15 – Blazing Flames in the Deep Night
The distance between them seemed poised to ignite at any moment. In this restless world, everyone sought solace, and physical desire seemed the most trivial of all.
Especially.
Xu Ni couldn’t deny that she had moments of vulnerability.
For her, it was akin to being abandoned by everyone.
On this gloomy, despairing rainy night, it seemed… he had rescued her.
Although Fu Guidu hadn’t done or said much.
The atmosphere grew thick and sticky. Xu Ni felt a thin layer of sweat on her back, yet she kept meeting his gaze. Only the tightening grip on the doorframe betrayed her nervousness.
Fu Guidu’s eyes briefly swept over her fingers, clenched so tightly they turned white. When silent, his demeanor was cool yet intensely suggestive. Today, with his shirt half-unbuttoned and his throat sharp, he seemed poised to invade her defenses.
He pressed one hand against the doorframe, slowly leaning down to meet her eye level.
Xu Ni: “…”
What?
If you’re going to do it, just do it! Why torment me like this!
After a moment.
He spoke softly: “The perfume is too strong.”
Xu Ni: “Ah?”
In the dim light, his tantalizing face was close to hers. Xu Ni uncontrollably focused on his lips, red as if painted with rouge. His eyes flickered, deep and lethal. She felt her neck tingling with a sharp, prickling sensation.
It almost felt like his gaze had bitten into her neck.
Fu Guidu let out a faint breath: “A yellow duckling would spoil the mood.”
Xu Ni: “…??”
Fu! Guidu!
You ungrateful bastard!
“Oh, goodnight.”
Xu Ni said dryly, closing the door expressionlessly.
Then she rushed into the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. Indeed, she was an incomparably beautiful woman—alluring yet pure, clear and innocent. With a bit of rain on her, she looked utterly delicate and easy to conquer!
But Fu Guidu had called her a duckling!
Xu Ni angrily performed a set of military boxing moves into the air.
After exhausting her energy, she went to shower and remove her makeup.
Unable to resist, she bombarded Tang Ru with messages.
Boss Ni, the Dominant Flower: “Men are creatures with filthy minds who don’t appreciate kindness!”
Boss Ni, the Dominant Flower: “Sometimes they could think with more than just their brains. Are their lower halves just decorations?”
Boss Ni, the Dominant Flower: “Wow, wow, wow, a chastity martyr! Quick, someone make a plaque overnight, inscribed: Bird Protection Expert! Parade it with drums around the Earth three times!”
Tang Ru: “.
.
.
.
.
.”
Tang Ru: “…What’s this midnight madness literature?”
Right?
This was indeed madness.
A few seconds later.
Tang Ru swiftly kicked her agent out of the RV, locked the door, and immediately sent a voice message: “Boss Ni! Were you rejected?! Did you offer yourself and he didn’t take it?!?” She slapped her thigh hard: “You’re furious with shame!”
Xu Ni: “…”
Next.
Tang Ru sent a 60-second burst of laughter, laughing so hard she lost her breath, then continued laughing.
Xu Ni listened expressionlessly to this sixty-second mockery.
Listen, wasn’t this just like the duckling on her butt?
Tang Ru laughed enough before saying: “Still Fu Qibai’s cousin? But no, the gossip says he’s quite promiscuous. How could he reject a beauty like you? No way, Boss Ni, were you counter-fished?”
Xu Ni sat up abruptly.
Enlightened.
Suddenly clear!
Yes!
If he had no interest in her, why would he take her home, drive her to the hospital, help her avoid Fu Qibai, and even accept her unreasonable demands?!
Tang Ru: “Right, right? Let me tell you, there aren’t many good men out there. Even the ugly ones can be tolerated with the lights off, let alone the good-looking ones—they have no sense of male virtue at all. All I can say is, you might have run into a high-level player who’s got you all twisted up. Weren’t you the one planning to chase him? How come you’re the one feeling off now?”
Xu Ni hissed.
“Fair point.”
From her interactions with Fu Guidu, she knew very well that he wasn’t just some playboy chasing fleeting pleasures. His true nature was to remain calm and composed while steering the winds and clouds. From start to finish, he never showed his hand, yet he subtly cast out hooks here and there. Dangerous. So dangerous.
Tang Ru excitedly said: “A scheming man like that, Boss Ni, go for it! Trick him until he doesn’t even have his underwear left!”
Xu Ni: “Hey, hey, don’t use that tone like you’re calling your dog.”
She chatted with Tang Ru half the night.
Dissecting men inside and out.
Xu Ni successfully ended up with insomnia.
As soon as she closed her eyes, that phrase “yellow duckling” kept replaying.
Over and over again.
Frustrated, Xu Ni got up with dark circles under her eyes, rummaged through her things, and found the business card she’d taken from Fu Guidu’s car. She opened her WeChat alt account, searched for the phone number, and typed furiously, sending over a dozen friend requests in a row before tossing her phone aside and going back to sleep.
In a remote corner of the estate.
The pouring rain at dawn showed no sign of stopping.
Beep beep beep.
The high-tech password door opened.
Fu Guidu had just finished showering, his black hair slightly damp, the collar of his black pajamas half-open. He walked into the room, which had no windows. Inside exquisite, tech-inspired glass cabinets, rows of bone specimens were displayed, pale and unsettling.
They were everywhere, arranged in different cabinets.
He set down his water glass.
Walking over to the workbench, he put on gloves and used a soft brush to clean the dust off the bones.
The entire process was lengthy and seemed tedious.
But his expression remained unchanged.
Until the wall clock chimed.
It was 3:30 a.m.
Fu Guidu placed the processed specimen into a cabinet, as if waiting for an exhibition. He closed the cabinet door and finally left the secret room.
Just as he stepped into the study.
He heard his phone on the desk vibrating frantically.
He walked over, picked it up, and glanced at it.
It was a WeChat message.
Thirteen notifications in total.
All friend request alerts.
He tapped to take a look.
aaa Advertising Media Action Blockbuster Guide: “Wanna hook up?”
aaa Advertising Media Action Blockbuster Guide: “Fresh new sources, guaranteed satisfaction! All tastes available!”
aaa Advertising Media Action Blockbuster Guide: “Got secret fetishes no one knows about? Come to us! Guaranteed satisfaction! Private and risk-free!”
…
aaa Advertising Media Action Blockbuster Guide: “Screw your mom.”
Fu Guidu: “…”
This last request clearly carried strong personal emotions.
So many repeated attempts to add him—at first, it was “late-night secret chat sessions,” playing on the vulnerability to temptation during the night. But in the end, it turned into outright temper.
Fu Guidu instinctively frowned slightly.
Thinking it must be some advertising account gone mad.
He casually glanced at the profile picture of this account and saw a familiar face. Without even blinking, Fu Guidu tapped the “Reject” button.
Then he went to rest.
The next day.
Xu Ni slept until the sun was high in the sky.
By the time her alarm went off, it was already past ten o’clock.
She groggily got up to wash up.
Today she had to go to the company for meetings with various teams to discuss production planning and other matters.
The temperature had dropped, so she put on a form-fitting light gray cashmere dress, did her makeup, grabbed her bag and phone, and headed out to the elevator.
She also had to think about her housing situation.
Out of habit, she opened WeChat to reply to messages.
Suddenly, a flash of memory from last night’s events crossed her mind.
Xu Ni couldn’t help but shudder.
Panicking, she quickly switched to her WeChat alt account to check the ‘harassment’ from the night before.