The sound of rushing water reached her ears, and she paused her steps, certain that Fu Yanchi was inside.
She glanced around the room once more—its layout was simple and straightforward, with no obvious hiding places.
So where had he been hiding just now?
As she pondered this, the bathroom door opened, and Fu Yanchi appeared before her.
Fu Yanchi emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his lower body. His short hair was dotted with a few droplets of water, which rolled down his firm chest and abdominal muscles before disappearing into his seductive V-line.
The visual impact was overwhelming. Luo Yunmian unconsciously swallowed and nervously averted her gaze.
The tall man advanced toward her step by step. Panicking, Luo Yunmian instinctively backed away until her heel abruptly hit the edge of the bed. She stumbled and fell awkwardly onto the mattress.
Fu Yanchi’s teasing laughter sounded above her head.
“Sister Yunmian, are you shy?”
Luo Yunmian’s face flushed red, but she stubbornly retorted, “No, I’m not. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before yesterday.”
“Is that so?”
He leaned down, one arm wrapping around her waist to pull her close, forcing her to face him directly. His other hand gently lifted her chin.
“Sister Yunmian, why are your face and ears so red?”
“You scared me. Where were you hiding just now?”
Luo Yunmian avoided his gaze, trying to change the subject.
“Did he kiss you just now?”
Fu Yanchi pressed on relentlessly, forcing her to meet his eyes.
Luo Yunmian didn’t answer. She could clearly see the faint anger simmering in his gaze.
Just as his lips were about to touch hers—
“No.” Hearing this, Fu Yanchi finally released her with a satisfied expression.
“My brother is too dirty. He wants to have his cake and eat it too.”
Luo Yunmian shot him a glare, seized the chance to slip away, and stood up. She walked to the bathroom, fetched his clothes, and tossed them over.
“Put your clothes on first.”
Fu Yanchi’s hand rested on the edge of the towel, his teasing expression making her heart skip a beat. She quickly turned around.
Seeing this, he chuckled softly. A rustling sound echoed behind Luo Yunmian, and she felt the air around her grow uncomfortably warm. Unbidden, the intimate scenes from yesterday resurfaced in her mind.
This must be a lingering “aftereffect” from yesterday, she thought, shaking her head forcefully to push the thoughts away.
“So, Sister Yunmian, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“About yesterday… I don’t regret it, but…”
“So, you still plan to get engaged to my brother.” Fu Yanchi looked at Luo Yunmian with an air of indifference.
Yet the hand clutching the towel had curled slightly at the fingertips, as if he was restraining something with great effort.
Luo Yunmian remained silent.
Fu Yanchi’s eyes reddened as he stared at her. After a long moment, he stood up, grabbed his jacket, and walked out.
A loud “bang” echoed as the door slammed shut.
Luo Yunmian didn’t go after him, feeling it unnecessary. He was a grown man of 23, perfectly capable of taking care of himself.
Her gaze fell on the box on the table—size 36 shoes. She let out a bitter laugh.
The next day, Luo Yunmian accompanied Fu Tingshen and the others to the teahouse where they had arranged to meet with their business partner.
After everyone was seated, Shen Xin’er eagerly presented the design drafts she had meticulously prepared to the partner.
The partner across the table took the designs and examined them carefully for a long while, his brows gradually furrowing.
Seeing this, Fu Tingshen asked, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
The business partner shook his head slightly and thought for a moment. “I just feel that the blueprint for this resort seems to be missing something.”
Luo Yunmian’s heart stirred. Last night, she had seen the blueprint Shen Xin’er provided on her computer. Although the design was exquisite and the layout reasonable, it lacked a certain warmth overall, making it feel a few degrees short of the expected resort paradise when viewed.
Noticing the partner’s serious and clearly dissatisfied expression, Luo Yunmian thought for a moment, then leaned close to Fu Tingshen and whispered a few words in his ear. After listening, Fu Tingshen pondered briefly before nodding.
Only then did she calmly take another blueprint from her bag, offering an apologetic smile.
“President Huo, this is our Plan B, drafted after discussions between President Fu and myself. Please take a look first.”
President Huo took the blueprint and opened it. His previously furrowed brow gradually relaxed as he pointed to several areas on the drawing.
“Here we have a tropical rainforest theme and an ocean ecology theme. They truly capture the sense of closeness our overseas project requires. Please wait a moment.”
With that, President Huo stood up and walked behind the screen.
It was then that Luo Yunmian noticed someone seemed to be sitting behind the screen. She guessed that must be the mastermind behind this resort project.
In a daze, she felt as though the gaze from behind the screen was fixed on her. She shook her head with a smile, convincing herself she was overthinking it.
Not long after, President Huo walked out with a beaming smile and directly extended his hand to Fu Tingshen.
“President Fu, we’ve decided to offer an additional two percentage points in profit for the resort project. Pleasure doing business.”
Fu Tingshen quickly stood up, shook the other’s hand, and replied, “Pleasure doing business.”
Immediately afterward, both parties smoothly drafted the contract.
At that moment, an assistant walked in carrying a bag. President Huo took it and handed it to Luo Yunmian.
“This is an evening gown. I hope Miss Luo enjoys herself at tonight’s cocktail party.”
Luo Yunmian didn’t understand why she was suddenly being given a gift, but out of courtesy, she quickly stood up, took the bag, and thanked him with a smile.
Out of the corner of her eye, she accidentally glanced at Shen Xin’er, whose face was alternating between pale and flushed, looking quite displeased.
As they left the tearoom, Shen Xin’er stopped Fu Tingshen with a self-reproachful tone.
“Tingshen, I’m sorry.”
“No need to blame yourself. It’s not your fault.”
The male assistant, Xiao Liu, also stepped forward to explain.
“I heard the mastermind behind this is quite young, with a sharp eye. Many who sought cooperation were rejected.”
“Fortunately, Assistant Luo had a backup plan.” Assistant Liu’s face was full of admiration.
“Miss Luo, I never expected you to understand design blueprints as well.”
The tone was sarcastic, but Luo Yunmian simply smiled without responding.
She couldn’t be bothered to explain.
Fu Tingshen glanced at the bag in Luo Yunmian’s hand and instructed her, “Since President Huo gave it to you, wear this set tonight!”
Luo Yunmian nodded. She understood Fu Tingshen—he wanted her to wear it to cater to their preferences.
Inside the tearoom.
“Yan Chi, I’m just curious. Isn’t President Fu your brother? Why all this secrecy?”
Indeed, the person in the tearoom was none other than Fu Yanchi. No one would have guessed that the mastermind behind the famous “Cloud” Group in Country F was only 23 years old.
“If it weren’t for Sister Mianmian, who we cooperate with wouldn’t matter.”
The young man sipped his tea nonchalantly, as if the person who had angrily stormed out and slammed the door yesterday wasn’t him.
“Are you truly determined to steal your brother’s partner?”
Fu Yanchi’s thin lips pressed together, his entire aura dark and intimidating. The young man in a position of power exuded a formidable sense of coercion, making even Huo Zhou shudder involuntarily.