Something caught Lucian’s attention, a small smile unconsciously leaving his lips.
It was a photograph from the night of the art exhibition.
Mei stood beneath the dazzling lights, her graceful figure attracting everyone’s attention.
She looked breathtaking, like a character who had stepped straight out of a fairytale.
He put his phone away and walked towards the sleeping figure on the sofa.
It was still very early in the morning.
Mei had curled herself into a tiny ball, her body trembling slightly from the cold.
She did not even have a blanket covering her, making her look unusually fragile.
Lucian bent down, intending to carry her upstairs.
As soon as his hand slipped beneath her knees, the memory of how she had deliberately distanced herself from him the previous night resurfaced.
His expression instantly darkened.
Displeasure filled his face as he slowly withdrew his hands.
“This small woman should suffer a little,” he muttered coldly before turning around and walking away..
Mei woke with an aching body.
She felt as though someone had been intentionally disturbing her while she slept.
Slowly opening her heavy eyes, she frowned.
She had slept so deeply the previous night that she had been too exhausted to wake up.
She vaguely remembered sensing someone’s presence near her, but she had been far too powerless to open her eyes or react.
She slowly stood from the sofa and looked around in confusion.
For a brief moment, the unfamiliar surroundings startled her before yesterday’s memories came flooding back.
She gathered her thoughts and suddenly remembered that she was no longer in the Zhao family residence.
She was now Mrs Fu.
Just as she was still lost in thought, the ringing of her phone jolted her back to reality.
She glanced at the caller ID.
It was Arielle.
A gentle smile appeared on Mei’s face.
Arielle had been her closest friend since childhood.
They had grown up together, played together and attended school together before Mei’s mother passed away.
Even after Mei had been sent to the countryside, Arielle would occasionally visit her with her parents, never allowing distance to weaken their friendship.
“Have you seen the headlines?” Arielle asked the moment the call connected.
She had only just woken up that morning, but after opening her news feed, article after article about Mei had appeared before her.
“No, I just woke up,” Mei replied, sounding slightly puzzled.
“Then hurry and check them.”
Mei ended the call before opening her search engine.
The first headline immediately appeared before her eyes.
“Mei Zhao, the First Young Lady of the Zhao family, stuns everyone with her beauty.”
The next headline appeared beneath it.
“Renowned art appraiser Master Cheng publicly asks Mei Zhao to become his apprentice.”
Mei frowned almost immediately.
Why was she making headlines?
She clicked into one of the articles before scrolling through the comments.
“My God, she’s so beautiful!”
“She’s absolutely perfect.”
“I’ve never seen someone this elegant.”
Almost every comment was filled with admiration and praise.
Instead of feeling pleased, Mei only felt troubled.
She had never liked unnecessary attention.
If she asked Lucian to have the articles taken down, he probably would not even spare her a glance.
Still, she was Mrs Fu now.
Wasn’t protecting her from situations like this one of the privileges that came with being Mrs Fu?
After reading everything, Mei called Arielle back.
“I’ve seen the headlines,” she said.
“You’ve seen all of them?”
“Yes, I have. The media can do anything to attract attention. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“So you’re completely calm about this?” Arielle asked in disbelief.
She had always known Mei to be calm, but this was different.
These headlines were spreading all over the country.
If things continued this way, Mei would become one of the most well known women in China.
“Did you see the articles about Mr Fu carrying a mysterious woman?” Arielle suddenly asked.
Mei’s heart skipped a beat.
Had someone actually taken photographs when Lucian carried her into the car that night?
“What woman?” she asked, secretly praying that she had not been identified.
“She’s still a mystery. Her face wasn’t revealed.”
Mei quietly let out a sigh of relief.
At least her face had not appeared in the photographs.
Otherwise, she had no idea how she would be able to face everyone once they recognised her.
“And another thing,” Arielle continued excitedly.
“Master Chen publicly asked you to become his apprentice. What exactly happened? I was so shocked when I saw that headline. A world renowned art appraiser actually wants you as his apprentice.”
“It wasn’t anything too important,” Mei replied modestly.
“I only helped him recognise an authentic masterpiece.”
Even now, she still could not understand how the news had spread so quickly.
Everything had happened only yesterday, yet the whole of China already seemed to know about it.
“I’ll talk to you later, Arielle,” Mei said as she prepared to end the call.
“Mei…” Arielle called softly before she could hang up.
“Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Mei’s fingers tightened around her phone.
She had reacted far too strangely the moment Arielle mentioned the mysterious woman.
Arielle had known her since they were children.
No matter how well Mei hid her emotions, Arielle had always been able to read her like an open book.
She wanted to tell her.
Just not now.
“It doesn’t matter,” Arielle replied with a smile.
“Let’s meet up sometime. We can grab a coffee together. It’s been ages since we last hung out.”
“I’d like that.”
After ending the call, Mei lowered her phone and quietly drifted into her own thoughts.
“Did you sleep well, Mei?”
A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
Aunt Momo had just walked into the living room.
Her eyes immediately landed on the pillow resting on the sofa, causing her brows to knit together.
“Did you sleep on the sofa?” she asked as she looked carefully at Mei.
“I… wasn’t very comfortable upstairs,” Mei replied with a small smile.
It almost felt as though Aunt Momo could tell she was lying.
“Lucian is actually a sweet soul,” Aunt Momo said gently.
“He’ll come around sooner or later.”
Not wanting to continue the conversation, she turned and headed towards the kitchen.
“Aunt Momo,” Mei called after her, “where’s Lucian?”
Ever since she woke up, she had not seen him anywhere.
Truthfully, he never looked like someone who got enough sleep.
During the art exhibition, she had quietly noticed several details that other people would have overlooked.
He hid his emotions exceptionally well, but the exhaustion beneath his calm exterior had not escaped her eyes.
Even when he carried her the previous night, she had instinctively felt his pulse.
It reminded her of someone suffering from severe insomnia.
“He left for work early this morning,” Aunt Momo replied.
Mei glanced at the clock in surprise, it was only seven in the morning.
Yet he had already gone to work.
He truly was as busy as everyone said.
“Let me whip up some breakfast,” Aunt Momo said before disappearing into the kitchen.
The moment Mei heard the word breakfast, her mouth immediately began to water.
After tasting Aunt Momo’s cooking the previous day, she found it almost impossible to resist it.
She quickly followed her into the kitchen.
“I’m actually very good at cooking too,” Mei said with a smile.
Those simple words instantly reminded aunt momo of the countless recipes she’s learnt over the yewrs.
Her mother had always believed that the quickest way to someone’s heart was through a warm meal, and she had poured all of her knowledge into Mei, always insisting that no one could cook better than she could.
Watching the two of them together created a surprisingly heartwarming scene.
They looked less like two people who had only recently met and more like a mother and daughter spending a peaceful morning together.
For the first time since arriving at the Fu residence, Mei found herself reluctant to leave.
She cherished the warmth Aunt Momo gave her.
It was a warmth she had not felt in a very long time.