The feeling was too surreal.
Ruan Sixian leaned against her door at home, dazed for quite a while.
She had kissed Fu Mingyu.
Even now, she still felt surrounded by his aura, her ears seemingly echoing with that sound.
Her brain, as if out of control, was driven by primitive hormones.
When the elevator door opened, although Fu Mingyu shielded her completely, she could still imagine the expression on the old lady’s face outside—just like an elderly subway passenger seeing something shocking on a phone.
Thinking of this, Ruan Sixian’s legs went weak, nearly collapsing onto the floor of her home.
This was too much; what kind of spell had Fu Mingyu cast on her? His kisses were so varied and overwhelming. If she hadn’t kicked him at the end, he might never have thought of stopping.
Must have been the alcohol.
Who knows if he was drunk tonight or fully conscious?
Ruan Sixian slowly walked into the living room. Passing a cabinet with a mirror, she glimpsed her lipstick nearly gone, the original bright red reduced to a thin layer of orange-red, messily smeared around her lips.
It seemed to remind Ruan Sixian of what she had just done with Fu Mingyu.
Ruan Sixian changed her clothes and lay in the bathtub, soaking for quite some time. Her phone kept ringing incessantly, beeping endlessly, driving her crazy.
She casually picked it up and saw Si Xiaozhen and Bian Xuan chatting in their group.
Si Xiaozhen had posted several screenshots from a Korean drama.
[Si Xiaozhen]: Wuwuwu, this elevator kiss makes my heart flutter.
Ruan Sixian: “…”
She put down her phone, stared at the ceiling for a while, and felt it still vibrating, so she picked it up again.
Indeed, the posture in that screenshot was quite similar to theirs today.
The male lead also wore a suit, pinning the female lead in a corner while kissing her deeply.
Even the back view resembled Fu Mingyu a bit.
[Si Xiaozhen]: Wuwuwu, when will such a sweet kiss be my turn? I’ve already got the pose ready.
Ruan Sixian: “…”
[Si Xiaozhen]: Wuwuwu, I want a man who would press me against the elevator wall for a deep kiss.
Ruan Sixian: “…”
Ruan Sixian lurked from beginning to end without replying, lying in the bathtub with her heartbeat still not calmed, surrounded by steam, feeling dizzy all over.
She felt that today she had been kissed by Fu Mingyu until her mind was unclear.
The weather had been poor during the day, with layer upon layer of clouds threatening to fall, the heavy rain neither coming nor going. By evening, the moonlight had broken through the dense fog, revealing a crescent hook.
Fu Mingyu walked to the building entrance, his thumb wiping the corner of his lips. Under the moonlight, there was a faint pearlescent glow of lipstick on his fingertip.
The driver was still waiting roadside. After getting in the car, he took out a tissue and wiped the lipstick clean from his mouth.
The lipstick residue transferred to the white tissue, a light patch of red. The visual stimulation instantly brought back sensory memories. Fu Mingyu rubbed his neck, recalling the scene from just now.
As the elevator door was about to close again, Ruan Sixian seemed to wake from a dream, instinctively biting him once, with considerable force; the corner of his mouth still hurt.
Not knowing whether to be angry or amused, Fu Mingyu rubbed the tissue in his hand, a faint smile on his lips.
“To Huguang Mansion.”
Earlier, He Lanxiang had suddenly called him, saying Doudou was sick, half-paralyzed, nearly dying, asking him to hurry back to see his dog.
Her tone was impatient, her sharp voice somewhat harsh, sounding less like talking about a pet and more like accusing Fu Mingyu of abandoning his biological son.
Based on Fu Mingyu’s understanding of He Lanxiang, he could anticipate that tonight wouldn’t be pleasant.
Half an hour later, the car stopped at the villa entrance.
As soon as Fu Mingyu pushed open the first-floor door, Doudou came bouncing over energetically.
He bent down to pet Doudou’s head, then casually entered the living room but didn’t see He Lanxiang.
Auntie Luo came over to take his removed coat, pointing upstairs.
Fu Mingyu didn’t mind, first getting a glass of water, standing by the window slowly drinking it.
Halfway through the glass, a familiar voice came from the stairs.
“So you remember to come home? You remember you have a home?”
Fu Mingyu turned and said, “That outfit looks nice.”
But He Lanxiang didn’t buy it, standing on the stairs with arms crossed, her elevated position giving her an advantage in presence.
“Originally I thought you were busy, so not seeing you around was fine. But what do you mean by having someone move all your model airplanes away? Are you completely moving out to live elsewhere?”
Fu Mingyu looked up, not denying it.
He seemed to have that idea.
Just then, Auntie Luo took Fu Mingyu’s coat upstairs, intending to go to the workroom to clean it. As she passed by He Lanxiang, a subtle feminine fragrance wafted over her.
He Lanxiang smiled, “I knew it. Not seeing you for ten days or half a month means you have a girlfriend. If I hadn’t called you, you might have forgotten the way home, right?”
Recalling the kiss that wasn’t rejected tonight, Fu Mingyu neither confirmed nor denied the “girlfriend” remark.
He Lanxiang walked down gracefully, stopping a meter away from him, her gaze slowly scanning him from top to bottom.
“This is nothing unusual, but that slap mark on your face recently…”
Fu Mingyu raised his eyebrows, “Bai Yang told you?”
“Do I need Bai Yang to tell me?” He Lanxiang’s voice immediately rose two notches. “I gave birth to you; don’t I know you? Did you think wearing a mask would prevent me from noticing? If you have the ability, to wear it 24 hours a day, don’t take it off even when eating.”
Fu Mingyu felt his head heavy, not wanting to continue this topic. He was about to turn and go upstairs to shower when He Lanxiang grabbed him.
“Won’t you explain who slapped you? It was a woman, right?” She thought, no man would use a slap like that, so she pointed at her face and said, “And now you have a girlfriend again… You wouldn’t be… messing around with relationships, would you?”
He Lanxiang felt she was right.
Planning to move out, never home, smelling of perfume, and getting slapped—there was no other explanation besides messy relationships.
“Fu Mingyu, I’m telling you, you can’t do things like this. I, He Lanxiang, cannot lose face like this.”
Fu Mingyu rubbed his brow bone, truly not knowing how to communicate with his mother, whose thoughts occasionally veered into Siberia.
“It was just play. Don’t worry about it.”
He Lanxiang was stunned, taking a while to understand Fu Mingyu’s meaning.
“Ah.”
You young people know how to have fun.
The night was cool as water, the autumn moon pure white, shining through the curtains into the room, casting a hazy light, serene and gentle.
But Fu Mingyu’s dream wasn’t as gentle as the night. The nighttime scene replayed again.
He saw Ruan Sixian’s eyes misty with moisture, hazier than this moonlight, vaguely reflecting his image.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing her chin against his jaw, movements slowed to an extreme.
He lowered his eyes, looking at the epaulets on her uniform, the buttons, his gaze moving inch by inch to her waist…
Waking in the middle of the night, Fu Mingyu opened his eyes to see outside the window. The moonlight was bright, the arc curved like her smiling lips.
He took a long breath, getting up for his second shower of the night.
At five in the morning, the alarm went off on time.
Ruan Sixian opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling, blinking for quite a while before bringing back her thoughts.
Her body still felt warm. She patted her chest and immediately got out of bed to wash up.
Whether she had a flight duty that day or not, her morning run was a habit as regular as clockwork. Besides maintaining physical fitness, it also had a calming effect.
An hour and a half later, Ruan Sixian appeared at the World Airlines building.
Every morning was always the busiest time. Cabin crew members came from various passages pulling their flight cases, the sounds of wheels creating a complex, disordered noise. The dispatch department had papers flying everywhere, while the flight planning department’s constant phone calls never ceased.
Ruan Sixian met the members of her crew on the way, walking together toward the meeting room. Around her were yawning sounds, casual chatter, and all sorts of noises that suddenly vanished into a vacuum the moment she saw Fu Mingyu’s figure.
Fu Mingyu seemed to sense it too, standing at the end of the glass corridor, turning to give a faint glance before continuing toward the elevator.
Many people behind him hadn’t noticed this subtle movement.
But Ruan Sixian knew he was looking at her.
Probably because of last night, now even just exchanging glances from such a distance in a crowd felt significant.
The temperature in her cheeks began to rise abnormally again.
What are you doing?
Can’t you be more composed?
Wasn’t it just a kiss?
Wasn’t it just a battle of tongues?
What’s there to blush about?
He shows no expression as if nothing happened, so why are you blushing?!
She coughed lightly and walked toward the meeting room.
The next second, her phone rang.
As if anticipating something, she took out her phone to look, and sure enough, it was a message from Fu Mingyu.
[Fu Mingyu]: Send me a message after you land on your return flight.
See how calm he is.
The captain had arrived early today, had already signed the flight sheet, and even arranged the fuel, so everyone got straight to the point when they gathered.
The weather was good, the route familiar, no VIP passengers, so the cooperation meeting was very short. Afterward, everyone prepared to board.
Since there was still time, a flight attendant pulled Ruan Sixian along to buy food at the terminal.
Today was the weekend, and the terminal was especially crowded. Zheng You’an and Dong Xian walked gracefully toward the first-class lounge, their ten minutes of pent-up gossip from the previous night still not finished.
“Originally my dislike for Fu Mingyu was only at seven points, but that night when I drank with her, she criticized him even more precisely than I did, increasing my disgust of him to ten points. Yet she quickly got together with Fu Mingyu. What kind of trick is this? Was she doing it deliberately? Is my experience too limited? Can you defeat a love rival like this?”
Dong Xian listened to Zheng You’an’s complaints all the way. Although she didn’t know who Zheng You’an was talking about, she felt it was just a childish game and didn’t take it seriously.
“Let bygones be bygones. Why keep dwelling on it?”
“No, I don’t understand. I feel like I’ve been played.”
Dong Xian slowed down, giving her a leisurely glance, “Do you still like Fu Mingyu?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Zheng You’an rolled her eyes, “I now think Brother Yan An is better than him.”
Dong Xian smiled lightly, “Aren’t they the same? Has Yan An had fewer scandals? It’s just that one made a scene while the other hid it well. Neither are good men.”
Hearing this, Zheng You’an closed her mouth somewhat guiltily.
Back then, she was so angered by Fu Mingyu that she swore to be his enemy for life. But her father thought it wasn’t a big deal, even feeling that Fu Mingyu’s actions were justified. Compared to the interests between the two families, this was merely a minor squabble, and he forced her to continue associating with Fu Mingyu.
Zheng You’an felt that no matter how well Fu Mingyu appeared in the eyes of the elders, insulting her artistic talent was a matter of fundamental values. Incompatible values made it impossible to be together.
But her father kept nagging her to lower her pride, saying Fu Mingyu was truly faultless, and missing this opportunity meant missing out entirely.
She couldn’t stand it anymore and spread some… small rumors, precisely targeting Fu Mingyu’s image in her father’s heart.
For instance, she said that during their trip to Spain together, Fu Mingyu couldn’t take his eyes off those samba girls, flirting with them, and later refused to ride in the same car with her—who knows who was in that car?
She also claimed he seemed ambiguous with female employees in his company; she had seen it when filming at World Airlines.
Such vague allegations sounded plausible, and since Zheng You’an was a good girl, her father didn’t think she was lying. He thought carefully and realized that given Fu Mingyu’s status and looks, this seemed normal.
Feelings could be cultivated gradually, but he didn’t believe in stories of reformed playboys. No matter how beneficial the marriage alliance between the two families would be, he was unwilling to let his daughter marry such a man, so the matter was dropped.
But Zheng You’an’s father was extremely tight-lipped, never gossiping about others’ affairs, at most mentioning something to Dong Xian. And Dong Xian wasn’t one to spread gossip either, so Zheng You’an dared to do this knowing such rumors wouldn’t spread.
“Anyway, I think it’s too much,” Zheng You’an circled back to the topic. “I trusted her so much back then, sharing my innermost feelings after just a few meetings, and look what she did.”
As they reached the first-class lounge entrance, the greeter asked for their boarding passes. Zheng You’an closed her mouth, casually glancing around, and spotted a familiar figure at the beverage counter. Her steps immediately halted.
“Ah! Speak of the devil!”
Dong Xian turned around, “What?”
“It’s her, the person I was just talking about.”
Due to Fu Mingyu’s influence, Ruan Sixian hadn’t waited long for flow control in quite some time. Usually, by the time passengers boarded, they were almost ready to push back the aircraft, so today she turned off her phone as soon as she entered the cockpit.
By the time they returned in the afternoon, the sky had darkened with signs of impending rain.
As soon as she turned on her phone, many WeChat messages arrived in succession. She read and replied to them one by one, scrolling down to find the message Fu Mingyu had sent her that morning.
Ruan Sixian thought for a moment and replied with a simple “Zi.”
Fu Mingyu asked her to wait a bit in the underground parking garage; he would be there soon.
Ruan Sixian looked at the weather, guessing it would rain within twenty minutes.
By now, she had almost become accustomed to Fu Mingyu picking her up and dropping her off, so she turned and headed to the parking garage.
World Airlines had designated a specific area for executive parking, which was usually quiet with few people.
After taking the elevator down, Ruan Sixian didn’t know where Fu Mingyu’s parking spot was, so she stood in the elevator hall playing with her phone.
While scrolling through Weibo, a text message came in, its content previewed in the notification bar.
Dong Xian: Need to talk to you. Please pick up the phone.
Ruan Sixian normally answered Dong Xian’s calls entirely based on her mood, but when there was something genuinely important, she wouldn’t be stubborn. Like the time her aunt was sick—if she hadn’t answered, she might still not know about it.
A few seconds later, Dong Xian’s call indeed came through.
Ruan Sixian answered directly asking, “I’ll go see Auntie in a couple of days.”
“That’s not what I want to talk about.” Dong Xian had just disembarked, deliberately avoiding Zheng You’an, making the call from a bathroom.
“Then what is it?”
Dong Xian pondered for a moment.
She and Ruan Sixian could barely maintain even basic daily communication, so suddenly bringing up this kind of thing made it difficult to know how to start.
But after hearing about Ruan Sixian’s relationship with Fu Mingyu from Zheng You’an today, she thought about it for a while on the plane and decided to discuss this matter with Ruan Sixian.
“Are you… together with Fu Mingyu?”
Hearing this, Ruan Sixian was stunned, her other hand tightening on the handle of her flight case.
“Zheng You’an told you?”
“You know her?”
“She told you about this, how could we not know each other?”
Dong Xian took a breath, her tone becoming increasingly gentle, “Yes, she told me. I just found out today.”
Ruan Sixian felt inexplicably blocked in her heart.
Just found out today and immediately called her, with such a cautious tone—was she afraid Ruan Sixian had stolen Zheng You’an’s man?
“Do you understand Fu Mingyu? What I mean is, that his conditions might indeed be attractive to girls, but there are some things you might not be aware of. He might not be so suitable for you…”
“Do you understand me that well? How do you know we’re not suitable?” Ruan Sixian felt angry hearing this and didn’t want to discuss this topic with Dong Xian. “I’m in my twenties, I have my judgment. You don’t need to tell me these things.”
Dong Xian was slightly taken aback: “Just listen to me…”
“You don’t need to say anything. We are together, and I don’t need to learn about my boyfriend from someone else’s mouth. That’s it.”
Ruan Sixian hung up directly.
However, the emotions stirred by this call had not yet settled when another wave arose in her heart.
—Through the marble wall in front of her, she saw someone standing behind her.
Without turning around, she knew who it was.
Recalling what she had just said, Ruan Sixian’s brain went “buzz,” suddenly feeling the urge to disappear on the spot.
She remained rigid, and the person behind her didn’t move either.
Her phone suddenly dinged.
[Fu Mingyu]: I overheard a conversation in the parking garage.
Ruan Sixian: “…”
[Fu Mingyu]: That person seems to be my girlfriend.
Ruan Sixian: “…”
[Fu Mingyu]: Judging by that back view, it seems to be you.
Ruan Sixian: “…”
From some last remnant of stubbornness, Ruan Sixian stiffly replied with one sentence, humbly hoping to break this awkward stalemate.
[Ruan Sixian]: Recognizing me just by my back view, that’s truly fatherly love.
After sending the message, there was no reply, but she felt the person behind her approaching, leaning close to her ear, a familiar scent of cold fir enveloping her.
“Whether or not you said it in anger, I’m taking it seriously.”
Ruan Sixian: “…”
She still faced away from Fu Mingyu, not turning her neck even slightly.
His breath coiled around her face.
Just like last night, lingering and entangling, carrying a hint of his scent, somewhat ticklish, with a bewitching effect.
After a long while, Ruan Sixian finally spoke: “It wasn’t… said in anger.”