After the Yun family left, Jiang Wan lost her appetite.
She wanted to leave, but Fu Ci wouldn’t let her.
He instructed the innkeeper to change to a private room. The waiter brought the dishes they had ordered, filling the entire table.
Once the door to the private room was closed, Fu Ci took a seat beside Jiang Wan.
He personally served her food.
Placing a piece of deboned fish into Jiang Wan’s bowl, he said in a coaxing tone, “The fish today is very fresh. Try it quickly.”
Since she couldn’t leave, Jiang Wan didn’t see the point in punishing herself.
She picked up her chopsticks and reached for other dishes, ignoring the food Fu Ci had served her.
This clear act of drawing a line left Fu Ci both angry and helpless.
He didn’t know what to do to restore their relationship to how it used to be.
Wrapping his arm around Jiang Wan’s waist, he said pitifully, “Wanwan, don’t be so cold to me.”
“If you’re not willing…”
Sensing she was about to mention leaving again, Fu Ci suddenly pinched Jiang Wan’s chin.
“Don’t even think about leaving.”
A kiss carrying the scent of pine surged toward her.
Leaving Jiang Wan no chance to catch her breath.
Jiang Wan hadn’t expected Fu Ci to go mad at a time like this.
Her chopsticks fell to the floor as she pushed hard against his shoulders, only to have Fu Ci press further.
With one hand, he seized both of Jiang Wan’s wrists, while the other lifted her gently.
Her skirt fluttered gracefully in the air as Jiang Wan fell into Fu Ci’s embrace.
During Jiang Wan’s recent illness, Fu Ci hadn’t touched her.
Now, kissing her soft lips, he couldn’t suppress the stirring in his heart.
His hand on Jiang Wan’s waist gradually tightened, as if trying to meld her into his very being.
“Wanwan, I miss you so much.”
Fu Ci’s expression was infatuated, and his grip on Jiang Wan’s hand unconsciously loosened.
Slap!
A slap landed.
Fu Ci’s face turned to the side, a testament to the force Jiang Wan had used.
“You shameless man!”
Rubbing his aching cheek, Fu Ci laughed instead.
“Feel better? If not, slap me a few more times.” He grabbed Jiang Wan’s hand, ready to strike himself.
Fu Ci might be going mad, but Jiang Wan had no intention of joining him.
She tried to stand and leave, but Fu Ci held her firmly, preventing her escape.
The man’s eyes were filled with amusement. “Wanwan, you still care about me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
There wasn’t a trace of affection in Jiang Wan’s eyes, a stark contrast to Fu Ci’s.
The colder she was, the more Fu Ci refused to let her go.
Holding her like this, he used a small spoon to feed food to Jiang Wan’s lips.
When Jiang Wan refused to eat, Fu Ci began to threaten her.
“Do you want me to try another method?”
“You’re despicable!”
“I’d actually like to give it a try.”
Jiang Wan was nearly driven mad. Was Fu Ci always this crazy before?
“Eat.”
Fu Ci’s gaze was dangerous.
Given the disparity in strength between men and women, and Jiang Wan’s own frail health, she had no choice but to yield to his threats.
For every bite Fu Ci fed her, she took one.
Fu Ci knew exactly what Jiang Wan liked to eat.
Carefully removing the side dishes she disliked, he only let her eat what she enjoyed.
Sitting on Fu Ci’s lap, Jiang Wan felt utterly uncomfortable.
Especially since a certain part of him was pressed tightly against her. Having been intimate countless times in her past life, Jiang Wan was no longer an innocent young girl.
Sensing Fu Ci’s change, she didn’t dare move a muscle.
All she wanted was to finish eating quickly and leave.
With such softness and warmth in his arms, Fu Ci was also struggling.
He had only experienced intimacy for the first time at twenty-three, and before he could savor it fully, his little darling had stopped allowing him to touch her.
At the peak of his vigor, with the woman he loved in his arms, how could he not let his thoughts wander?
Unfortunately, the timing and place were inappropriate.
Feeding her the food, Fu Ci felt restless inside.
Jiang Wan kept an eye on him out of the corner of her eye, worried that he might suddenly act shamelessly.
Fu Ci lowered his gaze, noticing her nervousness.
For a moment, his emotions were complicated.
That night, Wanwan had been very cooperative with him, and when she felt uncomfortable, she had only held onto his neck and sobbed softly.
How could she act like a stranger after just one night’s sleep?
Thinking about how unhappy she was in the mansion, and with Old Madam constantly pressuring her, Fu Ci wondered if he should buy another house.
If Wanwan moved out, Old Madam wouldn’t be able to control her anymore.
Once everything was resolved, he could bring her back home.
Lost in thought, he continued feeding Jiang Wan diligently.
“I’m full.”
“Mm.”
Jiang Wan patted his hand. “Let go.”
“I haven’t eaten yet.”
Jiang Wan had never seen someone so shameless. “What does that have to do with me?”
“I want to hold you. It makes my appetite better.”
Fu Ci wore a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
Although Wanwan still hadn’t given him a pleasant expression, it was just the two of them here.
Setting aside all the messy matters for now, he was enjoying this moment.
Jiang Wan couldn’t stand his smugness. “Aren’t you worried the Yun family will come after you?”
“Not worried.”
Jiang Wan pressed further, “Aren’t you afraid this will reach Old Madam’s ears? How will you appease her then?”
Fu Ci paused, the chopsticks in his hand stilling.
The smile at the corner of his mouth faded slightly. “I’ll handle these matters. Don’t worry.”
Jiang Wan said, “Old Madam won’t do anything to you. The one who’ll suffer will be me. Fu Ci, I even suspect you brought me out to flaunt me in public just to harm me.”
Fu Ci gritted his teeth. With his busy official duties, if he didn’t care about her, why would he take the time to bring her out for a break?
“Is that really how you see me?”
“Isn’t it? After today, I’ll probably become the talk of the town in the capital.”
Fu Ci pursed his lips and fell silent.
Jiang Wan scoffed lightly. “Since I’ve become a concubine, I should keep a low profile. No one cares what I do in the inner courtyard, but flaunting myself in public like this is an eyesore to others.”
“Wanwan, don’t talk about yourself like that.”
Jiang Wan was doing it on purpose. If she wasn’t happy, then Fu Ci shouldn’t be happy either.
Who told him not to let her go?
“No matter what you think, you and Yun Yanran are engaged. She will be the mistress of the Fu family in the future. By humiliating her for my sake now, the Yun family won’t do anything to you, but I’m not so sure. If they target me, what will you do then?”
Fu Ci frowned. “You’re my woman. Protecting you is my responsibility.”
Jiang Wan almost laughed.
In her past life, when the Yun family targeted her, Fu Ci suspected she was the one who pushed Yun Yanran down the stairs.
He thought she was cunning, and since pretending to be sick no longer worked, it wasn’t impossible for her to directly harm Yun Yanran.
So, he wanted to send her far away, ordering her never to return to the capital.
Looking back now, Jiang Wan realized that leaving the capital at that time would have been the best choice.
Perhaps her child wouldn’t have died young.
The rights and wrongs of those past events were already too tangled to sort out.
Jiang Wan didn’t hate Fu Ci.
She just no longer trusted him.
And she didn’t want to be with him.
Her tone softened slightly as she said, “Some things aren’t as simple as you wish them to be. I have no one to rely on, and I don’t want to get involved in these matters.”
“Wanwan, you still don’t trust me.”
“Everyone in this world has their own helplessness. I don’t want to become the one who gets abandoned when the time comes.”
“Impossible.”
Fu Ci replied with absolute certainty. Wanwan was no different from his life itself—how could he possibly abandon her?
Jiang Wan didn’t argue with him further.
As long as there were no expectations, there would be no disappointment.
Without disappointment, there would be no resentment.
Jiang Wan believed she had said everything she needed to say to Fu Ci, only hoping he would no longer persist.
Now that the Fu and Yun families had a marriage arrangement.
The better Fu Ci treated her, the more he would push her toward an irredeemable abyss.
Old Madam would not tolerate her.
The Yun family would also cause trouble.
After today’s events, she didn’t have much time left.