Watching Fu Yi’s retreating figure, Wen Xi could still hear his words from moments ago echoing in her ears.
His farewell had somehow sounded gentler than everything else he had said before.
Wen Xi glanced at the single-seat sofa where Fu Yi had been sitting earlier and lifted a hand to smooth her long, wavy black hair.
Maybe straight, shoulder-length hair would suit her better than these waves that fell all the way to her waist.
…
Ignoring the curious gazes of the many guests around him, Fu Yi quietly walked out of the place that had left him somewhat dejected and returned to his car.
He didn’t start the engine right away.
Instead, he carefully replayed every word and every movement from his conversation with Wen Xi.
She was still just as dazzling as he remembered.
And she truly had forgotten everything about their past.
As for Lin An, Fu Yi couldn’t quite tell whether he felt more anger toward him for failing to cherish Wen Xi or more relief over what had happened.
Fu Yi had never regarded his childhood confession to Wen Xi as nothing more than childish words.
He had grown up in a military family, and his grandfather was one of the founding generals of the country. His family had always been extremely strict with him, which had made him much more mature than other children his age.
His confession as a child had been sincere.
And throughout his twenty-two years of life, he had remained faithful to Wen Xi.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to come find her sooner.
It was simply that his growth and development had never been merely a personal matter. It was also tied to the interests of the country.
Having grown up in a military compound, Fu Yi had always possessed a deep and passionate admiration for soldiers.
He had willingly accepted the path his family had planned for him, along with the rigorous training schedule they had arranged.
Now, he had finally and successfully completed a year-long secret mission and earned a promotion. His superiors had specially approved a month of leave, giving him the opportunity to come find Wen Xi.
He had originally thought he would have to hide his disappointment and sincerely congratulate Wen Xi on her marriage.
He had never expected Lin An to cheat on her the night before their engagement banquet, prompting Wen Xi to decisively call off the engagement.
It really was a case of finding light at the end of the tunnel.
Ever since he was little, Fu Yi’s family had taught him one thing: when he met someone he liked, he had to pursue her with everything he had.
As long as what he did was legal, even shamelessly clinging to her wasn’t considered excessive.
Although Fu Yi had respected Wen Xi’s feelings just now, that didn’t mean he had given up.
He still had twenty-nine days of leave.
During those twenty-nine days, he would make sure to perform at his very best!
Once he had made up his mind, Fu Yi drove to another moderately priced hotel to rest.
Tonight, he was going to get a good night’s sleep.
Tomorrow, he would dress himself up properly and appear in front of Wen Xi looking as handsome as possible.
After all, he had noticed Wen Xi staring at his face today.
A grown man pursuing his future wife was perfectly entitled to use a little beauty strategy, wasn’t he?
Was it embarrassing?
Not at all.
As the old saying went, one should dress well for the person one wished to please.
He was simply following the wisdom of the ancients.
If he listened to the wisdom of his elders, surely good fortune in having a wife would follow.
The next morning, Wen Xi slept in.
It would also be her last lazy morning.
From the moment she got out of bed, she would begin putting into action the plan she had envisioned for herself—a plan to accomplish great things, build a career, and leave her name in the history books.
The first step was to transform her beautiful but inconvenient waist-length waves into straight, shoulder-length hair.
But the moment Wen Xi stepped out of her house, she saw Fu Yi leaning against his car door with a bouquet of flowers in his arms.
The May sun wasn’t particularly hot. The light was bright, even carrying a hint of warmth and gentleness.
Golden-white sunlight fell over Fu Yi’s body. The contrast between light and shadow made his already exceptional features look even more striking, while his tall, well-built figure appeared even more imposing.
The bright yellow petals of the sunflowers seemed almost to blend into the sunlight itself.
A handsome man with a bouquet of flowers was certainly a pleasing sight.
Even Wen Xi couldn’t help admiring the scene for two seconds.
Then confusion took over.
What was going on?
Hadn’t they already settled everything yesterday?
Why was he clinging to her again today?
The confusion in Wen Xi’s eyes was completely obvious.
Fu Yi, however, chose to pretend he hadn’t seen it.
He straightened up and strode toward Wen Xi with his long legs, offering her the bouquet.
“Good morning, Miss Wen.”
There was a faint, barely perceptible note of excitement in his voice.
He had dreamed of doing this for many years.
Wen Xi didn’t take the flowers.
She merely stepped back slightly.
Fu Yi spoke again.
“Your mother asked me to accompany you while you went shopping.”
Wen Xi immediately raised a hand to her forehead.
She had been wondering why her mother had secretly glanced at her several times during breakfast.
So that was what she had been planning.
A ridiculously handsome man taking the initiative to accompany her shopping?
If this had been the modern era, she would definitely have agreed.
But this was the 1960s.
A handsome man would only get in the way of her plans to build a career and make her name known throughout history.
He was off-limits.
She needed to think carefully about how to make Fu Yi retreat of his own accord.
She couldn’t simply drive him away.
After carefully recalling the original novel’s plot the night before, Wen Xi remembered that although Fu Yi had only appeared occasionally in the story, he really was an important figure with immense value to the country.
She had to show him at least some respect.
And since a direct rejection had made him respect her decision without actually giving up, she would simply have to try another method.
She would make herself as troublesome and unreasonable as possible until he became annoyed and voluntarily gave up.
With a plan in mind, Wen Xi quickly adjusted her attitude and spoke.
“Mr. Fu, didn’t anyone ever tell you that when you’re pursuing someone, you’re supposed to give her roses?”
Only then did Fu Yi retract the hand holding out the flowers.
He had accidentally fallen back into the past again.
When they were children, Wen Xi had once told him that sunflowers were her favorite flowers.
But people grew up, and it was perfectly normal for their preferences to change.
Besides, Wen Xi was willing to tell him what she liked now.
That meant he could simply cater to her preferences.
“I understand. I’ll give you roses next time.”
Wen Xi didn’t respond.
She walked past Fu Yi and went straight to the passenger seat.
Then she rolled down the window and called out to him,
“Let’s go. Take me to Runfeng Commercial Street.”
Her tone and expression were so commanding that she sounded even more imperious than someone ordering around her own chauffeur.
Wen Xi was extremely satisfied with her performance.
She thought smugly,
Hmph. Little guy, after living two lifetimes, do you really think I can’t handle you?
Surely a spoiled young master being ordered around like a servant would feel uncomfortable, right?
But Fu Yi’s thoughts were traveling in a completely different direction.
He thought,
Wen Xi is willing to order me around so openly. That means she doesn’t see me as an outsider.
If I’m not an outsider, then I’m an insider.
And what does “insider” mean? Surely I don’t need to explain that.
So Wen Xi watched helplessly as Fu Yi smiled and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Wen Xi: “…?”
Excuse me?
Why isn’t this man following the usual script?
When they arrived at the commercial street, Fu Yi didn’t even wait for Wen Xi to say anything.
He got out first and thoughtfully opened the car door for her.
One trick hadn’t worked, so Wen Xi tried another.
She dragged Fu Yi along and began a full-scale shopping spree.
The bigger and heavier the things were, the better.
Her goal was to exhaust Fu Yi until he couldn’t take it anymore and voluntarily said goodbye.
Unfortunately, Wen Xi had underestimated him.
The man was genuinely built like a tank.
And he was genuinely strong.
They walked around for two hours, carrying things from one store to another, yet Fu Yi wasn’t even breathing hard.
Wen Xi, the pampered young lady, was the first one to start feeling uncomfortable.
In the end, she could only head to the hair salon.
Even if she couldn’t get rid of Fu Yi, she still had to accomplish the basic task she had set for herself that day—changing her hairstyle.
She spent more than an hour getting her hair done.
Fu Yi simply sat there quietly and watched her for the entire hour.
Honestly, Wen Xi was beginning to wonder whether she was punishing Fu Yi or giving him a special treat.
For lunch, she deliberately chose several restaurants that were far away from where they were.
She made Fu Yi go buy the food and bring it back.
Fu Yi showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever.
After reminding her to stay safe and not tire herself out, he left to get the food.
Meanwhile, Wen Xi hailed a car and went to a nearby market to inspect the seeds and fertilizers being sold there.
More than an hour later, Wen Xi finished her market research and returned to the place where she had arranged to meet Fu Yi.
She had timed everything perfectly.
She arrived several minutes before him.
And since she was determined to carry out her plan to the bitter end, she naturally seized the opportunity to throw a tantrum.
“What took you so long… blah blah blah…”