Chapter 3 : Dinner

The air seemed to stand still for a few seconds. Jiang Yunshu didn’t expect that Fu Chengze was staring at her, and when she remembered how she had rejected his closeness the night before, the atmosphere suddenly felt awkward.

A moment later, Fu Chengze spoke first. “Aunt Chen said you didn’t have dinner?”

Jiang Yunshu nodded. “Mmm, I’m not hungry.”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, I just didn’t rest well last night, it’s nothing.”

Fu Chengze nodded and looked at the computer. His dark eyes were calm. “Are you finished with your work?”

“Yes, I’m done,” Jiang Yunshu replied briefly, and then there was a moment of silence between them.

They looked at each other from a small distance, and Jiang Yunshu wanted to ask him what he had been doing out so late the night before, almost until midnight. As the heir to a major corporation, Fu Chengze’s workload was indeed heavy, and it was not uncommon for him to have online meetings with overseas partners at such hours. But the phone call last night clearly hadn’t been from his assistant.

As she pondered how to phrase the question, Fu Chengze spoke again. “Why don’t you have some porridge and then rest? At least eat a little.”

Jiang Yunshu agreed, “Okay,” and then her phone rang on the table.

“I’ll take this call and come downstairs in a bit.”

Fu Chengze nodded, and as he turned to leave, he heard Jiang Yunshu’s nervous voice through the door. “Hello, Jingyan, how’s everything going? Was the rescue operation successful?”

He paused, peering through the door crack to glance at Jiang Yunshu’s back before shutting the door and walking downstairs.

Inside the study, Jiang Yunshu was standing by a bookshelf, taking the call. The man on the other hand was speaking quickly.

“It went well, but I really want to curse. A bunch of spoiled rich kids, cruising around in private yachts, having a party. They didn’t come back until it got dark, just floating aimlessly at sea. It was only when the ship almost hit a reef and started to sink that they got scared. Luckily, they hadn’t drunk themselves unconscious and still managed to send out a distress signal.”

Jiang Yunshu breathed a sigh of relief. “At least it went well. I checked the weather in Haicheng, and there was fog in the night, so the visibility for flying must’ve been poor. I’m glad you were able to complete the rescue successfully.”

Gu Jingyan clicked his tongue. “Yunshu, you’re worried about me? That’s a direct challenge to my flying skills!”

Jiang Yunshu chuckled lightly. “If Ran Yi knew about your rescue mission tonight, she’d probably be at the temple right now, burning incense and praying for your safety.”

“Good thing I couldn’t reach her before the mission, or I would’ve had to listen to her panic. That girl’s heart is as fragile as a needle’s eye. If she’d heard the rescue mission over the speaker, she would’ve lost half her life,” Gu Jingyan grumbled before continuing with a teasing tone, “Yunshu, tell me, back when you were at Beicheng Aviation University, who always ranked first in flying skill assessments? Me, right? So this rescue mission is a piece of cake for me.”

Without thinking, Jiang Yunshu replied, “Not always first, I remember before Chengze transferred schools, you often ranked second…”

“Jiang Yunshu!” Gu Jingyan growled. “Don’t you dare mention that person’s name!”

“You’ve always said he’s good-looking, fit, rich, and capable, second only to you in every way, right?” Jiang Yunshu fought to hold back a laugh. “Marrying him isn’t such a loss.”

Gu Jingyan clenched his fist. “Do you know what self-comfort means? I said that to help myself accept the fact that you two are already married.”

Jiang Yunshu couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, let’s stop talking about this. I should go downstairs for dinner. When you come back from this break, I’ll take you and Ran Yi out for a meal.”

After hanging up, Jiang Yunshu turned her head and noticed a photo frame on the shelf.

In the picture, Fu Chengze was wearing a blue jersey and white sneakers, his black hair damp with sweat, casually swept up, revealing his forehead and sharp brows. He was smiling brilliantly, full of energy. The date was printed at the bottom right corner, and from the timeline, he was only nineteen years old at the time.

Jiang Yunshu didn’t even need to calculate the time to know exactly when this photo was taken.

Because it was the year she first met Fu Chengze at Beicheng Aviation University.

Beside it was another photo frame with a picture of Fu Chengze and his half-brother Fu Chengsheng. Jiang Yunshu later learned that Fu Chengsheng had tragically passed away in a car accident during a snowy winter on the highway. Fu Chengze was then forced to step up as the heir to the family business and transferred to study economics and management abroad.

Jiang Yunshu placed the photo frame down and sighed silently.

Since their reunion a year ago in Yunjiang, she hadn’t seen Fu Chengze smile so vividly.

When she went downstairs, the dining table was already set with four dishes and a soup.

Fu Chengze was sitting at the table, looking at his phone, not yet eating.

“Why aren’t you eating?” After chatting with Gu Jingyan for a few minutes, Jiang Yunshu felt much better, and her tone became lighter.

Fu Chengze put down his phone, his gaze slightly faded. He scooped a bowl of yam porridge and handed it to her. “I was waiting for you.”

“Thank you.” Jiang Yunshu took the porcelain bowl, remembering that the Fu family valued dining etiquette. They had always waited for everyone to be seated before starting the meal, a rule that had been passed down from the time of Fu Chengze’s grandfather. She smiled slightly and said, “It’s just the two of us, you don’t need to wait for me.”

Fu Chengze looked up at her, his dark eyes deep like ink. After a few seconds of gazing at her, he lowered his lashes. “Let’s eat.”

Jiang Yunshu was a slow eater, and with no real appetite, she picked at her food like a little chick pecking at grain.

She stirred her spoon in the soup and glanced at Fu Chengze.

Compared to the nineteen-year-old in the photo, his facial features were now more refined and his expressions carried a deeper, more commanding aura, no longer the youthful energy he once had. But whether nineteen or twenty-seven, he was still outstanding and shining brightly.

When Fu Chengze noticed her gaze, he was picking up a spoon from the fish soup bowl.

Their eyes met, and Jiang Yunshu instinctively looked away, glancing down at the fish soup.

“Would you like some fish soup?” Fu Chengze asked.

Looking at the milky white fish head soup, a wave of nausea hit her. She quickly shook her head and grabbed a glass of water to drink.

It started to rain lightly in the evening, and the soft sound of raindrops added a unique sense of tranquility to the room.

After showering and changing into her pajamas, Jiang Yunshu walked to the bedside and found that Fu Chengze was already asleep.

In his deep sleep, he looked much more relaxed and approachable, his brows unwrinkled and his face serene.

She lifted the blanket and got into bed, placing her hand gently on her flat stomach.

She needed to go to the hospital soon. This matter couldn’t be delayed.

When Jiang Yunshu woke up again, it was already morning.

She reached for the remote on the bedside table and pressed the curtain button.

The sunlight streamed through the window, casting a shadow on the empty pillow beside her. As usual, by this time, Fu Chengze had already left for the office.

Since she had to attend the tea master selection finals as a judge for the Beicheng region, Jiang Yunshu didn’t linger in bed. She immediately got up, made her bed, and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

After going downstairs, Jiang Yunshu sat at the dining table and had a sip of seafood porridge. But suddenly, an overwhelming urge to vomit hit her.

She put the bowl down and went to the bathroom to rinse her mouth. After a while, when she looked up, she found that her eyes were a little wet.

A knock sounded at the door. “Madam, are you alright?”

Jiang Yunshu took a deep breath and walked over to open the door. “I’m fine.”

Aunt Chen hesitated for a few seconds before speaking. “Madam, could you be pregnant?”

Jiang Yunshu froze for a moment, her tone calm. “Aunt Chen, you know my stomach is weak. It’s probably just something I ate that upset me. Please don’t say anything about this yet, if it gets to Mom or Grandma, they’ll get too excited for nothing.”

Aunt Chen nodded. “Understood, but Madam, it’s best to go to the hospital for a check-up. Health is the most important thing, no matter what.”

Jiang Yunshu smiled softly. “Okay, I understand Aunt Chen.”