Becoming the Runaway Little Wife of the Domineering CEO - Chapter 16

Fu Mang sat bolt upright in her chair. She had been staring down at the table, but at those words, she slowly lifted her eyes and fixed them on Lu Shaomin.

Under that gaze, Lu Shaomin felt as if every one of her sordid thoughts had been dragged into the light. She shifted her wrist uncomfortably but kept her expression smooth. “Mang-mang, why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?”

Fu Quanru also looked at Fu Mang, though he remained silent.

After a long pause, Fu Mang’s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. She didn’t answer the question. Instead, she offered a sharp reminder: “Don’t call me ‘Mang-mang.’ We aren’t nearly close enough for that.”

The furrow in Fu Quanru’s brow deepened. He spoke in a warning tone: “Fu Mang.”

Fu Mang’s smile only widened. “Listen to that. Even my own father only calls me by my full name. Is there really any need for an outsider like you to act so intimate?”

“Fu Mang!”

This time, Fu Quanru was truly incensed.

Fu Mang stood up. She held her chin high, looking away from her father. “This is exactly why I don’t want to come back,” she said coldly. “I make you unhappy, and you make me feel annoyed. So, don’t bother calling me home in the future. If there’s something to say, tell me over the phone. There’s no need to drag me here. Also, as for Chen Meiting—I’m tired of looking at her face. I’m letting her go the moment I get back. If you want to plant another spy in my life, try my office next time. You know very well how much I hate seeing faces I dislike in my own home.”

Fu Quanru was nearly sixty and had spent his life being catered to. The few times he’d ever been spoken to like this were all at the hands of Fu Mang. Seeing her turn to leave, he slammed his hand on the table. “Stand still! Is this how you treat me?! I am your father, not your servant!”

Fu Mang didn’t miss a beat. She walked out with a stony expression. Within a few steps, she ran into Jin Xiaoyu, who was hovering nearby with a look of utter bewilderment.

Jin Xiaoyu took one look at her face and carefully approached. “President Fu, are you…”

“It’s nothing,” Fu Mang cut her off sharply. “Let’s go. We’re going home.”

Without another word, Fu Mang marched toward the main entrance. Yin Shuang scrambled to keep up. Just before they stepped out, she glanced back and saw a woman standing on the second-floor balcony, looking down at them. She was impeccably dressed, appearing to be about twenty-five or twenty-six.

That was Lu Shaomin’s daughter, Fu Lin.

Yin Shuang pursed her lips and turned away, racing to catch up with Fu Mang.

The city lights were flickering to life, and the late November air carried a biting chill. The wind felt like a blade against the skin. Fu Mang walked so fast that the northern gale whipped across her face, soon turning the tip of her nose a bright red. Once inside the car, Fu Mang started the engine in total silence. While waiting for the heater to kick in, Yin Shuang peeked at her. She knew Fu Mang was furious, but looking at her now, she actually felt like laughing.

Fu Mang looks exactly like an angry rabbit…

After staring for a moment too long, Fu Mang frowned and looked over. Yin Shuang immediately snapped her gaze back to the front, adopting a look of pure, “I-didn’t-do-anything” innocence. Fu Mang didn’t have the energy to argue. She shifted into gear and sped away.

Leaving the grand Fu estate behind, Fu Mang drove at the very limit of the speed count. The scenery blurred past. After watching a third night-market food stall disappear into the distance, Yin Shuang finally reached her breaking point.

“President Fu… are we not going to eat?”

Fu Mang didn’t turn her head, her voice like ice. “No. I’m not hungry.”

Yin Shuang muttered, “But I am…”

Fu Mang: “…”

Half an hour later, two beautiful women appeared amidst the noisy crowds of an outdoor food stall. Though they were dining together, only one was doing the talking.

“…Yeah, that’s all for now. We’ll order more if we need to. Remember to grill the chicken cartilage until it’s crispy! Use plenty of oil, but no spice—just bring us some chili powder on the side so I can add it myself.”

“You got it!”

The server left. Yin Shuang looked up at the stall’s decorations—vibrant red lanterns hung everywhere, and the place was brightly lit. They had entered across a small stone arch bridge with artificial streams bubbling on either side. The staff were dressed in a northwestern folk style, giving the place an old-fashioned Ming-Qing dynasty vibe.

Yin Shuang found it fascinating. She unwrapped her utensils and did the same for Fu Mang. “President Fu, this decor is amazing! It feels like we’ve traveled back in time.”

Fu Mang’s only response was to slowly lift her eyelids and stare at her in silence.

Yin Shuang: “…”

Since Fu Mang wasn’t talking and the skewers would take a while, Yin Shuang sat for a bit before pulling out her phone to read an e-book she’d bought that morning.

In truth, after the long drive, the stifling feeling in Fu Mang’s chest had faded. Seeing the lively environment around her lifted her mood slightly, though she still felt drained and mostly just wanted to go home and sleep.

Fu Mang stared blankly at the utensils. After a while, Yin Shuang looked up from her phone.

Fu Mang sensed the gaze. “What now?”

“President Fu,” Yin Shuang suggested softly. “If you’re still unhappy, let’s skip work tomorrow. I’ll take you to the amusement park.”

Fu Mang let out a scoff. “You take me? Do you even know which way the front gate opens?”

“I’ll just follow the GPS. We’ll get there.”

“And do you even have the money? Tickets are two hundred yuan a person.”

Yin Shuang went silent for a moment, then asked tentatively, “President Fu, how much of my salary is left for this month? Is there another four hundred left to deduct?”

Fu Mang stared at her. Suddenly, she leaned her elbows on the table, looking at her with confusion. “Jin Xiaoyu, what are you playing at? Do you realize that if you keep pre-deducting your pay, you’ll have worked this whole month for nothing? Do you always spend money with zero restraint?”

Yin Shuang stammered, “I… I don’t! I’m only spending on things I should.”

“Being this broke and wanting to skip work for an amusement park counts as ‘spending on things you should’?”

Yin Shuang lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers. “I didn’t want to go for me. I wanted to take you…”

Fu Mang didn’t say anything for a long time. Yin Shuang looked up to find her frowning. Yin Shuang explained, “Your mood is important. Nothing is more important than being happy. Since you’re in a bad mood, it’s my duty as your bodyguard to help you feel better. I checked online; they say the place that makes girls happiest is a jewelry store, and the second is an amusement park. I can’t afford a jewelry store, so let’s go to the park. You bought me dinner, so I’ll pay for your fun. How about it?”

The two locked eyes. After a moment, Fu Mang turned her head away and muttered, “What’s so great about an amusement park? That’s for kids.”

Her voice sounded dismissive, so Yin Shuang assumed she didn’t want to go. “Then let’s not—”

“The gates open at nine. We need to be there by eight-thirty to buy tickets and get in line. I’ll buy the tickets; you stand in the line.”

Fu Mang calmly took a sip of the sour plum drink provided by the stall. Yin Shuang blinked, not questioning the sudden change in heart. She was just a bit confused. “Why so early? Can’t we just go when it opens?”

Fu Mang looked at her as if she were an idiot. “You’re hopeless. Do you have any idea how many people are at those parks every day? You’ll wait hours for the good rides. Once we’re in, we hit the most popular ones first, then do the smaller ones. That saves time.”

Yin Shuang nodded as if realizing a great truth. “I see.”

Fu Mang lifted her chin proudly, her tone returning to one of mock disdain. “See? You say you’re ‘taking me,’ but I’m clearly the one taking you. If you went by yourself, you’d be standing in line until the end of time.”

Yin Shuang grinned. “Regardless of who’s taking who, I’m just glad we’re going.”

Fu Mang was about to retort, but the skewers arrived. Jin Xiaoyu immediately lunged for the chicken cartilage like a wolf that hadn’t eaten in three days. Fu Mang hadn’t had an appetite before, but watching her, she suddenly felt hungry too. With a small smile in her heart, she picked up a chicken wing and began to eat.

******

Fu Mang was a woman of habit who strictly followed her schedule. When Shao Yang heard she hadn’t come into work, he assumed she was ill. He called her, only to hear a cacophony of noise on the other end. Fu Mang was holding the phone with one hand and handing a credit card through a ticket window with the other.

“Yes, two all-day passes… What? Say that again, it’s too loud here!”

Shao Yang: “…President Fu, where are you?”

“Happy Valley,” Fu Mang answered quickly. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I just thought—”

“If there’s nothing wrong, why are you calling? I’m busy. Bye.”

And with that, she hung up.

Shao Yang: “…”

Support Becoming the Runaway Little Wife of the Domineering CEO