Fu Jichen rarely sees her speak to him so seriously, and he imdiately gathers his wandering thoughts, pats her arm: "It’s cold outside, let’s talk in the car."
The temperature is low at night, and her exposed legs might catch a chill.
Shen Jianian grabs his sleeve stubbornly and says, "Let’s talk here."
Fu Jichen takes off his suit jacket, still warm from his body, and drapes it over her shoulders. It doesn’t fully cover her legs but is warr than her wearing just a dress: "You speak, I’ll listen."
He’s wearing a white shirt, appearing particularly thin in the cold wind.
"You..."
This isn’t the right place for a conversation. Shen Jianian has just spoken a word when the door is pulled open from the inside, and the light from the main hall spills into the corridor.
Zhou Zhizhen and the others co out, talking and laughing.
"Yo, still haven’t left yet, talking about love here." Chen Jinhui laughs.
Fu Jichen turns his head to glance at them, his expression indifferent.
Ye Xu pats Chen Jinhui and says, "Didn’t you see Fu Da is unhappy? You’re still talking, hurry up and leave, or you’ll be a third wheel."
Zhou Zhizhen walks slowly at the back, rarely without a cigarette, flicks ash with his index finger, smiles at their words, and walks straight to Fu Jichen, saying, "I’m getting married on the 26th next month, the wedding invitation will be sent to you in a few days, just giving you a heads-up. You missed the engagent ceremony, you can’t miss the wedding ceremony. I know you don’t like being the best man, so I won’t arrange it, bring Miss Shen and co for a drink."
Fu Jichen smiles faintly: "Congratulations in advance."
Zhou Zhizhen waves his hand, not afraid to state the facts: "It’s all arranged by the family, can’t say if it’s joyous or not, luckily Xue Family’s daughter is knowledgeable and sensible."
From birth, these people are destined to have their marriages and life directions not under their own control. They have so freedom when young and ignorant, but once they reach marriageable age, various issues arise. First, they need to find soone of matching status for a union to consolidate the family business for long-lasting prosperity.
Who dares to compare with Fu Da.
Moreover, Zhou Zhizhen can’t be sure that Fu Da’s current persistence will have a good result.
Fu Da is so carefree now because the person he was set up with for a union years ago is not in the country; when Miss Xu returns, the pressure he faces will only increase.
The old Mr. Fu has a personality that can’t be opposed; hard confrontation won’t bring benefit to Fu Da.
Of course, if everyone is happy, that would be for the best.
He hopes soone can do what he hasn’t been able to.
For a mont, Zhou Zhizhen thinks of many things, pulls back his thoughts, and smiles slightly: "Wait a mont, when I was bidding for an antique vase for your family’s old man at an auction, I ca across a piece of jadeite, quite nice in appearance, and I bid for it along with the vase. You’re fond of jade, right? It’s yours now. I have no use for it."
Zhou Zhizhen’s car is parked in the yard; he takes a few steps forward, opens the back door, and takes a palm-sized rosewood brocade box from the car.
"Thank you for that past incident, if it wasn’t for your help, I’m afraid she..." Zhou Zhizhen speaks vaguely, "Consider it a favor returned."
Fu Jichen: "We’re brothers, no need to be so polite."
"Take it." Zhou Zhizhen smiles, "It’s worth in the high seven figures."
Their conversation is like a cryptic puzzle; Shen Jianian doesn’t quite understand.
Fu Jichen doesn’t refuse, takes the brocade box.
"Leaving now." Zhou Zhizhen walks back, cigarette in hand, sits in the car.
Shen Jianian shouldn’t ask more, but she can’t help but ask, "What did you help him with?" Worth a thank-you gift in the high seven figures.
Fu Jichen’s eyes show a smile, looking at her beautiful eyes: "Curious?"
The cold wind blows, Shen Jianian’s bare legs go numb; she wraps one arm around herself, tightening the suit jacket: "If you can’t say, forget it, I’m not very eager to know."
"There’s nothing not to say." Fu Jichen holds her cold hands, warming them, leads her to the car: "He dated a girl in university up until graduation, they were quite fond of each other. Later his family found out, pressured the girl to leave Zhizhen, using untoward asures; Zhizhen couldn’t intervene, asked to save the girl and send her to a safe place. Even if they can’t be together, knowing she’s well is enough."
Shen Jianian feels suffocated listening, only sadness.
Two people in love, pressured by family can’t be together, now one is getting married, the whereabouts of the other unknown. Whether continue waiting or also find soone to marry, it’s uncertain.
"By the way, what were you going to tell ?" Fu Jichen almost forgot due to the interruption, "You looked like you had sothing important to say?"
Shen Jianian looks at his face, hesitates, doesn’t say anything.
Zhou Zhizhen ended up like that, can he escape?
Maybe one day she will also face the sa fate as Zhou Zhizhen’s girlfriend; who can save her then?
True love or false love, there’s no result in such a relationship, no point in worrying.
At this mont, she suddenly understands.
Shen Jianian shakes her head, her smile faint: "Nothing important, just wanted to ask if Mr. Fu scolded you."
"Not worried about ?" Fu Jichen brushes her hair, his eyes full of gentleness and affection.
"There’s no ’not worried.’" Shen Jianian says, "I don’t want you to be scolded because of . Mr. Fu is your elder, your family, it’s not good to anger him considering his age."
"The old man should see how understanding his future granddaughter-in-law is."
Shen Jianian is startled, eyes wide.
The gentlen joking aside, he’s joking too.
She’s not a child, she can’t daydream, Mr. Fu can’t accept soone of her status as his granddaughter-in-law.
Fu Jichen opens the brocade box, indeed a top-quality jadeite raw material, crystal clear without any impurity; he takes out the jadeite and puts it in Shen Jianian’s palm.
Cold to touch, warms in her hand after a while. Shen Jianian looks at him: "Why give it to ?"
Fu Jichen says: "To play with."
"This is the thank-you gift from Zhou Zhizhen."
"What’s mine is yours."
Fu Jichen covers her hand along with the jadeite, naturally.
*
That night, Shen Jianian didn’t sleep well, maybe troubled thoughts kept her awake, or she felt sothing pressing against her back.
She tossed and turned, pulled into Fu Jichen’s arms, firmly held and unable to move.
Until dawn, she noticed him getting up, waking her. Having slept poorly, her head ached; she searched the bed and indeed found sothing.
She took it from under the covers, squinting to see it’s a pearl earring.
Shen Jianian touched her earlobe, one ear wore an earring, the other didn’t.
Since coming back from the old house, she was distracted, forgot to take off the earrings, didn’t notice during her bath and skincare, didn’t even notice in bed.
Fu Jichen finished washing, coming out of the bathroom, sees her holding sothing, asks: "What are you looking at?"
Shen Jianian turns over, lies on the bed, the blanket slides down, revealing smooth shoulders and a white back. She places the earring on the nightstand, lies back, mumbles: "All night pressing , uncomfortable sleep, just found out it’s a pearl earring fallen on the bed."
Fu Jichen walks to the bedside, putting on his watch, looking at her sleepy expression, feels soft inside, jokingly: "Hmm, I seem to have found a Pea Princess."
Shen Jianian slowly lifts her eyelids, her double eyelid crease deep, her voice sleepy and soft: "You actually read fairy tales." Knowing Pea Princess, rare indeed.
Fu Jichen hums with a slightly lazy nasal tone, not reading doesn’t an not hearing about.
"What’s your plan for today, Saturday?" Fu Jichen asks.
She doesn’t need to go to Yan Qiusheng’s villa for piano lessons today, having a whole day to rest, while he has to go to the company for a project planning eting, probably until noon.
Shen Jianian can’t sleep anymore, gets out of bed and opens the curtain, looks at the weather outside, clear sky, sunny.
"I’m going to the hospital." Shen Jianian turns and leans against the window glass, telling him.
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