Perhaps because he had given his coat to Su Mu in the Strawberry Garden, Fu Shinian began sneezing incessantly not long after they returned ho. At first, Su Mu didn’t pay much attention, until after dinner when she was going back to her room. As she passed by the study, she heard Fu Shinian’s continuous coughing.
She paused silently at the door for a few seconds and finally knocked. When she heard Fu Shinian’s voice, Su Mu realized his throat was hoarse.
Upon entering, Su Mu saw Fu Shinian’s surprised expression as he put down his pen and offered a faint smile:
"Why are you here?"
As Su Mu stepped forward, he clearly prohibited her:
"Just talk from there, I’ve caught a cold, don’t want to pass it on to you."
Her heart felt as though it had been gently placed in warm water of just the right temperature, warm but without any risk of scalding. Although it had not been long, the words he had said to her in front of the French windows last night seed sincere.
The feelings between people are mutual, and Su Mu could feel it.
She obediently stood still where she was and said:
"I’ll go ask Auntie Wang for so dicine."
"No need," Fu Shinian looked at her and couldn’t help coughing twice: "I have a strong body, I should be fine by tomorrow."
Despite his words, Su Mu still went downstairs. Fu Shinian watched her leave with a faint smile. Just as he was about to refocus on the computer screen, a head cautiously popped in through the door and softly called out:
"Brother."
Fu Shinian looked at her: "Where did you run off to today?"
She hadn’t been seen since the morning until dinner, not returning even once.
Seeing that he wasn’t angry, Su Shiyue stepped in: "I didn’t go anywhere in particular, just hung out with a few friends. The house was full of visitors; it would’ve been impolite to stay and not show up, but I find it very annoying, so I just ran out."
Fu Shinian didn’t speak, closing his eyes silently, briefly resting.
"Brother," Su Shiyue said with a suppressed laugh: "I rarely see you catch a cold. You’ve gone winter swimming with Qiao and the others before without a hitch, and now, just a round outside and you’ve turned into a sick beauty. You’re not playing the sympathy card, are you?"
Fu Shinian slowly opened his eyes to look at Su Shiyue, speaking leisurely:
"Do you not need your allowance next month?"
Su Shiyue quickly mid zipping her mouth shut:
"I won’t say a word; I definitely won’t let sister-in-law know about this."
"Shiyue," Fu Shinian called out, stopping her as she was leaving: "How are you finding life abroad?"
It was a very ordinary question, but Su Shiyue was taken aback, taking a long ti to rember to answer. She didn’t realize her eyes had turned red as she nodded:
"It’s pretty good. Living alone has taught life’s difficulties and a lot of truths. I understand that you did it for my own good, brother."
"Mhm," Fu Shinian replied softly: "Behave yourself a little more from now on."
Su Shiyue nodded: "I will."
Not long after Su Shiyue left, Su Mu appeared again. This ti she didn’t knock, she just opened the door and stepped in. Fu Shinian opened his eyes to see her carrying a glass of water in one hand and dicine in the other, and he smiled faintly. Su Mu walked over, placed both the water and the dicine in front of him, and explained the dosage:
"Even if your body is strong, a cough isn’t sothing that easily gets better. You should still take so dicine," she said.
Before she could pull her hand away, Fu Shinian gripped it tightly in his palm, lifted his eyes to hers with a brimming smile:
"Are you concerned about ?"
Su Mu tried to struggle free, but he didn’t let go. Calming herself, she t his gaze without a hint of fear:
"It’s just guilt because the cold is my fault."
"Little liar."
Although Fu Shinian said that, he ultimately let go of her hand. As Su Mu turned to leave, she inadvertently noticed that the drawer to his left was open, which suddenly reminded her of the most intense argunt they had ever had in this room, where he choked her and said he wished she were dead.
Su Mu’s consternation was instantly seen through by Fu Shinian, who also rembered, but he didn’t try to defend himself. As he stood up and blocked her view, she slowly ca back to reality, her mood a few shades lower than before:
"You’re busy, so I’ll go."
It was at that mont he grabbed her hand again, saying:
"I’ve changed my mind."
Su Mu’s fingers trembled slightly, and then she chuckled softly, the desolation in her laugh so evident that no one could ignore it. In a mix of extre anger and disappointnt, she looked up at Fu Shinian, her emotions charged:
"Do you think I’m just a little pet you can toy with at your convenience? No different from that happy dog you keep in the yard? When you’re in a good mood you say you like , and when you’re not, you can just kick aside? Is this what you call ’like’? Is this your so-called ’respect’? If that’s the case, I can’t afford your affection, nor do I want it."
She mustered all her strength to break free from Fu Shinian’s grip and strode toward the door, but Fu Shinian moved quickly to block her again. Before Su Mu could struggle free, he swiftly pinned her hands behind her and bent down to kiss her.
Su Mu’s words had been disjointed, but Fu Shinian understood why she reacted that way from her emotions.
She thought that his change of mind ant ’he didn’t like her anymore,’ overturning all he had said the night before.
Because of the photos and the unhappy mories in this room, she was emotional, and no one understood her at that mont better than Fu Shinian did.
As Fu Shinian kissed her, after a mont of panic, she just wanted to escape. Fu Shinian’s timing was perfect; just as she was about to flee, he released her from his kiss and her hands, instead cradling her cheeks and resting his forehead against hers, he whispered:
"You’ve misunderstood ... What I ant by changing my mind was that I wanted to catch a cold with you."
Fu Shinian’s words made Su Mu even more confused, and she couldn’t help but resent him. In his eyes, after seeing how angry she’d been, what would he think? He must believe that she prefers the prospect of his affection over divorce.
Yet, even she didn’t have a clear answer to that.
Noticing Su Mu’s annoyance, Fu Shinian chuckled softly:
"Still angry?"
After a few silent seconds, Su Mu spoke slowly:
"Don’t kiss without permission anymore."
Fu Shinian looked at her aggrieved appearance, his heart softened completely. Although it was a loss for him, he ultimately respected her wishes:
"I’ll try my best."
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