Are n naturally thick-skinned when it cos to these things? Su Mu couldn’t verify, but judging from Fu Shinian’s expression, it certainly seed like a casually thrown remark. Especially with that teasing smile of his aid at her—it irritated her but sohow didn’t truly make her angry.
Jiang Bei wasn’t an outsider. She could only comfort herself with that thought.
After breakfast, Jiang Bei went straight back to her room, claiming she was tired. At first, Su Mu was worried she wasn’t feeling well and asked her a few questions. Jiang Bei, annoyed by the questioning, answered bluntly, "Pregnant won are naturally prone to fatigue. Big Sis, you’ve been pregnant before, just let sleep for a bit."
Only then did Su Mu let her return to her room.
Actually, Jiang Bei wasn’t tired. Having just woken up, how much fatigue could she really feel? But she knew what would happen today, and she knew the tranquility between Fu Shinian and Su Mu was fleeting. So she automatically withdrew, leaving the space for the two of them.
She just hoped they could talk as much as possible, even though she knew it wouldn’t really make a difference.
Everything that needed to be said, and even the things one would rather not say, had already been thoroughly discussed the night before. So now, as the two of them sat silently on the couch in the living room, staring out at the lightly falling snowflakes that were gradually disappearing, Su Mu began to feel sleepy again and unconsciously leaned toward Fu Shinian’s shoulder.
In the past, when this happened, Fu Shinian would naturally indulge her. But now, he didn’t want her to fall asleep. He gently patted her cheek and asked:
"Sleepy?"
"Mm." Su Mu murmured softly, "Didn’t sleep much."
"Don’t sleep now. Take a nap in the afternoon instead. Let take you out for a walk."
"Now?" Su Mu glanced out the window. "Isn’t it too cold?"
"Not at all. Haven’t you heard the saying? Snow itself isn’t cold; it’s when it lts that it’s freezing."
Su Mu chuckled and didn’t reply, but she stood up, ready to accompany Fu Shinian outside. He told her to wait while he went upstairs to get their jackets. Su Mu nodded and watched him walk away, and the unease from last night swept over her once again.
But what could possibly happen?
Qin Nianwan’s agreed-upon ti was tomorrow. Until then, they would be staying in the villa without venturing out. So where did her unease about Fu Shinian stem from?
Su Mu couldn’t say, nor did she want to believe it, yet after what had happened with Qiqi last ti, she couldn’t dismiss it outright.
Fu Shinian quickly ca down, handing Su Mu a white down jacket. Once she’d put it on, he took her hand and led her outside.
"Let’s not stray too far, just walk around nearby."
"Alright, I wasn’t planning to go far anyway."
Fu Shinian noticed Su Mu’s mood seed off—not quite the sa as when she woke up earlier, or even during breakfast when she seed relatively cheerful. In the short interval he spent upstairs fetching the coats, her deanor shifted significantly, leaving Fu Shinian worried.
"Did sothing happen?"
Su Mu shook her head.
"Shinian, I feel really unsettled."
"Is it about Qiqi?" Fu Shinian asked. "Last night we agreed, didn’t we? No matter what the outco is, we’ll..."
"It’s not Qiqi." Su Mu stopped walking and stared at him. "It’s you I feel uneasy about. I don’t know why, but I can’t shake the feeling that sothing is going to happen to you. Please tell the truth—consider it begging you—are you hiding anything?"
Fu Shinian gazed into Su Mu’s eyes and pulled her into a gentle hug.
"No," he said.
Fu Shinian had never really believed in sixth senses, but when it ca to Su Mu, he found them strangely credible—almost eerie, like they always held so semblance of truth. Whether it was her instincts about Qiqi or about himself.
He wasn’t sure how to describe his own feelings about this. After all, if Su Mu’s premonition held any weight, there was a significant chance he truly wouldn’t make it back.
Yet, even if things unfolded as Su Mu feared, Fu Shinian had no other path to take now.
"Don’t go out today," Su Mu pleaded. "Stay with ."
Fu Shinian nodded.
"Alright, I’ll stay with you."
"Not even a step away."
"Okay," Fu Shinian said with a smile. "If you’d always been this clingy, how wonderful it would be."
"Once I bring Qiqi back, the two of us will cling to you together."
Fu Shinian chuckled softly.
"How lucky I am."
Just as Fu Shinian predicted, the snowflakes didn’t last long before stopping completely, leaving no trace on the ground. He and Su Mu walked back and forth along the small path in front of the villa a few tis, but before long, Su Mu began to feel tired. Fu Shinian didn’t push her and accompanied her back inside.
He stayed by her side in bed for a while. This ti, Su Mu didn’t feel sleepy anymore, busying herself with her phone instead. Fu Shinian didn’t say much either; the less he spoke now, the better. He feared saying too much might deepen Su Mu’s unease, leading her to suspect sothing and making matters worse.
Lying beside her, Fu Shinian closed his eyes, quietly resting. The room grew so silent you could hear a pin drop.
By near eleven o’clock, Fu Shinian opened his eyes, glanced at the ti, and saw it was more or less as he had expected. Su Mu remained leaning against the headboard next to him, absorbed in her phone. He took one look at her and smiled.
"What are you looking at? You’ve been staring at it for so long."
Su Mu was startled and looked at him.
"I thought you were asleep."
"No, I couldn’t sleep—just lay there with my eyes closed."
Su Mu hesitated before handing her phone to Fu Shinian.
"Photos of Qiqi from before."
Fu Shinian took the phone, flipping through the images several tis before returning it to her.
"I miss her. I miss her so much."
Su Mu nodded.
"If all goes smoothly, you’ll see her tomorrow."
Fu Shinian smiled faintly but didn’t say anything else. He propped himself up and planted a gentle kiss on Su Mu before speaking.
"I’ll head downstairs and cook for you."
"Why do you have to cook?"
Fu Shinian, getting out of bed, replied:
"You don’t want cooking?"
"Not at all. I just think you might be overdoing it. You’ve been handling the cooking these past couple of days."
"It’s fine." Fu Shinian flashed a smile. "You rest for a bit. I’ll call you when it’s ready."
Just before he took a step away, Su Mu called him back. Turning to face her, he found she had already gotten out of bed and walked over to him. She reached out and took his hand. Fu Shinian glanced down at their joined hands and smiled lightly.
"What’s going on?"
"I’ll go with you—I’ll keep you company," Su Mu said, looking at him. "You promised, didn’t you? You said you’d stick close to today, not leave even for a single step."
Fu Shinian laughed.
"Alright."
The two headed downstairs together. Fu Shinian asked:
"Anything particular you want to eat?"
Su Mu shook her head.
"No, but I like everything you make."
Fu Shinian grinned.
"You know, if you want to keep cooking, you can just tell directly instead of buttering up with complints."
Su Mu leaned against him, smiling as well.
"But everything I said is true."
Su Mu hadn’t rested well the previous night, and her plans for a morning nap were thwarted by Fu Shinian. So after lunch, she found herself struggling to keep her eyes open. Jiang Bei eyed Fu Shinian cautiously, but he avoided her gaze entirely, instead turning to Su Mu.
"We don’t have much going on today," he said, "Want to take a nap with you?"
Su Mu nodded and got up from the table.
"Alright."
As she walked away, she recalled Jiang Bei and asked:
"Would you like to rest too?"
Jiang Bei shook her head.
"No, I rested well in the morning. I think I’ll watch so TV now."
Su Mu nodded and said nothing more, heading upstairs with Fu Shinian. She walked into the master bedroom and climbed directly into bed, while Fu Shinian took his ti. Standing at the mini bar, he poured her a glass of water, adding sothing to it while her attention was elsewhere. Carrying the glass over, he sat beside her.
"Drink so water before you sleep."
Su Mu blinked sleepily at him.
"I’m not thirsty."
"Drink anyway. I added too much salt to lunch—I don’t want you waking up thirsty halfway through your nap."
Su Mu thought about it. Lunch had indeed been a bit on the salty side. Smiling, she sat up, accepted the water from him, and teased:
"Is this your way of showing off because I complinted you earlier?"
Fu Shinian chuckled softly.
"I guess I might be the type who can’t handle flattery. Makes get a little too full of myself."
Su Mu laughed and took a big gulp of water without further comnt. Fu Shinian took the cup from her and placed it on the bedside table. Instead of returning to his spot, he slid beside her, pulling her close until they were sharing her space. She nestled into his arms, worried he’d fall off the edge, and tried to shift their position to give him more room. But he stopped her.
"This is perfect. I’m not a child—I’m not going to fall out of bed."
Su Mu laughed softly.
"You’re right. Even Qiqi wouldn’t fall off."
Fu Shinian bent down to press a kiss to her forehead. "Go to sleep."
Already sleepy, Su Mu succumbed quickly, helped along by whatever he’d mixed into her drink. But for so inexplicable reason, she resisted fully falling asleep, remaining in a strange state where she looked unconscious but retained so awareness. She vaguely heard the deep sigh that escaped Fu Shinian. She could feel the strength of his embrace and sensed sothing off—her fragnted thoughts hinted at understanding sothing.
She tried with all her might to open her eyes, but her body simply wouldn’t respond. Her eyelids felt increasingly heavy, and her mind grew foggy. Just before everything faded completely, she seed to hear Fu Shinian’s whispered apology by her ear:
"I’m sorry..."
And then there was nothing.
When Fu Shinian went downstairs, Jiang Bei was still in the sa spot. Though she’d ntioned watching TV, the screen was muted, and her gaze wasn’t even fixed on it. She only turned around at the sound of footsteps and asked:
"Susu fell asleep?"
"Mm, she should sleep for a long ti."
"Fu Shinian..."
"I know what you want to say," he cut her off. "But do you have a better plan? I’m Su Mu’s husband—it’s my duty to take on what life throws at her. I’ve already let her down enough. If I can’t even do this, then I truly don’t deserve her."
Jiang Bei stared at him, unable to respond. At this point, what was there left to say? Nothing she said could stop Fu Shinian. Nor could she even try. Because Qiqi had to be rescued. If it ultimately ca down to choosing just one person to go into danger—between Fu Shinian and Su Mu—Jiang Bei would rather it be Fu Shinian.
After all, Fu Shinian was a man, and when faced with danger, his chances of survival were inherently higher than Su Mu’s.
Jiang Bei didn’t believe n were obligated to shoulder such burdens, but in this circumstance, she felt Fu Shinian offered the best odds of achieving the desired outco.
Fu Shinian walked toward the door. Jiang Bei kept her eyes on his back, wanting to tell him to take care, to be cautious, to keep himself safe. But she remained silent, knowing that for him, such words amounted to re platitudes. No one wanted to return ho more than Fu Shinian—safe and sound, and with Qiqi in tow.
At the threshold, Fu Shinian unexpectedly stopped. Jiang Bei, who hadn’t expected him to speak, asked:
"Do you have sothing else to say?"
Fu Shinian turned to her and managed a faint smile.
"Jiang Bei, Susu has always listened to you. If... If I don’t make it back, please, stay by her side and persuade her. Don’t let her be so stubborn. There are plenty of good n out there—especially around her. n who truly care for her and are willing to protect her. Convince her to give soone else a chance. Otherwise, they’d be too pitiful."
Despite the bittersweet nature of his words, Fu Shinian delivered them with a lighthearted humor.
Though Jiang Bei understood the deeper aning, she dared not reveal her sadness. She offered a small smile.
"Are you talking about Wei Shaoqin or Wen Han?"
Fu Shinian laughed softly.
"Wen Han and Su Mu seem like a good match on the surface, but reality often proves otherwise. They’ve tried before, and we all saw how it turned out. It’s better not to force things."
Jiang Bei nodded.
"Got it. But knowing is one thing—whether Susu listens to is another. I can’t guarantee she’ll take my advice. If you don’t co back... I might end up being chased and beaten by her, you know? After all, I seem to be the only one aware of everything going on."
"She wouldn’t do that," Fu Shinian said. "You’re her best friend—she wouldn’t treat you like that. She might be angry, but she’s not unreasonable. She’ll understand you did it for her own good."
"I just want both of you to be okay," Jiang Bei said, watching him. "You have to co back."
Fu Shinian nodded firmly. Before departing, he glanced at Jiang Bei’s pregnant belly.
"When your child is born, no matter if it’s a boy or a girl, both Su Mu and I will treat them like our own."
"Mm. Susu already promised to be the godmother—you can’t back out now either."
Fu Shinian nodded again before stepping out. This ti, he didn’t pause, and Jiang Bei no longer tried to stop him as he got into his car and drove off. She kept her eyes on him the whole way, her heart stuck in her throat. Until she received news of his fate, she doubted her nerves would calm.
After lingering downstairs for a bit longer, Jiang Bei walked upstairs. Though she knew Fu Shinian had given Su Mu sleeping pills and Su Mu would likely sleep deeply for a long ti, Jiang Bei still wanted to stay by her side. Even if she wasn’t sure what to say if Su Mu woke up.
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