Shi Nuan widened her eyes as she watched Fu Chengyan finish the bowl of soup. She hadn’t expected he would drink it himself. But before she could express her delight, her eyes widened once again. She was rendered helpless as Fu Chengyan lifted her chin and pressed his warm lips to hers.
Her tastebuds exploded at once. Besides the familiar warm breath, the strong taste of ginger flooded her mouth. Shi Nuan wanted to shove Fu Chengyan away, but the man’s arms were wrapped around her tightly. There was no way to escape.
Slowly, the ginger soup filled Shi Nuan’s mouth. She glared at her husband, and she even tried to close her mouth, but Fu Chengyan wouldn’t let her do so. When he finally released Shi Nuan, half a bowl of the ginger soup ended up in Shi Nuan’s stomach.
Fu Chengyan released his grip on Shi Nuan’s hand as his mouth quirked into a devilish smile. He couldn’t help but shake his head upon seeing the furious expression on Shi Nuan’s face. Reaching out, he wiped the corner of Shi Nuan’s lips.
Shi Nuan slapped his hand away unhappily. Pursing her lips, she demanded, “Why did you do that? You are not allowed to enter the bedroom tonight.”
Fu Chengyan shook his head in resignation. “Enough. You’re an adult, so listen to me since you’re sick. Look, you even walked around barefoot in winter. Don’t you know how cold it is?”
He continued in a stern voice. “Tell me. Do you often walk around like this when I’m not around?”
“I…” Shi Nuan never expected Fu Chengyan would turn to blame her. Her anger disappeared as she went over to Fu Chengyan. Swinging his hand back and forth, she tried to pacify him in an adorable voice. “I know it was my fault, so stop scolding me. I won’t do this again. Just now, I went to the window because I wanted to breathe in some fresh air.”
“Hmm?” Fu Chengyan raised his brows upon seeing Shi Nuan’s endearing behavior. He stroke her nose and said, “Okay. You must be hungry. I’ve prepared some food, so let’s go downstairs and eat.”
The next morning, they went to work separately. This time, it was on Fu Chengyan’s request. It didn’t take long for Shi Nuan to realize the reason behind it. Shi Wei wasn’t the only target – Shi Nuan also had a bullseye on her back.
Song Jingyu might have an obsession, but she wasn’t a fool. The rare occasions where she acted like a fool just so happened to be in front of Fu Chengyan. When it concerns Fu Chengyan, Song Jingyu would lose control of her emotions. But as long as she didn’t see the man, she’d act normally.
When Shi Nuan drove onto the highway heading towards Shengyuan, she realized someone was hot on her trail. It didn’t take a genius figure out who it was.
Fu Chengyan kept a distance from Shi Nuan. The car he drove today was pretty ordinary, and no one knew he owned this model. Hence, it was easy for him to fly under the radar. He clearly saw the car tailing Shi Nuan. Someone from the Song family had sent this man. Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes. So the Song family found out about Xi. That is why they sent someone to follow her.
Fu Chengyan made a call to Shi Nuan. “Someone is following you.”
“Yes, I noticed it, too. What about you?”
“Nothing,” Fu Chengyan paused, “It might be an inconvenience for you for the time being.”
Shi Nuan wasn’t really bothered, so she replied, “I’m fine. I can bear with that. We can relax after everything blows over, but you deal with it before the new year arrives, or we won’t be able to enjoy it.”
“Okay, I’ll solve it as soon as possible!” Shi Nuan’s worry was also Fu Chengyan’s concern.
Song Jingyu is obsessed with me. She is mentally ill. I’ll always be desirable to her because she can never have me. The only reason she yearns for me is because I’m out of her reach. What about the Song family? Song Jingyu has an obsession, but not everyone in the Song family has an obsession. The only reason is that they want to use Song Jingyu to achieve something. Song Jingyu got their approval to continue her actions because they want something from me.
“I’m afraid you can’t return to Wutong Residence for the time being.”
“Okay, got it.” Shi Nuan answered. She sounded nonchalant, but Fu Chengyan sensed she was down.
Shi Nuan was indeed upset. She knew she had to do this to avoid trouble. However, talking the talk was a world’s difference from walking the walk.
Shi Nuan’s lips twitched as she sighed, wondering when she became this melodramatic. Yes, she was once sentimental, but this was the first time she had ever felt this way.
“Are you upset?”
“No,” Shi Nuan shook her head. “I’m not upset. I won’t go back to Wutong Residence today, then. Luckily, my rented house is still there. I’ll go tidy up the place after work to move in. Yan?”
“Yes?”
Fu Chengyan felt slightly upset, too. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Shi Nuan shook her head and realized Fu Chengyan couldn’t see her doing so, hence she continued, “I’ll miss you.”
“Okay, be good. It’s just for the time being. After this, you can move back here.”
“Okay.”
Shi Nuan hung up and heaved a long sigh. “Shi Nuan, cheer up. There’s nothing you can’t get through!” After this problem gets solved, our lives will go on smoothly. Otherwise, Song Jingyu’s frequent interference will be terribly annoying, too.
After Fu Chengyan hung up, he shook his head helplessly. His face became stoic as he called Zhou Zheng. “From now on, tell Jiang Hu to keep an eye on my wife 24/7.”
“Mr. Fu?” Zhou Zheng was pretty shocked. He had just arrived in his office and the first task he received was such a stern order. “Okay, I’ll inform Jiang Hu now and tell him to select a few of his best men. But Mr. Fu, is someone trying to harm Mrs. Fu?”
“The Song family. I think they’ve targeting her. Tell Jiang Hu to keep an eye on her personally!”
“Yes!”
Zhou Zheng’s expression turned serious, too. So the Song family isn’t only planning on marrying Song Jingyu to Fu Chengyan. What else do they have up their sleeves?
When Shi Nuan came to work, she noticed everyone’s gaze was fixated on her. Some even pointed fingers at her.
The annual meeting had been packed with people, so even if everyone knew about Shi Nuan’s existence, not everyone saw her face clearly.
The moment Shi Nuan entered Shengyuan, some people started gossiping about her.
“She’s the woman who got to dance with Mr. Fu? Why does she seem ordinary to me?”
“Yes, she isn’t as pretty as our receptionist.”
“I heard this woman had connections. She pulled strings to enter Shengyuan back then. I think she also knows Mr. Zhou.”
“Tsk, is she just some dumb blonde? Or is she Mr. Zhou’s lover?”
“Stop it. How dare you talk nonsense? Mr. Zhou is Fu Chengyan’s right-hand man. If he hears you, you’ll get into deep trouble.”
“Seriously?”
“I know this woman. She works in the project management department. It is said that she is intimate with Mr. Lin, too!”
Shi Nuan narrowed her eyes and turned to glare at the people behind her.
She pursed her lips in annoyance. At first, she had planned to ignore them. Office gossip was an inevitable temptation in every workplace. Harmless gossip, be it true or not, would be shared over lunch and tea breaks to pass time.
However, it just so happened that Shi Nuan was in a foul mood, so these people might end up in the line of her fire. Shi Nuan’s brows were knitted together as she stopped in her tracks. She pivoted and approached those female colleagues instead.
Today, Shi Nuan had a long coat on which made her seemed intimidating. Plus, she was also wearing a pair of high heels. Her imposing manner could obliterate the women in no time. She narrowed her eyes as the corners of her lips twitched into a mirthless smile. “We are colleagues, so I normally won’t say anything if you gossip about stuff you are not sure about. But it’s early in the morning. We haven’t even had lunch yet, and you’re already gossiping in front of me. It’s rather unkind of you to do so.”
Shi Nuan’s arrival obviously stunned the women. They didn’t expect her to question them in public.
They were used to gossiping about everything. Even if they gossiped in front of the subject involved, no one would dare to confront them. However, Shi Nuan was an unpredictable woman.
Shi Nuan arched her brows as she glowered at the stunned women icily. “How I entered this company is none of your business. I didn’t go against the law, and I did not use underhanded methods. As for who I am related to, that is also my private affairs, and it has nothing to do with you. Plus, how bold of you to gossip about Mr. Zhou and Mr. Lin.”
“Y-You! Why are you so smug? Everyone knows you used unethical means to enter Shengyuan. If you didn’t, how did you manage to get promoted so quickly?”
“Oh? Just because I rose in ranks quickly, I must’ve used unethical means? Can I assume you think I’m pretty enough to use unethical means, then?” Shi Nuan scoffed. “We are of the same sex. I know men look down on us, but turns out even women speak of women with levity? You might be servile, but not everyone wishes to live like you!”
Shi Nuan’s voice was terrifying, and it sent chills down their spines.
She pursed her lips. “I am not that capable, and I admit that luck played a part in my entry to Shengyuan, but you have gone too far. I don’t know why you are prejudiced towards me, but I hope you remember that we are in Shengyuan, a top organization in Jiang City. I believe you are capable as you got recruited to work here. So, don’t ruin it just because you like to gossip!”
After Shi Nuan had vented out her anger, she felt much better.
Suddenly, someone started clapping from behind. Shi Nuan turned and was startled to see who it was. “Mr. Lin?”
“I didn’t expect to see such an interesting scene early in the morning. Ms. Shi was right.” Lin Yu nodded in admiration before turning to the other women, his gaze turning sharp. “We are at work now. Did the company hire you to gossip? Hmm? Why are you still standing here?”
