Fu Chengyan carried Shi Nuan to the living room. When they reached their destination, he noticed that she only had a pair of slippers that had could not retain heat. He couldn’t help but frown at the sight and ask, “Won’t your feet get cold?”
“Not at all,” replied Shi Nuan, shaking her head. She later saw the annoyance in Fu Chengyan’s dark brown eyes, so she coquettishly lifted her feet and shoved them to Fu Chengyan. She even rubbed her feet while leaving them under his shirt. After that, she said, “See? They’re all warmed up now.”
Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes at her but let her act up, anyway. He pinched her feet a little and realized that they were a little cold, so he scolded, “Never let yourself go cold again.”
“Okay, okay,” promised Shi Nuan. She stuck her tongue out at him and added, “Why did you come home so early today?”
“Because I missed you.”
Fu Chengyan’s voice was a little coarse and sexy, and that made Shi Nuan stunned. Her heart softened, and she reached out to engulf him in her embrace. She truly wished that time would stop. “I missed you too,” said Shi Nuan.
“Yeah,” murmured Fu Chengyan. He enjoyed watching Shi Nuan being coquettish with him, so he stroked her hair and calmed her anxious heart down.
“I should have gone to the office with you today instead,” complained Shi Nuan as she pouted. Fu Chengyan understood what Shi Nuan meant almost immediately after she finished speaking. His hand stiffened while stroking Shi Nuan’s hair. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
His voice sounded full of affection, and Shi Nuan suddenly found herself feeling aroused.
She tilted her head up to see his cleanly shaved chin and Adam’s apple. Shi Nuan didn’t even know what got to her, but her mind went blank, and she reached out to nibble on Fu Chengyan’s neck a little.
Fu Chengyan frowned in pain, but he never made a move to move away. He simply lifted Shi Nuan’s chin and forced her to look into his dark eyes. They shone with the kind of lust that suggested his desire to swallow her whole. Shi Nuan’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly regained her composure and shook her head to clear her mind. She protested, “Ah, you’re so annoying. How could you seduce me like that?”
“Oh, but you’re allowed to seduce me?”
“C’mon, don’t be so mean,” chided Shi Nuan as she snuggled up in Fu Chengyan’s arms, “Yan, I’m scared.”
“What are you scared of?” asked Fu Chengyan. It was the first time he heard her talking in that tone, and that prompted him to pull her head closer to his chest. His hug on her tightened as he stroked her back and cooed, “I’m here to protect you. You don’t need to be afraid of anything.”
Shi Nuan bit her lip and hesitantly shared, “I saw Shu Qing today.”
“Yeah, I know. You went to visit her, right?” replied Fu Chengyan. His soft and warm tone calmed her down a lot.
She blinked and continued resting her head on Fu Chengyan’s shoulder. She then added, “I saw Shen Qianan there.”
When Shi Nuan mentioned Shen Qianan, she felt Fu Chengyan stiffening a little. She paused and asked, “Yan, aren’t you curious about what happened?”
“Yeah, I am. What happened?” asked Fu Chengyan. He knew everything, but he wished for Shi Nuan to tell him anyway. “Tell me. I will stay by your side no matter what happened.”
“Shen Qianan went there to cause a scene, Yan. She said that Shu Qing is the home-wrecker who got between Shen Feng and his wife. She even said that Shu Qing is her biological mother.”
Fu Chengyan felt Shi Nuan’s grip on his hand tightening. She tilted her head up and stared at Fu Chengyan before adding, “What’s your take on that? Shen Qianan looks so much like Shu Qing, whereas I…”
“You want to know if they really are related?” asked Fu Chengyan. He had guessed what Shi Nuan was thinking as soon as he saw the look on her face. Still, he frowned when he saw her nodding. He hesitated a little, but he ultimately turned to Shi Nuan and respectfully pointed out, “Curiosity is a lot like Pandora’s box, sometimes. Are you sure you want me to look into the matter and open that box, May?”
Shi Nuan’s grip on Fu Chengyan’s hand tightened once more. Her irises dilated, and her lips trembled, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
“You should know that things aren’t always as simple or as ideal as you think. Once you open the box…”
“You don’t need to say anything anymore, Yan,” interrupted Fu Chengyan quickly, “I know what you’re trying to say, but I don’t want to live the rest of my life in the dark. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
“May, you still have me,” promised Fu Chengyan as his lips trembled. He suddenly felt heartbroken for her.
A woman like her should lead a carefree life, like the one she had when she was a kid. She shouldn’t have to live in doubt and confusion.
“I know you’re just looking out for me.”
Unfortunately, Fu Chengyan’s way of looking out for her did not go well with Shi Nuan’s quest for the truth. She understood that he was just worried about her, but she would be trapped in a web of lies if she never tried to figure the truth out.
“Okay, but you have to promise me that you won’t hurt yourself no matter what the truth is,” demanded Fu Chengyan. Shi Nuan had already made up her mind, so he would stay by her side and face whatever hardship she had to go through.
Shen Qianan entered Fu Chengyan’s mind, causing him to frown a little. Still, the man nodded and promised, “Okay.”
Shi Nuan hoped that she had made a mistake. Shu Qing might be beautiful and look similar to her, but Shi Nuan couldn’t accept having a mother like that. The good news was that Shi Nuan no longer felt irritated when she thought about Shen Qianan. Instead, the former pitied the latter. She must really hate Shu Qing.
Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan didn’t go back that night. Fu Zhengyun wasn’t the only one restless that night – Song Zhenyan was too.
The woman kept wondering what her shortcomings were. What was it about her that made Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan stay away from home? Song Zhenyan thought that Ning Xin might be able to get the answer, so she tried to get Pei Huan’s mother to call Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan.
Ning Xin was exasperated and speechless when she heard Song Zhenyan’s request. Still, Ning Xin called Fu Chengyan to pacify Song Zhenyan’s nerves.
Fu Chengyan had just cooed Shi Nuan to bed at the time of that call. When he saw that the caller was Ning Xin, he snuck out of the room and headed to the corridor to accept the call. “Aunt Ning, what’s up?”
“It’s nothing, really. I’m just calling because you guys didn’t come home. Is something wrong? Are you guys not comfortable at home, or is there something you’re not used to?”
Fu Chengyan peeked towards the bedroom. He kept his voice down, replying, “It’s nothing like that. May and I just felt like staying in the Wutong Residence today. It has nothing to do with the house or anyone there.”
“What’s up with Nuan?” asked Ning Xin. She could hear the restraint and cautiousness in Fu Chengyan’s voice.
Fu Chengyan paused before replying, “It’s nothing serious. You don’t need to worry about us, Aunt Ning.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Nuan is pregnant, and the first three months are the most crucial period. You have to keep an eye on her, understand?”
“Yeah, I know,” replied Fu Chengyan before he added, “Aunt Ning, can I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Have you ever heard of a woman named Shu Qing?”
“Shu Qing?” blurted Ning Xin in surprise, “You’re not talking about the onetime wonder celebrity who was ridiculously famous for a time, are you?”
“You know her, Aunt Ning?” asked Fu Chengyan. He didn’t expect her to have such a reaction.
“Not really, but Shu Qing was rather famous once upon a time. She is about my age, so I know a bit about her. Supposedly, she quit the showbiz and went to work overseas. Why are you suddenly asking about her?”
“You probably don’t know about this, Aunt Ning, but she came back with a few movie credits attached. She is collaborating with Xinhuang now,” shared Fu Chengyan. Ning Xin nodded and commented, “She should be about forty, going on fifty, isn’t she? Wow, she’s still working in the entertainment industry?”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you ask about her?”
Ning Xin knew Fu Chengyan wasn’t the kind of man who would ask about such gossips. Something serious had to be up for him to ask about it.
Song Zhenyan had been sitting idly by the side, but she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She asked, “Is that Yan? Can I talk to him? What does Yan want to know?”
Naturally, Fu Chengyan heard Song Zhenyan’s voice from his side as well. His first instinct was to hang up, but he heard Song Zhenyan saying, “Is he asking about Shu Qing? Yan, what do you want to know about Shu Qing?”
Fu Chengyan was stunned. He requested, “Aunt Ning, please hand the phone to her.”
So, Ning Xin handed the phone to Song Zhenyan. The latter’s heart was thumping fast, and she felt like it would jump out of her throat at any moment. “Yan, uhm… How are you and Nuan doing today?” asked Song Zhenyan.
“We’re good,” answered Fu Chengyan as he tried to remain patient, “You know Shu Qing?”
“Yeah, I do,” replied Song Zhenyan while nodding, “I was still in Capital at the time, and Shu Qing was there too. The place wasn’t exactly big, so I know a lot about her. What do you want to know?”
“I want to know about her relationship with Shen Feng.”
“Oh, that… There was a rumor about how the two of them got together. It was even said that Shen Feng’s daughter, Shen Qianan, was actually the daughter Shu Qing had given birth to. In other words, people claimed that Shen Qianan wasn’t Shen Feng’s legitimate wife’s daughter. What else would you like to know?” asked Song Zhenyan.
“Who else had Shu Qing been with, aside from Shen Feng?”
“I’m not sure about that,” murmured Song Zhenyan as she tried to recall, “Oh, but there is one other man that she might have been involved with.”
“And who is that?”
“Su Huaibei. He was close to Shu Qing at the time, but I’m not sure if their relationship was sexual.”
Su Huaibei? Isn’t that Su Shaoqing’s uncle? He was rumored to be missing for years. Even to this day, no one knows where he is. Was he really in a relationship with Shu Qing?
“Got it,” replied Fu Chengyan as he memorized Su Huaibei’s name. He then added, “Okay, I’ll hang up now if there’s nothing else you’d like to say.”
“Wait, Yan!” called out Song Zhenyan, “Yan, why didn’t you and Nuan come home today? Do you and Nuan not want to see me around? If you guys don’t want to see me, I… I can…”
“That’s not it,” interrupted Fu Chengyan impatiently as he massaged his brows and lied, “I just wanted to have some alone time with May for a few days. It has nothing to do with you!”
If anyone were to hear their son talk back to them like that, they would have been sad and angry. However, Song Zhenyan didn’t feel that way at all. In fact, she sighed a breath of relief and replied, “Oh, I’m so glad to hear that. Well, since the two of you are spending some time alone, you should be extra careful and keep an eye on Nuan. Her body is still weak, and as her husband, you must care for her, okay?”
“Okay, I got it. Is there anything else?”
“No, nothing for now.”
Song Zhenyan hesitantly hung up. She couldn’t help staring at the phone for a while after she did so, though.
Ning Xin could only shake her head in exasperation when she saw that. She advised, “Zhenyan, sometimes, only the one who caused the pain can undo the situation.”
“I know.”
On the other side, Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes after hanging up the phone. He later called Su Shaoqing.
Su Shaoqing was working the night shift at the time. He couldn’t help being surprised when he saw that the call was from Fu Chengyan. The former teased, “Awh, Chengyan, you’re calling me so late at night. Won’t Nuan get jealous?”
Fu Chengyan arched a brow and asked, “How are you so shameless?”
“Hehe, when it comes to shame and honor…”
“Alright, quit bullshitting. I have something to ask you.”
“What is it? Ask away,” replied Su Shaoqing, who instantly turned serious upon hearing that.
“I want to ask about your uncle, Su Huaibei.”
