Jiang Qingyan gained no advantage and was so angry she hugged her shoulders.
“Shen Lingxi,” she called out to Shen Lingxi, “You’re wearing so little, clearly pretending to be pitiful on purpose.”
Shen Lingxi actually wanted to add a coat, but at the time, she was being dragged and tumbled around by Pangpang—there was no time for that.
She lifted her chin, showing a slightly proud and delicate expression.
“Of course it’s on purpose, Jiang Not-So-Clear.”
“I’m going to freeze myself sick, then make Fu Jinglan feel sorry for me, hmph~”
“You’re shameless!”
Jiang Qingyan stomped her foot hard, silently repeating Shen Lingxi’s name over and over in her heart.
She had never heard of this person before.
Jiang Qingyan didn’t know that the Shen family was in the arms business, where risks were inevitable, so they protected their descendants extremely well. The names revealed to the outside world were all fake.
Every day when Shen Lingxi went to and from school, she was picked up and dropped off in cars worth less than a million.
Very low-key, and she never flaunted her background.
Shen Lingxi turned and walked away, leaving Jiang Qingyan in a terrible mood.
She had to cling to Shen Lingxi like a vengeful ghost, finding fault with her.
So she chased after her, shouting, “Scheming little alley cat!”
“Scheming? This is called having an excessively high density of wisdom.”
Shen Lingxi stopped, wiped the snowmelt from her face, and made two little cat fists with her hands, cutely meowing “Meow~” at Jiang Qingyan.
Then she silently stuck out her tongue at her.
Finally, she pinched her cheeks with both hands, rolled her eyes, and made several different funny faces in a row.
With just this routine, Shen Lingxi had once made a mischievous child stomp their feet and burst into tears.
She wanted to see how Jiang Qingyan would respond.
But who knew that at that moment, Fu Jinglan would turn around.
Ahead, his long legs stopped.
Half of his handsome face turned, and as luck would have it, it happened to catch Shen Lingxi’s series of funny faces.
Fu Jinglan’s expression froze for a few seconds before he asked in a deep voice:
“Shen Lingxi, what are you doing? What’s wrong with your face?”
Jiang Qingyan quickly seized the opportunity to stir trouble, putting on a fake voice:
“Governor, look at her—she keeps giving me attitude. How am I supposed to establish myself in Lu Manor like this?”
Fu Jinglan’s cold gaze swept over Jiang Qingyan, showing not a hint of concern.
“Miss Jiang is overthinking it. We have no connection.”
Jiang Qingyan’s fake “green tea” expression completely stiffened.
Pangpang insisted that all men liked “tea girls”—the more “tea-like,” the more appealing.
But even if Fu Jinglan really was that kind of person, she was simply not cut out for it.
Her upbringing had shaped her into someone who fought and grabbed, using arrogance to protect herself.
Fu Jinglan shifted his gaze back to Shen Lingxi, who had already stopped making funny faces.
“I asked what’s wrong with your face.”
Shen Lingxi immediately composed her expression, her voice lacking confidence due to guilt.
“Nothing, maybe… maybe I was suddenly possessed by a ghost~”
What a “possessed by a ghost” excuse.
However, when Fu Jinglan recalled that series of funny faces, why did he feel a slight urge to have her do it again?
But he still kept a straight face, maintaining the governor’s dignified composure as he turned back around.
“If you two keep arguing, you’ll both kneel outside for the night.”
At the mention of kneeling, Shen Lingxi finally realized her knees were already hurting terribly.
She gritted her teeth, the pain growing with each step until her legs began to tremble.
On top of that, her feet slipped on the snow, and she nearly fell backward.
“Careful! You can hold onto me.”
Mu Suizhou reacted quickly, instinctively extending his arm to let Shen Lingxi steady herself.
He didn’t want to initiate physical contact with her.
Shen Lingxi was someone Fu Jinglan had agreed to bring into the manor.
Ultimately, ownership and the right to explain belonged to Fu Jinglan.
Shen Lingxi steadied herself by holding onto Mu Suizhou, feeling a sense of relief as she thanked him:
“Thank you.”
Her voice was polite, yet delicate and pitiful.
It was also crisp and sweet, piercing through the wind and snow, precisely reaching Fu Jinglan’s ears.
He paused briefly at the front, not even turning his head. “Secretary-General Mu, what’s the schedule for tomorrow?”
Mu Suizhou carefully withdrew her arm and steadily caught up to Fu Jinglan.
“Governor, tomorrow’s schedule is as follows: 8 a.m…. 11 a.m…”
Behind the group, Shen Lingxi bent down, warming her knees with her palms.
“Good girl, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
The Shen family had indeed raised her too well.
She had never really suffered any physical hardship.
Kneeling in the freezing cold for a while had already scraped her skin raw.
Shen Lingxi walked alone, stopping and starting, falling behind in solitude.
As she bent down again, easing the pain and catching her breath, a pair of custom-made black leather shoes with red soles suddenly appeared before her eyes.
The man’s tone was forceful.
“Dragging your feet.”
“What great things will you accomplish in the future?”
Shen Lingxi had just lifted her head when a pair of strong hands gripped her waist.
The next moment, she was hoisted onto Fu Jinglan’s shoulder.
“Mmm~”
Shen Lingxi let out a soft groan from the discomfort, her orchid-like breath brushing against the man’s ear.
Like a spring breeze, it made Fu Jinglan’s throat itch.
A tight sensation also surged through his abdomen.
But Shen Lingxi didn’t settle down.
Her arms wrapped around Fu Jinglan’s firm shoulders, her body squirming restlessly.
Fu Jinglan grew annoyed by Shen Lingxi’s rubbing.
His body felt hot and tingly.
No woman had ever been entangled with him this closely before—it was so unfamiliar.
Fu Jinglan half-turned his face, sharply scolding the person on his shoulder:
“Shen Lingxi, can’t you stay still?”
“I… I can.”
Shen Lingxi found it quite embarrassing to say.
“But, you… you’re pressing against my chest.”
No wonder. Fu Jinglan paused, holding Shen Lingxi and shifting her to his front, cradling her against his waist.
The two were even closer now, their breaths intertwining.
Shen Lingxi wrapped her legs around Fu Jinglan’s narrow waist as he resumed walking forward.
This way, it felt a lot like tossing a wok.
To steady herself, Shen Lingxi looped her arms around Fu Jinglan’s neck, gradually gathering the courage to hold him tighter.
And tighter still.
A snowflake drifted down, landing right on Fu Jinglan’s lips.
It instantly melted into a drop of water, glistening and crystalline.
How… suggestive.
She wanted to lick it off, wipe it clean.
Shen Lingxi stared longingly. Yes, it was these lips that had spoken up for her today.
The cold-faced big bad wolf didn’t seem so bad after all.
Logically, she had caused trouble today, but Fu Jinglan hadn’t blamed her once for provoking the Second Princess of Nanzhou.
Now, Shen Lingxi wanted to cheer Fu Jinglan up as a thank-you.
Although she didn’t know what he liked, she knew that everyone needed emotional validation.
She rolled her eyes.
Resting her chin on Fu Jinglan’s shoulder, she asked him in a coquettish tone:
“Governor, what’s your blood type?”
Fu Jinglan glanced down and saw a pair of large, sparkling eyes filled with curiosity.
Her eyelashes, clearly having cried earlier, were still damp.
“AB type,” Fu Jinglan replied without emotion.
“No.” Shen Lingxi grinned playfully. “You’re my ideal type.”
Fu Jinglan had never heard such cheesy pickup lines.
So cringey, yet strangely, it gave him a bit of a secret thrill.
After observing his reaction, a hint of smug delight flickered in the corners of Shen Lingxi’s eyes. “Governor, I took some medicine before lunch. Can you guess what it was?”
Fu Jinglan kept a straight face. “I won’t guess.”
But in his heart, he couldn’t help guessing. First, he ruled out birth control pills.
The estate had never carried such things.
“Oh, fine, I’ll tell you.” Shen Lingxi said with a grin, “It’s because you’re very important.”
Fu Jinglan was completely disgusted by the cheesiness.
Shen Lingxi continued chattering away:
“Governor, I want to be your number one best friend in the world.”
“I’ll always stand by your side. Next election, I’ll vote for you again.”
Fu Jinglan thought: Shen Lingxi is so noisy.