Lushan Manor
Fu Chengyan carried the two little ones upstairs. Auntie Yuan, who was specially assigned to care for Fu Xuanyue, hurried over to take the child. “Master.”
“She ate two taro pies and half a cup of warm milk before bed. Keep an eye on her—her sleep tends to be short,” Fu Chengyan said.
If she woke up and didn’t see anyone, she’d pout and start crying.
“Understood, Master.”
Fu Chengyan’s bedroom was on the third floor. He carried Fu Xuanlang up, removed the child’s outer clothes, and tucked him into bed.
The little one kicked his legs a few times before sinking back into deep sleep.
It was almost half past twelve. He took the meal packed by Auntie Liu and drove to Jiaxing North Garden.
Xu Zhizhi had eaten little pig custard buns for breakfast. Instead of writing until noon as usual, she spent two hours typing before squatting down to study the cleaning robot.
Whenever the robot moved, she followed it. Around eleven, it would even remind her to eat fruit and drink tea—very thoughtful.
When Fu Chengyan called, she was dripping water on the floor—there was no other choice, the house was too clean, and the robot had gone back to rest.
She couldn’t watch it anymore.
“Still playing with the cleaning robot?”
Xu Zhizhi nodded. “It finished cleaning and went back.”
Her tone was slightly downcast.
Fu Chengyan found it amusing. He suggested, “Then start them one by one. That way, after watching one robot clean, you can move on to another.”
He could easily picture the girl following the cleaning robot around the room.
Adorably cute.
“Oh, I know.” She just hadn’t thought of it at first.
“Alright, let’s eat first. I’ll take you horseback riding this afternoon.”
Xu Zhizhi’s eyes lit up. She stopped watching the robot, obediently washed her hands, and went to sit at the dining table.
Time to eat~
(＞＜)
Fu Chengyan: So cute.
Zonglin Ranch. Wen Ci had been preparing since receiving Wen Li’s call. He had the area where Fu Chengyan usually rode cleaned overnight, and the glass in the rest area was polished until it shone.
Snacks and fruit platters were fully stocked; juices and milk tea were abundant.
Of course, this was all for the future madam. Otherwise, Wen Ci wouldn’t have stayed up all night, meticulously grooming the horse Fu Chengyan had requested to ride, spending half an hour blow-drying its coat.
At 3:30 a.m., exhausted after half a night’s work, he went back to rest, feeling rather emotional. He had thought Fu Chengyan would remain single forever, given how detached he seemed from matters of the heart. Who would have thought he’d win over a beauty by twenty-seven?
When calling, Wen Li mentioned how shameless the boss was—visiting the girl’s home just days after meeting her. And now, not long after, he was bringing her here to have fun.
The boss truly was the boss, different from everyone else.
Even pursuing a wife was done with such speed.
At Zonglin Ranch, Xiao Bai, Douzi, and Xiao Saimi—their coats thick and freshly washed—were tethered in the stable, waiting.
Wen Ci had been preparing afternoon tea since five in the morning—quite… eccentric.
Others didn’t understand and found him rather baffling. The master had visited before, but he’d never been this attentive.
Their manager seemed a bit unhinged.
“Zhang Xun, clear this area. Make sure no one disturbs before eight tomorrow morning.”
“Understood.” Zhang Xun acknowledged and led a few staff members out to attend to other guests.
At two in the afternoon, Fu Chengyan’s black Cullinan drove in discreetly.
From a distance, Wen Ci watched as Fu Chengyan parked the car, then briskly walked to the other side to open the door.
Next, a young girl stepped out from the passenger seat, dressed in a pink cotton jacket, white wide-leg pants, and even wearing a pink woolen hat on her head.
Wen Ci widened his eyes. How was this different from what he had imagined?
Just… how old was this girl?
At first glance, he thought she was their boss’s daughter.
Xu Zhizhi was slender and fair-skinned, standing at 165 cm tall. With her small frame and standing next to Fu Chengyan, who was 189 cm tall, she appeared particularly petite.
Wen Ci felt that his boss could lift the girl with one hand.
Perhaps because the wind outside was strong, he clearly saw the girl shiver as she got out of the car. Then, their boss—who always seemed indifferent and detached, a wolf in sheep’s clothing—leaned down to meet her gaze. Though he couldn’t hear what was said, he instinctively felt the boss was trying to comfort her.
Wen Ci wanted to roll his eyes. If the girl was cold, why didn’t he give her his coat? Instead of bringing her inside to warm up with a cup of hot tea, he just said a few nice words as if that would make the cold go away.
Xu Zhizhi had been nervous ever since leaving the house. Along the way, Fu Chengyan occasionally reassured her, telling her that no one would disturb them once they arrived and encouraging her to relax.
He hadn’t lied. As they entered the ranch, the car drove onto a relatively secluded path. “When I was younger, I thought about planting a bamboo grove behind the ranch and building a wooden house,” he said. “When work got too tiring, I could come here to unwind and stay for a few days.”
Xu Zhizhi glanced outside. “There’s no wooden house.”
“Because it was never built,” Fu Chengyan replied. “Work kept me too busy, and I never had the time.”
Xu Zhizhi pursed her lips. “You said writing for too long can make you sick.”
“Being too busy with work can do the same, right?”
Fu Chengyan paused, his emotions complicated. “Probably.”
“Do you really like making money?”
“I suppose so,” Fu Chengyan said softly.
“But I think you’re already very wealthy,” Xu Zhizhi said, counting on her fingers. “You work at a tech company, so your monthly salary must be quite high. You have a car, a house, a ranch—you’re already far ahead of most people.”
Fu Chengyan tilted his head to look at her.
Xu Zhizhi continued, “Since you’re already so accomplished, wouldn’t it be okay to take a break?”
“That makes sense.”
“Exactly, so you don’t have to work so hard,” Xu Zhizhi said. “Tangtang once said that people should learn to enjoy life while they can.”
Fu Chengyan felt a warm surge in his heart as he listened to her clumsy attempt to comfort him.
Before he could respond, the girl asked, “Are you still going to build that wooden house?”
Fu Chengyan glanced sideways. “Do you like the idea?”
“I’m a little curious,” she said, blinking. “It sounds like something a recluse would do.”
“We’ll start construction tomorrow.”
After chatting for a while, Xu Zhizhi forgot her nervousness. But as soon as she stepped out of the car, her expression turned blank, tinged with a hint of fear.
Fu Chengyan leaned down to meet her gaze. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just us here.”
Xu Zhizhi nodded blankly.
“Let’s go to the reception area first to rest. I’ve had clothes prepared for you—you’ll need to change for horseback riding.”
“Oh,” she tugged at her pants, looking somewhat reluctant.
Sensing her hesitation, Fu Chengyan asked, “What’s wrong?”
“These pants are comfortable.”
Fu Chengyan understood. “Are you worried about getting them dirty?”
Xu Zhizhi shook her head. “If they get dirty, I can wash them.”
Her washing machine could even dry them afterward—how convenient!
“Then you don’t have to change. I’ll take you to see the horses. Do you prefer white ones or black ones?”
“I like both.”
Wenci waited in the reception room for a long time, but the two of them walked away while talking, showing no intention of coming in at all.
Wenci: “…”
No riding gear or protective clothing needed—they were going horseback riding in light-colored outfits, and their boss, wearing leather shoes, was heading to ride as well.