Mei Ran nestled into his embrace, her hand he held warm beyond belief, and her heart suddenly grew calm once more.
This was a necessary transition from girl to woman. Although he had been exceedingly careful, the pain of breaking through a cocoon – how could it simply melt away like the white frost on a winter windowpane with just a gentle touch of sunshine?
Turns out the previous netizens’ assessments regarding certain aspects of this man were quite accurate indeed. Last night’s... exchange... was truly “profound.”
Another light cough came from outside the door. Turning around, they saw Mei Hongyuan standing on the threshold, looking at them with a smile on his face.
Fortunately, having been caught once before, Mei Ran no longer felt shy. She straightened up, “Father.”
Mei Hongyuan’s smile deepened.
“Shijin, please come to my study.”
Watching their retreating figures, Mei Ran wondered: so secretive, what could it be that he couldn’t say in front of her?
Now, the old madame had truly and utterly fallen. The Mei Mengran lying in the hospital likely couldn’t stir up much more trouble either. The very air felt much fresher. Mei Ran poured herself a cup of tea and drank it, her brilliant smile seeming to hold the sweetness of honey within.
Half an hour later, Fu Shijin returned alone, walking straight up to her. “Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“The airport.”
Mei Ran said, “But my father...”
“I just asked. Uncle approved.”
This kind of family gathering was not a small matter; him leaving midway was already breaking precedent. But if he were to rush back overnight, he truly couldn’t bear to leave her behind. So, he might as well take her home directly. After all, he had already secured permission from his future father-in-law.
Perhaps because it was a late-night flight, there weren’t many passengers in first class, making it exceptionally quiet.
“Do you want to sleep for a while?”
“Alright.”
He guided her head to rest on his shoulder and draped a blanket over her. “Sleep.”
Mei Ran suddenly opened her eyes. “Mei Mengran being blacklisted… was it… you, right?”
He never intended to hide it from her. “Yes.”
After all, Mei Mengran still bore the Mei surname. There were some things Mei Hongyuan couldn’t conveniently do overtly. Meanwhile, Fu Shijin had no connection whatsoever to that woman, so he needn’t heed any considerations of kinship. More importantly…
No one can harm you without paying a price. Even myself.
If one day I were to hurt you, then may heaven condemn me to a life ending in utter solitude.
“No need to think about those things anymore.” He carefully tucked in the edges of the thin blanket. “Sleep.”
Mei Ran really was tired. Shifting her body slightly, a certain sore and weak place between her legs caused her to immediately furrow her brow.
“What’s wrong?” A man’s gentle, deep voice came from above her.
He suddenly reached over, picked her up, and placed her across his lap. She let out a low gasp, hurriedly wrapping her arms around his neck.
His hand settled on her waist. Their bodies were now pressed together seamlessly, fitting tightly without a gap.
He pulled the blanket back over her, chuckling. “You’ll be more comfortable sleeping this way.”
*No, I won’t*. Mei Ran curled her lip, muttering something quietly.
He heard her and let out a tremble of silent laughter in his chest, leaning in to whisper near her ear, “Which place?”
“What?” She looked bewildered, her slightly opened eyes still glazed with a hazy light.
Fu Shijin was quite happy to clarify her question. “Didn’t you just say it was ‘too hard’ and not comfortable?”
As he spoke, his leg moved slightly. Mei Ran instantly understood. “Hey!”
Don’t bully me like that!
“Don’t squirm,” his voice instantly dropped several notes, low and husky, laced with a certain restraint.
Mei Ran immediately went still, obediently leaning against his chest and closing her eyes. Her original plan was to feign sleep while conveniently observing this ‘fire’ from a safe distance, but she was simply too exhausted, and soon sank into a deep slumber.
When she awoke again, she found herself lying in a bed. The side next to her was empty. Feeling it, it was cold, so he must have gotten up long ago... Or perhaps, he hadn’t even slept in this bed at all?
Being aware of the purpose of this trip, Mei Ran wasn’t overly surprised. However, a glance at the time made her eyes widen. Had she really slept this late?
Indeed, as soon as she drew back the curtains, abundant sunshine from outside flooded in, somewhat dazzling. She shielded her eyes with her hand and prepared to wash up first.
The toothbrush, towels, and such were all new. Even the toothpaste was her preferred flavor. Gazing at her smiling reflection in the mirror, Mei Ran felt like even the mouthwash tasted sweet.
After searching around fruitlessly for clothes to change into, and growing a bit frustrated, a knock sounded at the door – a very polite three short, one long pattern. She called out, “Come in,” but there was no movement from the person outside, so she went over and opened the door directly.
The young woman standing at the doorway seemed not to have expected the occupant to suddenly pull the door open, and retreated two steps backwards as if startled.
Standing in the doorway, even though she was still wearing pajamas, Mei Ran carried herself with grace and poise. Only… when her gaze landed on the several paper bags held in the woman’s hands, a light as quick as a meteor flashed through her eyes.
Jessica’s expression still held a trace of unsettled alarm, but her usual discipline soon calmed her. She gave a slight bow, first greeting Mei Ran in English, then explaining that she was here to deliver clothing.
Mei Ran had been slightly worried she’d speak French right off the bat. Hearing this familiar English, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped aside to let her enter.
Jessica seemed surprised by how approachable she was, giving Mei Ran a few more appraising glances, a look of curiosity and astonishment in her eyes. Ultimately, she didn’t dare to be too overt.
She placed the paper bags on the sofa, maintaining her deferential demeanor, explaining softly, “Young Master doesn’t like us touching his personal belongings. So, it falls to you to trouble yourself hanging them in the walk-in closet.”
Mei Ran nodded. “Thank you.”
“Manica has already prepared breakfast. Will you be dining over there, or would you prefer it brought here?”
After changing, Mei Ran followed her over. She couldn’t even fathom how large this place was. In short, it felt like navigating a maze, winding this way and that for at least fifteen minutes before reaching the dining area.
Along the way, they encountered many maids dressed in uniform attire. They each went about their tasks quietly, without casting sideways glances.
Breakfast was bountiful. Chinese-style to French-style, everything imaginable covered the long table, almost dazzling Mei Ran’s eyes. She began to suspect that the “Manica” Jessica mentioned who prepared breakfast wasn’t a single person, but the collective name for a team.
It was only upon seeing the tall, burly woman wearing a chef’s hat introduce herself as “Manica” that Mei Ran dispelled her suspicion.
Manica wasn’t a talkative woman, but the things she created were truly delicious. Although eating breakfast at this hour was somewhat unconventional, Mei Ran was indeed rather hungry, so she ate quite a bit.
When she realized this fact, she rubbed her stomach ruefully. Meanwhile, Manica, who had been standing aside with a stern face, finally allowed a smile to show.
After breakfast, Mei Ran stepped out of the dining room. Faced with a stretch of architecture that looked nearly identical in the not-too-far distance, she found herself unsure which way to walk. Jessica, ever considerate, walked ahead to lead her back to the villa where Fu Shijin resided.
“He, Fu Shijin, where is he now?”
Jessica replied, “Young Master is currently in a conference meeting.” Then added, “It should be ending soon.”
No sooner had her words fallen than a tall, elegant silhouette appeared from around the corner. Upon seeing the newcomer, Jessica respectfully greeted him and then retreated.
Fu Shijin’s long strides brought him right before Mei Ran in an instant. He gave a small smile. “Have you eaten breakfast?”
He was still dressed in very formal attire, a suit and even a tie, making him appear somewhat colder and more serious than usual. However, those deep eyes holding amusement within them were utterly familiar to Mei Ran.
Lowering her gaze, she murmured quietly, “I ate so much. Ah!”
Suddenly, the man’s warm presence grew so close it was just within reach. A large hand gently pressed against her belly and patted. “Let me check.”
He seemed to be researching a serious academic subject, patting repeatedly before delivering his conclusion. “Seems to be a bit much.”
Mei Ran simply leaned her whole weight against him, lazily wrapping herself around his arm and not wanting to move.
“Still uncomfortable?”
She quickly realized what he was asking about. Her eyes shifted, and she gave a rather vague, drawn-out “Mm...”
“I’m sorry. I was a bit out of control last night,” Fu Shijin’s voice carried a hint of a weariness not easily noticed, sounding somewhat husky. He softened his tone, trying to let her hear each word clearly. “I’ll be gentler next time, okay?”
Mei Ran pounded his chest a few times in reply.
She then looked up again. “Can you translate a sentence for me?”
She’d heard it spoken by two servants on the way back. Seeing her, their expressions had shifted first to shock, then surprise, then to... a sort of fearful reverence? Mei Ran felt sure the key to unraveling this mystery lay within that phrase.
Fortunately, her memory was good. Even though her French pronunciation might not be perfect, she managed to stumble through repeating the whole sentence.
Upon hearing it, the man fell silent for a moment, then a hint of an intriguing smile appeared on his handsome face. Yet his tone remained very serious and proper. “Oh, this phrase means, ‘That pretty woman is the one Young Master carried in this morning. I heard she’s his fiancée.’”
Mei Ran’s mouth opened slightly, and her expression underwent lively changes. She had slept too soundly this morning, so she wasn’t surprised that he had carried her in. What truly baffled her was: why did *everyone* know?
Of course, this question wasn’t directly answered by Mr. Fu. Mei Ran was itching with curiosity, consumed by it. Finally, when it was time to sleep that night, lying in bed she bargained for the truth—though the cost involved was no small amount.
As it turned out, the Steward had given advance notice, so when he carried her inside, *all* the servants had uniformly lined up outside the door, respectfully waiting...
That meant: during her blissfully unaware slumber, nearly everyone in the household had already learned about her—and in *that* manner at that.
Lying sprawled on the bed, unable to bring herself to get up, Mei Ran’s slightly tousled long hair cascaded over the edge of the bed. With her movements, it resembled a cascading waterfall of obsidian.
The patch of reddish marks around the plum-blossom mark on her chest was surrounded by ambiguous, intimate traces. Her whole body felt as weak as if it had been soaked in sour plum syrup—truthfully, this couldn’t be blamed entirely on that man. A significant part of it was her own doing.
He had already gotten dressed in formal attire that morning. Hearing her toss and turn restlessly in the bed, he came over. Instinctively, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, and he lowered his head to kiss the corner of her mouth.
It was meant to be the simplest, most basic good morning kiss, but in that moment she, for reasons unknown, suddenly turned her head, so his lips landed directly on hers.
Naturally, the man took this as her initiative. Previously, the stiffly ironed black suit, striped tie, white shirt, piece by piece... ended up tossed onto the floor.
A man who has just discovered red meat...
Later, if it hadn’t been nearing meeting time and the Steward hadn’t come to remind him that the whole team was waiting in the conference room, it likely wouldn’t have concluded quite so... briskly.
In summary, it was... well, let's just leave it at that.
The pajamas were hopelessly crumpled, impossible to wear further. The servants wouldn’t appear presumptuously without a summons. Plus, the room had heating. So Mei Ran simply picked his shirt up from the floor, slipped it on, and walked bare-legged to the bathroom.
She was accustomed to drinking a cup of warm water before breakfast. Holding the cup, she drank as she walked out, her eyes still rather heavy with sleepiness. Lifting her head to drain the last sip, her sight naturally lifted. To her utter surprise, seated there on the sofa in the living room... sat an unfamiliar woman! And this woman suddenly stood up, staring at her with an expression of utter shock on her face.
Mei Ran simply couldn’t help herself. She directly spat out the mouthful of water.
Why...why would someone come in unannounced?!
And furthermore, who was she?
After hurriedly cleaning up her own awkward appearance, Mei Ran took another glance at the woman. She seemed to be in her mid-thirties, makeup elegant and refined, dressed in a beige-colored suit-jacket, appearing poised yet with an indescribably sharp elegance.
Simultaneously, the woman was observing the girl before her. Her gaze traveled from the white shirt—hastily buttoned in haphazard places—down to those long, fair legs. Her expression gradually shifted from shock back to calm composure, finally settling on Mei Ran’s face, which had flushed a delicate shade of pink.
Somewhat uncomfortably, Mei Ran pulled at the hem of her shirt. “May I ask who you are?”
She looked over somewhat bashfully, when suddenly a thought popped into her mind. This woman bore a significant resemblance—at least six parts out of ten—to Fu Shijin. Could it possibly be...
Regardless of who she was to him, the fact remained she must have a relationship with him, or she wouldn’t be present here.
At the thought of being caught in this state of disheveled appearance, Mei Ran dearly wished she could dig a hole and bury herself on the spot. Her very voice softened. “Are you Shijin’s... sister?”
Fu Lanxin let out a soft laugh. Her radiant, beautiful face seemed to blossom into a flower in that instant. She walked over. “You must be Ranran.”
The tone held no questioning inflection; it was a statement of fact. Mei Ran’s previous suspicion was instantly confirmed. “Hello.”
What an exceedingly awkward first meeting! She had zero preparation whatsoever, and furthermore, she was...
“Hello,” Fu Lanxin said with grave seriousness, extending her hand to shake. “First meeting, yet... I’ve long heard of your esteemed name.”
Mei Ran: “……”
From who else could she possibly have... long heard her “esteemed name”... ?
Half an hour later, Fu Shijin, who was currently in his meeting, received a message. He swept a detached gaze across the full room, feigning idle disinterest as he tapped it open under the table.
Ranbao: “Ahhhh! Why didn’t you give me a heads up that your sister was coming?! So awkward! So embarrassing!!!”
Sister?
Fu Shijin stared at those two characters for a long while. A faint suspicion seemed to form. The crease between his brows relaxed slightly. He pulled up his recent call log, found the appropriate contact, and sent a message.
—Mom, your son truly put in effort to court this daughter-in-law. Please don’t scare her away.