Сhapter 3: Оne Loоk аnd Nо Оnе Мakеs а Sоund
Тhe atmоsphere esсаlatеd tо аn unрrеcеdеntеd level оf еerinеss.
If Xu Nuo cоuld turn arоund at this moment, shе would likеly disсоver that thе male leаds, whо hаd аlways bееn соld and distant tоward hеr, were nоw all loоking at her with еxpressiоns оf еxtrеmе complеxitу.
Nоthing is more unsеttling than sudden silеncе. Тhе seсretarу, unable tо hеаr Xu Nuo’s inner thoughts, was also somеwhаt puzzled when he sаw Fеng Huan Chао remain motionless.
“Take her back.”
As the atmosphere remained tense, Feng Huan Chao spoke again. After uttering these words, he turned away directly, his tone commanding, as if he had no intention of discussing the matter further.
A flicker of surprise passed through the secretary’s eyes as he glanced at Xu Nuo, but it was quickly concealed.
He crouched down and looked at Xu Nuo, who seemed not yet to have processed that she had been saved, and said softly, “Miss Xu, congratulations.”
Seeing her dazed, unfocused expression, the secretary thought it was no wonder she seemed stunned with disbelief. Not only had Feng personally come without calling off the engagement, but she had also managed to keep her life.
[Congratulations for what? Congratulations for offering my heart to the world, only for the world to piss on me??]
[No, seriously, where did it go wrong? I followed the script exactly, so how did I survive?]
What about my Reborn as a White, Rich, and Beautiful Only Daughter from Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai and Reborn to Kiss Foreign Lips on the Left and Feel Foreign Breasts on the Right?
The System was also baffled: [No idea, the teacher never taught this.]
Strangely, the male leads, who had been determined to see Xu Nuo dead, remained silent, tacitly allowing her to be taken away by the Feng family.
Never mind, they were all busy anyway.
Male Lead One found a photo of himself with Xu Chuchu, cropped out the half where he was smiling slightly, and sent it to the old butler.
Male Lead One: Uncle, what do you think?
The old butler replied instantly: It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the young master so happy (ˉˉ)
Male Lead Two received a call from his subordinate.
“Young Master Gu, we’ve already been to Xu Nuo’s home but couldn’t find the young man you mentioned.”
Gu Nongxuan hung up the phone without changing his expression. While thinking that Xu Nuo’s heart was as rotten as her English proficiency test score, a slight sense of disappointment inevitably surfaced.
As for Male Lead Three—
“Old Chu, what’s the craftsmanship of your underwear?”
Male Lead Four, a certain Chu: “…Get lost.”
…
Xu Nuo had only been pretending to be paralyzed earlier, but now, knowing she wouldn’t die, she genuinely went limp.
Since Feng Huan Chao hadn’t called off the engagement, she remained his fiancée. Therefore, none of the accompanying bodyguards dared to touch her. In the end, it was the kind-hearted secretary who helped support her as they left.
In the back seat of the extended limousine, Feng Huan Chao occupied two seats by himself, his long legs propped up on the seat in front. He crossed his arms, his sharp eyes appearing indifferent, his gaze unfocused.
The secretary seated Xu Nuo beside him.
“Miss Xu, I heard you’re still in school, so I won’t offer you alcohol. Would you like some juice instead?”
The secretary seemed to ignore her disheartened state and asked on his own initiative.
Xu Nuo’s eyes were vacant: “Do you have milk?”
Hearing this word, Feng Huan Chao, who had just put something on his ear, suddenly glanced over.
“No milk, sorry, Miss Xu. You’ll have to settle for juice.”
Although the secretary apologized verbally, his expression showed little remorse. The inquiry had been merely symbolic, as he had already poured the juice and placed it in front of Xu Nuo.
Xu Nuo downed it in one gulp, barely regaining her senses. Only then did she turn her gaze to the opposite side, where her eyes almost instantly caught sight of the additional object on the man’s ear.
It was small, gleaming with a cold, hard metallic silver luster, exuding a strong sense of technological sophistication.It’s a hearing aid.
[Feng Huanchao’s ears… can’t hear??]
The original book never mentioned that.
No wonder he barely spoke just now… Speaking of which, why wasn’t he wearing the hearing aid earlier?
Seeing his boss put on the hearing aid, the secretary, who had been somewhat relaxed moments before, immediately switched to work mode. He picked up the box delivered by a subordinate before getting in the car and handed it to Feng Huanchao.
“Boss, this was found in Miss Xu Chuchu’s room.”
The subordinate reported that she was indeed unconscious, so they only sought permission from the nanny. Seeing Xiao Jingchen’s assistant also present, the nanny agreed.
Due to its unusual design and being quite different from the diamonds and gemstones Xu Chuchu usually favored, the nanny had a rather vivid impression of this item.
A black jade, carved into a swimming fish with its tail flicking. When held in the hand, a cool sensation washed over.
Xu Nuo secretly watched, only for a sharp gaze to land on her the next instant.
Her expression stiffened. Lifting her eyes, she met Feng Huanchao’s gaze.
Arrogant and unabashed, it seemed to say: Had enough?
[Fine, if you won’t let me look, then I can’t even look at the jade pendant, huh? Sure enough, those with big chests are all stingy]
Feng Huanchao, who had never been commented on for having a big chest: .
His gaze shifted to the secretary’s face, which remained expressionless as usual.
“You can’t hear?”
The secretary, puzzled by his sudden question, asked, “You mean…”
Drawing both legs back, Feng Huanchao suddenly let out a scoff. He reached up, hooked the hearing aid from his left ear, and tossed it aside.
Here he was, a deaf man, suddenly able to hear sounds normal people couldn’t.
This gesture signaled a refusal to communicate.
Feng Huanchao’s temper was better than before, but his thoughts had become even more inscrutable. Even the secretary, who had been by his side for so many years, often couldn’t grasp what he was thinking.
…
His residence was unexpectedly small—a three-story villa. The only peculiar thing was that it stood alone as the only building for hundreds of miles around.
“Why… bring me here.”
After getting out of the car and following Feng Huanchao inside, Xu Nuo, having accepted the reality that she hadn’t managed to die, looked somewhat listless along the way.
The secretary smiled kindly but didn’t answer Xu Nuo’s question.
“Miss Xu, you are Feng’s fiancée. What’s strange about coming here?”
Xu Nuo thought, how novel. They’d been engaged for years, yet they’d never even met face-to-face.
Truthfully, the secretary didn’t know either. As he turned away, the smile vanished from his face, replaced even by a trace of vexation.
Everyone outside now believed Feng Huanchao’s withdrawal from the engagement was a done deal. Who would have thought his boss hadn’t called it off? He’d have to manage the external public opinion.
Kicking the door open, Feng Huanchao toyed with the black jade pendant in his hand and flung himself onto the sofa behind him. Without the hearing aid, sound receded from his world like a tide after leaving Xu Nuo.
The pendant was small. He traced it inch by inch; the texture was excellent.
But the one from his memory wasn’t this smooth.
The secretary knocked and entered, habitually picking up the tie Feng Huanchao had thrown on the floor before placing the hearing aid on the table.
“Boss, is this the one you were looking for?”
Even though Feng Huanchao couldn’t hear, he could roughly guess what was said.
Irritated, he directly tossed the object he had been firmly holding moments ago to the secretary.
Even without a response, the secretary knew the answer.
No.
“Return it.”A rough, hoarse voice sounded in the room. People with hearing problems often have accents that differ slightly from those of normal individuals.
But Feng Huan Chao sounded perfectly normal. If Xu Nuo hadn’t later seen him wearing a hearing aid, she would never have guessed that this man couldn’t hear.
“…Sigh.”
The secretary sighed, as expected.
Even though he knew Feng Huan Chao couldn’t hear him now, he couldn’t help but say, “Relying solely on a jade pendant to identify someone—how long will it take you to find her this way?”
They had almost searched through every young woman in the country who owned a fish-shaped jade pendant and fit the age criteria. Even under pressure from his elders, Feng Huan Chao had casually chosen someone to act as his fiancée as a temporary shield. Yet, after years of searching, there was still no trace of his real fiancée.
…
Xu Nuo habitually rubbed the white jade fish-shaped pendant in her hand. There was a crack in the middle, and she liked to pick at it whenever she was deep in thought.
Her phone suddenly rang, the contact name showing “Big Bro.”
“Hey, Xiao You, did someone break into the house!? Are you okay?”
A clear, youthful voice came from the other end of the line: “I’m fine for now, but if you don’t come back soon, I won’t be.”
Xu Nuo immediately stood up: “Don’t be scared, little brother.”
“I’ll be right back. Before that, let me tell you a joke to calm your nerves.”
“Once upon a time, there was a young master surnamed Gu. His family hoped he’d have kidney deficiency, so they named him Gu Nongxuan.”
“Hahahaha, isn’t that funny?”
The young man: “”