Sweet Gardenia - Chapter 10

His bathroom was clearly spacious.

The countertop was clearly slip-resistant.

Yet, Lu Zhi was now trapped in the corner where the mirror met the tiled wall, her body sliding downward uncontrollably. The fabric of his suit pants was clamped tightly between her legs.  He seemed particularly fond of this material, even when wearing a shirt, he would choose one with a design to match. The cold metal accessories along the pant legs pressed icily against the back of her knees. Her palms, braced against the cool countertop, grew hot from the scorching air, sweating profusely until they could no longer hold her up, and she slid further down.

Once their lips met, the kiss deepened. She was robbed of all breath as he gently sucked on her tongue, sending electric tingles shooting straight to the top of her head. The nape of her neck burned, held firmly in his grasp. Her thoughts drifted hazily until she heard footsteps from somewhere.

Tap, tap, tap.

They seemed to be getting closer. Suddenly, she realized what she was doing. The half-open door swayed with the wind, nudging the tip of her foot before slowly swinging back into place, the lock mechanism emitting a faint mechanical sound.

She bit Fu Yanshang.

…

The kiss came to an abrupt halt. He pulled back half an inch, his slightly damp eyes narrowing as he lowered his voice, “…What’s the meaning of this?”

Struggling to regulate her uneven breathing, she placed a hand against his shoulder to block any potential further advances. “There’s someone here.”

Behind them, the two foxes began digging again, though she had no idea what they were up to. Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, she shifted slightly. “Your son is nudging me.”

The person in front of her fell silent for several seconds.

A moment later, a fox tail swished past. He paused. “You mean the foxes?”

“Yeah,” she said, taken aback. “What else?”

“…”

His adam’s apple bobbed, and with the rising temperature, it carried a distinct sense of restraint.

Fu Yanshang picked up the two foxes digging in the corner, turned around, and set them outside. When he turned back, his expression had returned to its usual calm.

Her hair was still wet. He turned the hairdryer back on, setting it to low-speed cool air.

Lu Zhi asked, “Aren’t you going to discipline them?”

His fingers gently combed through her damp hair. “Foxes hold grudges, and they don’t listen to their owners.”

“…”

Fu Yanshang glanced at her. “A ten-pound fox has eight pounds of defiance. That’s why few people choose foxes as pets. Their obedience is nowhere near that of cats or dogs.  They just look well-behaved.”

She lowered her eyes and murmured, “Oh.”

The hairdryer stopped. The person outside hadn’t come in. She crossed her legs and swayed them lightly, clearly preoccupied.

After a long while, she finally remembered another topic. “Are both of them male? Don’t they feel lonely?”

“They’re only two years old.”

Fu Yanshang put away the hairdryer, his tone ambiguous. “I’ve lived alone for 27 years, and no one ever asked if I was lonely.”

“…”

–

On Monday morning, the acquisition contract between Rongsheng and Huaya was officially completed. The public relations department began drafting the press release, and the company was briefly immersed in a flurry of activity.

Fu Yanshang flipped to the end of the document in his hand, pausing thoughtfully for a moment before tapping the desk lightly with his fingertips.

He Zhao, standing nearby, asked, “Is there still an issue?”

“Huaya has a newly established gaming studio, right?”

“Yes, but they haven’t released any official games yet, and there’s no profit. That’s why it was omitted from the main revenue summary.”

“Send me the information.”

He Zhao was taken aback for a moment. His initial thought was that a studio of that scale would never warrant the attention of the executive office, let alone a review. But after a brief pause, he still nodded and said, “Alright.”

…

At five in the afternoon, Lu Zhi clicked open a webpage. The headline “Rongsheng Acquires Huaya Network in a $9.5 Billion Full Buyout” dominated the entire page. Propping her cheek on her hand, she scrolled from top to bottom with her mouse, not absorbing a single word.

Soon, someone arrived, flaunting the news triumphantly.

The glass door of the office was knocked, and Xu Jing sashayed in, carrying two cups of bubble tea. “Darling, I bought too much celebratory tea. Here, share in the good fortune.  Don’t you dare refuse me.”

Lu Zhi really wanted to punch her in the face twice.

Xu Jing walked behind her, saw the webpage on her screen, and couldn’t hide her expression, skipping any background explanation. “You’ve seen the news too? Although we’re under Huaya, we never intended to climb Rongsheng’s high branch. You know, Huaya owns the chat app with the highest daily active users in the country. The user base is massive, just a simple push notification brings enormous exposure. That’s what we were aiming for. Don’t think I’m humble-bragging.”

Seeing that Lu Zhi remained silent and Li Siyi was yawning, Xu Jing cut to the chase and stated her intent: “In the gaming industry, channels and audience are king. No matter how strong your initial launch is, it’s nothing compared to placing your game in an app users log into every day. That’s how you sustain long-term growth.”

“You two are quite capable. How about it? Want to join me and work together?”

…

Lu Zhi distilled the main idea: in short, Xu Jing wanted to be her boss.

Lu Zhi: “No.”

Xu Jing: “…”

As Lu Zhi turned away, about to say something else, Xu Jing’s phone rang.

It seemed urgent. Xu Jing hurriedly pushed the door open to take the call. Lu Zhi spun once more in her ergonomic chair, swaying back to her desk.

Her screen lit up. Lu Zhi glanced at it but didn’t move.

Li Siyi looked up and reminded her, “Fu Yanshang sent you a message. Aren’t you going to check it?”

“Not really in the mood to read his messages right now.”

Li Siyi shrugged. “Xu Jing and her crew, who aren’t even remotely connected to the acquisition, came here to gloat. Meanwhile, you can’t even be bothered to reply to a message from the CEO.”

Lu Zhi pulled her phone closer, thinking it was probably another invitation to dinner at his grandfather’s place. She wasn’t in the mood today and didn’t feel like pretending to be all lovey-dovey with him…

The next moment, she sat bolt upright in her chair.

Li Siyi asked, “What? What happened?”

He had sent a picture, a clear, black-and-white document, two copies of a termination letter.

Outside the glass partition, Xu Jing’s triumphant smile vanished, replaced by a deathly pale face.

–

For the past couple of days, Lu Zhi had been returning home late, usually after ten. By the time she dawdled in the bathroom and emerged, he was already asleep.

But today, she left work early.

The moment she received the message, she raced home like a bolt of lightning. Sure enough, Fu Yanshang was sitting in the living room, reading a book.

She leaned in and asked quietly, “Did you fire the people from that game studio? Why?”

“They’re incompetent.”

“…”

“I called them in for a chat,” he said leisurely, turning a page. “They knew nothing. Rongsheng doesn’t employ idle hands.”

“The project barely moves an inch each month, user pain points remain unarticulated, there’s no core competitiveness, and the pace is excruciatingly slow. If I don’t handle it today, it’ll have to be dealt with eventually.  It’s only a matter of time.”

Her heart, still burning from her run, now felt half-chilled and half-warmed. On one hand, she thought his words were undeniably reasonable and wise; on the other, she found his detached, analytical demeanor rather intimidating.

…

“And,” Fu Yanshang’s fingers finally stilled, curling atop the book page, “if I don’t address this soon, I’m afraid you won’t come home to speak with me tomorrow. Next month, you might even send divorce papers to the office for me to sign.”

“It wouldn’t go that far,” she quipped, inspiration striking as she clasped her hands together earnestly. “I still treasure our marriage, you know.”

“…”

“Could’ve fooled me,” he said.

Lu Zhi pouted. “Then take a closer look.”

The evening glow poured into the hollow of her neck like an oil painting, tracing delicate, distinct textures. Up close, the fine down on her cheeks was visible, reminiscent of a freshly picked, juicy peach. Her bangs curved gently beneath her eyes, brushed with a soft hint of blush.

He raised an eyebrow impassively. “A beauty trap?”

“Of course not,” she leaned back, stating objectively, “I didn’t prepare much today. My beauty traps are never this simplistic.”

“…”

–

Dinner at home was at six-thirty. Since she and Fu Yanshang had different tastes, the housekeeper often prepared separate dishes for them. Take tonight’s fish, for example.  He could patiently pick out the bones for ages, while she wouldn’t even attempt it, opting instead for two scoops of crab roe noodles and a small steak to cut the richness.

After dinner, they each had an hour of undisturbed personal time. She would shop, binge-watch dramas, or do Pilates, while Fu Yanshang took calls, attended meetings, or worked out.

After unpacking the day’s deliveries, she took a shower and lay in bed admiring the newly arrived character illustrations from the artist, discussing with Li Siyi what moves Xu Jing and the others might make next.

Before she knew it, it was past ten. Fu Yanshang emerged from the bathroom after his workout, wearing new pajamas. As he lifted his arms to blow-dry his hair, a strip of taut, well-defined muscle was exposed along his waist.

Lu Zhi understood the principle of “see no evil,” but the second glance was to confirm the reminder, and the third… was because she noticed a hint of color.

Along his lower abdomen and side were a few freeform, twisting marks, bold and clean, layered in three strokes of dark red, like flames.

—A tattoo?

Suddenly struck by an idea, she blurted out, “Is dark red your favorite color?”

Fu Yanshang’s hand holding the hairdryer paused, as if surprised by her sudden topic shift.

“How did you figure that out?”

The wristwatch he’d casually set aside on the table gleamed with fine sparks, its black dial infused with a streak of dark red that seemed half-melted, like a flowing galaxy of burning sand.

Unexpectedly, the question Grandpa had posed days ago now had an answer.

Of course, she wouldn’t admit she’d been observing him. Clearing her throat lightly, she feigned nonchalance and boasted a little, “Wasn’t it obvious?”

“…”

As his wrist lowered, the lifted hem of his shirt covered his side again. She recalled the moment, feeling that there was something beneath that flame tattoo she hadn’t quite seen clearly.

“You must have a story behind it too, right?”

To avoid coming across as someone who pries into others’ preferences, Lu Zhi briefly explained, “If you didn’t like it, you wouldn’t have had it tattooed there.”

Fu Yanshang: “What?”

She pointed at his side, not bothering to hide it: “Right here. I just saw it.”