Chapter 24: How Could It Be Pregnancy

Fu Huaizhou’s gaze darkened. When he looked at others, it was always with a calm indifference, yet it carried an immense pressure that weighed heavily on those in his presence.

Ruan Shu hadn’t expected to run into someone she knew here, especially not Fu Huaizhou. Ever since Fu Xingchuan had called off the engagement, he had seemingly vanished. It was rumored that he had started working within the Fu Corporation, but Ruan Shu hadn’t had the chance to get close to him again.

Whether things progressed between her and Fu Xingchuan depended greatly on Fu Huaizhou, who held decisive power over the matter. Fear filled Ruan Shu’s face as she stammered, “I just wanted to get closer to talk to my sister. President Fu, you must have misunderstood something.”

Fu Huaizhou looked fatigued. He had been familiar with girls’ various tricks since his high school days, and Ruan Shu’s tactics were particularly low-grade. He had little patience for irrelevant people. “If this happens again, I won’t mind asking Mr. Ruan to better educate his family.”

It felt like a thunderclap for Ruan Shu. Ever since Ruan Cheng had found out that her relationship with Fu Xingchuan hadn’t advanced, he had been dissatisfied. If Fu Huaizhou added to that, she would have no place in the Ruan family at all.

The act of pretending to be pitiful was over, and now she was truly scared. Grabbing her purse, she hurriedly fled downstairs, humiliated.

Fu Huaizhou glanced down at the girl in his arms, his tone not particularly gentle. “Are you stupid?”

Ruan Li had been too focused on watching Ruan Shu’s dramatic performance and hadn’t realized the danger she herself was in. When she finally understood that she was being scolded, she felt a bit indignant.

“Why are you scolding me?”

The girl frowned slightly, her usually flirtatious almond-shaped eyes glared at him in mild displeasure, her lively features expressing her dissatisfaction.

“You didn’t move out of the way?” Fu Huaizhou noticed that her cheeks were a little flushed, assuming it was because the dining area had been too warm.

Ruan Li’s head felt a bit foggy, but she could still think clearly. She explained, “She wouldn’t dare push me off in a place like this. And besides, it’s only the second floor. Even if I fell, nothing serious would happen, so I didn’t bother moving.”

Just as she finished speaking, her stomach suddenly churned. It must have been the peanuts she had eaten earlier, causing her discomfort. Ruan Li covered her mouth, turned away, and retched a few times.

Qin, Fu Huaizhou’s assistant, who was standing behind them, widened his eyes in shock. Could it be? Was the notoriously uninterested-in-women President Fu, who had never even considered marriage, about to have a child? If that were the case, then it seemed he might be in for a raise!

Fu Huaizhou’s expression remained unchanged, his movement to take a handkerchief from his pocket paused. He remembered the note from last time and ultimately decided not to offer it to her. His voice was cold as he asked, “A scheme? That’s a bit too fast.”

Ruan Li felt better after patting her chest a few times. When she heard what the man said and realized what he meant, a surge of frustration welled up in her.

First of all, who shows pregnancy symptoms the day after sleeping together? It defies all logic! Besides, didn’t they use protection last night?

She glared at the man, who appeared calm and composed, through gritted teeth. “Who’s scheming? You clearly wore…”

Before she could finish, she met Fu Huaizhou’s meaningful gaze. She suddenly remembered the note she left in the morning, claiming she didn’t remember anything from last night due to drinking. Even though both of them knew it was a lie, exposing it face-to-face felt awkward.

“…glasses,” Ruan Li quickly amended. “Couldn’t you tell I ate something wrong? How could it be pregnancy…”

The last two words trailed off, as she mumbled them shyly. After all, with her limited experience actually, just twice and both times under Fu Huaizhou’s “guidance,” she still considered herself an innocent girl untouched by the world.

Fu Huaizhou’s gaze turned colder. “So, you don’t plan to remember?”

Feeling a bit intimidated by his stare, Ruan Li hunched her shoulders and muttered softly, “You’re so mean.”

Though he had been quite intense last night too, it wasn’t at this level. Ruan Li figured that even though she had initiated things, Fu Huaizhou must have let her. Otherwise, how could she have succeeded?

He might claim he wasn’t interested in women, but he certainly hadn’t resisted temptation.

Yet, his demeanor today was like he was interrogating a criminal, which made her uncomfortable.

“I wasn’t,” Fu Huaizhou said, somewhat impressed by her ability to twist the situation. She had a knack for diverting the conversation.

Sure enough, in the next moment—

Ruan Li looked at him innocently. “But I really don’t remember…”

Ruan Li had already decided not to get involved with Fu Huaizhou. Leaving aside the fact that he was Fu Xingchuan’s uncle, if they were ever linked, who knew what rumors would spread? Plus, as a career focused woman on the rise, she wouldn’t let any man hold her back especially one with no future together.

Of course, if Fu Huaizhou wanted to keep things casual in bed but distant outside of it… She felt like she was dreaming. There was no way the head of the Fu family would stick around just to be used. Besides, she couldn’t afford to pay him.

“My head hurts a bit. I think I should head back now?” Ruan Li tested the waters, glancing at his dark expression.

“Fine,” Fu Huaizhou’s lips curled into a faint smile, but it was unsettling. To be precise, Ruan Li had never seen him smile in a normal way.

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Fu Huaizhou spoke slowly, “This is the last time, Ruan Li. I won’t help you again.”

The atmosphere grew tense as the door to the private room opened, and Ye Mian and Shi Xun walked out, breaking the awkward moment.

“Third Brother?” Shi Xun hadn’t expected to see Fu Huaizhou here. He glanced at Ruan Li, realizing they had overheard the last part of the conversation.

Ye Mian, the most surprised of the group, looked between the two of them, still trying to figure out when this relationship had started behind her back.

Ruan Li hid behind Ye Mian, as Fu Huaizhou’s gaze was too frightening. Even though he had said he wouldn’t help her anymore, to Ruan Li, it felt like he was saying, “Ruan Li, I’m going to ruin you.”

It was just one free ride! And he had clearly been cooperative last night, so it wasn’t like he lost out.

“Shall we leave?” Ye Mian, sensing the tension, grabbed Ruan Li’s hand to leave. As they chatted, Ye Mian noticed her slightly flushed face and unsteady steps. “Did you accidentally eat peanuts? Feeling dizzy?”

“A little… who knew it was hidden so well?”

As their figures disappeared toward the main entrance, the two men finally retracted their gazes. Shi Xun had never seen Fu Huaizhou lose his temper over a woman; normally, he only showed emotion when dealing with business matters.

“Are you really not going to help her?” Shi Xun raised an eyebrow. “Or are you just angry?”

Fu Huaizhou shot him a cold glance.

“Ever since you distanced yourself from the Ruan family, things seem off,” Shi Xun commented. He had already heard some rumors earlier today, targeting Ruan Li, and nobody was stepping in to stop them. Something had clearly gone wrong.

Fu Huaizhou nodded slightly.

“What’s the price?” Shi Xun had a guess it was either about money or her face.

“Four billion,” Fu Huaizhou replied coolly. This sum was an enormous cash flow for the Ruan family and would allow Ruan Cheng to fund several projects. But for Fu Huaizhou, it was barely a flick of the wrist.

“That much?” Shi Xun frowned. Ruan Li wasn’t popular enough to raise that kind of money anytime soon, and the Ruan family was clearly trying to make things difficult for her. “But she wouldn’t ask me or Ye Mian for help. She’s still quite stubborn.”

Fu Huaizhou was curious where she planned to find such a large sum. There weren’t many people in Beijing who could save her, but coincidentally, Ye Ze, Jiang Yixing, and himself were among them. She had her ways.

“What’s going on here?” Fu Huaizhou noticed unfamiliar faces in the room.

Shi Xun replied, “We’re filming a show. Since Ye Mian joined, Ye Ze invested a huge amount of money. We’re heading to Ye’s company to start filming the day after tomorrow.”

With one of the top companies in Beijing providing their location, the production team was beyond thrilled.

“What’s your plan, Third Brother? Still watching the show?” Shi Xun couldn’t figure out what everyone was planning.

Fu Huaizhou remembered the look of fear on the girl’s face when he said it was the last time, finding it amusing. “No rush. Let the fish take the bait on its own.”