Тhе lаndlоrd wаs а wealthу middlе-аgеd mаn who owned twо аpartmеnts in Mingchеng аnd livеd in а villа in thе western suburbs. Нe spent his days doting оn his grаndson аnd walking his dоg, аnd thе rеnt he соllесtеd wasn’t еven enough tо сovеr his monthly mahjоng losses.
Yеt he was аn ехсерtiоnally еnthusiаstic lаndlоrd, hаndling evеrything реrsonallу—еven whеn the water hеater brokе, hе wоuld cоme supervisе thе rеpаirmаn himsеlf.
Вut with suсh tеrrible wеаther tоdaу, he prоbablу wоuldn’t shоw up first thing in thе mоrning.
Еvеn if he did comе, he’d have to eаt breakfast, рractiсe tаi сhi, and drоp his grandson off at school first—so it would be after nine at the earliest.
Previously, whenever the landlord came to see her, it was always around ten o’clock.
It wasn’t even seven yet, which meant she had a full three hours. Ruan Sixian refused to believe they couldn’t wrap things up neatly by then.
Well, she had faith in Fu Mingyu.
By the time this thought crossed her mind, she was already being carried into the room.
The windows were tightly shut, but the sound of the raging storm outside still seeped through.
And Fu Mingyu’s breathing was even clearer, growing heavier with each passing moment.
After what felt like an eternity, his lips wandered to Ruan Sixian’s ear, where he gently kissed her earlobe before propping himself up on one elbow.
Ruan Sixian turned her face away, avoiding his gaze, yet she could feel his eyes roaming over her body inch by inch—intense and direct.
Her clothes were already completely undone, hanging loosely on her body, offering no cover at all.
Thankfully, the lights in the room were off, with only the faint glow of streetlights outside filtering through the curtains, creating a hazy, concealing effect.
Otherwise, she might have wanted to bury her face in a pillow.
Just as she thought this, a soft click sounded overhead.
The lights turned on.
“What are you doing?!”
Ruan Sixian squeezed her eyes shut. “Turn them off, they’re blinding!”
“Then don’t open your eyes.” Under the glaring light, Fu Mingyu’s voice was low, almost like a whisper in her ear. “I want to see.”
When a man says “see,” it’s never just about looking.
As his fingers followed his gaze, Ruan Sixian suddenly grabbed the fabric of Fu Mingyu’s shirt at his shoulders, opened her eyes to look at him, and spoke in a voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the rain.
“My landlord might come over today.”
“Hmm?”
The moment Fu Mingyu processed her words, he braced his arms beside her head, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
Ruan Sixian turned her head to look out the window, her face burning with embarrassment. “Maybe this afternoon.”
“Then wait for me a moment?” He slowly pushed himself up, his tie slipping away from her body.
“What are you going to do?”
Fu Mingyu’s chest rose and fell, his gaze heavy enough to make Ruan Sixian feel the room temperature rise several degrees.
“I’m going upstairs to get something.”
With that, he stood up, but his tie was suddenly tugged.
He froze in a half-bent position, one knee still on the bed, watching as the blushing woman before him stretched out an arm and opened the bedside drawer.
…
Unnoticed, the sky had quietly brightened, and the room, which had been dark, gradually grew clearer.
But Ruan Sixian was completely unaware of the change. Her mind was hazy, the air around her thick and ambiguous, leaving her breathless yet strangely content.
Fu Mingyu slowed to a stop and placed something in her hand.
“Will you help me?”
“…Didn’t your teacher teach you? Do your own things yourself!”
…
The sky was fully bright now, and the rain had stopped at some point without anyone noticing.The whole world fell silent, only the sounds in this room continued unabated.
At first, Ruan Sixian was preoccupied with thoughts of her landlord, especially afraid that he might suddenly show up. Under this tense and somewhat thrilling psychological state, even the sounds in her throat were subconsciously suppressed, not daring to escape.
Later, Ruan Sixian was almost on the verge of losing consciousness. In her mind, only a single thread hung precariously, yielding to every demand, unaware of the passage of time.
Until the phone in the living room suddenly rang loudly. In her daze, she thought it was the doorbell. Her nerves tightened abruptly, and her body reacted along with it.
"Hiss—"
Both of them sank into a momentary haze.
Fu Mingyu’s brow twitched slightly. Suppressing his emotions, he lowered his head to kiss her, gentle and lingering. Sweat from his forehead dripped onto her tightly closed eyes, gradually merging with the tears on her eyelashes.
Their breaths gradually steadied, but the air grew even more humid and warm.
After a long while, the ringing in the living room continued.
Ruan Sixian’s consciousness slowly returned.
"My landlord is here," she said, her voice sounding choked, almost pleading. "Get off me!"
"That’s the phone ringing."
But Fu Mingyu still withdrew, lying down beside her and pulling her into his arms. He brushed away the sweat-dampened hair clinging to her cheeks.
"Do you want to take a shower?"
If he hadn’t mentioned it, she might not have remembered, but now she realized neither of them had showered beforehand.
Are they even human!
How filthy!
Other things aside, Ruan Sixian thought about how she had already sweated a lot today and had spent the entire evening at the office. She felt utterly dirty all over.
She suddenly punched his chest. "If you don’t shower next time, I’ll castrate you."
"..."
Fu Mingyu was clearly provoked by these words, his gaze sharpening as he rolled over and pinned her down again.
"Then try it?"
"..."
Fortunately, the phone rang again. Ruan Sixian pushed him away, grabbed a set of pajamas by the bed, and ran out barefoot.
It was the landlord calling.
"Girl, I’m flooded!"
Those were the first words she heard, leaving Ruan Sixian momentarily confused.
"You’re castrated???"
"Yes!" the landlord shouted. "My house is flooded! I can’t leave right now! Can I come tomorrow to fix the washing machine?"
"..."
Then what was all that tension for?
"Sure, no problem."
Ruan Sixian said with a bitter smile, "No rush."
After hanging up, Ruan Sixian heard footsteps from the room.
Fu Mingyu had already dressed and come out.
He was still like that, always able to look presentable in no time.
Once dressed, his demeanor and aura were completely different from the man in bed.
Ruan Sixian didn’t even want to look at him.
Every intimate moment from earlier made her scalp tingle.
After rushing into the bathroom, Ruan Sixian closed the door, leaning heavily against the sink as she gasped for breath.
She had no strength left in her body, feeling as if she might collapse at any moment.
She stood there for a long time, her body still burning, the sensation lingering inside her as if he were still pressed against her.
But when she saw the dreadful marks between her collarbone and neck in the mirror, all lingering romantic thoughts vanished from her mind.
—"Fu! Ming! Yu! You’re going to die!"
Fu Mingyu opened the bathroom door and walked in, glancing at her.
For some reason, even though he was exhausted himself, she still seemed so full of energy.Ruan Sixian tugged at her collar, fuming. "What is this?!"
"A hickey."
"..."
I'm not an idiot, of course I know it's a hickey.
Ruan Sixian took a deep breath, not wanting to deal with him.
Didn't she tell him before going to the parking lot that she had an interview tomorrow afternoon? Did he forget everything once his hormones took over?
She had to wear her uniform for that formal occasion, and the collar couldn't completely cover it up. How was she supposed to face anyone like this?
Fu Mingyu hugged her from behind, nuzzling her cheek.
"What's wrong?"
"Can't you control your mouth?"
"Hmm?" Fu Mingyu let go of her, turned around, unbuttoned his shirt, and pulled it down a bit, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. "You're not exactly innocent either."
In the mirror, Fu Mingyu's back was covered with visible scratch marks.
"Should I tie your hands up next time?"
Ruan Sixian imagined the scene and felt overwhelmed with shame, trying to push him away.
"There won't be a next time!"
"Get out, I need to take a shower."
But she had almost no strength left. The man in front of her didn't budge; instead, he pulled her into his arms.
"Stop moving. Let me hold you a little longer."
No matter how dominant he was in bed, he was gentle now.
Ruan Sixian slowly settled down.
His embrace always seemed to have a comforting magic.
"Aren't you going to sleep?"
"I'll go upstairs to shower in a bit. I have to go to the company this afternoon."
He paused, then added, "The Civil Aviation Administration requested a meeting. They're inviting me for tea this afternoon."
"You sure know how to seize every opportunity."
"Opportunity?"
"..."-
After Fu Mingyu left, Ruan Sixian took a shower but didn't sleep.
She knew if she slept now, she'd wake up in the evening, and it would be hard to adjust her sleep schedule.
But staying awake was difficult too. She needed to find something to do, preferably going out for a walk to avoid falling asleep.
Si Xiaozhen was working today and couldn't get away.
Bian Xuan had been worried all night yesterday. Even after learning Ruan Sixian was safe, she couldn't calm down. She hadn't opened her bar, but being used to an irregular sleep schedule, she hadn't slept at night and was now catching up on rest.
Her phone kept buzzing with messages, all related to yesterday's events. She didn't have the energy to reply to each one, so she turned off the notifications.
Ruan Sixian sat on the sofa for a while, unsure who to reach out to.
If she hadn't been so exhausted, she would have gone to the gym for a run.
But a few minutes later, someone reached out to her.
[Zheng You'an]: Sis, are you awake?
Ruan Sixian : Your surname is Zheng, mine is Ruan.
Ruan Sixian : Who are you calling "sis"?
[Zheng You'an]: Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to claim kinship.
[Zheng You'an]: It's just a respectful term.
[Zheng You'an]: Sis, you're amazing [thumbs up]
Ruan Sixian lay down, propping herself up on a pillow, typing slowly.
Ruan Sixian : What do you want?
[Zheng You'an]: Do I have the honor of having lunch with you?-
If she hadn't been so tired and unable to find anyone else to eat with, Ruan Sixian really wouldn't have wanted to come to this overly sweet restaurant with Zheng You'an.
Moreover, she was yawning constantly, looking worn out, while the person across from her was impeccably made up and full of energy.
The contrast was stark.
The stark contrast was bad enough, but she also insisted on taking a selfie together.
When she suddenly leaned in, propping up her phone with her arm, Ruan Sixian didn't have time to refuse. The moment she saw the camera, she instinctively flashed an eight-tooth smile.With a satisfying click, Zheng You'an sat back down, tapping and swiping on her screen.
Ruan Sixian said, "Let me see."
Zheng You'an handed her the phone.
Hmm.
Though she looked weary, she was still beautiful.
After returning the phone, Ruan Sixian asked, "Why did you suddenly take a photo?"
"To show off on my Moments, of course."
Zheng You'an said it with such confidence, and her tone and choice of words perfectly pleased Ruan Sixian.
Ruan Sixian took a sip of juice and pretended to be nonchalant. "Keep it low-key. What's there to show off about?"
Zheng You'an retouched the photo as she spoke. "Other people just repost links in their Moments, but I can post a photo with you. A photo means I know you, and I even get to have lunch with you right away. Isn’t that worth showing off?"
Ruan Sixian covered her mouth and coughed lightly.
"I just couldn’t find anyone else to eat with today."
"Oh, it’s fine. No one else knows anyway."
"..."
She really was unabashedly vain.
"By the way, as soon as I woke up this morning, I saw an influencer posting a series of photos." She showed Ruan Sixian her phone. "To ride the trend, she went to the experience center early in the morning, put on a uniform, and took photos in the cockpit. So much effort. She even posted two sets at once. People who know might think she boarded a plane, but those who don’t might think she landed on the moon."
Ruan Sixian glanced briefly and yawned.
"Is she your enemy?"
"Hmph." Zheng You'an didn’t answer and changed the subject. "Can you follow me back on Weibo? Do you know my ID?"
She pulled up her Weibo profile and showed it to Ruan Sixian. "This is it. I’ve been following you for a long time, but you never followed back."
"Oh."
Ruan Sixian felt like she’d been on the back foot all day today.
No, she always felt that way whenever she ran into Zheng You'an.
Taking out her phone, Ruan Sixian found Zheng You'an’s Weibo and clicked "Follow." The latest post popped up immediately.
Looking at the most recent photo—a group picture—Ruan Sixian paused and asked, "Who’s this?"
It was a photo of Zheng You'an holding her father’s arm, with another middle-aged man standing beside them.
The memory of the man’s face had long faded, but the large black mole on his forehead was unforgettable, making him look almost like the Buddha. It instantly stirred Ruan Sixian’s memories.
Zheng You'an glanced at her phone and said casually, "That’s my dad."
"I know. I’m asking about the man next to him."
"Oh, Uncle Guo," Zheng You'an said. "Mom’s agent. Don’t you know him?"
"Oh."
Ruan Sixian turned off her phone screen and said nothing more.
After posting the photo, Zheng You'an happily took a bite of dessert.
"By the way, there’s actually another reason I came today."
Ruan Sixian raised her eyes. "Go on."
"It’s almost New Year’s, and Mom wanted to invite you to dinner for the holiday. But I heard you turned her down last night. I thought maybe you were worried it was just her idea."
She leaned forward slightly and continued, "My dad is also very enthusiastic. He hasn’t seen you in so many years, and after meeting you at Uncle Yan’s place, he felt the same way."
"I’m busy during the New Year."
It was the truth.
There were still about two weeks until the New Year, but the flight schedules were already out. During the peak travel season of Spring Festival, almost no pilots or flight attendants could take time off."What about after the new year?" Zheng You'an asked. "Are you busy from the third to the seventh day?"
"I have plans."
"Oh..." Zheng You'an sensed the refusal in her tone and didn’t press further, finding an excuse to step back. "We’ll talk about it later then. You must be spending the new year at the Fu family’s place anyway."
But mentioning the Fu family reminded Zheng You'an of something else. "Um... you two really didn’t argue over that incident, did you?"
They didn’t argue—just ended up with a useless hand.
Ruan Sixian replied irritably, "No, no, we really didn’t argue. We’re perfectly fine. What are you so worried about?"
"That’s good, that’s good..." Zheng You'an patted her chest. "Actually, it’s not that I’m afraid of him. It’s just that my family hasn’t been doing well lately, and I’m worried he might take it out on my dad."
"What’s wrong with your family?"
Zheng You'an paused, then said casually, "Nothing much. Just some issues with the family company’s operations."
After lunch, the two walked out of the restaurant. Zheng You'an’s driver had already parked the car at the entrance, while Ruan Sixian took out her phone to call a ride.
"Fu Mingyu doesn’t send anyone to pick you up?" Zheng You'an was shocked. "He’s letting you take a taxi in such cold weather?"
Ruan Sixian shot her a glance, equally exasperated. "I just came out for a meal."
Then she added, "Besides, I didn’t even tell him. He’s so busy, I didn’t want to bother him."
"Sigh..." Zheng You'an looked at the car ahead and shook her head with a sigh. "That’s why I’d never date someone so career-focused. What’s the point of being so busy all the time?"
Ruan Sixian ignored her.
Zheng You'an continued on her own, "My last boyfriend was still a college student. Even though I was the one who dumped him, when we were together, I never tied my own shoelaces, never opened a bottle myself, and never even carried my own bag."
Ruan Sixian replied, "What, did he cripple you?"
"..."
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