Crushing on a minor, huh?
Fu Chengyan curved his lips into a smile when he looked at Shi Nuan. She was looking at him with a smug face. “Hmm? What are you trying to say?”
His eyes were sparkling with joy as he grinned happily.
Shi Nuan, too, curved her lips into a smile as she looked at him. “I thought it’s you who has something to say?”
“You’ve known about everything, right?” Fu Chengyan replied with a smile and pulled her back into his arms. “In a gloomy mood today?”
Shi Nuan pursed her lips and pushed Fu Chengyan away. “I thought you said you’re not coming back early today?”
Fu Chengyan raised his arms and stroked her hair. He then took her hand and dragged her to the sofa. “Are you mad at me?” He pulled Shi Nuan into his lap after sitting down.
“Of course not. Do you think I’m that petty?” Shi Nuan pouted. “Have you taken your dinner?”
Fu Chengyan shook his head. Seeing that, Shi Nuan pushed him away and got up. “Ok, I’ve bought some groceries. I’ll make dinner now.”
“Ok!”
Fu Chengyan got up as well. Upon seeing that she was really not mad at him, he smirked in amusement and followed Shi Nuan into the kitchen. His heart grew warm when he saw her busying herself in the kitchen.
Shi Nuan couldn’t stop the grin from forming on her face as she washed the vegetables. “Yan, you really have nothing to tell me?”
“Tell you what?” Fu Chengyan leaned on the door frame leisurely. He seemed to be in an excellent mood. “Don’t you know everything already? Is it necessary for me to repeat it?”
“That’s what others say. I want to hear it from you.” Shi Nuan put down her dishes and turned to Fu Chengyan with sparkling eyes.
The same sparkle was also evident in Fu Chengyan’s eyes. “Come here.”
Shi Nuan hopped over to him as she looked at him in anticipation. Fu Chengyan smiled while stroking her face endearingly. “I’ve always liked you.”
Shi Nuan grinned.
“And I will always love you!”
Shi Nuan’s grin widened at his confession.
“I’ve been in love with you since ages ago.” Fu Chengyan chuckled. “Since those days when you didn’t even know me.”
Shi Nuan’s eyes curved into a crescent when she heard that.
“In days when you may forget about me, I will remain in love with you.” Fu Chengyan sighed. “Happy with my confession?”
Shi Nuan’s eyes crinkled with her wide grin. “So, you’ve really fallen for me since ages ago?” She was still in disbelief even after hearing him confess that to her himself.
Fu Chengyan fixed his eyes on Shi Nuan and stared into her eyes in firm determination. “Yes. Happy now?”
Shi Nuan laughed and trailed her fingers across Fu Chengyan’s face like how he did to her. She was stroking him as though he was the most precious treasure in her possession. Shi Nuan was enveloped in warmth as she rubbed Fu Chengyan’s face affectionately. “Yan, I’m so happy!” I’m so happy that you fell for me a long time ago, and I’m so happy that I’m not a replacement for another woman.
“How did you find out about that?”
Shi Nuan grinned. “Didn’t I tell you that I was supposed to accompany Shen Shixiu to Jing University? Something happened to Shen Qianan before we headed there, so I had to drive him to the hotel. Since he was riding in my car, I couldn’t just dump him there. I heard his conversation with Shen Qianan then.”
If she hadn’t overheard their conversation, Shi Nuan would still have her head in clouds. She would still think that she was a replacement for Shen Qianan.
Although Shi Nuan never seemed to mind it, she was actually only keeping her displeasure within herself.
Shi Nuan was a sensible woman. Shen Qianan really did look like her – that was a fact she couldn’t deny. The fact that Fu Chengyan had almost married Shen Qianan in the past was also something Shi Nuan could not deny. However, since these were matters of the past, Shi Nuan had to remind herself time and time again to not mind it. What mattered most was what she had now. It was Fu Chengyan’s sincere confession that had miraculously dissolve all her pent-up emotions and made her extremely happy.
“You mean Shen Shixiu and Shen Qianan talked about this?” Fu Chengyan now had an idea of what had happened in the hotel, and he nodded in understanding. “Since you’re clear of my feelings now, you shouldn’t overthink stuff and doubt my love anymore, ok?”
“Oh, I never doubted your love at all,” Shi Nuan denied. “I just don’t like the feeling of being lied to. I told you before that you can lie to me, but don’t let me discover your lies and find out the truth on my own.”
“Silly girl.” Fu Chengyan stroked her head. “You must tell me when you’re in doubt. You must voice your concerns instead of keeping everything to yourself. I’m not a mind reader, so I won’t know what you’re thinking if you don’t tell me, understand?”
“Ok, I know that now.” Shi Nuan buried her head in his chest affectionately. “So, when did you actually fall in love with me? Why didn’t I notice it?”
“You heartless little girl.” Fu Chengyan sighed at her dense character. “Alright, get out of the kitchen. Let me do the cooking.”
“Sure!” Shi Nuan laughed and removed her apron. After helping him wear it, she pushed Fu Chengyan into the kitchen. “I’ve bought a lot of groceries, so feel free to show off your culinary skills with it. I want to eat braised pork tonight!”
“You want such a heavy meal?” Fu Chengyan raised his brows at her heavy taste but complied nonetheless. Halfway through slicing the pork, he suddenly paused as he remembered something. “Shen Shixiu… Is he close with you?”
Shi Nuan’s smile stiffened at his words before she laughed out loud. “Yan, are you jealous?” Oh, he refused to come back because I said I was going to Jing University with Shen Shixiu?
Fu Chengyan did not deny her accusations. He turned to look at her with a serious gaze. “Yes, I’m jealous.” Fu Chengyan knew no man could threaten his status in Shi Nuan’s heart. To him, they were not worthy to compete for her affection. Shen Shixiu, however, was a whole different story. His arrival had caught Shi Nuan’s eyes almost immediately. This made the usually confident Fu Chengyan felt dangerously threatened by him.
Shi Nuan pouted. “Why are you jealous of him? He’s not even a threat to you! But anyway, I’m still happy that you’re jealous because of me.”
She then looked at him with a sincere gaze. “I’m just friends with Shen Shixiu, and you know why I’m close to him. I think he looks very similar to my uncle. That’s why I feel a sense of familiarity whenever I’m with him. Also, I think his character differs much from Shen Qianan. From what I see, he’s not on Shen Qianan’s side at all. Plus, isn’t he working with Shengyuan now? I developed my friendship with him because of you. If it isn’t for Shen Qianan, I wouldn’t even acquaint him in the first place. Isn’t that the case?”
“Since when were you so eloquent, huh?” Fu Chengyan brushed his finger against her nose. “Alright, go out and chat with your friends while I prepare dinner. It’ll be ready soon.”
“Ok!” Shi Nuan tip-toed and kissed Fu Chengyan on his forehead before hopping out of the kitchen.
Fu Chengyan’s gaze was full of affection as he watched her scurry away.
It was already pretty late then, so Fu Chengyan only cooked three dishes – braised pork, spicy sour potato shreds, and a vegetable dish that contained brinjals.
Once he was done, Fu Chengyan came out from the kitchen in his apron. Shi Nuan was chatting with Song Rongrong and Su Yian on the phone, and she could smell the scent of his cooking from the living room. “You’re done?”
“Yes, come here.” Fu Chengyan waved her over. “It’s chow time!”
Shi Nuan dashed towards the kitchen excitedly. The moment she smelled the braised pork, however, her expression suddenly changed, and she covered her mouth in discomfort. A nauseating feeling suddenly rose in her throat, making her make a run to the sink. She tried to vomit out the nauseating substance stuck in her throat, yet nothing came out of her mouth. Her face turned green as she battled her sudden nausea.
Seeing how terrible she looked, Fu Chengyan came over in worry. “Why? What happened?” He checked her face and noticed how green she was. “You’re not feeling well? Or is your stomach feeling upset?”
“I…” Shi Nuan was about to speak when nausea hit her again. She pushed Fu Chengyan away and started vomiting into the dustbin. But since she has hardly eaten anything for the whole day, all that she could get out of her system was just the bitter gastric juice.
While Shi Nuan was puking her lungs out, Fu Chengyan stood beside her, his gaze turning cold at the sight. Then, his eyes lit up at Shi Nuan’s condition.
After vomiting for some time, Shi Nuan finally recovered from her discomfort. She straightened herself and noticed Fu Chengyan’s brooding gaze on her. “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m fine. Maybe my stomach is acting up at the smell of braised pork because I have hardly eaten anything today. Don’t worry about me. I’m very healthy!”
However, Fu Chengyan simply stared at her as his brooding eyes gleamed with joy.
Shi Nuan freaked out upon noticing his odd gaze. “Yan, you…”
“Have you had your period this month?”
“Err…” Shi Nuan’s face reddened in embarrassment. “Why are you asking about this… My period…” she suddenly paused in her words and widened her eyes. She then turned to Fu Chengyan. “Do you mean… I’m pregnant?” Shi Nuan’s jaw dropped at the realization. Indeed, her period did not arrive on time for this month. Her period hadn’t come as well for the last month! “I…”
“I know your period comes on the 28th of every month. Today is already the 30th. It still hasn’t arrived?” Fu Chengyan took the calendar from the living room and checked with pursed lips. “Hmm?”
“My… My period didn’t come last month either!”
She might have been married to Fu Chengyan for a long time, but Shi Nuan never expected him to remember small little details like this about her. She suddenly felt as if she was being wrapped in inexplicable warmth. She was so touched by his caring and concerned gesture that her eyes reddened slightly.
Feeling excited but also lost at the sudden realization, Fu Chengyan held his hands together in panic. “Right. You stay put here. Don’t move around. I’m going out to get something for you. Don’t eat the food if you don’t feel like eating yet.”
Fu Chengyan turned around at a loss while looking around for his car key. He then fumbled with his pocket and returned to get his purse before departing from Wutong Residence in a hurry.
Shi Nuan looked on with the same lost expression when she saw Fu Chengyan looking so nervous. This was the first time she had actually seen him looking so lost and vigilant. It was like he was going into a tough battle. Usually, no matter how grave was the problem he faced in his business, Fu Chengyan could solve it almost immediately.
To Shi Nuan, Fu Chengyan was a superman who could do anything. That was why she was rendered speechless when she saw him panic.
Half an hour later, Fu Chengyan returned to Wutong Residence. Shi Nuan’s jaw dropped at how fast he returned.
But Fu Chengyan didn’t notice her agape expression as he rushed in without taking off his shoes. “Here… There’s a user manual inside. The pharmacist has explained how to use it to me as well, so if you cannot understand the manual, I can explain it to you.” He handed the pregnancy test kit to Shi Nuan.
