It was already ten thirty at night when he returned to Huguang Mansion.

This hour wasn’t considered late night, but the surroundings were quiet. The car smoothly drove to the entrance. Fu Mingyu looked up and saw only the first-floor lights were on, with occasional shadows moving under the lamplight.

The main door was tightly shut, but as Fu Mingyu stepped onto the first stair, several scratching sounds came from inside.

As Auntie Luo opened the door, the golden retriever darted out, circling Fu Mingyu’s legs.

Fu Mingyu didn’t rush inside. Instead, he bent down to play with Doudou for a while.

He Lanxiang, wrapped in a shawl, walked out and leaned against the doorframe, watching them for a moment. “All right, your Auntie Luo needs to give Doudou eye drops. Come in, everyone.”

Hearing this, Fu Mingyu tilted Doudou’s head to examine it. “Is he sick?”

“Eye inflammation.” He Lanxiang gave him a sidelong glance. “You don’t even care about your dog. Didn’t even know he was sick.”

After saying this, she walked inside. Fu Mingyu turned to ask Auntie Luo, “Is she in a bad mood today?”

Auntie Luo glanced mysteriously at He Lanxiang’s retreating figure and nodded slightly.

Once inside, Auntie Luo found the medication and called Doudou to administer it.

“Let me do it.” Fu Mingyu took the medicine from her hand and walked toward the sofa. Doudou followed, wagging his tail.

He Lanxiang sat on the sofa, flipping through a book in silence.

The room was very quiet, with only Doudou whimpering occasionally.

But he was still a dog after all. No matter how well-behaved he normally was, he wouldn’t stay still when it came to medication.

After several failed attempts to drop the medicine in, Fu Mingyu impatiently set down the bottle and said to Auntie Luo nearby, “You’d better do it.”

Doudou was already five years old. He had been sent to the Fu family when he was just two months old.

At first, He Lanxiang wasn’t sure about keeping him. She didn’t like cats or dogs, but she also felt lonely staying home alone. Her eldest son, Fu Shengyu, was permanently stationed at the overseas division and they hardly saw each other a few times a year. Her younger son might be in the country, but there wasn’t much difference from being away – even when he was standing right in front of her, they barely exchanged a few words.

Back then, He Lanxiang had been hesitant, but it was Fu Mingyu who said they could keep Doudou.

Now Doudou was five years old. He was close to Fu Mingyu, and Fu Mingyu was extremely patient with him, occasionally even bathing him personally.

Seeing him impatient like today was a first.

He Lanxiang glanced at him. “Did something unpleasant happen at work today?”

“No.”

“Then what’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing.”

He Lanxiang forcefully turned a page in her book and coldly looked at him. “The older you get, the more tight-lipped you become.”

Fu Mingyu stopped responding and stood up to go upstairs.

The housekeeper passed by him with some miscellaneous items. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the auntie holding an open box with a neatly folded silk scarf inside, embroidered with the character “Xian.”

He paused for just a second, and the observant auntie noticed his gaze and stopped to ask, “What is it? Is there a problem?”

Fu Mingyu asked, “What is this?”

Based on his understanding of He Lanxiang, she generally didn’t wear scarves with embroidered characters.

Even if she did, they would only be custom-made by brands specifically for her, embroidered with the character “Xiang.”

Sure enough, He Lanxiang said, “It’s a gift from someone.”

Then, flipping through the book in her hands, she muttered under her breath, “I don’t know what she’s showing off. Who would wear a scarf with someone else’s name embroidered on it? If the pattern wasn’t so beautiful, I would have used it to wipe tables.”

Hearing the critical tone in He Lanxiang’s voice, Fu Mingyu hurried upstairs.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as he wished. Halfway up, he was called back.

“Oh right, I almost forgot about this.” He Lanxiang put down her book and looked up at Fu Mingyu. “Chairman Zheng and his wife are celebrating their wedding anniversary next month. They’ve invited us, but since your brother and your father aren’t in the country, I thought it wouldn’t be appropriate for just me to show up. Remember to attend with me.”

Chairman Zheng mentioned by He Lanxiang had started in the hotel business and naturally had partnerships with airlines as well. This point didn’t need reminding from He Lanxiang; Fu Mingyu would naturally make an appearance.

“Also, about that natural pearl necklace…”

He Lanxiang suddenly changed her tone and looked at Fu Mingyu teasingly. “I’ve noticed it’s been sitting at home for several days now. Are you still planning to give it to someone?”

That day she had asked Fu Mingyu a question, guessing in her heart that he had bought it as a gift.

A necklace was natural for a young lady, and this natural pearl was quite expensive, indicating the young lady’s status was undoubtedly special.

Who would have thought that after several days, the pearl would remain untouched at home?

He Lanxiang had only turned on a warm yellow floor lamp, and Fu Mingyu was already on the stairs, too far away to see his expression. She only heard him say, “Let’s give it to Mrs. Zheng.”

He Lanxiang let out a light snort, slightly dissatisfied, and muttered, “I wonder if she would even appreciate such common items.”

Mrs. Zheng was the one who had given He Lanxiang the silk scarf. Her name was Dong Xian.

She was a painter, an artist, different from people like He Lanxiang who opened galleries purely for profit.

But He Lanxiang didn’t completely disapprove of her. After all, people like them always maintained surface harmony.

It’s just that He Lanxiang generally couldn’t stand her pretentious aloofness.

Like the scarf she sent this time – it seemed like she casually gave her friends some inexpensive gifts, focusing on the sentiment, with patterns she drew herself.

But who didn’t know that the brand that designed and made scarves for her was famously difficult to work with? Even He Lanxiang didn’t yet have custom scarves from this company.

Thinking of this, He Lanxiang also thought: What’s worth celebrating about a second marriage anyway? I don’t even want my son to attend. It’s so inauspicious.

Fortunately, Fu Mingyu walked away quickly; otherwise, he would have had to listen to He Lanxiang grumble again, pouring oil on his already foul mood.

When he reached the second floor and saw the pearl necklace that Auntie Luo had put away, he felt even more irritated.

This necklace was indeed bought for Ruan Sixian, and it was indeed quite expensive.

That time when he went to Lin City and learned about Ruan Sixian’s past during boarding, he then went directly to Paris for work. When he returned, he thought about talking with Ruan Sixian.

Or rather, to apologize to her.

In Fu Mingyu’s life, when it came to “apologizing,” his experience was woefully inadequate.

So he thought, selecting an expensive gift would externalize his apology, saving him from that ancestor thinking his sincerity was insufficient due to his reticence.

But now, that song still echoed in Fu Mingyu’s mind, along with the various incidents of this period.

Suddenly he felt it was unnecessary, completely unnecessary.

Apologize?

It wasn’t just his fault alone. Being able to tolerate her again and again was already his biggest concession.

Moreover, Ruan Sixian’s actions had long exceeded his tolerance limit.

Meanwhile, the flight that had been delayed for several hours due to weather conditions finally took off.

While waiting earlier, the passengers had been emotionally unstable, and the cabin crew couldn’t calm them down. It wasn’t until the captain personally stepped out that the passengers’ emotions stabilized.

After entering the level flight cruise, Captain Fan requested a cup of tea, took a leisurely sip, and asked First Officer Yu, “When are you getting married again?”

“Next year,” First Officer Yu smiled and said, “Why, do you have some experience to share?”

Captain Fan waved his hands repeatedly. “No, no. All women are the same after marriage. You just need to be obedient like a grandson.”

Then he turned to ask Ruan Sixian, “Little Ruan, do you have a boyfriend?”

Before Ruan Sixian could answer, First Officer Yu said, “Here we go again. Captain Fan, you’re only in your early fifties, how come you’re already into matchmaking? You’re not secretly going to square dancing after flights instead of going home, are you?”

“Get out!” Captain Fan pretended to smack him, then smiled and said, “I’m just asking. Little Ruan is so excellent, she should have a boyfriend, right?”

Ruan Sixian said no, and Captain Fan nodded without saying anything more.

But after a few minutes, he still couldn’t resist and turned back to ask, “Um… my son is twenty-four this year, a year younger than you. He’s about to graduate with his master’s degree and has already secured a job at a research institute.”

“Let me help you with the next line,” First Officer Yu continued, “Little Ruan, would you like to meet my son?”

Captain Fan didn’t refute, just smiled at Ruan Sixian.

Having just dealt with Yan’an yesterday, Ruan Sixian had no time to meet someone new, but she couldn’t directly say so.

“I’m not… considering that aspect right now.”

“Huh?” First Officer Yu asked in surprise, “Not considering it yet?”

Captain Fan glared at him and said, “It’s all right, career comes first. But why don’t you tell me what type you like? I’ll keep an eye out for you. I know many single captains, researchers, all promising young men.”

While claiming to look out for Ruan Sixian, he wanted to hear about her criteria for choosing a partner to see if his son might be suitable.

Under the curious gaze of the two men, Ruan Sixian lowered her eyes to think. Strangely, a face appeared in her mind.

“I like humble people.”

“People with self-awareness.”

Captain Fan asked, “Just that? That’s too abstract. Anything more specific? Like profession, height, appearance?”

He noticed Ruan Sixian seemed to think of something, her expression becoming peculiar.

“As for profession, as long as it’s respectable, they don’t need to earn too much. Height doesn’t need to be too tall; I don’t like very tall men. As for appearance…”

She paused.

“Average is fine.”

Otherwise, they tend to be narcissistic.

First Officer Yu said, “None of your requirements are high. It seems you’re someone who values feelings a lot.”

Ruan Sixian didn’t say anything more.

Who doesn’t value feelings when dating? Unfortunately, feelings are the most difficult thing to figure out.

Two hours later, the plane landed in Jiang City.

Due to the delay, Ruan Sixian didn’t get home until 2 AM. After a shower, she fell straight into bed and slept dreamlessly through the night.

Then June arrived, signaling the beginning of the peak season for aviation. Flights became increasingly frequent.

Ruan Sixian’s daily life consisted of commuting between the airport and home, occasionally visiting Bian Xuan’s shop when she had time. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

One morning, as Ruan Sixian was going out for a run, she saw the elevator indicator stop on the 18th floor while waiting.

She suddenly realized that she hadn’t seen Fu Mingyu at Ming Chen for the past half month.

Was he on a business trip?

Probably not; she had caught a glimpse of Fu Mingyu at the company just a couple of days ago.

Just as she was thinking this, the elevator door suddenly opened, and Ruan Sixian almost thought she was hallucinating.

No way, speak of the devil?

In the elevator, Fu Mingyu naturally saw Ruan Sixian too.

Their gazes crossed for a moment before he looked away, showing no further reaction.

He had worked until 3 AM last night, and with a meeting early this morning, he had stayed here for the night.

It had always been like this.

Ruan Sixian walked in and they stood on opposite sides. For a while, neither spoke, as if they didn’t know each other.

In the confined, small space, the atmosphere was truly awkward.

The elevator descended smoothly and stopped at the eighth floor.

Ruan Sixian suddenly had a bad feeling.

Ever since that Labrador had entered from the eighth floor last time, she had remembered this floor. Every time the elevator stopped on the eighth floor, she would feel nervous.

The elevator door slowly opened.

Ruan Sixian: “…”

She was manifesting things today.

And today, this Labrador was even more energetic.

As soon as it entered, it jumped around in the elevator and even scratched Ruan Sixian’s pants with its paw.

Ruan Sixian was so frightened she almost cried out, retreating to the corner and pressing against the wall.

The dog walker this time was a young girl who couldn’t control the dog and could only look apologetically at Ruan Sixian.

Meanwhile, Fu Mingyu, standing to the side, looked at his phone impassively, as if he hadn’t noticed this scene at all.

This won’t do; she was about to suffocate.

Ruan Sixian wanted to reach for the elevator button. She wanted to get out immediately and wait for the next one, but unfortunately, she was standing in the corner and didn’t dare move. Her hand couldn’t reach the buttons.

At that moment, Fu Mingyu, who had been silent all along, suddenly moved.

He reached out and pressed the button for the fifth floor.

The elevator had just reached the sixth floor. A few seconds after Fu Mingyu pressed the button, the elevator stopped on the fifth floor.

The elevator door slowly opened. Fu Mingyu slightly turned his head toward Ruan Sixian, lowered his eyes, and gave a slight upward nod of his chin toward the door.

The meaning was clear: You may exit now.

Ruan Sixian didn’t even notice how peculiar his expression was. She stepped out in two or three strides.

As her nerves calmed slightly, she let out a breath and wanted to thank Fu Mingyu.

However, when she turned around, she saw the elevator door closing.

And Fu Mingyu still lowered his eyes, looking at his phone, expressionless as ever.