Chapter 41: “This outfit, your toy?”

“No way,” Ruan Li hurriedly pulled her body back, feeling like she needed to wash her ears. How could someone as “pure and innocent” as her be listening to such things?

Chen Jing had been in the entertainment industry for many years and had seen it all. The competition was fierce, and even with Ruan Li’s unique face, it couldn’t stop others from trying to cozy up. After all, what man doesn’t like a gentle, attentive woman?

“Don’t worry about the clothes. I’ll pick them out, buy them, and quietly send them to you,” Chen Jing assured her with a pat on her chest. “Your task is to find out if there are any other women around Mr. Fu recently. If there are, we need to prepare in advance.”

A sense of uncertainty crept into Ruan Li’s heart. While Fu Huaizhou had promised her that he wouldn’t get married during their contract, he didn’t say anything about not seeing other women.

If there were other women, it wasn’t so much that she felt threatened, but more disgusted by the idea.

After sending Chen Jing away, Ruan Li pulled out her phone, intending to ask Assistant Qin about Fu Huaizhou’s recent schedule. But then she remembered Assistant Qin was practically a traitor, always relaying everything back to Fu Huaizhou.

So a few days later, Ruan Li turned to the one person who knew Fu Huaizhou best the housekeeper, who had been with him the longest.

She subtly asked, “Uncle, what’s Fu Huaizhou been up to lately?”

The housekeeper smiled warmly, “Mr. Fu has been busy with work.”

“Has he bought anything recently? Sent anything somewhere? Or asked you to keep anything from me?”

“No,” the housekeeper chuckled, having guessed what she was hinting at. “Mr. Fu only has you by his side, Miss Ruan. You’re the first woman he’s brought back to Yu Garden.”

Ruan Li got goosebumps and quickly interrupted, “Don’t tell me you’re about to say, ‘Mr. Fu hasn’t been this happy in years.’ I know that’s just part of your training, so you don’t have to say it.”

“Miss Ruan, you could just ask him directly.”

As she was heading back to her room, she reminded the housekeeper, “Make sure not to tell Fu Huaizhou about this, or I’ll make sure your boss never smiles like that again.”

Inside her bedroom, on the bed, was the “outfit” Chen Jing had sent over earlier. It couldn’t really be called clothing, as it had less fabric than Lucky’s clothes.

They called it a “man slaying qipao,” but it was more like a dudou (traditional Chinese lingerie). The entire design was bizarre and out of place, and it even came with a pair of cat ears and a tail.

“This must be Lucky’s outfit, definitely,” Ruan Li thought as she held it up, feeling her palms grow hot.

She messaged Chen Jing, “I absolutely won’t wear this! No way!”

Chen Jing replied, “Whatever. But if the boss isn’t happy, I won’t be the one getting fired.”

Ten minutes later, in front of her full length mirror, Ruan Li knelt on the carpet, too embarrassed to stand up. The outfit was clearly too small for her, on the verge of bursting.

Her phone buzzed, startling her as if she had been caught doing something bad. She unlocked it and saw

Chen Jing “Once you put it on, don’t forget to show me. Hehe.”

Blushing as red as a peach, Ruan Li was wallowing in embarrassment when suddenly there was a knock on her bedroom door. She froze.

A deep male voice came from outside, “Ruan Li, come down for dinner.”

She hadn’t eaten all day, busy with this nonsense, and now she happened to overlap with Fu Huaizhou’s schedule. Hearing his voice, she panicked even more, feeling as if he could see right through the door.

The door handle turned with a soft click, and Ruan Li quickly grabbed a blanket to cover herself.

“What are you doing?” The person outside noticed the door was locked and asked again.

“Coming!” Ruan Li responded quickly, terrified that he might come in.

She changed into loungewear, stuffed the outfit under the bed, and opened the door to find Fu Huaizhou still standing there.

He looked at her flushed face, and her already beautiful features seemed even more alluring. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. “What were you doing in there, locking the door?”

This was his own bedroom, and now he couldn’t even access it freely.

Ruan Li stammered, “I was just playing with Lucky. I didn’t want him running out and shedding fur everywhere.”

Fu Huaizhou raised an eyebrow. Was this really something to get so flustered over? In a low voice, he said, “No need to lock it so tightly.”

Ruan Li wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying. She just nodded mechanically.

It was rare for them to eat together. Noticing she didn’t seem in a good mood, Fu Huaizhou assumed it was because she’d been out of work for too long. He hadn’t planned to interfere with the entertainment industry, but he asked, “That daughter from the Ruan family I’ve already stopped a few of their projects after the last incident. But as for her, how do you want to handle it?”

Ruan Li, still somewhat dazed, was surprised by his words. She had thought that releasing the statement and shifting public opinion was enough.

“No need to worry about her,” she replied. “I just want to watch her rise high, and then watch her fall hard. It’s not time for a complete takedown yet.”

“Do as you wish,” Fu Huaizhou allowed her to handle it.

After dinner, just as Ruan Li was heading back to her room, she noticed Fu Huaizhou heading in the same direction. Alarmed, she remembered the outfit hidden under the bed and asked, “Where are you going?”

Fu Huaizhou glanced at her with mild exasperation. “This is also my room. I need to grab something.”

Ruan Li felt awkward, nearly forgetting that this was his room too. She stepped aside as he entered, watching him search the bedside drawer for some documents.

“You seem tense,” Fu Huaizhou remarked as he prepared to leave.

Ruan Li quickly shook her head. “Not at all. I’m just here to help if you need anything.”

Seeing her stiff expression, Fu Huaizhou didn’t push further. “I don’t need anything.”

As he turned to leave, Ruan Li was about to breathe a sigh of relief when suddenly a white fluffball darted out from under the bed and ran towards him.

“Lucky come back!” Ruan Li’s heart raced. This was Fu Huaizhou’s first encounter with the cat.

But the cat had already reached his feet. Fu Huaizhou frowned slightly, then noticed something in the cat’s mouth.

He bent down to pick it up a pair of white fluffy cat ears.

“What’s this?” he asked, holding the ears in his hand.

“It’s one of Lucky’s toys!” Ruan Li quickly explained. “You don’t like cats, so hurry up and leave.”

As if to contradict her statement, Lucky immediately ran back under the bed, and a sense of foreboding crept up on Ruan Li.

Sure enough, the next second

With both of them watching, Lucky proudly emerged with the bag containing the “qipao,” dropping it at Fu Huaizhou’s feet.

Fu Huaizhou stared at the scant amount of fabric, especially the way the design clearly highlighted certain areas, making its purpose obvious. He raised his eyebrow as he lifted the fabric with his fingers and looked at Ruan Li.

“This too? Is this one of its toys? Or… is it yours?”