Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Yu Manxi’s face was red due to her fever, and she also felt that her words were a little abrupt. Just as she was hesitating, the little kitten came out through the gap of the door at some point and snuggled beside Fu Sinian’s feet.

The kitten was a month old, so Yu Manxi didn’t lock it in a cage. Instead, she had gotten a small bed and put a woolen blanket over it.

Fu Sinian reached and scooped the kitten into his embrace. Its fur was yellow and white, and it was small and very adorable.

“Why did you come out?” Yu Manxi furrowed her brows. She didn’t know why this cat was so clingy to Fu Sinian. She stretched out her arms, intending to carry the kitten in her embrace. “Please give it to me.”

“I’ll hold it.”

In other words, he was willing to come in. Yu Manxi turned her body slightly, and he just walked in with the cat in his arms.

The last time he came to her condo was because her water pipe had cracked. At the time, she hadn’t tidied up her condo yet. Now that she had already tidied it up, it was indeed a very different view.

Fu Sinian often worked overtime and stayed up late, so other than his bed and his computer, everything else in his home was just for decoration. But unlike his place, hers was full of life.

In front of the windows were pots of green plants and succulents, and on the floor of the living room was a colorful rug with geometric patterns. There were unique handmade items all around… The entire home was full of warmth.

“What would you like to drink?” Yu Manxi had already entered the kitchen with the takeout bag.

“It’s fine.” Fu Sinian stroked the kitten. From the corner of his eye, he saw the fridge magnets all over her fridge. They were all iconic symbols of various countries. Looks like she likes to collect these kinds of small items.

Yu Manxi still poured him a glass of water. She then took the little kitten’s bowl and put some goat milk in it.

“Niannian, time to drink milk~” She called out to the little kitten.

Even for someone who was always calm, Fu Sinian could no longer stay calm. Niannian, time to drink milk?

Upon hearing that there was something to eat, the little kitten struggled on Fu Sinian’s lap, but it didn’t dare to jump down and just kept meowing anxiously.

Once Fu Sinian put it down onto the floor, it immediately ran to the cat bowl and started licking the goat milk.

Yu Manxi went to the kitchen to wash the rice and cook porridge with her back slightly bent. Her fever had yet to subside, and coughing sounds came from the kitchen intermittently.

Fu Sinian’s furrowed brows got tighter and tighter. He swept his gaze across the condo from the corner of his eye and saw a photo wall on one side of the living room. There were all kinds of photos of her travels. She had gone to many countries, but she was always alone.

In many of the photos, even if they were taken together with other people, they merely seemed to passersby she had met by chance, and the photos inevitably felt lonely and cold.

“When the water pipe cracked, I asked you to take me in for the night. I haven’t thanked you yet. If you haven’t eaten, then maybe you can stay and eat.” Yu Manxi couldn’t see through him, so she was very careful with her words.

“You’re still cooking when you’re sick?” Fu Sinian raised his eyebrows.

“I’m already much better. It’s fine.” She had been asleep for a day after taking medicine, so her body was already feeling much better.

She coughed twice, took out a disposable mask, and went into the kitchen…

In just half an hour, Yu Manxi brought out two dishes. She had cooked the porridge in a pressure cooker, so it was already ready to eat.

The dishes look pretty good. She really doesn’t look like someone who can cook.

“I don’t know what you like to eat, so I just casually cooked some things.” Yu Manxi was still a little nervous, afraid that the food she had cooked wouldn’t be to his liking.

Didn’t people all say that if you wanted to capture a man’s heart, you had to capture his stomach first?

The two of them sat at the dining table. Fu Sinian picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the food. It’s surprisingly good.

“How is it?”

“Okay.” Fu Sinian nodded and didn’t comment much. According to her personality, if I praise her, she’ll inevitably push her luck. “Are you good at cooking?”

“When you’re alone outside, you definitely have to learn everything,” Yu Manxi said casually.

“You went overseas very early?”

“Not really.” She lowered her head and ate her porridge.

Fu Sinian tightened his grip on his chopsticks. He had looked at the photos on her wall, and one of them had been taken during New Year’s in a certain country. The background said that the year was 2011. Just by looking at this, he knew that she had been overseas at least eight years ago.

How old was she eight years ago when she left home alone?

“You lived alone?”

“I stayed in the dormitory when I went to school, so I only started living alone after graduating. Wait a moment. I’ll pour you a glass of water.” Yu Manxi didn’t want to mention these things, so she found an excuse to leave.

The two of them basically only ate and didn’t talk at all. Only when they finished eating did Fu Sinian remind her, “Since you’re sick, you should inform your relatives or friends to take care of you. Like…” Fu Sinian’s voice paused for a moment. “… the person who helped you to move in that day.”

Yu Manxi was stunned. “You mean Big Brother Ning?”

Fu Sinian didn’t deny it.

“He has some friendship with my family, so he helped me because he heard that I was looking for a place to live. How can I keep disturbing him? Besides, he has a girlfriend, so I have to avoid arousing suspicion.” Yu Manxi made their relationship clear with just a few words.

Fu Sinian had never heard that that person had a girlfriend. He’s probably dating secretly.

The Ning family was a high-ranking family, so if he had brought someone home, their marriage would basically be confirmed.

In this era, even his third uncle, who was known for being clear of desires and never getting close to women, had an underground relationship. What else couldn’t be possible?

After dinner, Fu Sinian sat on the sofa and stroked the kitten while Yu Manxi quickly cleaned up the table. After taking her medicine, she nestled in a corner of the sofa and continued watching an American drama that she hadn’t finished.

After taking the medicine, she inevitably became drowsy, but she kept forcing her eyelids open until Fu Sinian leaned over. She looked at him warily, looking like a feline ready to attack at any time.

The person in front of her was getting closer and closer to her, and Fu Sinian could clearly feel that she was holding her breath.

Fu Sinian reached out his hand and gently touched her forehead with his slender and warm fingers. She had taken medicine, so her entire body was hot, and her face was red.

At this moment, Yu Manxi felt her heart beating faster and faster, as though it was about to jump out of her throat. When he got closer to her, she could clearly see how deep his eyes were.

His eyes were so deep that they seemed to be able to drown people.

The man’s unfamiliar aura was very close to her…

Yu Manxi felt as though something was clutching her heart while she stood on the brink of death.

“I don’t think you have a fever anymore. If you’re sleepy, go to sleep. I should go back too.” Fu Sinian withdrew his hand.

“Then, I’ll send you out.” Yu Manxi hurriedly jumped up from the sofa.

Only when they reached the door did Fu Sinian say…

“Call me if anything happens.”

Yu Manxi was stunned for a moment. When she regained her senses, Fu Sinian had already turned around and entered his condo.

She lowered her head and smiled. She touched the part of her forehead that Fu Sinian had touched and smiled like a fool. What should I do? I don’t want to wash my face anymore.

After Fu Sinian returned home, he was still thinking about the Ning family. Her surname is Yu, but she has some relationship with the Ning family? He was on his computer all year round, so he didn’t pay much attention to the Beijing circle, nor did he probe any further into it…

***

Yuncheng, Qiao residence…

Song Fengwan didn’t interact much with Yan Shaochen, but this person didn’t give her a bad impression. That night, he had declined Qiao Aiyun and Old Madam Yan’s good intentions and stayed at a hotel instead of the Qiao residence.

He had only said that it wasn’t convenient and that he wanted to give them some time alone, so he didn’t want to disturb them too much.

He was a very tactful person.

Over the next few days, Song Fengwan had already returned to school. Everyone was busy preparing for exams and completely focused on them, so her return didn’t cause much of a commotion.

All the other high school students were already on break, and only the senior students were still attending classes on the enormous campus, so the school looked exceptionally deserted.

On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, it was the Little New Year, so she packed her things and left school right after her evening self-study session.

Yan Wangchuan was the one who usually picked her up. But today, it was Yan Shaochen, which surprised her slightly.

“… Is Uncle Yan busy?” Song Fengwan sat in the backseat of the car and looked at the person in front of her.

“No, I’m also going over, so I picked you up on the way.” Yan Shaochen knew to behave appropriately in his words and actions.

Song Fengwan wasn’t a three-year-old child, and he was already in his twenties, so he definitely had to avoid arousing suspicion.

On the way home, Song Fengwan took out her phone, turned off airplane mode, and sent two messages to Fu Chen to inform him that school was over and she was returning home.

Yan Shaochen glanced at the person in the backseat through the rearview mirror. He had been a student before, so from her being all secretive…

Is she in a relationship?

When the two reached the Qiao residence, Old Madam Yan, who was usually asleep at this hour, was actually still sitting in the living room.

“Shaochen, sorry to trouble you.” Qiao Aiyun smiled and thanked Yan Shaochen.

“You’re welcome.”

“There are still some dumplings in the pot. Do you want some?” Qiao Aiyun asked.

“No thanks.” Yan Shaochen smiled.

After Song Fengwan returned home, she still had to study until late at night, so eating supper seemed to have become a habit of hers. She was sitting at the table eating dumplings when she suddenly heard Old Madam Yan harrumph coldly…

“This Sun family is so shameless. Don’t they know what kind of person their daughter is? And they’re still planning to stuff her to our Yan family?”

Sun family, Sun Rui?

Stuff her to the Yan family?

Everyone knew that Yan Wangchuan was wooing Qiao Aiyun and that he didn’t have a child, so she would naturally be stuffed to Yan Shaochen, who was the closest to the Yan family.

Yan Shaochen and Sun Rui? Song Fengwan choked on a dumpling.