While Shen Qianan was startled by Shi Nuan’s words, she also had a questioning look on her face. It was the second time she reassessed the woman in front of her as her rival.
The first time was in Fu Chengyan’s office this morning. Initially, Shen Qianan thought Shi Nuan was not different from other women other than the fact that she looked exactly like herself. She figured that Shi Nuan was nothing without her looks.
However, Shen Qianan was wrong. Before she could unleash her attack on Shi Nuan, the latter already made a clap back, which caught her off guard.
Shi Nuan simpered. “It’s always good for one to be accepting of new stuff. Are you so used to brewing your own tea that you don’t want to try mine?”
Shen Qianan sneered. “Ms. Shi, it’s only a cup of tea. Chill, girl!” She took the cup of tea from Shi Nuan and could immediately smell the delicate fragrance of the hot tea. Shen Qianan then took a sip of the tea. There seemed to be a hint of annoyance on her face.
“So, how is it?”
“Not bad!” Shen Qianan didn’t take another sip of the tea. She set the teacup on the table and turned to Shi Nuan. “For the record, I asked you out today because I want to be your friend. After all, Yan and I were… Even though our engagement didn’t last, we are still friends. Also, look at the two of us! We look so alike! We must be fated to meet. Be honest with yourself. Aren’t you curious about me when you first saw me? You really piqued my interest back when I first met you. I don’t have any other agendas for asking you out.”
“I also want to be your friend too, since Yan is your friend. As his wife, I feel like it’s important for us to connect too, don’t you think so?”
Shen Qianan was slightly stunned. “Yes, I agree with you. As long as you don’t misunderstand my intentions. Hmm, I think I need to get going. It’s getting quite late.”
“Should I drive you back?”
“It’s fine! This place is quite close to the Fu Residence. I stay there now. It’s quite convenient, I must say.” Shen Qianan rose to her feet. “Grandpa said he wanted to arrange for a driver to bring me around but I rejected him.”
“If that’s the case, then let me send you off.” Shi Nuan did not insist to send Shen Qianan back home since she didn’t really have the intention to do so. She just offered her a ride out of common courtesy. Shi Nuan figured that if she actually showed up at the Fu Residence, Fu Zhengyun might talk her down in front of Shen Qianan. Shi Nuan was smarter than to let herself be humiliated.
Now that Shen Qianan had left, Shi Nuan sat back down to continue brewing the tea. Very soon, there was a knock outside the private lounge. Shi Nuan paused for a while before answering, “Come on in!”
The man strode into the room on his long legs. He had his jacket in one hand.
Shi Nuan shifted her gaze to that man just in time to meet his eyes.
She continued to make tea. The man hung his jacket over the seat next to her and sat down. All of his attention was on her as she skillfully moved around the tea strainer and the teapots.
Fu Chengyan propped his head on his right hand. His dark eyes were glued to Shi Nuan attentively. Shi Nuan raised her head to look at him. “How long has Mr. Fu been eavesdropping on us girls?”
There was a surprised look on Fu Chengyan’s face. He chuckled softly before taking over the cup of tea from Shi Nuan’s hand. “What do you think?”
Shi Nuan’s lips curled upward. “What? Are you worried that I will bully your old friend?”
Fu Chengyan arched his brows and nodded.
The next moment, Shi Nuan raised her fist and punched Fu Chengyan in his chest. “That was a rhetorical question which you are not supposed to answer! Aren’t you afraid of angering me?”
Fu Chengyan wrapped his fingers around Shi Nuan’s hands. “I answered because I know Fu Chengyan’s wife would never be bullied by anyone else. She is the bully herself! No one can touch her even one bit!”
Shi Nuan squinted at him. Her eyes were smiling, but she puffed up her cheeks as she yanked her hand out of his hold. “I don’t trust you!”
“Then what do I have to do to make you believe in me?” Fu Chengyan held Shi Nuan’s hands in his again. “Do I have to dig my heart out to show the love I have for you?”
“Yeah, I think so. But you will be dead, so I will pass on that.” Shi Nuan was now trapped in Fu Chengyan’s lovey-dovey act. She scratched his palm as she asked, “What made you come here?”
“I can’t stop worrying about you!” Fu Chengyan answered. “Also, I’m hungry.”
“You haven’t eaten?” Shi Nuan gasped, but she hurriedly added, “Actually, I haven’t eaten too!” Shi Nuan didn’t feel hungry just now as her body was in fight mode. Now that Fu Chengyan brought up hunger, she could feel the lack of food in her stomach.
“Okay, let’s go!” Fu Chengyan rose from his seat. He dragged Shi Nuan out of the lounge by her hand. Shi Nuan removed Fu Chengyan’s jacket from his seat and allowed herself to be ushered out of the room. “Hold up! The jacket!”
Su Yian was standing at the doorsteps when the couple got out. “The two of you are leaving?”
“Yeah!” Fu Chengyan nodded. “Thank you!”
Su Yian only grinned. “You are welcome! Come and visit us more often!”
As Shi Nuan got into the car, Fu Chengyan stuffed a pack of junk food into her arms. It was a pack of lemon-flavored cucumber chips.
Shi Nuan turned to face Fu Chengyan. She pointed at the chips. “Are these for me?”
“Yep!” Fu Chengyan nodded. “Do girls not like them?”
Shi Nuan was at a loss for words.
“Have something to fight your hunger for now. We’re going for hotpot!”
Shi Nuan’s eyes lit up. “Which hotpot place are we going to?”
“The Shengs’.”
“We are going to the Shengs’? Isn’t it peak hour now? There’s going to be a long queue since we didn’t make a reservation. Are you sure you want to wait?” Shi Nuan tilted her head to stare at Fu Chengyan.
Fu Chengyan ruffled her hair with one of his hands still on the steering wheel. “I already made a reservation. The food is already waiting for us!” Fu Chengyan passed his phone to Shi Nuan. “Look at our number. How many numbers do we have ahead of ours?”
“Five.” Shi Nuan blinked her eyes in surprise. “Yan, since when have you learned to make reservations through the application on your phone?”
Fu Chengyan pouted his lips. “What now? Do you think your husband is a blockhead?”
Shi Nuan rolled her eyes. “Keep your eyes on the road and drive faster! There are only five more numbers before it’s our turn!”
Shi Nuan kept Fu Chengyan’s phone in her pocket and opened the pack of cucumber chips. She grabbed a handful of the chips. “Who told you girls like these?”
Fu Chengyan winked. “Zhou Zheng!”
“Mr. Zhou?” Shi Nuan broke into laughter. “Mr. Zhou’s girlfriend must be a cute girl.”
“She doesn’t have a girlfriend,” Fu Chengyan uttered.
Shi Nuan almost choked on her chips. “Wait, he doesn’t have a girlfriend? Then how does he know…” Shi Nuan shook the bag of chips in her hand. “So the advice he gave you is all theoretical?”
“It’s only a bag of chips. He doesn’t need to actually date a girl to tell me what girls like,” Fu Chengyan said matter-of-factly. “So, do you like it or not?”
Shi Nuan contemplated for a few seconds before answering, “I guess I like it.”
Suddenly, Shi Nuan scratched her head and asked, “Yan, I have a question for you!”
“Mhm?”
“How did you get to know Shen Qianan?”
Fu Chengyan paused to think. “I don’t remember.”
“How can you not remember? Isn’t she your ex-fiancée?” Shi Nuan was baffled. She had a feeling that Fu Chengyan was lying to her.
Fu Chengyan sighed. “Who told you she’s my ex-fiancée?”
“She’s not?” Shi Nuan was really confused. “But just now she-” Shi Nuan cut off herself, “If you say she’s not ex-fiancée, then so be it. I have another question for you. Then why does everyone say there’s something going on between you and Shen Qianan?”
This time, Fu Chengyan had to mull over his answer for a much longer time. “I think she’s the best option I have out of the others. It’s better to one have one rumor going on about me than dozens of them, right?” He stared Shi Nuan straight in her eyes. “Do you understand what I mean?”
Shi Nuan shook her head. “I don’t understand!” What does he even mean? It sounds like he’s forced to make a decision. Does he not have any feelings for Shen Qianan at all? Yet, Shi Nuan remembered from a conversation earlier that day that Shen Qianan and Fu Chengyan used to be together. Still, Shi Nuan didn’t know what happened between the two of them.
Fu Chengyan shook his head. “It’s fine then. You don’t have to understand.” In all honesty, Fu Chengyan didn’t expect Shi Nuan to understand him either.
Nonetheless, Shi Nuan didn’t want to let go of the topic. “Are you saying that you and Shen Qianan… Um, you’re only using her?”
Fu Chengyan turned his head over to look at Shi Nuan contentedly. “You finally understood what I mean.”
Shi Nuan scoffed. “So you dated her just to get rid of the women who were pursuing you? But Shen Qianan was also trying to get you, right? Does that mean that if things went well between the two of you, and I didn’t appear in your life, Shen Qianan would be your wife now? My theory is correct, right?”
“Nope. You’re wrong!” Fu Chengyan knocked Shi Nuan on her forehead. “Seems like you haven’t fully grasped what I was talking about.”
“What were you talking about?” Shi Nuan rubbed her forehead as if Fu Chengyan had hurt her. “Why did you hit me?”
“Huh? I was hitting you?”
“Yes!” Shi Nuan pouted. “I pointed out a fact and you got angry!”
Fu Chengyan fumed but he eventually cracked up. “If I had taken Shen Qianan seriously, then wouldn’t you go crazy?” Fu Chengyan then reached out his hand for Shi Nuan’s. “Perhaps you have yet to wrap your head around it. Shen Qianan is really only a decoy for me to throw off the other girls and nothing else.”
Shi Nuan finally felt more at ease. Fu Chengyan’s answer was reassuring. “So, you really don’t have a thing for her?”
“If I have a thing for her, you wouldn’t be here,” Fu Chengyan said as he reached behind to grab another pack of snacks for Shi Nuan. “I think it’s hard for you to understand me right away, but you’ll soon figure it out yourself!” Fu Chengyan poked Shi Nuan’s tender lips with his slender finger.
The callus on Fu Chengyan’s finger grazed the skin on Shi Nuan’s lips. It left behind a tingling sensation. Shi Nuan blinked her eyes and gawked at Fu Chengyan. Out of the blue, Fu Chengyan threw a question at her. “Ten years ago, when you fell down from the tree, did you hit someone?”
