed her eyes, lost in his kiss, but her consciousness remained clear, distinctly aware of the unmistakable pressure against her thigh.
Just then, Fu Mingyu’s phone on the table suddenly rang, the ringtone piercingly loud in the moment.
No one paid it any mind, and the ringing stopped automatically.
But after a while, it rang again.
Ruan Sixian frowned and pushed him away. “Your phone is ringing.”
Fu Mingyu, breathing heavily, stared at her for a moment before reaching for his phone.
He glanced sideways at the screen—the caller ID read “Zheng You’an.”
Under normal circumstances, Fu Mingyu would have hung up immediately.
But thinking about the day’s events, he turned to look at Ruan Sixian. “Do you want to listen?”
Ruan Sixian knew what he meant. After a moment’s thought, she shook her head.
No need.
Fu Mingyu hung up the call directly and switched the phone to silent mode.
Their eyes met again, and the atmosphere grew even more intense.
Ruan Sixian could clearly feel his reaction growing stronger.
Her heart raced wildly, her chest heaving with each breath.
Fu Mingyu closed his eyes briefly, his rationality slowly slipping away.
To hell with rationality—this is my girlfriend.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze toward Ruan Sixian was fervent. He leaned in close, his lips brushing her ear as if to say something.
But the words caught in his throat as reality dawned on him.
She definitely wouldn’t have anything at her place.
So he took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it gently.
“Baby, help me?”
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