To be honest, the word order, choice of words, and logic of this sentence were beyond Fu Mingyu’s daily range of knowledge.

So when he understood what Ruan Sixian meant, a burst of stifled anger jumped up and down in his heart, and the veins at his temples pulsed faintly.

But the person in front of him didn’t even look at his expression, simply walked past him, supporting herself against the wall as she made her way to the door.

The door had a fingerprint password lock. Ruan Sixian didn’t know what was wrong today, but even after pressing her thumb twice, it didn’t unlock.

She wiped her finger on her clothes and pressed again, but there was still only the “beep beep beep” error sound.

She irritably kicked the door with the tip of her foot, muttering something under her breath, but it wasn’t clear what she was saying.

And she seemed completely unaware that she was using the wrong hand.

Looking at her drunken state, Fu Mingyu took a deep breath, stepped forward, reached around her, gripped her right hand, and firmly pressed her thumb against the lock.

At the same time, he said in a deep voice near her ear: “With such a stubborn mouth, I’ll pry it open sooner or later.”

Simultaneously, the door opened with a click.

Ruan Sixian was stunned by the sound of the opening door and turned to ask, “What did you say?”

Fu Mingyu didn’t speak, just looked at Ruan Sixian.

The overhead light shone on his face, but his eyes were shadowed by his high, straight-brow bone, giving him a somewhat mysterious look.

In his eyes, Ruan Sixian saw a hint of helplessness and compromise.

“…”

After a moment of eye contact, Ruan Sixian was certain she hadn’t misheard.

How could he say such a thing?

How dare he!

“I’ll pry open your head sooner or later to see what’s inside it!”

After saying this, she pulled the door open ready to go in, but Fu Mingyu grabbed her arm.

“Ruan Sixian!”

“Hey, let go of me!” Ruan Sixian struggled free of his hand in two or three movements, kicked off her shoes, and walked barefoot to the refrigerator to take out a bottle of mineral water.

Fu Mingyu stood behind her.

The apartment was very quiet, with only the sound of Ruan Sixian tilting her head back to swallow the mineral water.

Seeing her flushed cheeks and barefoot stance, however much helplessness he felt could only rise and fall within him, with no outlet for release.

“You’re still unhappy?”

She walked to the sofa, picked up a cushion, curled up her legs, and leaned her head sideways. The intoxication in her eyes swirled, transforming into a misty haze. When she looked at Fu Mingyu, the corners of her mouth drooped.

“I am unhappy, but it has nothing to do with you, understand? It has nothing to do with you, so don’t overthink it.”

“Is that so? Then why did you drink yourself into this state today?”

“The mouth on my body still can’t drink alcohol? And why would I be angry because of you? Who are you to me? Are you my boyfriend or my husband? You’re so strange.”

Fu Mingyu’s eyes gradually darkened.

The surroundings seemed to become particularly hot. He turned his head aside and loosened his tie.

Just as he was about to say something, Ruan Sixian hugged the cushion and turned over, facing the corner of the sofa, burying her head in the pillow with her back to Fu Mingyu.

“I just envy Zheng You’an so much.” Her voice came through the gap in the pillow, “I envy her so much…”

Her voice was low and hoarse, accompanied by a hint of drunkenness, sounding more vulnerable than ever before.

Fu Mingyu’s heart suddenly softened a bit.

He walked to the sofa, and bent down, his shadow falling over Ruan Sixian.

“Envy what?”

Ruan Sixian was silent for quite a while before her muffled voice emerged: “They don’t even have a blood relationship, yet they can be together every day.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m her biological daughter, but she doesn’t want me anymore.”

Fu Mingyu didn’t understand. He reached out to brush away the hair on Ruan Sixian’s cheek and asked gently, “Who doesn’t want you anymore?”

“My mother…”

Fu Mingyu didn’t know why her topic suddenly turned to her mother, but her voice carried a trace of tears.

A feeling of blockage arose in his heart for no reason.

“You…”

Before Fu Mingyu could finish speaking, Ruan Sixian suddenly turned over and looked at him with open eyes.

Their faces were less than half a meter apart, Ruan Sixian looking up and Fu Mingyu looking down, their eyes meeting in silent mutual gaze.

When people are half-drunk and half-awake, their desire to confide is strongest. Many drunkards will grab someone and start talking about everything from their first love to their brother’s girlfriend.

But Ruan Sixian didn’t understand why she would say so much to Fu Mingyu when she hadn’t even opened up to Si Xiaozhen today.

“Why are you still in my home?”

Seeing Ruan Sixian’s eyes, Fu Mingyu knew—she was starting again.

The hedgehog had retreated into its shell again.

“You didn’t close the door.”

“So you just come in because the door isn’t closed? Banks are open during the day too, why don’t you go rob them?”

Fu Mingyu closed his eyes, sighed, and said, “Ruan Sixian, can you talk to me properly?”

“Are you going to leave or not?”

“What if I don’t leave?”

Ruan Sixian squeezed the pillow tightly, lifted her chin toward the window, and said fiercely, “Then I’ll make you do a free-fall exercise down there, you won’t even need the elevator.”

“…”

Fu Mingyu could only stand up.

However, when he reached the door and looked back, he saw Ruan Sixian lying on the sofa, hugging the pillow, and she had fallen asleep just like that with her eyes closed.

Fu Mingyu smiled helplessly.

She had no sense of self-protection at all.

He suddenly turned back and returned to the sofa.

Her nose once again caught the scent of cold fir that belonged to Fu Mingyu, but before Ruan Sixian could open her eyes to see what he was doing, she was lifted horizontally in his arms.

“What are you doing!!!”

Ruan Sixian kicked her legs wildly, but Fu Mingyu was extremely strong, holding her very tightly. No matter how much she struggled, he didn’t let go. Instead, he smiled and said, “You’re a bit heavy.”

?

“What do you mean heavy?! I’m only a little over 100 jin!”

“Over 100 jin is not heavy?”

“I’m 172 cm tall!”

“I’m 187 cm.”

“We’re both over a meter tall, what are you showing off about? Put me down! Otherwise, I’ll call the police!”

As they were speaking, Fu Mingyu had already walked into Ruan Sixian’s bedroom, placed her on the bed, and leaned over, supporting himself beside her ear.

“If you want to sleep, sleep on the bed, don’t squeeze yourself on that small sofa.”

Hearing these words, Ruan Sixian lay flat on the bed, her hair disheveled, blinking in astonishment as she looked at Fu Mingyu, who was just a short distance away.

But in the next second, she heard him say, “If you get hurt, it wouldn’t be worth the double annual salary I pay you.”

?

You stingy, shameless man!

“You give me a bit of money and you’re already heartbroken about it. Calling you an iron rooster would be an insult to iron roosters—at least they drop some rust, but you even begrudge the rust!”

“…”

Even drunk, she could still attack him with such clear and precise thinking. He didn’t know what had happened to that weak and pitiful appearance from earlier.

Fu Mingyu took a deep breath for the third time today and pulled the blanket over her.

“Go to sleep.”

Ruan Sixian still glared at him but didn’t speak.

A moment later, she wrapped herself in the blanket, turned over with her back to him, and left him with the words, “Remember to close the door when you leave.”

Half a minute later, all the lights in the apartment went out, followed by the soft sound of the door closing.

Seeing Fu Mingyu come downstairs, Bo Yang, who had been waiting, quickly got out of the car.

“President Fu, it’s almost eleven o’clock, are we still going back to Huguang Mansion?”

“Yes.”

This morning before leaving, He Lanxiang had specifically reminded him that he needed to return tonight because early tomorrow morning they would go to the hospital together to visit an elder.

But after Bo Yang opened the car door, Fu Mingyu stood still without moving.

He felt his pocket and found it empty, so he asked the driver for a cigarette.

He stood under the street lamp, tilted his head to light the cigarette, and his shadow stretched very long.

Fu Mingyu took a deep drag of the cigarette and slowly exhaled, and white fog swirled before his eyes.

Only when the cigarette had burned to its end did Fu Mingyu say in a low voice, “Too difficult to coax.”

Bo Yang waited quietly, not daring to ask anything.

Ever since he learned that Fu Mingyu had left the company and returned to Mingchen Apartments to find Ruan Sixian, he had decided to remain silent throughout.

He couldn’t handle either of these two firecrackers.

After extinguishing the cigarette, Fu Mingyu turned and got into the car.

In the distance, the neon lights blurred into an indistinct mass, their shadowy glow reflecting on Fu Mingyu’s face.

He closed his eyes, his brows showing a hint of fatigue.

The car drove smoothly, but he felt no drowsiness at all.

By this time, as the surroundings quieted down, he finally had the mind to ponder what Ruan Sixian had said.

Just before getting out of the car, Fu Mingyu suddenly said to Bo Yang, “Find out about Zheng You’an… and Mrs. Zheng’s situation.”

This sudden task seemed a bit random, but Bo Yang didn’t dare to ask and simply nodded in agreement.

Upon arriving at Huguang Mansion, Fu Mingyu sensed that something was off as soon as he entered.

He took off his coat, handed it to Aunt Luo who was standing nearby, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Aunt Luo frowned slightly and said in a low voice, “She’s unhappy again.”

Fu Mingyu walked toward the living room and indeed saw He Lanxiang sitting on the sofa, her back very straight, her whole demeanor screaming “I’m unhappy, don’t provoke me.”

Naturally, Fu Mingyu had no intention of provoking her and headed straight for the stairs to the second floor.

But there was no escaping trouble; what was meant to come would always come.

He Lanxiang’s voice drifted over: “What’s this, you come home and don’t even say hello? Do you take me for a statue?”

Fu Mingyu reluctantly stopped, turned around, and said, “What’s wrong?”

He Lanxiang, holding a bowl of bird’s nest in front of her, slowly took a sip, wiped the corner of her mouth, and then said, “How can there be such people?”

“What people?”

“At tonight’s private auction, everyone knew I was going for Master Yue Sanlin’s painting. I had the money ready, but when I got there, oh, the master’s painting wasn’t among the auction items. Guess what happened?”

Fu Mingyu undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, lazily responding, “What happened?”

“Dong Xian had already done her sneaky business and bought the painting privately beforehand!”

Fu Mingyu had no interest in hearing more and turned to continue upstairs, “You could do that too.”

“What do you mean by that?”

He Lanxiang said as she followed him up, and Fu Mingyu naturally couldn’t continue walking.

He sighed and said, “This isn’t the first time this has happened. Since it’s a private auction, she didn’t break any rules—at most, she was just a bit more resourceful.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault? I should have thought of it first?”

Fu Mingyu opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it and decided against it.

“She didn’t do anything wrong. Do you see the other people at the auction being as angry as you?”

Seeing his attitude, He Lanxiang became even more upset: “What kind of attitude is that? Other people? What do you mean by other people? Do you also think like your father that other women are all well-behaved and sensible, and only I am unreasonable and making a fuss over nothing?”

“No.”

He Lanxiang snorted, intending to let Fu Mingyu off the hook.

But Fu Mingyu, thinking of something, added, “You’re all the same.”

“…?”

He Lanxiang was stunned for a moment before realizing what Fu Mingyu meant, and cursed at his back as he went upstairs, “Fu Mingyu, you unfilial son!”

Closing the door of the study, Fu Mingyu sat down at the desk, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes to rest.

His phone beeped, and Bo Yang called.

Having him “find out” about the Zheng family’s affairs didn’t require much effort.

It was just that Fu Mingyu normally didn’t care about other people’s family matters, which was why he knew nothing about it.

Fu Mingyu answered the phone, and Bo Yang recounted the information he had gathered one by one.

“Director Zheng and the current Mrs. Zheng are in their second marriage.”

“Director Zheng’s first wife passed away from illness shortly after giving birth to Miss Zheng.”

“The current Mrs. Zheng also had a previous husband, but he passed away a long time ago as well.”

Bo Yang paused, then revealed the most crucial information he had found: “Mrs. Zheng had a daughter before, who is Ruan Sixian.”

“…”

Fu Mingyu’s heart suddenly jumped violently.

After a long silence, Fu Mingyu hung up the phone.

He closed his eyes again and went through the events of the past few days.

It wasn’t hard to figure out; once he knew the relationship between Ruan Sixian and Zheng You’an, everything became clear.

So she wasn’t just being stubborn.

So her emotions these past few days had nothing to do with him.

The embarrassment was fleeting, replaced by an inexplicable agitation and a kind of empty feeling.

He couldn’t say why, but it remained stuck in his chest.