“Yan!”
“Enough, mother. I don’t have time to talk about this. It’s late, and I haven’t had dinner yet!” Fu Chengyan hung up without hesitation. When the man realized Shi Nuan was gripping his hand, he raised his brows and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Shi Nuan shook her head. “You don’t get along with your mother?” He was harsh to his mother, and they seem to be at odds. She felt bad for him. “Is there a misunderstanding?”
“No.” Fu Chengyan patted her head and grinned. “Don’t think too much. Isn’t dinner ready? Let’s go.”
It was apparent Fu Chengyan didn’t want to talk about this, so Shi Nuan had no choice but to nod. “Let’s go. I’ll get you some rice.”
“Okay!” Fu Chengyan stared at Shi Nuan’s back as his gaze darkened.
Shi Nuan sensed Fu Chengyan was in a foul mood today because of his mother, Song Zhenyan’s phone call. She had no idea what happened between Fu Chengyan, his mother and the Fu family, but it seemed to be something terrible.
Shi Nuan recalled her own family, suddenly realizing they were in the same shoes.
At night, Fu Chengyan made love to her tirelessly. Shi Nuan was already exhausted, but the man’s desire wasn’t satiated yet. Right then, she realized how dreadful it was when a man got angry. Her husband wasn’t mad at her, but she was the one who had to bear the consequences.
The next morning, Shi Nuan woke up with an aching body. Her entire body was falling apart, but the culprit was smiling at her as he leaned on the door. “You’re up this late? We’re going to be late!”
Shi Nuan bit her lips. “You should sleep in the guest room tonight. I mean it!”
Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes and walked over, his eyes crinkling up in amusement. The man propped one hand on the bed and wrapped his other hand around Shi Nuan. His lips brushed gently on Shi Nuan’s forehead while he chuckled. “Good girl, go wash up now. Breakfast is ready.”
Shi Nuan shoved him away and waved her fists at him. She growled at him menacingly, “Didn’t you hear me? I said, you’re going to sleep in the guest room tonight! I mean it. It isn’t a joke!”
The man merely squinted before reaching out to tousle her hair. “Really?” There was an affectionate smile on his face. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll try my best to control myself so you won’t get tired.”
“Is that the problem?” Shi Nuan pouted. “You said that every time, but you never keep your word! I won’t believe you anymore. Get out, now!”
Shi Nuan pushed the covers away and stood up, pushing Fu Chengyan out of the room. She locked the door and yelled threateningly, “I won’t forgive you easily. I have my principles!”
The principled woman thought locking the doors would ensure her safety and went to the bathroom to wash up. Fu Chengyan smiled in resignation. He stood at the door for a while before reaching out to turn the doorknob. His wife had indeed locked the door from inside, so he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Shi Nuan caught a whiff of the aroma the moment she arrived downstairs and asked in surprise, “You cooked congee? Is it chicken congee?”
“Hurry up, come here!” Fu Chengyan gestured for her to come. Shi Nuan had already forgotten she vowed not to forgive him, and ran over to him, taking in the yummy smell. She glanced at the congee on the dining table and grinned in delight. “How did you know I was craving chicken congee?”
She had been thinking about it since last night, but cooking congee wasn’t an easy feat for them as they need to go to work early and come back home late at night. Shi Nuan would rather spend her time on working or resting, but Fu Chengyan prepared congee for her early in the morning.
Fu Chengyan curled his lips up. “Take a seat. Some time ago, Mai Qi gave me pickles from her hometown. It came in handy this morning.”
“Mai Qi?” Shi Nuan’s eyes lit up. “Zhou Zheng told me Mai Qi is from Hunan, which specializes in pickled radish!” Shi Nuan poured two bowls of congee and opened the box. At once, the aromatic scent of radish attacked her nostrils. “It smells great!”
“Hurry, let’s eat. We’re going to be late.”
“Okay!” Shi Nuan nodded and started eating. But after a while, she raised her head abruptly. “By the way, I can’t go to work with you today.”
“Hmm?” Fu Chengyan met her gaze. “Why?”
Shi Nuan hesitated. “Did you forget what happened last night? Your cousin is working at Shengyuan now, right? She nearly caught us together last night.” It was a close call last night. If Fu Chengyan didn’t divert Song Jingyu’s attention, the young lady would’ve spotted her.
She continued talking, unaware that the man’s gaze had changed as he pulled a long face.
Shi Nuan lowered her head and took a sip of the congee. Finally realizing that Fu Chengyan said nothing, she raised her head in suspicion and met the man’s dangerous stare. She swallowed before asking, “What’s wrong?”
“You’re afraid that she’d find out?” Fu Chengyan asked stonily.
Shi Nuan took a bite of the pickled radish and blinked. “Yes. I think your cousin’s too persistent. If she had spotted me in your parking lot last night, she would’ve pestered me nonstop.” She noticed Fu Chengyan’s expression getting darker by the minute. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Are you ashamed of us?” Fu Chengyan was upset. “May, why you don’t want anyone to find out about us?”
Shi Nuan nearly spitted out the food in her mouth as she burst into laughter. “Were you mad because I didn’t want Song Jingyu to find out about us?” Shi Nuan blinked. “Yan, I never knew you to be so bad-tempered!”
Fu Chengyan’s brows arched up as he narrowed his eyes, shooting her a warning look to remind her to talk nicely.
“Didn’t we talk about this many times? It’s not that I’m not willing, it’s just that we have to take it slowly. I didn’t want others to find out we were married because I was afraid my family would use our relationship to mooch off you. I think you know why I insist on keeping it a secret now. You know your family well. Plus, your mother insisted on you marrying Song Jingyu. If they find out about my existence, I’ll be in deep trouble.”
Shi Nuan put down her chopsticks and rested her chin on one hand. “I’m not actually afraid of trouble. If you don’t mind, we can announce it to everyone. I’m not only worried about myself, but I’m also worried about you. The news about you being married itself will cause a huge ruckus!”
Fu Chengyan furrowed his brows. He knew what Shi Nuan was worried about.
He wasn’t mad actually. Shi Nuan’s attitude towards their marriage frustrated him a lot or it might not even be Shi Nuan. Perhaps it was because of the uncontrollable factors that ruined the peace between him and Shi Nuan.
“Does Song Jingyu bother you a lot?” Fu Chengyan looked at Shi Nuan and she met his gaze.
The woman was lost for words, but the smile remained on her face. Her hand was under her chin as she pondered about Fu Chengyan’s question.
It will be a lie if I tell him I can’t be bothered, since I’m his legally wedded wife. But no one knows about our marriage and Fu Chengyan’s mother obviously preferred Song Jingyu. That young lady is trying to take him away from me. I’d be offended, of course. I can’t pretend as if nothing happened.
But I was the one who chose not to announce our marriage, so I can’t say anything since no one knows about us. Plus, this is his mother!
“Hmm?” Fu Chengyan rapped his knuckles on the table as Shi Nuan seemed to be dumbfounded. “It’s okay if you don’t want to say it. Let’s eat.”
“Yan, if I say I’m bothered by her, will you think I’m being unreasonable?” Shi Nuan bit her lip and revealed her true feelings. She studied Fu Chengyan’s face, but the man suddenly burst into laughter. His action astounded Shi Nuan.
Fu Chengyan’s frigid gaze gradually relaxed upon hearing Shi Nuan’s explanation, like an iceberg melting.
Shi Nuan was stunned. “Yan?”
“No, I am glad she bothers you.” The man curved his lips up. “If Song Jingyu bothers you, I’ll ask her to leave at once.”
“No need for that,” Shi Nuan smacked her lips. “I was just saying.” She knew it was impossible to let Song Jingyu leave immediately, since the young lady was Song Zhenyan’s niece. If Fu Chengyan asked Song Jingyu to leave at once, his already distant relationship with Song Zhenyan would worsen.
Shi Nuan was also certain that even if they asked Song Jingyu to leave now, Song Zhenyan would find another way for the young lady to approach Fu Chengyan. On top of that, she also knew her husband didn’t reciprocate Song Jingyu’s feelings.
“You don’t have to consider my feelings. If you don’t want to see her, I’ll find a way for her to leave.” Fu Chengyan noticed Shi Nuan was hesitating to say something, so he stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. “No one is more important than you.”
Shi Nuan looked up at Fu Chengyan and stroked his chin with her finger. “I just realized you’re getting better at sweet-talking me. You did it without even hesitating!” She was actually delighted because Fu Chengyan was being considerate of her. But she wasn’t a tyrant either. “No need. I know your intentions. I trust you had no feeling for her.”
