Chapter 5

The unfamiliar environment made Youyi uneasy.

Fortunately, Fu Cheng stayed in the study and did not come out.

Youyi sat on the sofa, playing with her phone for a while, then glanced towards the study.

As she approached the study door, Fu Cheng looked up.

Fu Cheng: “What’s the matter?”

Youyi replied softly, “I bought some ingredients for dinner.”

She thought she should thank Fu Cheng for his help, but she felt that the only thing she could do was a small gesture like this.

Fu Cheng didn’t say anything, so Youyi took the bags to the kitchen.

Fu Cheng rarely used the kitchen, which was brand new with barely any signs of use, but it had all the necessary items.

Youyi’s cooking skills were not very good. Before college, she was best at making tomato scrambled eggs. After moving out, she had learned a few simple dishes, like stir-fried peppers with meat, potato rib soup, and braised eggplant.

The ingredients she bought were simple.

Youyi tied up her hair, put on an apron, and quickly made two dishes and a soup—enough for the two of them.

She also cut up some fruit and arranged it on a plate.

When she called Fu Cheng for dinner, it was exactly six in the evening.

Looking at the modest dishes on the table, she said apologetically, “I’m not very good at cooking. I’m not sure if it’s to your taste.”

The meal seemed a bit meager for expressing her gratitude.

Fu Cheng wasn’t picky about food. He usually ate out, and since moving in, he hadn’t eaten at home.

He sat across from Youyi, eating with proper manners, not speaking during the meal.

The atmosphere was so gloomy that Youyi could hardly breathe.

After the meal, Fu Cheng went to take a shower.

He used the bathroom in the master bedroom. The sound of the water was faint, and Youyi quickly washed the dishes, dried her hands carefully.

When Fu Cheng came out of the bathroom, he saw Youyi at the bookshelf, organizing the books.

She wore a white casual T-shirt that subtly revealed her slender waist. Her arms were thin, and her dark hair was pinned back, exposing a large swath of fair skin at her nape. Hearing him, she turned around with a soft, bright voice, “I’ve tidied up these books a bit. I have labels here. It would be more convenient to label and categorize them.”

Youyi glanced at him, her eyes smiling. “I’ll bring them to you later.”

Fu Cheng stood there, watching her for a long time.

The light shining on her was particularly gentle, her hair shimmering softly. In his cold home, her presence brought a unique warmth.

Fu Cheng, rarely showing much care, nodded slightly. “Okay.”

Youyi continued organizing.

As she cleared away some miscellaneous items from the shelf, she opened a drawer and unexpectedly saw a red marriage certificate inside.

Youyi froze and looked up, noticing that Fu Cheng had somehow appeared beside her.

He had just showered, wearing a bathrobe that was loosely tied, exposing his well-defined chest with droplets of water still trickling down. Youyi’s head nearly bumped into his chest when she looked up.

Her breath caught.

Fu Cheng’s eyes were dark and unreadable. He sat down on a chair, stretching out his long legs, exuding an intense pressure.

He reached out and pulled Youyi onto his lap.

Seated on his lap, Youyi couldn’t touch the ground with her feet. Her waist was encircled by his arm, and she clutched his clothes, looking at him in fear.

“If I say stop, can you not continue?” Youyi asked softly.

“Hmm.” He responded.

His calm agreement only made Youyi more anxious. Facing such overwhelming power, she felt utterly helpless… like she was tossed about on a stormy sea, with massive waves crashing against her fragile hull.

Fu Cheng truly was unyielding.

He was like a fierce predator, untamable and merciless.

Being seven or eight years older than her, his lack of integrity was evident.

And he was even more extreme.

When she said stop, he covered her mouth and continued.

In the arena of captivity, the pure white daisies bloomed, their petals struggling to open before being crushed in his grasp.

*

Youyi had already taken a shower, but there were no pajamas available, so she wore a white shirt of Fu Cheng’s. The shirt was so large it reached her knees.

He didn’t seem like someone who owned white shirts. She had only seen him in dark clothes before.

Youyi curled up in the quilt, her cheeks flushed. She was breathing heavily and had not yet recovered.

Fu Cheng sat by the bed, applying ice to her ankle.

There was a prominent red mark around it.

Youyi had a very good temper. As Huang Youyi said, she rarely lost her temper with others.

The last time she scolded Fu Cheng was one of the rare moments she’d ever cursed at someone.

And it was precisely because of that scolding that their already tenuous relationship grew even colder.

Today, Youyi hadn’t scolded him.

“Thank you.” Youyi finally caught her breath and thanked him again for what happened earlier.

Seeing Du Li like that during the day had been terrifying. Even if he was persistent, he surely wouldn’t come back to block her anytime soon.

It had indeed resolved a major problem for her.

Such a favor could not be fully expressed with just a few words of thanks.

“I was really afraid of him. If you hadn’t been there today, he might have hit me.” Youyi felt very aggrieved. It was an unwarranted disaster.

Fu Cheng’s hand rested on her ankle for a long while before he coldly said, “It was my duty.”

His words made Youyi re-evaluate their relationship.

A month ago, Youyi’s grandfather was critically ill. Before passing away, he spoke of a long-standing wish.

He hoped that Youyi would fulfill the marriage agreement.

Youyi had always listened to her grandfather. His only wish before dying was to see her married.

So, Youyi agreed. For her grandfather, she hastily married an unfamiliar man.

That man was Fu Cheng, and they got their marriage certificate on her twentieth birthday.

After school started, her parents rented a place across from Fu Cheng, knowing they weren’t familiar with each other. They wanted her to stay there first to allow them to get acquainted.

Fu Cheng had a natural air of dominance that made people fear him instinctively.

But he was undeniably handsome.

His strong presence made it difficult for Youyi to resist.

After what happened last time, Youyi felt a mix of shame and anger—emotions she had never experienced in her previous twenty years.

She cursed Fu Cheng as a jerk, vowing never to see him again.

It was a rash remark made in the heat of embarrassment. Youyi truly didn’t speak to him again, and their relationship had cooled to an ice-cold state.

Until today’s incident with Du Li.

At least… it had broken the ice.

Fu Cheng asked, “Was he also harassing you at school?”

Last time, he had seen them together in their college.

Youyi nodded. “Yes.”

So, she had been trying to talk to him recently, even offering him water, hoping he could help her.

Fu Cheng’s gaze darkened.

He said nothing more, removing the ice from her ankle and covering her feet with a blanket.

“Are you thirsty? Do you want some water?” Fu Cheng asked as he stood up.

Youyi shook her head. “I want to go back to sleep.”

She was not used to having someone around while she slept.

Fu Cheng’s hand, still a bit cold from holding the ice, gently rubbed his hands together. He adjusted her shirt over her shoulders, then reached to pick her up.

Youyi hesitated and tried to stop him.

Fu Cheng asked softly, “Can you walk by yourself?”

Youyi’s hand withdrew silently.

Fu Cheng picked her up effortlessly, clearly having more strength than Youyi, who was exhausted. When they reached the door of room 901, he even managed to use one hand to enter the code.

Once inside the room, he set Youyi down and turned on the air conditioner, setting it to 26 degrees Celsius.

“Do you have class in the morning?” Fu Cheng asked.

Youyi nodded. “I have a lab class.”

Fu Cheng said, “Okay, I’ll take you in the morning.”

Even though Du Li likely wouldn’t come by again tomorrow morning, Fu Cheng’s presence meant absolute safety for Youyi.

With him there, she felt reassured.

So, she didn’t refuse.

“Come back for your clothes tomorrow,” Fu Cheng said as he helped her adjust her hair. Her neck was slightly damp from sweat, and his fingers were a bit wet.

“And for your ankle, if it still hurts tomorrow, come find me for medicine.”

Her ankle was clearly injured because of him, yet he called her delicate.

“Okay.” Youyi thought to herself but obediently agreed.

Fu Cheng turned to leave.

At the door, he paused again.

“If anything like this happens again, just tell me directly.”

Whether it was harassment or any unwelcome pursuit, she could come to him.

He would help her resolve it.

Youyi thought to herself that despite their legal marriage, even if there were no feelings, she couldn’t lose face for him.

That’s why he said that.

For him, indeed, he should.

Youyi said, “Yeah, I understand.”