Barefoot, Shui Ruyue stumbled forward. The bowl in her hands nearly spilled all over Fu Qingzhi, but Fu Qingzhi caught it steadily before it could fall.
Only then did Shui Ruyue realize she’d crashed into a patch of smooth, fair skin.
The buttons on Fu Qingzhi’s shirt had come undone haphazardly. Her naturally slender frame was outlined beneath the soaked white dress shirt clinging tightly to her body.
Don’t tell me this CEO actually showered with her clothes on…
Sure enough, drunk people really couldn’t be left alone.
Determined to see her “service” through to the end, Shui Ruyue decided to help her. If Fu Qingzhi remembered this kindness after sobering up, maybe she’d earn a few points and stop threatening to kick her out every other day.
“Um… showering with your clothes on must be really uncomfortable. I’ll help you take them off, then I’ll leave,” Shui Ruyue said in a soft voice.
She glanced at the tangled buttons on Fu Qingzhi’s shirt.
One gentle tug, and they’d come undone.
Before her fingertips could reach them, Fu Qingzhi seized her wrist and pinned it against the bathroom wall.
A pair of icy eyes met hers.
“Did the Shui family teach you this too?”
“Is the concern from the Shui family’s eldest daughter ever genuine?”
The cold voice sent a shiver through Shui Ruyue’s body.
She had a terrifying feeling that Fu Qingzhi was about to throw her out right then and there.
Driven by pure survival instinct, Shui Ruyue stepped forward and grabbed Fu Qingzhi’s arm.
But she lost her balance.
“…Mm.”
Her mind went completely blank.
The instant she realized what had happened, she hurriedly stumbled back two steps.
She…
She had just kissed Fu Qingzhi on the cheek!
Ahhh!
Sure, Fu Qingzhi was the perfect wife—beautiful, wealthy, and capable.
But she also couldn’t stand her!
“I-I’m sorry! My foot slipped!”
Shui Ruyue’s ears burned bright red.
She had always considered herself completely straight.
So why was her heart suddenly beating faster after seeing Fu Qingzhi’s breathtakingly beautiful face and feeling her unbelievably soft skin?
Before she could retreat any farther, she was pulled back again.
The bowl of hangover soup—the one meant to sober Fu Qingzhi up—fell to the floor with a crash.
Fu Qingzhi’s long, slender arm wrapped around Shui Ruyue’s waist, while the hand gripping her wrist radiated scorching heat.
Fu Qingzhi hadn’t been fully conscious to begin with.
That brief contact had pushed her even further out of control.
She took a slow, deep breath.
“What?”
“You kiss me and then pretend nothing happened?”
“What exactly do you take me for?”
Not my wife…
More like the kind homeowner who’s letting me stay here…
The faint scent of pine surrounded Shui Ruyue, making her already muddled thoughts grow even hazier.
“…My wife.”
She forced herself to regain a little composure and slipped back into the original owner’s arrogant persona.
“Who’s pretending it didn’t happen?”
“What’s wrong with kissing my own wife?”
Sorry, sorry, sorry!
Shui Ruyue screamed apologies over and over in her heart.
She despised herself for saying such shameless things.
But being exposed as an imposter and thrown out was even worse.
She had no choice but to keep acting outrageously.
Fu Qingzhi stared fixedly into her eyes.
The distance between them grew even smaller.
“What?”
“Were you unhappy with the way I kissed you just now?”
“You’d better get used to it.”
Shui Ruyue recklessly added another line.
“Even if it’s only for one month…”
“…you’re still my wife.”
She straightened her slim waist, doing her best to imitate the original Shui Ruyue’s domineering attitude.
Fu Qingzhi fell silent.
Shui Ruyue didn’t dare stay another second.
Flustered, she hurriedly picked up the broken bowl from the floor and blurted out an excuse.
“Even if you spilled my hangover soup…”
“I’ll just make you another bowl.”
Clutching the bowl, Shui Ruyue fled the bathroom.
She was obviously trying to care for her…
Yet somehow, every word came out awkwardly.
Fu Qingzhi let out a quiet scoff.
Her fingertips brushed lightly over her cheek.
The lingering softness of that brief kiss made her pause for a moment longer.
When she finished her shower and stepped out, she still hadn’t buttoned her shirt properly.
Her faintly defined abs, elegant collarbones, and fair skin, still dotted with tiny beads of water, were visible beneath the loose fabric.
At a glance, she spotted her so-called “little wife” bustling around in the kitchen.
Her gaze lingered for two extra seconds.
But when a business notification appeared on her phone, she turned without hesitation and walked into the study.
The headache from the alcohol still hadn’t faded.
Her steps were slightly unsteady.
After opening her laptop, everything on the screen seemed a little blurry.
Fu Qingzhi forced herself to focus and continued handling a major business deal that had yet to be finalized.
When Fu Qingzhi worked, she hated being disturbed.
Holding the freshly made bowl of hangover soup, Shui Ruyue stood outside the study for quite a while.
Eventually, she couldn’t help knocking on the door.
There was no response.
Sure enough…
Fu Qingzhi must still be upset over what had happened in the bathroom.
But the original Shui Ruyue had been an arrogant, overbearing heiress.
She couldn’t suddenly become an entirely different person.
Someone as perceptive as Fu Qingzhi would notice immediately.
Just as faint footsteps sounded from inside the study, Shui Ruyue’s phone suddenly rang.
Jiang Yan’s furious voice exploded from the speaker.
“So you’ve grown wings now?”
“You actually dared to block your own mother!”
“Have you forgotten you’re the eldest daughter of the Shui family?”
If they’d truly raised the original owner with love, how could she have become so spoiled and overbearing?
They had spent years brainwashing her into sacrificing everything for the Shui family.
Otherwise, the original Shui Ruyue would never have willingly become a pawn and married Fu Qingzhi.
“Aren’t I just following your example, Mom?”
“I saw how tightly you had Dad wrapped around your finger, so I figured acting this mean was pretty effective.”
Jiang Yan was instantly furious.
A flood of colorful insults poured out.
Realizing she was still standing outside the study, Shui Ruyue hurriedly turned to leave.
The last thing she wanted was for Fu Qingzhi to overhear any of this and dislike her even more.
But Jiang Yan spoke even faster.
“If Fu Qingzhi still won’t accept you, just wait until your father loses his temper and throws you out!”
“If we hadn’t accidentally gotten pregnant with you back then, why would we have spent so much time and effort raising you, only for you to drive us crazy?”
Shui Ruyue had no interest in arguing.
Yet Jiang Yan continued nagging relentlessly.
“Don’t forget—the Shui family is your only support.”
Shui Ruyue almost laughed.
Support?
That so-called support had abandoned the original owner after Fu Qingzhi divorced her.
They’d refused to take her back, leaving her to starve to death on the streets.
And now Jiang Yan was screaming at her without the slightest concern for where she was or who might overhear.
What if Fu Qingzhi were standing nearby?
If everything fell apart, Shui Ruyue would be the only one left to bear the consequences.
“My unbelievably beautiful wife is my real support!”
“All I want now is to live a peaceful life with my wife.”
“If the Shui family wants nothing to do with me, then that’s perfectly fine!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Shui Ruyue blocked Jiang Yan again.
Fortunately, she’d visited the company a few days earlier and hired a lawyer.
That way, at least the tiny bit of property the original owner still possessed wouldn’t be taken away.
Even if the Shui family disowned her in the future, she wouldn’t end up starving to death.
At the very least, Fu Qingzhi was still feeding her and giving her a place to live.
Shui Ruyue knew perfectly well who her temporary lifeline was.
The next second—
the doorknob slowly turned from inside the study.