Chapter 22: So Miss Yue Isn’t Mute After All

Yue Su walked out of the supermarket and returned to Yao Yao’s side.

Yao Yao looked at her eagerly and asked, “Mama, why hasn’t Auntie Yi come over yet?”

Yue Su didn’t know how to answer.

As she hesitated, Qian Man came over to Fu Xijin.

“President Fu, Teacher Yi has already teamed up with Teacher Yuan. Now, you and Yue Su are paired together.”

Fu Xijin didn’t show much reaction, but Naonao was visibly delighted.

“Then I can go collect honey with Yao Yao!”
She hopped over to Yao Yao excitedly.
“Yao Yao, let’s go collect honey together!”

Yao Yao blinked in confusion. “What about Brother Xingjun?”

“He went with Teacher Yuan. Let’s go too!”

Naonao loved climbing trees and wasn’t interested in heading toward the cliff. She was focused solely on finding the big beehive hanging from a tall tree.

“Uncle, which way should we go?” Naonao looked up at Fu Xijin.

Fu Xijin leaned lazily against a tree, lifting his eyelids slightly.
“You decide.”

Naonao turned to Yue Su. “Auntie Susu, can we head south?”

Yue Su had no objections and replied, “You can decide. Yao Yao and I can’t climb trees anyway, so we probably won’t be much help.”

Seeing that no one objected, Naonao clenched her fists in excitement. “Then let’s set off!”

Although they had a map, it was still quite difficult to find a specific place accurately on a strange, wild island.

Fortunately, both Fu Xijin and Yue Su had a good sense of direction and were heading correctly.

Yue Su stayed silent, and Fu Xijin wasn’t a talkative person either.
The whole way, only Naonao and Yao Yao’s voices could be heard.

【Yue Su is really trying hard to distance herself from President Fu.】
【Her attitude is obvious. I don’t believe she ever tried to get between President Fu and Jiang Wanting.】
【Maybe not now, but what about before? I still have the video of her pestering President Fu outside Whale Corporation!】
【Once a homewrecker, always a homewrecker. Yue Su will never clear her name in my eyes.】
【Jiang Wanting’s fans are too much. Even with an engagement, did President Fu ever pay your idol any attention?】
【Who cares? As long as there’s an engagement, Yue Su is a third party if she even thinks about it!】

Although they were traveling, Yue Su wasn’t idle.

The deeper they went, the richer the resources she noticed.

Especially after last night’s heavy rain — wild mushrooms were sprouting everywhere.

The island had a variety of wild mushrooms, and Yue Su recognized at least five edible kinds.

“President Fu,” Yue Su finally couldn’t resist speaking.

Fu Xijin paused his steps and looked over with a hint of mockery.
“So, Miss Yue isn’t mute after all.”

Yue Su smiled faintly.
“…I can’t help much with collecting honey. I’ll stay here with Yao Yao and pick mushrooms.”

Naonao immediately raised her hand.
“Then I’ll pick mushrooms too! I don’t want to collect honey anymore!”

Fu Xijin curled his lips slightly.
“Who told you I was only here to collect honey?”

Yue Su rolled her eyes.
“If you can’t, why are we even going?”

Fu Xijin shot back, “Weren’t you leading the way?”

Yue Su let out a laugh of frustration.
“Then forget it. Let’s split up here.”

Naonao immediately protested, “No splitting up! I want to stay with Yao Yao.”

Ignoring Fu Xijin, Yue Su casually pulled down a thornless vine and started weaving.

She was skillful — her nimble fingers quickly wove the vine into the shape of a basket.

“President Fu, can I borrow your knife?”

She really regretted not buying some tools at the supermarket for self-defense.

Fu Xijin, holding a short knife, effortlessly sliced the vine she was working on cleanly in half.

Yue Su only needed to finish tying off the end.

She led Yao Yao away, having already marked a spot earlier where she’d seen a patch of mushrooms.

When they arrived, Yue Su squatted down, carefully peeling back the dead leaves and branches.

Finding the treasure trove of mushrooms, she was so excited that she forgot herself for a moment and turned to Fu Xijin with a bright smile.

“Look, it’s matsutake!”

When she smiled, her eyes curved like crescent moons, sparkling brightly like stars in the night sky.

Fu Xijin rubbed his fingers absentmindedly, then composed himself and looked away from her radiant expression.

“Mm.”

His cold response was like a bucket of cold water, dampening Yue Su’s joy.

Her excitement faded quickly, like waves settling into stillness.

Dog.
(She cursed him silently.)

“Mama, let’s dig out the mushrooms quickly and bring them to Uncle Yuan to cook!” Yao Yao urged, not noticing Yue Su’s mood shift.

Naonao, meanwhile, held her cheeks and licked her lips longingly.
“If only we had chicken! Mushrooms go best with chicken soup!”

Fu Xijin, wary of accidentally picking poisonous mushrooms, didn’t help and instead took out a crossbow from his backpack and started assembling it.

Yue Su’s movements froze.
“Where did you get that crossbow?”

Fu Xijin answered coolly,
“Bought it from the production team.”

Yue Su blinked.
“Crossbows aren’t cheap. You guys had money?”

Naonao shook her head.
“We didn’t have money. Uncle got it on credit.”

Yue Su’s eyes lit up.
“Is hunting legal on this island?”

“As long as it’s not protected species from Country A,” he replied succinctly.

This was his private island, rich in wild flora and fauna.
In past years, he’d often come hunting here with friends — except for the last two years.

Clearing his scattered thoughts, Fu Xijin looked at Naonao.

“Naonao, are you coming with me, or staying?”

Naonao quickly waved him off.
“I want to stay with Auntie Susu. Uncle, you go!”

Fu Xijin paused, then turned his gaze to Yue Su.

“Please look after her. I won’t go far. Call out if there’s trouble.”

Yue Su nodded without even raising her head.
“Okay.”

Fu Xijin carried the crossbow and walked into the forest.

But after a few steps, he turned back.

“Here, take this knife.”

Yue Su looked up at him.

Fu Xijin was still wearing the same outfit from yesterday — short-sleeved shirt, cargo pants, no sun protection clothing, revealing his strong and well-defined arms.

His face was devoid of excess emotion, his gaze sharp and cold like an unsheathed blade.

Since their reunion, Yue Su hadn’t seen a single hint of warmth in his eyes.

He was a complete stranger to her now.
Even Yue Su couldn’t connect him with the “Ah Jin” she once knew.

She suddenly thought back to herself, standing outside Whale Corporation overnight — how ridiculous it seemed now.

Even if she had seen him back then, what could she have said?

He was no longer Ah Jin.

Suppressing her stray thoughts, Yue Su silently accepted the short knife.

Fu Xijin’s gaze darkened slightly before he turned and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

The sight of the mushrooms quickly lifted Yue Su’s spirits.

Matsutake, porcini, chicken mushrooms, chanterelles — she collected them happily.

Still, knowing her limits, she only picked what she could confidently identify.

“Mama, can Sister and I go play over there?”

Yue Su looked up.
“Okay, but don’t go too far. Stay where Mama can see you.”

“Don’t worry, Auntie Susu! I’ll protect little sister!” Naonao patted her small chest proudly.

Yue Su smiled and pinched Naonao’s cheek.

Naonao had inherited her looks from Fu Xijin’s side of the family — handsome features and a bold personality.

“Then I’ll leave it to you! Afterward, Auntie will treat you to mushroom soup!”

If Fu Xijin didn’t manage to hunt anything, she’d just trade the mushrooms with the production team for some meat.

【Who’s jealous? I won’t say it, but I also want to go mushroom picking!】
【Yue Su picking mushrooms is so soothing to watch — I could watch her all day!】
【Forget everything else, she should just film mushroom-picking videos. She’d go viral!】
【Stop picking mushrooms! Go check on President Fu! He’s too handsome, I’m bleeding out!】