Opening the car door, getting in, sitting down, fastening the seatbelt—everything was normal, so normal.

Ruan Sixian sat down slowly, her posture as perfect as if she were in a deportment class.

She secretly glanced at Fu Mingyu beside her.

Fu Mingyu got into the car a moment after her. With his face lifted, one hand on the steering wheel, the other clicking the seatbelt into place with a light “click,” the car started simultaneously.

He turned to look at Ruan Sixian: “What are you looking at?”

“…”

Ruan Sixian stiffly averted her gaze, calmly saying: “There seems to be something on your face.”

Fu Mingyu raised his hand to touch his cheek and opened his palm to look, but there was nothing.

He just smiled, not exposing Ruan Sixian’s lie.

The car slowly drove out of the parking garage, reaching ground level.

Ruan Sixian could see many colleagues hurrying toward the exit after work. Someone standing on the landscaped steps opposite the security booth noticed the sports car and pretended to casually glance at the passenger seat.

That glance happened to meet Ruan Sixian’s gaze.

The person didn’t show any particular expression, very naturally shifting their gaze away.

Ruan Sixian interpreted the meaning in the man’s eyes as if doing a reading comprehension exercise.

—”Oh, President Fu is giving his girlfriend a ride home from work again.”

That unsettled, floating feeling in Ruan Sixian’s heart intensified once more.

It felt too unreal; she even felt like she was imagining things.

At the beginning of the year, she still saw this man bristling every day, practically with “I don’t want to see you” carved in six large characters on his face.

Yet her life seemed to have been suddenly dragged to Fu Mingyu’s side by fate, tyrannically tying a red string between them without asking if the parties involved agreed.

It was hard to imagine that the person beside her was now her boyfriend.

The three words “boyfriend” meant many things, binding two people as one, entangling all sorts of things in life together.

Eating together, shopping together, and taking walks together was one thing, but the most extraordinary things, those that only couples would do, like kissing, and even more intimate behavior, all became something that followed naturally.

Thinking of this, Ruan Sixian suddenly felt a tightness in her scalp, her heart seemed to have climbed to her throat, and the area from her neck to her chest felt sour and swollen, somewhat disoriented.

The late autumn sky darkened early; before seven o’clock, night had completely fallen.

This wasn’t the road back to Mingchen Apartments.

Ruan Sixian turned her head to look at the driver, “Where are you going?”

Fu Mingyu unhurriedly stepped on the brake, stopping at a traffic light, “What would you like to eat?”

Ruan Sixian: “Hmm?”

Fu Mingyu turned to look at her: “Shouldn’t I take my girlfriend out for dinner?”

“Oh…”

Ruan Sixian was still a bit uncomfortable with the term “girlfriend,” especially when she saw his eyes, feeling somewhat dazed.

After the change in status, Ruan Sixian felt his gaze looked different.

Particularly direct, and somewhat alluring.

She opened her mouth, initially wanting to suggest clam noodles, but when the words reached her lips, they changed to “What would you like to eat?”

Fu Mingyu didn’t speak, just looking at her, his eyes soaked with a hint of amusement.

Ruan Sixian felt somewhat embarrassed under her boyfriend’s gaze, turning her head to look at the traffic light ahead, saying: “Xixiang Yan?”

He seemed to like that restaurant.

Ten minutes later, Ruan Sixian realized the road conditions were not right.

This was heading toward the pedestrian street next to Mingchen Apartments.

She turned her head to glance at Fu Mingyu, “Aren’t we going to Xixiang Yan?”

Fu Mingyu looked in the rearview mirror, smoothly parking the car in a roadside parking area, “Don’t you like to eat this?”

“Oh.” Ruan Sixian began to unfasten her seatbelt, “It’s fine, I guess.”

Her lips curled up slightly as she opened the car door and got out.

The car was parked on the right, with Ruan Sixian’s side directly facing the clam noodle shop. She and Fu Mingyu got out of the car at the same time, though he had to walk around to reach her side.

Under the bright streetlights, she saw Fu Mingyu take out his phone to answer a call, his brow furrowed as he walked to her side, naturally taking her hand as if the two had been in love for years.

Yet they had only confirmed their relationship less than an hour ago.

—Thump thump.

When the warm sensation of his palm touched hers, Ruan Sixian’s heartbeat skipped a beat.

Fu Mingyu spoke softly to the person on the other end of the phone, explaining some matters. Feeling that the hand he was holding was somewhat hot, he turned to look at Ruan Sixian.

Meeting his gaze, although Ruan Sixian felt anxious inside, she returned a “what are you looking at” expression.

Fu Mingyu smiled and led her inside.

“Mm, have engineering technology provide the aircraft’s fault retention information and maintenance operation restriction information to you, you’ll be in control…”

Fu Mingyu’s voice drifted somewhat distant; Ruan Sixian’s attention was fixed on the hand holding hers.

His palm was large, somewhat rough, with that masculine skeletal feel covering her sensitive hand, making her thoughts wander.

She discovered that when her mind kept thinking about this person’s identity as her boyfriend, everything around her became especially quiet, making her breathing and heartbeat seem much more noticeable.

Since it wasn’t yet dinner time, and even the regular after-work rush hadn’t quite started, this restaurant was surprisingly empty, with only a few scattered customers.

Ruan Sixian wanted clam noodles tonight.

In the cold late autumn night, what could be more tempting than a steaming bowl of clam vermicelli?

The owner remembered the combination of Fu Mingyu and Ruan Sixian. When the two walked in, his eyes revealed a confused “how good could my food possibly be to attract someone who looks like a domineering CEO for a second time” expression.

“You two are back. What would you like to eat today?”

Ruan Sixian wiped the stool while saying: “Boss, you still remember us?”

“Remember, of course, I remember.” With few customers, the owner was in the mood to chat, wiping his hands on the apron around his waist twice. “How could I forget two people as beautiful as angels?”

Ruan Sixian was somewhat pleased with the owner’s compliment, smiling as she ordered a sour and spicy clam vermicelli, specifically asking the owner to add more clams, offering to pay extra.

“No need, I’ll just add more for you, and you can come back next time.” The owner then asked Fu Mingyu, “And what would you like to eat, sir?”

Just then, Bai Yang had sent over several MEL\CDL project forms that needed signing, which were quite important. Fu Mingyu had to take the time to check his phone, saying without looking up: “The same as hers.”

The owner sensed a certain perfunctory feeling in his tone and immediately understood that it wasn’t because his food was so good; the man was just accompanying his girlfriend to dine among commoners.

The owner acknowledged and left. Ruan Sixian sat across from Fu Mingyu, seeing him staring at his phone, not knowing what he was doing, so she lightly kicked him under the table.

“What are you doing?”

Fu Mingyu looked up at her, saying with a somewhat soothing tone: “I need to handle the maintenance department’s quarterly report. Wait for me a moment.”

Why should I wait for you?

Ruan Sixian rested her chin on her hand, looking up at the television in the shop.

When they had just entered, the girls at the table behind them had noticed them. Now, presumably having heard some of their conversation, one of them poked her boyfriend with her chopsticks.

“Look at how other people’s boyfriends behave. Even someone who’s a successful professional is willing to come to a small shop like this to eat with his girlfriend. When I ask you to come out, it takes crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide.”

The conversation drifted into Ruan Sixian’s ears, neither too loud nor too soft. She glanced over inconspicuously, seeing the boyfriend shaking his head while playing a game, saying carelessly: “Well, have you seen what his girlfriend looks like?”

The girl was so angered she pinched her boyfriend hard.

While Fu Mingyu was looking down at his phone, Ruan Sixian’s gaze slowly fell on his profile.

In her heart, she kept telling herself over and over.

This is your boyfriend, the boyfriend you acknowledged with your own words.

He’s quite handsome too, not a bad deal.

Thinking of this, she looked up at the television again, but the corners of her mouth curved into a small, silent arc.

Fu Mingyu finished replying to messages and looked up to see Ruan Sixian smiling.

“What are you smiling at?”

Ruan Sixian lowered her eyes, glancing at him, “Nothing.”

He added: “You seem quite happy today.”

Do I?

Ruan Sixian pressed her lips together, continuing to watch the television on the wall.

“You must be seeing things.”

Fu Mingyu put down his phone without speaking, following Ruan Sixian’s gaze to look back at the television content, frowning slightly before withdrawing his gaze.

“Is the TV that interesting?”

Not even sparing an extra glance at her newly acquired boyfriend.

Ruan Sixian rested her chin in her hand; her attention was no longer on the television, but she still pretended to be casual, making small talk.

“It’s alright, I guess. This actress suddenly became popular this year. She seems to be in many movies and shows, but I’d never heard of her before. I couldn’t even remember her name before. Li something Tree something…”

Fu Mingyu: “Li Zhihuai.”

Fu Mingyu’s sudden supplement made Ruan Sixian pause for a moment.

She lowered her gaze, teasing Fu Mingyu, “You seem quite interested in these actresses.”

Fu Mingyu wore a “whatever you say” expression.

“So what do you think of her looks?”

“Not bad.”

Not bad?

Ruan Sixian thought Fu Mingyu truly had no survival instinct.

How could he compliment another woman in front of his girlfriend?

“Oh, is she your type?”

Fu Mingyu looked up at her, his gaze calm, “Don’t you know what my type is?”

Did he just inadvertently confess?

She had been thinking that something was missing between her and Fu Mingyu. Fu Mingyu had never properly confessed, had he? He never asked if she liked him, just skipped that process, kissed her, and established a relationship.

Hearing this ambiguous yet directed statement, Ruan Sixian found herself quite happy inside.

Just then, two bowls of clam noodles were served, immediately filling the space between them with a sour and spicy aroma.

She picked up her chopsticks and said: “Let me pick out the clams for you.”

Fu Mingyu stared at the bowl from a distance, “No need.”

Ruan Sixian began picking out clams without paying attention to him: “Since my boyfriend has condescended to join the common people with me, let me serve you a bit.”

“You might as well feed me a bite directly.”

“…”

“What’s wrong, is my girlfriend too shy?”

Ruan Sixian’s hands paused, slowly tightening her grip on the chopsticks, narrowing her eyes at him.

So sometimes one shouldn’t treat Fu Mingyu too much like a human being.

“I can also be responsible for hand-feeding you three meals a day in the future, and incidentally turning you over every two hours. Would you like to try this earth-shattering love?”

“Turning over? I can help you with that.”

“…”