21
Zhou Jing froze, catching the intense hostility in Fu Qingheng’s eyes.
Before Zhou Jing could say anything, Fu Qingheng said, “Yun Li, come home with me!”
“B-But…” She hadn’t finished her chicken leg yet!
Yun Li reluctantly looked at the bucket of fried chicken on the table—she had only eaten one drumstick and one wing.
But Fu Qingheng misunderstood her reluctance, thinking her lingering gaze was directed at Zhou Jing.
Wasn’t she always saying she liked him? Why was she now reluctant to part with this pretty boy?
The moment he imagined Yun Li clinging to this pretty boy, calling him “brother,” and asking him to buy her KFC, the look he shot Zhou Jing turned icy cold.
A chill rose from the soles of his feet, and Zhou Jing couldn’t help but shiver.
He couldn’t call him “Brother Fu.” Zhou Jing forced a faint smile and, bracing himself, addressed him as “Mr. Fu.”
Fu Qingheng let out a cold snort and strode away.
Seeing the man leave without a word, Yun Li panicked, forgetting all about her chicken leg as she hurriedly chased after him.
“Brother Fu, wait for me!”
Yun Li caught up and tugged at his sleeve.
Fu Qingheng pushed her hand away, a hint of sourness he himself didn’t notice creeping into his voice. “Why don’t you go back to eating KFC with your precious ‘Brother Zhou Jing’?”
She certainly wanted to, but he looked so fierce.
Yun Li explained very pitifully, “I just ran into Brother Zhou Jing by chance!”
“What a coincidence?”
“Mm-hmm!”
That meant this “Zhou Jing” had planned it all along.
In such a big city, how could they possibly have just “run into each other” by accident?
Yun Li told him the whole story, and only then did Fu Qingheng’s expression soften a little.
Sitting in Fu Qingheng’s car, Yun Li gazed reluctantly at the entrance of KFC.
Fu Qingheng thought she was thinking about Zhou Jing again. “If you miss him that much, go back then!”
Yun Li hummed in agreement, looking at him expectantly. “Really? Can I?”
She really hadn’t finished that bucket of fried chicken.
The anger Fu Qingheng had barely managed to suppress flared right back up.
His fingers on the steering wheel tightened imperceptibly, knuckles turning white—a detail even he himself didn’t notice.
When he didn’t answer, Yun Li took his silence as consent. Happily, she unbuckled her seatbelt, got out of the car, and ran all the way back to KFC.
Zhou Jing was still sitting in the same spot, staring blankly at the bucket of chicken.
Just minutes ago, Yun Li had been sitting across from him, eating happily. But now, the space before him was empty, as if it had all been a dream.
Suddenly, a figure dashed over. Before Zhou Jing could react, Yun Li was standing in front of him, panting heavily.
Zhou Jing looked at her in surprise. “Why are you back?”
“My bucket of chicken.”
Zhou Jing twitched the corner of his mouth speechlessly. “…”
“Brother Zhou Jing,” Yun Li called out, then lifted her head to glance out the window. Her “poop scooper’s” car was still there. She quickly scooped up the bucket and said, “See you next time!”
And just like that, she dashed off again in a whirlwind, leaving Zhou Jing standing there dumbfounded.
Fu Qingheng watched Yun Li’s retreating figure. It took him a long moment to realize what he was even angry about.
He must have lost his mind—getting upset over Yun Li of all people?
Just as he was about to step on the gas and leave, he caught a glimpse of Yun Li darting out of KFC in a flash, clutching something in her arms.
It wasn’t until she reached the car that he could see she was holding a bucket of fried chicken.
Yun Li opened the car door, climbed in with the bucket, her face flushed from running.
As she buckled her seatbelt, she turned to Fu Qingheng and said, “Let’s go home!”
The corner of Fu Qingheng’s mouth twitched. “You went back just to get a bucket of fried chicken?”
“Yeah!”
Yun Li’s expression clearly said, “What else would I go back for?”
Fu Qingheng felt exhausted. He had overestimated Yun Li.
In her naive little head, there was no room for romance—only chicken legs.
Fu Qingheng was severely germophobic, yet he allowed Yun Li to eat in his car.
It wasn’t until they were almost home and she received a call from Ouyang Mengyao and the others that Yun Li remembered she had completely forgotten about them.
“I’m home!”
“Didn’t we agree to go to KTV and sing tonight? Why did you run off first?”
Ouyang Mengyao’s voice was so loud it almost deafened Yun Li.
Even Fu Qingheng, sitting beside her, heard it. “You’re also going to KTV?”
Yun Li nodded, but she couldn’t go now anyway.
Back in her bedroom, Yun Li saw the wedding dress hanging there and got so excited she could barely contain herself.
She couldn’t wait to put it on and show Fu Qingheng.
Fu Qingheng was sitting at his desk, staring blankly at the Blood Pearl necklace.
Under the lamplight, the Blood Pearl emitted a faint, deep red glow.
The study door was knocked on a few times. Fu Qingheng said, “Come in.”
Yun Li lifted the hem of her wedding dress and walked in, happily hopping over to the desk and spinning around. “Brother Fu, do I look good?”
The wedding dress had been specially altered to Yun Li’s measurements. The white gown outlined her alluring figure—full where it should be full, slender where it should be slender.
Her exposed skin was fair as jade, and her long, swan-like neck seemed to lack something to accentuate her beauty.
Fu Qingheng suddenly realized that the Blood Pearl necklace in his hand oddly matched her. He even felt the urge to put it on her.
“Beautiful!”
Fu Qingheng suddenly dared not look any longer. Suppressing the strange feeling inside him, he said, “Leave now.”
Yun Li was a little unhappy. Her poop scooper had barely glanced at her before saying “beautiful”—he was clearly brushing her off.
After finally putting on this beautiful dress, Yun Li refused to give up. She tried to get closer to Fu Qingheng, hoping to make him properly appreciate her lovely gown.
She had been watching a lot of TV dramas lately. She remembered one scene where the female lead, trying to get the male lead’s attention, deliberately sat on the desk, tilted his chin up with her finger, and gazed at him with a seductive look.
And then—the male lead really did stop working and turned his attention to the female lead.
Yun Li picked up her dress and walked over to the desk. She tried to imitate the female lead, but her dress was too poofy and big to sit on the desk easily. So she changed her approach: propping herself up with one hand on Fu Qingheng’s documents, leaning against the desk, she called out in a soft, alluring voice, “Brother Fu.”
Yun Li had only learned the surface level. Her gaze wasn’t alluring enough—her bright black eyes still carried a hint of innocence.
But that alone was more than enough to overwhelm a man.
Fu Qingheng took a deep breath. What kind of trick was she trying to pull now?
Yun Li clumsily gave Fu Qingheng a flirtatious glance. “Won’t you just look at me?”
What bad intentions could a little fox have? She just wanted to show off how pretty she looked and make her poop scooper like her a little more.
But Fu Qingheng only gave her a cool stare. “Want to do some homework?”
“Huh?”
Yun Li blinked. The next second, Fu Qingheng casually placed the workbook on the desk.
Yun Li hated studying more than anything. The sight of that workbook was like seeing a terrifying demon. She backed away repeatedly, shaking her head vigorously. “I don’t want to.”
With that, she quickly turned and fled the study.
Hmph, if her poop scooper had no appreciation for beauty, she would just appreciate it herself.
Yun Li posed in front of the mirror, then remembered how humans took photos. She snapped many pictures of herself, planning to show them off to Ouyang Mengyao and the others when she got back to class.
The next day, Yun Li wanted to find Fu Qingheng as usual, but Yang Qing told her that her poop scooper had gone out early in the morning.
With nothing to do, Yun Li watched TV all morning. Even the shows she used to find so entertaining now felt utterly dull.
Not wanting to watch TV anymore, she ran off to the pond to feed the koi fish.
Yang Qing thought she was going to catch more fish to roast. These fish were far too precious, so he quickly tried to coax Yun Li. “You can’t catch these fish to eat anymore!”
Yun Li hadn’t caught and roasted fish in a long time. She stared longingly at the fish swimming in the pond, drooped her head, and sighed. “I know!”
She grabbed a handful of fish food and scattered it into the pond. The koi wagged their tails, swam up from the bottom, and popped their heads out, scrambling to eat.
Each one was plump and big. Yun Li swallowed hard just looking at them.
Yang Qing was truly afraid the girl wouldn’t be able to control herself, so he hurriedly ushered her away.
Yun Li went back inside. “Uncle Yang, when is Brother Fu coming back?”
Yang Qing didn’t know either. Early this morning, the young master hadn’t looked well. He left directly without saying when he would return.
Yun Li sighed repeatedly. Even when Ouyang Mengyao invited her to play games, she didn’t feel like it.
To be honest, Yang Qing had never seen the lively, energetic Yun Li so listless before.
He really couldn’t stand it. It had only been a morning apart, yet she was already this lovesick. If the young master ever went on a business trip for half a month or so, Yun Li would surely suffer from a severe case of lovesickness.
Yang Qing offered a small suggestion. “You could send the young master a message or give him a call.”
Yang Qing’s words reminded Yun Li. How had she forgotten about that?
Yun Li hurried back to her room to grab her phone and send her poop scooper a message.
She waited a long time, but there was still no reply.
She called, but no one answered.
Yun Li grew even more listless.
She lay weakly on the bed, and before she knew it, the whole afternoon had passed.
There was still no message on her phone. If it weren’t for the fact that she could still receive messages from Ouyang Mengyao, she would have thought her phone was broken!
Why wasn’t her poop scooper replying to her messages?
She turned her head to look out the window. The sky was gradually growing dark.
Dinnertime came, but her poop scooper still hadn’t returned.
Yun Li’s unhappiness was written all over her face. She couldn’t even muster any interest in chicken legs.
Yang Qing clicked his tongue in amazement, thinking to himself just how powerful the force of love must be to single-handedly change a person’s nature.
That night, unable to sleep, Yun Li sat upright on her bed, waiting for Fu Qingheng to come home.
She watched the clock inch closer and closer to 1 a.m. Finally, she heard the sound of a car.
Her poop scooper was back!
By now, all the servants in the house had long gone to bed.
Yun Li fumbled her way downstairs in the dark, wanting her poop scooper to see her first thing.
She had been very good today. She hadn’t caught any fish, nor had she done anything else naughty.
Yun Li happily ran to the door, only to see a car parked outside.
She recognized at once that this wasn’t her poop scooper’s car.
Not her poop scooper?
The smile on her lips faded. Yun Li felt terribly disappointed.
Just as she was about to turn around, the car door opened. Yun Li looked over instinctively—it was Shi Jie.
She still remembered this human. Last time, she had inexplicably started crying and left.
Why was she here today?
Yun Li furrowed her delicate brows, looking at the woman in confusion.
She was standing right at the door, and Shi Jie saw her at once. Curling her lips, she sneered, “Why are you still hanging around here?”
To Shi Jie, Yun Li was like a thorn in her side—impossible to look at without displeasure. She wished she could get rid of her once and for all.
What did she mean, “hanging around here”?
Yun Li glared fiercely at Shi Jie, hands on her hips. “What are you doing here? You’re not welcome!”
This woman was on the same side as that bad human. She wasn’t a good person either.
Shi Jie let out a contemptuous laugh. “Is this your home? Who are you to tell me what to do?”
“I—” Her poop scooper’s home was her home.
Before Yun Li could argue, a man’s voice came from inside the car.
That voice belonged to her poop scooper!
Yun Li lowered her head, trying to see inside the car, but that wicked woman Shi Jie bent down and blocked her view.
Shi Jie beat her to it. “We’re home!”
Fu Qingheng rubbed his temples with one hand and braced himself against the seat with the other, trying to get out.
Shi Jie reached out and took his arm. “Take it slow.”
Yun Li watched the scene before her, her eyes widening and her cheeks puffing up with anger.
Why was Brother Fu riding in a car with this bad human? And why was she touching him?
Ever since she had accidentally run into Fu Qingheng and that vixen Yun Li at the wedding dress shop, Shi Jie had been feeling quite down.
After shutting herself at home and sulking for a few days, she had been coaxed out today by her girlfriends for drinks.
She had been looking to drown her sorrows, but as it turned out, she ran into Fu Qingheng.
Fu Qingheng had been drinking with some people from his social circle, and quite a few of the men there also knew Shi Jie.
It was no secret that Shi Jie had liked Fu Qingheng for a long time.
Their mutual friends wanted to play matchmaker, so they called Shi Jie over to join them.
Shi Jie naturally wanted to come, but her first reaction was to look at Fu Qingheng. Only when he didn’t object did she feel at ease sitting down.
Anyone with eyes could see that Fu Qingheng wasn’t in the right state of mind. He kept drinking, not speaking to anyone.
Shi Jie wanted to say something but didn’t dare.
It wasn’t until the drinking session ended. Seeing how drunk Fu Qingheng looked, Shi Jie grew worried and decided to stay with him.
Fu Qingheng had called for a designated driver, but then his car broke down and wouldn’t start.
That was when Shi Jie boldly walked over and invited Fu Qingheng to take her car instead.
After she extended the invitation, Fu Qingheng stared at her for a long while. His dark eyes were deep and unreadable. Fu Qingheng had always kept his distance from her, and Shi Jie had already prepared herself mentally for rejection.
However, after a few seconds of silence, he asked, “Where’s your car?”
In that instant, Shi Jie looked up at him, stunned.
Did this mean he was going to take her car?
Afraid the man might change his mind, Shi Jie quickly pointed to a car not far away. “It’s right over there!”
Sitting in the same car as Fu Qingheng—this was something she had hardly dared to imagine.
The entire way, Shi Jie kept stealing glances at Fu Qingheng, overjoyed as if her heart had burst into bloom.
Unfortunately, nothing happened during the drive.
Fu Qingheng sat by the window, resting his forehead on one hand.
After resting the whole way, most of Fu Qingheng’s drunkenness had faded.
Shi Jie reached out to help him, but before she could touch his elbow, Fu Qingheng moved away.
He didn’t like being touched by others.
Shi Jie froze, the smile fading from her face.
Then she remembered that vixen was still behind them. Not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing her humiliated, she quickly masked the hurt inside and said softly, “Take it slow.”
Seeing this woman touch her poop scooper made Yun Li absolutely furious.
It upset her even more than someone touching her chicken leg.
“Don’t you dare touch my Brother Fu!”
Fuming with anger, Yun Li rushed forward and shoved Shi Jie aside, refusing to let her anywhere near her poop scooper.
Her poop scooper was hers. No one else was allowed to try and take him.
Yun Li only meant to push Shi Jie away from Fu Qingheng’s side. She barely tugged at her—so how was it that Shi Jie let out an “Ah!” and fell to the ground?
Shi Jie let out a pained cry and accused Yun Li, “Why did you push me?”
Yun Li couldn’t defend herself.
Sure, she had pushed Shi Jie, but she hadn’t used that much force. There was no way she should have fallen.
Shi Jie must have done it on purpose, putting on an act in front of her poop scooper.
Panicking, Yun Li looked at Fu Qingheng. “Brother Fu, she fell on her own! It had nothing to do with me!”
Shi Jie didn’t rush to argue. Instead, she looked up at Fu Qingheng with tear-filled eyes.
Yun Li had clearly pushed her. Fu Qingheng had seen it with his own eyes. She refused to believe that he would still take the vixen’s side.
Her fall had been quite hard. There were some scrapes on her arm, and she was even bleeding a little.
Fu Qingheng pressed his lips together. “Yun Li, apologize to her.”
Yun Li stared at him in hurt, unable to believe what she had just heard.
Brother Fu actually wanted her to apologize to this bad human.
“No!”
She pouted, her face full of resistance. She was not going to apologize to that wicked woman.
Fu Qingheng’s voice turned cold. “Be good!”
Yun Li grew more and more upset. Tears welled up in her eyes without her even realizing it.
“She fell all by herself! What does that have to do with me? I’m not apologizing!”
She didn’t want to be good!
“I’m so mad! I’m never talking to you again!”
Seething with rage, Yun Li let go of Fu Qingheng’s sleeve and dashed off in a flash.
After Yun Li stormed off in a huff, Fu Qingheng looked down at Shi Jie on the ground.
“Can you get up?”
Shi Jie tried to move her body to stand, but winced with a hiss, furrowing her brows as she reached for her ankle. “I think I twisted it…”
She looked up at Fu Qingheng, her eyes clearly conveying that she couldn’t get up.
Shi Jie felt a bit shy, believing that since Fu Qingheng had scolded that vixen for her sake, he would at least help her to her feet.
In reality, Fu Qingheng showed no intention of helping her at all.
He turned and walked straight into the house. Shi Jie’s face turned pale—was he just going to abandon her like this?
This man was far too heartless!
Shi Jie gritted her teeth in anger. If she got up on her own, she would be exposing her own lie right in front of everyone. But if she didn’t get up, she really would have to sit here all night.
While she hesitated, a servant hurried out wearing a coat draped over their shoulders.
“Miss, the young master instructed me to help you up.”
Shi Jie was relieved she hadn’t rushed to stand up and reveal her lie.
She thanked him gratefully, then, with a rather disdainful look in her eyes, took the servant’s hand and stood up, limping as she followed him inside.
“Miss, please have a seat here. I’ll get the first aid kit and tend to your wounds.”
“Alright.”
Shi Jie craned her neck, looking around for Fu Qingheng.
The servant returned with the first aid kit and began cleaning Shi Jie’s wounds.
Unable to spot Fu Qingheng anywhere, Shi Jie asked casually, “Where is your young master?”
The servant tended to her wounds and replied, “The young master should have gone back to his room to rest.”
After Yun Li returned to her room, she sat down on the bed in a huff.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She felt like rolling around on the bed in frustration.
She glanced toward the balcony, wondering what her poop scooper and that woman were doing.
She had watched a TV show recently where the poop scooper, because he had found another woman, gave away the pet he had raised.
The thought that she might also be given away to a stranger made Yun Li panic. She quickly ran to the balcony to look outside.
In the courtyard, only that bad human’s car remained. Her poop scooper and that wicked woman were nowhere to be seen.
Her poop scooper must have let her inside!
Yun Li grew even angrier. She absolutely would not allow that wicked woman to invade her territory.
No, she had to drive her away.
She ran downstairs in a fury. When she saw Shi Jie sitting on the sofa, she was so angry it felt like the fur on her tail was about to explode.
“Why haven’t you left yet?”
Shi Jie only had minor scratches. After her arm was treated, a bandage was applied.
Having dealt with Yun Li only a few times, she had already figured out the vixen’s personality.
She was a hot-tempered, impulsive fool—easy to handle.
Not taking Yun Li seriously, Shi Jie pretended to be frail and said, “You pushed me so hard just now. I twisted my ankle. I can’t walk.”
“Brother Fu isn’t even here anymore, and you’re still acting!”
“Didn’t you push me? Brother Fu saw it with his own eyes! He even had someone help me inside and tend to my wounds.”
Every word stabbed Yun Li right in the heart. Her poop scooper had let her in today; for all she knew, he might give her away tomorrow.
“You’re not allowed to call him Brother Fu!”
The name “Brother Fu” belonged to her alone.
Yun Li’s eyes turned red with anger. “Leave right now. You’re not allowed to stay here.”
She was desperate to drive this wicked woman away. Only once she left could Yun Li feel at ease.
But Shi Jie wasn’t one to be taken advantage of. With Fu Qingheng not around, she wasn’t about to let Yun Li have her way.
She wanted to teach the girl a lesson and make her know who was stronger.
Shi Jie saw Yun Li approaching, reaching out to grab her. She raised her hand to slap Yun Li, wishing she could scratch her face beyond recognition.
But before her hand could go up, the corner of her eye caught sight of a figure on the stairs. She quickly pulled back her motion and let Yun Li have her way.
Fu Qingheng had heard the commotion downstairs. He first checked the room next door, and when he saw that Yun Li wasn’t there, he hurried over.
Seeing the scene before him, Fu Qingheng’s voice turned sharp as he stopped her. “Yun Li, stop!”
Yun Li was fiercely trying to drive Shi Jie away, but the moment she heard Fu Qingheng’s voice, she panicked.
In her panic, she used too much force and pushed Shi Jie. Shi Jie, completely unprepared, crashed with a thud into the coffee table beside her.
There was a crisp sound, like that of a bone breaking. Shi Jie’s face turned white in an instant.
Her hand!
Yun Li quickly backed away. “I didn’t mean to!”
She wanted to step forward and help Shi Jie up, but the other woman recoiled from her touch.
Shi Jie was sweating from the pain, her voice sharp. “Don’t touch me!”
The living room erupted into chaos. Yun Li looked at Fu Qingheng fearfully, terrified of being blamed.
With a cold expression, Fu Qingheng helped Shi Jie to her feet and looked at her other hand. “Does it hurt?”
Shi Jie nodded, crying out in fear. “My hand isn’t ruined, is it?”
Fu Qingheng examined her hand, gently touching it. “It should just be dislocated. Let’s take you to the hospital first.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” After reassuring Shi Jie, he finally turned his gaze to Yun Li. “Go wake up Uncle Yang.”
Yun Li pressed her lips together. Seeing how concerned her poop scooper was for Shi Jie, she ran off to find Yang Qing in a huff.
In the middle of the night, they took Shi Jie to a nearby hospital.
The dislocation wasn’t serious. The doctor told Shi Jie to bear the pain, then manipulated her arm, and with a “crack,” set the bone back in place.
Afterward, someone was sent to take Shi Jie home.
Shi Jie glanced at Yun Li, committing this grudge to memory.
Still, she put on a magnanimous act in front of Fu Qingheng. “I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”
Yun Li let out a “Hmph.” “Hypocrite!”
“Yun Li!” Fu Qingheng looked at her and said flatly, “Apologize to Miss Shi.”
“I won’t!”
Fuming, Yun Li turned and got into the car, not wanting to see either of them.
Fu Qingheng gave her a helpless glance, then said to Shi Jie, “I’ll apologize on her behalf.”
**