The sound of water sloshing in the pool mingled with Wen Ying’s soft, broken breaths, making everything indistinct and hazy.
“What are you afraid of? He’s already gone to find another woman, so why are you still worrying about him?”
Under damp strands of hair, Gu Qingyu’s eyes were clear and refined, the corners faintly flushed. He let out a low breath, his long fingers lifting her chin as he tilted his head to kiss her lips.
His voice was hoarse with desire. “When you’re with me, don’t mention him.”
Water streamed down his firm waist as he lifted her from the edge of the pool. Though Gu Qingyu appeared lean, he was well-built beneath the surface, his strength astonishing as he easily gathered her into his arms and held her completely under his control.
He was no longer gentle. Perhaps her earlier words had displeased him, or perhaps he simply didn’t want her to speak again. Her long, slender leg was lifted high and held firmly in his grasp, her back suspended in the air, unsteady, while his force left her too overwhelmed to even think.
Wen Ying lay limp against the soft white sheets, so exhausted that even lifting her fingers felt difficult.
A warm chest pressed against her back as Gu Qingyu pulled her into his arms. He leaned in again, kissing her cheek before brushing his lips over her soft red mouth.
She let out a faint sound and pushed his face away. “Stop, I’m too tired.”
“I wasn’t planning to touch you.”
Wen Ying shifted her leg slightly, the lingering sensation made it impossible to ignore.
Are you sure about that?
But she was too tired to speak, her eyelids already drooping.
“I’m going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up later.”
Even though she felt that Fu Tingchuan probably wouldn’t return, there was always the chance he might.
Gu Qingyu nodded and kissed her hair gently in reassurance. “Alright, sleep.”
In his words, Wen Ying relaxed completely. She adjusted into a comfortable position in his arms, and soon fell asleep.
What she didn’t know was that her phone on the bedside table vibrated once as she drifted into dreams.
A long arm reached over her shoulder, picking it up. Seeing the name Fu Tingchuan on the screen, he didn’t even lift his gaze before coldly hanging up and powering the phone off.
Wen Ying remained completely unaware, sleeping soundly through the night.
When she woke, she was still in his arms. Above her, she could hear his steady breathing, his hand firmly holding her waist.
The room was still pitch dark. The blackout curtains blocked all light, making it impossible to tell day from night.
Still half-asleep, Wen Ying reached for her phone to check the time.
Seeing it was off, she pressed the power button and waited with her eyes closed, then cracked them open slightly to look at the screen.
A strong hand pressed against her waist, pulling her back into his arms, and a warm kiss landed behind her ear. “Why are you awake?”
She hummed softly, reaching for her phone again and glancing down.
6:13. And two missed calls from Fu Tingchuan.
Wen Ying jolted upright, while Gu Qingyu’s lips missed their target.
She turned on the light and looked back at him. “Didn’t you say you’d wake me up?”
Under the bright light, her skin looked even more porcelain-like. Gu Qingyu removed the hand that had been covering his eyes and sat up lazily against the headboard.
“I did, you didn’t wake up.”
She didn’t believe him. “Then you should have shaken me awake.”
He chuckled softly. “Alright, next time I’ll shake you awake.”
Next time?
Wen Ying shot him a glare and quickly got out of bed to get dressed. She could only hope Fu Tingchuan hadn’t come back, or was still asleep.
Last night, she had deliberately moved her belongings into the room next door. If needed, she could just say she had moved back there.
So now, all she needed to do was slip back before Fu Tingchuan noticed.
After tidying herself up, she hurried toward the door, only for a hand to grab hers from behind.
His long fingers slipped between hers, interlocking tightly. Gu Qingyu lowered his gaze. “Do you really have to go?”
He stood there in black trousers, his white shirt unbuttoned, revealing firm muscles and the faint lines trailing downward.
But Wen Ying didn’t even spare him a glance as she pried his hand away. “I don’t have time to waste with you.”
Then she opened the door and left.
Utterly heartless.
Gu Qingyu’s expression cooled slightly as he withdrew his hand, his fingers curling faintly, the warmth of her touch still lingering.
Wen Ying stepped out, too preoccupied to look up immediately. But after only a few steps, Fu Tingchuan’s voice rang out.
“Where did you go last night?”
She froze and looked up, only to see him standing outside, still dressed in yesterday’s clothes. His face looked worn, his eyes bloodshot, as if he hadn’t slept at all.
She had no idea how long he had been standing there, or whether he had seen her come out of Gu Qingyu’s room.
Before she could respond, he spoke again. “What were you doing?”
The interrogative tone made her frown instantly. “What kind of attitude is that?”
He strode toward her, his voice stiff. “You didn’t come back all night. I called you, and your phone was off. Am I not allowed to ask?”
“Fu Tingchuan, get this straight. You went to see Lin Shiwei, did I question you?”
“There’s nothing between us,” he said, frowning. “You knew I was going.”
“That just means I’m generous enough not to argue. It doesn’t give you the right to interrogate me.”
“I already explained last night, it was an emergency. Nothing happened between me and Lin Shiwei.”
“Yes, I know. I believed you, so I didn’t question you.”
“Since I believed you, why can’t you believe me? Why are you questioning me?”
Wen Ying suddenly felt there was no need for her to feel guilty.
Whether or not anything had happened between him and Lin Shiwei was just his word. It only held weight because she chose to believe it.
If she didn’t, his explanations meant nothing.
Wasn’t it better if both of them simply turned a blind eye?
“I…” Fu Tingchuan fell silent, unable to refute her.
Just then, the door next to them opened, and Xu Yanxi stepped out, looking surprised. “Are you two arguing?”
Fu Tingchuan immediately quieted and nodded politely.
Wen Ying also turned, only then realizing she had stopped right outside Xu Yanxi’s room.
Xu Yanxi looked Fu Tingchuan up and down, even more surprised. “Mr. Fu, did you just get back?”
He was about to deny it, but she continued, “Wen Ying stayed with me last night. She said you ran off to find another woman and cried to me for quite a while.”
Both of them were stunned. Fu Tingchuan looked at Wen Ying, silently asking if it was true.
Wen Ying stared at Xu Yanxi in shock. When had she ever cried to her?
No, what shocked her more was why Xu Yanxi was lying for her.
Xu Yanxi continued, “I may be an outsider, but I’ve known Wen Ying since childhood. Mr. Fu, what you did wasn’t right. How could you leave your fiancée for another woman?”
Fu Tingchuan had only told Wen Ying about going to see Lin Shiwei. If Xu Yanxi knew, it must have been Wen Ying who told her.
He looked at Wen Ying again, wanting confirmation.
But Wen Ying wasn’t even looking at him. She was still staring at Xu Yanxi in disbelief, as if asking why she was helping her.
Xu Yanxi met her gaze and gave a subtle wink.
Not long ago, Gu Qingyu had called her.
Though they had exchanged contact information after their blind date, they had never actually spoken before. This was the first time.
At first, Xu Yanxi had been interested in him, thinking he would make a good marriage partner.
But after realizing his interest in Wen Ying, she lost that interest.
She had originally thought it was just one-sided, and came along merely to watch the drama unfold.
She hadn’t expected it to be mutual.
What surprised her even more was that Gu Qingyu had called her early in the morning, his voice gentle yet distant. “Miss Xu, could I ask you for a favor?”
After explaining, he added, “Of course, I won’t let you help for nothing.”
The conditions he offered were very tempting. As the future heir of the Xu family, she had no reason to refuse.
“It’s just a small favor. I’d be happy to help.”
Now, she smiled and took Wen Ying’s arm, speaking like she was giving advice. “You can’t forgive him so easily this time. Men need to be taught a lesson.”
The lie wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny. A glance into Xu Yanxi’s room would reveal whether one or two people had stayed there.
But as a woman, it wasn’t appropriate for Fu Tingchuan to enter her room casually.
He let out a breath and chose to believe it for now. Turning back to Wen Ying, he asked, “If that’s the case, why didn’t you tell me directly?”
Wen Ying ignored him, pushed him aside, and walked away.
She unlocked the room she had nearly checked out of and entered, shutting the door in one smooth motion.
Fu Tingchuan followed but was shut out, nearly hitting his nose.
He knocked. “Wen Ying, open the door.”
He wanted to clear things up. They had come here to strengthen their relationship, not to end things like this.
After knocking twice with no response, he said, “If you don’t open the door, I’ll have the front desk unlock it.”
In truth, he had wanted to do that last night, but didn’t want to become a joke.
If he opened the door and she wasn’t there, the implications would be obvious.
The door finally opened.
Wen Ying stood there coldly. “What do you want to say? Say it.”
“Are you sure you want to talk here?”
“Then come in.” She turned and sat on the sofa, waiting.
He closed the door behind him.
The curtains were drawn, leaving the room dim, so he switched on the lights and stepped closer, bending down.
He reached out to brush her hair aside, wanting to confirm something for himself.
But before he could touch her, she dodged and slapped his hand away. “What are you trying to do?”
“You’re my fiancée. Am I not allowed to touch you?”
“Even if we were married, if I don’t want you to touch me, you won’t lay a finger on me.”
His jaw tightened as he forcibly held her face. His fingers carried a faint scent of tobacco, not unpleasant, but not something she liked either.
“Let go.”
She tried to push him, but he held firm, brushing aside her hair and exposing the mark on her neck.
It had darkened since last night.
His fingers traced it, his voice low. “Is this really a bug bite?”
She pulled his hand away. “Believe whatever you want, just stop interrogating me.”
He knew there was no reasoning with her. Kneeling on the sofa, he suddenly leaned down, gripping her shoulders as he lowered his head to her neck.
“What are you doing?”
Wen Ying struggled violently. She wasn’t some paragon of virtue, but she would never accept being forced.
Fu Tingchuan ignored her, holding her down with one hand while the other tugged at her clothes, sucking hard at her neck.
He didn’t know the difference between a bite and a hickey, so he wanted to test it.
Smack— His face was struck to the side.
Wen Ying shoved him away and stood up, fury blazing. “If you’re that desperate, go find Lin Shiwei. Don’t come to me.”
The force of her slap wasn’t light. His cheek burned, not from pain, but from humiliation.
He had never been slapped before.
“Wen Ying, you’ve gone too far!”
His face darkened, but she didn’t care.
“Slapping you is already going easy on you. Get out.”
There was a knock at the door.
Wen Ying went to open it. When she saw who stood outside, her expression shifted, her tone turning strange. “What are you doing here?”
After all, this whole situation was his doing.
If he hadn’t deliberately left that mark on her, none of this would have happened.
Wen Ying gritted her teeth. Gu Qingyu was nothing but trouble.
No wonder relationships always turned chaotic. It wasn’t about men or women, it was about people like him who stirred things up.
Yet Gu Qingyu seemed completely unbothered, standing at the door with a faint smile. “I heard from Miss Xu that you two were arguing, so I came to check.”