Fu Sinian stood before the floor-to-ceiling window in the study, the amber liquid in his whiskey glass gently swirling with his unconscious movements. Outside, the night view of Moon Lake Bay remained as serene and beautiful as ever, yet his state of mind stood in stark contrast to that calm. The latest investigation results Lu Zeyan had sent that afternoon showed that Gu Jingchen’s company was actually on the verge of bankruptcy. Those so-called major projects were nothing but fabrications.
The study door was pushed open softly. Su Wanning walked in, carrying a plate of cut fruit. She wore a soft set of home clothes, her hair casually tied back, a deliberately gentle smile on her face.
“Sinian, you must be tired after a long day. I cut some of your favorite fruit,” she said, placing the plate on the desk, her voice overly sweet, almost unnatural.
Fu Sinian didn’t turn around, only responding with a faint acknowledgment. He knew that whenever Su Wanning suddenly became this attentive, it usually meant she had something to ask of him.
Sure enough, she walked up to him, gently hooking her arm around his and resting her head on his shoulder. “Sinian, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”
Fu Sinian finally turned around. Looking into her eyes, where calculation flickered beneath the surface, his heart felt utterly cold. He waited for her to continue.
“My high school classmate, Gu Jingchen… the one with the cufflinks incident last time,” Su Wanning said cautiously, watching his expression, “he’s run into some trouble recently. The place he’s renting is suddenly being taken back, and he can’t find a suitable place for now…”
Fu Sinian’s gaze turned sharply cold, but he didn’t interrupt. He simply watched her perform.
“You see, he has no family or friends in the Capital City. He’s really pitiful,” Su Wanning continued, shaking his arm, her tone growing more coquettish. “Can we let him stay in our guest room for three days? Just three days! He’ll move out as soon as he finds a place. I promise he’s very honest and won’t cause us any trouble.” This story is hosted at novelping dot com.
Fu Sinian set down his glass, the base of it striking the table with a crisp sound. He looked directly into her eyes, his voice calm but unquestionable. “Wanning, this isn’t appropriate. Our home is a private space for a married couple. Letting an outsider, especially a male colleague, move in is very inconvenient.”
The smile on Su Wanning’s face froze. She hadn’t expected him to refuse so decisively. But soon, she switched to an even more aggrieved expression. “But he’s really at the end of his rope! Can’t you show a little kindness? It’s only three days!”
“It’s not about the length of time,” Fu Sinian said, turning his back to her. “This is a matter of principle. I don’t want unrelated people in our home.”
“Unrelated?” Su Wanning’s voice suddenly rose. “Gu Jingchen is my friend! How is he unrelated? Fu Sinian, when did you become so cold-blooded?”
Fu Sinian closed his eyes briefly, suppressing the anger surging within him. He thought of the investigation report detailing Gu Jingchen’s disgraceful past, thought of that 100,000 yuan transfer… and now Su Wanning actually wanted to bring this man into their home.
“I said no,” he repeated, his voice still calm, yet carrying an unarguable finality.
Looking at his indifferent back, Su Wanning suddenly burst into tears. “You don’t care about my feelings at all! I rarely ask you for anything, and you reject me like this! You weren’t like this before!”
If it were before, seeing her tears would have made Fu Sinian relent immediately. But now, hearing her cry and plead for another man only sent a chill through his heart.
“Before?” he turned around slowly, his gaze complicated. “The you from before wouldn’t have made things difficult for your husband over an outsider.”
Su Wanning was left speechless. Tears clung to her lashes, on the verge of falling. She bit her lip, her face filled with grievance and dissatisfaction.
Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar woman before him, Fu Sinian suddenly felt an overwhelming exhaustion. These past days—suspicion, disappointment, heartbreak—had drained him completely. Perhaps… a temporary compromise was only to buy a moment of peace.
“Three days,” he finally said, his voice unable to hide the fatigue within it. “At most three days. And you must guarantee that he does not enter our master bedroom or the study. That is the bottom line.”
Su Wanning’s eyes lit up instantly. The tears on her face hadn’t even dried before a smile bloomed. “Really? Sinian, you agreed? Thank you! I knew you were the best!”
She rushed forward, trying to hug him, but Fu Sinian sidestepped. His hands clenched tightly into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.
“Remember, only three days,” he repeated, his gaze icy.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry! I’ll go tell him the good news right away!” Su Wanning seemed completely oblivious to his abnormal reaction, happily running out of the study.
Fu Sinian listened as her light footsteps faded away, followed by her barely suppressed, excited voice on the phone. Slowly, he sat back down in his chair, picked up the unfinished glass of whiskey, and drained it in one gulp.
The strong liquor burned down his throat, yet it was nothing compared to even a fraction of the pain in his heart. He knew that his compromise just now might be a fatal mistake. But seeing Su Wanning go to such lengths for another man… he suddenly wanted to see how this farce would end.
Outside, the night was deep and silent. Yet within this seemingly calm evening, a storm was quietly brewing. Fu Sinian looked at his reflection in the glass window. Those eyes that were once gentle… now held only cold resolve.