Chapter 37: “Ears Burning”

As Tang Tian had anticipated, Liu Xiaozhi’s expression suddenly changed. She tightened her grip on the chopsticks, questioning why Shen Yanli wanted Tang Tian to deliver milk to his room every morning.

After finishing her breakfast, Tang Tian stood up and took her plate to the kitchen. She wasn’t worried about this situation; Liu Xiaozhi wouldn’t just let it slide.

Whether Shen Yanli was genuinely interested in her or merely testing her, she decided to minimize her interactions with him in the future to avoid getting entangled in the love-hate relationships of the main characters.

At noon, after retrieving the meal from the kitchen, Tang Tian pushed the cart upstairs with Liu Xiaozhi following behind her.

They reached the elevator and were both waiting for it.

As the elevator descended from the third floor to the first, Tang Tian was about to push the cart inside.

It appeared Liu Xiaozhi had been prepared; she pushed the cart into the elevator first and pressed the close button just as Tang Tian was about to enter.

The elevator was quite responsive, and Tang Tian stood behind the cart, unable to press the open button in time as the doors closed right in front of her.

Tang Tian hadn’t expected Liu Xiaozhi to be so cunning in this situation. She wasn’t angry; she just had to wait for the next elevator, which wouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.

It seemed that without her “wooden warehouse,” Liu Xiaozhi could no longer maintain her usual gentle and understanding facade.

Tang Tian calmly pressed the button for the elevator to return to the first floor.

At that moment, she sensed someone approaching and turned around in confusion.

Fu Xi had appeared behind her, standing so close that he could almost touch her if he leaned in slightly.

Tang Tian was bewildered by his sudden presence. When had he arrived? How had he done so silently?

Dressed in a dark brown coat and a dark striped scarf, Fu Xi’s handsome, chiseled features bore a half-smirk, making him look both charming and mysterious.

He leaned closer, his breath brushing against her ear.

They were so close that she could feel his breath on her right ear, making her heart race and causing her to forget how to breathe.

“Have you been bullied again?”

He had just returned from outside, bringing with him the chill of wind and snow, yet his breath was still warm, making Tang Tian’s sensitive skin feel as if it might melt.

She suppressed the growing tremor and took a step to the left.

“Fu… Mr. Fu.”

She stiffly greeted him.

Fu Xi slowly straightened up, standing beside her. He tilted his face, his peach blossom eyes slowly tracing her overly beautiful features.

Tang Tian glanced at the elevator that had stopped on the second floor, delaying its arrival. It seemed to suit Fu Xi perfectly, as he was clearly looking for an opportunity to tease her.

Fu Xi glanced at the elevator display, then gently pinched Tang Tian’s right cheek. His fingertip felt soft and delicate, smoother than high-quality silk.

Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she grabbed his large hand. Though it didn’t hurt, such an intimate act from Fu Xi felt inappropriate.

“Mr. Fu, please… let go.”

Fu Xi refused to release her cheek, smirking as he teased, “The elevator is still stuck on the second floor; she’s still bullying you.”

Only when he noticed her anger did he finally let go, revealing the rosy flush on her cheek where he had just pinched her.

His peach blossom eyes darkened slightly, captivated by how soft and tender she felt.

Tang Tian was so frustrated she wanted to bite his hand: “There should be a boundary between men and women. Please, Mr. Fu, behave yourself.”

Her pouting expression only made Fu Xi chuckle, finding her adorably cute… to the point he wanted to pinch her cheeks.

“Why are you so easy to bully? You’re so soft and delicate; anyone would want to pick on you.”

Tang Tian couldn’t be bothered to engage with him further. Finally, Liu Xiaozhi upstairs released her hold, and the elevator quickly descended to the first floor.

She pushed the cart into the elevator, with Fu Xi following beside her. Whenever he looked at her, his peach blossom eyes held a teasing glint.

“Are you not angry that she’s bullying you?”

Fu Xi had witnessed everything, and Tang Tian had remained calm throughout, not showing any signs of being provoked by Liu Xiaozhi.

Tang Tian shrugged it off; even if she was angry, it would make little difference. After all, Liu Xiaozhi had intentionally left her near the helipad, and the risk associated with that was not small.

The next day, Liu Xiaozhi’s actions would be exposed, but what difference would it make? It wouldn’t affect Liu Xiaozhi at all.

As for the elevator incident, she could confront Liu Xiaozhi about it, but as soon as Liu Xiaozhi cried, she would be the one in the wrong.

Others might criticize her for being petty over such a trivial matter, which would play right into Liu Xiaozhi’s hands.

There was nothing she could do; after all, Liu Xiaozhi was the female lead, while she was just the vicious supporting character.

So she decided it was best to let it go and approach the situation with indifference.

“Liu Xiaozhi will have to hurry to deliver meals; she’ll stop once she’s tired from pressing buttons.”

She would just wait; after all, it would only take a few more minutes. Liu Xiaozhi was even more afraid of the food in the cart getting cold than she was.

Fu Xi seemed surprised by her positive attitude. He lowered his gaze, struggling against the urge to pull her into his embrace…

Unaware that the man beside her was eyeing her, Tang Tian pushed the cart out of the elevator.

As she walked toward the entrance on her right, Liu Xiaozhi heard the elevator open and stopped pushing her cart. She turned around with a gentle smile, intending to irritate Tang Tian.

However, as she turned, her gentle smile vanished, replaced by an extremely unpleasant expression as she looked at the tall man standing beside Tang Tian.

Tang Tian paid no attention to Liu Xiaozhi, pushing the cart toward Fu Xi and Wen Shaohan’s room.

But Fu Xi was different; he smirked and raised his voice, “This elevator really made me wait today. Don’t you think so, Xiaozhi?”

Liu Xiaozhi’s face drained of color. How could Fu Xi… have come up with Tang Tian?

Fu Xi raised his hand, attempting to drape his arm over Tang Tian’s shoulder. Tang Tian sensed this in time and hurriedly quickened her pace to avoid his hand.

He clicked his tongue in displeasure but didn’t try to hug her again, instead continuing in a loud voice, “Looks like I’ll need to have a chat with Sister Wu.”

Liu Xiaozhi watched the two figures walk away, gripping the cart handle tightly. Why was Fu Xi here?! Why was he speaking up for Tang Tian…

On the other side, Tang Tian pushed the cart into Fu Xi’s room, setting the lunch on the dining table in the living room.

“Mr. Fu, please take your time.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “Thank you for earlier.”