Over the past five years, Fu Huaixu had often suffered from insomnia. Yet with her by his side, he had surprisingly slept so deeply and so… soundly today.
Fu Huaixu opened his eyes and instinctively reached out to the side, but Shen Zhaoning was no longer there.
The lingering scent of roses that had enveloped him all night had also vanished without a trace, disappearing completely.
He listened carefully—the bathroom was silent, with no sound of water or movement. His gaze swept across the empty bedroom, but there was no trace of her belongings anywhere.
His heart inexplicably sank. Had that woman really left just like that? Had she taken her luggage with her?
Was she going to disappear without a trace again, just like five years ago?
Irritated, he flung the blanket aside and stepped barefoot onto the carpet. His eyes inadvertently fell on the bedside table, where five hundred yuan was neatly placed. Beside the money lay a sticky note.
Fu Huaixu’s brows furrowed tightly as his slender fingers, tinged with a hint of anger, picked up the note.
On it, a line of elegant yet somewhat provocative handwriting stood out: “Skills have regressed. Poor rating.”
His expression darkened instantly, his already agitated face now seeming to be covered with a layer of eternal ice.
“Damn it!” Fu Huaixu rubbed his thumb fiercely over the words, as if trying to tear through the paper.
Not only had she treated him like a cheap “gigolo,” but she even dared to give him a poor rating?
He crumpled the note tightly in his hand, his eyes surging with an unprecedented, almost fierce possessiveness.
“Shen Zhaoning, you’ve got some nerve!”
Next time, he would absolutely make her beg for mercy beneath him—for three days and three nights—and see if she would dare mention “regression” again!
Fu Huaixu walked into the bathroom, took a quick shower, and emerged wearing a bathrobe.
He then picked up his phone and dialed Lin Jing’s number, his tone so calm it betrayed no emotion. “Bring my clothes over.”
Outside the door, Lin Jing had been waiting for quite some time.
“Of course, sir. Would you mind opening the door now?”
Fu Huaixu opened the door, and Lin Jing entered, respectfully handing him the clothes.
Lin Jing noticed his boss’s face, which was even colder and gloomier than usual.
Had last night with Miss Shen not been enough to vent his anger? Why was his expression still so foul this early in the morning?
He couldn’t help but admire Miss Shen for being able to anger the boss like this. After all, it was usually the boss who tormented others, not the other way around.
“Where is she now?” Fu Huaixu’s voice was as cold as ice.
Lin Jing lowered his head, stealing a glance at his expression from the corner of his eye as he reported:
“Boss, Miss Shen has an appointment with a designer from Wood & Stone Design Company. She’s currently at Wilder’s studio. I also found out that Miss Shen booked a flight back to Kyoto for three o’clock this afternoon.”
Having followed Fu Huaixu for so many years, he knew better than anyone what his boss’s sore spot was.
Now that the sore spot had been found, his heart, which had lain dormant for five years, had finally come back to life.
So, he kept a close watch on Miss Shen’s whereabouts, ready to report to his boss at any moment.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Back to Kyoto? Running away again?
Shen Zhaoning, don’t even think about leaving my side again.
＊
After finalizing the renovation plan, it happened to be lunchtime, so Shen Zhaoning invited Zhang Qian to eat there.
As the meal was nearly finished, Shen Zhaoning decided to settle the bill first. She stood up and said, “I’ll excuse myself for a moment to use the restroom.”
After saying that, she walked outside. Shen Zhaoning paid the bill and also went to the restroom.
Just as Shen Zhaoning finished washing her hands and was about to head back, suddenly, a private room door swung open quickly. Before she could react, a large hand wrapped around her waist.
The door closed with a muffled “thud.”
She had just recognized who it was when she was pressed against the door. “Fu Huaixu, what are you doing?”
A wicked smile curled at the corner of Fu Huaixu’s lips as he leaned forward, trapping her between the door and himself. “I’m here to make you take responsibility, of course.”
Shen Zhaoning looked up, meeting Fu Huaixu’s intense gaze.
She averted her eyes uncomfortably, noticing that several buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing the bite mark on his collarbone.
Remembering what happened in the early hours of the morning, her face flushed involuntarily.
“Last night, I took care of you while you were drunk, and you repaid kindness with betrayal by climbing into my bed in the middle of the night. I haven’t even settled the score with you yet!” Shen Zhaoning glared at him angrily.
Fu Huaixu watched with amusement as she bristled but couldn’t fully explode. His tone was lazy yet teasing, his deep eyes locking onto her:
“So, to repay you, I offered myself willingly. Are you not satisfied?”
“Satisfied, my foot! Don’t you know how you…” Shen Zhaoning’s words caught in her throat, her face turning even redder.
Fu Huaixu chuckled softly, reaching out to lift her chin. “What? Are you shy?”
Shen Zhaoning slapped his hand away abruptly and glared at him. “You… let go of me first and step back.”
“What if I say no?” Fu Huaixu’s lips curled into a playful smirk.
“What do you want?”
“I want us to go back to how we were.”
Fu Huaixu’s playful expression softened slightly, his deep eyes gazing straight into her heart as his tone suddenly turned serious.
“But with five years of distance between us, we can’t go back to how we were,” Shen Zhaoning said calmly.
“Zhaozhao~” he murmured her name softly, his voice tinged with a hint of pleading and tenderness. “Then let’s start over, okay?”
He knew exactly where Shen Zhaoning was sensitive. Like a child, he leaned on her shoulder and deliberately blew air against the back of her ear.
Shen Zhaoning shuddered, as if an electric current had shot through her entire body.
She pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and finally spoke as if making a decision. “Fine, I’ll give you a chance to pursue me.”
These words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up waves in Fu Huaixu’s heart.
He looked up abruptly, his eyes gleaming with wild joy. “Zhaozhao, did you really say that? No taking it back.”
“Mhm,” Shen Zhaoning replied softly.
“Can you let go of me now?” She tried to push him away.
“Zhaozhao, hearing you say that makes me want to hold onto you even more,” Fu Huaixu’s voice carried a hint of satisfaction as he greedily inhaled her faint, sweet fragrance.
“Stop fooling around. The designer from Wood & Stone is still waiting for me outside,” Shen Zhaoning said with some exasperation.
“Then let him wait,” Fu Huaixu replied indifferently, his tone carrying a trace of arrogance.
“If you keep this up, I won’t even give you the chance to pursue me,” Shen Zhaoning threatened, glaring at him.
Fu Huaixu looked up at her with a pitiful expression. His usually cold and deep eyes now resembled those of an abandoned puppy, making it hard for anyone to refuse him.
“Zhaozhao, don’t say that. It’ll break my heart.”
He reached out and took her hand, placing it over his own heart. “Feel it—it’s been shattered into a thousand pieces by you.”
“I need your kiss to soothe it,” Fu Huaixu pressed further, pushing his luck.
Shen Zhaoning shot him a glare but didn’t retort as she usually would.
Instead, she extended her slender fingers and gently buttoned the few undone buttons on his shirt. “We’ll talk about that once you’ve properly won me over,” she said softly.
With that, she gently pushed Fu Huaixu aside, turned around, and walked out the door.
Left standing there, Fu Huaixu was overjoyed. Zhaozhao was giving him another chance.
Shen Zhaoning walked into the dining area and took her seat, offering Zhang Qian an apologetic smile. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Not at all. Waiting for a beautiful lady is never too long,” Zhang Qian replied, adjusting his glasses with just the right amount of flattery—neither too forward nor lacking in charm.
Shen Zhaoning chuckled. “You’re quite the charmer, Mr. Zhang.”
Just then, Zhang Qian’s phone rang. “Miss Shen, excuse me for a moment.”
Shen Zhaoning nodded slightly.
After a brief conversation, he hung up. “Miss Shen, there’s an urgent design revision at the company, and the client is pressing for it. I need to head back immediately.”
Shen Zhaoning stood up, smiling politely. “Of course, work comes first.”
“I’ll make sure to finalize your design as soon as possible.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
With that, Zhang Qian hurriedly grabbed his laptop bag and left.
Shen Zhaoning checked the time—it was already two o’clock. She needed to swing by her studio to pick up her luggage before catching her flight.