Shen Lingxi was sick for five days.
Almost day and night, she was entangled in dreams.
In her dreams, she promised her parents that she would live well, live happily, and never cry again.
When she finally opened her eyes, a man’s necktie gradually came into focus beside her pillow.
It was a charcoal gray pattern, carrying an extremely faint, cool fragrance.
Like the serene stillness of all things after a heavy snowfall.
It was the scent of Fu Jinglan.
This proved that Fu Jinglan had been here, but he hadn’t returned.
Without his permission, no one dared to touch his things.
Shen Lingxi moved her shoulders and turned over.
A gentle voice suddenly came, “Axi? Are you awake?”
Shen Lingxi was both surprised and delighted, almost unable to believe it, and quickly propped herself up to sit.
“Lili?”
Shen Lingxi started attending a prestigious school in middle school, and Song Zhili was a scholarship student who transferred midway.
Gentle, clean, and academically excellent.
But almost everyone looked down on Song Zhili, despising her poverty and her constant part-time jobs.
Shen Lingxi was the first to stand up for her.
“Anyone who bullies Song Zhili again will find their backpack filled with cockroaches, mice, geckos…”
…
Behind the sheer curtains on the balcony, Song Zhili put down the book she couldn’t focus on and hurried over.
She tightly held Shen Lingxi’s hands, “Axi, I was arranged to accompany you. You and Mr. Fu… were you kidnapped?”
Lu Manor was not only perched atop a seaside mountain but also at the pinnacle of power and wealth.
The people here were not to be trifled with.
Axi’s beauty and charm were inherently dangerous.
Shen Lingxi first anxiously checked Song Zhili from head to toe.
Seeing that she was unharmed, she sighed wearily.
“Lili, my family went bankrupt. Fu Jinglan and I…”
Shen Lingxi thought for a moment, “I eat his food, he sleeps with me, but it’s only for a year.”
A year would pass quickly.
Probably in the blink of an eye.
Song Zhili’s palms always turned cold when she was anxious or nervous, and that was exactly the case now.
“Axi, is Mr. Fu treating you well?”
Not wanting Song Zhili to worry, Shen Lingxi smiled playfully, lively and charming.
“He’s quite good, Lili. Have you seen Fu Jinglan? He’s handsome, right? And—”
Shen Lingxi raised her right hand, forming a large letter C.
Then, with a raised eyebrow, “You know what I mean, baby? I’ll be well-fed both in and out of bed. I’m living the good life.”
“Axi, as long as you’re not just comforting me.”
Song Zhili had been at Lu Manor for four days and only caught a glimpse of what she thought was Fu Jinglan’s back on the first day.
On the manor’s private helipad, a tall and upright man, draped in a brown cashmere coat, wearing suit pants and leather shoes, flanked by attendants, strode with long legs onto the official aircraft.
Even from a distance, his aura felt intimidating.
That must have been Fu Jinglan.
Once the plane took off, he never returned.
Song Zhili hesitated a little, “I thought Mr. Fu was very reserved, but you’ve already seen his…”
Shen Lingxi couldn’t help but laugh, “Oh, baby, don’t spread false rumors about Mr. Fu.”
Our Governor Fu is anything but innocent.
Song Zhili suddenly remembered something.
She quickly turned around and took out a light purple velvet gift box from the bedside drawer.
“Here, Axi. Aunt Hui said this is a gift from Mr. Fu for you, and she wants you to open it as soon as possible.”
Shen Lingxi actually had something she wanted as a gift right now.
She took the gift box, muttering as she unwrapped it:
“A phone, a phone…”
Shen Lingxi desperately needed a phone.
The Lu Manor had its own rules—all communication devices were confiscated from outsiders unless Fu Jinglan permitted otherwise.
Shen Lingxi was deeply concerned about someone.
Her uncle, Shen Lanting.
Optimistically speaking, her handsome uncle was probably off playing daddy to some little cake again.
Pessimistically, it was uncertain whether he was even alive or dead.
The gift box was opened, and a sweet fragrance wafted out first. Inside, it sparkled brightly, filled with neatly arranged lollipops of different colors.
The wrappers were so exquisite they seemed to glow, each lollipop tied with a diamond-studded bow.
Shen Lingxi couldn’t bring herself to smile. It was actually lollipops.
Fu Jinglan’s memory was truly impressive—he still remembered the incident where he made her practice eating lollipops.
He completely forgot she had just recovered from a serious illness.
Song Zhili had initially felt sorry for Shen Lingxi, but now she felt slightly better.
“Axi, older men really do know how to pamper. He even sent you lollipops—it seems he treats you like a child.”
Shen Lingxi, listless, pushed the gift box aside.
She flopped back onto the soft bed, limbs splayed, her long hair spreading out like a pool of black silk.
“What older man? Fu Jinglan is a beast.”
“A child… Fu Jinglan just wants a child who knows how to eat lollipops.”
That’s all.
It has nothing to do with any affection for a child.
Fu Jinglan could speak up for her in front of Jiang Qingyan, but only because she was now his “contract worker.”
Even if she were just one of Fu Jinglan’s little dogs, he wouldn’t let anyone kick her around.
The silk bedding was so smooth that the gift box suddenly slipped off.
With a loud clatter, the lollipops scattered all over the floor.
At the same time, a phone fell out among the candies.
The main government building was entirely gray-toned, solemn and imposing.
The steps were long and wide, all covered with red carpets, with uniformed armed guards standing on both sides.
In the high-level meeting room on the third floor.
Fu Jinglan sat in the leader’s seat.
Gray shirt, gray vest, black trousers, a thin cigarette burning slowly between his fingers.
The phone screen on the table suddenly lit up.
A notification appeared: Shen Lingxi has powered on.
Fu Jinglan bit the cigarette held between his long fingers, ignoring the others as he picked up his phone.
Shen Lingxi had just opened WeChat.
Just as she was about to video call Shen Lanting, a friend request came through:
【Spineless】
Usually, too many wealthy young men pursued Shen Lingxi, but this was the first time she’d encountered someone so rude.
Shen Lingxi immediately rejected it:
【Get lost】
The other party: 【Add me】
Shen Lingxi: 【Idiot】
The other party: 【Shen Lingxi, I’m telling you to add me】
Who do you think you are, telling me to add you? Shen Lingxi:
【Filthy thing, scram!】
Within a minute, an unknown number called.
Shen Lingxi had a bad feeling.
Could it be that monkey Fu trying to add her?
She declined the call, but it rang again.
Shen Lingxi deliberately put on a sweet, high-pitched voice.
“Hello~ Lingxi isn’t here right now.”
“How strange, she… she suddenly fell asleep~”
Shen Lingxi’s voice was naturally sweet and soft.
When she put on the act, Mu Suizhou couldn’t stand it, getting goosebumps from his ears down to his neck.
He stood in the tea room next to the meeting room, rubbing the side of his neck.
“Miss… Miss Shen, I know it’s you.”
“Please add the Governor as a friend. We’re very busy here.”
Oh no, it really was Fu Jinglan trying to add her.
Shen Lingxi immediately sprang up from the bed, her long hair disheveled.
Continuing in her sweet, high-pitched voice, she said, “Okay, sir, I’ll let Lingxi know right away. Please rest assured~”
Mu Suizhou, expressionless, cleared his throat.
“Alright, thank you.”
With that, the friend request was accepted. After much thought, Shen Lingxi sent the first message:
【Hello, brother.】
Brother? Fu Jinglan slowly turned his neck. Where’s that energy from scolding people earlier?
[What’s good?]
She knew he would reply like this. Shen Lingxi pursed her lips smugly.
[Brother is so handsome.]
Fu Jinglan had heard a little about his own good looks, but hearing it from Shen Lingxi’s mouth felt somehow different.
He pondered briefly.
[Spineless, did you waste my medical expenses again today?]
Shen Lingxi read it twice. Was Fu Jinglan asking if she was better?
Through the screen, she didn’t seem as afraid of this living father figure.
[Brother, can’t you say something nice?]
Fu Jinglan found it amusing.
Shen Lanting had told him that Shen Lingxi was a girl who liked pretty clothes and pretty food.
Now, she’s come up with “pretty words” too.
Just because she’s pretty, can she do whatever she wants and demand everything to be pretty?
He, Fu Jinglan, would absolutely never say anything like “pretty words.”