Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Jing Hanchuan and Xu Yuanfei had completed their first date. That night, the two of them held their phones and chatted until two in the morning before going to bed.
If it wasnât too late, she might not have felt sleepy even when the sky turned bright and sunny.
After the two of them said goodnight to each other, Xu Yuanfei even flipped through their chat history from beginning to end while smiling like a fool.
This also caused Xu Yuanfei to wake up still sleepy at around ten the next day. She picked up her phone and saw Fu Chenâs message. Only then did she suddenly remember that she had arranged to meet him at her store at half past ten.
About ten minutes ago, Fu Chen had messaged her: [Iâve already set off. Iâll arrive at around ten-thirty.]
She washed up quickly, put on her hat, and drove straight to the dessert shop.
Even though there was barely any traffic, Fu Chen was already there when she arrived at the store. The part-time student-workers had made him a cup of green tea. He was sitting by the window with his head lowered, flipping through a book. The teacup and Buddhist prayer bead bracelet beside his hand made him look elegant and refined.
The part-time workers secretly took a few photos with their phones, feeling excited. After all, when he and Song Fengwan made their relationship public, it had caused too much of a commotion.
âThird Master, Iâm sorry.â Xu Yuanfei walked over and sat opposite him. âI was delayed by something.
âIâm really sorry for making you wait so long.
âSomething happened at the last minute, so...â
Fu Chen looked up and sized her up. âYou must have slept in.â
Xu Yuanfei was already embarrassed and wanted to find a random reason to explain herself. She didnât expect this person to be so straightforward. He wasnât like this when he was with Song Fengwan. He had always been gentle, refined, ascetic, and cold.
Who knew that he was such a vicious-tongued person in private?
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Did she not want her face?!
âYou have dark circles under your eyes, and there are even traces of a pillow on your face.â Fu Chen also wanted to save her some face, but her lie was too nonsensical.
Shi Fangâs seat was only two tables away from the two of them. Seeing Fu Chen being so straightforward, he couldnât help smirking.
She is Sixth Masterâs future wife. Doesnât she want her face? Arenât you afraid that Sixth Master will find out and take revenge on you for bullying her like this?
You canât mess with Sixth Master enough, so you came to bully his wife?
Xu Yuanfei coughed twice. âLetâs get down to business. When did you find out my identity?â
âIt was just a guess before. I only confirmed it yesterday.â
Yesterday? Only then did Xu Yuanfei remember the text message. She felt inexplicably upset.
Could it be that Fu Chen was not only warning me but also probing the truth?
Itâs said that Third Master Fu is good at calculating peopleâs thoughts. This saying is absolutely true.
âThird Master, youâre really impressive.â Xu Yuanfeiâs words were not sour.
âThank you.â Fu Chen accepted it with a clear conscience.
âSince you know my identity, do you want to tell Sixth Master?
âActually, I donât have any ill will toward him, nor do I want to retaliate against him. I just donât know how to interact with him. Actually, the relationship between our families is quite subtle.
âI just...â
Fu Chen put down the book and looked up at her. His black pupils seemed to have a scorching light. âYou just want to woo him, right?!â
Xu Yuanfei was still mulling over her words carefully. She didnât expect Fu Chen to be so simple and crude, so straightforward that it made her hair stand on end.
But there was nothing wrong with what he said.
âBut your relationship canât be hidden for long. The Beijing circle is only so big. If either of your families notice anything, you wonât be able to hide it.â
Fu Chen reminded kindly, âYour father and brother are very hostile to Hanchuan. Iâm afraid it will be very troublesome.
âYou have to consider this matter yourself. Hanchuan trusts you now, so he didnât investigate further.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
The capital wasnât a small place, and the surname Xu was very common. Moreover, the Xu family was really low-key, so they didnât attract much attention.
Xu Yuanfei originally thought that the conversation with Fu Chen would be very difficult. She didnât expect that when Fu Chen spoke, he didnât ask her why she had come into contact with Jing Hanchuan, nor was he on guard against her. Instead, he kindly reminded her.
She thought that Fu Chen was a good person.
But in just ten minutes, her face would be swollen.
âI also know how serious this matter is. Tell me. If I make it clear with him, what will he think?â Xu Yuanfei was uncertain. âOur relationship is different from yours and Wanwanâs. Weâre just a store owner and a customer or friends. If he doesnât want to interact with me, I canât get close to him either.â
âAre you afraid that heâll be scared away?â Fu Chen lowered his head and chuckled.
Xu Yuanfei nodded.
âYouâve known Hanchuan for a while. Do you think heâs that kind of person?â
âNo, but Iâm not sure what he thinks of our Xu family, or rather, what he thinks of me.â
Fu Chen knew what she was worried about. âDo you want to hear my opinion?â
âYes.â
âSince you like him, thereâs no need to be overly cautious. You just have to look at him alone.â Fu Chen took a sip of tea.
âActually, the relationship between your two families is because of you two. If you two get together, there will be no need to consider many things.
âBesides, according to my understanding of Hanchuan, heâs very interested in you.â
âWhat did you say?â Xu Yuanfei was listening attentively when she suddenly seemed to hear something incredible.
âSince you dared to get so close to him, you must have done some investigation on him. Yesterday was the first time he went out alone with someone of the opposite sex his own age other than his relatives. Do you know what I mean?
âHeâs not someone who will leave people with fantasies casually.
âNo one dares to approach him casually either.
âAs time passed, his relationship matters were delayed.â At this point, Fu Chen suddenly smiled and looked at the person opposite him. âI really donât know why someone like Hanchuan, who lives in seclusion, has so many bad rumors in the capital.
âThey say that I look kind on the outside but am ruthless on the inside. Thatâs because in the business world, there are times when my methods are really ruthless. I accept this. But I really donât know how those rumors about Hanchuan killing people like flies or how his destiny would suppress his wifeâs spread.
âYour Xu family is well-informed. Miss Xu, do you know the whole story? Even the Jing family canât find out. Itâs obvious that this person hid it very well.â
Xu Yuanfei coughed. Her voice was a little unsteady, as if she had no confidence. âThe rumors are all fake. How can we believe them?â
âIf Hanchuan is really as scary as the rumors say, how would you dare to approach him? In that case, you must really love him.â Fu Chenâs words were obviously a little mocking.
âHanchuan once told me that if he found the person who spread the rumors, it would be a light punishment to feed them to the fish in his pond. He would just execute them on the spot. Even if he hung them up and beat them, it wouldnât be enough to vent his anger.â
Cough cough! Xu Yuanfei suddenly felt that she couldnât sit still on the chair anymore, and her entire body started feeling uncomfortable.
She felt a chill run down her spine.
She couldnât hear what Fu Chen said afterward clearly. She felt a little dizzy, but she remembered one sentence very clearly.
âIf you like him, you donât have to be afraid at all. As long as he has you in his heart and thinks youâre worth it, heâs willing to go through mountains of knives and seas of fire regardless of the dangers ahead.
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âHeâs willing to do this for his brothers, not to mention...
â... the person he loves.â
Xu Yuanfei was hesitating in her heart, but Fu Chenâs words were unintentionally a stimulant, instantly calming her down.
What he said made sense. The two of them hadnât even started dating yet, yet she was already being overly cautious. There was no need for her to do so at all. She just had to look forward. In the future, she would deal with whatever came their way.
***
After Fu Chen got into the car and left, Shi Fang still felt that it was strange.
How could Third Master be so kind?
Although he was a Buddhist, he didnât have a good heart. It wasnât an exaggeration to say that he was full of evil tricks.
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âThird Master, are you trying to matchmake Sixth Master and Miss Xu?â
When did Third Master become interested in being a matchmaker?
âItâs useless for me to matchmake them. They have to like each other.â Fu Chen had only helped them a little. No one could help entirely with relationships.
âIf Sixth Master finds out what you did for him in the future, he will definitely be very grateful.â
Fu Chen smiled and didnât say anything. Instead, he sent Xu Yuanfei a message.
At this moment, Xu Yuanfei was still grateful to Fu Chen and felt that he was a good person.
But when she saw the message, her face felt as if it had been slapped, and it was burning with pain.
[I plan to get engaged to Wanwan next year. Miss Xu, Iâll leave the desserts to you on that day. Please do your best.]
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Xu Yuanfei was dumbfounded. Did I say I would be responsible for the desserts for their engagement?
Last time, at Fu Sinian and Yu Manxiâs wedding, she had been so busy. After the wedding reception, many people thought that the desserts were delicious and asked her to host some banquets, but she rejected all of them. Fu Chen knew very well that her website had directly made an announcement that they wouldnât be accepting large-scale banquets.
Isnât Fu Chen...
... digging a hole for me to jump into?
He helped me and even helped me keep my secret. I canât reject him!
Third Master Fu is too evil.
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Moreover, according to what she knew, he and Song Fengwan hadnât set an engagement date at all. He was too anxious and actually booked her early.
No wonder that little girl Song Fengwan is completely under his thumb. This man is too good at causing trouble.
But later, Xu Yuanfei also found out that Jing Hanchuan was also good at causing trouble.