So it was ten years ago.

And ten years later, it was still the same.

She really hadn’t changed at all.

Fu Yingcheng lowered his lashes, concealing the darkness in his gaze, then turned and swiftly walked back to the private room.

If he had been merely unreadable before he left, now his coldness was clear to anyone who looked. The people at the table exchanged glances, refraining from boasting and sticking to harmless pleasantries. Only Su Lingqing kept giving him pointed looks.

After a moment, Fu Yingcheng raised his glass and stood, prompting the others to rise as well.

“I have a personal matter to attend to. I’ll be leaving early; apologies.”

Fu Yingcheng said coolly, “Though this gathering was arranged by Su Lingqing, consider tonight as my personal treat. Thank you all for your hard work recently in Düsseldorf.”

The others immediately chimed in:

“No, no, it wasn’t hard at all!”

“Thank you, Mr. Fu.”

“Mr. Fu, go ahead if you have things to take care of!”

“Exactly, no need to worry about us!”

After Fu Yingcheng left, Han Wentao couldn’t help but ask, “Is Mr. Fu upset?”

Liu Chengming snapped irritably, “Isn’t it because you kept bragging non-stop?”

Zhang Jian: “I think both of you are pushing it.”

“Alright, stop guessing,” Su Lingqing said, propping his chin up with a smirk. “It has nothing to do with you guys.”

The others looked puzzled, while Su Lingqing gave a knowing smile.

Wasn’t it obvious?

… Someone’s jealousy was so strong that it could practically flood the entire Chuanteng Mansion.

*

On the other side.

Ji Fanling quickly finished eating, wiped her mouth, and stood up to leave.

Cheng Jiali, who was halfway through speaking, saw her about to leave and couldn’t help but laugh, “Have you even been here for ten minutes from start to finish? At least wait for me to finish eating.”

“Wait for you to finish? That would cost extra.”

“How much? I’ll transfer it to you.” Cheng Jiali pretended to take out his phone, “Add me as a friend.”

“Forget it, I’m dripping with wealth these days,” Ji Fanling said slowly, raising her hand and waving dismissively. “I’m leaving.”

She quickly went downstairs, stepping into the chilly night wind outside, pulled her zipper all the way up, and exhaled a breath.

Cheng Jiali was still very good to her… so good that it was almost strange.

Ji Fanling didn’t think too deeply about it; she simply felt that things were different now. Being around Cheng Jiali made her feel uneasy…

Perhaps it was because he was already married.

To Cheng Jiali, it was best if she remained as good as dead.

Ji Fanling walked slowly with her hands in her pockets. As she passed by the parking lot, a black car swerved out of a parking space, catching up from behind and driving alongside her.

The car’s front lights flashed quickly.

The lights flashed again.

Then came the honk.

Ji Fanling frowned, turned her head to look, and froze: “Fu Yingcheng?”

The man in the driver’s seat was wearing a black coat, his dark eyes staring straight ahead without looking at her. His voice carried a hint of cold indifference:

“Get in.”

Ji Fanling got into the passenger seat and paused, feeling inexplicably that Fu Yingcheng was in a bad mood. “Were you also eating at Chuanteng Mansion?”

“Company dinner,” he replied without any emotion.

“That’s quite the coincidence.” Ji Fanling muttered, feeling awkward as she tugged at the seatbelt.

Maybe she had overeaten, as her stomach was starting to ache faintly.

Fu Yingcheng shot her a cold glance, as if to say, Are you waiting for me to ask?

“I was with Cheng Jiali…” A sudden, sharp pain twisted in her stomach, making Ji Fanling pause and frown, “had a meal.”

The car grew even quieter, with only the monotonous sound of warm air blowing from the heater. The peace amulet hanging under the rearview mirror swayed gently in the breeze.

After a moment, the man spoke, seemingly nonchalantly, “How was it?”

How was what? The meal?

The food was good.

But she regretted it; she shouldn’t have shown off by eating something so spicy on a whim.

Now, her stomach truly started to hurt, with radiating cramps pulling at her abdomen, twisting like a knife cutting through her insides.

She had originally intended to explain that Cheng Jiali invited her to dinner on a whim to return her bracelet. The reason he found it was because she had attended his wedding, and she knew he got married because of a junior from the university student council…

It was a long, convoluted story, too exhausting to explain.

Taking advantage of the brief respite from the pain, she answered hastily, “It was okay.” Her voice was a bit weak and hoarse.

Fu Yingcheng glanced at her.

The girl’s face was pale, her eyelashes trembling as they drooped.

Her fingers, gripping her clothes, were curled as if enduring pain, with the tips pressed so hard that they turned white.

She cared about him that much.

Crying wasn’t enough; she had to meet up, have dinner, reminisce, and still be so absent-minded.

She wouldn’t even speak.

The golden glow of the streetlights outside the car window flickered like a moving fence, casting shifting light over the man’s sharp, cold profile.

Only his eyes remained shrouded in the shadows, dark and unfathomable.

After a moment, Fu Yingcheng’s fingers rested on the steering wheel as he spoke, suppressing his emotions: “Do you know that he’s married?”

“I know.”

Ji Fanling stared out the window, held back for a while longer, and said with difficulty, “But I’m not mad at him.”

The man couldn’t hold back and let out a cold laugh from his throat: “Not mad.” Good.

Ji Fanling glanced at him, puzzled, thinking he didn’t believe her. “Do I look like someone so unreasonable?”

This was just how the world worked.

Either they left her like her mother did, abandoned her like Ji Guoliang, or let go of her like Cheng Jiali.

In the end, she would still end up alone.

It was just a matter of time.

“He didn’t do anything wrong by falling in love and getting married, did he?” She tugged at the corner of her mouth in a self-mocking smile and looked out the window.

“—After all, who would wait ten years for someone presumed dead?”

The dim light and shadows shifted.

An odd silence fell over the car.

Ji Fanling waited for a while but didn’t hear Fu Yingcheng speak. She thought for a moment—today, her stomach pain had left her in no mood to talk first, so he probably felt brushed off and didn’t bother responding.

As the pain eased a little, Ji Fanling tried to explain, “Actually, Cheng Jiali has been pretty nice to me. Do you remember in sophomore year during PE class when I fainted…”

“Enough, I don’t want to hear it.”

The man abruptly interrupted, his voice carrying a barely perceptible edge of hostility.

He reached out and impatiently pressed a button on the central console, and the sudden burst of music filled the car, creating a wall between them.

Ji Fanling: “…”

If you didn’t want to hear it, why did you ask?

Ji Fanling felt a subtle annoyance and turned her head, leaning against the seat, her forehead pressed to the window as she curled up uncomfortably.

The car sped down the empty road like a black streak of lightning.

Neither of them spoke a word the entire way.

Until they reached the residential complex and parked in the underground garage.

Fu Yingcheng quickly turned off the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car first.

Ji Fanling moved much slower than usual, one hand clutching her stomach and the other pushing at the car door, which felt so heavy that she could barely move it.

Ji Fanling bit her lip.

Stomach pain was nothing new to her; forcing herself to sleep it off and enduring until morning was just routine, not something worth worrying about.

Ji Fanling slowly walked into the elevator. The man had been holding down the open button for a few minutes, lifting his eyes impatiently, “Why don’t you just take a cab back…”

He glanced at her once.

Fu Yingcheng’s expression shifted slightly as he pressed a hand against the closing elevator door. “What’s wrong with you?”

“My stomach… feels a bit off,” Ji Fanling said, feeling nauseous as she lowered her head and tried to squeeze under his arm into the elevator.

Fu Yingcheng paused for a moment. “Not emotionally upset?”

Why would she feel emotionally upset? Because eating spicy food betrayed her ancestors’ beliefs? Or did she normally think with her stomach?

Ji Fanling pulled at the corner of her mouth, unable to speak from the pain, bending over and casting a weak, mocking glance.

To the man, her look of mockery clearly took on a different meaning.

Fu Yingcheng pressed the open button and, without a word, grabbed her arm and led her out of the elevator. His pace wasn’t fast, but his grip was firm. Ji Fanling, unable to stand steadily, had no choice but to stumble along after him. “…Where are we going?”

“The hospital.”

“No, let go of me.”

Fu Yingcheng’s grip was surprisingly strong, instantly reminding her of the boy who had once, with a cold expression, dragged her to the convenience store to tend to her wounds.

“Not going to the hospital and just waiting to heal on your own?”

“Let me go back and lie down… I’ll be fine,” Ji Fanling muttered unwillingly, struggling against him, almost wanting to bite him out of frustration.

“My place is a home, not a hospital.”

“…”

Fu Yingcheng halted abruptly, turning around so close that their faces were almost touching. He glared at her, cold fury mingled in his gaze. “If lying down worked, then why would I even run a medical company?”

Ji Fanling was at a loss for words, realizing she didn’t have much ground to insist on resting at his place. Reluctantly, she shifted her gaze away in compromise.

At that moment.

A wave of ominous nausea surged up her throat.

“Let me go…” The three words were almost forced out through gritted teeth.

Before she could finish speaking, Ji Fanling suddenly and uncontrollably vomited.

Hello again, spicy hot pot.

The mushy meat mixed with rice, dotted with bright red chili slices, released a pungent, sour smell that filled the air.

With the last bit of her strength, Ji Fanling turned her head to avoid vomiting directly onto Fu Yingcheng’s chest.

However, they were standing far too close, and Fu Yingcheng was still holding her arm. The vomit trickled down the hem of his coat, soaking his pant legs and shoes.

As if vomiting wasn’t bad enough!

She had vomited all over him!

Ji Fanling’s legs were so weak that she could barely stand. If not for Fu Yingcheng’s strong hand supporting her arm, half-lifting her weight, she would have almost collapsed to her knees.

The man remained silent above her, and for some reason, he did not let go.

…

He even pulled her slightly closer.

He didn’t even try to push her away.