Meanwhile, in the dining room of Jinghua Villa, Fu Yan sat with his chin resting on one hand, his fingertips tapping idly against the table.
His gaze kept drifting toward the staircase, but the little prude he was waiting for was nowhere to be seen.
The dishes spread across the table had gradually gone cold.
His brows drew together more tightly until he finally looked up at Aunt Zhang, who was standing nearby.
“Where is she?”
“Madam called earlier this evening, sir. She said she had something to take care of tonight and wouldn’t be coming home for dinner. She told us not to wait for her,” Aunt Zhang replied respectfully.
Fu Yan’s expression tightened.
He said nothing more, merely picked up his chopsticks and began eating the rice in his bowl.
The food might as well have been tasteless.
An inexplicable irritation simmered inside him, growing stronger with every passing moment.
That little prude was really starting to show her temper.
All he had done was get drunk and stumble into the wrong room last night.
He had even apologized, something he almost never did.
And what had she done in return?
She had decided not to come home for dinner.
Clearly, she was still holding a grudge against him.
Fu Yan finished his meal without much appetite and headed straight for the leather sofa in the sitting room.
He picked up the remote and switched the television to the military channel he usually enjoyed watching.
Yet his attention was nowhere near the screen.
Every so often, his eyes wandered toward the entrance hall, while his ears remained alert for the slightest sound from the front door.
One minute passed.
Then another.
An hour went by.
Then two.
Time continued slipping away, but the entrance remained silent.
There was still no sign of her.
Finally, Fu Yan could no longer sit still.
He rose from the sofa and glanced at the watch on his wrist.
It was almost eleven.
And she still had not returned.
Was that little prude seriously planning to stay out all night?
Irritated, he snatched up his phone.
He lit up the screen, only to turn it off again.
A moment later, he switched it back on.
His finger hovered over the dialing screen for a long while, but in the end, his pride would not allow him to make the call.
Since when had he ever been reduced to such a miserable state?
Fu Yan was waiting for a woman to come home.
If word of this got out, people would laugh themselves senseless.
Just as his thoughts were growing increasingly turbulent, a faint click finally sounded from the entrance.
Someone had unlocked the front door.
Fu Yan reacted before he could even think.
He dropped onto the sofa and picked up the remote, pretending he had been watching television all along.
Yet the corners of his eyes kept straying toward the entrance.
Even his breathing unconsciously grew quieter.
Wen Shushu changed into her indoor slippers and walked into the sitting room.
She had only recently returned from the racetrack, and a trace of exhaustion still lingered between her brows.
There was also a lingering coldness in her expression, a sharpness that had not entirely faded.
The air around her was completely different from her usual gentle, obedient demeanor.
Without so much as glancing toward the sofa, she headed straight for the second floor.
From beginning to end, she did not spare him a single look.
Not a word of greeting.
Not even the slightest pause.
All Fu Yan received was the sight of her retreating back.
He stared after her, and the anger he had been suppressing suddenly flared.
He sprang to his feet.
Wasn’t she supposed to be a well-bred young lady from a distinguished family?
Where had all her manners and upbringing gone?
She had walked right past him without even offering a greeting!
What kind of behavior was that?
Such blatant disrespect!
His feet moved almost instinctively.
He was ready to march upstairs, confront her, and give her a proper lecture.
Someone clearly needed to teach her what rules and courtesy meant.
And apparently, that someone had to be him.
However, when he reached the door to her bedroom, his hand froze around the handle.
He stood there for several seconds.
Then, as though suddenly coming to his senses, he forced himself to step back.
What on earth was he doing?
Was he seriously getting worked up over that little prude?
Had he actually followed her upstairs just to start an argument?
How undignified.
It was beneath him.
Fu Yan swallowed his anger and turned toward his own bedroom.
Unfortunately, the frustration lodged in his chest refused to disappear.
It sat there like a heavy stone, impossible to swallow and equally impossible to spit out.
The more he tried to ignore it, the more suffocated he felt.
He paced back and forth across his room several times.
In the end, he simply could not let it go.
With long, determined strides, he stormed out once more.
This time, he went straight to Wen Shushu’s bedroom and gripped the door handle.
Without bothering to announce himself, he pushed the door open.
He was going to settle this matter with that little prude once and for all.
Inside the bedroom, Wen Shushu had gone straight to the bathing chamber after returning home.
Her body had been covered in sticky sweat from her laps around the racetrack, and all she had wanted was a refreshing bath.
After washing, she changed into a soft nightdress and began drying her long hair.
When she finally stepped out, her hair was still slightly damp.
She was gently rubbing it with a towel when she raised her head.
And froze.
Fu Yan was leaning casually against the doorframe.
His tall figure rested at an angle, while his deep, dark eyes remained fixed on her without blinking.
The intensity of his gaze was almost frightening.
Wen Shushu stiffened.
A moment later, a vivid blush spread across her cheeks.
Overcome with embarrassment, she instinctively took a small step backward.
Tonight, she had casually chosen a silk nightdress with thin shoulder straps.
The fabric was light and soft, clinging closely to the curves of her body.
It was nothing like the modest, conservative clothing she usually wore.
Under Fu Yan’s unwavering stare, she suddenly became painfully aware of how little the nightdress concealed.
She hurriedly raised a hand to cover her chest.
Embarrassment and anger surged through her at the same time.
“Why did you come into my room without knocking again?”
Fu Yan raised an eyebrow.
Rather than retreating, he casually lifted his hand.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
He rapped three times against the door, right in front of her.
“There. I knocked.”
His tone was shamelessly casual, with the arrogant confidence of a man who saw absolutely nothing wrong with his behavior.
Wen Shushu glared fiercely at him.
This man was rough, intimidating, and utterly unreasonable.
How could someone be so shameless?
The anger she had only just managed to release at the racetrack came rushing back.
All the frustration she had left behind beneath the roaring engines and screeching tires gathered inside her once more.
Within moments, her chest felt tight again.
It was as though all the freedom she had experienced that evening had vanished the instant Fu Yan appeared before her.