Chapter 32: Kiss Me

Breakfast in the manor was delivered to each room, so when the server knocked several times with no response at one of the doors, they went to find Jiang Yihang, since he had specifically requested extra attention be given to this guest.

When Jiang Yihang arrived at Ruan Li’s door and knocked again without getting a response, the server, worried something might be wrong, asked for his opinion. “Should I get the spare key?”

However, the server stopped speaking when they saw the warning look in Jiang Yihang’s eyes.

Jiang Yihang was someone who adhered to his principles at all times, so he simply called Ruan Li. After a long series of rings, the call was finally picked up, and he quickly asked:

“Ruan Li, are you in your room?”

All he heard on the other end was breathing, followed by a low male voice, still husky from sleep, “She’s not here. Breakfast should be delivered to the next room.”

Jiang Yihang instantly recognized Fu Huaizhou’s voice. He wanted to question why Fu Huaizhou was answering Ruan Li’s phone, but then remembered that a phone was a personal item if he was answering, it meant Ruan Li allowed it.

Maybe their relationship was closer than he had thought.

After Fu Huaizhou hung up, he looked at the girl still fast asleep on the bed. He had heard the phone ringing for a long time from the bathroom, yet she had no reaction at all.

A few minutes later, the server knocked and delivered two breakfasts into the room, not daring to look too closely, knowing that the relationships between these people were none of their business to gossip about.

Fu Huaizhou eyed the two breakfasts brought in and stood at the bedside, looking at Ruan Li, who had her face buried in the blanket.

“Get up and eat,” he said as he pulled back the blanket, revealing her small face. Because she’d slept so late last night, her eyelids were red and swollen, and her delicate shoulders and neck were marked with ambiguous red marks, especially the noticeable bite mark on her collarbone.

Ruan Li quickly grabbed the blanket and covered her face, mumbling sleepily, “I don’t want to eat. What even is breakfast? Take it away.”

Fu Huaizhou had already experienced her impressive sleep habits when he woke up for work the last time. He stood by the bed for a moment before scooping her up, blanket and all, intending to set her on a chair.

Feeling herself being lifted into the air, Ruan Li immediately snapped awake and started patting Fu Huaizhou’s shoulder anxiously. “I’m not wearing anything! Put me down!”

“You’ve already been seen.” Fu Huaizhou said casually as he placed her on the chair.

Ruan Li’s eyes were full of disbelief. Was this really the same Fu Huaizhou who, according to rumors, would ruin a business partnership if a woman so much as touched him? She hesitated as she reached for her clothes by the bed.

“Are these still my clothes?” Ruan Li, wrapped in the blanket, bent down with difficulty to pick up the white nightgown on the floor.

It was in a pitiful state. It had been brand new last night, but now the neckline was torn, and there were stains from some unknown liquid.

Fu Huaizhou glanced at it for a moment. “It wasn’t yours to begin with, just something the hotel provided.”

Ruan Li rummaged through Fu Huaizhou’s suite closet and found a black bathrobe identical to his. When she put it on, it looked like an oversized sack, with its only value being the brand logo on the back.

She looked at the bite mark on her collarbone, thinking that he was truly one to hold a grudge. It had all started when she bit him a little too hard after taking medicine that one time, and now, so much time later, he was still getting his revenge.

Breakfast here was quite lavish, and Fu Huaizhou placed the lighter items near Ruan Li. “Pack your things later. We’ll be moving, and there’s a contract from last night that needs your signature.”

Ruan Li, still half-asleep, was initially exhausted from the night before, but when she saw the food, her eyes lit up. She took a bite of the delicate custard bun and, through her full mouth, asked, “Why are we moving? I didn’t sell my place.”

Fu Huaizhou looked at the custard filling on her lips and pushed the box of tissues toward her. “First, your place has been compromised; it’s not livable anymore. Second, I’m the one supporting you. Do you expect me to live in your house?”

Ruan Li slowly accepted the shift in her situation, but surprisingly, she didn’t feel ashamed. After all, she used to be the pampered daughter of the Ruan family, and now she was simply being taken care of by someone even more powerful.

She muttered to herself, “The hidden costs are high. Even keeping a boytoy requires owning a house first.”

She imagined that if she ever became as wealthy as Fu Huaizhou, she would buy out an entire villa district and “choose concubines” every day. Anyone who displeased her would be kicked out and sent to the “cold palace,” almost making her laugh.

“Stop daydreaming.” Fu Huaizhou could tell from her mischievous expression that she wasn’t up to anything good. He poured her a glass of plain water and pushed it toward her.

They got into the car to head back to the city. Ruan Li hadn’t slept much at all and wanted to catch up on her sleep in the car; otherwise, her face would be puffy on camera the next day.

After getting in the car, Fu Huaizhou looked out the window behind Ruan Li. Jiang Yihang stood on the second-floor balcony, watching in their direction, though he couldn’t see inside through the tinted windows.

But since someone wanted to watch

“Ruan Li, come here,” Fu Huaizhou said in a low voice to the woman next to him, who had already closed her eyes.

“What for?” Ruan Li had just found a comfortable position but had to open her eyes and scoot closer to him.

“Kiss me.” Fu Huaizhou said the two words as casually as if he were saying “let’s have a meeting.”

Ruan Li: “?”

Fu Huaizhou tilted his head slightly and looked at the shocked girl, his gaze deep. “You should do as I say.”

Ruan Li stared at his thin lips, which made him seem like a cold-hearted person. Well, it was just a kiss, no big deal. She leaned in, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her lips to his.

The sound of a soft “smooch” was especially clear inside the car.

She had barely touched his lips and was about to pull away

Fu Huaizhou held the back of her head and deepened the kiss. Ruan Li felt his lips capture hers, and his sharp teeth bit lightly at her lower lip. Before she could react, a warm, wet sensation forced its way between her teeth.

“Mmm—” Ruan Li tasted a hint of mint on his lips, and it felt like a gentle breeze was brushing her forehead.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fu Huaizhou’s hand resting on the control panel. Behind her, the car window rolled down, and inside the car, the sounds of wet kisses and heavy breathing filled the space.

It went on for so long that Ruan Li thought her lips might tear, but finally, Fu Huaizhou released her.

He gently brushed his thumb over her swollen lips and glanced at the balcony behind them before closing the car window. Then he stared at the flushed girl in front of him, her eyes watery and her face looking as though she’d been bullied.

“Was that your first time?” He sounded slightly surprised, given that actors often had to perform kissing scenes.

Ruan Li ignored him, turned away, and leaned back in her seat, silently mourning the loss of her first kiss. She had thought Fu Huaizhou would just give her a quick peck, but who could have imagined it would turn into such a full on kiss? The nature of it was completely different.

Ugh, her first kiss wasn’t even with someone she loved, nor was it in a romantic setting like a ballroom. It was in a car with a walking ATM.

The only consolation was that this ATM was very rich, and the car was a multi-million-dollar luxury vehicle.

After thinking for a while, Fu Huaizhou spoke up again, “I’ll get you a supplementary card later.”

After all, he didn’t know what she liked. If it was money, then too little would force her to ask him for more, and even if he gave her a lot, it would eventually run out. To avoid her pride getting in the way, it would be simplest to give her access to his account directly.

But the person sitting next to him didn’t react at all. Just as he was about to comment on her bad temper, he turned and saw that Ruan Li had already closed her eyes and fallen sound asleep.

…

Heartless. He felt he’d been overthinking.

When the car stopped, Ruan Li slowly woke up, her dream still fresh in her mind. She had been a little fox, caught by a black wolf who kept nibbling on her lips. When she woke up, her lips were still sore.

She looked out the window, surprised. “At Yuyuan?”

“Where else?” Fu Huaizhou didn’t know where else she thought they were going.

Still groggy from sleep, Ruan Li hadn’t caught up with her own words yet. “I heard the rich young masters say they always keep their mistresses in quiet, remote villas, far from their main houses, so the elders don’t catch them.”

Fu Huaizhou gave her a cold look. “Living far away means wasting an extra hour commuting to work every day. If they’re afraid of their elders, it means they’re incompetent.”

Workaholic and a control freak Ruan Li couldn’t help but wonder if he had ever been a carefree young master in his early twenties.

“I’ll have people help you move. You can decide whether you want to supervise or not.”

Ruan Li nodded. “I have so many precious things. I need to keep an eye on them. What if something gets broken?” Then she remembered something important and cautiously asked, “Have you heard the saying that accepting someone means accepting all of them, including their family and friends? I’m sure you can handle that, right?”

Fu Huaizhou glanced back at her and sneered. “What, do you have a secret child?”