Ji Ying returned home and, looking up, saw Yu Wanqing sitting on the sofa, testing lipstick shades.
“Mom, I’m back.” She glanced around. “Where’s Father?”
Hearing her voice, Yu Wanqing stood up from the sofa. “Your father got a call and went back to the company.” After speaking, she carefully looked Ji Ying over, her tone tinged with disbelief. “What happened today? How did you end up with Jingshen?”
Ji Ying had already prepared her explanation on the way home. She smiled lightly. “It was a coincidence. I ran into Third Brother at Yulinling.”
Yu Wanqing gave a soft “oh,” then hesitated. “Nannan, do you have a good impression of him?”
Ji Ying set down her bag, sat on the sofa, and nodded. “Mm.” Picking up the fruit basket of cherries from the table, she lowered her eyes. “He’s a good person. Spending time with him like this, it’s not impossible.”
She looked up and smiled at her mother. “Grandpa’s judgment wouldn’t be wrong.”
Yu Wanqing’s lips moved, her feelings unusually complicated. If not for Ji Chen’s earlier words, she might have accepted such a son-in-law—one who seemed flawless in every respect.
“Jingshen is certainly good,” Yu Wanqing said, sitting beside her daughter, probing carefully. “But you’ve had too little contact with him…”
“Mom.” Ji Ying interrupted. “If we’ve had little contact, doesn’t that mean we should have more?”
Yu Wanqing frowned, momentarily at a loss for words. She could only ask:
“Where did Jingshen take you today?”
Ji Ying answered: “The hillside villa.”
Yu Wanqing’s hand froze mid-motion as she was cutting fruit. “The hillside villa?!” She had always kept track of the Fu family’s movements, so of course, she knew the purpose of that villa. Her expression shifted before she asked: “Did you like it there?”
“I did.” Ji Ying ate a cherry, sincerely praising: “It’s a beautiful house.”
Yu Wanqing remained silent for a few seconds before speaking, with a complicated expression. “In the future, if you’re going to meet Jingshen, remember to tell me first.”
Ji Ying swallowed the cherry pulp, paused, then suddenly said: “Mom, if everything goes smoothly, I want to get married this year.”
*Plop.*
The apple in Yu Wanqing’s hand fell straight to the floor. She looked at Ji Ying, murmuring in disbelief: “Nannan, what did you just say?”
Ji Ying met her mother’s eyes directly. “Grandpa Fu has only one grandson, and he’s long hoped for him to start a family. Third Brother is six years older than me, and he’s remained single until now. By reason and by feeling, we shouldn’t keep delaying.”
“A marriage alliance between the two families would only benefit the Ji family.”
Yu Wanqing quickly set down the fruit. “Did Jingshen say something to you?”
“No.” Ji Ying replied. “Third Brother didn’t say anything.”
“This is entirely my own idea.”
Yu Wanqing was left speechless.
“Tomorrow I still have a course paper to submit.” Ji Ying stood up after saying this. “Mom, I’ll go upstairs first.”
Distracted, Yu Wanqing gave a vague reply.
As Ji Ying stepped onto the stairs, her mother suddenly said: “What you said today—I’ll pass it on to your father and elder brother.”
Ji Ying turned back. “Alright.”
Near midterms, school assignments piled up. Ji Ying was busy meeting deadlines, and her last exchange with Fu Jingshen lingered only in that faintly smiling phrase— “Mrs. Fu.”
Recently, the Ji family had taken on a major project. Ji Tianze and Ji Chen were hardly seen, Ji Huai was traveling nationwide for appearances, and even Yu Wanqing was occupied hosting a charity fundraiser.
After midterm week, Ji Ying quietly searched for flights to Huizhou. She calculated carefully—now was the best time to go.
Together with Chen Yu, she planned the route in detail. This trip would cover many stops, including several tea villages. Remote in the mountains, they were hard to reach, but Chen Yu had found a local guide.
Everything was ready, except…
“No!” Yu Wanqing barely let her finish before refusing outright, flipping through donation receipts as she spoke. “It’s not safe.”
Ji Ying tried: “I can bring Uncle Guan with me.”
Uncle Guan had been her bodyguard since childhood.
“Still no.” Yu Wanqing lifted her eyes from the stack of bills. “You can’t take care of yourself.”
Ji Ying’s smile faded. She lowered her lashes and said nothing.
Yu Wanqing only ruffled her daughter’s hair, speaking casually: “Yingying can go shopping with her girlfriends, buy some things—that I’ll allow.”
Ji Ying was silent for a few seconds, then murmured softly: “…Okay.” She smoothed the hem of her qipao and walked upstairs.
A message from Chen Yu arrived: [Manager, should we book the tickets as planned?]*
Ji Ying’s lashes trembled. Her porcelain-pale face showed no expression. After a pause, she lowered her head and tapped the screen: [As planned.]*
The flight was set for the following afternoon.
Ji Ying had timed it perfectly—her father and elder brother would not be home, her mother would be busy preparing for the charity gala. Her departure would be smooth. By the time her mother discovered it, she would already be in Huizhou. No matter how strongly she opposed, it would be too late. She compressed the trip to the shortest possible span—three days to complete the entire journey.
The next morning, Ji Ying quietly packed her luggage in her bedroom.
In the afternoon, the Ji residence was silent; even the servants had gone to their rooms to rest. Ji Ying pulled her small suitcase out of the door and took a taxi straight to the airport. Before leaving, she had left a note on her bedroom desk, explaining her whereabouts.
In the waiting lounge, her phone buzzed suddenly. Thinking something had gone wrong, her lashes trembled and she held her breath. Only after bracing herself did she open it—only to see a message from Fu Jingshen. She exhaled in relief.
F: [Anything you like?]
Attached were images: Huizhou’s famous teas, jade carvings, paintings, and even rare delicacies—all exquisite treasures.
Ji Ying blinked, then tapped the screen: [Third Brother, are you in Huizhou?]
F: [Mm. There’s a project here. I came to inspect it.]
Like biting into a candy with a hidden filling, Ji Ying felt a spark of delight:
[I’m just about to go to Huizhou myself.]
She added a photo of her suitcase: [Maybe we’ll run into each other there.]
The typing indicator flashed at the top, but in the end, Fu Jingshen only sent: [Send me your flight number.]
Ji Ying thought for a moment, then politely declined.
A few seconds later, he replied with just five words: [Sneaking out, are you?]
Ji Ying: !!!
Her cheeks puffed in frustration. She didn’t want to chat anymore. She hurriedly typed: [No more talking, Third Brother. I’m boarding now.]
She switched off her phone screen.
The flight from the capital to Huizhou took just over two hours. Departing in the evening, she landed under a sky glowing with fiery clouds.
Unlike the crowded bustle of the capital’s airport, Huizhou’s was serene, filled with leisurely travelers.
Ji Ying had never traveled alone before. As a child, half her holidays were spent ill. Later, she had accompanied her mother on trips, but her mother’s overprotectiveness meant she never truly enjoyed the freedom of travel.
“I’ll contact the guide first, Manager…” Chen Yu pulled out her phone, speaking as she looked up—and then couldn’t look away.
The sunset’s glow fell across Ji Ying’s long black hair, draped down her back, gilding her silhouette in her qipao with threads of gold. She gazed steadily at the distant mountains, her silence radiating a quiet joy.
A joy that words couldn’t capture.
Ji Ying checked her phone—no calls yet. Her heart eased. She lifted it to snap a photo of the sunset. Just as she lowered it, a new message popped up.
F: [What are you photographing?]
Ji Ying instinctively replied: [The sunset.]
The moment she sent it, she felt something—looked up suddenly.
In the twilight, a discreet business car was parked ahead. As if sensing her gaze, the rear window slid down, revealing the sharp line of a man’s jaw.
At the same time, another message arrived: [Get in.]
Ji Ying hadn’t even replied when the driver stepped out, walked toward her and Chen Yu, and respectfully took her suitcase. “Miss Ji, Mr. Fu asked me to carry your luggage.”
“We actually have a guide…” Ji Ying began, but Chen Yu rubbed her nose awkwardly. “Manager, the guide ran into some trouble on the way. He won’t be coming.”
Ji Ying faltered, silent for a few seconds, then said quietly: “…Then I’ll trouble you.”
Chen Yu leaned close to Ji Ying, whispering: “Manager, the person in the car… who is it?”
Ji Ying pressed her lips together, paused, then answered softly: “You’ll know when you see.”
Chen Yu was puzzled. Did she know him?
Only when the car door opened and she sat in the front seat, catching sight of the cold, handsome man in the back, did she finally understand—no wonder the manager’s expression had been so strange just now.
This was like witnessing a live CP moment! Chen Yu’s eyes sparkled with gossip as she glanced at the rearview mirror. A perfect match—handsome man, beautiful woman, engaged since childhood. She was all for it!
But Ji Ying’s mood was more complicated. She stole a glance at Fu Jingshen. He lifted his eyelids and asked calmly: “What is it?”
“Nothing.” Ji Ying turned her head away, pulled out her phone, and typed a message: [Third Brother, I came to Huizhou. My family doesn’t know.]
Her phone buzzed lightly.
Sensing it, Fu Jingshen tilted his head, watching her wait intently for a reply. Without looking at his own phone, he leaned closer, his gaze sweeping across her screen, a quiet laugh trembling in his chest. “So you really did sneak out.” His breath stirred the strands of her hair, the cedar scent of him filling her senses.
Ji Ying’s ears burned. She quickly glanced at him, then at Chen Yu’s ear visible from the front seat, gesturing toward her phone with eyes that said: *Why aren’t you replying on the phone instead?*
Fu Jingshen chuckled softly. “You’re right here.”
*You’re right in front of me—why use the phone?* Ji Ying caught the unspoken meaning. She tilted her chin toward the driver and Chen Yu, hinting at their presence.
But Fu Jingshen didn’t move away. He looked at her and said quietly: “Yinghua, you need to get used to it.”
Ji Ying steadied her breathing, understanding what he meant. He wanted her to grow accustomed to his closeness, his presence—just as he had forcefully entered her life. Lowering her lashes, she thought it over. He wasn’t wrong. Since she had decided on marriage, she needed to get used to his touch.
So Ji Ying sat calmly in place, lifted her eyes to his face so near, and said carefully: “Third Brother, I came to Huizhou for important business. My schedule is tight, and my family doesn’t know.”
She spoke in one breath, then watched his expression. “If my family finds out we’re together, they might think we…” She didn’t finish, but her eyes conveyed the rest: *You understand, don’t you?*
Fu Jingshen’s eyes glimmered with amusement. “Think we what? Eloped?”
Ji Ying: “…” Why did he have to say it out loud?
Fu Jingshen studied her expression with interest, then couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch her pale nose. “Let them rest assured—we’re not eloping.”
Ji Ying blinked. “Hm?”
“I’ll marry you properly, in broad daylight.”