Chapter 6: You’re Being Brave in the Wrong Way

“Still not sober?” Fu Huaizhou glanced at the girl being supported by the servant.

The evening breeze brushed her face, and Ruan Li struggled to open her eyes. The after effects of the alcohol were hitting her hard, and she shakily sat down in the car with the servant’s help.

“I won’t throw up in your car,” Ruan Li muttered as she leaned against the window to catch the breeze. Her long hair, blown by the wind, revealed her from head to toe a figure as polished as could be, with hair that shone like the finest silk.

Fu Huaizhou raised his hand to block the flying strands from hitting his face. The soft hair brushed through his fingers, tickling slightly.

He frowned and rolled up the window a little on her side.

Ruan Li pouted. Being around this man left her with no freedom, not even to enjoy the wind. She wondered if his future children would lose all sense of fun and turn into little old-fashioned adults.

Realizing her thoughts were wandering, Ruan Li shifted her gaze and inspected the car’s interior. It wasn’t the same car that had taken her back to the Ruan family last time, but it looked quite similar—another luxury business car.

Fu Huaizhou noticed her expression. The girl seemed like a curious little animal, looking around his car, her emotions clearly visible—sometimes curious, sometimes pouting, all reflected on her face.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

Ruan Li turned to look at him. The car wasn’t too dark, and while the man wasn’t looking directly at her, his profile was striking. If Fu Xingchuan looked like the carefree, playful type, Fu Huaizhou was the complete opposite.

His features were sharp and defined, with deep, dark eyes. The clear lenses of his glasses added a layer of intellectual sophistication, and his strong, sculpted face seemed almost too perfect, as if it had been carved with precision.

Fu Huaizhou’s presence was further amplified by years of power and wealth, giving him a cold, dignified aura that made people hesitant to approach him. His thin lips were often pressed together, making it hard to read his emotions.

Ruan Li had met many attractive people in the entertainment industry, but none had Fu Huaizhou’s unique combination of looks and the crushing pressure of someone who had been at the top for years.

For a moment, she found herself staring.

“Hmm?” Fu Huaizhou tilted his head slightly when he didn’t receive an answer, glancing over at Ruan Li.

“I don’t like it,” Ruan Li said quickly, shaking her head like a rattling drum, as if afraid of this man’s imposing presence. She definitely didn’t like it—this overbearing, self-important older man!

Fu Huaizhou, realizing the effect his tone had, recalled how he spoke just now. It was as if he were in a business meeting, prompting a subordinate who failed to respond in time. Her reaction was understandable.

But he didn’t miss that intense gaze she had just fixed on him. Women abroad had often looked at him the same way, but Fu Huaizhou chose not to mention it. Instead, he clarified.

“I meant the car.”

Ruan Li, embarrassed, leaned on the window, pretending to have a headache while covering her face with her hand. She wished she could crawl into a hole, but she didn’t give in easily.

“I was talking about the car,” she replied, still trying to save face. “I don’t like it.”

To make her point, she added, “I was just thinking about how a car like this could buy an entire estate.”

If Fu Huaizhou weren’t worth billions, she’d have thought she was being scammed.

Fu Huaizhou caught the undertone in her words and responded calmly, “Then that estate must be quite small.”

“I can’t compare to your extensive experience, Uncle,” Ruan Li grumbled through gritted teeth. She had never met anyone colder or more heartless with their words. As she gazed out at the passing streetlights, a thought occurred to her.

“I’m not going back to the Ruan house. Please go to this address instead.” She held up her phone, showing the location.

The driver didn’t respond right away.

Fu Huaizhou didn’t even glance at her phone. He simply instructed the driver, “Do as she says.”

Ruan Li had originally not wanted to explain herself, but Fu Huaizhou was, after all, the true head of the Fu family, and his words carried weight.

“Fu Huaizhou?” she tentatively called out, leaning slightly closer to him.

She was met with a warning glance from him. Startled, Ruan Li shrank back a little. After thinking hard, she finally came up with another title.

“Mr. Fu? Is that okay?”

Fu Huaizhou, hearing her persistent chattering, began to feel a headache coming on. He set down the document he had been reviewing and turned to face her. “What do you want?”

Titles carry significant meaning, and Ruan Li had been calling him “Uncle” all this time due to Fu Xingchuan’s seniority.

“Is the engagement between the Fu family and the Ruan family going to change?”

Her tone became more serious as she asked, biting her lower lip and anxiously waiting for his answer. Her hands nervously gripped her clothes as she stared up at him.

“Are you asking me this because you want the engagement to change or not?” Fu Huaizhou met her eyes, which sparkled under the streetlights like stars in the night.

Ruan Li was caught off guard by his question. At first, she definitely didn’t want the engagement to change—it was something she had fought for herself. But tonight, she suddenly realized how easily influenced Fu Xingchuan was. If they married, she might spend her life dealing with such problems.

“I don’t want to marry Fu Xingchuan,” she replied seriously, her earlier playful tone gone.

“So, what’s your plan?” Fu Huaizhou sat back, crossing his hands over his knee as he waited for her response.

“Knowing Fu Xingchuan’s personality, he’ll likely be the one to propose changing the engagement, which means the Fu family would owe me a favor, right? So, Mr. Fu, maybe you’d go easy on me?” Ruan Li had been thinking about this for days. With Ruan Shu around, her relationship with the Ruan family would always be strained. If she were also dumped from this engagement, she’d be left with nothing in the capital.

“And what would ‘going easy on you’ mean?”

Ruan Li counted on her fingers, murmuring, “Old Madam Fu once mentioned that if I weren’t so young, she’d have made me her goddaughter.” She peeked at Fu Huaizhou out of the corner of her eye, her voice getting quieter. “Well, there’s an eight-year age gap. I could still be a goddaughter, right?”

She remembered hearing that Fu Huaizhou was thirty, right in the prime of his career.

The man’s face darkened instantly. Even the assistant in the front seat could feel the temperature drop sharply inside the car.

“There’s absolutely no chance of that happening.” Fu Huaizhou removed his glasses and rubbed his temples. “You’re being brave in the wrong way.”

“Oh,” Ruan Li muttered, her lips pouting as her most perfect idea was shot down. “Well, if Fu Xingchuan bothers me, you’ll step in, right?”

Afraid he’d say no, she quickly followed up with his earlier words. “Who was it just now talking about responsibility? Keeping your unruly nephew in check is a responsibility, isn’t it?”

The car came to a stop at the address Ruan Li had given—one of the capital’s famous luxury villa neighborhoods. Fu Huaizhou had never met anyone so talkative and persistent, but she had that look as if she wouldn’t give up until he agreed.

“Fine.” Fu Huaizhou nodded slightly. Besides, Fu Xingchuan wasn’t likely to cause any major trouble.

Satisfied with his answer, Ruan Li finally got out of the car. Fu Huaizhou gave his assistant, Qin, a knowing look, and Qin understood immediately, helping Ruan Li all the way to the door of the villa.

Fu Huaizhou sat in the car, watching through the window as she stumbled slightly from her intoxication, feeling a bit of a headache himself.

As Qin returned to the car, he glanced at a message on his phone. “Mr. Fu, the designer from last time has finalized the agreement. The piece should be arriving soon.”

“Hmm, let her name her price. It has to be identical,” Fu Huaizhou replied.